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The Taking of Pelham 123

2009-12-16T08:39:00.001Z

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Plot

John Travolta plays "Ryder" a brutal gunman who along with his three henchmen have hijacked a New York City subway train. They have given the city 60 minutes to hand over £10million dollars.

Ryder though only wants to speak to Walter Garber (Denzel Washington) a worker assigned to the train control center.

What begins is a very awkward relationship between the two as the time ticks down to the deadline.

Summary

This movie has two of hollywood's most accomplished actors, Travolta is brilliant in his role as a psychotic kidnapper who has a massive grudge against the city with only profit on his mind.

Washington is equally brilliant in his role as the ordinary man called upon to perform extradordinary tasks.

The action comes thick and fast, right from the beginning and never really slows down.

There is plenty of tension throughout this movie and some of the dialogue between Travolta and Washington is superb.

There are some flaws I found with this movie, the passengers on the train seemed very calm and they didnt seem to truly realise the extent of what was happening.

I also did not like the fact Washington's character at the beginning of the film is that of a normal guy in the wrong place at the wrong time, then by the end of the film he suddenly turns into a superman hero character.

I will not spoil the ending but just thinking about it realistically in my city if this happened in real life, Travolta's character would have been blown to hell.

Overall

The Taking Of Pelham 123 was a very entertaining and grity film that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

If you are into your action movies there are enough car chase scenes and explosions to keep the movie going at a fast pace and keep action movie fans happy.

This movie really was very enjoyable and was intense, It had great twists and it washard to see how the movie was going to end.

But I was left dissapointed with the ending, it really was a let down and tainted all the good memories I had for the film.

Crunch Rating -

1. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

2009-12-15T13:11:00.009Z

This is undoubtedly my favourite Christmas movie of all time, there is not one in my eyes that can even rival this absolute classic.

Disaster prone dad Clark W Griswold (Chevy Chase) attempts to put on the perfect family Christmas, but it doesn't exactly go the way he would have wanted.

With witty one liners and hilarious scenes, this film will have you laughing on end.

It is such a hit with my family that we watch it over and over again every single year and I can safely say it never gets old.

2. The Muppet Christmas Carol

2009-12-13T12:25:00.007Z

Michael Caine steps into the role as Ebenezer Scrooge in the musical adaptation of Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol.

Alongside Caine are your favourite Muppet characters and together with the brilliant soundtrack makes a wonderful, clever and inspirational seasonal festive treat.

There's enough jokes in the film to keep kids and adults alike happy, it truly is one for all the family.

3. Home Alone

2009-12-11T18:12:00.009Z

Truly a movie for all the family, Home Alone is the story of young Kevin Mcallister (Macaulay Culkin) who gets left all alone when his family fly off to Paris for the Christmas period.

Two crooks (Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern) plan to rob the house but Kevin decides it's his duty to stop them.

This movie really is great entertainment to be had by all, with some great booby traps that bring out some hilarious slapstick comedy.

As with most films written by John Hughes (Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Uncle Buck) there is a really nice warm hearted ending that brings out a lot of emotion.

4. Die Hard

2009-12-09T19:37:00.008Z

Die Hard is truly a landmark film because without it we would not have such films as Speed or Under Siege it truly is that simple.

Bruce Willis is perfectly cast as quick witted New York cop John Mclane, the man who seems to always be in the wrong place at the right time.

What I love about this movie so much is the incredible action scenes and the hilarious quick one liners, they are perfectly placed and really fit in well with the tone of the film.

What makes the viewer emotionally involved with Mclane is that his wife (Bonnie Bedelia) is held hostage in the building.

This adds a human effect to Mclane and enforces the point that he is just an average guy facing insurmountable odds.

This movie is one of the all time great action flicks and is also a great Christmas movie, but not for the kids!

5. Love Actually

2009-12-07T16:54:00.005Z

Boasting a top notch cast Love Actually is a very charming and lovely tale combining many different stories of love that are nicely woven together.

Usually a romance genre is defined by a guy likes a girl or the opposite way but what I find interesting about this film is the way it explores all sorts of different types of love.

The stories are really nice and I expect everyone will find at least a bit of themselves in at least one of the narratives.

It really is one of those films that when you watch it you can't help but get that funny, warm, Christmas feeling.

The tagline of the film is "Love Actually Is All Around" I think that the film suits this perfectly.

Love takes many forms and everyone loves and is loved by someone, this makes the film one of the all time great feel good Christmas films reminding us what Christmas really is all about.

