Virtual--Toast

New movies; Mar. 18th - May 21st (loooong post)

2010-05-12T20:30:00.026+10:00

Combo whore!: How To Train Your Dragon x2 (20th March, 7th April), Kick-Ass x3 (8th, 15th and 19th April), Iron Man 2 x2 (29th April, 8th May)
New DVDs: Chuck Season 1 and 2, The IT Crowd Season 3, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Austin Powers in Goldmember

Apologies once again for the delay, and for the long post this time around. Life and university got in the way.

The Bounty Hunter
(viewed 18th March 2010)

Synopsis: When bounty hunter Milo (Gerard Butler) is tasked to arrest his ex-wife Nicole (Jennifer Aniston), he thinks it's the perfect job, until they find themselves on the run from criminals whom Nicole was investigating for murder.

Here is another film to add to the list of Films Whose Trailer Had All the Good Bits. The trailer was amusing, and I'm a fan of Butler's, so I figured, what could go wrong? What I saw was a generally unfunny comedy wherein two ex-lovers bickered for an hour and a half and eventually made up.

There were a few small parts that, from memory, made me laugh, but would have done better had I not seen the trailer. So, if you're thinking about watching this when it comes out on DVD, try not to watch the trailer beforehand.

Aniston wasn't anything special; not terrible but not really any good either. Butler didn't do much better than her, but he's hot enough to make up for it. There isn't much else to be said for this film; if you fancy Gerard Butler, then you'll at least be able to sit through it. (That's my excuse, anyway.)

In short: unfunny. 1.5/5

Cop Out
(viewed 19th March 2010)

Synopsis: A veteran cop (Bruce Willis) has his rare baseball card, and only way to pay for his daughter's (Michelle Tratchenberg) wedding, stolen. His partner (Tracy Morgan) helps him find the thief, who turns out to be more dangerous than expected.

I went to see this movie out of pure boredom, and wished afterwards that I'd stayed at home instead. It was boring, unfunny, illogical and just generally stupid. It tried to be a comedy and a thriller at the same time, two genres that I still maintain just don't work together. Bruce Willis really needs to get his career back on track.

The characters, rather than being funny, were simply annoying, Tracy Morgan's character being the prime example. Seann William Scott's thief/ninja was funny for the first five seconds, but afterwards I just wanted to punch him in the face. There was also a second pair of dimwitted cops, one of whom was played by Adam Brody, who hindered the film rather than helped it.

There wasn't really anything good about this film. There might've been a few short instances that made me chuckle, but on the whole, it was a pretty lame effort.

In short: boring and unfunny. 1/5

How To Train Your Dragon
(viewed 30th March, 7th April 2010)

Synopsis: A young Viking, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), aspires to fight dragons like his father (voiced by Gerard Butler), but his dragon-slaying view is changed when he befriends a dragon in the flesh.

This movie is AMAZING. It seems the season for crappy comedies and brilliant animated films. I can only rave about HTTYD; the computer animation is fantastic, the voicework is top-notch, it's written really well, etc. etc. Just, go see it. Please.

I especially love the differet types of dragons introduced; often, in a kids film, they'll just have one type of dragon, but the myriad of versions introduced here is both interesting and unique, especially when the hierarchy of the dragons' lives is introduced. The plot is always interesting and engaging for both kids and adults. Also, the main dragon, Toothless, is easily THE CUTEST animated creature you will ever see. Words cannot describe how simply adorable he is, and yet, he can switch to menacing and back again in the blink of an eye.

The voice cast is amazingly talented and diverse; as well as Baruchel and Butler, there is Craig Ferguson, America Ferrera, Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig, among others. Cookies for anyone who spots David Tennant's character. There are a few scenes that might be a little scary for kids, which is actually yet another praise to the animators.

Overall, How To Train Your Dragon is a brilliant film that is gorgeously animated, well-voiced and written and thoroughly entertaining for both children and adults. It well deserves its place in IMDb's Top 250.

In short: amazing. 5/5

She's Out Of My League
(viewed 5th April 2010)

Synopsis: Airport security guard Kirk (Jay Baruchel) falls in love with a gorgeous woman, Molly (Alice Eve), but both he and his family think Kirk isn't good enough for her.

Yay, another crappy rom-com! [/sarcasm]

This film is no different to the rest; geeky guy meets hot girl, falls in love, thinks he's not good enough, she says he is, happily ever after. There is really nothing else to this film. It's not awful, it's just awfully generic.

I'm a big fan of Jay Baruchel, and it's not his fault that the film sucked, so the only thing I'll criticize him for is perhaps agreeing to be in the film in the first place. The main problem here is simply that nothing new is brought to the table; it's just the same old romantic comedy formula all over again.

One thing that really struck me was Alice Eve; I don't know if it was the way she was lit or shot or so forth, but it seemed like every time she was on screen the whole film turned into a soap opera. It might've been the effect they were going for, or it might be a figment of my imagination, but there you go.

In short: formulaic and boring. 1/5

Kick-Ass
(viewed 8th, 15th and 19th April 2010)

Synopsis: A teenage boy, Dave (Aaron Johnson), trains himself to become a superhero named Kick-Ass, only to become intertwined with real superheroes and very real villains.

I - freaking - LOVE - Kick-Ass!! Based on the comics/graphic novels of the same name, it is the perfect action/comic book movie, effortlessly mixing comedy, drama, action and etreme violence and language to great effect.

