Mean Girls

7/10

Good story with some laughs.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
10/10

Fantastic soundtrack, fantastic CGI, Ray Winstone as a beaver and, I only discovered today, Michael Madsen doing the uncredited voice of Maugrim the Wolf, Head of the Secret Police.

This must be the 5th time I've watched it on DVD but I read the books as a kid so it has a lot of sentimental value for me.

The Departed
8/10 - Not my usual type of film but very good nonetheless.

Cashback
10/10  - Seriously loved this; download it today! (It's not available on DVD except R1.)

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoneix

If you've read the book, 4/10
If you haven't 7/10.

Simply because you'll feel annoyed about the parts left out and the stuff changed to make it "flow better". Otherwise, it's a solid movie.

Alfonse wrote:
> Silent Hill
>
> Some generally scary moments, plot was pants though.
>
> 7/10

ending really really f**ked me off.


Man on Fire
7/10 some nice action and plot. No huge twists though. weak final sequence

Die Hard 4.0
8/10 Does just like a die hard should. Action at its most crazy and at times unbeleiveable. Not as good as Nakatomi though, and drops points from me mainly coz it didnt have an english baddy.

Battle Royale
8/10 :D :D :D :D :D :D

^{Since he became a multi-millionaire.}

Die Hard 4.0  ... 8.5/10

Great film in the standard action mould - plenty of explosions, people getting shot, Kung Fu trained women getting beaten up, men getting thrown down flights of stairs on office chairs.  And shed loads of CGI in this one - not enough to spoil it though.

Would have been a 9, but there really is very little in the way of good storyline - you could probably re-jig the whole film into a different order of action scenes and enjoy it just as much.  But then, isn't that what these sorts of films are about?  Sod it, I'll give it another 0.5 ...

John McClane for the millenium ... recommended!

Silent Hill

Some generally scary moments, plot was pants though.

7/10

Ghost Rider 6/10

Such a flat & pale performance by Nicolas Cage in human form with a distinct feeling of "could have done better" in Ghost Rider form. :(  Good dark performance of Mephistopheles by Peter Fonda but the lead baddy (Blackheart) is out-shone by two of his subordinates... Ignore the critiques & ignore the expectations of good performances by the top names appearing in the film (Sam Elliott, yeah... too little character building: boo) & you get an all-round good film.

Pans Labyrinth 8/10

It's a complete work of art and a great fairytale story but i absolutely wouldnt recommend it for kids. There are a couple of scenes that are quite visceral and i regret choosing to watch this while eating my tea.

Saving Private Ryan

An all time classic, the only war film I enjoy. 9/10

I watched the work print of Hostel 2 around a month ago and I thought it was terrible. It was spoilt slightly by the fact that the VFX weren't finished yet but the special effects being finished would have simply added a bit of polish to what I hoped would improve on a disappointing first film.

To stay on topic, I watched an Australian film the other day called Suburban Mayhem. Its about a girl who is completely off the rails behaviour wise and it centers around the death of her father, really enjoyed it. Probably like a 7/10

V for Vendetta. So good, it inspired my tagline. 8/10

Memoirs of a Geisha

Like Rocky but with hookers.

7/10

The Holiday 8/10

Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black

I hate Jack Black and his permanently staring eyes with a passion so nearly didn't watch this.  Glad I did though, romantic storyline about unrequited love and some great scenes with Eli Wallach (who does all his own stunts).  Winslet plays a reporter in England who needs a break, Diaz plays the owner of a company that makes movie trailers LA who also needs a break, so they meet online and swap houses for a week.

Diaz comes to England and meets Jude Law, Winslet heads to LA and meets Jack Black and it goes from there, although maybe it was just me and whilst there seemed to be great chemistry between Diaz and Law there was more of a frosty acceptance between Winslet and Black, or maybe I was just jealous because I fancy Winslet.

Either way, seems to be up there with The Beach or Dirty Dancing for a girl's night in movie, there's a nice twist with Law's character and I became a fan of Diaz.

Nin wrote:
> Barthax wrote:
>> Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift 3/10
>
> A film like that is only ever going to interest people who like
> cars, which is why it's hit a 7 average. If you took a normal
> person to see it i'd imagine a 3 would be about right.

On the contrary - I enjoy action movies & the first two F&TF were great.  This third seems to just utilise branding to pull in the crowds & then not deliver. :(  Add to that the "promise" of it being related to the first two by a brief character insert at the end & you've got something that should have not been a part of the F&TF series, IMO.