The Hangover

2009-12-07T13:23:00.009Z

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Plot

Four mates head to Las Vegas on a stag party weekend. All of them get so wasted on their first night that they don’t remember a single thing that happened.

The morning after they realise that the intended groom is missing and the other three buddies must piece together what went on during the previous crazy evening.

Summary

Firstly I found myself laughing constantly throughout this film and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

It has a great set of characters - Bradley Cooper as Phil, the whitty one, Ed Helms as Stu Price – the nervous dentist and Zach Galifianakis who plays the best character Alan, the future brother in law of Doug (Justin Bartha).

The viewer instantly feels a connection with all four buddies and the dialogue between the group of mates is incredibly well done and very funny.

The story worked and I loved that everytime I thought there couldn't be another twist or turn this movie kept surprising me.

Overall

Ok so it may be a little vulgar or crude but The Hangover is absolutely brilliant. If you are easily offended though you may want to give this film a miss.

This film is constantly hilarious, entertaining and intriguing. You will not be able to guess what is coming next.

The Hangover is by far the best comedy I have seen this year.

Crunch Rating -

Top 5 films to watch at Christmas time!

2009-12-06T19:19:00.005Z

Well I can't believe it's that time of your again it's time to deck the halls and if you listen real closely, you might just hear Santa and his reindeers coming to your town.

So with that in mind I present to you the top 5 films to watch at Christmas time!

This is obviously what I find to be the best films to warm me up on a cold December evening.

So if the film that you enjoy watching over the holiday period is not on my list, then please let me know what would be on your list and why.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

2009-11-25T19:41:00.001Z

Plot

New Moon is the sequel to the highly successful 2008 box office smash Twilight.

It centers around the effects of Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) leaving Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) after an incident with his family makes him realise that she may be better off without him.

Bella frequently sees Edward as a ghostly conscious trying to keep her out of harm.

But when Bella realises that Edward shows up when she is in danger, she goes looking for harm in order to see him.

Summary

Having watched the first Twilight film and being surprisingly impressed by it, I was more than willing to give New Moon a chance.

While Bella and Edward were the main driving force behind the success of the first film, I did think this sequel would suffer as Edward is missing for the great majority of the film.

But I feel the character of Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner) adds an intriguing element to the film.

The whole story of will she get with Jacob or will Edward come back and rekindle his love for Bella was at first interesting, but that is all that seems to push the movie forward.

The storyline continues without any developments and I found it monotonous until the conclusion, when the pace of the film rapidly shifts into top gear.

Overall

If you are a fan of the series you will love this film and I am sure you will look forward to the third part.

But if you are new to the series or watching it casually then I would suggest you watch something else.

I got very bored and the movie struggled to hold my concentration.

Most films usually have a weak second installment and New Moon is no different.

Crunch Rating -

Terminator Salvation

2009-11-23T13:34:00.010Z

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Plot

Set in 2018, Christian Bale stars as John Connor, the man who has the unenviable task of leading the human resistance against the Terminators and Skynet.

But the future Connor was raised to believe is completely different to that his mother told him.

Part of this altered future is Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a man who doesn't know what day or year it is, his last memory is being on death row.

Connor must decide whether or not to trust Wright. As Skynet prepares its final assault, Connor and Marcus find themselves in the Skynet’s operations, where they uncover the secret behind the possible destruction of the human race.

Summary

I am a massive fan of the Terminator franchise, I was really looking forward to what direction this movie would take.

Kyle Reese's (Anton Yelchin) vision of the future from the first film, has changed widly from what we see in Terminator Salvation and I feel that is a good touch.

I enjoyed director MCG's (Charlies Angels: Full Throttle & We Are Marshall) vision of what the future was to look like.

The problem with the film is that the main plot line of the resistance fighting against Skynet is lost and becomes secondary to the story of Marcus Wright and his befriending of Reese.

The worst part about the film was that I cared more about Wright than the Connor character, that should not happen.

John Connor is the man who ties everything together. Sympathy and emotion is built for him in T:2 and dare I even say T:3, but not here.

This film lacked the connection with Connor and instead of being a guy who has lived through this before he seemed to be just a badass rebel.

Overall

It's a film that serves a purpose in the Terminator franchise, but only just.

I like the fact the ending opens up the possibility for a sequel, but I was left wondering what actually was achieved by Connor and Wright.

If it is a superb action flick with great effects you are looking for then by all means see this film.

