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Star Trek * * * *

Posted in Action, Adventure, Science Fiction with tags 2009 on January 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: J.J. Abrams.
Screenplay: Roberto Orci, Robert Kurtzman.
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Zoe Saldana, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, Eric Bana, Leonard Nimoy, Bruce Greenwood. Chris Hemsworth, Winona Ryder, Ben Cross, Jennifer Morrison, Faran Tahir, Clifton Collins, Jr, Tyler Perry.

Director J.J. Abrams, better known for TV’s “Lost”, injects a much needed adrenaline shot back into Gene Roddenberry’s “Star Trek” and brings back the sheer indulgence of the franchise.

An origins story taking us back to the beginning of how James Tiberius Kirk became Captain of the ‘U.S.S. Enterprise’ and how the crew was assembled.

Abrams doesn’t mess around with this one. He’s quick to realise the franchise was dying a death with the previous films losing steam and he’s quick to deliver the action and edge of your seat set-pieces. No easy task, considering he had to re-imagine the story and focus on character development, introducing us to the crew of the Enterprise all over again. With this, there’s a real danger of the story dragging, resulting in less focus on the action, but to Abrams’ credit he uses exciting moments to indroduce Kirk, Spock, Bones, Scotty etc and even makes them more rebellious in their youth. It’s a great approach and despite these being pop-culture characters, that most of us know from our childhood, we get the chance to reacquaint ourselves with them and the actors involved do a fabulous job of making the roles their own.

A tense and explosive re-imaging that promises to get even better.

Mark Walker

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Casino Royale * * * *

Posted in Action, thriller with tags 2006 on January 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Martin Campbell.
Screenplay: Paul Haggis, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade.
Starring: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Jeffrey Wright, Judi Dench, Giancarlo Giannini, Caterina Murino.

Bond is back, brazen and brutal and he couldn’t give a shit if his martini’s shaken or not.
Daniel Craig now fills the shoes of the British agent and, as always, there will be comparisons to his predecessors. Just so we’re clear, he more than lives up to it and stakes his claim as an equal to Connery.

Bond has just been promoted to “00” status and has yet to prove himself in the field. He’s volatile and can’t quite keep his emotions in check, leading to rash decisions and a lack of professionalism. “M” (Judi Dench) has been keeping a close eye on him though and uses him to his strengths, entrusting him with taking down a terrorist organisation who is being financed by the mysterious, LeChiffre (Mads Mikkelson). In order to prevent the terrorists recieving their money, Bond has to bankrupt LeChiffre during a high stakes poker game.

Most franchises seem to be going back to their roots, realising, less is more. Bond no longer has his usual array of gadgets, all he has are his fists and his wits and when he’s required to dispatch of his enemies in a cold blooded fashion, these are more than enough. That’s what makes this Bond all the more real and believable and back to how writer Ian Fleming had intended him to be. If he went on going the way he was, we’d have Bond in spandex next. Thankfully, that’s not the case and Daniel Craig’s intense portrayal brings back the sociopath in our favourite spy.

A little overlong – as Bond films tend to be – but when it’s doing what it does best, it’s exciting entertainment.

Mark Walker

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How To Train Your Dragon * * * *

Posted in Action, Adventure, Animation, Family, Fantasy with tags 2010 on January 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Directors: Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders.
Screenplay: Dean DeBlois, William Davies.
Voices: Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Craig Ferguson, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, America Ferrera, Kristen Wiig, T.J. Miller, Ashley Jensen, David Tennant.

If your a fan of “Shrek” then this recent Dreamworks animation should be right up your street. It’s yet another cartoon that will appeal to both children and adults.

Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) is a young Viking, who’s father Stoick (Gerard Butler) is the Chief of the dragon slayers in their village. Stoick has the same expectations of his young son and longs for the day when he will become a man and take his place in the clan. Unfortunately Hiccup doesn’t seem to have it in him. That is… until he tries to prove his people wrong and make his father proud of him, by venturing out to slay a dragon of his own. He wounds a dragon in flight and when he finds it, he can’t bring himself to kill it. Instead he nurses it back to health and in the process, creates a strong bond with it. The relationship between them brings a new outlook to Hiccup who now believes the way to protect his village and people is by befriending the dragons, not by slaying them, much to the chagrin of his father.

