Film Review: 21

Director: Robert Luketic

The film was inspired by the true story of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Blackjack team that successfully made lots of money in casino's counting cards as told in the book Bringing down the House by Ben Merzrich. It was a book that I was planning on reading before seeing this film but it somehow slipped my mind, apparently the reality is very different from the film.

Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) and Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess)

The film follows Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess who seems to be little known before this role) as he hopes to get into Harvard Medical School but needs $300,000 or to get a scholarship by impressing the admissions director. Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey) is impressed by his logic in solving a Monty Hall Problem in his class so gets him to join their blackjack team that hits the casinos of Las Vegas on weekends. The team makes a lot of money but also draw the attention of Security Chief Cole (Laurence Fishburn) who is employed to crackdown on cheating.

The original idea for the film is an intriguing one especially with the real life story to fall back on, there was a controversy over the cast being mostly white when the card counters in reality were mostly Asian-Americans. In terms of watching the film it doesn't make a huge difference, the problem you do have is conveying the excitement and thrill of gambling second hand. It's like gambling with fake money, you're only about 5% as excited compared to gambling with real money. The film improves with interesting sub-plots between Ben and Professor Rosa as well as Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth as the love interest).

The card counters

Unfortunately the ending is quite predictable as you see the film develop which is a shame but the film still seemed intriguing to watch and I felt myself rooting for Campbell as he tries to pull off card counting in Vegas. I think that was the saving grace for the movie is that by the end I realised I cared.

2.5/4 decent but is sometimes too predictable

Film Review: The Godfather Part I

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Many films are described as epic in this day and age but The Godfather truly is an epic film which follows the Corleone family. It is based on the fantastic book of the same name by Mario Puzo which I highly recommend after I read it in about 2 days on holiday last year which is a record for me. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest films of all time and is regularly at the top of the polls for greatest film ever including the Empire Magazine top 500. It's legacy within world cinema is well regarded and is undoubtedly the film that lead the way for other gangster films like Goodfellas and Casino to come later.

Vito Corleone or The Godfather (Marlon Brando)

The film charts the mafia war between the five families of New York City which sees family members and henchmen killed on both sides of this feud over selling drugs within the city as Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando) disapproves of drugs. It also follows the story within the Corleone family of who will take over from Vito when he retires as he is unsure which of his sons has the right mind and temperament to run the family business during the difficult times.

The casting for the film is absolutely perfect with Marlon Brando putting in a era defining performance as Vito Corleone which saw him rightly win an Oscar (which he turned down). His performance is now synonymous in Hollywood which is the same for Al Pacino as his son Michael who also won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor (which he also turned down for different reasons).

Michael Corleone (Al Pacino)

The epic crime drama catches the tone of Mario Puzo's book superbly and I don't think I've ever seen a film which lives up to the book as well as this one. It was one of the first films to show the mafia from the inside and showed that the people in charge were incredibly intelligent normal people rather than gun totting mad men. It showed them as men of honour who always think of family first. Many real-life gangsters said it accurately portrayed their lifestyle which is huge praise in itself.

4/4 worthy of it's acclaim.

Film Review: Polisse

Director: Maiwenn

A French language film that looks at the everyday life of working in the Child Protection Unit in Paris, partially following a photographer (Maiwenn, directing, editing and co-starring) who is assigned to cover the unit. The title comes from the childish spelling of the word Police based on the way children often say it. The film is based on real-life events that happened within the CPU in Paris but everyone is played by actors.

*spoilers ahead*

It is harrowing film to watch as we see child abuse, molestation, paedophilia and sex trafficking discussed by the CPU as they interview suspects and victims. The alarmingly problem is that it's very normal people who are committing the crimes, from gym teachers to respectable parents to junkies, which inevitable takes its toll on the cops in the division who regularly lose their temper with each other and the suspects. We also get to see the unit escape the horrors with nights out and even some laughs within their day jobs.