Firstly, there's the cast. Johnson is great as Dave/Kick-Ass, conveying comedy and drama very effectively. Starring as fellow superheroes are Chloe Moretz as Hit Girl and Nicolas Cage as Big Daddy. Moretz is a brilliant little actress who, at just 13, has a great career ahead of her (and no, I have no qualms about her doing the majority of the ass-kicking and swearing). As for Cage; I used to have a rule that basically said, don't watch a film if Nicolas Cage is in it. Well, Kick-Ass has restored my faith in him. He is positively hilarious in this film, and does well in the dramatic scenes too.

There's also Mark Strong who, despite being arguably typecast, plays a brilliant villain in Frank D'Amico, and Christopher "McLovin'" Mintz-Plasse as Frank's son Chris/Red Mist, prevailing in his usual comic territory and surprisingly holding his own dramatically too.

The film is overly violent and has a lot of swearing, so no, it's not cool for anyone under 15. However, this adds to the film rather than hindering it; the violence is comic-like and not realistic, and both it and the language is mostly used in a hilarious manner. There are a few scenes that are a bit full-on, but adequate for their individual scenes.

All in all, and to be incredibly cheesy, Kick-Ass is, well...

In short: kick-ass! 5/5

Date Night
(viewed 9th April 2010)

Synopsis: A married couple (Tina Fey and Steve Carell) take another couple's booking at a restaurant and are subsequently forced to run for their lives when they are mistaken for a pair of criminals.

I hope whoever is in charge of advertising these movies is getting paid extra, because here's another film whose best bits are in the trailer.

Date Night is nowhere near as funny as it should have been. I'm a big fan of both Carell and Fey, and whilst neither quite hits their stride in this film they don't really do badly either, so the blame should fall on the writers. A lot of the jokes fall short and, apparently realising that they have fallen short, last longer than they should, making them more awkward than mildly funny.

Mark Wahlberg is refreshing, however; out of his usual action comfort zone, he fares reasonably well in a comedy, providing the majority of the few laughs here. There is also a scene later in the film in a strip club that is mildly amusing, but aside from that, keep your eye on Wahlberg's scenes.

Mila Kunis and James Franco play the criminal couple Fey and Carell's characters are mistaken for, and should also have been funnier than they were, which is again down to the writers. Sure, they are only guest stars at best, but with the characters and screen time they were given they didn't really have room to flourish.

In short: less funny than it should've been. 2/5

When In Rome
(viewed April 2010)

Synopsis: At her sister's wedding in Rome, Beth (Kristen Bell) takes five coins out of the Fountain of Love, causing five men to fall in love with her.

I am quite glad I didn't pay to see this. I won the tickets and, quite frankly, if I could see the future I would never pay to see it. The film was mostly boring and unfunny, and the problem was, the film thought it was HILARIOUS. There is one scene at the start of the film where Beth is trying to smash a jar that won't break, and it just goes for way longer than it should.

Beth is a boring character; it's not Bell's fault, it's just the way the character is written. Beth's attempted suitors are terrible, too; Danny DeVito, Jon Heder, Will Arnett and Dax Shepard should all really know better. Although, granted, Arnett's character gets better as the film goes on.

Really the only good thing about this film is Josh Duhamel; he's cute, he's funny, he's charizmatic and surprisingly very good at physical comedy. He provides most of the very sparing laughs.

In short: Duhamel fans only, please. 1/5

Hot Tub Time Machine
(viewed 28th April 2010)

Synopsis: Three friends, Adam (John Cusack), Nick (Craig Robinson) and Lou (Rob Coddry), and Adam's nephew Jacob (Clark Duke), go on holiday to a crappy motel, only to be transported back to the eighties when their hot tub inexplicably becomes a time machine.

Crap comedies ahoy!

Whilst, admittedly, this film is slightly better than the other comedies that are out at the moment, Hot Tub Time Machine is nothing to really rave about. There are a few lol-worthy moments and some talented actors thrown in (e.g. Crispin Glober, Lizzy Caplan and Lyndsy Fonesca), but on the whole it's not anything special.

The main characters, besides Jacob, are generally annoying, as is Chevy Chase's character. Some jokes are also really forced, such as a Michael Jackson joke early in the film, but there is some nice breaking of the fourth wall, too. Arguably the best part of this film is that it never takes itself too seriously; the film knows it's just a comedy, and that the storyline is wholly far-fetched, but rather than try to explain it away the film just makes fun of it.

On the whole, it's nothing brilliant, but better than most other comedies on offer at the moment.

In short: okay, but not great. 2/5

Iron Man 2
(viewed 29th April, 8th May 2010)

Synopsis: Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Iron Man's real-world identity and now an international celebrity, is forced to deal with pressures from the Ameican government, shady competing weapons designers such as Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), his own deteriorating health and a villainous Russian out for revenge (Mickey Rourke).

This film ROCKS. It's like Iron Man 1 times two. It ups the ante in all aspects; the cast is great, the action is great and the special effects are AWESOME. In Iron Man 1 it was kinda obvious that they'd superimposed Downey Jr.'s head into Iron Man's suit; now, thanks to technological advancement, we can see an almost flawless image of him literally stepping into or out of an Iron Man suit. The fight scenes are also fantastic; cars get sliced in half, people are strangled with electric cables, stuff explodes, robots get lasered; it's just awesome.

The cast is great, too. The whole main cast from Iron Man 1 is back, save for Don Cheadle who replaced Terrence Howard, albeit to no detriment of the film. Scarlett Johansson is a nice addition as Natasha Romanoff, as is Rockwell as Justin Hammer. I am such a big fan of Sam Rockwell; he's a brilliant actor and is greatly underestimated. People would be wise to keep an eye on him, because I feel he has a big role coming up in future Iron Man film endeavors, as well as his career in general.

