The Good, The Bad and The Weird

The Good, The Bad and The Weird, the new film from acclaimed South Korean director Ji-woon Kim, is a rather bizarre Western (Or should that be Eastern?) set in the Manchurian desert during the 1930's, concerning three Korean outlaws who cross paths during a train heist.

What has me excited about this is the talent involved, Kim's previous films A Bittersweet Life and A Tale Of Two Sisters were nothing short of exceptional, he's a truly fantastic director and the main cast are all terrific. One of my favourite Korean actors Kang-ho Song is probably best known for his role in The Host, and Byung-hun Lee was the lead in the aforementioned Bittersweet Life, with Woo-sung Jung having turned in an excellent performance in the epic Musa.

No doubt this is going to be spectacular.

Hellboy II - Big Baby poster

Stumbled across this thanks to The Movie Blog. All the promos for Hellboy II look absolutely terrific, and this is no different. I really cannot wait to see this film.

Subtitled trailer for Let The Right One In

Earlier in the month I posted about the Swedish horror film Let The Right One In, and included a trailer that was lacking subtitles. Thanks to an anonymous commentor that steered me in the direction of a subtitled one.

Gone Baby Gone

So here we have: a) a child being snatched from bed while her parents are ‘across the street’, b) the media hopping on said abduction and making a national celebrity out of the grieving mother and c) incompetent police officers. Yes, everybody, it’s the Madeline McCann case! But it is also the set up of Gone Baby Gone, a film produced before the Madeline situation became the favourite story of tabloid newspapers for seemingly endless months.

But despite some slightly eerie similarities between this film and reality, the film quickly sways another direction and becomes one of the most ambitious, challenging thrillers to come out of Hollywood in years. Which, to be honest, took me slightly off guard. I didn’t expect anything special from the directorial debut of Ben Affleck: a man whose admirable history in screenwriting, producing and acting in some great movies (<3>!) has been tarnished in recent years as he has been the unfortunate poster boy for some serious dross. But Affleck has proven himself more than capable with Gone Baby Gone.

The strongest point of this film is definitely the stunning characterisation. Here we have a thriller where the characters are not invincible superpeople, wooden government agents (although the police are in plentiful supply) or tough bastards with “Nothing to Lose”. Nope, the individuals created by novelist Denis Lehane and adapted by Aaron Stockard and Affleck are as complex as you or I. These people all have realistic motivations and strict moral standpoints. The protagonist – youngish private detective Patrick Kenzie played aptly by the supremely talented Casey Affleck – in particular a refreshingly realistic narrator. This is a character who obeys his morals, even if those decisions are unlikely to win him any friends. He knows the streets of Boston, and is believably able to manipulate his associates to get where he wants to be. He is a likable hero, although the audience will not always agree with his approach to a situation: it is certainly pleasant to have an imperfect hero for a change.

Casey Affleck again proves himself to be a finer thespian than his brother, and after this and his performance in The Assassination of Jessie James, he is very quickly emerging as one of the truly talented actors working in Hollywood. He is backed up by an instantly recognisable posse of supporters. Ed Harris is fantastic as a corrupt police officer, while Morgan Freeman plays somewhat against type as a more calculating presence (and he mercifully doesn’t narrate, which makes a fricking change). Only disappointment is arguably Michelle Monaghan, an actress who has provided some fine performances in the past, but here she is unfortunately relegated to a more passive role. Some of her sequences have some resonance, but overall her character isn’t as fully fleshed out as Amy Ryan’s (superb in the role of the troubled mother). One or two of the roles veer a bit too close to stereotypes (the drug dealer Cheese, for example) but thankfully most are well drawn and well acted.

When it boils down to it, Gone Baby Gone is a thriller in formula and structure. But it is full of suspense, and has some taut action: a fight through an abandoned house is almost unbearably tense, while a lakeside deal gone wrong packs a powerful stylistic punch. The story is involving, although arguably twists and turns a bit too much along the way. But it all cruises along to a thoroughly satisfying conclusion, which is in my mind the finest, most challenging ending to an American thriller in quite some time. The finale refuses to take an easy way out, and the fantastic final shot showcases Ben’s visual competence and thematic richness in one superb image. A sometimes cloying, sometimes effective soundtrack by Harry Gregson-Williams provides the soundtrack to proceedings, while the script arguably relies a little too much on Boston slang. It sometimes proves to be a little difficult to follow the latest twist in the narrative, but confusion is usually smoothed out quickly. The sheer amount of names being thrown about is often too heavy, though.

Gone Baby Gone is a unique, intelligent and involving thriller which illustrates what can be done when someone dares to challenge a genre. This is still a great thriller with some stylish noir touches, but also proves to be a thought provoking character piece. It may have had a belated arrival on Irish shores, but it is worth it. A true gem.

