Spice World (1997)


Spice World (1997)


Director: Bob Spiers


Cast: Melanie Brown as Melanie B - Scary Spice, Emma Bunton as Emma - Baby Spice, Melanie Chisholm as Melanie C - Sporty Spice, Geri Halliwell as Geri - Ginger Spice (as Geraldine Halliwell), Victoria Beckham as Victoria - Posh Spice (as Victoria Adams), Kevin Allen as TV Director, Devon Anderson as Jack, Michael Barrymore as Mr. Step, Richard Briers as Bishop, Simon Chandler as Hospital Parent, Elvis Costello as Himself, Alan Cumming as Piers, The Dream Boys as Themselves, David Fahm as Enzo, Jason Flemyng as Brad




Sure this movie is pretty stupid, and so are the Spice Girls, but really,
there is no way it's as bad as the Lizzie Maguire movie, What a Girl
wants,
and the list goes on. Sure its kinda ridiculous and unrealistic, but its
made for tween girls. And even if you aren't one, its a fun thing to
watch.
Especially if you used to like them (oh come on, don't deny
it--practically
every girl did around 1997)it's a pretty strange experience, always
thinking
"Oh my god, what the heck was I thinking????" And this movie doesn't get
boring...just a bit embarrassingly bad. It was pretty amusing for me to
think back to how much STUFF they had--they weren't a band, they were a
merchandising chain!! But, all things considered, I give
it:

5/10

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)


The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)

The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)


Director: Judd Apatow


Cast: Steve Carell as Andy Stitzer, Catherine Keener as Trish, Paul Rudd as David, Romany Malco as Jay, Seth Rogen as Cal, Elizabeth Banks as Beth, Leslie Mann as Nicky, Jane Lynch as Paula, Gerry Bednob as Mooj, Shelley Malil as Haziz, Kat Dennings as Marla, Jordy Masterson as Mark (as Jordan Masterson), Chelsea Smith as Julia, Jonah Hill as eBay Customer, Erica Vittina Phillips as Jill



this is one of the funnier films i've seen. it had it's crude moments,
but they were full of charm. it's Altmanesque screenplay, brilliant
physical humour, and relaxed friendships were a pleasure to watch, and
a slice of life most of us can relate to. and i can say with a measure
of honesty that i was afraid for Steve Carell's nipple..i truly was.
surprisingly, this is a good-natured, unabashed comedy that is
essentially about love, and the many relationships we may find
ourselves in along the way. Catherine Keener was terrific as Trish, and
all of Steve Carell's friends were flawed but amiable, and so much fun.
the idea that they suspected that Carell was a serial killer is a
hilarious metaphor for a forty-year old virgin. but the simple truth
was that he wanted to be in love first. original, charming, and very
funny. highly recommended.

3:10 to Yuma (2007)


3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)

3:10 to Yuma (2007)


Director: James Mangold


Cast: Russell Crowe as Ben Wade, Christian Bale as Dan Evans, Logan Lerman as William Evans, Dallas Roberts as Grayson Butterfield, Ben Foster as Charlie Prince, Peter Fonda as Byron McElroy, Vinessa Shaw as Emma Nelson, Alan Tudyk as Doc Potter, Luce Rains as Marshal Weathers, Gretchen Mol as Alice Evans, Lennie Loftin as Glen Hollander, Rio Alexander as Campos, Johnny Whitworth as Darden, Shawn Howell as Jackson (as Shawn D. Howell), Pat Ricotti as Jorgensen



Christian Bale (Dan Evans) holds the screen as an honest rancher who
volunteers for two hundred dollars to be part of a doomed group of
guards to take the enigmatic bandit and killer Ben Wade (Russell Crowe)
to a train, the 3:10, leaving Bisbee, Arizona for Yuma prison to trial…

Beaten down by an old Civil War injury, and unable to protect his farm
and his family from Wade's ruthless gang and humiliated by his teenage
son (Logan Lerman) who makes no efforts to hide his disappointment in
his impoverished father, and who doesn't try to hide the fact that he
admires the charismatic criminal, Dan finds a great quantity of reasons
to undertake the perilous trip to Contention City to fight back like a
real man and regain his son's respect… The story concentrates on Evans
whose unknown destiny tries to paint to his son an unforgettable
picture turning up poignant and endearing…

Wade—leader of a murderous band of robbers—had great respect for Dan
throughout the film and develops a kind of understanding and
appreciation for him… Their short scenes in the hotel room celebrate
the virtues of two opposite men who stand up for what they believe
stopping on issues in relation with family, dignity, virtue, and
admirable integrity… The best scenes are those in which Wade teases
Dan: "Your conscience is sensitive, Dan. It's not my favorite part of
you."

