Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

First Transformers film? Blew me AWAY. The second film... Not so much, but in all fairness I don't think it was as bad as everyone (including the filmmakers themselves! later) made out. It was just okay. The only reason I felt let down by it was simply because the bar had been raised so high by the first film, that Revenge of the Fallen just did not live up to my high expectations. So what did I make of number 3...?

Dark of the Moon still did not get me as excited as number 1 but I did prefer it to number 2.

Before I went to watch the film, I was a bit dubious about the disappearance of Megan the Fox. I reasoned in my head that I could get over this major character vamoose so long I got a good explanation. "She dumped me, I moved on to something better" is NOT a good explanation! The explanation to why she is now absent was brushed over quickly on only 2 occasions and to me is just unbelievable. So they save the world together - TWICE - and then she just dumps Sam without another word and doesn't get into contact again? Especially when a new war between the autobots, decepticons and humans erupts? NO. No! Grr. Unfortunately Miss Fox was fired from the franchise after she compared director Michael Bay to Adolf Hitler, little drones Wheelie and Brains slate her saying she was not a nice girl (okay so maybe Wheelie has reason) but do I detect a spot of bitterness perhaps? They should have said her character had been killed.

The second thing wrong with this explanation given is also the "I moved on to something better" part...

I understand Carly (Rosie Huntington-Whiteley) may be nice eye candy, but I just could not like her! She was gorgeous alright, but her character also seemed to give the impression that she knew it. She seemed to like Sam just because he was "a hero", maybe I am just nit-picking here but at the start when she tells him that she would like him better when he could play half the rent, just got my back up. He was TRYING to get a job at least (I'm in his boat right now, so I sympathise)! Megan Fox was definitely subjected to the "male gaze" in the previous films and this was all Rosie Huntington-Whitely was good for. It isn't even so much that she can't act that annoyed me, I just did not like her character and think Michael Bay should have sacrificed his pride for the sake of character satisfaction for his audience and kept in Megan Fox's character Mikaela.

But character satisfaction/development does not seem to be Bay's strong suit. Josh Duhamel was seriously underused; his character Lennox seemed to be there just to show a familiar face, he had no storyline going on and was absent for vast portions of the film.

Again I felt Sam's parents were included just for the sake of familiar faces, but (like the Dursley's in Harry Potter) it is expected for them to show up and nice when they do, although they can quickly become annoying and some of their dialogue just makes you cringe.

It wasn't all doom and gloom though! I love Shia LeBeouf as Sam Witwicky and although Bumblebee annoyed me in the cartoons when I was young, I love him in the films and he is my favourite Transformer, so I love every scene with him in and my heart always squeezes when his life is being threatened.

I never like how abrupt they kill of the autobots; unless it is Optimus or Bumblebee, there seems to be no emotion involved, they just get killed and then quickly the camera moves on and nothing is mentioned again. A bit more homage would be nice.

The special effects I thought were stunning and there were some really good action sequences too. However, the action sometimes went on a little long and I found my mind had wandered and I had to keep 'bringing it back to the film' which isn't a good sign, but on the whole I still enjoyed the film.

I would say if you are a fan of the Transformers films, then definitely go watch this. If your not really fussed about the franchise, then this one won't make you change your mind.

3/5

Tangled (2010)

As a child I loved Disney films and watching them back I still do, however I had fallen off the Disney wagon as I grew up and the only recent ones I get to watching are Disney Pixar.

Disney's Tangled reminded me of the magic that is a good old heartfelt Disney film. Their adaption of the fairytale Rapunzel is nothing short of fantastic.

Rapunzel was kidnapped as a baby and locked away from the rest of the world in a tower, hidden so that none other than (who she believes to be) her Mother can use her magical hair rejuvenating properties.

Forbidden to leave, Rapunzel dreams of the outside world, with a chameleon, Pascal, as her only friend. When young thief, Flynn Rider, accidentally stumbles upon her, she bargains with him to take her to see the floating lights, that are released every year on her birthday.

