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Certificate: 
Directors: Neill Blomkamp and Simon Hansen
Release Date: 4 September 2009
Tagline: You are not welcome here.
Main Cast:
Sharlto Copley … Wikus Van De Merwe
Jason Cope … Grey Bradnam – UKNR Chief Correspondent
I heard good things about this film, but wondered why at the start. It all seemed a bit silly and ridiculous, but when it gets going it’s really, really good. Easily one of the best sci-fi films in recent years.
There’s really only one thing I can say.
I saw the Prawns, and the Prawns were good.
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Director: Glenn Standring
Release Date: 16 August 2007
Tagline: Humans and vampires have lived in harmony… Until now.
Main Cast:
Dougray Scott … Brother Silas
Saffron Burrows … Lily
Leo Gregory … Brother Edgar
This should have been ‘right up my street’, but it wasn’t. It’s very visually stunning with clever use of colour, but the look of the film is its best quality. For some reason I found that it couldn’t hold my attention. It has a strange and completely bereft of emotion love story element and in some cases is just plain pretentious. I also found the mix of Dickensian and the 1960’s somewhat silly.
I really should have liked this, and it’s a shame that I didn’t.
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Director: Todd Phillips
Release Date: 12 June 2009
Tagline: Some guys just can’t handle Vegas.
Main Cast:
Phil Wenneck … Bradley Cooper
Ed Helms … Stu Price
Zach Galifianakis … Alan Garner
Oh. My. God. I’ve seen some bloody rubbish in my life, and this is right up there with the worst of the worst. It’s supposed to be a madcap screwball comedy, but it’s so shoddily written that there are just no laughs at all. And just when you think that it couldn’t get any worse, Mike Tyson makes an appearance. He’s a very gifted actor, and I think that his true vocation is for stage and screen.
Some of the things that we are supposed to laugh at are actually very offensive, and one ‘joke’ (which is done twice) consists of Zach Galifianakis making a baby do masturbating motions when scantily clad women are around. Is it just me or does that border on paedophilia? I can’t believe that the BBFC let that pass. You are also supposed to laugh at racism, simulated bestiality, prejudice, breast feeding and fat jokes.
We are also continually reminded that Doug is missing. I assume that this is because the people who like this kind of drivel have very poor attention spans.
Unless you are an adolescent boy who finds this kind of rubbish funny, then steer well clear.
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Director: James Cameron
Release Date: 17 October 2009
Tagline: Enter the world.
Main Cast:
Sam Worthington … Jake Sully
Zoe Saldana … Neytiri
Sigourney Weaver … Dr. Grace Augustine
Stephen Lang … Colonel Miles Quaritch
3D cinema – fancy gimmick or pleasurable enhancement? Both, actually. In the fantasy sections of the film it works very well, but in the run-of-the-mill scenes it’s pointless and somewhat distracting. So, all in all, 3D is something that, with the right film, could be fantastic.
So, on to the film itself. Cheesy, clichéd and over long, Avatar would not have been the massive success that it was if it was merely a 2D film. The plot and the dialogue are dreadful, and it’s obvious that Cameron was not in the least bit concerned about making a good film, which is a shame as it is certainly visually stunning. I believe that special effects should help tell the story and not be the only attraction and, sadly, Avatar is a film without a soul. Take Titanic – love it or hate it, Cameron had the sets built to perfection. To see that wonderful ship come to life was an absolute joy, and you were completely immersed (no pun intended) in the experience. With Avatar, I found myself constantly aware of the 3D visuals and just couldn’t engage fully with the film.
Having said all that, I appreciate that Avatar is the first genuine 3D film (as opposed to the ones that have 3D versions with a few things that poke out of the screen at you) and, as such, I applaud it. Was it worth paying good money to see? Yes, it was. Do I think 3D is the future? No, I don’t.
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Director: Henry Selick
Release Date: 8 May 2009
Tagline: Be careful what you wish for.
Main Cast: (voice)
Dakota Fanning … Coraline Jones
Teri Hatcher … Mel Jones / Other Mother / Beldam
Jennifer Saunders … Miss April Spink / Other Spink
Dawn French … Miss Miriam Forcible / Other Forcible
I really liked this. A beautifully crafted stop-motion animated tale about a bored girl whose explorations give her more than she bargained for. This is the first 3D stop-motion film to be made, although I can’t comment on if was a success or not as I watched the 2D version.