The fact that the actress who plays the young abducted girl is named Madeline is one hell of a scary coincidence though!

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The long awaited Indy IV is sadly a disappointment. That's not to say it's an entirely bad film, but rather that it really doesn't live up to the cinematic quality of its predecessors. Even the rather flawed Temple of Doom was better than this.

I did enjoy the film of course, there's some standout action sequences, the humour was spot on, and despite many reservations, Harrison Ford was not too old. Even Shia LaBeouf turned in a performance that managed not to annoy me, which is extremely impressive for him, and for Cate Blanchett's terrific KGB villainess, it certainly looks like she enjoyed camping it up and chewing scenery.

The problem is that Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is just incredibly uneven. After a terrible opening scene, it quickly turns things around with a magnificent romp inside a secret government facility, only for things to go pear shaped in a shockingly groan-worthy sequence where Indy survives a nuclear blast relatively unscathed by hiding in a fridge and getting hurled several kilometers. From there it takes us to what is easily the best portion of the film, that includes great scenes of academic blacklisting and communist paranoia of the 50's, an excellent punch-up, and a thrilling bike chase. But it just keeps up with these uneven ups and downs, before the collapsing completely in the final act.

I feel as if the film had been ghost-directed by Stephen Sommers, rather than Spielberg. Too often it dances between down to earth scenes of action and adventure that are tremendously thrilling, and ridiculous overblown rubbish that lacks any sense of danger. It's like my suspension of disbelief was grabbed onto, jerked around and snapped off. As well as that, the film lacked a lot of characterisation, Ray Winstone's character was trite and predictable right up to the end, and apart from Blanchett the villains were for the mostly dull and lifeless, which was a pity considering they had Andrew Divoff just standing around in the background.

Ok, it's not all that bad, but I think on the scale of things, the Indy franchise deserves a much better standard of film than this. Yes, it's a pretty good switch-your-brain-off summer blockbuster, and it does indeed have many enjoyable scenes, but Raiders of the Lost Ark was one of the best films of all time, the defining action/adventure movie, 100% fried gold! I wanted to like Indy IV, but I just can't shake the overwhelming feeling of disappointment.

All in all, I wouldn't say Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a bad film, just a bad Indiana Jones film. Worth a look, but don't expect anything amazing.

Highlander: The Search for Vengeance

My first introduction to the Highlander Universe came at a relatively young age when I would sit down every Friday and watch Highlander the television show with my Dad. From here my love of the Highlander Mythos grew expediently until it got to such a stage that I would valiantly count down the days till the series returned or another film in the franchise was to be released. Hell I even watched all of Highlander: The Raven, which shows just how committed I was to all things Highlander.

Anyone familiar with Highlander franchise will no doubt understand a lot of fan frustration concerning film number 2 which pissed on all that had went before. After the backlash, all subsequent additions to the universe wisely disregarded it and instead concentrated on expanding the unique mythos laid down in number one. 2007 was a mixed year for us fans, first up we got a look at an early Russian DVD of Highlander: The Source which for all intents and purposes was pure bunkum, which like number 2 managed to piss off a large portion of the fan base given it's blatant disregard for the existing material. In the summer of 2007, the long awaited Anime, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance was finally released on R1 DVD to widespread critical acclaim and fan adoration.

Directed by Yoshiaki Kawajiri one of the most respected Anime directors alive whom in the past gave us Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and Ninja Scroll, the film was the much needed kick start that the franchise so badly needed. Free from the restraints of network restrictions and budgetary constraints, Kawajiri working from a script by David Abramowitz took all that is great about the franchise, the unrestrained violence, flashbacks which flesh out both characters and actions as well as the sensuality ever present to give us not only the best Highlander film since the first but also the most entertaining Anime films of our generation.

In Vengeance the main protagonist is another member of the McLeod tribe. Colin McLeod whom has spent 2,000 years searching for the immortal who killed his love, each time their swords cross fate intervenes and saves Colin decapitation, which is the only thing which can kill an immortal. Marcus his vary, an immortal who has spent the past 2,000 years trying to create recreate Rome. As in previous films and the show the story is set across a number of centuries, from the Roman invasion of England, to Feudal Japan to a futuristic New York all of which are portrayed in vibrant luscious tones. The highly evocative animation allows the franchise a visual sheen which it has thus far lacked.

The most truly stunning sequences involve the Quickening, which is the events directly after an immortal decapitates another immortal and the energy or life essence is transferred from one to another. Free from the usual sequence of simulated lighting emitting from the now head less body, Vengeance goes all out visually. Buildings crumble, bodies fly and explosions fill the screen as viewers mouths open wide.