On the filp side, and although he was pretty badass, I didn't really like Mickey Rourke as the primary villain, Ivan Vanko. They couldn't have picked someone who looked less Russian; he had the accent down, but there's a scene at the start where he's in Russia speaking with some skinny, pale, obviously-Russian men, whilst Rourke is standing there being the big, tanned, dreadlocked beefcake that he is. His acting is also laughable in parts, but really, for me, he was the only downside to this awesome film. Bring on the Avengers!

P.S: Stay after the credits.

In short: awesome. 4.5/5

I Love You Too
(viewed 12th May 2010)

Synopsis: Commitment-phobe Jim (Brendan Cowell) tries to win back his British girlfriend Alice (Yvonne Strahovski) when she leaves as a result of him being unable to say "I love you".

Holy shit - a GOOD Australian film!

I Love You Too is really sweet, and reasonably funny. Written by comedian and Rove Live regular Peter Helliar, it defied my expectations and is one of very few Australian films that I actually like (and I'm Australian, so I can say that). Helliar's writing is funny, touching and good all-around.

Cowell is good as Jim; relatable, moderately interesting and funny at times. The same goes with Bridie Carter and Travis McMahon as Jim's sister and brother in law, respectively. Helliar is good too, but I couldn't stop thinking "Hey, it's Peter Helliar!" every time he came on screen.

The real standouts are Strahovski as Alice; I'm a big fan of hers, and anyone who watches the TV series Chuck will know how great an actress she is. She's an Aussie, but puts on a flawless British accent. Another great performance comes from Peter Dinklage as Charlie, who almost moved me to tears at one point. Megan Gale is also great as supermodel Francesca Moretti; she does quite well in dramatic scenes and, surprisingly, does a great Italian accent. Overall, it's a nice, well-written Australian comedy. It's not amazing, but it's better than a lot of other Aussie films.

In short: sweet and funny. 3/5

Robin Hood
(viewed 21st May 2010)

Synopsis: A retelling of the classic story of how Robin Longstride (Russell Crowe) became the legend known as Robin Hood.

Me seeing this film was another result of pure boredom; nothing inclined me to see it, it just seemed the most bearable out of everything that was in cinemas. And I feel like I made the right choice.

Robin Hood was exciting, interesting and generally a good film all around. The action sequences, in true Ridley Scott style, were incredibly well executed, action-packed and adequately violent without going over the top. The story was written well, too; it put a fresh spin on the story that most people will know by now, whilst still being reasonably easy to understand.

The cast was great; Crowe surprisingly, and Cate Blanchett was fantastic as Marion. Mark Strong was, again, a great villain, and newcomer Oscar Isaac was very convincing as the conniving Prince John. My other favourite, among many other great performances, was Kevin Durand as Little John; being Canadian and arguably best known as villain Keamy from TV's Lost, it was great to see Durand providing an essentially flawless accent and a good performance as a hero.

There wasn't really anything overly negative about this film; the two-and-a-half-hour runtime might be too long for some viewers but I personally didn't feel it dragged on. I wouldn't say I'd go and see it again, but it was an entertaining film nonetheless.

In short: exciting and entertaining. 3/5

New movies; Feb. 8th - Mar. 5th

2010-03-14T22:53:00.016+11:00

New DVDs: The Hangover, Russell Brand: Doing Life Live, Glee: Pilot Episode Director's Cut

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

New movies; Dec. 30th - Jan. 31st

2010-01-31T18:22:00.011+11:00

Combo whore!: Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel x2 (28th December, 20th January)
New DVDs: Supernatural Season 4, How I Met Your Mother Season 4, Fanboys

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel
(viewed 28th December 2009, 20th January 2010)

Synopsis: When Dave (Jason Lee) is hospitalized, Alvin (voiced by Justin Long), Simon (voiced by Matthew Gray Gubler) and Theodore (voiced by Jesse McCartney) are forced to live with Dave's relative Toby (Zachary Levi) and, even worse, attend high school.

What can I say; if you want a short, colorful, cutesy yet watchable film aimed directly at kids, then this is definitely one for you. Clearly Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel is as generic and predictable as the first film, but not for the bad reasons. It's everything a kid's film is meant to be, whilst still being bearable for the adults.

The cast is quite good here; Jason Lee (although only a minor role this time around) and David Cross are good, and Zachary Levi is quite funny throughout. The voice acting for the Chipmunks is also well done (especially Matthew Gray Gubler, but that might be my inner fangirl-bias), including the welcome additions of Christina Applegate, Amy Poehler and Anna Faris as the voices of the Chipettes.

There are a few negative aspects that make the first installment slightly better than Squeakuel. Alvin has become very self-centered charcater-wise which focuses more on former-supporting characters Simon and Theodore, since they are therefore more likeable. The female chipmunks, the Chipettes, also seem less-well animated; they look very fake, as compared to the Chipmunks, with whom the animation is mostly top-notch.

Cookies for anyone who spots the Dodgeball reference. :)

In short: cute, amusing and watchable for adults. 3/5

Old Dogs
(viewed 30th December 2009)

Synopsis: Two friends and business partners, Charlie (John Travolta) and Dan (Robin Williams), find their lives turned upside down when they suddenly have to care for Dan's two estranged kids.

I'll be frank; I don't remember much of this film, which just shows what an impression it left on me. There were a couple of moments where I laughed out loud, but on the whole this is yet another example of sub-par school holiday 'family entertainment' that includes lead actors who are clearly going "My career is ending!" through gritted teeth. (Sorry Robin Williams and John Travolta, but somebody had to say it.)