I liked Solaris

Evan Almighty 6/10

Nothing majorly wrong with it, nothing majorly right with it either. Very predictable, you wont laugh but you might smile.

I just looked at the full list of movies so far so thought I'd add a few from my DVD collection that aren't there yet:

Collateral 9/10

Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Will Smith's missus and Jason Statham (from Snatch/Lock Stock...) for all of 5 seconds.

Cruise is a contract killer, Foxx is a cab driver hi-jacked by Cruise and forced to drive to each of the locations required for his list of kills.  Although basically a road movie it'll keep you gripped due to Michael Mann's brilliant direction.

Dogma 9/10

Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Salma Hayek, Alan Rickman et al.

Two renegade angels thrown out of heaven find a loophole in Catholic dogma that will allow them back into heaven.  God is kidnapped so it's up to the Voice of God to organise heaven's protection with the aid of a couple of prophets, a woman who has lost all her faith and the 13th disciple.  It's a Kevin Smith movie, so plenty of humour keeps things moving.

Dog Soldiers 10/10

Sean Pertwee, Kevin McKidd and a bunch of other relatively unknowns.

A group of disgruntled squaddies on an Army exercise during the World Cup come across the remains of a Black Ops team that has been mangled by werewolves.  Cue mad dash to safety, a remote farmhouse that acts as their Alamo and a wonderful scene involving repairing a gouged stomach with superglue.  Most notable for its frequent one-liners it's a must for your Lycanthrope movie collection.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 8/10

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson etc.

You really need to read the books first to appreciate how tricky it must have been to envision Quidditch in movie form.  Plus the inspired casting of Julie Walters as the Weasley's mother and Alan Rickman as Snape bring the books to life in a way I didn't think was possible.  Worth it if you're a fan of the books.

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets 9/10

As above plus Kenneth Branagh.

Dobby makes his appearance, along with the flying car, Aragog, the Polyjuice Potion and Keneth Brannagh in another inspired bit of casting as the latest in a long line of Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers.  Again, better after reading the book.

Hollowman 7/10

Kevin Bacon, Elizabeth Shue.

The Invisible Man redone by Paul Verhoeven.  Slightly lame and predictable storyline but outstanding special effects and some interesting ways to go make up for it.

Interview with the Vampire 9/10

Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Antonio Banderas, Christian Slater and a very young Kirsten Dunst.

A reporter interviews a vampire about how he came to be which leads to a mammoth tale in the telling which along the way dispels most myths you might have learned about vampires (but they do sleep in coffins).  Spanning centuries and various locations it's a ripping yarn in more ways than one.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider 8/10

Angelina Jolie, Jon Voight (her real dad), Daniel Craig (007)

One for fans of the game series essentially, you'll be surprised how well Jolie has adapted to the role of Lara Croft.  Not a great deal of Tomb Raiding going on, but some nice action sequences including the bungee ballet.  Chris Barrie as Lara's butler provides most of the comic relief.

Lara Croft Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life 7/10

Angelina Jolie, Gerard Butler, Djimon Hounsou, Ciaran Hinds

A sequel of a movie based on a game, you'd give it as much chance as the movie version of Street Fighter 3.  Fortunately it's not all that bad (Angelina in a wetsuit) and Gerard Butler gets some of the best lines.  Some of the action sequences feel too contrived but the jump from the skyscaper should take your breath away.  Hinds plays the boss baddie rather well.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels 10/10

Jason Fleming, Dexter Fletcher, Nick Moran, Jason Statham, Sting

Basically the film that made Guy Ritchie famous for his unique style of direction, the film follows the story of four friends trying to scrape up money to pay off a debt to a seriously psychopathic crime boss.  Along the way they have to deal with copious amounts of ganja, the crooks that live next door, the local drug lord, stolen antique shotguns, Vinnie Jones and a traffic warden.  Stone is to War movies as Scorsese is to Mafia movies as Ritchie is to British gangster movies.

Reservoir Dogs 10/10

Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Quentin Tarantino.

I don't think Tarantino can act but he sure can direct.  As usual with his films the movie starts off in the middle, cuts to the beginning, cuts to before the beginning and bounces around all over the place before getting to the gritty end.  Like all his other movies he manages to make some seriously bad guys look seriously cool, even when they're called Mr. Pink and using cops for target practice.  Michael Madsen makes a particularly evil Vic Vega in this movie about cops and robbers.

