Trailer of the Week: SUPER 8

This teaser trailer was released a few months ago and somehow I completely missed it.  So, why is it this weeks chosen trailer?  Well, it's being produced by Steven Spielberg and directed by J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek), that's why. Oh, and the fact this teaser is fantastic! You're going to have to wait a while to see it though as it isn't released until next year.

Take a look at it and let me know what you think.

SUPER 8 TRAILER

UK Top Ten: 20-22nd AUGUST 2010

There were a couple of big films out this weekend, Angelina Jolie's Salt and Sylvester Stallone's The Expendables, but which one took the top spot?

The answer is The Expendables, after taking almost £4m over the three days, nearly double the amount taken by Salt.  Also, Toy Story 3 continued hoovering up the cash with another £2m, taking its total to an incredible £64m!

FILM	WEEKEND GROSS	TOTAL GROSS SINCE RELEASE
The Expendables	£3,935,700	£3,935,700
Salt	£2,166,715	£2,166,715
Toy Story 3	£2,107,815	£63,848,415
Piranha 3-D	£1,325,324	£1,325,324
Marmaduke	£1,243,789	£1,243,789
Inception	£1,076,106	£31,575,347
Knight & Day	£825,692	£7,953,038
The Last Airbender	£591,587	£3,314,618
Step Up 3	£511,366	£6,639,581
The Sorcerer's Apprentice	£444,112	£2,374,760

Review: THE EXPENDABLES

When I first heard that Sylvester Stallone was putting together the most awesome cast of action stars ever, for a film packed with hardcore violence like Rambo and Commando, I began getting very excited. Then reality kicked in and I started worrying that this was going to be one of those films that sounded great on paper, but was always going to be a terrible movie. I was wrong.

The plot is tricky, so try and keep up. A team of 'too old for this shit' mercenaries are hired to assasinate a South American dictator. The End. Let's be honest though, you don't go to watch a film like this for its plot and character development.  You just want to see stuff getting blown up, car chases and a whole load of people getting killed in creative ways. This film delivers...and then some! 

As the poster at the top of this review shows, it's Stallone (Barney Ross), Jason Statham (Lee Christmas) and Jet Li (Ying Yang) that the film focuses on the most, with everyone else being left with a few moments of screen time.  I'm not going to go into too much detail about each of the action stars roles in the film, but I will tell you to look out for Statham's fantastic revenge attack on the basketball court and any scene involving Dolph Lundgren.  Seriously, this is his best work for ages and possibly his best performance ever...except Showdown in Little Tokyo (loved that film).

  

The three people I was most hyped up about seeing on screen together were old pals Stallone, Bruce Willis and Governor Schwarzenegger. It blew my mind when I saw them in the trailer. Afterall, that was some coup getting Arnie back in the movies (not including his CGI return in Terminator: Salvation). It turned out, this scene was right near the beginning of the film, which was good for two reasons: one - I didn't have to wait long to see it, and two - I had the rest of the film to forget about how bad it was! Bruce and Sly were great, but Arnie...wow, he looked every bit his 63 years, as he limped his way awkwardly into the scene said a few lines and left.  Look, there's no denying Arnie is a legend, but this wasn't how I wanted to remember him on the big screen and a small part of me wished he hadn't agreed to do it. He did get a ribbing from the others in the scene about 'letting himself go' and 'wanting to be President', but overall this part didn't really work for me and felt out of place.

Stallone co-wrote and directed this film, and his almost 30 years experience working on hardcore action films has clearly paid off. The fight sequences in particular were well choreographed, shot and cut together. They were over the top and excessive (with the help of some CGI blood), but somehow still felt raw and believable.  Also, they weren't afraid to blow things up, including people, whether they needed blowing up or not.  In fact, at one point I felt like I couldn't take anymore explosions or 'cannon fodder' enemy soldiers being killed or my brain might implode. 

Unfortunately, these moments are so big and intense that when they've finished, I started feeling a bit bored, desperately waiting for something to actually happen. The emotional sub-plot is paper thin and triggered by Mickey Rourke's monologue about not saving a suicidal woman on a bridge or something.  Don't let this bother you though, because according to this movie, in order to save one person, you must first kill hundreds of others. Brilliant.

I need to point out at this stage, that Sylvester Stallone is 64 years old!  The man must be super-human. He's in amazing shape and even though I'm sure his stunt double was kept very busy, some of the things he does himself in this film are incredible. How he didn't end up seriously injured or dead is beyond me.  The insurance alone must have been half the movie's budget.

The Expendables is an entertaining, testosterone fuelled, rollercoaster ride of a film, that doesn't take itself seriously at all.  I liked it, but I didn't love it.  It has too many flaws, but who cares if you're only paying to see some old school action stars bust some heads?  This is definitely 'one for the boys' or for girls who like their men to be men.  No moisturiser, manicures or eyebrow plucking here folks, just blood, bullets and bombs.

