Days of GloryPoignant World War II drama about Algerians drafted into the French army to liberate France from the occupying Germans.
While it lacks the battle sequences of a bigger budgeted war film it more than makes up for it with powerful character portrayals and emotional honesty. With the brutality and destruction of life in the final combat scene in Alsace you will find it hard not to be moved.
Quite a remarkable film that shows the bravery of young men in war and how they were so terribly treated by the very people who they were fighting for.
Meet the RobinsonsThis fun filled Disney feature will guarantee to keep the kids rooted to their seats and there is plenty to keep the adults entertained too.
The story revolves around an orphan named Lewis who is whisked to the future for reasons unknown to him initially. But like all these stories, it is the villian who is the best character and has all the best lines.
Visually it is very solid and it is a lot of fun.
SunshineThe story revolves around a group of scientists who are making the perilous journey to attempt to re-ignite the sun.
Visually spectacular, with excellent effects but these are always in the background as this is first and foremost a character film and Danny Boyle never lets the CGI get in the way of that. It is essentially the search for spirituality that is the soul behind this gem.
A few issues I did have with it though, some of the story seem to have been taken straight out of certain original Star Trek episodes. And the 'twist' at the end I had several problems with, can't say though as I don't want to give anything away.
However, I'm nitpicking, this is really a wonderful piece of filmmaking.
Don't go to this thinking you're going to see another Aliens type film, you're not. Think more along the lines of Solaris.
The Good GermanVery stylish film noir with George Clooney as a war correspondent in Potsdam in 1945. The look and feel of the film along with the score really makes this look like it was made sixty years ago. So it was a bit of a shame that the overuse of explitives and sexual scenes (though not in any way explicit) make you realise that this of course is not the case.
Cate Blanchett is one of the most beautiful looking women and she really looks like a 40's icon here.
Of course it has it's flaws, most notably the main one being Toby Maguire, it was difficult accepting him as a bad guy.
However this is a fine nod to old Hollywood and 'how they used to be made'.
Bravo Steven Soderbergh.
The Last MimsyI was expecting a great fantasy, adventure film with this and unfortuately I was disappointed. It lacked the magic and innocence of similar films that came before it.
The film follows two young children who find a strange looking box on the beach and upon opening it soon start to show signs of genius.
It's not that the film has no charm, it does, but it's too lightweight and has no heart. And the Roger Waters song at the end is cringeworthy.
The MessengersNormally I give these type of Hollywood films a wide bearth but seeing as this one was directed by Danny and Oxide Pang (The Eye, Bangkok Dangerous) I decided to give it a go.
The film follows a family who move from the City to a farm and soon after moving in the daughter starts to experience strange occurances in the house.
While it is a little Americanised, and it falls apart in the last half, the Pang brothers do keep the tension mounting, as Asian thriller/horrors are famous for, and their sense of style and camera work is very excellent as always.
Could have been so much better though.
Blades of GloryWill Ferrell once again poses as the macho guy that needs to be taught a lesson in life. How many of these is he going to make!
The film is a one joke premise that unusually, and to my surprise, actually works. There are some genuinely funny moments in this and of course some gags that completely fall flat, but for the most part the main characters manage to pull it off. The best character being Jon Heder's stalker, he should have gotten alot more lines.
It is entertaining and with some very good moments on the ice too. Will Ferrell can do as many of these type films as he likes once he gives us a Stranger Than Fiction every now and again.
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"This is not a good idea, it is an awesome idea"
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