The only saving graces of this film I can recall (and they are very, very small saving graces) were the few times I laughed, and a handful of quite sweet moments Dan had with his kids. Besides this, the film is riddled with plot elements that just shouldn't be in a kids film (illegitimate children that the main character didn't know existed, drug references and the kids' mother going to jail, for example) and several examples of some truly awful CGI.

Basically, only see this film if someone else pays to take you.

In short: cheesy, lame and relatively uninteresting. 1.5/5

The Princess and the Frog
(viewed 6th January 2010)

Synopsis: Tiana (voiced by Anika Noni Rose), a hard-working New Orleans girl who dreams of becoming a princess, is accidentally turned into a frog when she kisses Naveen (voiced by Bruno Campos), a prince under the same curse.

What a beautiful film! It's very refreshing to see Disney going back to their roots, and boy, have they done it brilliantly. The animation is amazing, the voicework is top-notch and the songs are lovely. If you don't dance around in your seat (or at least tap your toes) to The Princess and the Frog's soundtrack, you're dead inside.

Disney have also done very well to stay true to the look and feel of New Orleans. The locations, themes and characters etc. are all spot-on with the time period and are simply a beautiful sight to behold. It's also refreshing to see Disney's first African-American princess - racial equality for the win!

Sadly, though, I feel there is something that The Princess and the Frog lacks that will hinder it from becoming a 'classic' Disney film of the likes of Beauty and the Beast or Cinderella. Perhaps it's that the original story is less well-known than the others, or simply that hand-drawn animated features have all but passed their use-by date. Regardless of this, it's a gorgeous film (there, I said 'gorgeous' mum. Deal with it :) ) and will have you leave the cinema with a big fat smile on your face.

In short: beautiful and enchanting. 4/5

It's Complicated
(viewed 12th January 2010)

Synopsis: Jane (Meryl Streep) hooks up with her ex-husband Jake (Alec Baldwin) during her son's college graduation. Whilst excited at finally being the mistress, Jane also can't help but be drawn to charismatic architect Adam (Steve Martin).

This film was surprisingly funnier than I expected. Meryl Streep is quickly becoming one of my favourite actresses; she is positively hilarious, and if I look half as good as her when I'm her age I'll be happy. She effortlessly carries this film and does so with perfected charm and wit. Steve Martin is also a surprise, in that he has toned down his comedic aspects in favour of a more romantic vibe, and still manages to be the side-splitting clown we know him as.

The support cast is also great, with the obvious standout being John Krasinski, whom I had vastly underrated prior to this film. He had me laughing out loud in almost every scene he appeared in, and fitted nicely with all other actors whilst simultaneously holding his own. Nancy Meyers' writing is also deserving of praise, in that she avoids a definitive ending (and therefore avoids praising or frowning upon extra-marital affairs) whilst providing an appropriate amount of happiness and closure.

But God - I HATE Alec Baldwin! He is truly awful in this film; his character comes across as purely annoying, and had me audibly sighing in exasperation whenever he came on screen. His character is sleazy and unfunny, which perhaps could've been improved with different casting, but in all honesty, pring your iPod for his scenes.

In short: hilarious and well-written. 4/5

Tooth Fairy
(viewed 14th January 2010)

Synopsis: Minor-league hockey player Derek Thompson (Dwayne "Don't Call Me The Rock Anymore, Okay?" Johnson) commits a bad deed and, as a result, must serve a one-week sentence - as a tooth fairy.

Hooray, another kids' school holiday film! And, sadly, another relatively generic one at that. The idea is amusing enough - who doesn't want to see The Rock dressed in a tutu standing beside Julie Andrews? - but it grows tired quickly. As amusing as Dwayne Johnson is, he doesn't quite hit his stride in this film, and seems doomed to play douchey sports stars turned good for the rest of his career.

The cast of this film is entertaining enough; Johnson and Andrews as mentioned above, as well as Stephen Merchant, whom some of you will recognise from Extras and the UK version of The Office. His sarcastic brand of humor provides most laughs here. The biggest laugh comes from Andrews, however, so please stay for the end credits. Family Guy fans will also enjoy a cameo by Seth MacFarlane, in a rare appearance not behind a writer's desk or microphone.

What annoyed me about Tooth Fairy is the lack of magical-ness regarding the fairies themselves; there was too much sarcastic humor and strict rules and not enough outright kindness. Also, Ryan Sheckler, please go back to your hometown skate park and stay there. You don't belong in Hollywood.

In short: amusing, if generic. 2/5

Law Abiding Citizen
(viewed 31st January 2010)

Synopsis: A man (Gerard Butler) whose family is brutally murdered in front of him takes matters into his own hands when the justice system fails him and one of his family's killers walks free.

Quick tip: don't eat much before seeing this film. Queasiness overload in the first half-hour.

Law Abiding Citizen is a relatively exciting thriller that questions the accuracy of America's criminal justice system. The only problem is, it starts off as a film that wants to have an underlying message about today's society, but takes this message onto the back porch about one-third of the way in and lights it on fire. Instead of presenting these ideas and asking the what, why and how like it should, it goes "THIS IS WRONG MKAY" and quickly gets back to the violence.

The other main problem (besides Jamie Foxx's acting, but I won't go there) is Gerard Butler's villain, Clyde. I'm sure he'd be perfectly capable of playing a terrifying villain, but the way he is written here simply doesn't work. At the beginning of the film he is a broken man, whom we as viewers pelt mercilessly with our sympathy. A few scenes later, however, as he begins to brutally torture a man, he quickly changes into a generic, batshit-crazy-for-no-completely-discernable-reason CSI Villain of the Week; one who is completely undeserving of the aforementioned sympathy. As a result of this, the eventual climax and ending is, in fact, quite anticlimactic.