I could go on and on for hours about just how good the film is. From the perfect voice acting (Jim Byrnes even makes an appearance), to the visuals or to the original and highly impressive script. But I shan't bore you. What it comes down to is simple, Highlander: The Search for Vengeance is the only sequel to date which has come close to matching the originals feel. It's original, fun and retains the essence of what makes Highlander such a joy to experience. If you ever sat through any of the sequels and thought an illiterate 6 year old with ADD could make a better film then you owe it to yourself to experience Vengeance.

Robocop Remake, or Sequel?

A couple of months ago I posted about a proposed Robocop remake, an idea that I'm definitely not thrilled about. In an article from THR.com, MGM have announced at Cannes that a Red Dawn remake is in the works, and also confirm that Robocop "could resurface in a new version."

While "a new version" doesn't necessarily mean remake, there's been talk of a Robocop remake back as far as 2005, but I do wonder about the possibility of a sequel. The article makes mention of Rocky Balboa, and we are living in a time where it's not unusual to see our action heroes from the 80's back on the big screen, like Indiana Jones and Rambo, so it's not beyond the realms of possibility.

They're even making a Beverly Hills Cop IV for crying out loud. Now, I'd still prefer to see a shiny new special edition of Robocop with updated visual effects getting a theatrical release, but if they got Paul Verhoeven to return as director, and writers Edward Neumeier and Michael Miner, then who knows? This could actually be a very cool film, I've always found the character of Alex Murphy interesting, and I'd love to see them dig a little deeper. I wonder would we even get to see Peter Weller return?

Some mightn't like the idea of trotting out old characters like this, but I really quite enjoyed Die Hard 4. What would you like to see? A Robocop remake, or sequel? Perhaps it can make up for the absolute disaster that was RoboCop 3.

Are children's films today afraid of scaring them?

Yes, the danger must be growing, 'cause the rowers keep on rowing, and they're certainly not showing, any signs that they are slowing.

It was like someone drugged me and snatched me from my home, I awoke somewhere else to find David Lynch's Eraserhead playing, because it can't be the same innocent kid's film I had been watching all morning, it was disturbing and frightening and I had my hands over my eyes, peering out only to see something wish I hadn't. That was one of my strongest memories of seeing Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory as a child, but I loved it. It was something we'd always see at Christmas, it was tradition, and I'd watch it year after year, my eyes still covered at that infamous tunnel scene.

Thinking back, a lot of my favourite films as a child were often quite scary or disturbing, sometimes downright depressing, and it strikes me that a lot of those films just wouldn't be the same if they were made today. Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is good example of this, it's just fairly dull compared to the 1971 version that had left so many kids cowering, and I'd say Burton's film is just going to be forgotten.

Watership Down was a children's film that was more harrowing than Schindler's List, utterly terrifying, soaked in violence, death and disturbing imagery. I don't think any film has ever had me so emotionally flogged, it was so incredibly powerful and bleak, but it has secured itself as a favourite of mine, I had it on VHS and nearly wore the tape out. It's amazing to think something for children that horrifying ever got made, but to a whole generation, it's a part of their childhood. The Plague Dogs was equally bleak and depressing, perhaps even more so as it lacked Watership Down's happy ending.

I remember reading a woman's online rants not so long ago about Spirited Away, having taken her daughter to see it, she thought the scene where Chihiro's parents turned into pigs was far too disturbing for children, so she took her daughter and left. I do get the feeling that maybe parents are getting overprotective of their children in this regard, shielding them from anything that might scare them or make them cry. Interestingly, another favourite of mine as a kid was Ron Howard's Willow, which had a scene of people being turned into pigs that absolutely scared the pants off me.

Growing up in the 80's, you'd have seen quite a few films aimed at youngsters that were outright chilling, such as Return to Oz, which wouldn't have been a favourite of mine as I've only seen it once, but it certainly left it's mark, those wheelers were the stuff of nightmares. Jim Henson's classic The Dark Crystal was suitably terrifying as well, with giant beetles, an old woman with a removable eye, a soul-draining torture chamber, it was all pretty dark stuff indeed and I loved it.

Without a doubt, one of my favourite films as a kid was Transformers: The Movie, and I was in absolute tears when Optimus Prime died. Here was my childhood hero, and I watched him die on an operating table. Animation had so much more balls back then, and it wasn't afraid to show something that could make a child have nightmares, or leave them in tears. Today, the most we can expect to see in kids films are jokes that are somewhat risque, but that's sadly about it.

Pixar are doing great things, and I really loved The Incredibles, but I've felt that they always play things very safe, being careful not to make the audience sad at any point. There's one scene in Ratatouille that I've felt really held back, where Remy was separated from his family it could have really tugged on the heart strings, but they just pushed through the moment.