Coraline is rather an unlikeable character. Her family have just moved in to a rather peculiar house that has been divided in to apartments, and the other residents are all oddballs. Neither of her parents have much time for her so she’s left to find her own entertainment. She’s sullen and rude, and I kind of liked it when she realised how much trouble she’d got herself in.
She comes across a small door which leads her to a parallel universe where her parents are attentive and her every whim is catered for. She is offered a chance to stay with these ‘other parents’, but she must first replace her eyes with black buttons (all of the characters in the other world beyond the door have buttons for eyes). This doesn’t appeal to Coraline, and the true nature of her predicament becomes evident.
Coraline is a dark fairytale like story with some really creepy moments and a sinister undertone and is definitely not for small children. In fact, I can see this giving more than one or two a few nightmares.
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Directors: Carlos Saldanha and Mike Thurmeier (co-director)
Release Date: 1 July 2009
Tagline: The sub-zero heroes are back, on an incredible adventure… for the ages.
Main Cast: (Voice)
John Leguizamo … Sid
Ray Romano … Manny
Denis Leary … Diego
If you liked the previous Ice Age films, then you’ll like this. There is quite a lot of character building in this one, which is quite unusual in animated films. Manny now has a family, and both Diego and Sid are feeling like their paths are beginning to lead them elsewhere. Sid especially is finding himself at a crossroads, and when he stumbles across three eggs he decides to pretend that they’re his family. However, when they hatch he gets more than he bargained for!
Scrat has a slightly larger role, and I did find the screaming a bit annoying in the end, but that’s just a small thing.
Another solid addition to the Ice Age films. Great animation and as funny as its previous instalments.
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Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Release Date: 28 August 2009
Tagline: You’ll know when you’re in it.
Main Cast:
Jeremy Renner … SSgt. William James
Anthony Mackie … Sgt. JT Sanborn
Brian Geraghty … Spc. Owen Eldridge
I am at a loss as to why this film has been rated quite highly by film critics. I found it tedious and predictable and I didn’t find one single character in it that I liked and rooted for. Do US soldiers really behave like total twats, or are these characters just stereotypical for this genre of film.
I will be more than happy if I never see this again.
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Director: Duncan Jones
Release Date: 17 July 2009
Tagline: The last place you’d ever expect to find yourself.
Main Cast:
Sam Rockwell … Sam Bell
Kevin Spacey … GERTY (voice)
Borrowing heavily from 2001: A Space Odyssey both visually and in style, Moon is a slow paced sci-fi film that unfolds gently, but never leaves you bored. It centres around a mining station on Earth’s Moon which is run by one man and an intelligent computer (think HAL from the above). Sam’s three year contract has come to an end, and he prepares to leave for home. Unfortunately, he has an accident that prevents him from doing so.
Very simple, and very entertaining. If, however, you like your sci-fi fast paced and filled with action, then this is probably not for you.
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Director: Steven Spielberg
Release Date: 21 September 2001
Tagline: David is 11 years old. He weighs 60 pounds. He is 4 feet, 6 inches tall. He has brown hair. His love is real. But he is not.
Main Cast:
David … Haley Joel Osment
Monica Swinton … Frances O’Connor
Jude Law … Gigolo Joe
William Hurt … Prof. Hobby
I first saw this on its release, and I was left feeling rather ambivalent. The first half of the film is superb but then it sort of collapses somewhat suddenly into a sort of Blade Runner scenario. And then it gets even odder than that with the introductions of aliens.
One thing I was not left ambivalent about was Haley Joel Osment. He’s absolutely stunning as David and gives one of the best performances in cinematic history.
And then I watched it again and now I have an altogether different opinion of it. I found myself liking the stark contrast. I still think that it could have been less ‘neon futuristic’, but I was expecting it, and it made a difference. I also found myself liking the ending much more. David may not have got what he desperately wanted, but in the end he still finds peace and happiness, and it’s very touching.
Perhaps this film is one of those that ‘improve’ with a second viewing.
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Director: Pedro Almodóvar
Release Date: 31 August 1990 (UK)
Main Cast:
Cristina Sánchez Pascual … Yolanda Bel
Julieta Serrano … Abadesa Julia
Dark Habits is a completely bizarre film, and one that I think will either bore you or leave you thinking about it for a few days. I’m not sure if it’s a satire, black comedy, serious drama or even all three!
All of the nuns have very unique personalities and all have different reasons for being there. They are a very eclectic bunch!
Basically, the story is about a group of nuns who provide refuge for life’s waifs and strays. They offer no judgement on those whom they help, and with good reason.
Whilst this is not one of Almodóvar’s best films, it’s still very thought provoking and surprises you in many ways.
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