The CPU takes Romanian children suspected of being forced to pickpocket by their parents

The two stand out performances for me come from Joeystarr as Fred, the lowly cop with idealistic principles but an incredibly short temper, and Marina Fois as Iris who is an emotionless man hating cop who seems to believe that all men only think through their penis. It very much has a fly on the wall documentary feel rather than a standard film style, there is little in terms of narrative throughout the whole film and more a collection of events.

The whole film must be difficult to watch if you are a parent especially the junkie mother who drops her baby whilst insisting she have canned food for free because she has no money. This being a normal day for the CPU and the final scene which shows what damage working in this unit can do for you mentally is truly shocking. Maiwenn does a great job of making the film feel real rather than a bunch of actors on a film set, some of the ideas especially around the private lives of the cops is a bit jumbled and misguided but overall you are stunned by what you see.

3.5/4 well acted and deeply troubling account of life in child protection unit.

This week's releases

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter: From Tim Burton, we see Abraham Lincoln's biggest secret uncovered. The secret being that he was on a mission to rid the world of the undead. The film mixes real life events with vampire lore to produce the story of the presidents life as a Vampire Hunter.

Lay the Favourite: Based on the memoir of Beth Raymer, it follows Beth (Rebecca Hall) as she moves to Las Vegas hoping to become a cocktail waitress but gets involved with professional gambler Dink (Bruce Willis). Stephen Frears is the director.

Chernobyl Diaries: Following a different kind of holiday for thrill-seekers who explore the ghost town of Pripyat which is where the workers of the infamous Chernobyl nuclear plant lived. The holiday suddenly turns sour when they realise that the town isn't totally deserted.

The Five-Year Engagement: Romantic Comedy starring Jason Segel (legend) and Emily Blunt who take longer than they could ever have imagined to walk down the aisle together. Over a 5 year period they have every attempt to get married denied for one reason or another.

10 favourite movies of all time part 2

Number 5: Drive

Ryan Gosling is the Driver, a man employed solely as a getaway driver who doesn't carry a gun or get involved in anything else. The film features a soundtrack with an 80's feel which is continued throughout the style of the movie. It has a calm and cool first half which leads to an explosive second part which wows the viewer.

Favourite scene: Opening scene where the Driver (Gosling) is the getaway driver for a robbery

Number 4: Inland Empire

Easily the most confusing and illogical narrative that David Lynch has produced. Having finished watching the tale of an actress getting a job in a film based on an old Polish story, I couldn't intitally decide if I liked it or not. But for the next two days I considered theories and went over scenes in my head before realising that I had never even come close to think so much about a film in the days after. In true Lynch style it switches between the colourful and bright happy scenes to the un-nerving darker scenes with reckless abandon.

Favourite scene: Nikki Grace/Sue Blue is stabbed on Hollywood Boulevard

Number 3: The Third Man

Beautifully set in post-Second World War Vienna, Holly Martins arrives looking for a job with his friend Harry Lime who died after being over but not everything is as it seems. From the unforgettable score, to the superb use of shadows and light to Welles speech about the people below being ants its an absolute British classic.
Favourite scene: When Harry Lime (Welles) suddenly appears from the shadows.

Number 2: 12 Angry Men

Making a film that principally takes place in one room with a dozen men incredibly fascinating to watch is a work of genius by Sidney Lumet. The jury deliberate in 1950's New York on whether a young man killed his father and are introduced to the idea of ''reasonable doubt'' by Juror #8 (Henry Fonda). The issues of racism, people's backgrounds and stubbornness are all addressed amongst other ideas.

Favourite scene: Juror #8 has finally managed to convince one other juror that there is reasonable doubt.

Number 1: Mulholland Drive

My favourite film of all time and absolutely no shock that it's from David Lynch. Probably his most critically successful film as we try to distinguish the dreams of Betty/Diane (Naomi Watts) from reality. Is she really a great actress who was screwed over for the lead role or has she dreamed that because she was actually quite average? The metaphors are incredible in showing the darkside to Hollywood.

