Category: Movies

2009 has to be the first time in at least 12 years that we have not seen our traditional Boxing Day movie. We chose to visit Kerryn instead (do you feel special) 🙂

We did however catch it a couple of days later. Sherlock Holmes staying Robert Downey Jnr (Sherlock) and Jude Law (Watson). I am not sure if I should admit to this but I truly have NEVER read a Sherlock Holmes tale or even seen a tv or film movie version. I was more a Trixie Beldon/Nancy Drew reader.

If Guy Ritchie’s intention is to sell Sherlock to the new breed of viewers today then I personally think he is on to a winner. Sherlock was soooooo not of interest to me as a teenager. This one I could get into. Loved the continual profiling and the re-run situations where Sherlock runs through a sequence of events to get out of a pickle and then you see it in full action again. Very cool. I know the critics are booing it big time. Chumps.

It has got me interested in seeing some more of this Sherlock! 3.5 out of 5.

The latest James Cameron movie to hit the box office and wow was it amazing! I totally forgot at times about the computer graphics.
Humans have been shipped to another planet, Pandora, where they are mining for a very lucrative mineral. The only problem is that a clan of indigenous people, the Na’vi, live on top of the area the company wishes to mine. The Na’vi who have a special connection with their environment have no intention of leaving their home. So if we look at our past and even current history, we can easily imagine what comes next. To get to know the Na’vi, avatars have been created. These are genetically grown bodies in the form of the Na’vi but controlled by humans back on base.
Incredible graphics, excellent score, wonderful story, cast and imaginative environment. Running at just over 2.5 hours it was epic but didn’t feel tiresome or long winded at all. Fabulous movie. 4.5out of 5.

Having seen the original movie and now this one I can say that I enjoyed them both for very different reasons. Is it rather lazy of me to admit that I haven’t actually read the book? Maybe I would like the novel even better if the trend of books never translating as well to movies would be believed.
Colin Firth was fabulous in a decidedly un-Darcy like role this time around. Ben Barnes plays Dorian Gray and with that face how can you not feel for his character. The difference between this movie and the original I saw was that I did feel sorry for Dorian this time as you saw his innocence slowly being eroded one decision at a time. You could feel a connection to the character and a compassion to spur him on to fight against his unscrupulous friend. The fight to hold onto his morals is fought in a losing battle. His morality continues to be eroded until depravity becomes the norm and his painting takes on the evidence of his degraded soul. I think also this is where this movie is set apart. It has a story to tell about the effects of your choices. Whereas the original movie I first saw years ago “The Picture of Dorian Gray” was more focused on his beauty this movie seems to highlight more of Dorian’s battle with his soul.
Graphic at times it was wonderfully vibrant in colour and decadence with a story to take away to ponder. 4 out of 5.

This movie had so much potential, a thriller, based in the beauty of Antartica, Kate Beckinsale and Tom Skerrit. Tragically, it was not to be.
It failed on so many fronts, where should I start? Actually if I was to say that the first 5 minutes contains a shower scene of the incredibly gorgeous Kate Beckinsale ,this to me sums it all up. Basically, get your moneys worth here boys ’cause the rest is a waste of time. I’m still coming up with more plot holes and “what the heck was that about” moments and it is two days later! Seriously happy if I never see this again. 1 out of 5 (’cause I feel sorry for the actors).

Rather too bizarre for me I think. It left me a bit confused as to what the heck it was on about. Is it just a ride of a movie or were they trying to say something about how we treat others? The story in short as outlined on www.imdb.com – “An extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth suddenly finds a kindred spirit in a government agent that is exposed to their biotechnology.”
It sits within the genre of Starship Troopers (which I love) with the explosions and goop. It was captivating and well done but I probably won’t bother seeing it again. 2 out of 5.

I just noticed that it has been ages since I blogged about any of the movies we have seen. True, lately the movies have been a bit sparse in coming out but we have been.

I really enjoyed A Perfect Getaway with Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil series), Steve Zahn (Sahara), Timothy Olyphant (Die Hard 4.0). A couple on their honeymoon in Hawaii take a remote hike only to become concerned they are being stalked by psychopaths. Hawaii looks amazing and the story, although a bit slow really gets going about 3/4’s into it. I was rather surprised. 2.5 out of 5.

Seriously could they make Megan Fox look any more tooly than they did! She is a great looking girl but there’s natural beauty and then there’s vamping it up specifically for the drool factor. What a shame.
However still loved the movie itself. How can you not love Optimis Prime, the cool graphics, great soundtrack, Shia LaBeouf etc. Shia is amazing and really draws you into the film. The comedy is terrific. The only thing I would say let the film down a bit was the graphics. As the transformation of the machines are quite complex it would be beneficial to slow it down a bit so you could see more, they seemed to go through so quickly that it’s hard to keep up with the action! Loved the locations especially Egypt. 4 out of 5.

OK, this movie I would pay money to see again! Loved it. Funny without being geeky, intriguing to see all the main characters come together through different circumstances and big space battles. Seeing the Enterprise for the “first time” was also really cool! 4 out of 5.

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo much better than the tragically unsuccessful adaption that was The DaVinci Code. Angels and Demons was a real step up this time. To be honest I still don’t particularly like Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon but we have been trying to rack our brains for a good alternative. Still nothing. Ewan McGregor was excellent and the views of Rome and The Vatican stunning. Would even consider a trip to Italy now 🙂
The locations were great and the acting good but it still doesn’t manage to pull off portraying Robert as per the book. Tom’s version of Robert comes across as being ready with scripted answers to the riddles as opposed to seeing the character work through the problem. 2.5 out of 5.