Rocket Science (2007)

 Every so often I like to watch a film that I have never heard of before and have absolutely no idea what it's about. Usually, it involves picking a random actor/actress, typing their name into Wikipedia, picking one of their films at random (usually an early one) and giving it a watch. So, as my Pitch Perfect DVD had just arrived, this time I chose Anna Kendrick, and this is the film that showed up.

 This quirky indie film tells the story of Hal Hefner (Reece Thompson), a high school kid with a stutter who decides to join his high school debate team. When his debating partner Ginny Ryerson (Anna Kendrick) transfers schools and leave his without a team mate, he enlists the help of Ben (Nicholas D'Agosto), Ginny's former partner and champion debater, to help him conquer his stutter and win the debating competition.

 Considering that I had no idea what this movie was about when I clicked play, this is not what I expected (it is called 'Rocket Science' after all). However, the film is charming and offbeat in its own special way. The story is quite strange with the characters very obviously being misfits within high school and society at large. But that doesn't distract from the story and overall theme that nothing can stop you doing what you want to do.

 It is funny in an off centre kind of way, with quite a lot of sarcasm and a dry sense of humour (which fits with me pretty well). However, it also balances the comedy with the drama very well, and finishes with quite a well rounded movie.

 Acting wise, when it comes to the debate scenes the actors are incredible (particularly Kendrick and D'Agosto). God knows how they managed to do those scenes at the pace they do and act well whilst doing it.

 However, one of the drawbacks of this film for me was the main character. It was well acted and all that, but I just didn't feel for the guy. I didn't want him to win. Maybe this is intentional as *SPOILER* he doesn't win, but I didn't feel like I wanted him to succeed. This possibly made the film drag a bit and made the lessons that the character is supposed to learn fall a bit flat for me as the viewer.

Having said that, the film is generally pretty good. It is charmingly funny (without being laugh out loud hilarious) and is overall a sweet independent film.

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

 For me, this is one of those films that you hear so much about and people who have been to see it tell you about it, so you end up watching it just because. No real reason, it's just there so why not.

 This film is supposed to be a twist on the classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs story with the characters and story made much darker and including a lot more action. The Evil Queen (Charlize Theron) kills the King and takes over the Kingdom when Snow White is just a small girl. Many years later Snow White (Kristen Stewart) manages to escape her grasp and flees into the forest. With help from the Huntsmen (Chris Hemsworth), several dwarfs and a childhood friend, she must battle the Queen and take back the kingdom that was once her fathers.

 To start with the positives about this film, the special effects are incredible. All of the dwarfs are played by highly respected British actors (Ray Winstone, Ian McShane and Bob Hoskins to name a few) and their digital transformation into their characters is quite brilliant. Also, the revamp of the whole 'mirror on the wall' thing is very creative, if not slightly creepy, helping to bring a darker tone to the entire movie. The classic story of Snow White is also handled very well. Viewers will recognise some of the staple plots from Disney's original animated version. The true loves kiss part is still in there as well as the poisoned apple and even her kindness towards animals is there (although they don't sing 'Whistle While You Work' which is slightly disappointing). It definitely fulfils its brief of reinventing the story and appealing to a whole other audience.

 However, as with every film, there are drawbacks and this one comes in the very familiar form of Kristen Stewart. Everyone else in this film is good. No one drops the ball acting wise with the stand out performance being Charlize Theron's slightly creepy Evil Queen. But Kristen Stewart, much like with any other film I have seen her in, just isn't right. I doubt I need to go into much detail about her acting as I'm fairly certain you will have heard about it by now. I just don't understand how someone who is apparently incapable of expressing real emotion whilst acting has become one of the go-to actresses of the moment.There are so many people I can think of that would've made a much better job of it than her, and it takes the shine off this film a bit for me.

 Overall, this film is not bad. It is entertaining and has managed to make an old story seem refreshing. But for pity's sake, why did Kristen Stewart have to be in it.

5 Films To Look Forward To In May 2013

1) Star Trek: Into Darkness

The sequel to J. J. Abrams Star Trek, this is without a doubt going to be incredible (also, it's got Sherlock Holmes in it so that's an added bonus).

