"Jurassic Park"

There has been a real lack of re-releases at my local cinema so far this year, a trend it seems to be continuing from 2010.
But thankfully we see a welcome return this week of the monster classic "Jurassic Park" from Director Steven Spielberg.

You all know the story I'm story, but just in case.....Through the cloning process dinosaurs are recreated and allowed to walk the Earth once again, only within the confines of a Park, which the public will be allowed to visit. During initial preparations, a worker is killed by a dinosaur, and the family are taking legal action against billionaire John Hammond, the man and money behind the enterprise. To appease the courts he enlists the help of Dino experts Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler, and also Theorist Ian Malcolm. They are given a tour of the facilities, along with a lawyer and Hammond's Grandchildren.
Unbeknownst to them all, a disgruntled employee is hoping to sneak off the island with 15 dinosaur embryos to sell on to a rival company. He throws the Park into disarray to effect his escape, and this is where all hell breaks loose, and so do the dinosaurs.

Hard to believe that it has been almost 20 years since the original release. And it still is one thrill of  ride. The visual and special effects are still awesome, for the most part, it does however have to be said that a few effects now look a little dated, though technology has moved on in leaps and bounds in those 20 years. Without doubt the T-Rex sequences are still stunning, and remain a firm favourite. The whole cast are delightful in their roles and the score from John Williams is always a winner.

A great film for Cinema viewers young and old.....8 out of 10

"One Day"

The same day over a 20 year period is shown in the lives of two friends, who have known each other since University. We see the ups and downs as each successive year we wonder whether they will or won't get together in a proper relationship. They have dabbled with one another, but a relationship has not been forthcoming. Over the years their lives do become more seperate as 'Dexter' becomes involved with television as the presenter of a late night youth programme, and 'Emma' is a struggling writer who tries to stay afloat with work, whilst desperately trying to become a published author.
Emma's strong feelings for Dexter are not always reciprocated, as he seems to jump from one bed to another. Neither seem to be all that successful with the partners that they do find, and the same is said of their careers. The ultimate question is will they get settled down together?

I have been looking forward to this film for some time, and was glad to finally be watching it. Unfortunately it failed to live up to my expectations. The idea of taking one day from each year may work well within the best selling book that the film is based, but for me it did not work that well as a film. You just start to get settled into the current chapter of their lives, when it jumps forward another year, and in some instances it jumps literally within seconds.
Although the character of Dexter is not always a likeable one, of the two leads Jim Sturgess is given the best opportunity to shine.
Although I have not read the book, the build-up towards the end was all rather predictable. One could see the inevitable 'happening' a mile off.

A nice idea on paper, which is probably where it should have stayed.....5 out of 10

"30: Minutes Or Less"

Two rednecks need $100,000 fast so they can pay a hitman to bump off a parent, and therefore pocket millions in the process. So as not be implicated in the crime, they decide to strap a bomb to a Pizza delivery guy, and force him to rob a bank on their behalf.

Sounds hilarious, and given that it is from the creative team behind the smash comedy "Zombieland" and also stars Jesse Eisenberg, you would think that they would be onto a winning formula. How wrong can you be?
Putting it plain and simply, the film just isn't funny. The only time it gets even close to being funny is when the Bank robbery is undertaken. But it lasts only a couple of minutes. There was alot that could have been funnier, but it was not meant to be. The only cast member to come out of the film with any dignity is Aziz Ansari.

Given what had gone before, this should have been alot funnier....2 out of 10

"Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

George Smiley, British Spy, is ousted from the Secret Service along with his Department Head, Control. Just before their so called 'retirement', Control heard rumblings of a mole within the British Secret Service. The rumours continue and so Smiley returns to the corridors of his former workplace to try and uncover the mole.

At long last, the film I have been eagerly wanting to see. It is seldom these days that I build up my expectations for a movie, as all too often one ends up bitterly disappointed. But it is hard to do when one sees the trailer for a film like this.

The recreation of the 1973 setting is excellent, the dark and grainy look of the film adds to the tension. And as anyone will know it has the very best of British acting talent in its cast. With the likes of John Hurt, Ciaran Hinds, Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Tom Hardy and Benedict Cumberbatch, it is well worth the price of admission for the cast alone. Leading them all is Gary Oldman as George Smiley, it a beautifully understated performance, so quiet and subtle. He will surely need to make some space on the mantlepiece for his plethora of Awards, for believe me, they will be forthcoming.

One does have to pay attention as the timeline skips about alot, and with this spy thriller there is a very labyrinthine plot, and despite the subject matter, there are no car chases, no big explosions, no major fight scenes, just alot of men talking, the odd lady too. Yes it is a very dialogue driven film, so any fans of either Bond or Bourne should stay well clear.
But for this Cinema viewer, just listening to the delivery of a first class script, based on John Le Carre's classic words, and watching incredibly talented actors at the top of their game...well, it does not get much better than this.

A crime to miss it

10 out of 10 - Updated. Cannot believe I initally only scored it 9. It is the perfect film

"Colombiana"

A young girl sees her parents murdered by her the henchman of her father's former business associate. She flees the scene and with some help from the US Government, manages to get to the US. There she flees the Agents looking after her, and is able to find her remaining family living in the States.
She is determined to avenge her parents death, and asks her Uncle to train her to become a killer.

Jump forward several years, and the young girl has grown into the beautiful Zoe Saldana. Now she does the occasional hit on behalf of her Uncle, whilst also working towards killing the men responsible for the deaths of her parents.
The film comes from the team behind "Taken", which I find to be a first rate thriller. Sadly this latest effort falls flat on its own arse. The storyline is a composite of sections from so many other movies, and ultimately is an exercise in explosions, guns and Ms. Saldana looking glamorous.