That and Clyde's whole scheme is absurd. The majority of his diabolical plot resides around him getting sent to prison and subsequently moved into solitary confinement - but, short of being a Time Lord, how could he be sure which prison he would go to and not be transferred out of state, for example? Numerous miraculous happenings such as these make the film much less believable than it should be.

This is all not to say the film isn't exciting, however. The real fun of this film comes from knowing exactly which scenes in which someone is going to die, but not knowing at all exactly when or how. There are several well-executed instances which cause viewers to jump from their seats, or cringe away in horror, that still make the film unsettling yet entertaining.

In short: entertaining albeit poorly executed. 2.5/5

New movies; Dec. 9th - Dec. 27th

2009-12-27T23:50:00.007+11:00

Current viewing record: Zombieland x4 (3rd, 9th, 11th and 16th of December)
New DVDs: Mean Girls, 27 Dresses, Wedding Crashers, Happy Gilmore, Die Hard 4.0, Flight of the Conchords S2

A VERY MERRY (belated) CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF MY LOVELY READERS(?)!!! Hope you all had a great one.

Avatar 3D
(viewed 21st December 2009)

Synopsis: A paraplegic marine named Jake (Sam Worthington) takes his brother's place and is dispatched to dangerous alien planet Pandora. He is ultimately torn between following orders and protecting the planet's natives, with whom he has a strange connection.

Wow, this film is GORGEOUS.

I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Avatar in 3D at Melbourne's IMAX cinema, which is the third-largest cinema screen in the world. It was my first time there and I was absolutely blown away by the scale and effect of the cinema, as well as the film itself. It is one of the most visually gorgeous, aesthetically pleasing and well-made films I have ever had the pleasure to watch; you can just tell that everyone who was involved with this film worked really, really hard on it. I will be surprised if it doesn't win Best Picture at the Oscars.

This film MUST be watched in 3D; I'm sure it's brilliant otherwise, but the 3D effects really top it off. All throughout the film I felt totally immersed in it; at risk of sounding cheesy, at certain points I honestly felt I was right there with Jake Sully and the Na'Vi. I found myself ducking as dangerous creatures flew overhead and pushing myself back into my seat as Jake teetered on the edge of a cliff.

It probably doesn't need to be said, but the CGI and animation is absolutely stunning. The blue, humanoid Na'Vi aliens are not at all gimmicky; they literally look as though they have taken Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver and painted them blue. Weaver looks AMAZING for her age, by the way. If Avatar doesn't win Best Picture, it HAS to at least win every animation and CGI award available.

There are very few letdowns; the film is nearly three hours long, which can be tiresome. Also, as brilliant as his performance is, Worthington's accent often slips. It's nothing major, but perhaps something that he will be able to control with more experience.

In short: absolutely, amazingly brilliant. 5/5

Sherlock Holmes
(viewed 27th December 2009)

Synopsis: Guy Ritchie's adaptation of the classic character pits Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his trusted companion Watson (Jude Law) against an evil aristocrat with supernatural powers (Mark Strong) and his mission to take over the world.

Sherlock Holmes is a very entertaining film. Robert Downey Jr. fills Holmes' shoes brilliantly; his accent is right and he continues to prove that he is very apt in a comedy situation, as well as action. He also has great chemistry with Jude Law; their scenes together, either comedic, action-packed or dramatic, are easily some of the most entertaining.

The storyline is also engaging; there are many curious and interesting twists and turns as well as amazing fight and action sequences. Several of these scenes rely heavily on CGI, but only to their benefit. Mark Strong's villain is also appropriately terrifying.

In true Guy Ritchie form, the many sub-plots are perpetually intertwined and shrouded in mystery; unfortunately, though, at some points this becomes too convoluted and makes certain bouts of Holmes' detective-babble hard to follow. Rachel McAdams' character mostly seems almost irrelevant. Ritchie still executes the plot and its twists effectively, however, and the eventual conclusion is a very interesting and satisfying one.

In short: entertaining and exciting, if a little convoluted at times. 4/5

New movies; 26th Nov. - 4th Dec.

2009-12-05T21:31:00.017+11:00

So I've decided I'm just going to review movies in clumps as I see new films and subsequently (eventually) get the drive to post on here. Clumps of film reviews. Yes. :)

The Invention Of Lying
(viewed 26th November 2009)

Synopsis: In a world where everyone tells the truth, 'loser' Mark Bellison (Ricky Gervais) is the first man to discover how to lie.

Note to self: Rob Lowe looks terrible with stubble.

So here is Ricky Gervais' latest attempt to win over Hollywood. Don't get me wrong, I like a little bit of Ricky G on occasion, and in this film he is relatively funny whilst silumtaneously proving he actually does quite well with drama, too (he almost had me in tears at one point). That said, there are also several occasions in The Invention of Lying where Gervais' comedic style of simply stuttering and rephrasing a normal sentence is simply tiresome.

Add to this the fact that the film becomes unprecedentedly preachy, with Gervais' character suddenly turning into someone akin to Moses and bitch-slapping the audience with tales of 'a man who lives in the clouds' (the famous Ten Commandments tablets are even directly spoofed, using pizza boxes, of all things). All I could do, as a hapless cinemagoer, was huddle further into my semi-cushioned, Coke-stained seat and stammer, "Wait, wait, what? 'Man in the clouds'? Heaven and Hell? Holy shit, I just wanted to see that guy from the real version of The Office."