Favourite scene: When Betty Elms delivers her amazing audition which wows the producers

10 favourite movies of all time part 1

Honourable mentions go to Lost Highway, Tron, Eraserhead, Anchorman, Clerks and Into the Wild for coming close to the list for many different reasons but not quite breaking the top 10.

Numbers 6-10

Number 10: Blue Velvet

No surprise that David Lynch features so heavily in my top 10 list, Blue Velvet came off the back of critical and commercial failue of Dune. Lynch said he wanted to get back to what he does best which is unsettling and completely different which in the case of Blue Velvet he certainly succeeds. Dennis Hopper is simply superb as violent psychopath Frank Booth as the dirty underside of an idyllic American town is uncovered by Jeffrey (Kyle MacLachlan).

Favourite scene: Frank psychologically intimidates Jeffrey to the song 'In Dreams' by Roy Orbison.

Number 9: Vanishing Point

For me, the ultimate road movie that sees Barry Newman star as Kowalski who is a car delivery driver who has to be in San Francisco by 3pm the next day even though the car he is delivering (White 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T 440 Magnum) doesn't need to be there till Monday. The police are chasing him for speeding through numerous states which leads to some amazing tracking shots of the desert in Utah and Nevada.

Favourite scene: The final scene is a superb finale and yet slightly bewildering.

Number 8: 2001: A Space Odyssey

A cryptic and enigmatic movie showing different stories all based around a black monolith that has baffled viewers since it's release but also garnered huge praise. With an amazing score and superb visual effects it is a joy to watch, completely different from any other film I have seen. The character of HAL as the intelligent computer that controls the ship, Discovery One, is a complex and unsettling one.

Favourite scene: The final 20mins when Bowman leaves Discovery One and hurtles through space viewing many cosmological phenomena.

Number 7: Margin Call

Released in 2012, it charts the downfall of an investment bank due to the way the firm calculates risk on its securities and the excessive leverage it means if the prices drop it could take down the entire company and many others with it. Zachary Quinto turns in a star performance as the junior risk analyst who realises the issue they face and presents it to management. Intensely shot and incredibly ruthless, somebody finally made a fantastic film about financial collapse.

Favourite scene: Tuld (Irons) sits in a board meeting realising the extent of the problem they face from Sullivan (Quinto)

Number 6: Alien

As relevant as ever with the release and lukewarm reception to Prometheus, Alien is a tension filled and deeply unsettling film where you don't ever really see the creature that is killing off the crew. Not knowing or understanding what is happening adds to the nervousness of the film and the fact it all takes place on a small spaceship makes this a hugely claustrophobic experience. A classic horror movie that was the blueprint for so many movies that came after.

Favourite scene: Without a doubt, the chest busting scene.

Film Review: In the Heat of the Night

Director: Norman Jewison

Based on the novel of the same name by John Ball, this 1967 mystery drama was ground-breaking at the time as America was still reacting to the Civil Rights movement. An infamous scene sees Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier) slap a white man in the face which is now an infamous scene from the movie and caused astonishment upon release. It explores the racial divide in a fictional town in Mississippi as the deep south was the very last area of America to start to introduce civil rights to non-white citizens.

A weahlthy man is found murdered so the police need to quickly find the killer so they arrest Virgil Tibbs at the train station as he has a large sum of money in his wallet. Tibbs proves his innocence after much racial abuse from the police officers and is convinced to stay by his own chief back in Philadelphia to solve the crime. He quickly shows that he has a much sharper investigative mind than the current police officers and looks to overcome the racism of the town to solve the murder case.

Virgil Tibbs (Sidney Poitier)

Sidney Poitier is truly excellent as Virgil Tibbs, he plays the prejudiced police detective with charisma whilst maintaining huge intergrity despite the narrow minded view of the locals. The film itself captures the mood of the time brilliantly for a small town in Mississippi which can be a difficult task so that it doesn't seem contrived. Certain parts of the murder case are a lot sketchy and uneven but the murder case itself is a side plot in comparison to the bigger issue addressed.