2) The Great Gatsby

It s finally here. After being put back and delayed, Baz Luhrmann's very stylish version of the classic novel is coming to the big screen.

3) The Hangover Part III

The conclusive part to one of the most successful comedy series on the century thus far.

4) Fast and Furious 6

Personally, I think they need to stop flogging this horse, but I guess some people might like it, and maybe this one will be up to the standards of the earlier ones.

5) Epic

The new animated installment from the people who brought you 'Ice Age' tells the story of a teenage girl who gets shrunk in her back garden and must help the creatures she finds save their home.

Oz: The Great and Powerful (2013)

 I have always loved the story of the Wizard of Oz. When I was a child, it was one of my favourite movies and my Grandmother used to sing 'Somewhere Over The Rainbow' to me as a lullaby (aww). Now, as an adult, Wicked is one of my favourite musicals (back to musicals again, sorry about that) and I must have seen the original Judy Garland film hundreds of time. Therefore, this film appealed to me on all levels really and when one of my friends said she wanted to see it, I offered to go with her.

 This is basically the prequel to the classic 1939 movie. It tells the tale of how the Wizard came to the land of Oz and how the Wicked Witch of the West got her name. Oz is played by James Franco whose balloon gets caught up in a tornado and is transported to the land of Oz, just like Dorothy. He is greeted by Theodora (Mila Kunis), one of three sisters who also happen to be witches, and she explains to him how the world is being plagued by her sister who has turned evil. The other two sisters are played by Michelle Williams and Rachel Weisz, although I won't tell you who is the 'evil' one. Anyway, he is given the challenge of ridding Oz of this evil force and on his journey on the yellow brick road he is joined by a talking, flying monkey (played by Zach Braff) and a talking china doll.

 To look at, this film is spectacular. Nothing was spared on the special effects and it certainly pays off. They are truly incredible and some of the wider landscape shots are genuinely outstanding. The only point where the special effects don't quite work is when James Franco picks up the china doll. Obviously this is always going to be difficult but it is clear that the doll has been put in in post-production and that he is just placing his hands in a position that might be right, but he's not quite sure.

 Now onto the acting, which is where this film falls to its knee a bit for me. In all honesty, when I think of great acting talent James Franco is not a name that springs to mind, and that is very evident throughout this film. I'm not sure if he was doing it on purpose or that's just how he is, but everything was waaaaay over the top and very unnatural. Seen as the film is completely based around his character, having to have him on screen all the time annoyed the living daylights out of me. I also wish I could say that this distinct lack of acting ability was made up by the performances of everyone else in the film, but unfortunately that isn't the case. They are better than he is, I will give them that, but every actor just seems very out of place with their role. Maybe it's to do with the fact that it is supposed to be in a different land so the people are a bit strange and not quite the like people from Kansas (although in all fairness, I have never met anyone from Kansas so for all I know they could all be mental...but I'm sure they're not, wouldn't want to offend anyone). I guess it's just a shame to have a film that could've been so good let down by the performances of the people in it.

 Overall, I would say that this film is good, but it is nothing special. Great effects are well and truly overshadowed by terrible acting making for a film that I would only advise you to watch if you don't have to pay for it.

Hard Candy (2005)

 I have wanted to see this film in a long time. I had always heard great things about it but had never had the thought to watch it when it came to deciding what film to see. That and I had heard it was pretty violent and disturbing (and let's face it, you have to be in the right kind of mood to watch one of those types of film). Anyway, I got to a point where if I looked at the statistics I had to do for University one more time my laptop would've experienced what it's like to fly, so I took a break and watched a movie.

 'Hard Candy' stars Ellen Page as Hayley, a young 14 year old girl who has met Jeff (Patrick Wilson), a 30 something year old man, on an internet chat room. The film starts with their first meeting in a coffee shop with them discussing movies and school and their favourite music. This prompts Hayley to return to Jeff's house to share some of their music tastes, but when they get there it is clear that Hayley's motive is not necessarily as it seems when Hayley ties Jeff up and starts torturing him (fun).

 Lets start with what I had previously been told about this films depiction of torture. Yes, it does include torture and yes, there will be some scenes in which you will wince or flinch especially if you are a man watching this movie (one word...castration). However, it is nowhere near as bad as I had somehow managed to convince myself it would be. Nothing is actually portrayed on screen, with the director David Slade cleverly leaving it all to your imagination.