A brilliant little film with good humour, excellent animation and a surprising emotional core throughout, that’s normally not dealt with in animated films. The relationship between Hiccup and his father is delicate and the bonding between Hiccup and “Toothless” the dragon is very well structured and engaging which adds to the exciting, edge of your seat adventure they take you on.

Mark Walker

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Kick Ass * * *

Posted in Action, Comedy, Fantasy with tags 2010 on January 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Matthew Vaughn.
Screenplay: Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn.
Starring: Aaron Johnson, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chloe Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Elizabeth McGovern, Clark Duke, Evan Peters, Michael Rispoli, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Flemyng, Tamer Hassan, Xander Berkeley, Craig Ferguson.

Director Matthew Vaughn had mixed results when he adapted Neil Gaiman’s “Stardust” in 2007 and I found his results were mixed again with this adaptation of Mark Millar’s comic.

Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is your average high school geek who reads too many comics and since nobody has ever tried it, takes it upon himself to fight crime and be the local superhero. He dons a spandex suit and mask to become his alter-ego “Kick Ass”. This leads to some hilarious results as he soon realises why nobody has done it before… because it’s dangerous. However, the trend catches on and more spandex hero’s hit the streets.

What then ensues is a pastiche of superhero films, managing effortlessly to blend graphic violence with some hilarious dialogue and characters, namely Nicolas Cage’s “Big Daddy” and young Chloe Moretz as his 11-year-old assassin daughter “Hit Girl”, who after dispatching of a room full of villians says things like…”Okay, you Cunts! Let’s see what you can do now”. It’s darkly humerous and it’s moments like these that make this film enjoyable and there are several of them.

But although this is a spoof of superhero films it ultimately becomes the very thing it’s sending up and I’m not the biggest fan of the genre.

Mark Walker

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Kill Bill: volume I * * * *

Posted in Action, Crime, thriller with tags 2003 on January 24, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Quentin Tarantino.
Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino.
Starring: Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, David Carradine, Sonny Chiba, Chiaki Kuriyama, Gordon Liu, Michael Parks, Bo Svenson, Julie Dreyfus, Michael Bowen, Jun Kunimura, James Parks.

“The 4th film by Quentin Tarantino” we are told in big bold lettering, almost as big as the title itself. It has now become an event filled with anticipation when the one time video store clerk releases a film. One thing is for sure though, when entering into his violent world of cool amoral criminals, snappy dialogue and cult music selection, you’re in no doubt when you’re on Tarantino’s territory.

Shot in the head and left for dead on her wedding day by her colleagues “The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad”, a former assassin known as ‘The Bride’ (Uma Thurman) wakes from a coma four years later, intent on revenge. She makes a ‘death list’ of the five people involved and number five on her list is former boss and lover Bill (David Carradine), but first she has to go through the others one by one.

That pesky Tarantino has gone and done it again. He may well plagiarise but his knowledge of world cinema and the heavy influence it has on his films, in some ways, allows a wider audience to access some wonderful cinematic ideas they normally wouldn’t. He borrows but also betters. The collision of influences this time are Japanese anime, spaghetti westerns, Samurai and Yakuza pics. It’s an impressive mash up of genres and Tarantino’s meticulous eye for detail combines them masterfully. Present once again is the same split time frame structure that Tarantino devotees will be accustomed to, with each part of the story told in chapters. His pop-culture references also appear, as does his ‘muse’ Ms. Thurman. She doesn’t really have a lot to do other than slice and dice one or two (hundred) people but Thurman brings a suffering intensity to the role and confirms why Quentin holds her in high regard. This is a bloodletting extravaganza and Tarantino gets a chance to show that he’s a highly capable action director into the bargain. It’s an accomplished piece of filmmaking with the vibrancy and gorgeous cinematography by Robert Richardson deserving a very special mention. None more so than the concluding showdown between Thurman and Lucy Liu’s ferocious O-Ren Ishii at ‘The House Of The Blue Leaves’. It’s an absolute visual masterclass and must be included as one (in the many) of Tarantino’s finest scenes. It’s simply stunning and a surprisingly serene and composed ending to this frenetic first installment of the story.