3.5/4 controversial in its day and still a renegade

Film Review: The Day of the Jackal

Director: Fred Zimmerman

Having read the book over a year ago, which is fantastic by the way, I thought it would only be fair to give the film version a chance. Filmed in 1973, the story has the potential to become a fantastic movie so was intrigued what Zimmerman decided to do with it.

The film follows the mission of a man known only as The Jackal (Edward Fox) who is hired by the OAS to assassinate French President Charles de Gaulle. We see an early attempt by the OAS to assassinate him themselves (recreation of an actual event) but fail miserably and since the organisation is riddled with informers they decide to hire an external hit man to perform the job with minimal help. The film follows the meticulous planning of the Jackal as he sets up numerous fake identities and makes his way towards Paris to complete his job.

The Jackal (Edward Fox) practices with his new weapon in a forest

The film is almost the opposite of what it would be like if it was to be made today, it is much more subtle and understated than many thrillers that are made these days. Many killings are done discreetly with minimal violence or completed off-screen. Edward Fox is top assassin due to his intelligence and experience rather than his brawn making the whole thing much more realistic. He is the epitome of cold efficiency in a killer.

Some of the characters early on are difficult to distinguish between as the story is set up which makes it all hard to follow but improves as the movie settles into its plot. The French police have the unenviable task of trying to track down an assassin who will kill the French President despite not knowing anything about his appearance or background. They are constantly hit with problems as the Jackal outwits them and Claude Lebel (Michael Lonsdale) sees the case taking over his life as he begins to sleep at the police station. The only downside being that the two characters battling wits to complete their tasks only actually feature in one scene together.

2.5/4 good adaptation but lacks the killer punch to make it a classic

This week's releases

Rock of Ages: Based on the Broadway musical, it is a love story set to the backdrop of tunes by Def Leppard, Journey and Whitesnake as they both try to make it big in Hollywood. The film has performances from the likes of Russel Brand, Catherine Zeta Jones and Tom Cruise as well.

Cosmopolis: After polarising judges at the Cannes festival this year, Cronenberg's latest film is actually quite surreal even though its just based around a millionaire Wall Street traders trip across New York City to get his haircut. As the trip unfolds he realises that he could be losing it all on the markets and in his own life. Starring Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame.

Fast Girls: I know what you were thinking and now it isn't about that, riding the Olympics wave it follows four athletes as they prepare for a ''major world championships'' in the female sprint relay. It follows the the tough training and fall outs as they chase their dream and I'm sure inevitably win gold in this feel-good film (I dont know that, I'm guessing).

Red Lights: Directed by Rodrigo Cortes, the man behind Buried, we see an impressive cast including Robert de Niro and Sigourney Weaver. Elizabeth Olsen also looks to build on the huge success critically with Martha, Marcy, May Marlene in this thriller which sees two scientists try to disprove paranormal activity which produces mysterious results.

Film Preview: Django Unchained

Quentin Tarantino returns later this year with the film Django Unchained which follows the life of a black slave who is given the opportunity of freedom if he can hunt down the Brittle Brothers who are a ruthless gang of killers. He is chosen because he is the only man who has seen them and can recognise them. He will also be reunited with his wife who is a slave to a plantation owner (played by Leonardo Di Caprio).

Jamie Foxx plays the lead role of Django who is sent on a quest to kill the brothers by Christoph Waltz, once again reuniting with Tarantino and playing a German. As usual with Tarantino expect bloodshed but this certainly is an interesting change of pace for him.