Crowe's interpretation of a gifted cold-blooded smooth-talking bad man
is one of the most compelling parts of the film… Bale is splendid as
the struggling, crippled rancher, misunderstood by his whole family…
The two actors comfortably inhabit this stunning western…

It is nice to see that there are still good westerns being made lately…
And James Mangold's "3:10 to Yuma," a remake of Delmer Daves' 1957
picture, is one of them… It is a Western with realistic violence, great
action sequences, breathtaking photography, and an inevitable final
shoot-out…

300 (2006)


300 (2006)

300 (2006)

300 (2006)

300 (2006)

300 (2006)

300 (2006)

300 (2006)

300 (2006)

300 (2006)


Director: Zack Snyder


Cast: Gerard Butler as King Leonidas, Lena Headey as Queen Gorgo, Dominic West as Theron, David Wenham as Dilios, Vincent Regan as Captain, Michael Fassbender as Stelios, Tom Wisdom as Astinos, Andrew Pleavin as Daxos, Andrew Tiernan as Ephialtes, Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes, Giovani Cimmino as Pleistarchos (as Giovani Antonio Cimmino), Stephen McHattie as Loyalist, Greg Kramer as Ephor #1, Alex Ivanovici as Ephor #2, Kelly Craig as Oracle Girl



I somehow missed the hype on this one, and the trailer really didn't
excite me, but I got a chance to see an advance screening and the other
reviewer here who said "It blew me away" hit the nail right on the
head.

I generally hate going to the cinema - preferring to wait until the DVD
or HD-DVD are available because I'm fed up of shoddy prints, poor sound
systems, ignorant members of the public with their ringing phones, late
arrivals, noisy popcorn etc. My home system is so much better. But not
for this movie! It needs to be seen on the big screen (preferably an
Imax - I'm hoping to catch it a second time on IMAX) with a good sound
system. The images are consistently breath-taking, the sound is
staggeringly good and note-perfect throughout, and Gerard Butler is
barely recognisable as the guy from "Dear Frankie" (a great,
under-rated movie) and "Phantom of the Opera".

Highly recommended. I've given it a 9, and I don't think I've given a
movie that high a score for over a year (and I average about 6 movies a
week). This makes "Gladiator" look like a cheap kid's cartoon.

30 Days of Night (2007)


30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night (2007)

30 Days of Night (2007)


Director: David Slade


Cast: Josh Hartnett as Sheriff Eben Oleson, Melissa George as Stella Oleson, Danny Huston as Marlow, Ben Foster as The Stranger, Mark Boone Junior as Beau Brower, Mark Rendall as Jake Oleson, Amber Sainsbury as Denise, Manu Bennett as Deputy Billy Kitka, Megan Franich as Iris, Joel Tobeck as Doug Hertz, Elizabeth Hawthorne as Lucy Ikos, Nathaniel Lees as Carter Davies, Craig Hall as Wilson Bulosan, Chic Littlewood as Issac Bulosan, Peter Feeney as John Riis



I am typically not a great fan of vampire films. However,this movie is
a new take on an old legend. The setting is fantastic and what could be
more scary than 30 days of endless night when you are besieged by
vampires. These are not your fathers vampires,nothing seductive or even
campy about these guys. They are what the vampire was originally
supposed to have been..SCARY! I think of all setting..an arctic or
Alaskan frozen,isolated area is a great stage for horror and suspense.
Movies like Howard Hawks "The Thing from Another World" and its 1982
sequel "The Thing" use the same setting with admirable results. Even
the underrated Stephen King mini-series "Storm of the Century" uses the
same cold,barren and isolated setting to create tension,despair and
hopelessness. The acting is average,if not slightly above,and the mood
and lighting are very good. All in all a movie that made you crave a
little more when it ended..and that is what all movies strive for.
Although it could have had a few improvements and should have provided
a little more background for the story(things sort of just go to hell
all at once),it is most definitely a film worth a couple hours of your
time.

28 Weeks Later (2007)


28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Weeks Later (2007)

28 Weeks Later (2007)


Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo


Cast: Robert Carlyle as Don, Catherine McCormack as Alice, Rose Byrne as Scarlet, Jeremy Renner as Doyle, Harold Perrineau as Flynn, Idris Elba as Stone, Imogen Poots as Tammy, Mackintosh Muggleton as Andy, Amanda Walker as Sally, Shahid Ahmed as Jacob, Garfield Morgan as Geoff, Emily Beecham as Karen, Beans El-Balawi as Boy in Cottage (as Beans Balawi), Meghan Popiel as DLR Soldier, Stewart Alexander as Military Officer



I must immediately stress that critics who made the interpretation that
this was a statement on the Iraq War seem to know as little about it as
they do allegory. I'll write more on this later.

