Film Review: Shadowlands

Director: Richard Attenborough

Shadowlands is a biographical film from 1993 about the life of C.S. Lewis who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia. It was adapted from a TV production of the same name in 1985 and the screenplay for the film was written by the same man, William Nicholson. Well known director Richard Attenborough was in the chair for this movie and directs some very emotional scenes with real warmth.

*contains spoilers*

Set in the 1950's, we follow the life of writer C.S. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins on top form) who is an academic at Magdalen College which is part of Oxford University. He begins a relationship with an American poet called Joy Gresham (Debra Winger) who is quite outspoken compared to the agreeable and placid atmosphere amongst the university academics. As time goes on a love develops between the two especially as Joy is diagnosed with a progressive form of bone cancer that sees her deteriorate and leaves Lewis to look after her son Douglas.

C.S. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins) and Joy Gresham (Debra Winger)

This film is a slow building and subtle tear-jerker as you reach the end of the movie and realise that Joy's illness is terminal. The ending which sees Lewis and Joy's son Douglas crying after her death is deeply moving. Nothing about the tender moments are forced which means the scenes flow naturally over the screen so you don't feel like the film is needlessly pulling on your heart-strings like many more modern films would which helps the film keep a dignity about it. The subject matter itself is interesting and emotional without having to force it.

Both the leads are impressive within this film especially Anthony Hopkins as he realises the love he feels for Joy as she slowly loses her fight with cancer. It was the first film in a while that saw Debra Winger really take on a bigger role and it certainly showed her ability to take on a difficult role. There are other names of note such as Julian Fellowes and Michael Palin in the film which help it retain a British feel at Oxford University.
3.5/4 heart-breaking story of love through terminal illness

Film Preview: The Great Gatsby

Baz Luhrmann returns for his first film since Australia and once collaborates with Leonardo Di Caprio. We also Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire star in this adaptation of the world famous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald's book of the same name.

The first question that springs to mind is why the film is being show in 3D? I have never watched a film where I thought the film was improved by it being in 3D which includes the likes of The Avengers and Avatar (snore) so I really doubt The Great Gatsby will change my view on this. It is an interesting cast with Di Caprio and Mulligan coming together though as two people I currently like. Lets hope the release goes better than the marketing which mis-spelt "Ziegfield Follies" on a billboard poster on Time Square in New York.

The Great Gatsby is released in the UK on 26th December 2012 I believe but that hasn't been confirmed yet as far as I can tell and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

Director: Mark Herman

Based on the best-selling book of the same name by Irish writer John Boyne, it was turned into a film by Mark Herman who wrote the screenplay and directed the movie. It has a very British feel due to the actors involved and I had reasonably high hopes after Herman directed Brassed Off in the mid-nineties which is a superb film.

Shmuel (Jack Scanlon) inside the fence and Bruno (Asa Butterfield) outside

Bruno (Asa Butterfield who is annoying) is moved out of Berlin during the war to the countryside so his Dad, Ralf (David Thewlis) can run a concentration camp although Bruno himself is not told this and doesn't understand what the camp is. After he sneaks out of the house, Bruno meets a boy called Shmuel (Jack Scanlon who is underused) who is on the other side of an electric fence in shabby striped pyjamas. The boy's begin a friendship through the fence that grows as the movie progresses as Bruno tries to help Shmuel once he realises what is happening.

*spoilers ahead*

My instant gripe with the movie is to why a German family are all speaking English; I can understand why from a commercial aspect in terms of the film making money but it makes little sense to me. The second issue I had was how Shmuel was able to sit at a part of the camp hundreds of metres from everybody else to have a chat with Bruno on a regular basis; this wouldn't have realistically happened or be allowed by the guards. This is also without addressing the issue of how easy it was for Bruno to dig a hole and sneak in meaning it must have been a piece of cake for some of the Jews to just escape which again didn't happen. You certainly have to detach yourself from reality somewhat to take this film seriously which really isn't good when the subject matter is very real indeed.

Ralf (David Thewlis) the SS officer

Unfortunately it's difficult to feel sympathy in this case for a Nazi family, whose father is in charge of murdering thousands of Jew's at a concentration camp, when they lose their son in the same manner. The real tragedy is in Shmuel not knowing his father has been killed and being unaware of where he really is. It comes across in parts as a very kitsch film which you could argue trivalizes the holocaust for the most part of the film.

The film is slightly redeemed by the ending which I am going to ruin now for anyone who hasn't seen it, Bruno ending up inside the camp to look for Shmuel's father who has obviously been killed in the gas chamber. It is haunting to see them end up in a gas chamber themselves and then not be saved by their father who rushes to the camp once he realises what has happened, I genuinely thought he would be saved in time. This reedems the film in some respects but was too little too late.