 The story is also very captivating (although not terrifying as it is portrayed on the posters) and makes you think twice about meeting up with people you have met on the internet. However, it should be said that it is not a comfortable story to say the least. It does, after all, revolve around paedophilia and torture so just be aware of this before you watch it.

 Continually, 90% of the film contains just the two actors mentioned above and both are excellent in the film. Patrick Wilson manages to portray fear and pain incredibly well, whilst Ellen Page's slightly sadistic characterisation of a deeply disturbed teenager is both compelling and creepy at the same time.

 Whilst it may not be the best thriller I have ever seen, it certainly doesn't disappoint and I would recommend that people give it a go as long as they aren't phased by a little bit of light castration.

John Carter (2012)

 OK, so before I start my review of this movie, I should probably explain. Do you remember me saying about how it is the Easter break and I am at home? And do you remember me telling you how that would mean I would end up watching a load of films I'm not particularly bothered about because my Dad wants to watch them? Well that is how I came to watch the infamous 'John Carter' so please, don't judge me. It wasn't my choice.

 This film follows a man named John Carter (no surprises there then). Played by Taylor Kitsch, John is a Civil War veteran who has spent the last few years attempting to become a rich man by finding the spider cave and it's apparent gold. However once inside this cave, John is transported to the distant planet of Barsoom (which later turns out to be Mars). His adventures on this planet include becoming part of an alien tribe known as the Tharks, helping a Princess (Lynn Collins) save her kingdom and defeating the evil Therns who are attempting to destroy Barsoom.

 Right, if you have heard anything about this film then you will probably be able to guess what my opinion of it was. If you don't know much about it, then I wouldn't venture to find out. This film is pretty awful, and to have something like this come from Disney is an added disappointment. It's not very often I find myself looking at my watch regularly throughout a film, but with this one, I must've looked every few seconds. This film was so bad that it dragged more than any other film I have ever watched (OK, maybe that's a lie, I can think of one that was worse *cough* Tree of Life *cough*). The annoying thing is that, in theory, it could've been a semi-decent film. The story isn't as horrific as I had heard it was (although it is a bit messy), and the special effects are pretty impressive. However, the biggest (and most obvious) problem is the dialogue. It is stunted, very over dramatic and doesn't fit in with the modern action/adventure film. People just don't talk like that, and never have.

 Add to that the acting and you have a pretty much perfect recipe for disaster. I realise that when people go and see action/adventure films they are not going to see talented actors (just look at most Jason Statham movies). They are going to see buildings blow up and people get shot and other stunts along those lines. But when the acting is so bad that you can't really focus on anything else that is going on, that is when you know there is something very wrong. The two leads in this film are truly awful and that's putting it nicely. I don't think I have seen dramatic dialogue so over-acted in my entire life, and this only highlights the lack of chemistry between the two (or at least an inability to portray any). With regards to everyone else in this film, most of them are animated (thank God) but of those that aren't, I would say that the only good performance comes from Mark Strong as the leader of the Therns. He is probably the one person who manages to act his part convincingly throughout the entire film (but then again he always does play a pretty good villain).

 Therefore, as you can probably tell, I am not a fan and would like to gain back the 2 and a bit hours that I spent watching this film. Unfortunately that will never happen so I will save you from having to waste your time on this movie. It is really not good, and God only knows how it has gotten the 51% it has on Rotten Tomatoes.

Half Nelson (2006)

 It's probably fairly safe to say that one of the most sought after actors of the last decade has been Ryan Gosling. He seems to constantly be in the celebrity magazines and any film that he is in has a tendency to find it's way into the main stream fairly easily. There is no doubt that he is a pretty incredible actor. I have seen many of his films including 'Crazy, Stupid, Love', 'Drive' and 'Lars and the Real Girl', and in all of them he has been very good. Therefore it only seemed right that I should watch the film for which he was nominated for a Best Actor Academy Award.

 'Half Nelson' is about Dan, a middle-school history teacher and basketball coach who, whilst being a good teacher to his students, outside of school hours he has quite a severe drug problem. When one of the girls from the school basketball team discovers him drugged up in the school locker room an unlikely bond is formed between the two with each of them agreeing to help the other.

