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Hi all,
I recently went to watch Saw VII on the Big screen, the last of the Saw saga. The violence was probably the most gruesome of the 7 films and once again the story twisted back in on itself to try and lend greater meaning to an already significantly stretched plotline. But you know what, I really enjoyed it.
The opening scene is both graphic and suspenseful, the twists are unpredictable but well connected to the original films and it didnt seem like too much of a stretch to join the dots as the other films mistakenly attempted.
The film continues the tale of its rogue detective as he seeks vengeance on Jigsaws wife after she tried to knock him off in the previous film. We are also introduced to a new batch of weapons, traps and seemingly innocent victims. This time around a man named Bobby Dagen, a jigsaw survivor, is at the centre of the story as he counsels others who have been through his ordeal, but it seems jigsaw isnt quite done with him yet, nor is he done with other survivors dating right back to episode 1 of this series.
One of the staples of the first Saw films was that unpredictability in the plot. I would either have no idea where it was going or if I did, I turned out to be wrong. Unfortunately that was lost for a couple of the films in the middle but I can safely say its back. I thought I had figured out the ending of Saw 7 and in a way I had but the writers were back to their best and royally screwed my theory in the end.
Its fun its suspenceful and its gruesome, what more could you want?
4 bloodied corpses/ 5
Now in watching this film, being the end of an era, it got me thinking of my own story and how that will end. I recently got a new job as the Assistant Editor of a Rugby League Magazine here in Australia. For those interested in the sport its called Rugby League Player Magazine and it is an awesome job. I now find myself writing a lot for the mag and the freedom I once got from publishing here on Cinematrix is something I no longer need. This site has helped me a lot, and given me an outlet to showcase my work so now I am going to step aside and let someone else take the reigns.
Its been an awesome ride and for most people you may neither notice, nor care that Im gone, but for those who do read my work and enjoy it, thanks for reading and if only for my own peace of mind I would like to sign off.
Thanks for everything readers
Ciao
Will Luckman
September 15th 2010 15:48
Many would have been doubtful of this film given the gradual decline of this once mighty franchise over the years but with Predators heading to DVD very soon, those who were unwilling to waste a movie ticket on it before would be well advised to give it a chance. Rarely is a sequel actually better than its predecessor but in this instance Predators puts up a damn good fight.
The story follows the adventures of a collection of murderers, soldiers, gangsters and cons who are literally thrown into an alien game preserve to be hunted down by a new breed of predators. From what I understand, these predators have very little in common with those we know and love from previous films and the two species dont particularly get along either. While they look similar, one breed is bigger and better designed for hunting than the other; lucky for us this Predator2.0 species is the one running the preserve just to make things that little bit harder. Teams of these predators scour the universe in search of its greatest hunters and warriors and bring them here to not only test their skills against them but also to learn their styles and adopt the most useful strategies. The humans mission is a simple one, survive, but that in itself is made as difficult as possible by their hosts resulting in an epic guerrilla style war.
Now I honestly thought that a Predator film without Arnie would just be a terrible flop; I mean, if Arnie struggled to defeat just one, who else would even stand a chance against a whole squad of them? Arnie had muscles so big that each one required its own gym membership and he was still weak in comparison with the ugly assassins. But there is more to fighting than just strength as heir to the Predator empire, Adrien Brody, proves. At first glance his spindly physique appears no match for his ferocious adversaries but as the film wears on his actions reveal him to be far more ruthless and dangerous than first thought and one of his final shirtless scenes reveals that the man packs quite a lot of muscle beneath his unflattering attire. Unlike Schwarzeneggers bulky, powerful approach, however, Brody is much trimmer and ripped. He even throws in a little shot at the critics, acknowledging that he may not be THAT strong but I am fast he says.
The effects, the suspense, the characters and the flow of the film are awesome. It has a great ending with a surprising twist and best of all it actually tries to match the style of the first instalment. We spend half the film just waiting to see the predators and when we do finally see them they do not disappoint. As I said earlier, we even meet a new species and learn a little more about these mysterious invaders.
It has that same familiar feel of the original only, I think, better. I hesitate to give it 5/5 simply because I know I have seen better films than this but at the same time I had no problems with it either. It was fun, engaging, suspenseful; the characters were interesting; the story made sense; it looked fantastic and the twist was completely unexpected. On that not I give it 4.5 ugly mother fers/ 5.