1.5/4 thin plot line till the dramatic ending which stops it being a total flop

This week's releases

Men in Black 3D: Will Smith and Tommy-Lee Jones return for a third Men in Black movie, they travel back in time to save K from an assassination attempt that would change history. Josh Brolin is the young Agent K. A full preview is available below:

Men in Black 3D preview

Moonrise Kingdom: Wes Anderson's latest film opened the Cannes festival this year and is in the running for the Palme D'Or. It tells the story of two 12 year old children who decided to run away together which causes a massive hunt led by the local sheriff, played by Bruce Willis. This all creates problems within the tight local community.

What to expect when you are expecting: As soon as I saw the trailer for this I rolled my eyes in disdain, why do they make films with such a massive ensemble cast when most of the stars aren't even good actors or actresses. Did we learn nothing from the catastrophe that was New Years Eve? It is apparently an insightful comedy into couples who are expecting babies and the effect it has on their lives *yawn*

Film Review: Music Box

Director: Costa-Gravas

A 1989 film about the holocaust involving the alleged involvement of a Hungarian in the Nazi's plan to externminate the Jews. The film is loosely based on the real life story of John Demjanjuk and the life of Joe Eszterhaus, who wrote the movie, who found out later in life that his dad was a Nazi collaborator in Hungary.

*spoilers ahead!!!!*

Defense attorney Anne Talbot learns that he father Michael Laszlo is going to lose his American citizenship because he is accused of war crimes during the Second World War. He claims it is a case of mistaken identity and that he is a simple Hungarian refugee but the prosecution believe he is the former commander of a death squad linked to the Hungary's Fascist and racist Arrow Cross Party called ''Mishka''. Then during the Siege of Budapest, Mishka and his unit tortured and murdered scores of Hungarian Jews, Gypsies, and many others with psychopathic glee. Anne fights his case in court whilst trying to determine that it was definitely not him who was involved.

Anne Talbot (Jessica Lange) and Michael Laszlo (Armin Mueller-Stahl)

It is a thrilling film with an incredibly moving climax that asks many questions about what has happened and how you would feel about it being in the same situation. How would you deal with the fact that your Dad was a war criminal who tortured and murdered hundreds of people during the Second World War? The ending where she confronts her Dad about this and he still denies it is heart-breaking. Did he repress the memories so much that he still believes he didn't do it or is he just refusing to accept his responsibility and deal with it because he will lose his family?

The main downside of the movie is that little effort is made to understand Michael Laszlo and what he did. It spends too much time with court room theatrics and surprise witnesses to make it a court room drama rather than dealing with the actual issues at hand. Laszlo is more a side character who just sits in court whilst it all goes on around you which is a shame as there was scope for this to be a fantastic film.

2.5/4 heart-breaking tale of atrocities during the war but fails to help us understand the problem

Film Review: The Remains of the Day

Director: James Ivory

The Remains of the Day is a Merchant Ivory film from 1993 which is based on the novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro. Merchant Ivory being a production company found by Ishmail Merchant and James Ivory in 1961 with the aim of making English-speaking films in India that could be marketed around the world but ended up making most of the films in England. The film is almost completely faithful to the novel except in a few instances.

The story follows the life of Head Butler James Stevens (Anthony Hopkins, beautifully stoic) who works at Darlington Hall for Lord Darlington. The film flashes between the house before and during the war where many politicians came to discuss important affairs with Lord Darlington and the present day which sees an American Congressman, Trent Lewis (Christopher Reeve), moving into the hall. Stevens hears from Sarah 'Sally' Kenton (Emma Thompson) who reveals she has split up with her husband and misses the days when she worked at Darlington Hall. We slowly see a mutual admiration and possibly love grow between Stevens and Kenton that develops over their years at Darlington Hall.

Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) and Mr Stevens (Anthony Hopkins)

The film is beautifully shot around numerous country estates in the UK and a shot at the end of the movie as the camera flies away from Darlington Hall (Dyrham Park in real life). Anthony Hopkins is excellent as Stevens who made serving his master and organising the other servants in the house his life's work to the detriment of his personal life. He becomes a man so obsessed with his job that he doesn't know how to be himself anymore. He is a great butler but is blinkered in his intelligence especially when it comes to Lord Darlington who he sees as an authority on politics when the reality is quite different. It also affects the love story between him and Miss Kenton as they do not allow themselves to fall in love due to their devotion to work.

Parts of the story see the plot get a bit bogged down in certain storylines that are a bit pointless and add to the slow development of the plot within the film. But aside from this you have some excellent performances from Emma Thompson and Hugh Grant to go along with dramatic setting. It gives you a look at the upper classes during the war and the effect they had within politics at the time whilst also seeing how the working class lived around them.

