Movies reviews.

[manupete]

Last night I watched Black Swan .....Black Swan

A ballet dancer wins the lead in "Swan Lake" and is perfect for the role of the delicate White Swan - Princess Odette - but slowly loses her mind as she becomes more and more like Odile, the Black Swan.
"Black Swan" is one of the most effective movies dealing with issues of and about mental health I have seen. It is so effective because it does not directly deal with that subject matter, instead wrapping itself in a surreal and hypnotic environment, where its main character flounders between reality and paranoia, with the line between both blurry at best and none-existent at worst.
When watching this movie, one can cut the tension with a knife. It is as palpable as anything in the movie. It is also one of the reasons why I think the film is not a candidate for repeat viewings. Not for me at least, not anytime soon.However, the movie is truly an excellent piece of cinema. Darren Aronofsky is once again brilliant, a fact which seems to have escaped the Academy this time around, just as it did with "The Wrestler".
Natalie Portman is supreme in the movie, and deserved every bit of the critical acclaim and success she has garnered, including the Oscar itself, she was that good. I am glad the got recognized for her work, unlike Mickey Rourke, who last year got completely railroaded from his Oscar, an award he definitely deserved, as his was an astounding performance, one that Aronofsky is very capable of getting out of his actors. I am glad on this occasion it worked for Natalie Portman.
I'm not a ballet fan but I am a fan of a good  Drama/Mystery/Thriller  ...so 8/10  

Watch the Trailer.....

[manupete]

This afternoon I watched Cop Out.......Cop Out

After a clumsy operation trying to capture a drug dealer, the N.Y.P.D Detectives Jimmy Monroe (Bruce Willis ) and Paul Hodges ( Tracy Morgan ) are suspended for one month by their Captain Romans. Jimmy decides to sell his rare baseball card to pay for his daughter's expensive wedding while his jealous partner believes that his wife is cheating on him with their next-door neighbour. When Jimmy sells his card to a memorabilia store, the place is burgled by two small-time thieves and the detective loses his card. They track down the thieves.
This movie isn't the best buddy cop movie ever made, the best action- comedy ever made, or the best Kevin Smith-directed movie ever made. What it is, though, is a solid movie that is well worth a watch IMO. It won't change your life, but it won't let you down either,especial if you like this type of humour .The humour and dialogue, while a little flat in places, was for the most part funny and lively. The plot had more twists and turns than you'd expect from a buddy cop action-comedy, and was quite surprisingly good. Kevin Smith, in his first time as a director of someone else's material, did a good job of directing not only the dialogue that is usually his speciality, but also the action parts that usually aren't present in his films. I would give it a 8/10 

Here's the trailer
 

[den Buut]

Manupete, is you Boloa??

[Dave the Dude]

Bit obvious isn't it! 
but hey ho, whatever swings your boat.

[manupete]

Manupete, is you Boloa??

Same ,Same but different ..........homogenized 

[manupete]

Bit obvious isn't it! 
but hey ho, whatever swings your boat.

When you got banned from TV you came back with a different nick ,the only difference is I have never been banned from a forum .Boloa left on  his on free will but is still here,same,same but different 
BTW ..I believe the saying is Whatever floats your boat,swinging is something you may do!!!

[manupete]

Last night I watched Never Back Down

I'm always on the hunt for the latest films to come out and whilst reading some of my favourite review and movie sites I noticed a new MMA film( mixed martial arts )coming out called Never Back Down 2 . As I had never seen the first one I thought I would give it a viewing before watching the sequel  ( when it comes out ).
The plot of this movie is very similar with some of the 80's American martial arts movies like Karate Kid or No Retreat, No Surrender with some "90210" Hollywood  thrown in too. This movie has all those normal things like martial arts trainer who always repeats to his students that they shouldn't fight (then why the hell do they study martial arts ), parents always moralizing that fighting is not an answer and of course the bad guy, who is always stubborn and rude with everybody, but becomes very friendly after getting his butt kicked.
If you enjoy the above jondra,MMA or you are just a sad 50+guy that likes to ride around on a brightly painted  chopper trying to relive his youth  then this could be the movie for you.This story is about a "tough guy" teenager named Jake who looks like a cross between any guy in the O.C and Tom Cruise who switches schools after his little brother gets a tennis scholarship. Now at his new school Jake is asked to a party by an overly good looking generic girl who seems to think it is nerdy of him  to know what the English teacher is talking about and to wear a flannel shirt so she invites Jake to a party. At this party he is challenged to a fight with a teenage rip off of Fight Clubs Tyler Durden and he is destroyed because apparently overly good looking teenagers are also UFC champions. Jake is then is trained by a Black version of Mr.Miagi and seeks guidance by his best friend Max.
The film was OK but I wouldn't rush out trying to find a copy,it has all the some old cliche you've seen before but I was still entertain enough to give it a 6/10 

Here's the trailer....

[manupete]

I have just watched Blooded

Blooded is a mockumentary style British movie,that  imitates a real documentary film.Its a story of 5 young people who are on a stag shooting weekend in the highlands of Scotland and are drugged,stripped to their underwear and then hunted by a group calling themselves the "Real Animal League".Their ordeal is then filmed by the RAL group as a warning to others, if you hunt... you're fair game. Combining dramatic reconstruction and compelling interviews with the survivors, Blooded finally tells the full story behind one of the most extreme internet virals of modern times.
The film's topic has provoked reactions from parties on both side of the hunting debate in the UK.The Evening Standard wrote that the film "caused outrage after graphic scenes showing activists attacking five deer-stalkers were posted on the internet, in a viral publicity campaign."The Independent noted the film's controversial stance, and that as the film's asserted protagonists were a group of extreme animal activists, it generated "much chatter on the interweb" after clips appeared on Youtube. They wrote however, "it all has the whiff of a clever publicity stunt"
Well the clever publicity stunt worked on me and I quite like the movie,watch it and see what you think,its a 7/10 for me 

Here's the trailer

[Admin]

'The Mechanic'
Very good movie. I love this actor! I am not going to give a rate but it is a very good action movie that will keep you there until the end.

