Chico & Rita

A aspiring young pianist and his lover chanteuse hit the jazz -bebop scene from Cuba to new york Paris and Vegas the films starts showing Chico an old man now shinning shoes for a living in Havana once home he turns the radio on and hears an old song of his then we are transported back to 1948 the beginning of his on of love affair partnership with Rita what follows as the hit the highs and lows in their life and music is a beautifully animated well scripted film with a great jazz soundtrack very evocative of the golden era of jazz a very pleasant way to spend a couple of hours.

UNSTOPPABLE

A runaway train carrying toxic chemicals pits an engineer and his conductor in a race against time as they chase the runaway in a separate locomotive and need to bring it under control before it  hits a curve in the track and destroys a town. there,s not many surprises in tony Scott,s Juggernaut of a film almost the definition of predictability and cheesy dialogue certainly sells the idea that these machine r heavy clunking leviathans with plenty of noise and colorful imagery but its strictly by the numbers good performances from Denzel Washington a tony Scott regular and also Chris pine as engineer and conductor respectively .

The Social Network

On an autumn evening in the dorm rooms of Harvard university young undergrad and computer genius mark zuckerberg heatedly begins work on what will become a global social network and computing revolution six years and one million friends later he is the youngest billionaire on the planet this comes at he cost  of lawsuits and friends that feel deeply betrayed.David fincher is back with a vengeance this is text book film making an then some form the beginnings at Harvard everything is beautifully shot the Harvard dorms are moodily lit dark browns and amber light in contrast to the bright pastels of California and silicone valley the three male leads Andrew Garfield,(Eduardo saverin) Sean Parker(Justin timberlake) and Jesse eisenberg(mark zuckerberg) are pitch perfect casting i particularly liked timberlakes lounge lizard Sean Parker add to that a great sound track by Trent reznor and you have in my opinion one of the best if not the best film of the year so far.

DEVIL

five people trapped in a lift one is the devil went to see this with fairly low expectations i don't trust 15 rated horror movies although i have been pleasantly surprised in the past but as it turned out this is more thriller than horror its competently acted by a bunch of b list stars and well directed some of the plot devices were a bit hokey eg the superstitious mexican security guard but never the less the devil was a character in this so technically still a horror but when reveled the devil is frankly not that interesting and the inevitable third act twist is also pretty low rent not the worst movie a mediocre thriller at best at worst a luke warm horror.

SALT

Evelyn salt is highly respected CIA operative ,then one day a Russian defector walks in out of the blue he warns of a plot conceived at the time of the cold war to kill the Russian premier on American soil,thus perpetrating a world war and then tells her it is she who will kill him ,she then flees stating that she is only concerned for the safety of her husband ,her boss refuses to believe shes a double agent or a mole but her actions  begin to raise doubts.this thriller would have been better in the 80,s when there was a cold war,that said Jolie plays her role with gusto as do the supporting cast well shot ,good set pieces although its all a bit to slick and predictable and it thinks its a lot smarter than it is although its never boring

Splice

Clive and Elsa are scientist's specializing in gene splicing to create animal hybrids for a pharmaceutical company,but when they are told the cannot create a human animal hybrid they do it anyway in secret ,the result is dren an amazing strangely beautiful creature that display exceptional intelligence and some bizarre physical developments,she exceeds there wildest expectation's but as she grows she threatens to become there worst nightmare.went into this expecting a creature feature in the vein of Frankenstein and the fly although it is a horror flick its very pscyhcolgical making you think about the ethical implication's ,playing god etc ,and other issues such as child abuse the Elsa character was clearly abused as a child even although it not made clear exactly how she was abused ,and a strange sort of genetic incest incident a bit of a genre twister for sure on the downside it was a bit predictable but the performances were good enough to lift it from the mundane.

