Category: Film Reviews

Momentum Pictures

With an all star golf cart full of hip-hop artists, ‘Who’s Your Caddy?‘ is going to be the comedy to watch out for on DVD this summer.

When rap mogul C-Note (Big Boi) gets his membership rejected from joining and exclusive Gentlemen’s golf and polo club, he uses his own methods and knowledge to get himself in. With a wise cracking entourage at his beck and call, he proves the golf course can be a place for anyone, no matter how aristocratic you are. The golf course then sets the scene for a playful and disruptive set of events. There is more to this story than its comedy though. At times there are some real moving moments about making your father proud, following in his footsteps and achieving things he was unable to.

If I were to describe ‘Who’s Your Caddy?’ in two words, “Absolutely hilarious” are the only two I can think of at the minute. Featuring OutKast’s Big Boi, Faizon Love (Idlewild), Terry Crews (Everybody Loves Chris) and Tony Cox (Bad Santa) to name but a few of the famous faces you’ll see, the cast work together incredibly well, playing off each others comments and actions to create some hysterical scenes, mostly in the case of Faizon Love. I wont give too much away about but two particular side splitting scenes include one in the bathroom and another on the golf course when a vital shot is being taken towards the end.

There is a difference in what lies in this comedy in comparison to other films labelled comedies. In other films it is easily visible that the funny lines have been carefully thought up and placed delicately in certain areas to create as many laughs as possible. With ‘Who’s Your Caddy?’ the entire movie is a laugh. It would be quite easily believable that you could be watching a reality TV programme, some strange version of Big Brother or some other American reality TV show. The comedy is that real and tied in so well with the story it rolls off the tongue.

I wasn’t sure what to except at first. Musicians taking a turn at acting can be difficult to predict and like wise, actors singing is usually a bad idea. There must be something in the air however as these Hip-Hop musicians are incredibly good actors as well as musicians. If you thought that hip-hop musicians were only good at making comical music videos, you were wrong. They are just as talented at giving one heck if a hilarious performance in the flicks as well as the music. If you thought OutKast’s ‘Roses’ or ‘Miss Jackson’ video’s were funny, you haven’t seen anything yet.

Michelle Moore

Revolver Entertainment

Following on from the huge success of horror flick Shrooms back in 2007, director Paddy Breathnach has another disturbing success about to explode onto movie screens called Red Mist.

Red Mist begins when Kenneth (Andrew Lee Potts), a dissolute and recluse hospital janitor with a passion for taking voyeuristic mobile phone photographs and video, catches a group of medical students drinking and taking drugs. When he confronts the students, they drug him and when he goes into an epileptic fit do nothing to save his life. While in a coma, one particular medical student, Catherine (Arielle Kebbel), gets a fit of guilt and conjures up a cocktail of drugs hoping to bring him out of the coma. Instead, he has various out of body episodes where he can possess individuals to take revenge on his tormentors.

Following in the footsteps of Pathology with the notion of medical students experimenting with drink and drugs, I am beginning to wonder if medical students in reality are in any ways similar to those on screen or have they actually been studying and know the effects such narcotics could have on a person. I dread the thought of being admitted to hospital and finding out the truth.

Red Mist is the seventh film from director Paddy Breathnach and he has done remarkably well in his use of cinematography. Some scenes have overexposure lighting; others are extremely bright, while some are practically darkened with only the main character in their current position in view, like silhouettes in a darkened frame. There are certainly the occasional jumps that wait in store for viewers. There are also the odd bloody and violent images, but not as much as you may expect for a classicised horror flick. The murder scenes are not very graphic and I was hoping for much more of a gore fest than I was given.

This is an American film with a majority American cast, filmed in Ireland and has an Irish director. The majority of sets involved are inside, a hospital, a bar, university campus and dorm rooms with the only real outdoor set being a wood. What I cannot make out is although these are generic sets which could have been filmed anywhere, why film in Ireland and pretend its in American rather than just film in America? At least with Shrooms a viewer knew the American students were vacationing in Ireland and not falsely given a wrong setting. Even so, since the locations are generic, the sets are plausible and if you hadn’t had known could easily be fooled into thinking the scenes were filmed in the USA.

