Interesting up to a point, but extremely dragged out and it feels it. I had relatively high hopes for this film, and maybe that proved to be its downfall. Ninety minutes of two men in a train talking and trying to stop another speeding train quickly becomes dull.
Other than the obvious tension of whether they will stop the train or not (which isn’t really tension as it seems fairly obvious what the outcome will be), they try to create some around the main character, played by Chris Pine, in that he has split from his girlfriend and she is applying for custody of his child. This tension is then completely ruined at the end of the film when he becomes the hero by stopping the train, and she forgives him.
Another pitfall for the plot in my opinion, is that when they stop the train, Chris Pine’s character jumps onto a truck which drives him to the front of the train, and he jumps back onto the train and pulls the brake. Why couldn’t they have got someone else to do that an hour before the end of the film!? I understand it wouldn’t have been much of a film in that case, but it would make more sense.
I wouldn’t recommend watching this, it isn’t worth the time or effort, and if I’m honest you’d probably get more satisfaction out of watching Eastenders.
Thursday, 3 March 2011
Monday, 21 February 2011
The Blind Side
This is the story of Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy who take in a homeless teenage African-American, Michael "Big Mike" Oher. Michael has no idea who his father is and his mother is a drug addict. Michael has had little formal education and few skills to help him learn. Leigh Anne soon takes charge however, as is her nature, ensuring that the young man has every opportunity to succeed. When he expresses an interest in football, she goes all out to help him, including giving the coach a few ideas on how best to use Michael's skills. They not only provide him with a loving home, but hire a tutor to help him improve his grades to the point where he would qualify for an NCAA Division I athletic scholarship. Oher was a first round NFL pick in 2009 for the Baltimore Ravens.
It only dawned on me halfway through the film that i recognised the name Michael Oher, and that this was infact a true story about how he came to play in the NFL, but i was already enjoying it, so the fact that it was true only served to enhance my interest!
Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron who play Leigh Anne Tuohy and Mike Oher respectively both played their roles very well, presumably why Bullock won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
That aside, the movie really evokes the sense of lonliness that Mike Oher suffered as a teen in school, and the drastic change the Tuohy's had on his life.
It only dawned on me halfway through the film that i recognised the name Michael Oher, and that this was infact a true story about how he came to play in the NFL, but i was already enjoying it, so the fact that it was true only served to enhance my interest!
Sandra Bullock and Quinton Aaron who play Leigh Anne Tuohy and Mike Oher respectively both played their roles very well, presumably why Bullock won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
That aside, the movie really evokes the sense of lonliness that Mike Oher suffered as a teen in school, and the drastic change the Tuohy's had on his life.
Friday, 4 February 2011
As live idea
Ive had an idea for the as live briefing.
It would be similar to mastermind, in that each contestant would pick a specialist subject. These specialist subjects are then put into a hat and drawn out at random by the contestant who's turn it is.
There would be three rounds, the first of which would be a general knowledge buzzer round, and at the end of the round "lifelines" (such as phone a friend, ask an expert.. i havent thought about all of them just yet) would be awarded to the players, with the person with the lowest score getting more.
Not really got an idea for the second round.
The third round would then be the "specialist round" where, one by one, contestants would answer questions to do with the specialist subject that they pulled from the hat, against the clock. If the contestant gets a question wrong, the clock stops and the question is handed over to the other contestants to answer on a buzzer. The lifelines that have been aquired throughout the show would be used in this round, ie, the contestant uld ask an expert if they do not know the answer.
As with all good quiz shows, the winner would be the person with the highest score at the end of the quiz.
It would be similar to mastermind, in that each contestant would pick a specialist subject. These specialist subjects are then put into a hat and drawn out at random by the contestant who's turn it is.
There would be three rounds, the first of which would be a general knowledge buzzer round, and at the end of the round "lifelines" (such as phone a friend, ask an expert.. i havent thought about all of them just yet) would be awarded to the players, with the person with the lowest score getting more.
Not really got an idea for the second round.
The third round would then be the "specialist round" where, one by one, contestants would answer questions to do with the specialist subject that they pulled from the hat, against the clock. If the contestant gets a question wrong, the clock stops and the question is handed over to the other contestants to answer on a buzzer. The lifelines that have been aquired throughout the show would be used in this round, ie, the contestant uld ask an expert if they do not know the answer.
As with all good quiz shows, the winner would be the person with the highest score at the end of the quiz.
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
Thursday, 20 January 2011
127 Hours
"There is no force on earth more powerful than the will to live"
That is the last line from the trailer for this biopic about Aron Ralston, and how true that proves to be in this case.
In my opinion James Franco deserves an unbelievable amount of credit for his role as Ralston. Being able to hold the screen on your own for the best part of an hour is not easy, but he conveys the struggle and downward spiral into almost insanity excellently.
The real Aron Ralston has only showed his video diaries from his days trapped in the Blue John canyon to close friends and family, but James Franco and Danny Boyle were allowed to see them for the purposes of making the movie as real as possible. Ralston himself says that the film is as close to a documentary as possible while still being a drama.
At just over an hour and a half long, i didnt think it felt particularly long or drawn out, as the time passed quickly. However, if it had been longer i think it may have lost people's interest as there is only so many ways to show a man losing his mind while being stuck in the same location.
