Movie Reviews

Robin Hood Review

It has been 19 years since Robin Hood was last on the silver screen. But with his enduring popularity and new trends taking place in cinema since Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves nearly 20 years ago, a re-invention was always on the cards. With Ridley Scott directing and Russell Crowe starring, a new type of Robin Hood is born.

Scott is one of the best directors around for a historical film; he has shown a great skill for taking people back to another time and show what the period would have been like (even if he has to take a few liberties to the historical facts). He has shown he ability in The Duellists, Gladiator, and Kingdom of Heaven. With Robin Hood he shows that the Medieval period was dark and dirty, even for members of the gentry. Battles are hard and brutal, though with a PG-13 rating there is a lot less blood than in Gladiator, which is a shame.

Legion Review

The January 2010 release Legion centers on the idea of God plaguing the people of the world for not obeying Him. The angel Michael (Paul Bettany) is trying to protect the world from God’s wrath, which is represented by an army of angels. In particular, he attempts to protect a pregnant waitress named Charlie (Adrianne Palicki), as her baby is prophesied to save the world.

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) Review

It is very difficult to review a movie called The Human Centipede (First Sequence). There is little chance one will be lured to a viewing under false pretenses, so if a movie delivers what you expect, is it not then an indisputable success? Yes and no as the film is a struggle between concept, execution and nausea but what is admirable, in addition to its fearless boundary pushing, is its restraint. Yes you read that correctly, restraint. Contrary to so many of the torture porn films that try to punch up the shock value through sadism The Human Centipede has almost no blood and lets your imagination fill in the horrific blanks.

Edge of Darkness Review

Back after six years between acting gigs, Mel Gibson stars in Martin Campbell’s Edge of Darkness, a sorrowful, gritty and intelligent revenge thriller. Not only is Mel back, he gives what may be (or is close to) his best performance as a grief riddled father searching for answers about his daughters brutal murder. Gibson is no stranger to revenge style films, but there is no coyness or zany humour here or off-the-wall kookiness showcased in films such as Lethal Weapon or Payback. 

Iron Man 2 Review

Superhero movie follow-ups have been a tough business lately. Iron Man 2 marks Marvel’s first sequel since Spider-Man 3 left millions disappointed in 2007. So to quell any lingering fears, Iron Man 2 is not a letdown. It’s far from it. To think director Jon Favreau and star Robert Downey Jr. would lose sight of what they did that turned a lesser Marvel character into a multi-million-dollar franchise would be a gross underestimation.

Nine Review

When watching Nine, which was just released on DVD this past Tuesday, I had no clue what to expect. Months upon months of anticipation for director Rob Marshall’s return to the musical genre were finally to unveil themselves as either time well-spent or time better spent elsewhere. Unfortunately, Nine fit the bill for the latter, as it was a nearly intolerable film experience.

Iron Man Review

Don’t wet yourself just yet. The title says Iron Man, that would be minus the “2.” We’ll have that review for you Friday morning, we just thought it right to publish a review of the original film as well to help jog your memory about what made the original such a solid blockbuster.

A Nightmare on Elm Street Review

Producer Michael Bay’s vision has finally done what his last two attempts at horror revisions failed to do: keep the focus on the villain. In 2003’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the whole movie was driven not by Leatherface, but by his father (R. Lee Ermey), whose performance was way over the top. In last year’s Friday the 13th remake, the pretty boy and girl actors take away from Jason more than any of the previous films did. But in A Nightmare on Elm Street, Jackie Earle Haley (taking over for Robert Englund) is the star power behind the movie and he’s entirely in the driver’s seat. His performance in Watchmen and Little Children helped convince producers that they found a suitable replacement for the role of Freddy Krueger.

Cemetery Junction Review

Since creating TV shows The Office and Extras, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have been recognized as two of Britain’s best-known comedic talents. Gervais is particularly known as the front man for the duo and has thus entered into other projects: stand-up tours, starring film roles, directing a film and even a guest starring on Alias. The two men have reunited to write and direct their first feature film together with Cemetery Junction.

Christian Cooke plays Freddie Taylor, a man in his 20s living in the early ’70s in Cemetery Junction, a suburb of Reading, England. Freddie wants to avoid the same life path his parents and contemporaries have taken: leaving school at 14 to work in the local factory for the rest of their lives. He goes to work at a life insurance company run by Mr. Kendrick (Ralph Fiennes) and taught by salesman Mike Ramsay (Matthew Goode).

Freddie spends his free time with his close friends Bruce (Tom Hughes) and Snork (Jack Doolan) doing all the jolly things in life: drinking, fighting and trying to score with girls. But Freddie is slowly distancing himself from them because they refuse to shed their childish ways. He also remakes a friendship with Julie (Felicity Jones), whom he last saw when he was 12. She tells Freddie her passion is to travel the world and he too has those thoughts. He becomes disillusioned with everything in Cemetery Junction.

Death at a Funeral Review

You don’t remake a movie this friggin’ soon! That’s what I told myself after hearing that Chris Rock would be remaking Frank Oz’s 2007 British comedy, Death at a Funeral, a well-stocked film with plenty of gags but somehow less funny than it should have been. Perhaps it had to do with me not always getting the English sense of humor. The cultural differences sometimes fly right over my head. Even though it was essentially one long gag, it seemed to be missing something.