Red Mist is an interesting film with a fascinating narrative with the unconscious becoming alive and possessing others to take revenge from the deathbed. It concludes with an open ending, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a sequel in the works over the next year…and who knows where this one will be filmed.

Michelle Moore

Lionsgate films
www.sdarko.com

If you thought that the 2001 cult classic Donnie Darko was an incredibly complex and difficult story, possibly even one of the most bizarre tales you have ever encountered, then be prepared for yet another rush of time travelling excitement with the next instalment S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale.

Donnie Darko was a film that really made you think and got the sparks in the brain working at full speed. After seeing all the facts, you needed to place them all in an order that makes sense. For S. Darko you may have to put what is left of your brain into overdrive, as it is a little bit more of a challenge to get to grips with. The tale begins seven years after the death of Donnie, with his sister Samantha (Daveight Chase) heading off on a road trip with a friend. The trip is cut short when the car breaks down and the town bad boy Randy (Ed Westwick) comes to their rescue. It is when they reach town that the girls end up in a time travelling set of events that sees them die, come back to life and Samantha returning as a spirit like entity which connects to her sleepwalking.

The end of the film is a confusing one with future dead Sam and the present one becoming one in the same due to certain events not happening, and thus changing the course of the future events. If you have ever wondered how the future can effect the past to ultimately alter the future that was to be, then be prepared for a headache.

This sequel takes much more thinking to put all the pieces of the narrative puzzle together. With Donnie’s tale the narrative seemed pretty straightforward with the occasional speed bump and an end result inserted at the start. With Sam’s tale things seem much more complicated with a very similar end and beginning, one what could have been and one that becomes reality. There are also other points that create alternative outcomes. Sam’s story is a slightly creepier tale than Donnie’s first instalment, however still sees the return of the spaced out bunny. Dead Sam from the future has a rather zombie like effect to her appearance, especially with that horrendous dress.

This film has a great up and coming cast including Daveight Chase (Donnie Darko), Briana Evigan (Step Up 2: The Streets), James Lafferty (One Tree Hill) and one guy all eyes are on at the minute, Ed Westwick (Gossip Girl), as well as a few familiar faces including Elizabeth Berkley (Save by the Bell). In a world that blurs the realms of fantasy and reality, S. Darko: A Donie Darko Tale will likely mystify and intrigue while getting those brain cells in full working order.

Michelle Moore

Universal Pictures
www.thelasthouseontheleft.com

If anyone has seen the original Wes Craven, cult slasher they will probably accept that as great as the original is, a remake isn’t the worst idea. ‘The Last House on The Left‘ is an up-dated Hollywood version, all modern, glossy and ready to push a whole different selection of buttons than it’s seventies counterpart. However, what with all the beautification that comes with remaking something “cult” (‘Wicker Man’ for example), you feel all you’re left with is a well shot, well scored, but disappointing skeleton. All the character and quirkiness polished into uneasy tension and unclear moral obligations.

The close-knit family; Mum, Dad and beloved daughter (without recently deceased son) are off to their holiday cabin in the woods for a break. After an hour or so the teenage daughter obviously loses interest in her surroundings and wants to meet up with her chatty, confident friend, who works in the local town. Their curiosity and boredom leads them unwittingly in to the hands of a family of sadists.

While the original film was tainted with a post-Manson paranoia, the remake has been up-dated to convey a more modern concern – trust. Actually, it’s probably not about trust, but everyone’s super paranoid about “who’s who” these days, that it sort of works.

‘Last House’ is much slicker and easier to watch, not because the scenes where the young girls get hacked to pieces aren’t horrific and heavy, but because we’re made to feel that it’s acceptable to watch the family turn on the baddies mutilating them with the garbage disposals, and making their brains pop with a microwave. It’s taking family values to the next level. And it seems like the thing that pushes them over the edge is the fact the daughter is raped (a major point in both films). The scene is far too long and intense, we get it, it’s rape and it’s bad, we don’t need to watch 5 minutes of it to make us feel uncomfortable and troubled.