INCEPTION

Dom Cobb is the absolute best in the art of extraction,stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious.Cobb's ability has made him a coveted player in the world of industrial espionage,but it has also made him a fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved.But one last job could give him his life back if he can accomplish the impossible inception Cobb and his team must pull of the reverse of extraction and instead of stealing  they must plant an idea.But no amount of careful planning can prepare them for a dangerous enemy that seem to be prepared for there every move an enemy only Cobb can see coming .Wow and i mean wow this movie is a treat for the senses everything about it feels epic from the cityscape to the mountainside it all feels limitless and the dream world also particularly Cobb's own dreamworld a mish mash of pieces of his past life ,once in the dream world it plays out Simalar to the matrix but the later part is more like a bond movie ,di caprio is solid the supporting cast very good also a great sweeping score match some of the lush visuals all in all a feast for the senses  more smarts than your usual summer fare fantastic!

Predators

a motley bunch of mercenaries,murderers and gangster find them self marooned in a strange jungle, slowly  they realize that this is not even there own world but a planet used by the aliens hunting them ,a game reserve and they r the game,after a couple of encounters they meet a strange human who has survived for quite sometime then they start there offensive and take the fight to the creatures,well what can i say i loved the original and there r a few scenes in this movie that r definite nods to that its well enough directed set pieces handled with style ,i also liked the score using the original music Adrien Brody makes a good action hero ,but it,s just never feels as exciting as it should be,better luck next time.

The Collector

Arkin A handyman works on a wealthy couples new family home on the out skirts of Detroit,the owner satisfied with his work gives him a little extra ,returning to his wife he gives her the money but she claims this is not enough to pay the loan sharks she owes,arkin seeks out an ex con he done time with to steal a large gem from the safe in the house,his friend reluctant at first gives him the go ahead once in the house arkin realises he is not alone there is another criminal at large who has turned the house into a giant death trap,now arkin must try to save himself and the family,wow not seen a horror for a while this reminded me of 80,s video nasty really grainy video for the most part dark and forebodingly shot i like the sound design as well as an interesting sound track especially the use of the bau haus track Bela loguis,s dead ,while this film is no Halloween or exorcist ,for blood gore jump scares and down right cringing in horror and simulated pain it offers more bang for your buck than most.

The Killer Inside Me

set in 50,s Texas this film is a tribute to that period ,the clothes, music and lifestyle perfectly framed with some beautiful photography,Casey affleck plays the softly spoken polite sheriff Lou ford who is every ones friend a chance encounter with a beautiful prostitute brings out his dark side although this quickly becomes love tinged with some s&m ,the 2 plot to extort money from one of her clients but Lou has other plans to with darker motives,this film has been controversial because of the violence towards women and i must admit that the scenes with Jessica Alba and affleck did make me turn away this was shocking ,but effective in showing how seriously deranged afflecks sheriff was,generally the whole cast give good performances ,affleck,Alba and Kate Hudson shine through but it was affleck softly spoken psychotic sheriff who steals the show,the film looses some momentum toward the end but never the less i found it very engaging and thought provoking.

The Losers

after being betrayed and left for dead by CIA kingpin max a black ops  team set out to even the score with a mysterious stranger the beautiful Aisha ,played by the easy on the eye Zoe saldana she gets the team back on American soil where they seek out the elusive max through a series of action set pieces, i must say going to see this film knowing it was based on a comic book i expected over the top action and while its not restrained at times it does feel mandatory,however the performances r what lifts the film Jeffery dean Morgans clay has charismatic presence as does Idris Elba Chris Evans supplies comic relief as the quipy tech guy,although i have to say i really enjoyed Jason Patric's sardonic deadpan max very dry and funny,all in good not great action flick good chemistry between the actors a sequel could capitalise on this.

sex and the city 2

oh dear where to begin? well it opens with Carrie and co,s 2 gay friends getting hitched in what can only be described as the most bizarre wedding ceremony from hell presided over by Liza Minnelli, who promptly goes into a song and dance routine looking like a weird living dead robotic version of herself,next the bawdy Samantha gets an all expenses free trip to abu Dubai whilst doing pr for a very rich sheik,this is basically a showcase for the girls to change outfits every five minutes ,there are some shades of the old show Carrie running into Aden,Miranda chucking her job,Charlotte getting the baby blues ,but its not enough the whole middle eastern section was like a "carry on" film very disappointing especially when you think back to the show which was ground breaking and liberating for women ,well written and witty which this film is not, i went with 2 female friends they hated it ! i actually dint mind it so much although it doesn't compare with the old show.