Oh my god, never in the long and illustrious blood-sucking history of cinematic vampiredom did I think this moment would come. Not since those pioneering days when the ghastly old Count Dracula first bore his jagged bright red fangs to the eyes of his horrified victims, invoking in them a fear from the far reaches of their soul they never knew existed only to be manifested in the form of an ear-piercing scream.
It would have seemed impossible amongst these ferocious examples of soulless assassins that they could ever lose that killer instinct but the day has finally come when a vampire seems
boring.
With the release of the latest Twilight film, Eclipse, audiences that were once torn between team Jacob and team Edward must fast be realising that one has a decisive edge in this battle. For those unfamiliar with the story so far its pretty easy to catch you up. Bella (Kristen Stewart) is a young teen who lives in a small town in the sticks with her father. She soon finds herself caught up in a love triangle between a strikingly handsome, centuries old, pasty white Vampire named Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) and her hulking native American Werewolf family friend, Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). She loves them both but she thinks she loves Edward more and, strangely enough, the two men hate each other. Thats about 5 hours worth of the saga in a nutshell.
In this third instalment, crunch time is approaching as Bella nears graduation and hence, the time she has chosen to turn Vamp. You see the only way she can really be with Edward is to turn into a vampire herself because otherwise shell just get old and hell either get sick of her and leave or kill her during sex. There is, of course, an alternative and the film serves up ample warning to Bella that she would be best to consider all options before diving in. That other option is Jacob, or eye candy to many female viewers, as he spends the majority of the film topless and for good reason. The guy has a stack of muscles that would stretch a circus tent and he does his best to woo the lovely Bella away from the dark side. You have to feel for the guy. He is understandably frustrated by the repeated rejection of his advances toward Bella who flies in the face of all logic and reason, as teenagers do, to be with Edward instead. On one hand she can have a life with her family and friends and a perpetually muscular boy toy. Or she can throw it all away, including her soul, and live in exile with her anaemic, undead husband.
Kids, right? They never listen.
The driving threat of the film is a host of strange killings in Seattle and the whisper of a vampire army rising in the streets. With Bellas safety in jeopardy, the warring tribes of Cullens and Werewolves must set aside their differences and stand together against this new force if they are any hope of surviving it.
The film itself isnt altogether terrible. It feels very long and some of the background graphics are, quite obviously, fake but the story keeps plodding along. The fights arent too bad and the developing story between the Cullens and the Werewolves are interesting to watch. The Jacob character is actually quite funny and as I gauged from the reaction of my fiancé, his topless exploits never grow old. However it is during the moments between Edward and Bella which, unfortunately, there are quite a few of, that the film really seems to slow down. Theyre in love; she wants to turn vamp but he doesnt want her to; they are so different but they are still in love; we get it, we got it in the first film and still got it in the 2nd yet the producers feel the need to reiterate again and again in the 3rd.
I know Ed and Bel are the driving force of the film but they are far from the most interesting part of it. The best parts of the film are actually the interactions between the two warring families and the only times I laugh was when the Jacob character was on screen. If you cut back on Edward and add more of everything, change that, ANYTHING else then the film would have been a lot better. It just seems so long.
So I guess it would appear that, despite not really getting into the saga as much as others, I find myself leaning toward team Jacob. The cool factor definitely goes to the Werewolves. In this saga they are unchanged and, if anything, an improvement on the mythical beasts of legend. They are stronger in both human and wolf form and larger than most films have depicted them. The Vampires, however have taken a turn for the worst. They are still strong and fast, sure, but no longer do they fly, they run. There are no coffins, garlic, or wooden stakes and their reason for hunting in the shadows no longer stems from a fear of death and disintegration when the UV rays touch their skin; its because they sparkle and they dont like it. They are probably embarrassed as well they should be; sparkling vampires. This is Draculas legacy.
Rating 2.5 Sparkling Cullens/5
The fourth and final instalment of the jolly green giants adventures was delivered with its usual dose of hilarity and heart but it certainly felt
different.