Seeing what could be done with "Taken", this should have been so much better.

3 out of 10

"A Lonely Place To Die"

A nice little mountain climbing trip for some friends, the beauty of Scottish hills, what could possibly go wrong?

It would seem plenty. The group of five friends are enjoying their trip in the hills when a cry attracts their attention. They discover a young girl buried alive in the ground. They free her, but that is when their troubles really begin, as the men who buried her are on the scene, and are keen to recapture her.

I knew very little about this film before having viewed, and this benefitted me greatly. This is one of the best films I have seen all year. From the first frame the film never lets go. The characters backstory and friendship is set up very efficiently, allowing the Director to get on with telling the story. It is very compelling, taut, and has some stunning photography.
The kidnappers start to lower the quota of mountain climbing friends, but this is a film of two halves as we change scenery in the second half to a local Scottish village, where the Kidnappers, Mountain Climbers, and the men with money all converge.

It may sound far fetched, but is far from it. The story is brilliantly written and has an excellent cast bringing it to life. Julian Gilbey is at the top of his game and his Directing skills are showing British Talent at its very best, alongside his equally talented brother William.

For a suspense filled time at the cinema, I can think of nothing better to recommend than this masterpiece......9 out of 10

RIP Cliff Robertson

Oscar Winner Cliff Robertson sadly passed away yesterday. He was 88.

For me an instantly recognisable face, always reliable with such great performances in films like "Too Late The Hero", "Three Days of the Condor", and for me personally I best remember him for his work on the 80's soap "Falcon Crest". He is no doubt better known to younger cinema attendees as 'Ben Parker' in the Sam Raimi "Spiderman" films.
He was also one of a legion of actors to play The President which he did in "Escape From L.A."

Rest in peace Mr. Robertson

"Apollo 18"

Films of this type tend to fall into one of two camps, "The Blair Witch" camp i.e absolutely terrible or the "Paranormal Activity" camp, i.e really well done.

And how does this latest effort fare? Alas it falls into the former. I was really looking forward to this film, as I had first seen the trailer some time ago, and it really had me interested. Unfortunately it failed to deliver.
The documentary style does work well with the subject matter, and the initial build up is nicely done, but for a horror, there is a real lack of tension. There is the odd make you jump moment, but it lacks that punch.
There are also alot of unanswered questions about the film, and quite frankly I am now far too bored with this cinematic experience to want to delve into them now....or ever

Had potential, but failed on delivery.......4 out of 10 (REVISED SCORE 3 OUT OF 10)

PS - Roll on "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy"

"The Inbetweeners Movie"

It was a tough choice whether to watch this film, as I have never seen a single episode of the hit comedy series. And I still have the horrific memories of having watched "Serenity" and the makers of that film having not given any consideration to the fact that some viewers may not have seen "Firefly"....anyway back to the film at hand.

Four lads are leaving school, and decide to go on a lads holiday for plenty of sun, sea and many other words beginning with 'S'.
It is the usual kind of jokes, and at times they are funny. Certainly someone who was in the Cinema with us found it very funny, either she was on something or was a big fan of the show, could not decide which. It is a decent enough effort, and yes it has tempted me to start watching the show. There were no real laugh out loud moments. Yet I don't feel my lack of enjoyment was due to not having seen the show previously.

Passable......6 out of 10

"Dexter" series 5

Well, another series has come to a close.....and how has this one fared?

A series can really start to flag as we get to the fourth / fifth series etc. As much as I loved "The West Wing", nothing could get close to the brilliance of those first two seasons. So it was with much delight that I welcomed season 4 of "Dexter", which saw the show return to the very top of its game, just like that first season.
It was always going to be a tough act to follow, and it proved to be too tough. With 12 episodes screened, it was a show of two halves. The first half was bland, dull, not much to engage the viewer. The storyline at times just too convenient. It was with the appearance of the guest stars that the show started to come to life, most notably Johnny Lee Miller as 'Jordan Chase' and Peter Weller as 'Liddy'. At last there were signs of life in the Story-writers, and the Series started to pick up some pace and tension.

Star of the series.....well there is no debate there....Julia Styles step forward. Such a brilliant performance as the tortured Lumen, you can see why she was nominated for a Golden Globe.

After a weak start, the Series managed to pull it back, and would be my third favourite season.

"Fright Night"

Alot of people have gone on about this remake, and how it is such a bad idea, and what a travesty it is. To be honest I have not seen the original in a very long time, but from what memories I do have, I do not recall being all that impressed, so for me, this is the kind of film that is ripe for being remade.

I think ultimately the storyline is not that engaging. It is alright, and does the job, but having a vampire as a neighbour.....yawn!  Anton Yelchin does a decent job as 'Charley', and I like the exploration of his friendship with 'Ed' brilliantly played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse, and how they had been close friends, but when 'Charley' becomes more cool, he distances himself from 'Ed'.

Farrell is ok in the Vampire role of 'Jerry', but there are no demands made of him, nothing that makes the role stand out, a cheaper actor could have done just as good a job if not better. He was far better cast in the recent comedy "Horrible Bosses".

I seem to recall having a soft spot for Roddy McDowell as 'Peter Vincent' in the original movie, and have to say that things do start to pick up when David Tennant arrives on screen, playing the same role, and I am not just saying that with being a huge WHO fan, as I am not the only one to think it. He brings more charisma and humour to the screen, and plays the part wonderfully. At times foul mouthed, and such a departure from some of his previous roles. Highlight was the scene where was he was explaining about the problems of wearing leather trousers!!

Effects not bad, but not the greatest, have seen far better, and overall they are a bit of a letdown.

To sum up, its ok but just. Tennant and and the younger cast members save it from being a total disaster.  5 out of 10