[den Buut]

Bit obvious isn't it! 
but hey ho, whatever swings your boat.

Acyually "the Dude" should be used by only one man and one man only, and that's not you Dave.

[manupete]

'The Mechanic'
Very good movie. I love this actor! I am not going to give a rate but it is a very good action movie that will keep you there until the end.

What you have to remember Admin is a film reviewer can never be wrong as they are personal views and I think you should have given the film a rating out of 10 to help others before watching.When you have someone like Barry Norman you will find  people normally respect his views because over a period of time he is mostly right 

I watched The Mechanica while back........ 
I am one of the original Jason Statham fans. I loved the Transporter, Crank and his collaborations with Guy Ritchie like Revolver and even tolerated some of his less glorious efforts such as Death Race.

For me what makes his movies so enjoyable is the tongue in cheek humour and the likeable side of the tough guy. We all know he's not a great actor but the lovable rogue is his trademark and that's why we keep going back for more.

"The Mechanic" is about a ruthless hit man and it gives Statham no opportunity to smile or engage in banter, nor make us laugh. It's a non- stop action film with a few goofs and a script with holes big enough to drive a bus through. Normally I would forgive and forget, because I like him, but he didn't make me laugh nor make me wish I could be like him this time.

There were no characters to like in this film, but there was plenty of action which makes it instantly forgettable for me. I know you want to read the movie was great but I wouldn't be honest if I pretended it was. Worth watching but don't expect another Transporter ...7/10 

http://www.themechanicmovie.com/

[manupete]

Last night I watch Inhale

Every day, rising Santa Fe District Attorney Paul Chaney( Dermot Mulroney) and his wife, Diane (Diane Kruger), wait for word that there's a donor for their daughter, Chloe. Diagnosed with a rare degenerative condition, Chloe is on a long list to receive a double lung transplant. As her health worsens, Paul becomes desperate to save his young daughter, so desperate that he'll risk everything to organize an operation. When Paul learns of a Dr. Novarro who performs illegal transplants in Juarez, Mexico, he heads south in a frantic search for the only man who may be able to save Chloe. But after arriving, he realizes Dr. Novarro's medical ring runs deeper into a criminal underworld than he realized and people are not who they seem to be. With his career, family and his daughter's life on the line, Paul finds himself at a critical crossroads, left to decide what is really "right" in this world.The final act hits like a gut-punch. Worst fears are confirmed, and the protagonist faces a moral dilemma no father should have to confront
This is the type of film that 10 years ago would have owned the box office but today unless you stick a product name like Russel Crowe or Tom Cruise in it, it's hard to say if the viewing public will go for it.I liked it ,right from the start, the viewer is plunged into a contorted realm of existence, faced with horrific choices that have to be made under the worst of imaginable circumstances.......how far would you go to save your child !!!!!
As I have already said I liked this movie  so its an 8/10 for me 

Here's the Trailer......

[manupete]

This afternoon I watched Run, Fatboy, Run

I was looking at a few local forums last night and spotted a poster that said he had just seen a comedy Run, Fatboy, Run,as I hadn't watch a comedy for a while i thought I would give it a go.Its a 2007 film and my supplier had it in stock 
Anyway the film was about Dennis( Simon Pegg ) and he leaves his pregnant bride Libby (Thandie Newton   ) at the altar and 6 years later is regretting it -- especially when he sees her new rich, handsome,American, perfect suitor Whit ( Hank Azaria) trying to mussel in.Frustration grows, and Dennis vows, that for once in his life, he will finish something. This something ends up being a Nike River-run in London. With his friends Gordon and Mr. Ghoshdashtidar by his side, Dennis begins training for the marathon he must finish.
There is a few cameo rolls from British actors and comedians to keep you amused .This film was written by Simon Pegg ("Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz"-- which I liked) and Michael Ian Black (an American TV sketch-comedy writer) and I expected it to be a lot wackier than it was.Its a likeable comedy/feel good movie but not one I would say is a must see 7/10   

Here's the trailer ...

[manupete]

This afternoon I watched Blood Out
I Was going to give it a miss when I first saw this film but after seeing the cast ( Val Kilmer,Luke Goss,Vinnie Jones,50 Cent and Tamer Hassan who I thought acted quite well when playing Pat Tate in Bonded by Blood )I thought I would give it a view.Well the old adage ' Stars make a film' doesn't ring true here.
The story is about small town Sheriff Michael Spencer(Luke Goss) who puts down his badge and goes looking for the gang leaders that has killed his brother and avenge his death.That's about it really,the stars like VK,VJ and 50 Cents only have very small cameo rolls and to put them on the box cover is a bit misleading .The story lines are weak and distractions are made by all the sexy eye candy that is spread all over the film via slave girls in S&M outfits and Victoria Secret get up .This is  a movie for the young macho type that find this sort of jondra entertaining .I found it odd to have English gangsters running around in an American run down housing project talking as if they should be in souf London ( haven't spelt south wrong,that's how they speak  ).Pretty boy  Luke Goss plays his role OK and finale of the film is a punch-up with WWE star Bobby Lashley which Luke wins of course .
All in all I'll give it 5.5/10 

Here's the trailer....

[Admin]

Great reviews as always. Thumbs up.