Mini Review - 'The Wolfman'

I liken this movie to watching a dog in a blackout chewing a plank of wood.

Aside from the set design - which is in itself far too gothic to be real - there is nothing in this film that makes you want to lavish any sort of praise. Anthony Hopkins leaves no scenery unchewed, Benicio del Toro is so brooding he is bore, and Emily Blunt is not believable to a damsel in distress or as a love interest.
Blood and gore does not make up for suspense and general fear.

Sad, because this could have been a really great film with a new cast, director and screenplay.
When you can honestly say that the best thing about the film was the poster designs, then you know you are in trouble. Which is sad as I really wanted to like this. Boo

Grade D-

Mini Review - 'Monsters'

Wow.
For a film that only cost director Gareth Edwards $15,000 it is sensational.
He has turned his back on giant special effects and cheap jump-out-of-your-seat thrills for a story with a constant sense of uneasy dread.
The set up is - A NASA sample-collecting probe bringing back extraterrestrial organic matter has crashed upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere scattering its contents over lower North America.
Six years later, a vast area between Southern Mexico and the U.S. has been declared an infected zone as military from both countries wage a fruitless battle against the ginormous, rapidly reproducing creatures.
A photojournalist (Scoot McNairy) covering the ongoing "war" gets closer than anticipated when he escorts his boss' stranded daughter (Whitney Able) through the no-man's-land to the American border.
The effects, or what you see of them, are outstanding, and the art direction is considerably weather worn and go very far in setting up an established way of life.
And although the lead actors ultimately underplay the love story that develops, to the point of not caring, there is enough here to grab ahold of and spark your imagination.

Grade - B+

Mini Review - 'Inception'

Technically amazing. Stylish, stunning, handsome - every positive descriptive word for great visuals you can think of could describe this movie, even the story is very interesting, however this is where it is left down.
Sure it is masterfully told as to be complex, yet not confusing, however unless you have fully realized characters in your film, they idea, no matter how brilliant, is going to suffer.
Every single actor in this works extremely hard to add depth and fullness to their roles but each one of them fails. No amount of visual pizzaz can hide the fact that 'Inception' has no beating heart.
However, it is technically amazing.

Grade - B

Mini Review - 'Winter's Bone'

Easily one of the best films that I have seen this year, and looking at my roster I have not seen that many.
Expertly written and briliantly performed, the dark and bleak story glows with a unique beauty that not many films are able to capture.

Jennifer Lawrence deserve all the praise that is heaped upon her.
She litterally carries the film on her shoulders and never tries to make the character likable or sympathetic. She is just a young woman living in what are extraordinary circumstances to the viewer, yet they are everyday to her, and she conveys this - which is no easy feat.

Also outstanding are Dale Dickey are the frightening yet sympathetic Merad, and John Hawkes as Teardrop - a man full of contradiction and anger who is also surprisingly sensitive.

Grade - A-

'True Grit' trailer

I think we can safely say that this is going to be a wee bit of an event. I mean I am not the biggest fan of the 'western' genre, but my word does this film look riveting.
If the trailer is anything to go by - we are all in for a treat.
2010 is shaping up to me an amazing movie year!

Mini Review - 'How to Train Your Dragon'

This thinly disguised conservation film is a real family treat. Actually scrap that. It is a real adult treat.
The glorious animation aside, and the wonderful vocal work, this is a story that every animal lover can relate to.
This is also a reminder that all animals need protection, not just the cute fuzzy ones who look good on calendars.

The arial shots in this a mind blowing, they literally take you breath away, and the character animation on Toothless' is something to behold.
They have taken both cat and dog physicality's and expressions to make him fully relatable. And it works a treat.
I bet everyone who saw this film wants a pet dragon.

Grade - A-