Perhaps the film would have been funnier if it had made better use of its cast; Jennifer Garner is good, but Rob Lowe's character is pretty boring, and the rest of the potentially hilarious A-listers (names such as Tina Fey, Jonah Hill and even Philip Seymour Hoffman) barely have five minutes each of screen time.

The film eventually comes off as one that isn't as funny as it should be, and that tries to have an overall message or prominent social commentary, but doesn't achieve either.

In short: amusing, but mostly misses the mark. 2/5

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
(viewed 1st December 2009)

Synopsis: In order to solve his town's food crisis, scientist Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader) invents a machine that converts water into food, but accidentally shoots it into the sky, causing food to rain from the sky.

I fully expected this film to be a cutesy, marginally amusing kids school holiday flick. Which it is, but it is also so much more. I saw this with four other friends, and we surprisingly found ourselves falling over each other in laughter.

Firstly, the film is simply gorgeous. The animation is top-notch, hilarious and colorful. The animators are to be commended for their ability to portray the slapstick humor of the characters with the realism of the foods that fall from the sky.

The script is also hilarious, with much dialogue that adults can appreciate as well as children. There are a lot of jokes that will go over kids' heads, but that's where the visuals come in - they'll be so entranced by the ice cream-covered houses that they won't care.

Another massive plus is the voice acting. All of the main cast is brilliant, especially Bill Hader and Anna Faris, who voice their characters with gusto. However, the obvious standouts are Neil Patrick Harris as Steve the monkey (he barely says anything besides "Steve!" and "Gummi bears!" but damn, he's hilarious), and Mr. T, who plays a hilariously over-zealous and very physical cop, and pretty much takes the piss out of himself. People in my cinema cheered out loud when Mr. T's name showed up in the credits, because his work was just that awesome.

In short: surprisingly hilarious and fun for all ages. 4/5

The Time Traveler's Wife
(viewed 2nd December 2009)

Synopsis: A woman falls in love with a man who has a genetic anomaly that causes him to involuntarily time-travel.

There isn't much to say about this film, really. The story is interesting enough and eventually heartbreaking, and will reduce most to tears. However, as the film progresses, it starts to feel less like a plot and more like an excuse to keep putting actors on the screen. Speaking of the actors, both Eric Bana and Rachel McAdams are pretty good; nothing overly special or Oscar-worthy, but they're definitely not bad.

The only other element in this film worth discussing is the somewhat impressive CGI. It's nothing extravagant, but the way Eric Bana's character slowly fades into nothingness is very well executed.

In short: Not bad, but not great. 3/5

Zombieland
(viewed 3rd December 2009)

Synopsis: In zombie-occupied USA, a young man and his rules for survival in the zombie apocalypse are put to the test when he meets an eclectic bunch of fellow survivors.

All I can say is that this film was FANTASTIC. Hilariously written, each character is funny in their own individual way. Zombieland is a welcome addition to the growing zombie-comedy sub-genre.

One of my favourite elements of this film was the continuing references to Columbus' (Jesse Eisenberg) list of rules which he strictly follows in order to survive. Whenever he obeys or carries out one of the rules, it would hilariously pop up in CGI-style title cards to remind you of his strict rules.

All four main cast members are brilliant, especially Woody Harrelson, whose character's side-splitting one-liners and general badassery will have guys (and some girls) walking through supermarkets playing the Deliverance theme on banjos for ages. There is also a fucking AWESOME cameo at the halfway mark, but I'm going to take a leaf out of Empire magazine's book (no pun intended) and refer to the person only as The Cameo, since it's so awesome you'd skin me alive if I spoiled it for you.

Really the only, very slight, downside to this film is the violence. There is a lot of gruesome, slow-mo violence in the opening credits, so much so that I was cringing in my seat, hoping that it wasn't throughout the rest of the film. Thankfully, it wasn't. Despite a few momentary spurts of extreme violence, the fact that the really bad stuff is contained within the opening credits makes the film tolerable and much more enjoyable.

In short: brilliant and absolutely hilarious. 4.5/5

Where the Wild Things Are
(viewed 4th December 2009)

Synopsis: A disobedient young boy, Max (Max Records), who is sent to bed without his supper, creates his own world inhabited by ferocious wild creatures who crown him as their leader.

Somewhat interesting trivia: Aussie comedian Angus Sampson is the guy in The Bull costume.

Where the Wild Things Are is a gorgeous, failthful adaptation of the famous childrens' book. The locations are simply breathtaking (we have Australia to thank for that, as the film was mostly shot there), and the CGI on the monsters themselves is flawless. They are both terrifying and cute. The voice acting for the monsters is also fantastic, most notably by James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara, although all voices are charming and hilarious. Max Records is great as Max.

The soundtrack is also a standout, with easy-listening songs that match the film's general calm, cute tone. There is nothing too intense and some scenes feel akin to being hugged by an adult wearing a warm, furry jacket.

Unfortunately, the film is sadder than expected, and also drags on in places. This is generally counteracted, though, by the sheer beauty of the majority of the film, and the general magical feel of it. Some scenes simply make you grin from ear to ear and feel like you are eight years old again.

In short: cute and magical, but drags on in places. 3/5

SPECIAL EXTRA-CRISPY DVD REVIEW
Fanboys

Synopsis: Four Star Wars fanboys embark on a cross-country road trip in order to steal a rough cut of Star Wars Episode I from Skywalker Ranch before one of them succumbs to cancer.