The basic gist of the plot is that Shrek (voiced by Mike Meyers) is leading the perfect life. He has a loving wife, Fiona (Cameron Diaz); 3 beautiful kids; a comfortable home and a host of adoring friends headed by Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas). The problem is that Shrek is an ogre, a creature renowned for its solitude and menacing personality, so the good life isnt really something hes all that accustomed to. Feeling trapped and emasculated, Shrek turns to a strange magician named Rumplestiltskin for a taste of the life he left behind; to be a real ogre again for just one day; but oh what a day. Unfortunately for Shrek, Rumplestiltskin has a habit of exploiting the fine print on his contracts and when our hero signs, he finds himself thrust into a world where he was never born and time is against him to fix it. Shrek must race to reunite his friends, beat the bad guys and woo his princess all over again before his problems become far more permanent
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I have been waiting a long time for this one to come out and I must have seen every clip and trailer posted on the net in the lead up to its release. By the time Kick-Ass hit the screens I thought I had a pretty good idea about the story line. That was of course until I actually saw the film and it was nothing like I expected. In a good way of course.
The online video teasers paint the picture of a funny action film about a kid who decides to try his hand at being a superhero and meets some cool friends along the way. Kind of like Mystery Men but with a little more violence and language. Now for the most part it was funny and it was violent and obscene; however, unlike Mystery Men, much of the storyline itself is actually very serious and things get pretty hardcore in a few places and quite suspenseful. The action is awesome, the jokes are surprisingly funny and the actors do an excellent job in bringing their characters to life. It is a great film to watch
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Johnny Depp has taken on so many varying roles over the years and Mr Versatile seems to nail them all but none so much as the bearded oddball, Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy. It was during the third instalment of this saga, At Worlds End, that Captain Jack finds himself in Davy Jones locker; a supernatural labyrinth where absolutely anything is possible. Never has Depp looked so at home as his fanciful hallucinations finally offer up an environment where he can truly let loose. But alas this is only for a few minutes of the film.
Well much to the delight of audiences, Depp has returned to that place of madness and chaos and this time he has extended the visit to a feature length fantasy. Swapping treasure hunts for tea parties; his latest outing as the Mad Hatter in Disneys Alice in Wonderland is delightfully insane and, as usual, another perfect fit for the actor. The film is about a world where the unimaginable is everywhere and reality is somewhere else. Where out of place is right at home and weird is wonderful. As Alice so aptly puts it in the 1951 version Everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isnt and contrary wise, what it is it wouldnt be and what it wouldnt be it would
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James Camerons multimillion dollar blockbuster 3D epic adventure, AVATAR, is a visual feast the eyes will be dying to gorge themselves on.
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As you may have noticed from the trailer, the Box is about, strangely enough, a box, which is delivered to a young couple in America in 1976. The owner is a strange, disfigured old man named Arlington Stewart (Frank Langella) who delivers the device. It is plain black, with a single red button on top and comes with a creepy proposition. Push the button and 1 million dollars will be yours on the condition that 1 person you dont know will die. Either way, when you are done the box will be reset and the offer presented to someone else.
What would you choose
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September 16th 2009 03:12
There are many secrets in District 9 and I dont want to begin by giving any of them away. The film is a semi-documentary style sci-fi thriller that skilfully combines nail biting suspense with short but impressive action sequences and, most importantly a plot that really makes you feel for and take interest in the characters in a way I have not seen since Slumdog Millionaire
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It's who you know.
Knowing is a mildly suspenseful film much like Armageddon, The Day After Tomorrow, The Core and other such films predicting Earths destruction through some impending disaster; however, while the action, at times, is as good as the aforementioned films, the tempo is never quite as swift
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Comments (1)
Comment by LuckyWill
on DISTRICT 9: Not Since ET Was An Alien So Loveable
CINEMATRIX
NRL, Tennis, Soccer - In sport. In here
I think it is definately set up for a sequel if only to utilise the name of their new holding centre, District 10.
I wonder if the temptation to go blockbuster with an intergalactic war will be too great. I love the low key, down to Earth nature of the first film but I can't help but think, if the aliens do come back in a sequel they will be pissed because of the atrocitices inflicted upon them by humanity (experiments and mistreatment) and if the film isn't done properly I can see action overriding the plot.