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Ok, so it's not the most original of plots but anyone english who is about my age remembers the 'Tomorrow People' - and always wished they could 'jaunt' - well this is the updated version of that with some exceptional FX and Samuel Jackson thrown in for good measure.
I saw this on opening day as my kids were still here and wanted to see it so it wasn't a $4 movie this time but it was actually worth it. The plot was, as is always the case nowadays, predictable but it was the overall movie that brought it together. SLJ actually didn't really add anything for me - the stars are def Hayden and Jamie Bell; who I haven't seen in anything since he did that ballet film which everyone loved and I hated, and he was great in this movie - he def has a new slew of doors opening after this movie.
The special FX were top class and the speed of the movie was just right for a 90 minute film.
It was left way open for a sequel or 3 and Diane Lane as the Mum/Jumper hunter is an obvious way forward. A bit de-ja-vu withe the 'Luke, I am your Father' story line from Star Wars but hey....... only so many plots to go round.
Anyway - see the trailer here.
Drude.
So I still have a 'gammy' knee - but I'm off the crutches and stick unless I venture on to uneven ground or have to scramble over snow etc. but I can shovel the drive and suffer just from stiffness and diminished knee strength. The movie theatre I frequent has a nice curved auditorium so if I sit on the left most seat of a row I can have the leg stretched out a bit - that works!
Anyway, my kids are over from the UK and we went to see a movie on Tuesday (half price!) but we also plan to see Jumper on Thursday - (full price!!!).
Anyway we saw Rambo; the final installment in the Rambo story that started in 1982 with 'First Blood'. I've seen all these films as I actually prefer the Rambo character to the Rocky character Stallone portrays. Brooding, angry, never smiling, can create warfare from a few twigs and leaves; perfect hero for me!
I wasn't, to be honest, expecting much in the way of plot: Rambo saught out to go on some dangerous mission, he refuses, he is convinced, he goes along and is forced to either demonstrate why the others with him should not go or are unprepared to face the danger etc. then a lot of killing and the final killing of the bad guy.
That is pretty much what we got, although this Rambo was a tad different in a few ways. There was a love interest (Dexter's girlfriend - actress Julie Benz); there was far more graphic maiming and killing, far more severing of bodies (heads, legs, arms, cutting in half etc.) and a happy ending!
Actually, I thought this was the best Rambo so far - just pipping the second one (rescue of Vietnam vets left behind........). It was well made, well directed and best of all - not too long - I'm getting a bit sick of rambling films that go over the 2 hour mark - this was about an hour and a half - perfect!
I actually winced a few times at the maiming and killing - so a warning - if you are squeamish this is not the film for you.
It gets 3 out of 5 stars from me.
Drude.
Well, it was all going so well was 2008; no back pain after my back went out in November, got the car back after 5 weeks in the body shop after the local garbage truck decided to take the whole side of our car and rub bumpers!
2 weekends ago I was off to the car to take a few things prior to a trip to the pet store among other things and clear ice on the steps from the deck to the garden foiled everything.
A slip on this ice would have been painful on flat ground and my arse may have been a bit bruised but with the first step of 4 down to a snowy and icy path in front of me; down I went, landing first with my left leg which jarred on the icy snow and made my leg pitch forward over my knee and lower leg, spraining ligaments.
The pain was intense to begin with but after i reached the couch and got ice on it (bag of sweet corn) it started to feel better. Cue crutches, bandages, gel braces and finally a walking stick.
Two weeks later and I'm still in recovery but it's getting better; gone are the crutches and I only need the walking stick to go outside. Limping around the house isn't too much trouble and I even went shopping yesterday (a 5 hour trip to Wal-Mart.... God help me!).
It'll be a while until I'm running the 3 minute mile again or skating on the canal but at least I can see light at the end of the tunnel.
So, the main 'take-away' from this less than interesting installment is: I haven't been to see a movie for almost 3 weeks, therefore no reviews, just in case the one or two people who ever read these ramblings were wondering...... :-)
I'm pleased that 'No Country for Old Men' is getting awards it made my top 10 of 2007 (number 5 I think) and it was a good film - just, for me, an untidy ending.
I may be off to the movies tomorrow, we'll see how the leg is feeling.
Thanks. Friendo!
Drude
Happy New Year to you dear reader.
It was meant to be a good day, starting with getting our car back from the body repair shop but that didn't happen and therefore I consoled myself with, not one TuesdayMovie, but two!
The movies I wanted to see were all playing and I could, maybe, even squeeze in three. The order I saw these in don't, then, reflect my level of desire to see them, moreover the schedule they are shown tends to work out better.
With a couple of sausage McMuffins inside me I venture off, first 'up' being National Treasure: Book of Secrets with Nicolas Cage and a girl and Jon Voight and the lovely Helen Mirren.
These treasure hunt type movies often have some basic parts to them so lets just quickly check them off.......