Reluctantly Flynn agrees, but their journey is make difficult by the persuit of guards trying to arrest Flynn, 2 twin thugs he screwed over, 1 indignant horse called Maximus and Rapunzel's evil "mother".

Tangled is a really enjoyable, fun film for all ages and reminded me just how much you gotta love Disney. Maximus the horse and Pascal the chameleon were my favourite characters and had me laughing out loud with their personalities.

For any one who loves a nice, happy, funny film, or just used to love their Disney films, then I would definitely recommend watching Tangled. Watch and see!

5/5

The Hangover Part II (2011)

The Wolfpack is back!!

I LOVED the first film, I had watched it in the cinema with 2 of my best girl friends and we did not stop giggling throughout the whole thing.

So I was very excited for part 2, despite hearing it was basically the same film, just in a different setting.

I wouldn't say that this is true, but it is definitely the same formula. But I guess they went with thinking "well if it works..."

There was definitely still plenty of laughs within this film (one lady in the cinema was doubling over with laughter), but unfortunately I did not find myself laughing quite as hard as with the previous.

The premise for the film is virtually the same as the first: the group are reunited in celebrating their friend's wedding (this time in Bangkok as opposed to Las Vegas). The night spirals out of control after getting spiked and they all wake up with no idea of what went on the night before and realise they have lost one of their party. They then get into some funny and awkward situations whilst trying to piece together the night and find their friend (this time it is the bride's brother Teddy that has gone missing) and get back to the wedding on time.

The 3 central characters are again Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zack Galifianakis) which works well, but it would have been nice to have added something new to the mix by including Doug (Justin Bartha) more, because in the 1st film he had taken part in all of their crazy antics; he had just been lost in the morning, during the part we actually see of the characters piecing it all together. His character could have added a new dynamic to the film, but again he is seriously underused.

I would say Part II is much darker than the first film, with more serious repercussions than the first, only this all seems to be taken with a pinch of salt (the characters seem non-plussed by getting shot or losing parts of their anatomy), which makes many events within the film unbelievable.

Again, there is also a storyline that angers the animal lover in me, I may have a stick up my butt, but I cannot find animal cruelty funny in any form.

It is probably best to watch this film when drunk/high/whatever puts you in a giggly mood and doesn't quite live up to its predecessor, but it isn't bad for a few laughs and some easy entertainment.

3/5

X-Men: First Class (2011)

As a child I was a big fan of the X-Men comics and cartoons, so every time an X-Men film has been released, I have been a big ball of excitement... Only to feel a little let down by the outcome of each. There is nothing necessarily wrong with the films, as various awards, nominations and my friends opinions show, but they did not keep true to the stories I had loved as a child and they just failed to impress me.

Now finally! An X-Men film that is First Class!

This film could be considered as a prequel to the trilogy and Wolverine film (it does even include Hugh Jackman for a cameo), but it is in fact its own stand alone film, set for a new series, with errors in continuity to hinder it fitting in well with the previously made X-Men franchise.

From my childhood I did not know very much on the history of my favourite characters, so luckily this film did not play with what I already knew, as I do get annoyed when my own knowledge and lore gets played with. X-Men: First Class is a nice, interesting look into how some of the characters I know and love became who they are and it was nice (if a little weird at first) seeing Xavier being so much more relaxed and having fun, as opposed to the serious authority figure he later becomes.

It was often referenced in the comics and cartoons that Xavier and Magneto were once friends and it is nice to see how their friendship developed and dissolved. It was also refreshing to see Mystique as Xavier's closest friend and see how she would inevitably leave him to become Magneto's sidekick, whilst the 3 band together with other mutants to help save humankind. I was also happy to see Xavier's comic book love-interest Moira MacTaggert included in the action.

The casting is great and every character believable. James McAvoy breathed some charm and refreshment to the role of Charles Xavier and he had a great chemistry with Michael Fassbender - who I definitely enjoyed looking at - out for revenge (as always) playing Magneto. Jennifer Lawrence was great at playing a more innocent and vulnerable Mystique, whilst it was also nice to see a tender Nicholas Hoult on the big screen again after reclaiming fame again in the UK series of Skins. Kevin Bacon was great for the role of Sebastian Shaw, he is a fantastic actor, whether playing the villain or the hero; he can provoke the right reactions in you.

