Articles + Quotes on Film & TV

I love it how films do this. Make more well known little known facts about important events or people in history, more often when it has to do with the underdog, who makes the big difference and causes the event or person to be even more important or life changing. These kinds of films are a complete joy to watch, when you remind yourself that the inspiring and sometimes amusing scenes are based on real life occurrences. The first film, is about how the Duke of York, later King George VI, overcame his stammer and other problems which had badly affected his confidence in speech making, with the help of an unassuming Australian speech therapist, a Mr Lionel Logue. Colin Firth deservedly won an Academy Award for his portrayal of Bertie, which is how he was known to friends and family. Geoffrey Rush was nominated, for best supporting actor at the Oscars, understandably, for his role as Mr Logue, who appears to be a very clever but never a show off. The supporting cast of this brilliant...

I know that this film has been out of the cinema and on video and dvd for some time, but I thought it was worth a more recent review and attention. Most spoof films these days, are not that brilliant, to be honest. Instead of one genre or original story to use as a plot, they use maybe 6, and all the characters to populate the scenes. Which is somewhat sad, when  you think of earlier spoof films that are more entertaining and are less well known. Written by Gene Wilder, (Who also portrayed the main character) and Mel Brooks, and directed by the latter, this spoof of the Frankenstein story is very funny, even on repeated viewings. Full of one liners and references to the original, and a cameo by Gene Hackman, this is one well made classic that shouldn't be ignored for something more recent. The supporting cast includes Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Peter Boyle and Madeline Kahn. The latter also starred alongside Gene Wilder in another Mel Brooks film, Blazing Saddles....

After seeing Run Fatboy Run, Hot Fuzz, I was very excited about seeing this film as well. The premise is of two sci fi nerds from the UK, best friends, played by Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, come to America to go to Comic Con (a real event held yearly) and see some sights made famous by alien encounters of some kind. Travelling by motor home, they have a close encounter of their own, when a truck crashes near them and they go to investigate. A real alien, who calls himself Paul, voiced by Seth Rogen, tells them that he needs to go home and that he needs their help. This isn't ET, and Paul's been on earth for some time, so he's adjusted, and has weed in his backpack, and a bit of a potty mouth to boot. The support cast includes Kristen Wiig, who has recently released a film that she co -wrote, Jason Bateman, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Hader and Blythe Danner. Steven Spielberg, lends a reference and his voice to the film. Which merely adds to the mountain of hilarious bits and ...

I'm sure after repeated viewings, this movie might loose some or even all of the original magic that made it so much fun to watch. But I don't really care at this point. I just think Jerry Bruckheimer is an absolute genius to combine the calm and cool onscreen personality of Nicolas Cage and the decidedly not of Jay Baruchel. Who is,  lets face it, a nerd. But a nice guy, who has a few clever tricks up his sleeve to woo the girl of his dreams, Aussie actress Teresa Palmer in the role of the love interest. And that's before the special effects, magic tricks, call them what you like, turn it into a rollercoaster ride and Alfred Molina appears as the bad guy. For those who haven't seen Mr Molina portray the role of Doc Ock in Spiderman 2, he is the best stereotypical evil character I've seen for a while. You know its a well played role, when you start supporting both sides. Its funny, a massive thrill ride and not the most realistic movie of all time, but you forgi...

I haven't yet seen the original series, which was released in the 70's, but after watching the first twenty episodes of the remake, I'm not sure I really want to. Don't get me wrong, I'm its really good, but whenever I watch remakes, the chances of me watching the original version and liking both, are pretty close to zero. Okay, this version. It is pure escapism, and you never want to think of the ins and outs of the stunts the group pull, unless you want to ruin the whole experience. Its an action show with cops in Hawaii. The action scenes are big and well choreographed. The main producer of the series, Alex Kurtzman, has also produced the series Alias, a spy thriller, and the films Star Trek and Eagle Eye. How much realism do you suppose were in those ones? And to add, he's also produced the about to released, Cowboys and Aliens. Alex O'Loughlin, an Australian actor, plays the main role Steve McGarrett, alongside Scott Caan, who plays Danno. The cat...

After seeing trailers, clips and reading reviews, I had prepared to watch a film that was really confusing and with a lot of twists. Imagine my surprise when I was watching it and discovered that it was a cleverly constructed film, that was about using the dream world, and dreams within dreams, within dreams. And so on. Christopher Nolan, best known at the moment for directing Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and the third film The Dark Knight Rises, takes us on a monumentally visually stunning journey. Using mastery of the realm of special effects, this film makes you believe that inception is actually possible. Fleshing out this film with intriguing characters out with this idea, are the top actors, headed by the 'leader' of the group, Leonardo DiCaprio, and supporting him are Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Marion Cotillard and Michael Caine. All are fine actors and they all play their parts well. This is a stunning film and I...

There are a lot of films, that fall between the cracks, and don't even make it to the cinema. Or barely get a DVD release date. Sad, but true. Sometimes, its because the quality of the film is that of a badly made TV film. Other times, its well made, but the actors or makers of the film, are not well known, and not enough attention is raised. The Lucky Ones, is of the latter. Its a subtle film, and tells the story of three soldiers, two home on leave (30 days long) from the war, the third who's finished his duty. At the airport, all the flights are grounded, so they band together and rent a car to go where they need to. Rachel McAdams, Tim Robbins and Michael Pena are unrecognisable, not because of makeup, or any special effects, but it is because of the characters that they are showing to the screen. Its so impressive, and it ensures that its the characters that you remember the most, and stay with you. This film was directed and co written by Neil Burger, the...

First off, let me just say, I have never been into comic books, aside from the ones that Murray Ball wrote about a farm dog in rural New Zealand. But that didn't mean I was any less excited about the film X Men First Class's release and seeing it at the cinema for the first time. After having watched the last four X Men films, I thought was well and truly prepared for anything this one might throw at me. I usually expect something similar, when faced with an origins film, but this one brought things to a whole other level. Not just in the extraordinary intensified action scenes, directed by the man who showed us his skill in the films Layer Cake and Kick Ass: Michael Vaughn. But also the scenes which showed the characters' vulnerabilities and fears. The scripting was well done as well, it was not all one sided, nor did the characters portrayed seem black and white. There was no clear "bad guy" except from the obvious character of Sebastian Shaw. And even he ...