‘Last House on The Left’ is a reasonable modern horror film, it makes us feel uncomfortable and uneasy instead of disgusting us with blood and guts, like the old slashers did. The plot is a fairly predictable revenge thriller, with a couple of tense moments, however it doesn’t hold a candle to the original’s eerie psychedelia or paranoia which would have been so much more refreshing.. Ah well, maybe next time.

Emily Paget

Warner Bros
www.benjaminbutton.com

With a screenplay based on the 1921 short story of the same name, the fantasy tale of Benjamin Button is one of the most intriguing, attention grabbing and curious films I have seen in a while. Even before I had watched the film I had heard about the premise and become very inquisitive over how exactly a man could be born with the physical attributes of an 85-year-old and grow up to a newborn baby. Not only how would this work in a story, but also how make up could create such a thing and be believable.

As the story goes, a baby is born with the physical maladies of an elderly man, abandoned by his father at a nursing home (his mother died in childbirth), taken in, raised by Queenie (Taraji P. Henson) and named Benjamin (Brad Pitt). While biologically growing younger, while appearing to be an old man, Benjamin meets a young girl named Daisy (Elle Fanning). He spends his years working on a tugboat, exploring brothels and bars, sending her postcards from his travels. It isn’t until his appearance develops to the age where both are comfortable with each other, things begin to develop and the real significance of the story unravels. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is depicted from his journal read by Daisy’s daughter in 2005.

If you have ever read a book that you couldn’t put down, read it until your eyes went blurry, so desperate to find out what happens without resorting to skipping to the end as you would miss the incredible middle, then you have my exact feelings when watching The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. The screenplay is written with such detail, creativity and interest. The way it is told from a journal seemed so fitting as you are given a little glimpse at a time into Benjamin’s life with its effect on Daisy in the present day. The point of the clock going back in time rather than forward symbolising Benjamin’s life was an excellent and very ingenious idea.

The way in which certain scenes are filmed is remarkable and really given detail to make them plausible. Usually in a film that depicts a story over many years, the actors are made to look older; here the complete reverse is given to Pitt. It is incredible how he can be a young boy, in height and mentality while looking to have many more years behind him. He is given wrinkles by the bucket full in his early years, then as he gets older, begins to walk and become more physical they’re gradually removed, like a man with a fantastic night and day wrinkle cream.

The most heart wrenching part of the film is not the beginning about an abandoned baby or his struggles growing up and getting younger as you may expect. How much would you do for the person you love, would you look after them in their old age, or in this case, as they get younger by the day. The end is the stories true tender moment.

I was mesmerised by how well this curious tale unravelled…it was absolutely brilliant!

Michelle Moore

Paramount Pictures
www.transformersmovie.com

From the minute that this second instalment of TRANSFOMERS begins you are thrown in at the deep end, head first into a huge and exciting pool of mayhem, mystery and mind boggling machines.

Growing up and to this day I am still interested in Sci-Fi programmes such as Star Trek and the X-Files as well as films such as Alien, but the Transformers never hit my radar until the 2007 movie hit the big screens. With such a talented cast and narrative string the movie literally grasped your attention and pulled you in. Because of this I was very eager to see what the second film had in store for the future of the Autobots. This instalment starts when Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf), wanting as much of a normal life as possible heads to university. He barely makes it through his first day as he discovers something about the origins of the Transformers and their history on Earth. Revenge of the Fallen goes deeper into this premise, with one battle of an ending with Autobots and humans fighting on one side and the Decepticons on the other for the fate of the Planet.

The first half of the film is shot through various US states, but it the location of the final battle, Egypt, which makes for such an outstanding sight. Aeroplanes and helicopters soaring through the air, firepower blasting from guns as well as machines, things getting blown to pieces and pyramids getting quite a make over.