To put it succinctly, this movie has all that modern zombie movies are
supposed to have. Incredible gore? Check. Virus zombies? Check. Biting
zombies? Check. Soldiers shooting zombies? Check. A horror plot that
has people falling to their own weaknesses? Check.

The shocks are there, the plot is excellent, and the acting is very,
very good. My only issue with the movie, actually, was its use of some
recognizable actors- casting semi-unknowns makes the movie more
visceral, instead of having fans think, 'Oh, I saw that guy in...'.

Thankfully, fans of the first movie will notice that it doesn't try to
ret-con anything, and the same action-focused, grainy camera work makes
a welcome return. The movie moves along at a nice pace, never leaving
you room to get bored.

Carina Chocano in the Los Angeles Times commented, "The director's
message is less overtly political than it is allegorical -- that chaos
breeds chaos and that force only serves to amplify it." Given that from
the very first moment, without getting too specific, people abandoning
their duties defines the movie (as it does virtually all zombie films),
I would have to completely disagree. I even set upon another viewing of
this movie simply for the purpose of finding an Iraq metaphor- and it's
not really there; at this point, they would find a war metaphor in
Disney's 'Dumbo'. Unfortunately, I'd have to say that this time, the
critics are pretentiously political; so don't worry about getting
preached to, as I did. If you're looking for military/force/war
metaphors, look to the first film, 28 Days Later. If you're looking for
an excellent, fun, gore-infested romp, watch this right afterwards.

28 Days Later... (2002)


28 Days Later... (2002)

28 Days Later... (2002)

28 Days Later... (2002)

28 Days Later... (2002)

28 Days Later... (2002)

28 Days Later... (2002)


Director: Danny Boyle


Cast: Alex Palmer as Activist, Bindu De Stoppani as Activist, Jukka Hiltunen as Activist, David Schneider as Scientist, Cillian Murphy as Jim, Toby Sedgwick as Infected Priest, Naomie Harris as Selena, Noah Huntley as Mark, Christopher Dunne as Jim's Father, Emma Hitching as Jim's Mother, Alexander Delamere as Mr. Bridges, Kim McGarrity as Mr. Bridges' Daughter, Brendan Gleeson as Frank, Megan Burns as Hannah, Justin Hackney as Infected Kid



As it so happens, 28 Days Later is the best zombie movie in the last
few decades. Probably since Romero's classics, if I recall accurately.
It stands up on its own in a genre which is frequently plagued by a
sort of innate stupidity, a consequence of one too many dead people.
Otherwise how could one explain the fact that the most acclaimed zombie
films are parodies of the genre?

28 Days Later shares a striking resemblance with Resident Evil, in that
it kind of starts where RE left off: after one of the most exciting
intro sequences I have ever witnessed (!), a lonely average-Joe, (Jim
in this particular case) wakes up in a deserted London and takes a
jolly good walk through the intimidatingly empty streets. Man-kind
seems to have been wiped out by a contagious virus which induces a sort
of blind rage upon those who fall prey to it. As may have guessed by
now, this will be a story of survival.

While most horror films will offer a relatively exciting ride with
little more than sparse scares, Danny Boyle's movie sheds a new light
on the survival instinct of human beings which can damned well spook
the living hell out of you - even if not in the traditional sense.
Looking at Children of Men might offer some insight into what it feels
like to have no future and this itself may clear the way to
appreciating 28 Days Later.

I guess it's one of those rare horror films which not only enlighten
the viewer with nice, gory slaughters but also with a share of
psychological goodies. 28 Days Later doesn't forget "the Master" either
and offers an obvious and unobtrusive tribute to Dawn of the Dead. All
around the movie keeps you going because it is an immersive experience
and not just a "poke-your-finger" kind of experience.

27 Dresses (2008)


27 Dresses (2008)

27 Dresses (2008)

27 Dresses (2008)

27 Dresses (2008)

27 Dresses (2008)

27 Dresses (2008)

27 Dresses (2008)

27 Dresses (2008)

27 Dresses (2008)


Director: Anne Fletcher


Cast: Brian Kerwin as Hal, Charli Barcena as Young Tess, Peyton List as Young Jane (as Peyton Roi List), Jane Pfitsch as Cousin Lisa, Katherine Heigl as Jane, Jennifer Lim as Bridal Salesgirl #1, Brigitte Bourdeau as Salesgirl Olga, Judy Greer as Casey, Danielle Skraastad as Bride Suzanne, Marilyn L. Costello as Bride Suzanne's Minister, James Marsden as Kevin, Michael Ziegfeld as Taxi Driver Khaleel, Yetta Gottesman as Hip Bridesmaid, Erin Fogel as Shari Rabinowitz, Bern Cohen as Rabbi