2.5/4 beautiful story from a different era but gets slightly bogged down

Alan Partridge movie

Anybody that knows me will know that I am a huge fan of Alan Partridge from Knowing me, Knowing you to the TV series and even saw Steve Coogan perform live with his Alan Partridge and other less successful characters. The two series TV show is still one of the finest comedy programs that I have ever seen (alongside Garth Marenghi's Darkplace) and I can pretty much quote huge portions of the script.

The problem with having a TV series that is so popular is can you continue to write new material that is so good when the scrutiny will be so great by fans and critics alike? The Mighty Boosh continued after two great series and came to write, in my opinion, a very repetitive but less funny third series. After such a long period of time can Alan Partridge still be made to be funny yet original? Lets hope so as two one hour specials were announced today to be screened on Sky Atlantic later this year which looks like a taster and a chance to grab younger fans before a full feature length film is released.

Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan)

Earlier this year Armando Iannucci told Empire magazine that they were going to start filming on an Alan Partridge film later this year which should be released in cinemas in 2013. The script has apparantly been written so everything seems to be in place and it will be intriguing to see how this all plays out, I remember Coogan mentioning that we could see Partridge being caught up in a hostage situation with terrorists but this was a long time ago and was only an idea he had at the time.

Feel free to comment with any thoughts you have about a Partridge movie.

Film Review: Blue Valentine

Director: Derek Cianfrance

The film was in the pipeline for a long time with Michelle Williams signing on to the film aged 21 but didn't actually start production until 2009 when she was 27. Derek Cianfrance hoped to shoot the younger and older scenes several years apart to make it look authentic but couldn't do this due to budget constraints. Due to some scenes of a sexual nature the film was given an NC-17 rating in the USA which caused Ryan Gosling to accuse the MPAA of sexism and misogyny, the film was given an R rating on re-submission.

Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (Michelle Williams) on their wedding day

The narrative cuts between the present day with Dean (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy (well performed by Michelle Williams) trying to save their marriage whilst looking after Cindy's daughter Frankie, who was probably fathered by Cindy's previous boyfriend, and 5 years previous when they met and fell in love.

Cianfrance has taken a sombre look at marriage for an average couple who struggle on low wages in small town America. Gosling and Williams are both powerful in their performances and genuinely make you feel the frustrations between them. To prepare they both moved into a rented home together and lived on a budget similar to what the characters would live on, this helps gives the feel of frustration and tension between the couple as they became tired of each other.

Dean and Cindy begin to fight

The big question asked by the film is why do marriages and relationships fail? In Blue Valentine there is no one big reason why their marriage is failing and no one solution for them to try and fix it. Both parties have their faults with Dean look a shadow of his former self when both narratives are compared. Relaxed and fun loving when they met, he has turned into a slightly paranoid and tense man who has taken up drinking in the morning. The differences between the couple are hugely apparent during arguments as Dean instantly says exactly what he's thinking and Cindy keeps everything inside so you don't know what she's actually thinking.

The film is very slow to start and only really starts moving around the half way stage which is a shame and the scenes in the hotel seem to drag on un-necessarily. Gosling's character comes across as quite annoying as the film progresses but this certainly helps you understand the frustration that Cindy feels whilst her lack of communication is equally frustrating. It makes you want to just scream at them to get a therapist but as the film progresses it really is heart breaking to see it failing in front of you whilst watching them young, happy and in love from 5 years earlier.

3/4 very slow start but builds into a fascinating climax

Skyfall Trailer

This morning saw the release of the teaser trailer for the new James Bond film called Skyfall and the trailer certainly looks impressive. Javier Bardem being cast as the enemy should be a stroke of genius as he is incredibly menacing in No Country for Old Men. I will certainly look forward to other trailers being released between now and the release date in October.

The premise has been described as "James Bond's loyalty to M is challenged over secrets from her past. When MI6 is attacked, it falls to Bond to seek out and eliminate the threat regardless of the cost to himself"

I was a big fan of Casino Royale but felt let down by Quantum of Solace so really hope that Skyfall can re-ignite my passion for the Bond films. The trailer can be seen through the link below the Empire magazine website and the film is released on Friday 26th October 2012:

Skyfall Trailer

Film Review: Marley

Director: Kevin MacDonald

Marley is a biographical documentary by Kevin MacDonald who looks at the life of Bob Marley and meets with the many people who knew him over his varied life from family members to friends and musicians he worked with. Ziggy Marley was a producer on the film that goes into huge detail about every aspect of his life and how he became the massive icon he was at the time and still is today even after his death in 1981.

The first thing that strikes you in the opening of the film is the beauty of the countryside around Jamaica where Marley grew up working on a farm before he moved with his mother to Trench town in Kingston. It was a huge rise from a poor background to international stardom as one of the main exponents of the reggae genre being exported to the world. MacDonald also explores the foundations of the Rastafari movement who worship Haile Selassie I, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930-1974, and wear dreadlocks as well as cannabis for spiritual use.