Highly implausible I hear you say? Of course it is, but it’s also highly enjoyable escapism and Tarantino proves that he can turn his hand to any genre.

Mark Walker

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Avatar * * * *

Posted in Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Science Fiction with tags 2009 on January 21, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: James Cameron.
Screenplay: James Cameron.
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Giovanni Ribisi, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Wes Studi, CCH Pounder, Joel David Moore, Laz Alonso.

Director James Cameron and science fiction have proved a good combination in the past (“The Terminator”, “Aliens”, “The Abyss”, Terminator 2″) and this is a fine addition to his earlier films.

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) is a paraplegic marine, who finds a new lease of life and mobility while researching the planet of Pandora and the “Na’vi”, the indigenous tribe living there. Humans being the greedy and power hungry virus that we are, intend on destroying the Na’vi and exploiting their land. Jake meanwhile, has become accustomed to the Na’vi ways and must choose which side he is on pending a full blown attack on the planet.

Cameron has shot this film with specially designed 3-D cameras and took the first step in changing the way we will be viewing films from now on in. Directors such as Spielberg and Scorsese have now used the technique, and for that, Cameron has to be applauded.
The plot, however, isn’t the strongest thing about the film and quite frankly without the special effects and wonderful visuals, it would have had nothing going for it. Thankfully though, the special effects are something to behold and Cameron has created a stunningly visual treat. It is almost like watching animation or a beautiful canvas and for a change, it’s forgivable that the story becomes secondary in a film. I never seen this in 3-D as it was intended to be viewed but I wish I had. Oscar winner for Cinematography (Mauro Fiore), Art Direction, and Visual Effects.

This is an innovative piece of work and Cameron can now hold his head up again, after the disastrous “Titanic”.

Mark Walker

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District 9 * * * 1/2

Posted in Action, Science Fiction with tags 2009 on January 20, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Neill Blomkamp.
Screenplay: Neill Blomkamp, Terri Tatchell.
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, David James, Vanessa Haywood, Mandla Gaduka, Kenneth Nkosi.

The Aliens have landed… not in the most popular city – as the Americans would have liked – but in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The Alien ship appears over the city where their arrival is not greeted too kindly by us humans and they are segregated into a shanty town known as “District 9”, socially exluded as second class citizens and racially nicknamed “Prawns” due to the way they look. Wikes Van Der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is the government agent in charge of the operation to evict the “Prawns” and put them into a new holding facility, but while operating in the field he is exposed to the biotechnology of the aliens and undergoes a genetic mutation. It is then that the aliens have a new hope of understanding and salvation.

Director Neill Blomkamp’s first film is shot in a documentary style which draws you in from the start and adds to the realism and believability, as does the the South African setting and allusions to apartheid with the social and racial exclusion of the Aliens. Unfortunately, the effective documentary style shifts half way through the film as it becomes more of an action movie and at this point the film loses something in the change to the pyrotechnical hail of bullets and explosions.

However, its still a highly original film with an excellent lead performance from Sharlto Copley as the weasely Govt agent.

Mark Walker

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Children Of Men * * * * *

Posted in Action, Drama, Science Fiction with tags 2006 on January 19, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Alfonso Cauron.
Screenplay: Alfonso Cauron, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby.
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Pam Ferris, Danny Huston, Peter Mullan.

Based on the novel by P.D. James and filmed with brilliant intensity by director Alfonso Cauron.

Set in an apocalyptic London in the year 2027 where society has been plunged in chaos and the future of humankind is in danger due to not being able to procreate. Out of the blue, journalist and former political activist Theo Faron (Clive Owen) is approached by his ex-wife and entrusted with helping a woman to saftey from the turmoil of the city. Theo soon finds out that the reason why, is because she is the worlds only pregnant woman and may be the only hope humanity have left for survival.