The designs of the robots in this film are so much more interesting than in the first. Many of the original characters remain such as Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader and Bumblebee, the Autobot who befriended Sam, with the odd new ones for good measure. My favourite has to be the Twins, Mudflap and Skids. They first appear as two ends of a pink and white ice cream van but are quickly upgraded into something a little shinier. These two comic characters as well as Wheelie, a blue radio-controlled toy monster truck can be best imagined as little robotic versions of gremlins. Revenge of the Fallen has a very TV friendly cast including Shia LaBeouf (Even Stevens), Megan Fox (Hope and Faith), Matthew Marsden (Coronation Street) and Isabel Lucas (Home and Away). These are all talented actors, but it was the vocal contribution of Tony Todd as The Fallen that made such an impact. With such a distinctive voice and the fact he has lent it to such memorable characters such as The Candyman, just hearing Todd’s sinister voice sends shivers down your spine.

The Revenge of the Fallen has an incredibly suspenseful, gripping and very fast moving plot line. You may enter the story a couple of years after the original, humans and autobots working alongside each other to protect the secret of the robots, but you are literally grabbed by the toes and thrown into the next battle. There is very little time wasting about moving into university and attending classes before all hell breaks lose. There are a lot of explosions and firepower, but nevertheless a memorable film for the entire family.

Michelle Moore

I think its safe to say that when you hear the words “action film” an image of Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator comes to mind. This may all be about to change, Christian Bale as an adult John Connor may be the new face of action films for a younger generation, leading the resistance in the war against the machines.

The film serves as more of a prequel than a sequel, filling out the back-story we are introduced too in Terminator 1. We are still introduced to new characters never mentioned in the first film, Marcus Wright; one of Skynet’s earliest experiments is vital to the story. We also meet a young Kyle Reese, one of the most important characters in the Terminator canon.

It starts off in the year 2018, a few years after the judgement day events in Terminator 3. John Connor is one of the few human survivors whose mission is to bring down Skynet and bring an end to the war. Alongside a group of survivors, a half terminator, and his pubescent father John leads the fight against the robotic enemy.

Sam Worthington does a stand up job playing the tormented half human-half machine Marcus Wright, his acting is top notch and all needless manly shouting aside, he really pulls off the role. Anton Yelchin portrays a young Kyle Reese exactly how you’d imagine him and he even bears a slight resemblance to Michael Biehn. Bale is fantastic as always, being a much more able John Connor than Nick Stahl could ever dream of.

The special effects in Terminator Salvation are possibly the best I’ve ever seen, everything down to a certain CGI antihero look 100% real. The sounds of the machines themselves are ethereal and the cinematography gives the film a whole new level, putting films such as Transformers to shame. Although the look of the film may not be the same post apocalyptic vision as James Cameron originally had, this is about as close as you can get from another director.

You may get quite confused by the storyline, you might wonder how Marcus Wright came to be, or why John Connor’s father is about 10 years younger than him, or if the human’s defeat the machines will there be any need for Kyle Reese to go back in time and will John Connor ever even be born? This in my opinion can only be respected; as for an action film that can not only astound you but also be thought provoking is an achievement.

These 2 hours are definitely the best thing we can get from a Terminator film that isn’t directed by James Cameron, so well done to McG for that! I am definitely going to be first in line for Terminator 5 and can’t wait to see how the series is going to be rounded off. But for now go and see Terminator 4, as it is not only salvation for humanity, but also salvation for this well loved franchise.

Jonathan Teggert

Sam Raimi has had his fair share of cock-ups in horror films recently. The Grudge, The Boogeyman and The Messengers being prime examples, however it is in Drag Me To Hell that he makes his triumphant return to the genre that he defined. The plot revolves around Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), an up and coming banker with a bright future. Until she gets on the wrong side of an old gypsy and has an ancient curse bestowed upon her, this is when her life is thrown into a world of torment and the promise of spending eternity in hell.

Now we have the perfect formula for a good horror film, an unbelievable plot, shock opportunities and plenty of sidesplitting moments. Drag Me To Hell certainly fills the gap that’s been missing in cinema for the past 20 years. Shot on a presumably high budget it still has the look and feel of an independent, cheap horror film, reminiscent of Evil Dead.

Sam even returns to some of the techniques he used in Evil Dead, using the trademark “deadite” voice for a possessed servant, as well as including laughing household objects. Comedy aside, Drag Me To Hell has its genuinely scary parts, the tense sections will keep you on the edge of your seat, and the jolty bits will get you jumping right out of it.