The film whilst charting Marley's life doesn't spend much time looking at Marley's private life and family which had a tough time due to the large number of children he had with different women, although it does show Marley denying that he is married to backing singer Rita. In a way it is a rose tinted look at his life by taking the great story of Marley and the effect he had round the world without looking at the negative side which is a shame. A more balanced view would have been more intriguing.

There is some great footage of Bob Marley and the Wailers performing on stage and footage of the widespread mourning for him when he died in 1981. It really demonstrated the massive effect he had on people and on taking the music and culture of Jamaica to a wider audience. He actually comes across as quite a driven and passionate person much at odds with the general perception of Jamaica being laid back and care free which is also debunked when the history of Jamaica across regime changes is also addressed.

It is difficult to review documentary films like this and Into the Abyss in the normal way as they are very different from conventional films that I review on here. Being able to make interviews with people exciting for a film of over 2 hours is difficult but many of the stories shared really ignite your imagination.

3/4 hugely in-depth look at the life of the legend that is Bob Marley but misses out intriguing questions about his personal life.

Film Preview: Gangster Squad

Ruben Fleischer who made his name with his first feature film Zombieland is back in the director's chair for Gangster Squad that features star names such as Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone. There are also a lot of other well known names attached to the film as well. The film is based on the book "Tales from the Gangster Squad" by Paul Lieberman.

Set in the 1950's, it looks at the LAPD's efforts to keep the East Coast Mafia out of Los Angeles which involves tactics that are not quite by the book. The trailer has the feel of L.A. Confidential but with a crisper look. For me, this looks like a must-see film that I will be watching on the day of release.

Gangster Squad is released in the UK on Friday 9th November 2012 and the trailer is embedded below:

This week's releases

After some decent releases in the last couple of weeks, unfortunately we are scraping the barrel this week.

The Raid: Martial Arts movie from Indonesia is the story of a failed mission by a SWAT team to take down an infamous drugs baron who has ruthless killers stalking the inside of his own fortress, the SWAT team has to battle just to get out alive.

The Dictator: Sacha Baron Cohen pretty much playing Borat but as a dictator of a fictional country.

The Dictator Full Preview

Two Days in New York: Following on from the romantic comedy '2 Days in Paris' from 2007, Marion is now separated from Jack and has a new boyfriend in Mingus (Chris Rock). Her over-bearing father drops in unannounced as well as her sister and her new boyfriend it makes for a crazy 48 hours.

Film Review: American Pie Reunion

Director: Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberger

This is technically the eighth instalment in the franchise but really it is only the fourth as nobody counts the direct to DVD nonsense they have released in the 9 years since American Pie: The Wedding. It was a bit of a gamble bringing the old cast back together after such a long time away especially considering Chris Klein who played Oz didn't even appear in the third film but fortunately most of the actors/actresses have done nothing much of note since.

With such a big gap between the first three and this latest instalment I was doubtful how relevant it would still be and whether the jokes would still be as funny, I was left in no doubt that they were using the same jokes from 15 years previous. I couldn't decide whether the jokes just weren't funny anymore or whether I had outgrown them considering I was a teenager when the original film came out. It is humour of a very low level which is something Sean William Scott (Stifler) has made his career out of. Some of the jokes do make you laugh but a lot more of them fail to raise a laugh or even produce an embarrassing cringe.

The guys back together at the reunion

Thirteen years after graduating from high school, the guys all come back into town for the high school reunion. Despite all having proper jobs and families elsewhere they run into old flames like Heather (Mena Suvari) and Vicky (Tara Reid) making it awkward. Stifler also finds them at the local bar enjoying a drink which starts the ensuing chaos akin to when they were in high school except they are all about 30 now. They all begin to have relationship problems as there drinking and partying takes hold before they even get to the reunion.

Jason Biggs and Alyson Hannigan are still very good at playing their characters with the same vigour and feeling as all those years ago, Sean William Scott is also on form if you can call it that but considering he only ever plays one role in a film it's probably not difficult for him. Thomas Ian Nicholas who plays Kevin reminds me of Doug (Justin Bartha) from The Hangover as an annoying character who you are glad isn't in the movie a whole lot. Eugene Levy is his usual self as Jim's embarrassing Dad and is probably used just enough so that he isn't tiresome.

The infamous sock

1.5/4 same jokes from 15 years ago that just aren't funny anymore and adds nothing to the others

PS For people wondering, the original script confirms that Stifler's nickname for Finch is shitbreak not shitbrick.