I do wonder about how kids are going to turn out, because people who are in their 20's now had so much death, grief and violence introduced to them through media when they were growing up, that it probably prepared an entire generation for life's hardships. The Harry Potter films are the only ones I can really think of that'll scare some kids, and they do incorporate some rather dark themes, but I do get the overall sense that the British franchise is the last bastion of darkness aimed at young viewers, and that there's a steady move towards cencorship and mollycoddling.

A lot of people shed tears when Bambi's mother was killed, but can anyone think of a more recent children's film that had that kind of impact? That upset children so deeply? I'd dearly love to see a film that will be that memorable again. Something tells me that the upcoming Shrek Goes Fourth won't be it.

When remakes are good.

It's very easy for me to rant about remakes, I could go on at great length about the sad excuses for films that are blithely copying their Japanese and Korean counterparts. Certainly, if I was to compile a list of the worst films of all time, a large amount of remakes would feature, be it the abysmal Nicolas Cage version of The Wicker Man, 2007's The Hitcher, or 2008's One Missed Call. Most of the time, I take a rather dim view of remakes (No, I didn't even like Gore Verbinsky's The Ring), but there are times when they can equal or even surpass their origins, and when that happens it can be something spectacular indeed.

Here, I'm going to focus on those films instead of griping about the bad ones.

A Fistful Of Dollars is without doubt one of the best remakes of all time, launching the careers of both Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood, I think everyone would agree that it's an extremely significant film. It's a version of Akira Kurosawa's Yojimbo, which has been remade several times since, but never to this standard.

It's certain that Leone was an absolute huge fan of Kurosawa, the influence of the Japanese master is felt throughout his career, and I often get the same feelings from the likes of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly as I would from many of Kurosawa's great samurai epics.

Leone transcended mere imitation, and became an equal. A Fistful Of Dollars might not be as good Once Upon A Time In The West, but it's significance in establishing such a powerful director and revitalizing the Western is undeniable. Regardless of all that, it just makes an absolutely cracking 90 minutes of film genius that is endlessly rewatchable.

The Departed is everything a remake should be. I think when most remakes fail it's because all they try to do is copy the original for the reason making a quick buck, either updating a classic, or making an English language version. Gus van Sant's Psycho being a sterling example. With The Departed, screenwriter William Monahan takes the already fantastic plot of the original Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, and fleshes it out greatly, adds a lot of new elements, creating some extremely interesting characters along the way, such as Mark Wahlberg's Dignam, and the baddie of the picture Costello (Jack Nicholson) has much greater characterisation than that of his Infernal Affairs counterpart.

Of course when you've a director with the class of Martin Scorsese involved, it's going to be hard to fail, and he shows us exactly why he's the man. I wouldn't say The Departed is a better film than Infernal Affairs, but rather different, it expands upon its source material offering up a weightier 2 and a half hour film, where the original clocked in at under two hours. With that said, Infernal Affairs does have two sequels which add considerably to overall plot, so I often view the original as part of a trilogy, where The Departed serves as a standalone film where everything's wrapped up by the end.

I think it stands as a terrific example of how a successful remake should be done, assembling an good cast, getting a great director and an excellent script. Quite simply, The Departed is a fantastic film.

Of course, we can't talk about remakes and not bring up the holy trinity of horror remakes that are David Cronenberg's The Fly, John Carpenter's The Thing, and Philip Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers. What's notable about the films, is that they all take the basic premise of the first film, and doing something different with it.

Under Cronenberg, The Fly took a far more horrific and disturbing direction than the original, some say it's a metaphor for AIDS, but no matter how you look at, it's a nightmarish film. Kaufman's Invasion is a much more bleak, paranoid and apocalyptic vision, and one I found far more disturbing than the original. That final howl is terrifying.

What can be said about The Thing? It's simply one of the greatest horror films ever made, the sense of paranoia and claustrophobia is ever pervasive, and the special effects are astounding, they still hold up quite seamlessly today. I can't think of another film that scared me and disgusted me in equal amounts.

Why can't more modern horror remakes get it right? Zack Snyder got it with Dawn of the Dead, although I know quite a few people would argue against that, I liked it because all it really has in common with George A. Romero's original is the setting (that and zombies), so it's easy to view both as completely separate films and enjoy them.

There has been plenty of other excellent remakes over the years such as 3:10 to Yuma, Scorcese's Cape Fear, Brian De Palma's Scarface, Takeshi Kitano's version of Zatôichi, and another Japanese remake, Takashi Miike's Happiness Of The Katakuris, an utterly barmy musical version of the Korean black comedy The Quiet Family. I think when we consider just how fantastic and important these films are, it truly puts the other shallow and lifeless remakes to total shame.