If you are a fan of the series, then unfortunately this is not a worthy successor to the first two films.

Crunch Rating -

Star Trek

2009-11-16T17:45:00.007Z

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Plot

Star Trek takes us right back to the beginning and shows how James T Kirk (Chris Pine) became captain.

After the death of his father, Kirk grows up to be a rebellious youth and has no direction in life.

Meanwhile Spock (Zachary Quinto) is fighting is Vulcan logic and his human emotions.

But there is trouble on the horizon as a Romulan from the future wants to destroy Spock.

Kirk and Spock reluctantly are forced together in order to save the galaxy.

Summary

Rebooting a franchise is never an easy job, but it does have it's share of success most notably the reinvention of James Bond and Batman.

Director J J Abrams (Lost & Mission Impossible III) has taken it upon himself to reinvent Star Trek and I think he has done a good job.

I am not a "Trekkie" and never have been, so I was reluctant to even give this film a try.

But I am glad I did because I really enjoyed it.

The action scenes were incredible and the audio of the S.S Enterprise coming in and out of warp was amazing, the audio team worked hard on making the sounds as real as possible and it definately paid off.

The characters were great, there was some really good casting even Simon Pegg in the role of Scotty was surprisingly very good.

I had heared a lot coming into this film of how Pine would fill the role of Captain Kirk but I feel he was superb, same has to be said for Quinto.

Both roles were filled superbly and I feel the casting for this film is one of it's strong points.

Overall

What this film has done is reinvent a relatively dull and dying franchise to a brand new audience.

I know Star Trek fans will probably not find this movie to their liking but as someone who is new to the series I found it a great installment.

With the perfect mix of action, excitement and intensity, Star Trek was a very solid and thoroughly entertaining movie that I would recommend to anyone.

Crunch Rating -

Bruno

2009-11-09T10:29:00.007Z

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Plot

Bruno is the sequel to the highly successful 2007 film starring Sacha Baron Cohen.

This sequel focuses on Bruno, a gay charismatic TV presenter.

He is fired from his TV show in Austria and loses his celebrity status, in a bid to recapture his glory Bruno travels to Los Angeles.

He tries a number schemes to get his status back, with hilarious results.

Summary

There was something about Borat that made him connect with the audience. Maybe it was his charm and the fact that he just didn't understand the difference between his culture and that of a western country.

There just isn't the same connection with Bruno.

It feel like most of the jokes from Borat are rehashed here, which is a shame.

The storyline again feels like a rehash of the previous film with our main character having a disagreement with his agent.

Overall

Don't get me wrong there are some hilarious scenes in this movie and it is better than a lot of the comedies that have come out earlier this year.

If you go into this movie with your eyes open and just to enjoy it then you will have fun.

I was more than likely thinking it may end up being better than Borat, which realistically was never going to be the case.

Crunch Rating -

Jennifer's Body

2009-11-04T23:45:00.035Z

Plot

Just to get this out of the way because I know the male audience will be dying to know.

There are NO nude scenes of Megan Fox in Jennifer's body.

Now that I have that out of the way let me get on with the review.

Fox plays Jennifer the super cool, high school babe that every girl wants to be and who every guy wants to be with.

Jennifer convinces her best friend Needy (Amanda Seyfried) to come to a bar where a visiting band are playing.

During the evening Jennifer goes off with the band and becomes possessed.

What starts is a series of murder's in the small town and Needy believes that Jennifer could have something to do with the deaths.

Summary

I thought Fox was suited the role well, I truly believed that she was just interested in the boys at high school and that she was arrogant and egotistical.

Seyfried was a good choice as Needy she semed to be the perfect opposite Jennifer and the two characters played off each other well.

The death scenes lack tension, suspense and to be honest I really didn't care one bit who had just died.

Which when watching a horror film, the viewer should feel emotional when a death has occured.

Overall

Director Karyn Kusama tries to stay away from usual horror conventions which makes the film not scary and not even feel remotely like a horror film.

It gets confused, on the one hand the film shows the difficulties between adolescent teens and their friendships.

Then on the other it tries to be a typical American teen horror film using clever and witty dialogue, but with its main character just randomly killing people.

It's a strange combination and one that failed to hold my attention.

If you like teen movies that contain Fox acting as a man eater, some mild scares and a little bit of gore then this movie will appeal to you.

Crunch Rating -

Public Enemies

2009-11-02T13:48:00.030Z

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Plot

Public Enemies is a true story set in the great depression of the 1930's.