Michael's Movie Mark       6.5/10

That's what I think, but please feel free to let me know your thoughts by commenting below.

Trailer of the Week: SKYLINE

I know what you're thinking. Yes, it does look a bit like Independence Day, so why should you care about another sci-fi movie?  The truth is, I don't know, yet for some reason I'm really looking forward to seeing this. There are no star names attached and this is only the teaser trailer, but I have to admit it looks great, especially that last shot!

Click the link below and let me know what you think;

SKYLINE TRAILER

UK Top Ten: 13-15th AUGUST 2010

Here are the UK Top Ten box office figures for the 13-15th August 2010.  No big surprises, with Toy Story 3 and Inception hanging on to the top two spots.  A new entry at number three for The Last Airbender shows that, no matter how bad the reviews, a film can sometimes still make some money. 

FILM	WEEKEND GROSS	TOTAL GROSS SINCE RELEASE
Toy Story 3	£3,162,944	£58,908,398
Inception	£1,681,130	£29,204,120
The Last Airbender	£1,653,776	£1,653,776
Knight & Day	£1,529,478	£5,908,505
The Sorcerer's Apprentice	£1,140,532	£1,140,532
Step Up 3	£1,078,100	£4,946,688
The Karate Kid	£764,748	£10,600,383
The A-Team	£762,570	£8,915,586
Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore	£488,905	£3,218,492
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue	£288,544	£288,544

Competition: THE WINNER

A big thanks to everyone who entered the Angelina Jolie competition.  Sadly though, there can only be one winner and that lucky person is;

GINA BONELLI

Congratulations Gina! A copy of Angelina Jolie's Wanted is on its way to you.

In which film did Angelina Jolie star with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law?

Answer: Sky Captain & the World of Tomorrow.

There'll be more competitions coming up, so make sure you regularly check my blog to see what's on offer.

Thanks

Michael x

Review: SALT

Before I get into this review, I thought it'd be interesting to note that Angelina Jolie wasn't the first choice to star in Salt.  Tom Cruise was originally lined up, but decided against it, feeling it was too similar to his Mission Impossible franchise.  Instead he went off to make comedy action film Knight & Day, leaving Jolie to break some heads in this dark action thriller.

Let's face it, there aren't many female actors that can carry off a full blown action role. Fortunately, Angellina Jolie is one of those rare talents who can be both feminine and sexy as well as tough and violent.  Tomb Raider, Mr & Mrs Smith and Wanted are all examples of her proving how good she can be in action films. Salt has a different feel to these movies however, with a more serious tone, it's been described by some critics as 'Bourne with boobs'.  However don't let that mislead you, as I can't remember seeing any gratuitous cleavage shots...sadly!  In fact, throughout practically the whole movie Jolie is kept looking remarkably unsexy (part of that gritty reality thing I think), although I kinda liked her whole Russian hat and coat look during one scene!

Evelyn Salt (Jolie) is a highly respected agent for the CIA who is accused of being a Russian spy. Fearing for the life of her husband and believing she's been set-up, she goes on the run to try and clear her name.  So far, so standard plot thriller, but this is by no means a standard film. 

The opening's a bit slow as it attempts to build some back story about Jolie's character, however it never really goes into enough detail. They want us to care about her, but she just comes across as cold, meaning that when she's on the run, you find it difficult to empathise with her.  They try and remind you about her loving side with a series of flashbacks, but they become intrusive at times and again slow down the pace of the film.  It wasn't until one particular moment (I won't ruin it for you) that you then start siding with Salt and you begin to enjoy her 'woman scourned' payback.  Also, Jolie is clearing wearing a wig throughout this film and it did become a bit distracting.  It's a random point I know, but when you watch the film you'll see what I mean.  I was waiting for it to fly off during some of the action scenes.

It's easy to understand why some people have compared this to the Bourne movies, with the dark tone and shaky camera work, but to be honest, it doesn't quite reach those heights.  Those films always felt real, with the fight scenes being scrappy and dis-organised and the action sequences visceral and tough. If Jason Bourne jumped from a bridge onto a boat, he'd injure his leg, he wasn't some sort of indestructible super hero.  This added an extra dimension to the films and allowed you to buy into the story they were telling.  Salt on the other hand had moments were Jolie's character performed stunts that would have easily crippled Jason Bourne, yet she walked away unscathered.  This raised a few giggles of disbelief from the audience and reminded you that this is just another Hollywood action flick.  

These are only minor failings however, as the film succeeds on many other levels, stopping it from becoming just another run-of-the-mill action thriller. The acting is on point with Jolie being well supported by the always reliable Liev Schreiber (Ted Winter) and Chiwetel Ejiofor (Peabody) and it's solidly directed by Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games, Clear & Present Danger).  His skill in shooting the incredible action sequences makes the film really stand out. One scene inparticular, which sees a frightening calm Salt go on a revengeful killing spree, put a big smile on my face.  There are also plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing right up to the end.