  With regards to whether I think Ryan Gosling should've won the Oscar for this film, I would say probably not. It is a great performance but in terms of who beat him to the prize, it is nowhere near the performance given by Forest Whitaker in 'The Last King Of Scotland'...but this is kind of irrelevant for my purposes here.

 The film overall is very good. It shows both the sweet, enthusiastic side of this talented teacher and mirrors this with his drug addled life outside of the classroom. Gosling portrays both aspects incredibly well and makes you really feel for the character and his struggles. The actress who plays Drey (Shareeka Epps), the girl from his class who Dan befriends, is also very good and in some scenes almost outshines Ryan Gosling.

 Generally, I think this is by far and away on of Gosling's best performances (although personally I think 'Lars and the Real Girl' may be better) and if you are a fan of his, it is definitely worth seeing.

Prometheus (2012)

 Any movie lover knows that one of the most iconic scenes of cinematic history involves an alien bursting through John Hurt's stomach in Ridley Scott's classic film 'Alien'. Many sequels were to follow as well as even more crossover films with the Predator story. Some were brilliant, some were not. I saw the first of this franchise when I was about 12 and I have to say it absolutely terrified me so, obviously, it became one of my favourites and I have seen every other movie in the series (Aliens is my favourite, just in case you wanted to know). When I heard that they were going to make what is essentially a prequel, I was dubious. Why would you want to mess with something as good as 'Alien'? It seemed like a pretty big risk to take, especially for a franchise that has not been too successful in recent years (Alien vs Predator: Requiem received a score of 12% on Rotten Tomatoes, and was nominated for two Razzies including worst sequel). It all just seemed a bit pointless to me.

 The movie takes place in the near(ish) future when two archaeologists find evidence of alien life on Earth. Star maps are located in art throughout history and have been linked to a galaxy far far away (sorry, I know that's the wrong franchise, but it worked). Several years later, a scientific mission has been funded with the aim of visiting the alien's home planet and attempting to discover why they came to Earth all those years ago. However, this is a movie in the 'Alien' series so of course everything doesn't go to plan. The people on-board the ship are not who they seem, the aliens aren't who they seem, even the planet they are visiting isn't what it appears to be. After all, this movie does have to set up the plot for the rest of the series and they are not exactly happy tales of 'E.T.' like friendship.

 To move on to the opinion part of this review, this film is kind of what I was expecting it to be. It was never going to be a bad film as far as I was concerned. Ridley Scott was back at the helm and with a cast containing actors such as Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender and Guy Pearce it would be pretty difficult to majorly screw this one up in terms of acting and directing. The main potential stumbling block for this film would be in the shape of the storyline. Finding a prequel that would've kept fans of the originals happy but also allowed for movie goers who had no previous exposure to 'Alien' to enjoy the film must've been a difficult challenge. In my opinion, I think they did pretty well. This film has a lot of nods to the original movie, whilst still making it easy to watch for those who have never heard of Ripley or Nostromo, making for a pretty good story overall. I had read some reviews that suggested that this film is difficult to follow and several implied that there was no apparent thread to the story whatsoever.I would disagree with this. Whilst some parts of the movie don't make a huge amount if sense (like the opening scene or the fact that one of the crew members is able to run around and escape after undergoing a major operation), the majority follows a very clear storyline, and shouldn't be too hard to follow for anyone who is able to focus on something for more than 10 minutes at a time.

 The special effects are (of course) incredible, in particular *SPOILER* the scenes where Michael Fassbender's head is fully functional but detached from his body (at this point I should probably explain that Fassbender plays a cyborg and the movie doesn't actually involve some sort of gruesome decapitation where the head continues to twitch afterwards).

 However, having said all that, there is something about this film, that I can't quite put my finger on, that makes it not quite as good as I would've hoped. Whilst the story is good, it's not quite good enough. Whilst the acting is good, there's just something missing. Admittedly it was never going to be as good as the original or some of the later films in the series, but I feel this could've been better than the finished product. It is just missing that something special that would've secured it's place (like the others) as a great movie in it's own right rather than just a good prequel.