The film is released in the UK on 18th January 2013 and the new trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Inland Empire

Director: David Lynch

The latest of David Lynch's films, Inland Empire was released in 2006 and was his first feature film since the sublime Mulholland Drive. It features many actors who he has worked with before like Justin Theroux, Harry Dean Stanton and Laura Dern who plays the lead in this having previously appeared in Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart. It is seen as the most complex of Lynch's films to date and has polarized critics opinions with many feeling it is just a collection of scenes thrown together and others saying it's a complex narrative with a logical story beneath it, as expected I am swayed towards the latter.

The Rabbits, a recurring theme throughout the movie

The film opens to a women crying (The Lost Girl) whilst watching TV after she has a disagreement with a client implying she is a prostitute. She is watching a surreal programme with rabbits that speak to each other (picture above). Following this prologue we see Nikki Grace (the incredibly versatile Laura Dern) speak to a sinister Polish visitor (Grace Zabriskie) about a film she has auditioned for. The visitor says she will definitely get the part but then rambles on about how it will involve adultery and murder as well as her losing track of what time it is due to confusion. For the opening hour everything appears to be normal and linear as Nikki joins her director Kingsley (Jeremy Irons) and co-star Devon (Justin Theroux). But then things begin to get complicated as the actual filming starts and we have no idea what's being filmed for the movie, what real life is and why there is a lot of scenes exclusively in Poland?

Nikki Grace/Sue Blue (Laura Dern)

This film has a lot of the Lynch trademarks with the confusing and complex narrative that leaves open many interpretations. It also has the trademark dream imagery which distorts what you think is actually really happening and what is being dreamt. In many ways it is similar to Mulholland Drive with it being about an actress getting a job in Hollywood and then the line of reality being increasingly blurred. The film could be described as low-definition compared to the pin-sharp visual experience we are used to these days.

The scene near the beginning with the Polish visitor explaining that the film Nikki will star in involves murder before she rambles on about being confused about the time is deeply unsettling and sinister. It sets the tone for the rest of the movie perfectly as the next hour is actually quite light hearted before a drastic change in filming style as many different plots and events unfold. Laura Dern is superb playing multiple roles in the film changing from a well-spoken American actress to a prostitute from the Deep South with an incredible accent.

Now for my theory on what is happening, with Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive it is also open to debate what the narrative is and what it means but I was able to come up with an idea that seemed to make sense to me. But with Inland Empire I am still unsure about my ideas behind it, David Lynch said the film was ''more straight-forward than it seems'' which influenced what I thought was happening.

Polish Visitor (Grace Zabriskie) who warns Nikki of what's to come

The key to my first theory is that we do not know what the plot of the film On High in Blue Tomorrows actually is, the Polish visitor says it is about adultery and murder but Nikki disagrees so at no point do we learn the plot. I believe that the first hour is all reality with Nikki getting the job to star in the movie and that after the hour mark we slip into 3 separate plots which detail Nikki's life outside the movie where she is trying so hard to play a role she isn't right for that she cannot distinguish acting from reality, her playing Sue Blue in the movie and the Polish segments are the original version called 47 which saw both the lead actors murdered before it finished.

Unfortunately this doesn't answer enough for me to be satisfied with it, other theories include that Laura Dern's character is a Polish woman locked into a prostitute ring that is being run by The Phantom and that she dreams about being an American actress starring in a popular movie. I have too many reservations and questions that raise doubts to agree with that as the narrative. There are many other thoughts out there and I have read quite a few of them with none of them proving close to convincing but this is the magic of Lynch. Everyone draws such different ideas and thoughts from the same movie in front of you, in some ways this is cinema at its best.

4/4 my mind was officially blown by this movie and will definitely be re-watched soon

Film Review: Zodiac

Director: David Fincher

Released in 2007, the film is based on the real-life case of the Zodiac who was a serial killer that operated for many years in California but was never caught. Many men were accused and Arthur Leigh Allen was believed by many to be the culprit but continues to be disproven due to handwriting tests and new DNA profiling. The Zodiac became infamous for the taunting letters he wrote to local newspapers which were written in encrypted code. Allen was due to be questioned again about the murders in 2001 but died suddenly of a heart attack and it is now believed that the killer will never be caught.

Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr) and Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal) at the San Francisco Chronicle

The film follows the police hunt for the serial killer but also heavily focuses on the efforts of journalist Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr) whose health suffered considerably in real-life due to his fixation with solving the case and Robert Graysmith (unconvincing performance by Jake Gyllenhaal) who was a cartoonist at the newspaper. An excellent scene is after most of the murders have been committed and the police departments all try to collaborate with each other by phone, this showed the gross incompetence of the time as each police department worked alone rather than together to catch the Zodiac.

My judging of the film is swayed because I have read a lot about the Zodiac case previously so was constantly noticing that the film wasn't that accurate in some parts. For 99% of people this wouldn't be something you'd notice but for someone hugely interesting in the topic it wa quite distracting and in many cases unnecessary as the true case facts are fascinating anyways. An article at Zodiac: Fact V Fiction discusses these differences in depth so I don't have to bore you if you aren't interested.

SFPD Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo)

The opening hour which shows re-enactments of some of the killings is very well shot and incredibly sinister which I can imagine is down to Fincher. The pace suddenly drops to dawdling pace in the second half as the Zodiac stops killing and even stops writing letters for many years whilst Graysmith, with Toschi's help, investigates the possible suspects. The finish is unsatisfying which I guess is true to life but could have been handled much better. The other key disappointment was the lack of time given to meetings between police forces and the San Francisco Chronicle about the ethics behind printing the letters which was a big part of the case in the early days; it was a huge dilemma that was disappointingly underplayed.

2/4 superb opening hour is let down by a long and slightly un-interesting second half with a lack-lustre finish.

Film Preview: Only God Forgives

Only God Forgives sees director Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling reunited for the first time since the superb movie Drive. With a huge number of fans after Drive, the pressure is on for this latest offering to be a success. The film follows Gosling who is a gangster from the UK who is hiding out in Thailand and runs a boxing club which is a front for a drugs ring. When Gosling's brother is killed, he is ordered by his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) to avenge his death.

Gosling described the script as "the strangest thing I've ever read and it's only going to get stranger." Refn also confirmed that there will be some slightly supernatural elements to the movie leaving us completely baffled as to what might happen.

The film is currently being shot in Bangkok so there is currently no trailer and is slated to be released in March 2013 in the UK.

Film Preview: The Hobbit

After the huge success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (I hated it), we see a prequel in The Hobbit which sees Martin Freeman take up the role of Bilbo Baggins and Ian McKellen back as Gandalf. The film has been a long time in the making after delays with MGM due to financial troubles and an industrial dispute in New Zealand with the International Federation of Actors. The delay with MGM meant that Guillermo Del Toro left the production of the movie.

It has already been confirmed that there will be a second Hobbit movie to be released in December 2013.

The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug (played by Benedicte Cumberbatch). Baggins finds himself being joined by thirteen dwarves on his mission through dangerous lands.

The Hobbit is released in the UK on 14th December 2012 and the trailer is embedded below.

This week's releases

Red Tails: Based on a true story of the first aerial combat unit that was entirely made up of African-Americans which fought during WWII. They are kept away from the main combat by the hierarchy within the Air Force but finally get a chance to show what they can do. Seems like a great subject matter done badly.

A Fantastic Fear of Everything: Simon Pegg plays Jack, a crime novelist who suffers from extreme paranoia due to his research into serial killers. When one of his novels is turned into a Hollywood movie everything changes for Jack. Written and directed by Crispian Mills originally from Kula Shaker!

The Pact: A ghost story set in the the childhood home of two sisters after their mother has just died. They have to settle the estate and divide up the belongings but then become haunted by something more sinister. Very formulaic horror film it would seem.

Woody Allen: A Documentary The first documentary detailing the life of Woody Allen from his humble beginning in Brooklyn to big time actor and director. Critically acclaimed filmmaker Robert B. Weide reveals the truth behind the man.