Solaris 8/10

George Clooney, Natasha McElhone (Ronin)

A psychologist gets summoned via a video message from an old friend to rescue what remains of the crew on board a lonely space station orbiting a strange planet.  You'll probably need to watch this film a couple of times to work out what is going on and even then the ending will leave you wondering what 'exactly' happened.  Very Kubrick-esque sci-fi in terms of docking spaceships and other visuals, very Jacob's Ladder in terms of 'what's going on?'.  Very slow paced but a nice visual treat.

Syriana 9/10

George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jefrey Wright

Three stories in one, all centered around the oil industry and what they won't stop at to fill your gas tank.  Basically a film looking at corruption and politics and trying to work out where one ends and one begins, notable also for the fact that Clooney put on 30lbs just to play his role as a CIA agent and its gritty ending.  This is not a feel good movie but it's thought provoking and might make you think twice next time you drive your car.

Team America World Police 6/10

Trey Parker, Matt Stone

An action movie entirely played out by puppets, and also Trey Parker's vehicle for letting actors know how much he hates them.  Surprisingly it works quite well on a few levels; at the same time both admonishing and vindicating America's 'world police' perception, making terrorists look particularly stupid and discovering exactly how much blood you can get from an Alec Baldwin puppet.  Particularly satisfying because Michael Moore turns into a suicide bomber.

The Blair Witch Project 9/10

A cast of unknowns

There are disturbing films, there are frightening films, and then there's this one which manages to do both in huge quantities.  Three students shooting a documentary about a witch get lost in the woods and you're basically watching their film footage that was discovered a year later.  Quite possibly the best ending ever (if you're not already cowering behind your sofa and miss it).

The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy 9/10

Sam Rockwell, Mos Def, Zooey Deschanel, Alan Rickman

Alan Rickman steals the movie even though only his voice makes an appearance in the guise of Marvin the paranoid android.  Probably better if you haven't read the book beforehand as most of the surprises are more 'expected'.  Overall it's a whacky sci-fi romp with some nice set designs and characterisations, should appeal to movie fans, mice and dolphins everywhere.

The Matrix 10/10

Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss

Best action sci-fi movie ever.  Kung Fu vs AI, a world that's not all it seems, Carrie-Anne Moss in latex and guns, lots of guns.  Noted when it first came out for its outstanding special effects, The Matrix and its sequels are pretty much a must-see series of movies with a storyline that's pretty hard to beat.

The Perfect Storm 8/10

George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg

A film about sea fishermen.  There really isn't all that much more to it, but there's some outstanding acting.

The Whole Nine Yards 8/10

Bruce Willis, Matthew Perry

Not sure if Bruce Willis wanted to do comedy because De Niro managed to pull it off so well or whether he just wanted to play a contract killer, either way it's a good thing Matthew Perry is there to move things along in the fun stakes.  A dentist gets embroiled in a scheme to bump off the wife and employer of his next door neighbour, a contract killer.  Lots of twists and turns along the way with Rosanna Arquette, Michael Clarke Duncan, Natasha Hentridge and Amanda Peet all putting in great performances.  The patio door wasn't all that funny, but Bruce Willis eating a fly is.

The Three Kings 10/10

George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube

Set at the end of the first Gulf War, the story is about 3 soldiers and their efforts to 'liberate' for themselves some stolen Kuwaiti gold.  Along the way they become more and more involved in the events unfolding around them as Saddam's Elite Republican Guard begin to stamp down on dissent amongst the local population, leading to the inevitable 'save the gold or save the people' conundrum.  Worth viewing to get a somewhat skewed historical look at what it was probably like for Iraqis after the first Gulf War.

X-Men 8/10

Patrick Stewart, Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry

I'm not a great fan of Marvel Comics conversions unless we're talking about Spiderman, but X-Men does a decent job in introducing Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm and Rogue into a story about Mutants vs Humans.  Nice underlying theme about whether we should treat people differently just because they 'are' different and some decent action scenes, but Wolverine steals the show.

Nin wrote:
> Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift
> Bullett 7/10
> Geffdof 7/10

LOL, wow, I'm surprised anyone gave that more than 5/10!  Tokyo Drift manages to drift way off anything decent.  I liked Biker Boyz better & that attempted to be deep meaningful drivel before anything approaching action.  You've really got to be into cars to appreciate anything from this film: and I'm not. :(

Biker Boyz 4/10
Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift 3/10