By Deborah Louise Robinson on Jul 31, 2009 in Action/Adventure, Crime, Thriller | 2 Comments
In contrast to Joseph Sargent’s 1974 original, Tony Scott’s The Taking of Pelham 123 is loud, fast, and action packed from start to finish. Right from the opening credits which roll to Jay-Z’s ’99 Problems’, we know we are in for a hell of a ride. From the outset Scott treats us to his usual [...]
By Deborah Louise Robinson on Jul 21, 2009 in Action/Adventure, Crime, Drama, Thriller | 0 Comments
Michael Mann’s recent box office success Public Enemies looked so full of promise. This true story of bank robberies and jail breaks, starring Johnny Depp as the notorious John Dillinger, and Christian Bale as his cocksure antagonist, FBI agent Melvin Purvis, should have it all. At two and a half hours, this should be an [...]
By David Marsh on Jul 19, 2009 in Action/Adventure, Drama, Thriller, War | 5 Comments
Kathryn Bigelow knows how to make an action movie. She knows how to get the blood pumping, and how to generate nail-biting suspense. Her latest effort is laced with more testosterone than any recent action film. You may recall, she was responsible for the gloriously over-the-top cops and surfers thriller Point Break. Whatever anyone says, [...]
By General Disdain on Jul 18, 2009 in Comedy, Romance | 13 Comments
Oil meet water. Water, this is oil. The two of you don’t mix well, I know, but amazingly enough, you have more chemistry between the two of you than do the leads of The Proposal. Sure, the premise of the film is initially setup that way, but even after their heart felt metamorphoses they look [...]
By General Disdain on Jul 16, 2009 in Comedy | 1 Comment
Hayden Panettiere is a rising young star, no doubt. From watching I Love You, Beth Cooper you wouldn’t know it. Adapted from a book of the same name by Larry Doyle, this movie embraces all the cliches you know and love (or hate) from the teen romantic comedy grab bag offering little else to separate [...]
By Deborah Louise Robinson on Jul 12, 2009 in Horror, Mystery, Thriller | 3 Comments
Jonathon Levine’s All the Boys Love Mandy Lane, starring Amber Heard (Alpha Dog, Pineapple Express) was released over a year ago in the UK, but horror fans in the U.S. are still waiting. So will it be worth the wait? Mandy Lane (Heard), is every teenage boy’s fantasy. She’s blonde, she’s beautiful, she’s innocent, and [...]
By General Disdain on Jul 11, 2009 in Comedy | 8 Comments
Yeah. Anyone thinking Brüno was going to be another innocent, simplistic and moronic adventure through the American heartland like Borat was, is in for a rude awakening. Sure, Sacha Baron Cohen pokes major fun at the idiosyncrasies of “regular” Americans but he does it with a much more perverse and provocative attitude than ever before. [...]
By General Disdain on Jul 4, 2009 in Action/Adventure, Animated, Family | 3 Comments
It didn’t take long for me to realize that after a cute intro involving Scrat the sabertoothed squirrel, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs was the worst of the Fox animated trilogy. While it still has its cutesy characters — wooly mammoths Ellie (voiced by Queen Latifah) and Manny (voiced by Ray Romano), sloth Sid [...]