This put the X-Men films back on the map for me, finally one that did not leave me feeling disappointed! I am very excited to see what will happen in this future series and highly recommend everyone to go and watch this movie.

5/5

Drag Me To Hell (2009)

Urgh. Where to begin with this?

I had rented this film from lovefilm a while back on blu-ray, but at the time I couldn't get my blu-ray player (my trusty PS3) to work, so back it went. Finally, over a year later, I get round to watching it and for someone who is pretty open-minded when it comes to films, I just did not get along with this one.

In Drag Me To Hell's defence, if you are a Sam Raimi fan and like The Evil Dead, then there is every chance you might like this film. It does have its comic moments and it is full of cartoon gore. But we're in the 21st Century now and effects have come a long way (though I will admit parts of this were at least done realistically). For me? I was just like "wtf?"

The premise of the story is loan manager Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) gets cursed by an old gypsy woman, for not extending the loan repayments on her house and so evicting the woman. Christine goes to a fortune teller where she finds out that she is cursed and will be tormented by a Lamia demon for 3 days, before it drags her to hell. So she tries to find out how to break the curse to stop this from happening.

The answer to do this is obvious when she first finds out she is cursed, the fortune teller gives us a massive clue, that is not repeated until near the end of the film, after she has already slaughtered an animal and paid $10,000 to someone who may help her slay the demon. Someone who apparantly has been waiting 40 years for such an opportunity, yet they will only do it for $10,000? Uh-huh.

Such as in the last film I reviewed (God Bless Ozzy Osbourne), there was a scene in the film where I had to look away and hum to myself. I HATE animal cruelty and can't bare to watch it, even if it is fiction, it makes me sad and angry and it was so obvious what she was going to kill as soon as the words "animal sacrifice" were brought up. I even looked away before I knew that my thoughts would be true, it was obvious, as is so much about this film. Christine showed no remorse for what she did and I found it unbelievable that she would choose such a sweet, innocent and personal creature to her to kill. Bitch. So as a character who is supposed to (seemingly throughout the whole film) "have such a good heart" I lost a lot of empathy for her at that point. That being said, despite disliking the character, I will admit that Alison Lohman did a good job of acting and I would like to see more of her work.

The seance scene is just bizarre and it must be supposed to be comical but it gave to me the impression that the filmmakers are just taking the piss at this point. Maybe I was just in a bad mood today, but I actually rolled my eyes. This may have been in part though to worrying I was going to have to look away again for yet another animal slaughter.

Also as previously mentioned, the answer to how to avoid the curse was quite blatant from near the beginning of the film. Not long after it is announced as an option, it is soon quite clear that a monumental screw up has been made and the "happy ending" is about to scuppered with an announcement from her boyfriend (Justin Long). Cue the "surprise twist" falling flat and feeling left with a nice big blob of predictability and disappointment.

You may enjoy this film, or it might leave you thinking you would rather be dragged to hell then have to finish sitting through it. Despite box office success, receiving a Saturn Award for "Best Horror Film" and 7 other nominations, I personally I would say this is a film to avoid.

1/5

God Bless Ozzy Osbourne (2011)

UK Premiere of God Bless Ozzy Osbourne, Sony Pictures UK, London, Wednesday 8th June 2011


As a big lover of all things rock ‘n’ roll, I was beyond excited to be attending the first UK screening of God Bless Ozzy Osbourne; an insightful documentary into the life of one of the biggest pioneers of heavy metal.
This is my 2nd assignment working with Smashed Music (http://www.smashedmusic.com/) and my first time attending an event in a journalistic capacity, so for that I have to give a big shout out of thanks to my friend Meriem Nacer who was able to give me this opportunity.

Okay, so I rock up at the very swish Sony Pictures UK building in Central London and head to the bar to get into the spirit of things soaking up some Black Sabbath and Ozzy tunes, sipping on a complimentary cranberry juice and then it’s time to enter the screening.
It was a small room, with a modest turnout but this added to the ambience of an intimate feeling as we were about to get up close and personal with one of rocks most iconic legends.
Jack Osbourne said a few words (literally, a few) to introduce the documentary that he produced and a nice little touch was added to every seat: a God Bless Ozzy Osbourne t-shirt, a gold Ozzy cross medallion and the press release about the film.