Director Cauron paints a horrific yet entirely believable vision of a bleak, not too distant, future with brilliantly realistic action scenes and the cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki (“Burn After Reading”) is the most intense and gripping I’ve seen in recent years. Clive Owen is perfectly cast as the rugged, world weary Theo and Michael Caine adds a welcome touch of humour as his aging, hash smoking hippie friend Jasper.

An absolutely harrowing and hauntingly realistic vision of a dystopian world and impossible to take your eyes of the screen. Easily one of the best films of recent times. Powerful and visceral stuff.

Mark Walker

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Braveheart * * * * 1/2

Posted in Action, Biography, History, War with tags 1995 on January 18, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Mel Gibson.
Screenplay: Randall Wallace.
Starring: Mel Gibson, Patrick McGoohan, Brendan Gleeson, Sophie Marceau, Catherine McCormack, Angus MacFadyen, Ian Bannen, James Cosmo, David O’Hara, James Robinson, Sean McGinley, Sean Lawlor, Peter Hanly, Alun Armstrong, Gerard McSorley, Tommy Flanagan, David McKay, Peter Mullan, Brian Cox.

My being Scottish is probably not going to consist of the most accurate of reviews regarding this film but I will be totally straight up and admit that it is historical inaccurate on more than a few occasions. However, there’s no denying the spectacle and grand scale of the whole thing, harking back to epic films of the past.

13th century Scottish peasant William Wallace (Mel Gibson), who after the raping and pillaging of his village and the death of his wife by the English army, takes it upon himself to make a stand and fight back. He assembles an army of his own and refuses to succumb to the rule of King Edward the Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan) inciting an uprising amongst the Scottish people against the tyranny and oppression of the English.

As mentioned earlier, there are several historical facts altered for dramatic effect but when the real history is looked into, I wonder why it was altered. William Wallace’s life needed no further exaggeration but then again it’s Hollywood we have on the battlefield here. Speaking of which, the battle scenes are brutally and violently depicted and expertly shot by Gibson. He takes us straight back to the harsh conditions and environment of the people at this time in history and manages to give depth to the characters involved, regardless of their screen time. McGoohan in particular is absolutley superb as the bitter and determined King Edward and despite a dodgy Scottish accent, Gibson equips himself well as Wallace. Wonderfully powerful music by James Horner also, not to mention some fine cinematography by John Toll.

An epic film that competes on every level with the best of the genre and the only reason I don’t give it five stars is incase my judgement has been clouded by Scottish bias.

Mark Walker

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The Hurt Locker * * 1/2

Posted in Action, thriller, War with tags 2009 on January 17, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Kathryn Bigelow.
Screenplay: Mark Boal.
Starring: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Ralph Fiennes, Evangeline Lilly.

And the Academy award for best picture goes to…”The Hurt Locker.” Eh?…What? I must have missed something. I actually like Kathryn Bigelow’s action films “Point Break” and “Strange Days” and in a genre which is dominated by male directors she can certainly compete. However, this was a bit lacklustre compared to her earlier films and yet it was far better received – especially in terms of awards.

Sgt. Will James (Jeremy Renner) is a bomb disposal expert while on a tour of duty in Iraq. He is good at what he does and definitely has big enough cohones. Problem is…his cohones are too big. In fact, he’s an adrenaline junkie which continually puts him and his comrades in grave danger.

This is pretty much the gist of the story with a surprising amount of nothing inbetween. I’ll give credit where it’s due though as when the tension mounts it’s done masterfully by Bigelow and some scenes are genuinely thrilling and edge of your seat, with an excellent and edgy lead performance by Renner. However, there are very few of these moments and the film starts so well that it leaves it harder for the rest of the film to keep up. Despite Bigelow wisely taking little to no political stance on the war in Iraq I can only assume that all the Awards recognition this film recieved were in some way a form of western propaganda. I must admit about half way through it, I noticed a loud ticking noise. Turns out it wasn’t the bombs needing defused, but me clock watching.

Sporadically impressive but otherwise highly over-rated and quite dull.