Robin Hood

Robin Hood unites director ridley Scott with favorite leading man Russell crowe ,the story kicks of in France with Richard the lion heart and troops coming back from the crusades doing battle with the french,at this point robin is a gifted archer in the kings army however robin and his friends fall foul of the king when Robin gives him his true opinion of the kings deeds,the are put in shackles briefly but the king is soon killed in battle ,robin and his friends seize the opportunity and escape,on the way back the come across a band of knights charged with returning the crown to England the knights are ambushed but robin and company repel the attackers and retrieve the crown ,a dying knight entrusts robin to return his sword to his father ,they return the crown to old Blighty and robin returns the sword,the father coaxes robin into pretending to be his son and husband to his daughter in law Marion.,its a nice reworking of the robin hood legend but definitely an origin tale as he doesn't really become robin of the hood until the very end,theres also a lot of cloak and dagger stuff with king John a pantomime Esq turn by Oscar Issac and mark strong as a french double agent adept performance all round but Cate blanchett is a wonderful Marion.

iron man 2

iron man2 ,well here it is the first big block buster of the summer,tony,s back picking up from where the last movie left of now the government wants Tony's suit and so does his closest rival Justin hammer played with style by sam Rockwell,also there is disgruntled Russian Anton vanko played by mickey Rourke who,s father part desgined Tony's arc reactor ,at a us senate hearing tony refuses to yield to the government and shames Justin hammer showing his failed attempts to emulate his technology, there follows an explosive set piece battle between stark and vanko at the grand prix in Monaco stark scrapes a victory,hammer see,s the opportunity in vanko breaks him from prison to work for him,well folks that's just the beginning iv read a couple of reviews saying this film was thin on plot i disagree i think it suffers from excessive plot,to many story lines jostling for to little screen time that said its not all bad Sam Rockwell gives a showboat performance, Scarlett johanssen is a kick ass shield agent,tony has a lot of quip,s and good lines maybe to many but i love downey jr,its a shame i had high expectations for this .

Centurion

centurion , Neil Marshall's of descent ,doomsday and dog soldiers fame directs this tale of the roman empires last dashed attempts to rule the Pict's with great aplomb,Michael Fassbender as the leading man is as always very watchable and given good support by Liam Cunningham, a Marshall favourite ,Dominic west,noel Clarke and David morrisey in fact everyone puts in a good turn this movie will be tagged cult because of the director ,and it does have that feel but also plays like an old fashioned action flick with buckets of blood and a lot of limbs being severed i also liked the photography showing Scotland to be a harsh but beautiful land lots of slate grey and steel for the daytime scenes and lovely yellow,brown copper notes for the inside night time scenes all in a very entertaining couple of hours.

Kick ass

kick ass ,a young school boy asks the question ."why does nobody try to be a superhero?"to which his friends reply "nobody does it cause they get there ass kicked" regardless he becomes one anyway and not only gets ass kicked ,but stabbed and run over as well once recovered he resumes but then vows to retire after one last act of super heroism but he ends up crossing paths with 2 other supers who are the real deal.a father and daughter hit girl and big daddy ,this film is genre defying sure its comedy,its a superhero flick but not really  there,s much violence but not comedy violence bloody bone crunching violence,there are moment of tense terror,and drama a unique movie with a definite feel goood factor,

The girl with the dragon tattoo

the girl with the dragon tattoo,a disgraced journalist is hired by a retired wealthy industrialist,to investigated the disappearance of his niece 40yrs ago ,he suspects it may have been one of his odd dysfunctional family all who live on the family estate/island, unknown to the journalist he to is being watched by the titular tattooed girl who hacks his computer and follows his progress, eventually the two team up to solve the mystery uncovering a string of ritualistic murders that may be connected to the missing girl,all of this unfolds at a snails pace it seemed like it was almost in real time,but this only added to the suspense the whole thing had a very down to earth grounded in reality feel ,also a lovely sweeping soundtrack reminiscent of silence of the lambs although no fave beans and Chianti ham acting here the killer when revealed is very down to earth and ordinary ,which i felt was a nice touch my only grumble was that it felt more like a miniseries than a feature film, but for all that still a very adept thriller.