I am in love with this film. It is hilarious and heartwarming and all the Star Wars references a Star Wars nerd could possibly want. You'll love it if you're a Wars fan, and you'll like it even if you're not. Besides, for you boys that aren't fans, it has Kristen Bell dressed as Slave Leia. Yeah, that got your attentions.

Not only is this film heartwarming, but it's chock full of hilarious references (such as a spoof of the trash compactor sequence from A New Hope, as above). It even takes the piss out of The Phantom Menace by indirectly admitting that Jar Jar Binks was (and still is) a flaming box of shit. Adding to the hilarity is Seth Rogen's homicidal pimp and also his angry Star Trek fan with a subsequent army of pissed off Trekkies.

Another great part of the film is the numerous cameos. Don't get me wrong, the main cast is great, but keep your eye out for Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia), Billy Dee Williams (Lando Calrissian), My Name is Earl's Ethan Suplee and even William Shatner. The awesome cherry on top of this film of awesomeness is that it's totally authorized by George Lucas.

In short: hilarious, and a must-see for Star Wars fans. 4.5/5

Many, many reviews

2009-11-10T00:01:00.003+11:00

Hey readers (assuming I have any),

I'm sorry it's been so long since an update. I always promise myself that I'll be active with these things and then I neglect them like crazy. For that, I apologise, and I will attempt to make it up to you guys with plenty of reviews in this post. They won't be long, just a few words and a star rating for each, but trust me, I've seen a lot of films this year!

Yes Man
Viewed: 10th Jan
Review: Funny and entertaining; Jim Carrey doing what he does best.
Rating: 3.5/5

Bolt
Viewed: 12th Jan
Review: Amusing for kids and adults, great animation, but I can't stand the sound of Miley Cyrus' voice.
Rating: 3/5

Twilight
Viewed: 14th Jan
Review: One of the worst movies I've ever allowed to scrape across my eyeballs. Fans only.
Rating: 0/5

Role Models
Viewed: 21st Jan, 5th Feb, 10th Feb
Review: I expected it to be terrible, but it was side-splittingly hilarious and well-written. Great cast.
Rating: 4.5/5

Valkyrie
Viewed: 23rd Jan
Review: Average, moderately interesting film, although I'm not sure how accurate to history it was. Tom Cruise was alright.
Rating: 2/5

The Spirit
Viewed: 1st Feb
Review: Aesthetically pleasing, but beyond that it had terrible dialogue and reminded me of that kid in class who thought he was way cooler than he actually was.
Rating: 1.5/5

Bride Wars
Viewed: 2nd Feb
Review: Awful. One of those films so bad, a ten year old could pick out the flaws.
Rating: 0.5/5

Ghost Town
Viewed: 12th Feb
Review: Provides a few snickers but overall not that funny. Does have a heartwarming story though.
Rating: 2.5/5

He's Just Not That Into You
Viewed: 26th Feb
Review: Interesting intertwining storylines and a nice, tear-jerking ending, but runs about an hour longer than it should.
Rating: 3/5

Zack and Miri Make a Porno
Viewed: 27th Feb
Review: Sometimes amusing, sometimes so crass it's just silly.
Rating: 3/5

Watchmen
Viewed: 10th Mar
Review: Huge waste of time. Good CGI and that's about it. Way too violent, and seriously, if you're going to show a lot of blue penis, at least make it look good.
Rating: 1/5

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Viewed: 21st Mar
Review: Surprisingly good. Cute story, and Isla Fisher is quite funny.
Rating: 3/5

Paul Blart: Mall Cop
Viewed: 1st Apr
Review: Also surprisingly good. Quite hilarious in some parts, although the support cast is very tame.
Rating: 3.5/5

Monsters Vs Aliens
Viewed: 8th Apr
Review: Hilarious, great voice cast and great animation. Appropriate for kids and adults.
Rating: 4/5

Dragonball Evolution
Viewed: 14th Apr
Review: Disappointing. Yamcha and Roshi are spot-on with the anime, but otherwise the plot is boring and has no real climax.
Rating: 2/5

The Boat That Rocked
Viewed: 15th Apr
Review: Fun and energetic, makes you want to get up and dance. Great cast.
Rating: 4/5

Love the Beast
Viewed: 15th Apr
Review: Interesting, but half of it is relatively nonsensical unless you know your way around a car. Jeremy Clarkson and Dr. Phil are irrelevent.
Rating: 2.5/5

Race to Witch Mountain
Viewed: 19th Apr
Review: Exciting and action-packed. Great cast; Dwayne Johnson knows his way around an action-comedy.
Rating: 3/5

17 Again
Viewed: 24th Apr
Review: Unexpectedly hilarious. Zac Efron is quite talented, despite my dislike for him.
Rating: 3.5/5

Fired Up!
Viewed: 26th Apr
Review: Quotable script and exciting cheer routines, but besides that it's a pretty basic teen comedy.
Rating: 2.5/5

X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Viewed: 29th Apr
Review: Great cast and CGI, but the overall storyline falls a little on the wayside for some reason.
Rating: 3/5

Star Trek
Viewed: 12th May
Review: Exciting, visually pleasing, great cast and acting. Enjoyable and accessible to Star Trek fans and noobs alike.
Rating: 4/5

Observe and Report
Viewed: 14th May
Review: Pretty much a more violent and crass version of Paul Blart. Awful, awful film.
Rating: 0/5

I Love You, Man
Viewed: 27th May
Review: Cute and laugh-out-loud in small parts, but on the whole it's mostly just cringe-worthy.
Rating: 2/5