When the head of Sony Pictures joked that Angelina could be a future Bond girl, Jolie replied that she just wanted to be Bond. In Salt, that's pretty much what's happened and judging by the box office figures in the US, this could become an all new blockbuster franchise.

Salt is a really good movie, just not a great one.  If you're looking for a decent action flick to keep you entertained on a night out at the cinema, then this should be top of your list, especially if you found The A Team a bit too cheesy. 

Michael's Movie Mark     7/10

Competition: Angelina Jolie DVD

Tonight is the UK premiere of Angelina Jolie's new movie, Salt.  The film has already taken more than $100m in the US and is hoping for similar success here in the UK. 

In celebration of this, I'm giving you the chance to win a brand new (sealed) DVD copy of the brilliant Wanted starring Mrs Brad Pitt and James McAvoy.

For your chance to win, answer this question correctly;

In which film did Angelina Jolie star with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law?

Email your entry to:   show-biz@hotmail.co.uk

Competition closes at midnight on 17th August 2010. The winner will be selected at random and notified by email. Only one entry per household. Entrants must be 18 years old or above at the time of entry. Entrants must be resident in the UK. No purchase necessary. The winner will be announced on Michael's Movie Blog within 24 hours after the closing date.

Review: THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE

The trailer has been watched by more than 5 million people and word quickly spread that this was going to be one of the most twisted horror films ever made. Stories began surfacing that, during early screenings, people were vomiting in the cinema aisles and walking out in disgust. So, is The Human Centipede really as horrific as the hype would have you believe or is it just another crap horror film?

The movie centres around Dr Heiter (Dieter Laser), a highly respected German surgeon, who's had a break from reality and now lives as a recluse in his country mansion.  Having spent years specialising in the separation of conjoined twins, he now wants to produce his own conjoined creation.  Having successfully attempted this operation using his dogs, he is now ready to begin human trials.  After carefully selecting his victims and with a bit of good fortune, he begins work on his ultimate design, the human centipede.

The first twenty minutes of the film are so frustrating, I actually found it more offensive than the human centipede creation.  Seriously, I realise it's going to be tricky finding two good actresses that are happy to have their mouths attached to another person's anus for the majority of a film, but these two female leads were terrible.  To be fair, the script wasn't cutting them any slack, with the opening scenes playing out like a GCSE drama improvisation. Two girls in a foreign country get lost on a country road in the middle of the night, the car gets a puncture, there's no phone signal, it starts to rain and they look for help by walking through the woods. For crying out loud, I actually struggled to find a cliche that hadn't made it into the script. I realise that people aren't going to watch this movie for its acting credentials or its indepth plot, but at the end of the day, you have to hook the audience from the beginning, otherwise they're going to lose interest.

However, as soon as the girls arrive at the Dr's home the film really starts to get going, and strangely, as they become more terrified, the girls acting actually improves. Go figure! The trouble is, by this point, you've been so annoyed by their characters, you don't really care about what's going to happen to them.  Dr Hieter is clearly a disturbed man. From the second he opened the door, you didn't need a psychology degree to recognise he was clearly mental or at the very least creepy as hell. Sadly, it seemed no-one in the film was aware of this and there were many times when I was left thinking, "...if you're going to be that stupid, you deserve all you get". Harsh I know, but when you see the film you'll realise what I'm saying.    

What surprised me about this movie was how little there was in the way of gratuitous violence and all out gore.  Some teeth get pulled out, there are a few scalpel cuts and a throat slitting, but other than that there isn't much to write home about.  The pure gross out element only comes after they've been surgically linked together 'mouth to arse' and the human centipede has been created.  This is when you may need a sick bag.  It's not gory, it's just plain revolting.  It's the idea of, not just being stitched to someones anus, but also eating their excrement, that is truling disgusting and the film makes sure you have a chance to really appreciate how horrible that is.  All I'm saying is, you do not want to be in the middle!

If you can make it through that part though, you soon become immune to the whole centipede thing and start being more concerned about how they are going to escape this whole situation.  At this stage, you suddenly begin to care about these people as they make a doomed attempt to escape the lair of the psychopathic doctor via a spiral staircase.

I cannot decide whether this film takes itself seriously or not.  There were points when I just wanted to laugh out loud and others that were genuinely disturbing.  People were laughing throughout the screening, but I think sometimes it was nervous laughter rather than anything else.  This isn't a good film. It isn't really a horror film either. It's a sick, disgusting, messed up movie that will appeal to anyone who likes to be grossed out or to teenage boys who'll think they're hard because they managed to sit through it without throwing up.
The film doesn't have any real plot or back story for the characters which makes it very one dimensional. I mean c'mon, even Freddy Krueger had a back story. The fact is that writer/director Tom Six based this film on one weird concept, but failed to develop it into a genuinely frightening horror film.

Michael's Movie Mark       3/10