Lynch. Herzog. Together at last.

Story here.

Sometimes news doesn't need any commentary, and I think the fact that Werner Herzog and David Lynch are getting together to make a 'horror-tinged thriller' called My Son, My Son is a story that speaks for itself. I for one can only hope that the first collaboration between the man who once ate a shoe in front of a theatre audience (for a bet, of course), and the fellow who used a cow as part of an Oscar campaign will be the masterpiece it damn well has to be.

Ridiculously excited is understating it, and early contender for the most idiosyncratic film of all time.

Hellboy II & Dark Knight posters

It has to be said, I am absolutely loving these posters. Heath Ledger's joker just looks terrific, and that seriously has to be the best Hellboy poster yet. I'm seriously looking forward to both films with great anticipation.

The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor Trailer

The original Mummy film remains one of my favourite Summer blockbusters of all time and the sequel wasn't bad either. Throw in the spin off film The Scorpion King and you have a franchise that has continuously delivered chills, spills, adventure and gallons of humour. The announcement last year of an additional two sequels, The Mummy 3: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor and The Scorpion King: Rise of the Akkadian was greeted with some indifference given that franchise creator Stephen Summers would be neither directing nor writing.

After watching the trailer I have to admit that I'm excited. It really does look like good old fashioned fun and given the rather lasckstruck Indiana Jones reviews thus far, The Mummy has the potential to be the boys own adventure of the Summer.

Happy-Go-Lucky

If ever a film was wonderfully summarised in a title, it is Happy-Go-Lucky. Those five syllables perfect describe the light and breezy tone of this film, and quite possibly how you will feel as you leave the cinema. This is a movie that admirably celebrates optimism, which I for one found a nice relief in an age where even Hollywood blockbusters strive to be as dark and cynical as the PG-13 rating will allow them to.

At first, I didn’t really think I was going to enjoy Happy-Go-Lucky. The opening few minutes have a couple of attempts at humour that fall rather flat: not really a positive sign in a comedy-drama. And then there is a sequence illustrating a stereotypical, painful night out: the drunken ramblings of a coven of irritating witches prove to be an instant turn-off that creates little sympathy towards Poppy, our chirpy protagonist.

But luckily Happy-Go-Lucky reveals itself to be a slow burner: it just takes a little while to adjust to Poppy’s world. It is Poppy (or Pauline) herself that will likely begin to conjure up some goodwill. Her cheery, often illogical optimism is a difficult trait to pull off, but Sally Hawkins gives a truly exceptional performance. Poppy is an oddity in London: a woman who has decided to be endlessly upbeat in a city of dreariness and unfriendliness. Her primary coloured clothes are in sharp contrast to the grey, apathetic streets and people around her, while her constant attempts at light humour and banter are often dismissed by those she tries to cheer up. Admittedly, she does often come across as annoying and excessive, but this simply strengthens her character: she is a solid mix of likable quirks and annoying habits. Her good-will even in the most difficult of situations (one sequence where she attempts to talk to a homeless drunkard sticks out) becomes endearing, and you may well find yourself cheering her on sooner than expected. She is a multi-layered character: her motivations admirable, her outlook likable. Most importantly she is a very strong, independent person who is entirely happy with her life, and the character is more than capable of holding the film together. Hawkins’ portrayal works brilliantly, and her performance is one of the most charming and memorable in quite some time.

Poppy holds the story together, and it is a great relief that her character is so compelling, as the narrative relies on her completely. Indeed, the ‘story’ is almost non-existent, and is simply a few chapters in the day to day life of our protagonist. The film simply comprises of a number of vignettes in Poppy’s life. It documents her day-to-day encounters: dealing with a troubled boy in the class she teaches, her bizarre dancing lessons, her sojourns with an intense driving instructor. More than anything, these mini-tales try and portray the way in which Poppy tries to retain her optimism in the face of an often bleak reality. Perhaps the central story is the one focusing on her driving lessons with a racist, emotionally fragile instructor. These Saturday excursions are the best examples of the film’s thematic concerns: the difficulty of remaining optimistic in a pessimistic world. While Poppy’s refusal to drop her friendly mannerisms often put her at risk, ultimately her cheery attitude keeps her safe and wins over the many other characters she encounters. Director Mike Leigh seemingly urges the audience to try and be friendly in an increasingly unfriendly world through his sympathetic portrayal of Polly, which seems to me to be an entirely refreshing moral!