It focuses on legendary gangster John Dillinger (Johnny Depp) who because of his bank robberies, quickly gets named as America's public enemy #1 by J.Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) and the FBI.

Dillinger with his ridiculously infectious charm manages to endear himself to almost everyone including the public who love his audacious jailbreaks and charismatic charm.

Not to mention the fact that the public have no sympathy for the banks that helped make the country in such a depressed state.

Hoover sends top FBI agent Melvin Purvis' (Christian Bale) to stop Dillinger.

Summary

Depp plays Dillinger brilliantly and director Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral) portrays his cocky and arrogant nature well on screen.

Bale as Purvis' is equally brilliant as the straight-laced cop intent on catching Dillinger.

One thing that is so good about Mann's previous films is the character development he shows, in this film there really was no character development.

Being a true story this film should educate the audience about the main characters, I still do not really know anything about Dillinger or Purvis.

The attention to the period detail in this film is incredible and there are a couple of really good, intense and realistic gun shoot-out scenes.

Highlighted more should have been the cat and mouse aspect of the film. While it is intriguing to see when Purvis will get his man, more could have been done to highten the drama of his impending capture.

Overall

It is so refreshing to see Johnny Depp play a character that is not crazy, weird, or a pirate. Reminding us all what a damn fine actor he is when given a suitable role.

Public Enemies has some magnificent acting and showcases two of Hollywood's biggest leading stars in Christian Bale and Depp, but I feel they never are really allowed to expand on the script they are given.

The action scenes are very well done and it does feel like as an audience you are right in the thick of the gun shoot outs.

Crunch Rating -

1. The Exorcist

2009-10-31T08:39:00.015Z

William Friedkin's 1973 classic The Exorcist sits proudly at the very top of the five films that scared me senseless!

This film is constantly called by many movie review critics as the "greatest horror film of all time" and I have to say I would agree.

What it does best is tap into the audiences greatest fear, which is that nobody can prove if god or satan exist or not.

This is what made the film truly dynamic when it first came out and what set it apart from the rest.

Now over 30 years on since it's original release, it may not still have the same effect as when it first was released because lets face it times have changed.

But for me The Exorcist is still one of the most unique horror films of all time.

Linda Blair was just 12 years old when she was expertly cast in the role of Regan and of the best features of the film is that Regan is just a normal young girl, sweet and innocent.

Slowly any sympathy the audience feels for the Regan character at the start of the film fades away, the viewer becomes so emotionally shocked at the transformation that has taken place.

The most memorably 'scary' scene has to be the eerie spider walk which still everytime I think about, makes my spine tingle.

The Exorcist had the power to haunt people when it was first released and it has the power to haunt people still to this day.

2.The Shining

2009-10-29T21:28:00.015Z

Next on the list is legendary director Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Shining.

This film is one of the most iconic, haunting and overall terrifying movies ever made, using some amazing imagery and truly disturbing visions to create one of the true greats in the horror genre.

The scene with the blood flowing from the elevator is visually stunning and memorable.

Equally memorable is the scene where Jack Nicholson chops his way through the door and yells the now famous words - “Heeeeeeerrrees Johnny!”

Nicholson is superbly cast and gives an unforgettable performance in one of his best ever roles.

All that is left to say is that if you have not seen this film it is a must watch, I'm not sure a novel has ever been made into a film quite this well.

3. The Ring

2009-10-27T01:49:00.015Z

Being that The Ring is a remake I was tempted to think that the film would bring nothing new to the table from the original (Japanese version) Ringu.

But boy was I wrong.

I have to be honest and say that the brilliantly produced, gruesome and eerie videos stuck with me long after I finished watching the film.

The brilliant scene where the girl comes out of the TV screen is unbelievable and whenever I think about I am still terrified.

What I enjoy about this film the most is how much anticipation and suspense is built, the atmospheric mood that is created is excellent.

Like a good scary film the viewer should always feel that the characters are in a situation they just cannot control.

The Ring is one of the best films I have ever seen in accomplishing this.

4. Halloween (1978)

2009-10-25T18:34:00.019Z

Even to this day Halloween is still a bench mark that all horror even generally scary films should look to.

The pacing of the film is magnificent, it effectively creates suspense and while not scary by modern standards it still manages to have that creepy and disturbing mood even to this day.