Katharine Heigl plays Jane, a woman who just loves going to weddings,
being a bridesmaid for her friends and in most cases being the go to
person when it comes to making wedding arrangements. We find out
quickly that Jane's fascination and knack for helping with weddings
came about soon after her mother died when as a very young child she
helped her sister find a bathroom, fix her hair, and used a bow in her
sister's hair to repair the bride's wedding dress. When we catch up
with Jane as an adult, it turns out that she is a bridesmaid at two
different weddings on the same night, requiring her to hire a taxi for
the evening and to shuttle back and forth between the two receptions
changing in and out of the different bridesmaid dresses while riding in
the back seat.

Enter Kevin (James Marsden). Kevin is a newspaper reporter whose
present job consists of going to weddings and then writing about them.
It's a job he loathes, but we all have to make a living somehow don't
we? Before the night is over Jane is forced to share her Taxi with
Kevin, whom she quickly decides she does not like. After Jane departs
for the evening, Kevin discovers her daily planner and finds out that
Jane has pretty much made a lifetime career of being a bridesmaid.
Twenty-seven times to be exact. Kevin convinces his editor to let him
write a story about Jane which if successful, will get him a promotion
and out of the Wedding of the Week Club.

Meanwhile on the home front, we soon discover that the reason Jane
herself may never have gotten married is because she is carrying the
torch for her boss George (Edward Burns). And no, it's not a case of
George not knowing that Jane exists. In fact, as far as George is
concerned, Jane is indispensable. It's just that he doesn't see her as
a love interest but does acknowledge that she is one of the best
necktie tiers in the country. Jane hopes all of that will change
someday, despite the fact that her co-worker and friend Casey (Judy
Greer) is constantly nagging her to move on with her life.

And if all of that weren't complicated enough for you, Jane's beautiful
sister Tess (Malin Akerman) promptly flies into town, meets Boss
George, and quicker than you can say Dress Number 28, they begin dating
and falling in love much to the chagrin of Jane. This of course leaves
Jane and Kevin to somehow begin dating even though she loathes his
cynical attitude towards marriage.

So will George and Tess get married? Or will George realize that Jane
is the girl for him? Will Kevin be the one to actually fall for Tess?
Or does he only have eyes for Jane? Will Kevin write the story about
Jane's 27 appearances as a bridesmaid? And will it be published about
the time his cynicism might be turning to love? Will George discover
that Tess isn't all she is cracked up to be and turn to Jane for
comfort? Will Jane finally tire of being a bridesmaid and wedding
planner all rolled into one? There is absolutely no doubt in my mind
that you'll be able to answer all of those above questions by the time
27 Dresses has completed about a fourth of its 107 minutes of running
time. But chances are it won't matter to you one bit that the film is
so obviously predictable, just as most of the films in the romance
genre usually are. You'll enjoy it anyway thanks to another strong
performance by Katharine Heigl.

It's one thing to star in a film of this sort and to get a few laughs
with some well written snappy dialog, but Heigl manages to go beyond
that. She has this wonderful ability to draw the audience into her
character. You can readily identify with her, laugh with her, cry for
her, be embarrassed for her, and to feel as sad and lonely as she seems
to be in the early part of this movie. We cheer her when she finally
does take a stance, but we feel her remorse for having done so when it
backfires to some extent. There are only a handful of actresses who can
manage all of that, and do it all in one film.

The supporting cast in this film aren't exactly slouches either. Malin
Akerman does a great job of making Tess the evil obnoxious sister that
you'll love to hate. James Marsden manages to somehow make his
character believable as someone who is suppose to be a jerk on the
outside, but yet gives indications that there is more to Kevin than
meets the eye. But best of the supporting players is Judy Greer as
Jane's best friend Casey. She has at least three of the films funniest
including doing her best to literally knock some sense into Jane at one
point.

The bottom line is this. Most romantic comedies are predictable. They
are only successful when they have a good but novel gimmick to make
thing interesting and when the script has enough witty and tug at your
heart string moments to make it worth your while. But most importantly,
the actors have to make you care about them and their romantic dilemma,
and to feel the same ranges of emotions that they are feeling on the
screen. And thanks in large part to another fine effort by Katharine
Heigl, 27 dresses certainly manages to do that. And when a film can
achieve such lofty goals I have no choice but to give it my grade,
which for 27 Dresses would be a B-.