There are dark hints throughout the film: there are subtle references to child abuse, alcoholism, obsession and other bleak issues. But these are an integral part of the film that reinforce the general happy mood. The cinematography reinforces this – often quite subtle, it makes terrific use of colour to give Poppy a central presence. Her multi-coloured clothing and her flatmate’s yellow car make her stand out instantly. It is also quite a funny little movie when it wants to be: the humour is quirky and offbeat, but Leigh will likely succeed in making you laugh through his bizarre characters and situations. Driving instructor Scott’s repeated refrain of Enraha is a great running joke, while the sometimes ridiculous mannerisms of Poppy are often good for a chuckle.

There are one or two issues that should be raised. Some of the sequences seem a little redundant: in particular a final-act romance that seems somewhat surplus to requirements (although it is thankfully brief). The ancillary characters sometimes seem to lack depth: Poppy’s younger sister in particular. And the previously mentioned weak start is an obstacle that has to be overcome to reveal the real depth and subtlety the film has to offer.

Happy-Go-Lucky is a sprightly little film that is a truly uplifting experience. True a fantastically realised lead character, it has a lot to say about the increasing depersonalisation of cotemporary society. The messages are subtle and careful, despite the excessiveness of Poppy. The film is far deeper than appearances may suggest, and while it is a very enjoyable two hours, it also lends itself to more detail examination. Catch this in the right mood and Happy-Go-Lucky’s big heart (symbolised by Poppy’s necklace) may just win you over.

I Am Legend

Richard Matheson's original 1954 novella I Am Legend was nothing short of one of the greatest and most influential pieces of horror fiction ever written. Much to the frustration of anyone who's ever read the book, there's never been a decent adaptation. Both this and The Omega Man just seem to have missed the point so blatantly. As an adaptation, I Am Legend just fails miserably.

But, is it a good film? I'd say that yes, it is. The book has been a favourite of mine, but I resigned myself to the notion that the film wasn't going to resemble the source material long before seeing the film, so I had been prepared not to look at it as an adaptation. If anything, it's a remake of The Omega Man, because there are certainly some great similarities between both films that weren't in the book.

It's a deeply flawed film no matter what light you're looking at it in. The CGI vampires (or 'Darkseekers' as they're called here) are tragically rubbish looking, which is extremely grating considering how menacing the build up is before we even set eyes on one of them, only to have something that resembles a cartoon character glaring at us. Normally I wouldn't gripe about CGI, but the characters on display here really look appalling.

The strongest point in the film is none other than Will Smith, he's absolutely terrific as Robert Neville, and breathes life into what would be an otherwise unremarkable film. Smith has proven himself an absolute powerhouse of an actor, and in presenting us with a character who's almost completely alone in the world, he's incredibly believable, entirely what you'd imagine someone might be without any human contact.

My biggest criticism of I Am Legend is that, aside from a deeply unsatisfying ending (and the alternate ending isn't much better either), is that it's all over too soon. It's an extremely intriguing vision of a post apocalyptic world, and I really wanted to see more of it. I wanted to see more of Robert Neville as well, he's a far more interesting character in this film than he was in Charlton Heston's version, and there's some very dark moments that we sadly only get a glimpse of. One such moment is in Neville's basement lab, where he's experimenting on a captured vampire, trying to find a cure for the disease, we see a wall covered in pictures of the subjects of his experimentation; bald, emancipated, dead faces that are reminiscent of holocaust victims.

While Heston's Neville had a very clear cut Jesus allegory, Smith's could be somewhere between Jesus and Josef Mengele. It's something extremely morally ambiguous, but it's never really explored at all, which is a serious pity because they had a chance to do something extraordinarily bold and powerful with the film, and it would've given an incredible counter-point to the religious aspects in the story. But this a big budget Hollywood film, so having given us a brief look at this remarkably dark idea is probably a lot more than you could expect.

Overall though, it's a fairly decent popcorn movie with an incredible central performance that drives it, yet leaves you with a sense that it could've been so much better.

Polish X-Files 2 poster

Thanks to X-Files News, we have a rather cool poster for the upcoming movie, The X-Files: I Want to Believe. Although, the consensus is that Duchovny's head looks terrible, hopefully it's just the result of a bad scan.

Frankly, I love how secretive the marketing on this has been, everything is shrouded in mystery, as it rightfully should be. There are spoilers out there, but I'm keeping away from them. So far, I've really no clue what it's about, except that Mulder & Scully are back, and it's out this July. Chris Carter seems to be keeping very tight reigns on this project, with rumours abounding of false info being leaked to throw the fans off, I think this is going to be something special indeed.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

In recent years the comedy genre has gone through a number of upheavals. The gross out fare which so appealed has evolved into a more sickly sweetly variant. Films such as the 40 Year Old Virgin and Knocked Up while containing a high quota of gross out material also contained some truly sweet moments and heart. The other major evolution in the genre has been the resurgence of the spoof movie, which I'm not even going to discuss. The latest comedy to hit our shores is the entertaining Forgetting Sarah Marshall.