Film Review: Aliens

Director: James Cameron

7 years after the original Alien which was a huge success, James Cameron took up the directing job from Ridley Scott and brought back the only surviving character of Officer Ripley who was played by Sigourney Weaver to take on the now famous Alien. Weaver actually called herself Rambolina as a joke in reference to the Rambo franchise with Sylvester Stallone. It was filmed at Pinewood Studios in England and Cameron directed this after the huge success of The Terminator in 1984.

Aliens movie poster

*possible spoilers*

The film continues where the original film, Alien, left off with Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) being rescued whilst travelling in stasis. She has a meeting back on Earth with board members from her company who don't believe her story about the Alien killing the crew and her need to destroy the Nostramo. She loses her space-flight license and suffers from nightmares about her encounter with the creature. She also learns that the planet where she ran into the Alien is now a terraform colony which the company loses contact with for no reason and now wants Ripley to return as a consultant to see if the Aliens have returned.

The first thing to notice about this film compared to the first is that the nerve jangling tension is almost gone and has been replaced with more gory action sequences. There are more shootouts which are reasonably entertaining but it makes for a less scary film which can be a good or bad thing depending on what you want. I am a bigger fan of the tense nature of the first than the all-action plot of the second but you can understand the logic as Cameron knew he couldn't better the first without taking the film in a different direction.

Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) with Newt (Carrie Henn) battling the queen Alien

Unfortunately a lot of the Marines in the film are very stereotypical in their roles as naive jocks who think they will just shoot their way through the Aliens only to be caught out. The first film had much more developed characters that you could relate to and weren't just expendable people that you hoped would be killed sooner rather than later. The queen Alien is a superb special effect as it still looks terrifying despite being much bigger and harder to film; this plot device of many eggs producing many Aliens gave the film a new dimension as the crew are under siege.

2.5/4 More action and stereotypical characters mean it doesn't compare to the first for me.

Film Review: Alien

Director: Ridley Scott

Alien is a science-fiction horror film from 1979 that went on to huge success both critically and commercially before spawning numerous sequels and prequels with Prometheus (Preview here) coming out on 1st June 2012. It also won an Oscar for Best Visual Effects within the film and was inducted into the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2002 for historical preservation as a film which is "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".


Officer Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) searching for the Alien

A commercial spaceship called Nostromo is returning from a mining mission on the planet Thedus when the crew are woken up from stasis by the ship's computer as it has received a transmission signal, company policy dictates they have to investigate all alien life forms. On the planet, Officer Kane (John Hurt) is attacked by a new born Alien that latches on to his face, Officer Ripley (excellent Sigourney Weaver) wants to keep the search party in quarantine but is over ruled by Science Officer Ash (Ian Holm) which gives the Alien chance to attack.
The slow opening with the score from the orchestra and the camera scanning around the ship showing a lot of the equipment actually reminded me of 2001: A Space Odyssey but with a ship that is not as aesthetically pleasing. The opening 30mins is just full of tension as you have no idea what is to come and when they will inevitably run into danger. The chestbuster scene is now infamous in popular culture and is a shocking scene for anybody who hasn't seen it before; the effects used in the film are superb for a film of this time.

The Alien

Ridley Scott summed up the effect he was looking for perfectly with this quote: "The most important thing in a film of this type is not what you see, but the effect of what you think you saw." It's the implied threat that make films like this and The Shining so terrifying to watch rather than the actual Alien itself and what it looks like. The whole film is built around the tension of not knowing where the Alien is and whether it will attack as a cat is also loose aboard the ship and its movements are often confused with that of the Alien. In this sense Ridley Scott has created a masterpiece in nerve wracking tension and terror.

3.5/4 one of the definitive horror/science fiction movies of all time.

Film Preview: Argo

Ben Affleck returns to direct and star in Argo, it is the third film he has directed after Gone Baby Gone and the excellent The Town. George Clooney and Grant Heslov are both producers for the film that is based on the Iran hostage crisis in 1979 and 1980.

We follow the story of Iranian hostage crisis in the late 70's where the governments of American and Canada joined forces to rescue 6 foreign service members who had been taken hostage. The governments tried to convince the Iranians that they were a film crew working on a film called Argo rather than important government officials.

Argo is released in the UK on Friday 12th October 2012 and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Psycho

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Probably one of the most famous films of all-time due to the infamous shower scene and the score written by Bernard Herrmann. It was quite controversial upon its release in 1960 due to the opening scene showing Janet Leigh just wearing a bra in bed with a man she was not married to and then later when she flushes some notepaper down the toilet, neither had been shown in films before at the time. Initially Hitchcock was asked to change the opening scene because some censors believed they could see her breast but he sent it back unedited to the censors who now said they couldn't see it.

