Documentary-style, hand-held camera film-making is rarely as fitting as it appears in Paul Greengrass’s “Captain Phillips.” A fictionalized basis of the actual Somalian hijacking that took place in April of 2009; this is a thriller that clasps its arms around your neck, and, with all the  trauma of what the real event must have been like, refuses to let go. While it may not have the emotional pull of some of Greengrass’s earlier work, this is an essential 2013 fall thriller, coming just in time for Oscar season. Continue Reading »

And the award for Best Visual Effects goes to….

Since I started this blog back in January of 2012, I have never done a review of a film quite like “Gravity.” It would be hard to place it into any one recognized film genre. This is a story of survival that may be similar to those you have heard of, such as Aron Ralston’s story in the film “127 Hours.” But this is placed way above our own familiar environment, in a setting usually reserved for aliens and futuristic galaxy travel: the vast emptiness of space. Words cannot fully justify the extent of this experience, though I will try my best. But this is really something you have to see for yourself. Continue Reading »

Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright are one of the greatest teams to come out of comedy in quite some time. A sort of modern-day Monty Python, they previously created the films “Shaun of the Dead” and “Hot Fuzz.” Now, with “The World’s End,” they have completed what is known as the Three Colors Cornetto Trilogy. Although not technically set in the same world, the three films all share similar elements. They are each a parody of a popular genre, poking fun at various unbelievable elements of those films. They are each written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, and are directed by Wright. And every one of them is hilariously brilliant. Continue Reading »

What would happen if an everyday, normal kid decided to dress as a superhero and try to fight crime? The first “Kick-Ass” film deals with this idea. The result is a hell-bending ride of a film; complete with excessive violence, kids murdering entire armies of bad guys, and lots of blood. But, despite this, it is mostly harmless fun. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, and as a result does not feel overly brutal. But, while taking this same concept, “Kick-Ass 2” goes too far. It pushes beyond the boundaries of what is tasteful and acceptable for a comic-book movie. And, at times, it leaves an unsettling feeling that is hard to shake. Continue Reading »

Like all superhero sagas, the X-Men series has had its hits and its near-misses. Of all five films so far, “X-2” and “X-Men First Class” in particular stand out. Each is a fresh, original story; taking a swing into unexpected directions with great acting and brilliant special effects. But before First Class, we had the unfortunate spectacle of “X-Men Origins: Wolverine.” With a confusing story-line and some rather poor performances; it all but destroyed the mythos of the Wolverine character. So, if there is at least one thing to take away from the latest installment, “The Wolverine,” is that it is at least better than this first film.

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Surprisingly, movies about magic have not been made too often in the history of film. Some recent examples are “The Prestige,” “The Illusionist,” and “Hugo.” Unfortunately, though, these films are the rare good ones. “Now You See Me” had just as much potential; yet, when fully laid out, does not quite reach that same level. It’s as if the production team began a magic trick that would immediately captivate audiences; yet, about halfway through, forgot how it was supposed to end. So, they just sort of threw something together. Though containing a well-rounded cast, and some mildly entertaining magic sequences; the film comes up mostly empty-handed.

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The style of “found footage” has been around for decades, but was made most popular by the cult hit The Blair Witch Project. This soon led to the Paranormal Activity series, Cloverfield, Apollo 18, The Last Exorcism, Chronicle, and many others, including the two V/H/S movies. If you notice, though, a majority of films in this genre are horror. The reason is this: movies are scarier if the world within it appears to be the same as our own, as if someone was just shooting a home video, and ended up catching something unexpected on tape. It is something we are always afraid of, while at the same time secretly hoping to experience. Of course, we still know that we are watching a movie, but the found footage element adds a layer of realism, allowing us to more easily close off our disbelief, and absorbing us even more deeply into the narrative. V/H/S, and the sequel V/H/S/2, both of which I managed to see back-to-back, take this idea even a step farther. Each film is an anthology, and has several distinct vignettes, all of which are spliced together through a somewhat loosely related back-story. So, let’s start from the beginning.  Continue Reading »

I heard somebody describe Pacific Rim as something directly from the mind of a 12-year-old boy playing in his room, holding his dinosaur and robot figurines and bashing them into each other, along with grunting and growling noises to emphasize the action. It’s easy to see where this perspective could come from. Yet, it’s hard to write off Pacific Rim as just a mindlessly entertaining experience. Sure, it may be inconsistent, with questionable science and technology. And some of the characters may be flat and underdeveloped. But the people who take these points as flaws are completely missing the point: this is all intentional. Guillermo Del Toro is sitting back in his director’s chair, laughing at you. And I laughed right back at him. Continue Reading »

Within the last few years, our continued fascination with zombies has only gotten stronger. First made popular by George A. Romero in The Night of the Living Dead; we have since had Dawn of the Dead, Day of the Dead, the spoof Shaun of the Dead, Warm Bodies, 28 Days (and Weeks) Later, Zombieland, Resident Evil, and the TV show The Walking Dead. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. World War Z is another slot to be added to that ever-growing collection. The difference between this and many of the others, though, is the extreme scale of the film; which at times is so intense, it is hard to breathe. But there are enough tender moments, and there is enough thought behind this horde of brain-sucking zombies that it is sure to please. Continue Reading »

An independent, short British film directed by Malcolm Benson, Forget the Pact is about a group of friends, who decide one day to make a pact that they will always just be friends with one another, and nothing more. But, of course, the idea that they can’t be with one another just makes them want it that much more.

Though a low-budget movie, Forget the Pact has a professional looking style. With a dark tone, though not unbearably so; containing some great natural acting; and with an engaging storyline, complete with an unexpected twist, I found myself really enjoying this film. It is the type of simple concept that people may think of making into a film, but rarely do they make it well. And there was an excellent display of emotion by Mo George on the character Frankie – he delivered an explosive, yet romantic character.

It is clear that Benson and his crew know and love movies, and I could see them going far in this business. Definitely worth a viewing.

Trailer: http://youtu.be/ikgZZ_CKHkk/

Website: http://forgetthepactfilm.weebly.com/

Follow @ForgetThePact on twitter for regular updates.