The first thing that struck me and no it wasn't the full frontal male nudity, was how being a producer these days makes any film you work on your very own. The ad campaigns and critics have all been labeling the film as a Judd Apatow effort when in fact if anything it's a Jason Segel film given that he not only wrote it but also features as the leading man.

Segel is Peter Bretter a 30ish musician who makes a living creating atmosphere for a cop drama which stars his now ex-girlfriend Sarah Marshall and the genuinely brilliant Billy Baldwin. Fol owing their breakup, Peter heads to Hawaii to try and get over her only to discover that Sarah is also in Hawaii, staying at the same resort.

The characters are an assortment of lovable oddballs, the humour never relies on gross out and the performances are all spot on, even Russel Brand is absolutely brilliant playing what appears to be himself. #

The supporting cast is made up of Apatow favourites, including the ever brilliant Paul Rudd who features as the films most genuinely funny character. He manages to steal every scene he's in and you sorely wish that he had been given more screen time.The similarities between Apatow's modern classic Knocked Up and Forgetting Sarah Marshall extend beyond the cast. Both take a situation which by all accounts should not be funny yet manage to wring some genuine humour from the situation.

At times a lot of the humour feels borrowed, in fact one of the main comedic scenes is almost identical to a joke from How I Met Your Mother which incidentally enough also involved Jason Segel's character. There's a refreshing familiarity to most of the gags, we've seen it all before but the superior script compensates for this, and any film which features a Muppet musical about Dracula is worth a viewing in my book.

The main problem with the film is that the peripheral characters are responsible for the films biggest laughs while the main thrust of the story involving the two new romances are all a bit meh. This being most evident in a dinner scene where both new couples share a meal with only Brand impressing. Segel lacks the everyman charm of Seth Rogan, but Mila Kunis is an absolute joy to watch. She manages to strike the perfect cord between humour and pathos without ever crossing into melodrama.

Over all Forgetting Sarah Marshall is a fine addition to the "Apatow" cannon and well deserving of it's place alongside Knocked Up and Superbad. The final musical performance involving Muppets bodes well for Segel and director Nicholas Stoller's proposed Muppet Movie.

The Dark Knight Mark Two

This summer has only really got one film which will define it, one film which when people look back at 2008 will instantly spring to mind. That film my friends is The Dark Knight and this morning after months of anticipation we finally get the second trailer. After watching it a dozen times so far, there really isn't much I can say that will convey just how awe-inspiringly amazing it appears to be.

July 18th can't get here fast enough, though cryogenic freezing may be an option.

The Lives Of Others

Subtle and gripping are the two words that come to mind when I would try to describe The Lives Of Others. It's a frightening look into the communist government of East Germany, the lengths they went to in order to keep tabs on the population, characters driven by suspicion, and what happens when people in positions of power abuse that position.

It's a remarkably vast story that brings you into a place and a time with the focus on one person, who seems as though they're caught into the middle of a storm. We're taken through the expansive narrative by the secret police agent Gerd Weisler (Ulrich Muhe) who kicks off events by musing to his superior that a playwright may not be as clean as he seems, and he's charged to surveil the writer and his lover.

From there, Weisler becomes increasingly engrossed and sympathetic towards this couple, while his superiors are clamoring for him to find something on them. It's nothing short of a breathtaking performance on the part of Muhe, and while the rest of the cast are fantastic, such as Sebastian Koch in the part playwright Georg Dreyman, or Martina Gedeck as his lover and leading actress, this film really belongs to Ulrich Muhe. His cold, quiet exterior hides a simmering range of emotion and inner struggle, it's as subtle and as powerful a performance as you could imagine.

The film is incredibly well written and directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, it captures an atmosphere onscreen that is potent and ever present, it's hard to think of another film where I felt sorry and fearful for just about every minor character. There's one scene in an elevator where a child questions Weisler, and my heart sank with dread at what could happen. The Lives Of Others is such a powerful experience that it made me feel extremely uncomfortable throughout, and that's quite rare.

The cinematography is extremely good, while not flashy, it adds to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the film in subtle ways. When we follow Weisler to his home, we observe him through a fisheye lens that makes it feel as though we're the ones surveiling him now, getting the insight into his private life that he and his government get from others.

It's a remarkably well written piece. Weisler doesn't really talk that much, so much of his motivation is left to our imaginations and interpretations. If this were an American film, the character would probably speak his thoughts aloud, spelling things out for the audiences, but von Donnersmarck seems to have a much greater respect for us, and it comes off a far better film because of it.

Honestly, just see this film. It's powerful, tragic, and often times frightening, I can't think of anything that has been this spellbinding, that has left me feeling emotionally flogged, and has been so utterly brilliant. See it.