I really don’t want to ruin the plot of the film for you because there are so many twists and turns you need to experience it first hand. My only criticism for it is the end genuinely lagged on, about 20 minutes before the actual ending they could have wrapped everything up and had a good, well rounded conclusion, unfortunately this was not the case and I was sat looking at my watch thinking how pointless the last part is.

Nonetheless Drag Me To Hell is probably one of the best horror films of the last decade, possibly even the last 2. Sam has done himself proud by creating another film that defines its genus, something that will solidify his cult following. If you want an experience that is genuinely scary, yet equally hilarious then this is definitely worth your money.

Jonathan Teggert

www.iloveyouman.com

Judd Apatow is a man who has single handedly defined the bromance genre, although his films generally start out with friends where a main character has a romance developing with a girl. I Love You, Man is a film with a twist, starting out with Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd), a man who has always had girlfriends and no real friends. Until the day he meets Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) and bromance blossoms.

John Hamburg’s change in direction provides a sigh of relief as it shows the beauty of true friendship. Paul Rudd does a good job of carrying the first third of the film. He provides quite a few laughs, as well as awesome cameos from Thomas Lennon, Andy Samberg and Joe Lo Truglio. Its not until Jason Segel enters the picture that the film really picks up, playing a free spirited, rush loving, self made man. He provides the companionship Rudd is yearning for.

Jason Segel is a truly understated comedic actor, and his supporting roles in How I Met Your Mother and Knocked Up have stolen the show. You can’t forget the unmissable Lou Ferrigno; The Incredible Hulk himself is never a sight for sore eyes. Although the basis for the film is relatively original, the plot is pretty standard, man falls in love, and they fall out, and then make up at the end. Even though its friend love, this standard formula has worked countless times in the past, so why not use it again?

I Love You, Man easily fits in with the status quo of pun driven American comedies that are coming out these days. It will never be remembered like Anchorman, or be as highly valued as Superbad, but it is a very funny film and if the recent wave of Hollywood comedies is your thing, then you’ll love it!

Jonathan Teggert

Magnolia Pictures
www.lettherightoneinmovie.com

As you’ve probably already heard, this is not your average ‘vampire’ film. No. It is not. It is however, your average bleak, snow-coated, quiet-but-charming Scandinavian film. This is not really about Vampires as such, but more about the relationship between two pubescent loners.

While there are a number of unsettling bloody moments, they aren’t at all sensational or by any means unnecessary, they merely act of life, showing the almost tragic but touching and weirdly chaste love story.

We follow Oskar; a lonely, quiet boy who lives with his mother. Oskar is like many other adolescent boys his age, concealing a fascination with death and morbidity, up-dating a scrap book containing local news cuttings about bloody crimes. He’s bullied by the boys at school, but only ever reacts when he’s alone, taking his anger out on a tree with his treasured pocket knife. That is until one night he meets his new neighbour, Eli. Eli admits to being a similar age, but seems somewhat wiser, and also always shoeless in the snow.

At first Oskar is wary of Eli, he doesn’t have any friends and finds it hard to understand why she wants to talk to him. Their childlike ways allow for simple and honest conversation which not only add to the quietness of the film but also the charm. As innocent as their conversations are each night, there is also something very unsettling about their relationship. You can feel something predatory about Eli and something prey like in Oskar, but because they’re both quite content in having someone to be near it doesn’t become an issue. When Eli returns from a night of hunting, she crawls into Oskar’s window and lies next to him while he sleeps, her face covered in drying blood, his clean and pale.

The snow covered streets and the pale winter light really emphasize the bleak backdrop of the story, especially against the sudden contrast of blood, splattered or draining from a hanging carcass. The colour is so desaturated and muted that when we see the red of the fresh blood it’s almost warm and welcoming – seductive even.

The final few scenes leave a bittersweet taste in your mouth; I can’t decide if it’s really necessary or was only put in as a final act of violent but romantic revenge. But the image of the massacred children around the quiet pool is quite disturbing. In all the film is a perfect combination of young love, nativity and fear. It’s a warped, unsettling fairy tale that stays with you for quite a long time, it also shows some hope that there are some people who can still make original and brilliant films.

Emily Paget