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) in the infamous shower scene

Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) steals $40,000 from her employees to help her boyfriend, Sam Loomis (John Gavin), who is in financial difficulty due to maintenance payments to his ex-wife. After a run-in with a police officer for sleeping in her car she checks into the Bates Motel which is run by Norman Bates (superbly troubled Anthony Perkins) who constantly references his ailing mother who he lives with in a house near the motel. Nervous about being traced by the police, Marion is happy to have dinner with Norman but is slightly un-nerved by his manner as well as being caught.

The shower scene is one of the finest scenes in film history in terms of how it is choreographed and filmed. The famous score of screeching violins and violas was only put in after Bernard Herrmann asked Hitchcock to watch the scene with his score as Hitchcock initially wanted there to be no other sounds. It is a truly terrifying scene despite the fact you never see the knife actually pierce the body. The long shot of the blood and water draining down the plughole is particularly unsettling. The shot of Leigh's eye whilst the camera zooms out was difficult to film as she constantly felt the need to blink due to the water from the shower splashing in her eye, for years after filming this scene Leigh never showered with the shower curtain across due to fear.

Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins)

Psycho was a film of so many firsts in 1960 and Hitchcock did a superb job of keeping the plot under wraps. It's a film that has been duplicated and parodied so much since that many people feel like they've seen it before watching it. Anthony Perkins performance as Norman Bates is unforgettable and was impressive enough that he was typecast ever since. But it's Hitchcock's usual magic that really adds to the tension and sinister nature of the film especially the use of shadows throughtout. The tension constantly builds until you are shocked by another twist in the plot.

3.5/4 unsettling and tension filled film that has lost none of its power

This week's releases

Piranha 3DD: The sequel to Piranha 3D the comedy-horror is here and this time they have the Hoff at poolside! On the anniversary of the previous attacks the Piranha's use the local town's plumbing system to go on a huge feeding frenzy at the local water park. Expect similar antics to the previous film.

How I Spent my Summer Vacation: Mel Gibson is back and this time not in the news for the things he's been saying, he plays Driver who is sent down to a Mexican Prison after his luck runs out in America. Now he must fight against the 'El Pueblito' who are the ruthless gang that run the prison and see him as fair game being a White American.

Jeff Who Lives at Home: Jason Segel and Ed Helms end up spending a day together in search of Helms' wife which gives slacker Jeff (Segel) plenty of time to think about his life and the big questions about the universe.

Dark Shadows: Jonny Depp plays vampire Barnabas Collins in Tim Burton's latest film based on the cult TV series. Barnabas finds his proud estate from 1752 ruined after he awakens in 1972 where he must fight the usual band of werewolves and witches.

Film Review: The Third Man

Director: Carol Reed

Made in 1949, The Third Man is another classic film that is constantly near the top of the best films of all time lists and in my opinion rightly so. Filmed in black and white in post-war Vienna it is renowned for the use of light throughout the film as well as the score which was written and performed by Anton Karas using a zither. It was reported after the film that the cobbled streets were sprayed with water so that they reflected the light of the city at night.

Harry Lime (Orson Welles) making his trademark entrance

American Western writer Holly Martins (the sublime Joseph Cotten) arrives in Vienna in the aftermath of the Second World War to work with his old childhood friend Harry Lime (Orson Welles). Martins finds out that Lime was killed in a car crash while crossing the street from Lime's friend Baron Kurtz who, with the help of another friend called Popescu, carried Lime to the pavement after the accident. After speaking with the porter at the hotel who said that three men carried the body to the pavement and not two, Martins becomes suspicious about the events surrounding Lime's death and begins to investigate but the porter is murdered before Martins can question him more on the events.

Without wanting to spoil the film, I must praise the superb scene on the Ferris wheel overlooking Vienna and Lime's ''Swiss cuckoo clock'' speech about the little people below. Many critics disliked Orson Welles in the movie and criticised him for ''showboating'' but I feel his performance only adds to the movie. Joseph Cotten is the star as the principled Holly Martins who is determined to understand the events of Harry Lime's death and is a believable protagonist for the film. The use of light throughout the film and especially in the sewers underneath Vienna is a superb example of directing and cinematography excellence.

Holly Martins (Joseph Cotten) and Harry Lime (Orson Welles)

The score played on the zither by Anton Karas is now synonymous with the film which many people have found quite annoying throughout the film, I personally liked it the score but can certainly see why people wouldn't like it. I feel the score adds to the nervousness of the film surrounding Vienna at the time and increases the tension at the film's crucial moments. It is a sad time for Vienna after the war with city divided by the Allies and the Russians with many areas still in ruins following the war, it was a tough time for the people of the city which is reflected in the film.

