What have i watched lately?....
Star Trek: The Motion Picture(1979):
Slighty confusing but still alot of fun. Very 70s in it's production design as everything has a brown and grey look compared to the very colourful 60s TV show but it's masterfully handled by legendary director Robert Wise.
Batman (1989):
Still a lot of fun after 23 years but compared to Nolan's vision of batman, Tim Burton's is a little hard to take seriously. Great performances all round especially Jack Nicholson as the Joker and what a way to introduce Kim Basinger by closing in on her legs..
Double Indemnity (1944):
First time viewing the classic film noir and was blown away by the incredible performances from Fred McMurray, Edward G Robinson and especially Barbara Stanwyk as the scheming femme fatale. The interplay between McMurray and Stanwyk is pure cinematic gold thanks to some brilliant dialogue from a script by Raymond Chandler and Billy Wilder and some magnificent direction from Wilder, very very tempted to purchase the Blu-ray now. Highly Recommended.
Get The Gringo aka How I Spent My Summer Vacation (2012):
Deliriously violent and exploitative modern action thriller from Mel Gibson that plays like an unofficial sequel to Payback. Some plot holes don't detract from the sheer fun of watching Mad Mel back on top form. Recommended.
Penitentiary (1979):
Brutal prison/blaxploitation movie shot on a low budget but also very entertaining. Some of the camera angles are reminiscent of modern hip hop videos and this is apparently quite an influential film. I enjoyed it.
Dead Presidents (1995):
Hugely underrated crime drama from the Hughes Brothers that should be held in the same esteem as Goodfellas, Casino, Donnie Brasco and Carlito's Way. Some fine performances from Lorenze Tate, Chris Tucker, Freddy Rodriguez and Keith David punctuated with a great soundtrack of 60s and 70s soul. Highly recommended.
After.Life (2009):
a very sinister first half leads in to a clichéd second half but it's still an entertaining horror thriller with good performances from Christina Ricci and Justin Long and very Creepy Liam Neeson. Best thing about the film though is that miss Ricci is starkers for almost 80% of the film. Predictable ending but definitely worth a watch.
Ted (2012):
Laugh out loud comedy from Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane. Some genuinely hysterical moments with a spot on comic performance from Mark Wahlberg and a great voice role for McFarlane. If you watch this movie for one scene watch it for Giovani Ribisi's dance to Tiffany's I Think We're alone now. Highly recommended for Family guy fans but also recommended for comedy fans in general.
Batman Begins (2005):
Christopher Nolan's first entry into his financially successful trilogy takes Bruce wayne back to his origins in the dark but action packed comic book movie. Tone shifts in the Dark Knight as that film loses it's comic book aesthetics, but this is still top end studio film making and a bloody good film too.
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