Film Review: Reservoir Dogs

Director: Quentin Tarantino

This was Quentin Tarantino's debut movie certainly sets the tone early so you know exactly what to expect from his other films that have been released since. It is one of those movies that fans praise and re-watch on many occasions but I have to admit that it's over 10 years since the one and only time I saw it. Sufficient time has passed that I decided to re-watch it and review it after trying to hunt down a trailer for Tarantino's latest film Django Unchained (I was unsuccessful).

The iconic scene of the gang walking down the street

6 men using alias: Mr. White, Mr. Brown, Mr. Pink, Mr. Blue, Mr. Orange and Mr. Blonde have breakfast with two gangsters called Joe Cabot and ''Nice Guy'' Eddie Cabot. These men are involved in robbing a diamond exchange which we don't see but we follow the bloody aftermath as everyone argues over whether they were set-up and who the possible police informant is.

The film has many scenes, which I have included in some of the stills from the movie, which are now iconic in film history. Although it was only following the popularity of Pulp Fiction (to be reviewed soon) that this film was seen by a wider audience after taking modest box office sales. Tarantino is superb at creating scenes and moments in movies that stay with you forever with the infamous ear cutting scene where Mr. Blonde (the excellent Michael Madsen) dances around menacingly to ''Stuck in the middle with you''. I wouldn't say Michael Madsen's performance as Mr. Blonde steals the show because that would detract from the other actors who were all excellent like Keitel, Buscemi and Roth.

Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) and Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) have a disagreement

I can understand that the violence can be too much for some people especially in the early nineties when nobody knew of Tarantino so didn't know what to expect. I still haven't decided if the fact we don't actually see the ear cutting scene happen makes it harder or easier to watch but the sadistic torture of the Police Detective is still uncomfortable viewing. It was renowned for making Wes Craven walk out of the movie at a film festival in Barcelona as well as Rick Baker who is a special effects artist but he later stated it was because the movie felt very real and for it to be taken as a compliment.

The warehouse where a lot of the action takes place has a slightly claustrophobic feel despite being mostly empty and quite large in size. I felt like I was sat in the corner watching this action unfold in front of me due to the lack of close-ups and changes in camera angle. It's a fascinating thrill ride from start to finish that doesn't slow down until the credits start to roll at the end, the opening scene in the cafe is about the only time when you can relax.

3.5/4 violent, quick witted yet stylish, classic Tarantino.

Film Review: For Love of the Game

Director: Sam Raimi

For Love of the Game, and not For the Love of the Game as it is often misconstrued by many including myself originally, is a baseball film from 1999 which is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Shaara. The film follows Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) who is at the end of his 19 year career with the Detroit Tigers when he is about to pitch against the New York Yankees who need a win to clinch the American League East title. The team has been bought by new owners who want to trade Billy to the San Francisco Giants.

As the film progresses we see flashbacks to Billy's relationship with Jane Aubrey (the annoying Kelly Preston) and how they met before getting to where they are now on the verge of break up. Billy doesn't realise till the bottom of the eighth inning that he is pitching perfect game and now must fight the pain in his arm to finish the game to become a baseball legend.

Billy Chapel (Kevin Costner) at the mound

The baseball scenes in Yankee stadium are beautifully shot and Costner is probably the best around at playing a baseball player like he did in Bull Durham. The atmosphere of the crowd and the realism of trying to pitch in that stadium are beautifully captured. The Razzie nomination for Costner for Worst Actor is a step too far as he isn't that bad in the film. Kelly Preston on the other hand adds little to the movie in her role and the whole love story side of the film is far too soppy and contrived. At no point was I rooting for them to get together as a couple and that kills the entire plot line.