Mark Walker

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Watchmen * * * * 1/2

Posted in Action, Mystery, Science Fiction with tags 2009 on January 15, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Zack Snyder.
Screenplay: David Hayter, Alex Tse.
Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jackie Earle Haley, Patrick Wilson, Billy Crudup, Matthew Goode, Carla Gugino, Malin Akerman, Stephen McHattie, Matt Frewer.

It takes a hell of a lot for me to suspend my disbelief when it comes to people running around in spandex, with existential angst and desperately trying to be taken seriously. Put simply, I’m not a massive fan of crime fighting alter-ego’s but director Zack Snyder may well have cured me of all these ills, with this wonderful adaptation of Alan Moore’s graphic novel.

Set in an alternate 1985 America, where president Richard Nixon has been re-elected for a fifth presidential term. Superhero’s have been outlawed and the whole country is heading toward ruin with the over-hanging threat of a nuclear attack from the Russians. Following the murder of one of their sidekicks, the outlawed former crime fighters begin to re-surface, leading an investigation into the past and present unsavoury activities of the masked avengers.

Being a massive fan of Alan Moore’s comic, I was very interested and excited in whether Zack Snyder could achieve the “unfilmable”. Thankfully and impressively, he has. I tend to be quite critical of adaptations from books but Snyder has done a fantastic job here. Alan Moore’s story (and artwork from Dave Gibbons) has been miraculously recreated onto the screen. Everything looks and feels the way it did on the page with similiar dialogue and perfect casting. Some things have been dropped and wisely the story within a story “Tales of the Black Freighter” was released separately as a short. Snyder also includes brilliantly effective slow-motion action scenes, retaining the violent nature of the comic and perfect use of 60’s/70’s music throughout – particularly Bob Dylan songs. The director showed promise with his earlier films “Dawn of the Dead” and “300”, but here he has outdone himself and achieved exceptionally in a very difficult adaptation which the talented likes of Terry Gilliam and Paul Greengrass failed to do before him.

It all works on a believable level with convincing characters (except one, none of them has any form of super human powers) who inhabit a bleak and convincing, alternate modern world, making it probably the best comic book adaptation I’ve seen so far.

Mark Walker

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The Rock * * 1/2

Posted in Action with tags 1996 on January 15, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Michael Bay.
Screenplay: David Weisberg, Douglas Cook, Mark Rosner.
Starring: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris, Michael Biehn, William Forsythe, David Morse, John Spencer, John C. McGinley, Tony Todd, Bokeem Woodbine, Danny Nucci, Claire Forlani, Todd Louiso.

This film has a lot to answer for, mainly because Hollywood decided to give more jobs to director Michael Bay following this successful action film. Unfortunately, what he produced after this makes my eyes bleed but he has to be given credit for keeping up the thrills in this one.

The story is (as ever) basic! A disgruntled veteran (Ed Harris) feels the government has done him wrong despite his service to the country and decides to hold the city of San Francisco to ransom by taking over Alcatraz and using it as a base to launch a chemical attack on it’s innocent citizens. The Government feels he’s a loon-ball and decides to enlist the help of F.B.I chemical weapons expert (Cage) and a team of marines to put a stop to the lunacy. None of them have have a clue how to infiltrate Alcatraz so persuade a former British agent (Connery) – the only person to ever escape Alcatraz and currently being held by the Americans – to help out and earn his freedom in return. What then ensues is…you guessed it…big guns, big explosions and mucho machismo.

This is all done under the guidance of producer Jerry Bruckheimer, so I suppose you can’t really complain when things get silly and over the top. I’m not a great action fan but I can recognise it for what it is and this isn’t too bad, considering. The three leads involved, Connery, Cage & Harris are what make this film. They are all fine actors and deliver worthy performances. Connery is one of very few actors that can cut being old and still able to be convincing as an action hero (Clint Eastwood being a recognisable other). Cage shows his early action man credentials, while still retaining his wacky humorous side and Harris, as always, is intensely commanding. They all seem to have their tongues stuck firmly in their cheeks and in it for the healthy paychecks. They know and we know, that this is complete nonsense but hey, there’s fun to be had anyway.