Let The Right One In

Quite honestly, I don't think there's been a year like 2008 for the sheer volume of films I'm looking forward to, and while I'm definitely gagging for a shocking number of blockbusters, there's plenty of smaller films that have me equally excited, one of them being the Swedish horror Let The Right One In, which is being praised by all who've seen it, and has won the top prize at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Based on the book by John Ajvide Lindqvist and directed by Tomas Alfredson, it tells the story of a young boy called Oskar who falls in love with a girl who moves in next door, and also happens to be a vampire.

Everything I've heard about this would indicate that it's wildly different to other vampire films, and considering the advanced acclaim it's receiving, it really promises to be something very special indeed. Knowing local cinemas, I probably won't get to see it until it's released on DVD, but I'm holding out hope that it'll get a once off screening.

Of course, with Let The Right One In being a foreign horror, you have to expect that the remake is inevitable, but this time (According to bloodydisgusting.com) it's the newly revamped English company Hammer Films who are behind the planned remake, although it was said that JJ Abrams' company Bad Robot had been interested in making a version for US audiences.

Anyway, I'll leave you with the trailer, which is sadly without subtitles, but still looks like it'll be a very creepy film indeed. I can't wait!

New Hancock trailer

With all the big hitters that are coming out this year such as Iron Man, The Dark Knight and Hellboy 2, this is one film that might be an unexpected contender. I have to say, this looks very kick ass. Hancock is being directed by The Kingdom helmer Peter Berg and Will Smith is just proving again and again what a great actor he can be, and from the trailers, the humour seems to be great.

Hancock is definitely going on my to do list.

It's official, Iron Man rules.

Yes, Iron Man Rules. I had previously been concerned that the film had shot it's load in the trailers, but just returning from the cinema now I'm very happy to say that it hasn't, and that my worries were greatly put to rest. Iron Man delivers, and then some.

You'll have to pardon me if it seems like I'm fawning here, but this was quite simply one of the best superhero films on the big screen ever, on par with Batman Begins and X-Men 2. It's a combination of excellent direction, perfect casting, and great writing, a real flawless adaptation.

Jon Favreau is a director with great attention to detail, and he certainly knows how to do a superhero movie. It's all in the pacing, and when doing such a big story you certainly need to take the time to tell it properly, so where the Fantastic Four films felt like they were over before they really got started, Iron Man lets it's hero really take flight, and at 126 minutes, it seems like the perfect run time. It also hits the right balance of humour and action, at no time being too silly or hard to believe.

There's a little detail I noticed that made a significant impact on the believability of the film, a scene where Tony Stark is suiting up in his Mark III armour, we can see he's wearing a pair of wetsuit boots. It seems really trivial, but the idea of him being as comfortable as possible inside the armour just added to the believability. There's also considerable foreshadowing to future events in the Iron Man canon, which altogether left me with a big grin on my face.

Robert Downey Jr. was absolutely terrific, we all knew his casting was 100% spot-on from the get go, but this didn't stop me from being enthralled by his performance none the less, he really embodied Tony Stark. There might a tendency to view a blockbuster like this as a lesser kind of film, but the subject matter is treated with a rare kind of respect, and Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is someone who goes from displaying cocky arrogance to a rather grim realisation of his own frailty to righteous anger, all with a remarkable sense of honesty. An early scene where our hero finds himself hardwired with a car battery thanks to some impromptu lifesaving surgery, the look of fear in his eyes seems quite real, so it seems like a 110% from the film's star.

I've always found the character of Iron Man very interesting. It's the fact that the source of his powers is the very thing keeping him alive that set him so wildly apart from other superheroes and made him very fascinating, he's incredibly strong but at the same time incredibly fragile.

I've heard some criticism that there wasn't enough action in the film, and while it's true that there isn't as significant an amount of action as the trailers would allude to, but I'd consider this to the credit of the film, if anything it reminds me of Léon in the sense that there's only a couple of big action sequences and it focuses more on building character. Iron Man doesn't try to overwhelm us with glorious action, but rather it's a film about Tony Stark's personal journey, his literal reinvention of himself and the transformation he goes through.

If there was a weak link, it would probably be Terrence Howard whom I found rather grating at first, maybe it's his voice, but he wasn't bad and I guess we'll have to wait to see more of him in the sequels. Jeff Bridges was excellent, a real scenery chewing baddie, something that's a far cry from some of his other roles, the kind of person who'll smile to your face while stabbing you in the back. This is certainly a great start to what promises to be the best year for Hollywood in a long time, and definitely sets an incredibly solid piece of groundwork for the trilogy that Jon Favreau has been planning. Roll on Iron Man 2 & 3!