Directed by Mike Fleiss and Mike Piscitelli, the documentary begins with Ozzy’s troubled background growing up in Birmingham’s Perry Barr and how he formed the revolutionary band Black Sabbath with some of his neighbourhood friends. It goes on to show how the bands success and status helped to fund Ozzy’s wildman lifestyle, fuelled by drink and drunks, which led to his crazy antics (biting the heads off doves and bats, urinating on the Alamo, covering hotel walls in his excrement – yes really – to name but a few) his first failed marriage and him eventually being fired from Black Sabbath. It also details his solo comeback and the deaths of his father, Jack Osbourne, and of his best friend and guitarist Randy Rhoads.

Containing some never-seen-before archival footage, God Bless Ozzy Osbourne also features recollections from Ozzy’s family, former Sabbath band mates and other rock icons such as Sir Paul McCartney (The Beatles), Tommy Lee (Mötley Crüe) and Robert Trujillo (Metallica), whilst showcasing many of Ozzy’s tunes throughout his Black Sabbath days and in his solo career.

The documentary itself showed great insight into The Prince of Darkness’s career, personal life, addictions and the impact it had upon his friends and family. You see a vulnerable side to Ozzy in some interviews, but it by no means paints him to be an angel, also highlighting some of the darker things he has done and his own confessions of how he looks back at them.
This is even shown in the image promoting the film: Ozzy resembles a Jesus-like figure, with his long hair, cross and heavenly clouds forming a halo behind him. In juxtaposition to this, Ozzy wears a skull ring and the red flames lick at up at him from the fiery pits of hell.

The film strikes a good balance between the comic moments, the touching and the unsettling; whilst the animal-lover in me did have to look away for one scene, I would well up in the next and be laughing in another.

God Bless Ozzy Osbourne proves to be a very interesting and revealing rockumentary for any Ozzy fan or rocknrollers out there, this is one you should try to get your eyes on!!

Cop Out (2010)

When I received Cop Out from lovefilm I wasn't in a particular rush to put it on. I mean I am all for comedy cop capers movies but I wasn't sure why I had particularly put it on my rental list. That is until the credits rolled up at the end and I saw that it was a film by my favourite director, the legend that is Kevin Smith.

But watching this film I went in with an open mind, which makes me a little less biased, as I can't help but love Kevin Smith films. The opening sequence of this film went to show that this was not your average cop-buddie film, like Bad Boys or Tango and Cash. No, this film was definitely more like The Naked Gun with their own version of the "good cop, bad cop" routine.

Cop Out is good for a laugh if you like rather off-beat, random humour that you would come to expect from a Kevin Smith film, with plenty of movie quotes coming from co-main character Paul, the best being "yippee-kye-aye mother fucker" which Bruce Willis' character doesn't recognise. I love those kind of little in-jokes Smith often incorporates into his films.

Bruce Willis plays Jimmy, it is nice to see him in a less serious role and he eases right into this character, playing a policeman who does things a bit different than 'the book' (sound familiar?) and Tracy Morgan is brilliant as his wise-cracking partner Paul. They remind me, in a bizarre way, of Shrek and Donkey and they have a very good on-screen chemistry.

Sean William Scott can deliver a more 'wet' comedy usually (when thinking of his American Pie, Roadtrip and Dude Where's My Car characters anyway) but his character in this is actually really likable in annoying way and I would say is one of his better performances. He plays Dave, a small-time thief with a big mouth.

For the Kevin Smith fans out there, it is also really nice to see Jason Lee (a firm reoccurring Smith cast choice) making a small appearance as Jimmy's ex wife's new husband.

Cop Out is a nice, easy watching film that you don't have to concentrate on; there are no twists and turns or working out who is the big bad guy, this film is just a straight-down-the-line comedy, so sit back and enjoy!

4/5