If you ever get the sudden notion to bang your head against a big Rock, don’t bother. Bang your head against this one instead. It almost has the same effect but this one’s slightly more gentle. Just slightly, mind you.

Mark Walker

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Inception * * * * *

Posted in Action, Mystery, Science Fiction with tags 2010 on January 14, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Christopher Nolan.
Screenplay: Christopher Nolan.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Marion Cottilard, Ellen Page, Michael Caine, Ken Watanbe, Cillian Murphy, Dileep Rao, Tom Beranger, Pete Postlethwaite, Lukas Haas.

Grandmaster extraordinaire Nolan, has managed to do it again. Not only has he used the teasingly elaborate and original approach of the great “Memento” but he has fused it with the bleak and inventive approach he used in “The Dark Knight”. Both styles when amalgamated, produce one of the most satisfying action, sci-fi thrillers for not only this year, but for many a year.

In a future corporate world, Dom Cobb (Leonardo Di Caprio) is an “extractor” – an agent capable of entering the sub-concious of another, through their dream state. His job consists of retrieving information from their dreams that they would not share as common knowledge. Being an agent a long time in the game, he also harbours secrets of his own that he wouldn’t like to be exposed but finds himself forced to complete a particular assignment that may grant him freedom from his own demons and allow him back into “reality”. The lines have become blurred in what Cobb knows and what he has exposed himself to for so many years, that telling the diffence between reality and dreaming has become increasingly difficult.

First off, it’s hard trying to condense this film into words. Even when you see it, it’s hard to condense it into your mind. That being said, it’s the most enjoyable and challenging film I’ve seen in a while. The days of big budget action films with someone kicking around in a torn vest or bandana are gone. This has raised action films to a new level. We all thought “The Matrix” was where it`s at, but “Inception” has thrown down the guantlet. We demand films with intelligence and that`s what we get here. Not for a second are we allowed to turn off, scratch our nose, or fondle and kiss our other half in the darkened auditorium. As soon as this film starts, we are hooked and it doesn`t have mercy. Christopher Nolan`s warped and clever approach takes over and assembles a fine cast to contribute. Di Caprio reprises a similiar tormented role from his previous “Shutter Island” and does it, yet again, entirely convincingly. The film hinges on his shoulders and he manages to gain our trust, despite the fact that we are still not sure about him or his morals. There’s also great support from a fine ensemble cast, particularly Joseph Gordon-Levitt who effortlessly shows a different side to his acting chops and is commandingly able in some sublime action scenarios. “Memento” is one of my all time favourite films and I see this, in some ways, as “Memento” with money.

Overall, an absolute mind teasing, visual treat. Mr. Nolan, carry on sir! You treat your audience with respect and for our sakes, I hope you continue to do so.

Mark Walker

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Tropic Thunder * *

Posted in Action, Comedy with tags 2008 on January 13, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Ben Stiller.
Screenplay: Ben Stiller, Justin Theroux.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey, Jr, Jack Black, Nick Nolte, Steve Coogan, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Bill Hader, Toby Maguire, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Cruise.

Ben Stiller is on familiar ground with this, in covering the egotistical world of celebrities. He had a go at the fashion models in “Zoolander” and now he has a go at the movie stars in this. Both have similiar results and unfortunately these results are poor.

The story is also on familiar ground and was covered 20 years previously in “Three Amigos”. It follows a crew of over paid movies stars who, while filming (in this case a vietnam war film) find themselves involved in a real hostile environment against real enemies. All the while they are oblivious and think it’s part of the script and manage to stay in character throughout, despite real bullets and explosions all around them.