Night at the Museum 2: Battle For the Smithsonian
Viewed: 1st Jun, 9th Jun, 18th Jul
Review: Better than the original. Fantastic cast, especially Amy Adams, and inredibly enjoyable for all ages.
Rating: 4/5

The Hangover
Viewed: 11th Jun, 16th Jun, 2nd Jul, 10th Jul, 20th Jul
Review: One of the funniest films in years. Great cast and writing that will have you literally rolling on the floor in laughter.
Rating: 5/5

Year One
Viewed: 18th Jun
Review: Possibly the worst film of the year. Disgusting and completely unfunny. The cast should be ashamed.
Rating: 0/5

The Proposal
Viewed: 23rd Jun
Review: Surprisingly cute and heartwarming. Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock are funny and have great on-screen chemistry.
Rating: 2.5/5

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Viewed: 25th Jun, 30th Jun
Review: Great action film, but it's obvious that Megan Fox is only there for her cleavage, and it's impossible to tell what is happening when Transformers fight each other.
Rating: 4/5

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2D)
Viewed: 7th Jul
Review: Amusing, but the concept is getting a little tired. A few scenes are a bit scary for kids.
Rating: 2.5/5

Bruno
Viewed: 8th Jul
Review: Short and unfunny. Sacha Baron Cohen has lost his shock value. The celebrity cameos are the only amusing part.
Rating: 1/5

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Viewed: 15th Jul, 23rd Jul, 4th Aug
Review: The first Harry film that requires you to read the book to understand the sub-plots. Also has random, unnecessary scenes inexplicably added. Good, but the worst of the Potter films.
Rating: 3/5

Public Enemies
Viewed: 20th Jul, 5th Aug
Review: Interesting and exciting; Johnny Depp and Marion Cotillard are brilliant. However, the movie is filmed strangely and Christian Bale is boring.
Rating: 3/5

The Ugly Truth
Viewed: 6th Aug, 25th Aug
Review: Amusing and crass without going overboard. Nice cast, but nothing overly special.
Rating: 2.5/5

Coraline
Viewed: 12th Aug
Review: Much, much creepier than expected, and definitely too much for kids.
Rating: 1.5/5

G.I. Joe - The Rise of Cobra
Viewed: 13th Aug, 17th Aug
Review: Great action and CGI. Average cast. Good story.
Rating: 2.5/5

District 9
Viewed: 18th Aug
Review: Fantastically written, acted, shot and produced. Appropriately disturbing and a great social commentary. One of the best films of the year.
Rating: 5/5

The Young Victoria
Viewed: 27th Aug
Review: Vaguely interesting and visually pleasing, and Emily Blunt is good. Slightly better than The Dutchess.
Rating: 2/5

The Taking of Pelham 123
Viewed: 2nd Sep
Review: Surprisingly exciting, thrilling and action-packed. John Travolta is great, but I can't quite take him seriously as a villain.
Rating: 4/5

Up
Viewed: 3rd Sep, 8th Sep, 19th Oct
Review: Simply brilliant. Story, animation and voice acting are all top-notch. One of Pixar's best.
Rating: 5/5

Funny People
Viewed: 10th Sep
Review: Relatively amusing (especially Eric Bana and Jason Schwartzman), and self-reflective to an extent. A lot of jokes fall short though, and it runs about an hour too long.
Rating: 3/5

Push
Viewed: 16th Sep
Review: Familiar and convoluted storyline, but an interesting cast and thoroughly enjoyable action sequences. Dakota Fanning is annoying though.
Rating: 3.5/5

(500) Days of Summer
Viewed: 21st Sep, 30th Sep
Review: Sad, hilarious and heartwarming. Great cast and writing.
Rating: 4.5/5

Surrogates
Viewed: 29th Sep
Review: Good premise, unsuccessfully executed. Not overly original and not very memorable.
Rating: 2/5

Julie & Julia
Viewed: 4th Oct
Review: Thoroughly amusing and brilliantly cast and acted. Twists the real story, arguably for the better.
Rating: 4/5

Whip It
Viewed: 8th Oct, 14th Oct
Review: Cute, exciting and original. Great cast. Will make you want to join a roller derby team.
Rating: 3.5/5

Couples Retreat
Viewed: 12th Oct
Review: Easily ignorable and not very funny. Waste of a good cast and often just cringe-worthy.
Rating: 2/5

The Box
Viewed: 1st Nov
Review: Well-done and a good adaptation of a Twilight Zone episode, but in True Twilight Zone style, is ultimately open-ended and quite depressing.
Rating: 3/5

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
Viewed: 5th Nov, 7th Nov
Review: Brilliant all-around. Every cast member does a great job, CGI is fantastic and the storyline is interesting if somewhat confusing. I usually don't like Terry Gilliam films but this one is a gem.
Rating: 4/5

All About Steve
Viewed: 9th Nov
Review: Nothing overly terrible happens but it comes off as boring and uneventful. Sandra Bullock's character is hated rather than pitied. Michael Clarke Duncan and Ken Jeong are slightly amusing; Bradley Cooper, unfortunately, is not.
Rating: 1/5

First Post - Welcome

2009-06-01T20:18:00.002+10:00

Hello all, and welcome to my new blog, Virtual Toast.

It's basically a space where I'll be posting movie reviews and sometimes some sweet movie news as well. In the news department it really depends on what takes my fancy, but I see ridiculous amounts of movies so the reviews will be updated probably semi-regularly.

Everyone and anyone is welcome to read/comment/complain/agree/cheer/bitch/etc. Enjoy! =)

~Alex