The film is an easy one to watch but certainly drags on to well over two hours without a huge amount actually happening, so much so you wondered how it last that long in the first place. The interludes in the baseball game whilst Billy thinks about the story of his love affair with Jane last so long in parts that you completely forget that baseball game is happening at all. A couple of times I completely forgot that Billy is in Yankee stadium hoping to pitch a perfect game which again makes it a strange movie to watch.

Jane Aubrey (Kelly Preston)

1.5/4 accurate and intriguing on the baseball side of things but far too soppy and uninteresting a love story

Film Preview: The Watch

Seth Rogan teams up with Evan Goldberg to write this science fiction comedy with an impressive cast of comedy actors. The idea for the film was to create a PG-13 Ghostbusters type film with names such as Will Ferrell and David Dobkin slated to star in the early days of production. It features Ben Stiller, Jonah Hill, Vince Vaughn as well as Richard Ayoade who is much better known to UK fans from The IT Crowd and the absolutely superb Garth Marenghi's Darkplace.

The film follows four men who form a neighbourhood watch scheme mainly as an excuse to spend times away from their families and have fun with the guys. The group then discovers a plot that could end the human race and have to take on the battle themselves. The trailer looks reasonably promising and has some top comedic actors with the casting of Ayoade being a personal highlight.

The film is released in the UK on Wednesday 29th August and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Prometheus

Director: Ridley Scott

I will attempt to write a review containing spoilers that can only be ascertained from watching the trailers that were out before the movies release yesterday. It is the much anticipated prequel to Alien with Ridley Scott returning to the franchise he created for the first time. The project has been in development since 2000 when Scott and James Cameron discussed ideas for the prequel, but it was shelved for a long period due to the release of Alien Vs Predator.

The film follows Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) as they discover a star map amongst the remnants of many different ancient civilizations who had no contact with each other. They look to find the stars that are shown in the ancient drawings with the help of the Weyland Corporation and their android David (show stealing performance by Michael Fassbender) by flying into deep space.

Movie Poster

The first thing that hits you is the wonderful work done in cinematography and CGI to produce superb landscapes and scenes especially in IMAX 3D. It is as good a film as I have ever seen visually at the cinema. It's unfair to compare it to the original Alien because that was such a ground-breaking film and was a superbly claustrophobic affair, if Scott had replicated this then he would have been criticised so in that sense he can't win. The tension is still there for the most part of the film about the unknown of what is happening to the crew as they investigate these stars in space to hopefully find answers to how we were created.

The film is classed as a prequel but is also a slight variation on the original idea and it takes a big gamble in deeply dealing with the issue of mankind's creation which is always a thorny issue, quite a few people have compared it in some ways to the film Contact which had similar themes. Michael Fassbender is superb as David the android who reminded me of C3PO but with a very sinister side to him which adds to the whole tension of the mission, I also felt shades of HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey which was confirmed when he even said a line that HAL said from the film. Noomi Rapace is capable as the lead women and does have shades of Sigourney Weaver in her without being too similar.

Certain critics have called the film muddled so far which I can understand but a lot of the ideas are more subtly dealt with and could be missed behind the stunning visual effects. If you were wondering if it is still a must-see at the cinema? It is.

3/4 great spectacle with Fassbender stealing the show

This week's releases

Prometheus: I can't quite contain my excitement for the release of this on Friday and I'm booked in to go see it straight after work. The prequel to Alien from Ridley Scott looks superb in the trailers so far.

Prometheus Full Preview

Snow White and the Huntsman: The famous fairy tale is given a new twist as Kristen Stewart takes on the Snow White role against Charlize Theron as the evil Queen. Snow White is helped by the strong dangerous Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) who was originally sent to kill her.

Casa de mi Padre: Will Ferrell appears in this Spanish language comedy about a rancher dealing with love and the local drug gangs in Mexico.

Casa de mi Padre Full Preview

Top Cat 3D: The coolest cat ever committed to paper is back in 3D on the big screen, a new Police chief is intent on cutting down on the mischief caused by the feline's antics in the alleyways around the city. Is this the end for Top Cat?