Tag: Films

Spider-Man 3…

I’ve just got back from watching Spider-Man 3 and I’m reminded why I didn’t like the first two. Sure, the action sequences are good, but it seems like most of the film is spent listening to people whining and moralising. For the most part, the film takes itself far too seriously. There are some more light hearted (cringe-worthy) scenes, but most of the non-action scenes are just plain depressing. If you liked the first two I think you’ll love this one. If not, give it a wide birth.

One thing of note in the film was Bryce Dallas Howard. It wasn’t a great part for her, and I think I prefer her with red hair, but her presence did add some interest for me.

Cheers

Tim…

Smokin’ Aces…

More like “Steamin’ Turd!”

I guess by now you realize I went to see Smokin’ Aces at the weekend and I didn’t rate it. 🙂

The trailer looked pretty cool. Loads of hitmen all going after the same guy. Sounds kind-of upbeat and exciting. Actually, it was a loosely linked bunch of scenes that rarely caught my attention. There were a couple of very good comedy moments, but on the whole this was a shockingly bad film. I was at the cinema with 4 other people, and the general opinion was that we should have gone to see Rocky Balboa or Apocalypto. Never mind… 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

The Covenant…

I took a break from reading about witches to see a file called The Covenant, which is about… witches…

It’s basically a “rights of passage” type film for teenagers. A group of kids get a taste of their future magic abilities when they are 13. By the time they are 18 they will “ascend”, which means they’ll get all their magic powers. The problem is, each time they do magic they lose a bit of their life force, so they need to act responsibly or die prematurely…

I guess this is a not-so-subtle metaphor for drink, drugs, sex and just about everything else you get exposed to when you hit your teen years.

It was an OK film, but I guess I got to the cinema 20 years too late for it to have any impact on my life. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Casino Royale…

I saw Casino Royale at the cinema last night. I thought it was a really cool film and I think Daniel Craig is a great bond. I always thought that Sean Connery was the perfect Bond, but Daniel Graig makes it a close call. I always thought that Roger Moore was too smooth and slimey and Pierce Brosnan was a bit pretty and weak looking. Both Connery and Daniel Graig look like they could do some damage in a fight, while Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan look like they could punch their way out of a wet paper bag.

As far as content goes, it’s not a normal Bond film at all. The character is a lot less refined and more “real”. It’s much more like the Bourne Identity type of film, so if you’re expecting the cheesey one liners and ridiculous gagets your going to be disappointed.

It looks like Daniel Graig has been given the go-ahead for more Bond films, which is great news!

Cheers

Tim…

SAW III…

I forgot to mention, on my last “planned” night in San Francisco I went to the cinema to watch SAW III. I’f you’ve seen the previous films, this follows the same format. It’s basically a gore-fest! The audience was very vocal, which made the show all the more entertaining. 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

Karate Grading and The Departed…

I failed my 3rd Dan Karate grading at the weekend. There’s lots I could say, but it is all irrelevant. Never mind. I’ll try again and pass it in 6 months.

On a lighter note, I went to see The Departed last night. It is a totally awesome film!!! I highly recommend it to anyone. I’ve never understood the appeal of Leonardo DiCaprio until now. He is a fantastic actor, sure to be one of the greats. Matt Damon is cool and of course Jack Nicholson is superb, as always. Although not a major role, Mark Wahlberg’s character is very funny and certainly adds a lot to the film. The film is full of violence and expletivies, so it’s not for the faint hearted. Go and see it!

Cheers

Tim…

Hostel and Throat…

I watched Hostel on DVD over the weekend. It’s your basic gore-fest like Saw. It has some vague link to Quentin Tarantino, so I expected something extra, but I didn’t get it…

I got punched in the throat on Friday (at Karate), so my voice has been kinda wierd this weekend. One minute I’m Mariah Carey, the next I’m Barry White. I’m hoping the Barry White voice hangs around for a while 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

The Black Dahlia…

I was planning to see Children of Men at the weekend, but instead I went to see The Black Dahlia. Big mistake!

It started off pretty cool. It was a 1940’s detective story and I was really starting to get into it, but then it kinda lost its way and started to get a bit random. I can’t say I really know what was going on, but I didn’t really care.

When we came out of the cinema we looked at each other, burst out laughing and said, “What was that all about?”

Needless to say, I don’t recommend it 🙂

Cheers

Tim…

V for Vendetta…

I finally got round to watching V for Vendetta last night. I didn’t think it would appeal to me, hence the delay in watching it, but I really liked it. There were a few annoying moments where Natalie Portman and Hugo Weaving had less than adequate English accents, but on the whole they did a great job. Natalie Portman is very easy on the eye, regardless of her hair style. Infact, I think she looks better with it shaved off!

I might be going to see Children of Men tonight, but I’m not sure yet.

Cheers

Tim…

Crank and Children…

I went to see the film Crank on Friday. It stars Jason Statham, who’s pretty cool in The Transporter (1 & 2) and several Guy Richie films. Of course, I didn’t expect Oscars, but this seemed like a random set of scenes designed to thrill or shock loosely strung together. It seemed more like a student film project than a cinema release. Some bits were enjoyable, so bit were not. If you’re a fan, wait for the DVD. If not, forget it ever existed…

On a ligher note, several things happened recently involving children that made me laugh, grossed me out or just plain shocked me:
1) I was talking to a friends 7 year old daughter, who asked me about my wife. From there, the conversation went something like this:

Me: I don’t have a wife.
Her: Everyone has a wife!
Me: I don’t. I live on my own.
Her: Everyone lives with someone. Even John and Richard live together and one of them is the wife!

John and Richard are a Gay couple, so this cracked me up. So as not to offend, I’m not going to publish which of the guys she thought was the wife. 🙂

2) I was at a friends 41st birthday party over the weekend. At one point she walked up to me with a pretty young woman and said, “This is my niece, she’s 12 years old!”… After she left, there was a collective, “Oh my God!”, from the group of people I was standing with. Twelve year old girls should not look that way! It’s just wrong on so many levels…
3) At the weekend, I was in a kids swimming pool with my brother and his two kids. After a few minutes, one of the kids noticed something in the pool with us. The “Crap Alert” was sounded and there was a sharp exit… 🙁
4) On the way out from the pool my nephew said, “I want an ice cream. You don’t have to ask my mom!” The onset of lies, deceit and trickery in a childs mind. You’ve got to love it 🙂
Cheers

Tim…