September 2011

It’s been a while since I updated this blog, as one article per movie is just too tricky to fit into my busy schedule!

So from now on I’m going to do a monthly update covering a summary of each of the movies I’ve watched, however I have a bit of catching up to do.

Luckily my LoveFilm subscription keeps a record of the movies I have rented, so at least I know where to start.

Season of the Witch:

Well there’s one big negative from the very start and that’s down to the fact that Nicholas Cage is playing an action hero, which I have never thought he does well. So this turns out to be another pretty average Cage film. The one positive about the film is Ron Pearlman, who delivers a typical performance in his typical role. General plotline is a little iffy and not the easiest to understand the point of the movie. So I come away with one thought, which is the way I’m generally left after a Cage film, wondering how much better could this have been with a different leading man!

Action and Adventure – Rating:
2 out of 5 (propped up by some good action scenes)

How do you Know:

Looking at the cast list everything looks promising, Owen Wilson – always funny, Jack Nicholson – never fails to deliver a great performance, Reese Witherspoon – truly beautiful and enjoyable to watch, and Paul Rudd – who I have to say is one of my favourite actors around today.

Well I have to say, it did deliver!

Although this was a pretty predictable chick flick, the bizarre characters and irregular storyline made for a very enjoyable film. In general very funny, with some outstanding lines from all the cast, with a highlight being when Rudd literally runs away from bad news!

RomCom – Rating:
4 out of 5

Sucker Punch:

Now this was at the very top of my LoveFilm list for some time. The trailers I had seen on TV looked impressive, with amazing action scenes and stunning cast members, however there was very little mention of the actual storyline which sheds a different light on the movie.

So the film starts with the death of “babydoll’s” mother, which leaves her open to the abuse of her Stepfather. Although she tries to put an end to this abuse by shooting him, only to accidently kill her young sister she was trying to protect. The result of this being that she is sent to a mental institution, where she is subject to further abuse by the Porters and orderlies!

The only way to cope with the situation is to retreat to an alternate reality, which translates to her and the other patients now being Erotica dancers/strippers/hookers for the now “Pimp” head orderly, which in turn requires its own escapism when it’s the girl turn to “perform”.

Now this 3^rd level of reality is where the action happens! babydoll works with the other elite warrior chicks to conquer a series of demons and challenges in order to gather the items needed to escape the brothel..... mental asylum.

The real world story line is only ever seen when the actions scenes end badly, and this results in very uncomfortable viewing. You can’t ignore the base reality, which is very disturbing, this then makes watching the young girls dressed as strippers very awkward too. It’s a shame really, as the action scenes in the 3^rd level alternate reality is truly spectacular.

Although it works out kind of alright in the end, the lead character does end up getting a frontal lobotomy, which is never a good way to end a movie!

Fantasy Adventure – Rating:
2 out of 5 (uncomfortable watching)