Stiller has always been a likable, if not entirely hilarious comedic actor. His talents seem to be better served in playing the goofballs (“Something About Mary”, “Meet The Parents”) rather than writing or directing them. Unfortunately, he is doing all three in this film and doesn’t achieve anything in either role. Instead the plaudits (surprisingly) go to the more serious actors in Tom Cruise and the Oscar nominated Robert Downey, Jr. They are both wildly over the top, adding some much needed fun to this film, which it doesn’t really deserve. Jack Black is as irritating as ever and has nothing to do but be Jack Black and when he’s got nothing to do, he’s even more unbearably irritating. I can’t fathom why Matthew McConaughey and Nick Nolte got involved and Steve Coogan should know better. Thankfully though, Cruise and Downey, Jr. are in it for our sake, otherwise this would have been an absolute waste of time. I give this film a star each for both of them but Stiller didn’t merit such commitment and excellent performances in this thunderous stinker.

A real waste of talent.

Mark Walker

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Constantine * * * 1/2

Posted in Action, Fantasy, Horror with tags 2005 on January 13, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Francis Lawrence.
Screenplay: Kevin Brodbin, Frank Cappello.
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Rachel Weisz, Shia LaBeouf, Djimon Hounsou, Tilda Swinton, Peter Stormare, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Gavin Rossdale, Michelle Monaghan, Domino Harvey.

DC Comics’ “Hellblazer” gets the big screen treatment with the chain-smoking, existentialist detective John Constantine and although it may not appeal to some fans, there’s no denying it has style.

Keanu Reeves plays the paranormal man in question, who after having visions of entities all his life, attempts suicide. Having been revived from his unsuccessful attempts, John Constantine is then doomed to an eternal waking life of demonic confrontations. This being the case, he attempts to make a deal with God, (in the knowledge that he has lung cancer) that if he can help in the eradication of demons from Earth, he may get a reprieve and be able to enter Heaven when he dies.

“Constantine” has a very imaginative and stylish look to it, mainly down to music video director Francis Lawrence. He uses several unusual camera angles and great use of atmosphere, showing exactly where he learned his craft. However, some inexperience is visible, the tell-tale signs being style over substance. It just so happens though, that the style is magnificent and has some similarities with the low budget Christopher Walken gothic/horror flick “The Prophecy”. Lawrence’s take on the biblical characters are very creative, from Tilda Swinton’s androgenous “Angel Gabriel” to Djimon Hounsou’s “Midnite” a guardian between Heaven & Hell and Peter Stormare’s looming, well-dressed “Lucifer”. Mixed up in all of this is a very mixed bag in Reeves as “Constantine”. He’s strangely brooding and appealing, yet also woefully bad in his selfconscious overacting. It’s a very frustrating performance and a constant reminder that your watching a film, which ultimately isn’t a good thing. The inclusion of Shia LeBeouf’s comic sidekick “Chas” isn’t a good thing either and seriously jars with the tone of the film. Really, we should be able to immersive ourselves in Lawrence’s wonderfully atmospheric (under)world but get held back from full immersion to these visual treats by a lead performance that’s not much better than Schwarzenegger would have delivered and a new director that is still finding his feet.

Comic fans may not be happy, but it’s still very hard to resist it’s visual splendor.

Mark Walker

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Sherlock Holmes * * * 1/2

Posted in Action, Mystery with tags 2009 on January 13, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Guy Ritchie.
Screenplay: Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham, Simon Kinberg.
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr, Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Eddie Marsan, Kelly Reilly, Robert Maillet, Geraldine James, Hans Matheson, William Hope, James Fox.

Guy Ritchie knows a thing or two about the up’s and down’s and in’s and out’s of London, so who better to give us a revamp of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s super deducer “Sherlock Holmes” than “Snatch”s cockney geezer? Getting involved, more surprisingly though is Robert Downey, Jr. as the Holmes boy himself.