Possibly one of my favourite scenes from a film for a very long time comes when Franco is making a video recording while pretending his is on a radio show. The clever use of camera work and voice acting making it clear when it is Aron the mountain climber talking, or when it is the host of the show. He is self depricating and humble, apologising to his mother for not answering the phone to her and admitting he would not be in that situation if he had told someone where he was, calling himself a "hard hero". This scene serves to show how low his mentality has sunk, and also that he is changing because of the situation he finds himself in.
My major issue with the film is the overuse of split screen. I didn't think it necessary, effective or even good to watch! With this in mind, 127 hours is still an emotional drama which is well worth the watch.
Here's an interview with the real Ralston about the moment he realised how to chop his arm off
That is the last line from the trailer for this biopic about Aron Ralston, and how true that proves to be in this case.
In my opinion James Franco deserves an unbelievable amount of credit for his role as Ralston. Being able to hold the screen on your own for the best part of an hour is not easy, but he conveys the struggle and downward spiral into almost insanity excellently.
The real Aron Ralston has only showed his video diaries from his days trapped in the Blue John canyon to close friends and family, but James Franco and Danny Boyle were allowed to see them for the purposes of making the movie as real as possible. Ralston himself says that the film is as close to a documentary as possible while still being a drama.
At just over an hour and a half long, i didnt think it felt particularly long or drawn out, as the time passed quickly. However, if it had been longer i think it may have lost people's interest as there is only so many ways to show a man losing his mind while being stuck in the same location.
Possibly one of my favourite scenes from a film for a very long time comes when Franco is making a video recording while pretending his is on a radio show. The clever use of camera work and voice acting making it clear when it is Aron the mountain climber talking, or when it is the host of the show. He is self depricating and humble, apologising to his mother for not answering the phone to her and admitting he would not be in that situation if he had told someone where he was, calling himself a "hard hero". This scene serves to show how low his mentality has sunk, and also that he is changing because of the situation he finds himself in.
My major issue with the film is the overuse of split screen. I didn't think it necessary, effective or even good to watch! With this in mind, 127 hours is still an emotional drama which is well worth the watch.
Here's an interview with the real Ralston about the moment he realised how to chop his arm off
The next three days
I watched this last week, so thought it was about time that i sat down and wrote about it.
The Next Three Days is the about the story of a man (Russel Crowe) whos wife (Elizabeth Banks) has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her boss following an argument at work. Crowe's character then sets about proving her innocence, but as this fails due to the overwhelming evidence against her, he sets out to break her out of prison. Seeking the advice of a criminal (Liam Neeson) who has escaped prison 7 times, he learns how quickly the police can shut off roads, intersections, train stations and airports.
Elizabeth Banks shows her potential for a leading lady with a convincing performance of a woman who has lost everything. We see her go from being a loving mother and wife, who takes a photo of her family every morning before work, to being a shadow of her former self as she is locked in prison, with a son who doesn't talk to her, and a husband who blames himself for their son being bulleyed at school.
Crowe is equally successful in his role as the husband who is desperate to free his wife from prison, so much so that he risks his own freedom to do so. Throwing caution out of the window he too loses his way from being a good father, to just being someone with one goal, regardless of the consequences.
Liam Neeson, although only a short cameo, plays the part of an escaped criminal excellently. His dark performance serves to enhance the desperate nature of Crowe's endeavour.
My major complaint with this film is that it felt long at just over 2 hours long, with parts of the story feeling dragged out and unnecessary. Also i had a numb ass by the end, but i'll put that more down to the rubbish chairs of Odeon rather than the film!
Overall it was a good film, if a little long.
The Next Three Days is the about the story of a man (Russel Crowe) whos wife (Elizabeth Banks) has been arrested on suspicion of murdering her boss following an argument at work. Crowe's character then sets about proving her innocence, but as this fails due to the overwhelming evidence against her, he sets out to break her out of prison. Seeking the advice of a criminal (Liam Neeson) who has escaped prison 7 times, he learns how quickly the police can shut off roads, intersections, train stations and airports.
Elizabeth Banks shows her potential for a leading lady with a convincing performance of a woman who has lost everything. We see her go from being a loving mother and wife, who takes a photo of her family every morning before work, to being a shadow of her former self as she is locked in prison, with a son who doesn't talk to her, and a husband who blames himself for their son being bulleyed at school.
Crowe is equally successful in his role as the husband who is desperate to free his wife from prison, so much so that he risks his own freedom to do so. Throwing caution out of the window he too loses his way from being a good father, to just being someone with one goal, regardless of the consequences.
Liam Neeson, although only a short cameo, plays the part of an escaped criminal excellently. His dark performance serves to enhance the desperate nature of Crowe's endeavour.
My major complaint with this film is that it felt long at just over 2 hours long, with parts of the story feeling dragged out and unnecessary. Also i had a numb ass by the end, but i'll put that more down to the rubbish chairs of Odeon rather than the film!
Overall it was a good film, if a little long.
Thursday, 6 January 2011
The Movie Game
I was at the pub earlier, and we were talking about films when someone suggested that we play the movie game. Basically, this entails one person naming an actor or actress, and then going round the group each naming a film that the person has been in. Sequels, prequels and animations not allowed!
It's surprisingly fun and addictive, and gets you thinking about films that you may not have watched for a long time, not watched at all, or never even heard of!
Just a bit of fun, but thought i'd share it, because sharing is caring. And lord knows i care.
It's surprisingly fun and addictive, and gets you thinking about films that you may not have watched for a long time, not watched at all, or never even heard of!
Just a bit of fun, but thought i'd share it, because sharing is caring. And lord knows i care.
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