One thing that truly is great about Halloween is the fact it doesn’t need blood, it doesn’t even need gore all it needed was Michael Myers appearing from behind a tree or from around a corner to have me shaking in my boots.

It used those subtle techniques to good effect.

The score for this film is one of the best used in the history of film and even though it was very simple, whenever I hear it I always think of the shadowy image of Myers.

5. The Blair Witch Project

2009-10-23T11:38:00.016+01:00

Made on just $30,000 dollars (around £18,000) this film shows us that it does not take a big budget to make a film scary, its all about atmosphere.

The Blair Witch Project proves that our imagination can be very powerful.

The film never shows us the villian, never shows us any blood or violence but yet it still manages to create a creepy, unsettling atmosphere.

While it starts slowly, the film soon cranks the tension right up until the end when it builds up to a climax.

The scariest moment of the film is undoubtedly the ending and the last image of the film is one of the most haunting I have seen.

Top 5 films that scared me senseless!

2009-10-22T17:30:00.007+01:00

With halloween fast approaching I thought it would be very appropriate to introduce the top 5 films of all time that scared me senseless!

They may not even be technically a horror film but for whatever reason they made me put my hands over my eyes and had me biting my nails.

This is obviously what I found scary so if the film that scared you senseless is not on my list, then please let me know what would be on your list and why.

Couples retreat

2009-10-19T14:28:00.016+01:00

Plot

Vince Vaughn stars in Couples Retreat which sees four couples go to a tropical island resort. While one of them go to work on their marriage. The other three go for sun, sea and jet ski.

What they discover is that participation in the resorts couple therapy programme is not optional and soon all four couples realise that they all have their equal share of problems.

Summary

I was very interested in seeing this film as it stars Vaughn and Jon Favreau, who were brilliant on screen together in the 1996 cult comedy Swingers.

My high expectations were not achieved.

Couples Retreat seems to be confused about what its target audience actually is.

On the surface it seems a film that is designed for couples, but when actually viewed there are a lot of erection and masturbation jokes that seem like they are more suited for a younger audience comedy like American Pie and Road Trip.

The humour while there in small doses (the yoga scene undoubtedly the best) stops and starts and at just under two hours long the film does seem like it can drag.

While the characters do face hurt and pain the director (Peter Billingsley) never seems to dwell on these moments so that the film stays within the boundaries of a comedy.

Vaughn is on good form again here playing the “know it all” character that he is an expert at, but unlike his other films recently (Wedding crashers and Dodgeball) his character seems to be more muted and less outstanding.

Overall

While the movie wasn't bad, it definitely is something that is forgettable.

The plot of the film is good and the setting of the film in beautiful Bora Bora is breathtaking, but there just are not enough comedy scenes to keep the movie going for its 107 minute length.

I really did expect more from Vaughn and Favreau and was disappointed overall with this effort.

At the end of the day you will have laughs, you will have your your fare share of eye candy and it is not the worst comedy I have seen this year (step forward Disaster movie).

Crunch Rating -

Halloween II (2009)

2009-10-15T20:10:00.054+01:00

Plot

The majority of Halloween II is set a year after the events of the first film. Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) is trying to get on with her life, dealing with the horrible events that occurred in the bloody massacre one year ago.

Michael Myers who is presumed dead, returns to Haddonfield and goes in search of Laurie so he can once again be united with his baby sister.

Summary

I came into this film thinking that this would be a remake of the 1981 Halloween II movie but I was wrong.

Director Rob Zombie has made a new version that almost bears no resemblance to the original; this is in fact a sequel to Zombie’s 2007 Halloween film.

This movie goes in a completely different direction with some disturbing scenes of violence, which if you have seen any of Zombie’s other films (House of 1,000 corpses,The Devil’s Rejects) he seems to specialise in.

The brutal killing scenes are well done with the camera lingering on what the audience is witnessing, which instils the emotions that a viewer should feel when watching something as shocking as murder.

Showing Michael Myers has no remorse and is a complete loner who just cannot understand humanity.

Halloween II is a slow burning sequel that plods along with no real developments lacking the tension, suspense and overall grittiness that should have been brought to the film.

Overall

Fans of the Halloween franchise will find this a refreshing take and an ambitious effort to bring something new to the table.

Unfortunately though what Zombie lacks in creating suspense and drama he tries to make up for with being, just plain disturbing.

If you go and see this film expecting to watch a slasher horror you may feel disappointed because although it does have elements of that, the film is slow paced and is much more dark, disturbing and depressing.

Crunch Rating -