4/4 absolute classic of a movie and one of my all-time favourite films

Film Review: Vertigo

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

I recently went through a phase of watching old classic movies, many of which I had never seen before. It was time to see whether some of these films that are constantly at the top of the all-time movie list are worth of the accolade. So I started with Vertigo, Hitchcock's psychological thriller about a retired police detective who suffers from acrophobia. On release the film opened to mixed reviews but over time became one of the greatest films Hitchcock ever made. The screenplay was actually adapted from a French play called The Living and the Dead that was written by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac.

The iconic movie poster for Vertigo

John ''Scottie'' Ferguson (James Stewart, simply brilliant) is a retired police detective who suffers from acrophobia following the death of a fellow police officer whilst on duty. A friend, Gavin Elster (Tom Helmore) asks him to follow his wife, Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak), around due to her strange behaviour and report back with his findings. After Scottie saves Madeleine from drowning when she throws herself into the bay at Fort Point in San Francisco and develops a strange intimacy which is threatened by Madeleine's suicidal tendencies.

The scene depicted in the picture below at Fort Point in San Francisco under the Golden Gate Bridge is a classic scene in the world of film. It is a beautiful location used to film an important scene. The Mission San Juan Bautista is also a stunning location where the crucial scenes of the movie take place (I won't ruin it for you). The beautiful bell tower that Scottie struggles to climb due to his acrophobia is actually out in California but isn't as tall or in such a lovely setting in real life which is a shame.

Madeleine Elster (Kim Novak) and John ''Scottie'' Ferguson (James Stewart)

The tension created in the early scenes when Scottie is trailing Madeleine are superb as he drives around downtown San Francisco, you are taken by the feel of the city whilst wondering what is going to happen. The plot twist within the movie is actually quite clever even by today's standards and hasn't suffered too much over time. My only criticism would be that James Stewart is slightly too old to be love interest for Kim Novak, the age gap in real life is around 25 years but this is only a small detail in what otherwise is a superb film.

4/4 an old classic with a superb plot twist.

Upcoming DVD releases

I thought now would be a good time to look at the DVD's to buy and the ones to avoid as many DVDs from the pre-Academy Award rush are released.

Buy:

The Artist: Blew everything away at the Oscars and rightly so. This tale of one person's rise to success alongside somebody else's downfall in the era of the silent movie is pitch perfect and a must see for anybody whether they saw it at the cinema or not.

The Woman in Black: Daniel Radcliffe investigates a mystery ghost in this tension filled chiller which lived up to the hype surrounding the film. Don't be fooled by it being a 12A!

The Muppets: Jason Segel takes on a huge task in bringing the Muppets back whilst making it a fun and entertaining movie to watch but he absolutely nails it. All the songs and fun are there as well as some clever jokes for the adults as well.

The Descendants: George Clooney acts well is worth seeing on its own without a good support cast and lovign family story set to the backdrop of the beautiful islands of Hawaii. It's a moving film about growing up and taking responsibility.

Avoid:

War Horse: Spielberg continues to make it look like his early masterpieces were all flukes with this silly story of a horse during the First World War. Even if you like horses I would avoid this as some of them will die at some point in the movie but not before your brain cells do.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: All the old has-been British actors and actresses come together in this ''comedy'' about a group of retirees who up sticks from their retirement home in Britain for a better one in India, only to find everything isn't quite as it seemed. Unless you can cope with overwhelming smugness I'd avoid this one.

John Carter: Despite being available in 3D on blu-ray for the 1% of people conned into buying a 3D TV in Curry's, this was a huge box-office flop for a reason with a immensely puzzling plot and characters that never really engage you.

This Means War: Basically Tom Hardy and Chris Pine fool around with gadgets whilst trying to win over Reese Witherspoon which is supposed to be very funny if you have an IQ similar to that of a grapefruit. Only buy this if you want to drool over one of the three names above (Ok so I might buy this)

I'll be honest there is about another dozen movies that I could put into the avoid list but I'm going to leave you to figure these out for yourselves.

This weeks releases

American Pie Reunion: Actually released on Wednesday this week so I'm already behind. The full preview is available here: American Pie Reunion Preview

Safe: Cage-fighter Luke (Jason Statham) messes up a rigged fight so becomes in debt to the mafia who are now threatening his family. He has to protect a 12 year old girl who knows an important code from the Triads, Russian mafia and corruput police officers in all out war.

The Lucky One: Romantic drama starring Zac Efron as a war-weary US Marine, he comes home from Iraq believing a stranger in a photograph kept him safe whilst on his tour of duty so decides to track her down.

Silent House: Elizabeth Olsen (excellent in Martha, Marcy, May Marlene) finds herself trapped and alone inside her parents secluded lake house in this remake of a Uruguayan Spanish language film. Filmed in one uninterrupted shot for added realism it really builds then tension but a few people have already told me the original is better.

Pretty much something for everyone this week so no complaints!!!!!!!!!