Supernatural plans are afoot for Holmes and Watson this time around as the very sinister Lord Blackwood has been meddling in occult affairs and sacrificing innocent young women to further his gains. Once brought to justice, Blackwood is hanged for his crimes but this is only the beginning of Holmes’ problems. Blackwood then seemingly rises from the dead with even greater powers and a stronger influence on the people of the city.
Ritchie’s period look of 19th century London is brilliantly realised and he uses his gritty, grainy and almost sepia hue to perfect effect here. What he also brings to the table is his penchant for violence, with some impressive slow-motion action scenes. His vision of Holmes is more of a fighter and less of a thinker. It’s quite an odd choice but Downey Jr is perfect in the role. He injects a lot of humour into the character and plays him as a drug and alcohol induced extrovert, with a glazed madness over his eyes and nice comic touches. Jude Law also lends excellent support as his trusted sidekick Dr. Watson, who is as tough as he is educated. They make a good double act in what is essentially a buddy-buddy movie with them both playing off one another. However, the story itself is a little disappointing and hard to suspend your disbelief with the villianous Mark Strong absent for quite a lot of the film. Not to mention, a thankless role for Rachel McAdams who is reduced to nothing more than a token love interest. Make no mistake, this is the Holmes and Watson show and nobody else really gets a look in.

There’s plenty of fun to be had but let’s hope they tighten it up a little for the sequel.

Mark Walker

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Taken * * *

Posted in Action, thriller with tags 2008 on January 11, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Pierre Morel.
Screenplay: Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen.
Starring: Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Jon Gries, Holly Valance, David Warshofsky, Xander Berkeley, Olivier Rabourdin, Katie Cassidy, Gerard Watkins.

What with the recent re-vamp of “The A-Team” and this successful actioner, it seems that Liam Neeson has now been re-invented as something of an aging action hero and surprisingly, it works.

Bryan Mills (Neeson) is a retired government agent, struggling to get back into the life of his teenage daughter (Maggie Grace). But after she’s kidnapped while holidaying in Paris, Bryan has less than four days to track her down before she disappears into the sex slave trade and in the process of his search, he dishes out some tough justice.

This was supposedly expected to be a straight to DVD deal but turned out to be an unexpected hit for Neeson and co. It was that well recieved that a sequel is in now in the making. You can’t go too far wrong either, when imaginative French director Luc Besson has written the story. It gets quite rediculous toward the end, but this is still a taut little thriller. Despite being full of stereotypical bad guys, who are no more than fodder for Neeson’s knuckle sandwiches, it still works. As long as you dont expect too much and just sit back and enjoy him bashing a few heads and crunching some bones. Neeson also gets to spout some tough Eastwood-esque lines…”I push one button and 38 agents are here before you have time to scratch your worthless balls.” He’s a brutal and unrelenting character but lots of fun to watch.

It is what it is, but for it sheer pace alone, it’s a cut above most of the (mindless) genre.

Mark Walker

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Zatoichi * * * 1/2

Posted in Action with tags 2003 on January 10, 2012 by Mark Walker

Director: Takeshi Kitano
Screenplay: Takeshi Kitano.
Starring: Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Michiyo Ohkusu, Gadarukanaru Taka, Diagoro Tachibana, Yuko Daike, Yui Natsukawa.

‘Beat’ Takeshi Kitano made his name as a standup comedian before entering into cinema with a surprising array of serious and very violent roles. Here he tries to recapture the successful character who was a popular figure in Japanese film & television throughout the 1960’s to the 1980’s.

Nineteenth-century blind nomad known as a gambler and masseur is also a lightning-fast master swordsman who stumbles into a town run by gangs and a powerful samurai. When he meets two geishas who are out to avenge their parents’ murder, the fireworks begin.

I’ve never seen the very successful series of films or television program of which this is based upon, so i’m not in a position to compare but it doesn’t hinder the enjoyment of this visceral yet playful bloodfest. Kitano stages the whole yarn in a very theatrical style, with extremely exagerrated bloodletting, combined with an excellent soundtrack to fit with the rythmic moments and movements from the characters, like workers plowing the fields or rain pattering off an umbrella. It’s beautifully shot and really captures the ingriguing Japanese culture with several stunning shots. As much as I admire the almost mystical and stoic tradition of the Japanese, I’m not the biggest Samurai fan, so the whole thing worked for me only to a certain degree. However, if your a fan of swordplay, then this will be right up your kimono.

There’s no denying the visual style throughout this serene yet kinetic bloodbath. It’s like an eastern spaghetti western, but if your not interested in the genre then harikari may be a better option for you.

Mark Walker