Shutter Island

shutter island,firmly fits into the category psychological thriller,it literally is a thriller about psychology, 2 us Marshall's head of 2 an island 2 investigate the disappearance of a patient from a high security hospital for the criminally insane, find them selves at there wits ends trying 2 uncover the ever deepening mystery,but all is not as it seems twists and turns abounds,red herrings and dead ends galore ,if found it strangely un engaging almost light hearted at times which seems strange considering the subject matter,i honestly thought the mystery was never going to be resolved, but in the end all is revealed ,a very beautiful film the clothes and decor nail the time period to perfection,also in retrospect a very thought provoking but at times confusing film ,not his best work but a pleasure 2 look at and it certainly makes u think.

The Green Zone

the green zone,Matt Damon is a us soldier looking for wmd in Iraq and starts to wonder why he keeps drawing a blank,so with the help of a CIA operative played by Brendan Gleason he seeks out the source of the faulty intelligence ,for once the cia r not demonized that role is filled by a corrupt pentagon official,anyway the usual Paul greengrass camera work made me feel just about seasick,the cinematography and effects very good in realising war torn iraq,the chase scenes very deftly handled,in short a good but not great action movie,i think the thing about this on a personal level is that i don't need this movie 2 tell me that the whole wmd issue was a smoke screen,i came 2 that conclusion a long time ago so this now just kinda feels old hat.

Exit Through The Gift Shop

no rest for the wicked,exit through the gift shop which i was led 2 believe was a film about cult street artist banksy,but actually is more like a potted history of street art +banksy+other stuff basically a zany french man living in la starts of selling second hand clothes to rich poeple for inflated prices,then he becomes a compulsive filmmaker filming every waking moment,then chances into the street art world via his cousin "invader"this then connects him with just about every other street artist on the planet,he follows them,he helps them,he films them with no real agenda,he hears about the elusive banksy but is told he will never meet the cult master,until one day banksy arrives in la and fate finally makes their paths intertwine ,what follows is a bizzare and sometimes comedic exchange of ideas and values where your never sure whats real or whats satire,but thats where the fun lies ,the film will give inspiration to losers,misfits and freaks everywhere if this guy can do it anyone can!...or can they?

The Crazies

OK folks ,the crazies well kicks of with the old end at the beginning trick show u the small town decimated,then quickly says 2 days earlier showing u the idyllic farming town that was,then quickly 2 the first crazy confrontation between the sheriff and an armed apparently drunk farmer,so in no slow burner anyway about an hour in were in full swing shades of outbreak lots of evil soldiers in haz mat suits ,a lot of allegory's about the horrors of war and what must be done for the greater good,also the film has more jump/scares then your average flick i also thought its amazing now what will pass for a 15 cert with the amount of blood shed and horror,also the lead female kept saying to her partner "do u think this is going 2 have a happy ending because its not"which i kinda liked, the end i thought was a bit of a stretch but on refection i think it worked out pretty well,but if u want 2 find out exactly what iam talk in about go see it i don't think you,ll b disappointed.

Soloman Kane

ok hi not been on for a while so a bit of an update ,went 2 c solomon kane a few weeks ago kick of with james purefoy in evil swashbuckling mode raid a far flung heathen (muslim) kingdom for gold,he is amost capture by the grim reaper literaly ,makes good his esacape and seeks sanctuary in a monastary in good ol blighty,what follow is pretty much a tale of revenge and redemption ,standard fare in a lotrs esque style there is alot of rain well it is britain,and a lot of that snow that doesnt seem to fall just float in the air with that kind of etheral quality,some slopy continuity if u could call it that,like everytime a flintlock was pulled it was loaded a minor quibble but for all that i found it very entertaining ,god i must b getting old.

Edge Of Darkness

went to see edge of darkness today starring mel gibson,very entertaining movie good performance by gibson,solid supporting cast as well ray winstone particularly good as the shady jedburgh fast moving well paced at times quite dark and visceral top notch conspiracy thriller.

just going to the shop for milk, drank way to much last night threw up in kitchen sink.