Film Preview: The Dictator

This is the latest offering from Sacha Baron-Cohen who became world famous for the movie Borat and the slightly less popular but equally controversial Bruno. Cohen was banned from attending the 84th Academy Awards as the main character Admiral General Aladeen but was allowed to attend in regular attire which he ignored as he turned up in character anyways. He greeted reports by saying "Hello, death to the West!" whilst holding an urn that he said had the ashes of his former doubles-tennis partner Kim Jong-il.

Cohen quoted "it tells the story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed". Admiral General Aladeen (Cohen) is the dictator of fictional Middle-Eastern country the Republic of Wadiya and is not made in the same mockumentary style as some of his previous films.

The Dictator is released in the UK on Wednesday 16th May 2012 and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: The Blind Side

Director: John Lee Hancock

Based on the book by Michael Lewis (who also wrote Moneyball) called The Blind Side: The Evolution of a Game which discussed the rise in importance of the Left Tackle (known as the blind side because it's the one place the Quarterback can't see) position in American Football and the story of Michael Oher. The film was hugely popular on release with Sandra Bullock in particular being singled out for praise and awards including a Best Actress award at the Oscars. It was released in 2009.

Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) been told how to block by Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock)

For most of his life, Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) had spent his time in foster care and constantly kept running away from where he was supposed to be living. After he becomes friends Sean Tuohy Jr (Jae Head), Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock in domineering fashion) sees him walking out in the rain at night and offers him a place to stay. Slowly he begins to trust the family and ends up living with them full-time so he can go to school to improve his grades and then be allowed to play Football. The problems come when Michael is scouted to play Football in college due to his poor grades and the links the Tuohy family have to Ole Miss University which the NCAA are interested in.

The film very much focuses on Leigh Anne Tuohy who took Michael Oher into her home compared to the book that is more about Michael himself. There are quite a few key differences between what actually happened and the movie which as a big fan of American Football I wasn't so pleased with. The on-going investigation into whether the Tuohy family took Michael in so he could play Football for Ole Miss, their alma-mater and team they are boosters for, was very much underplayed and was very different in real life which is a shame as it was one of the first times that Michael really opened up as a person.

Sean Tuohy Junior (Jae Head) with Big Mike

You cannot doubt the feel good factor of the movie and Sandra Bullock plays her role very well, but slightly over the top in some parts. There is a difference between a strong woman/mother figure and someone who just tries to tell everyone what to do by yelling at them. The relationship between Sean Tuohy Jr and Michael is great to watch as the friendship feels very real; much of the film does well to capture Michael's failure to understand what all the fuss is about with him and just wanting to play Football at college. The growth of his confidence and development into an adult is the true joy of this movie.

3/4 great feel-good film but too many differences from the real events for an NFL fan like myself.

Film Review: The Birds

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

Alfred Hitchcock doing what he does best in directing The Birds, a tension filled thriller which comes across as massively un-nerving and sinister as flocks of birds start to attack people for no reason. It is based on a book of the same name by Daphne du Maurier and was released in 1963 so represents one of Hitchcock's later films in his career.

In 2007 it was announced there would be a remake made by Platinum Dunes and Mandalay Pictures starring Naomi Watts and George Clooney in the main roles (thought these two would have known better). The development of the project has since stalled so is not likely to be filmed anytime soon but Tippi Hedren has already come out publicly asking why the film is being remade and denouncing Hollywood for not having any original ideas. I agree but considering she was in the abysmal sequel that was made, her comments come across as slightly hypocritical.

Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) escaping the birds with children from the local school

Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) meets a young lawyer called Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor) in a pet shop in San Francisco, where she gets annoyed as he pretends to mistake her for a salesperson. She takes a boat over to the harbour to his house to deliver two love birds that he wanted for his sister's birthday. On the boat ride over a bird flies down and collides with her head causing a deep cut. Bird attacks continue over the next few days with increasing numbers and violence which lead to the deaths of some local people. Nobody understands why the attacks are happening or how to stop them.

The main criticism I had with the copy I watched was that it had been restored into colour rather than keeping the original black and white. This unfortunately made it look less realistic and made the birds less frightening and sinister than they were in black and white (having seen quite a few scenes in black and white on the internet). Certain films just look better in black and white than they do in colour (The Artist for example) and this film certainly falls into that category. But without doubt the effects are superb for a film made in 1963 with a remake made in the 90's not looking much better in terms of realism.

One of the victims of a bird attack

The suspense of the birds slowly gathering in certain scenes, especially outside the school on the playground, is something I thought was brilliant and much scarier than the attacks themselves. The ending is truly unsettling and could not be bettered in my opinion for many different reasons, certain questions are left unanswered which only adds to the uncomfortable nature of the film.

2.5/4 not as thrilling or terrifying as earlier Hitchcock work but a unique idea without a doubt.