Apologies again for the belated update, everyone; other things have gotten in the way of late. Mainly procrastination.
Toy Story 1 & 2 in 3D
(viewed 8th February 2010)
Synopsis: In Toy Story 1, cowboy doll Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) has his position as favourite toy threatened by the arrival of Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen). In Toy Story 2, Buzz sets out to rescue Woody when he is kidnapped by an evil toy salesman (voiced by Wayne Knight).
So I'm going to go ahead and assume you've all seen Toy Story 1 and 2. The 3D double feature was a great refresher course for the two films; I had all but forgotten the amazing animation, brilliant voice acting and hilarious writing of both films. They remain two of few films I watched as a kid that are still able to make me laugh.
The 3D effects, whilst admittedly not mindblowing nor overly necessary, do add to the charm of the films. In some scenes you can hardly tell it's in 3D, but in others it looks great, most notably the claw machine scene in 1.
This leaves only the anticipation for Toy Story 3. I can't wait to see it (it comes out the day before my birthday! =D), but I also can't help but be worried that it will be overhyped and will therefore ultimately disappoint. Only time will tell.
In short: slightly more magical and a good refresher. 3.5/5
Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
(viewed 12th February 2010)
Synopsis: A young boy named Percy (Logan Lerman), upon discovering he is the son of Poseidon (Kevin McKidd), must find Zeus' (Sean Bean) stolen lightning bolt before Zeus wages war.
No, Chris Columbus, this is NOT the next Harry Potter.
This modern take on Greek mythology is generally absurd. The story doesn't completely make sense and, although I'm not 100% on all the facts, I'm pretty sure it takes Greek mythology and rips it to shreds. Plus, surely there must be some better teen actors out there? Lerman was okay, as was Brandon T. Jackson, but Alexandra Daddario was quite bad.
Then you have Pierce Brosnan, who literally does nothing but stand around covered in hair, and Uma Thurman, whose portrayal of Medusa is laughable rather than terrifying. (Although, granted, she had to work with a green skull cap.) The only real positive thing about the cast is Jake Abel as Hermes' son Luke; he is able (no pun intended) to portray both innocent and evil so very convincingly, and with a helluva lot of charm and charisma. His few scenes were easily some of the most entertaining.
Despite some interesting fight sequences and a somewhat unexpected plot twist, Percy Jackson is, on the whole, boring. It doesn't provide anything new or overly exciting and definitely won't be around for the franchise to develop a Happy Meal toy.
In short: boring. 1.5/5
Daybreakers
(viewed 15th February 2010)
Synopsis: In the near future, nearly all of the human race has been converted into vampires. With the blood supply quickly diminishing, the vampires' scientists search for an alternative, whilst a small human resistance group works to repopulate the human race.
The first half of this film was quite good. The premise is interesting, and the lead American cast (Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe) are good. The beginning of the plotline is also quite well carried out, showing the vampire race as similar to humans; capable of ingenuity, self-extermination and panic. However, it goes downhill from there.
Firstly, the acceptable dialogue from the first half is replaced with butchery of the English language, as though the head writer went for a smoke break and a monkey finished the screenplay while he was gone. The visuals are vomit-enducing; I know it's a vampire movie, but some scenes are simply grotesuqe and are taken too far. Daybreakers also proves yet again that, on the whole, Australian actors are shit. And yes, I'm Australian, so I can say that. (The only arguable exceptions are Sam Neill and Jay Laga'aia, but they're Irish and Kiwi, respectively.)
The only positive thing about this trainwreck of a film is Willem Dafoe's character, Elvis. While all the other characters are angsting, wailing and generally being emo, Elvis just says "fuck it" and fires ten rounds outta his crazy shotgun-crossbow hybrid. He's awesome.
In summary: awful, hideous and painful. 0.5/5
Valentine's Day
(viewed 17th February 2010)
Synopsis: Various couples and singles break up, make up and intertwine on Valentine's Day.
Valentine's Day was a lot funnier than I expected, and I actually prefer it to Love Actually, since all of the people who deserve a happy ending in this film generally get one.
Despite the puke-inducing pairing of Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift (the latter of whom is an even worse actor than the former), they are easily ignorable to make way for a big, great cast. Almost everyone in this film holds their own in a charming and/or hilarious way, the obvious standouts being Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel, Bradley Cooper, Hector Elizondo and Julia Roberts. I still maintain my hatred for Jessica Alba and Jamie Foxx, and I won't say any more on that issue.
Basically, if you want a film that is funny, witty, sweet and generally interesting with a very surprising twist at the end, then this is the film for you. It's not too heavy, but it's got enough brains to be watchable. Points for anyone who spots and names the hilarious cameo at the beginning.
In short: fun, sweet and interesting. 4/5
From Paris With Love
(viewed 19th February 2010)
Synopsis: Low-level CIA operative James (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) finally gets his chance at a senior-level assignment, and he can't believe his good luck until he meets his gun-toting, wise-cracking partner Charlie Wax (John Travolta).
What sucked me into this film was the hilarious trailer. Not to say From Paris With Love is bad, it's just not that great either; it's funny, but not as funny as the trailer makes it out to be.
There are plenty of awesome fight sequences and some great dialogue, but on the flip side the plot can get a big confusing, the twist is expected and some scenes can drag on. John Travolta plays his character well, obviously providing most laughs, kicking ass and generally doing most of the badassery. Meyers is good too, being both funny, dramatic and convincing as the CIA noob.
There isn't much else to say; the film is entertaining on the whole, but won't leave any big impact on you.
In short: somewhat entertaining but drags on. 2.5/5
Alice in Wonderland
(viewed 5th March 2010)
Synopsis: Alice (Mia Wasikowska) returns to Wonderland, a nonsense dream world she unkowingly frequented in her youth, and aids in the battle against the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) and her evil legion.
This is perhaps the response you all expected from me, but WOW. I loved Alice so much! It was magical and fun and exciting and thoroughly enjoyable. I had such a good time watching it, and had a big fat smile on my face the whole time. Firstly, the visual effects are brilliant, and were only enhanced by seeing it at IMAX. The scenery is gorgeous, and alterations to the actors such as Carter's enlarged head and Crispin Glover's stretched body add to their characters greatly.
Then there's the cast. God, the cast! I am such a big fan of so many of the names here; Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Anne Hathaway, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Stephen Fry, Matt Lucas, Michael Sheen and even Christopher Lee! They are all brilliant and/or hilarious in their own ways, especially Depp, Carter, Glover and Hathaway. The voicework is also top-notch.
There is very little I didn't like about this film; Wasikowska's accent was a little off, but that will improve with time. There is also an event at the end of the film that got a little weird and out of hand, but I'll let you discover that one for yourself.
Let's face it; if you're after a blow-by-blow adaptation of Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass, you're going to be disappointed, because Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland is neither one nor the other, but rather an amalgamation of the two. It's not a completely faithful adaptation; it's Burton's vision, and an amazing one at that.
In short: brilliant, fun and magical. 5/5
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