Dashing and intelligent action hero/archaeologist - CHECK
Aging father or mother in tow - CHECK AND CHECKAttractive colleague/ex-wife/potential love interest - CHECK
Bumbling assistant who sometimes gets it right - CHECK
Evil faction guy who is always one step ahead through evil and unfair methods - CHECKCar chase - Check
Ends justify the means type of law breaking - CHECKFinal discovery - CHECK
Final disaster incorporating final discovery - CHECK
So on the face of it this film checks all the boxes - and that is true - but that's it - very little more than the above really - the car chase was in London and included a Fullers Ale delivery truck which was cool.
I'm really struggling to see why it was at the top spot for 2 or 3 weeks that it was - I guess the cast is a good draw and it's a sequel so that helps - but frankly it's just a run 'o' the mill treasure hunt film and nothing more - preferred the Mummy trilogy, and that's a brave statement to make.
So the next film is really going to be the next one 'on' and it turns out to be AVPR.I would guess that if you don't know what that means then you should stay away from this movie all together!
When Alien first hit the silver screens in 1979 with a stomach bursting, T shirt busting, blood-spurting Hurt scream it was the scariest thing around and remained so for years.........until they made the second one (which actually was ok) and then Aliens turned into Alien 3 and it wasn't so scary anymore.Likewi
se, the first Predator movie was just brilliant in every way - a classic (in my book) but the appalling sequel was just pitiful in a bad Steven Seagal movie kinda way - they just totally lost the plot!
I mean bad movie too as he has made some stinkers - he has also made some classics of their time too - 'Hard to Kill' is still a classic (again, in my book).
Anyway, back to the film at hand AVPR or in it's longer title of Aliens vs Predator: Requiem is the sequel to the first AVP which brought the Alien and Predator together under the plot line that the predator creatures used the Aliens as sport to hunt and hone their skills - and used humans to incubate them.
I have to say that the idea didn't really appeal to me but the first AVP was such a joy to watch that I still watch it again and again - for a 'no big movie star' cast it was a huge success (hence the sequel).
The sequel fails to bring that same magic - this time the plot starts where is left the last one with the Predator ship on it's journey home with a predator incubating an Alien, the first cross-breed.
This Alien bursts out and created havoc on the ship and it inevitably crashes back to Earth somewhere in Colorado where the usual killings, skinnings and acid dripping teeth shots begin.
The films only recognisable cast member for me was 'Michelle' off 24; actress, Reiko Aylesworth who put in a reasonable performance.
Of course the actors in these movies, unless you are Arnie, are not the stars - that is the role of the Aliens and the Predators - and they don't dissapoint - in their gory killing of the human population as well as each other.
My main problem was that I think they got away with some mediocre CGI by having the majority of the film at night in the rain. I think it was a restricted budget sequel that was ok but I won't be watching it again and again.
Next week it's the turn of Sweeney Todd and I am Legend.
Until next week......
Drude
Happy New Year to my reader.....whoever you are.
We went to see Charlie Wilson's War on Sunday afternoon. I went with a little trepidation as I'd just read the Book by George Crile which was very well written or should I say documented. Films oft have a problem living up to their literary basis - but the screenplay for CWW was excellent, making the story digestable for the non-readers of the book but sewing together the main parts of it.
Some license was taken with who got introduced when but other than that it was a great story. It also makes a great point regarding the US fighting wars through guerrilla factions, funding them, arming them, training them all covertly - then as these people don't know where the 'aid' is coming from turn on their be
neficiaries.
It also shows that the 'get in, win and get out' strategy might sometimes work in the 'moment' as a victory but if you get out too fast without rebuilding what you've helped destroy the situation can come back and bite you on the ass!
As Charlie Wilson actually said about the whole thing - "....then we fucked up the end game", in that the USA was happy to fund guns and ammunition and train the Muj to make IED's (yes, bicycle bombs and the like were all part of the training the CIA doled out) but when it came to a few million to rebuild schools and infrastructure the USA lost interest and moved on to the Balkans.
I wholeheartedly recommend Charlie Wilson's War and it squeezes in at number 2 for my films of 2007 - just pipped by the excellent Cronenberg film, Eastern Promises.
I also just saw on DVD Pirates of the Caribbean, At World's End....... too long, too much, too many sub plots - great trilogy that I hope will not be added to.
Next week I plan to see both I Am Legend and Sweeney Todd and maybe National Treasure and that will it for my 2007 films.
Having the slew of Top Ten films of 2007, as well as the top ten 'flops' of 2007, come out on the blogs and entertainment sites, written by the so called critics, is making me wonder why the film critics are writing in the first place. Films, or movies, don't succeed at the box office on the basis of a critical 'pat on the back' yet films seem to 'bomb' more easily based on a critical bruising.
So the critics must love giving a film a pasting and then happily reporting that they were right all along when the movie only recoups or not as is sometimes the case; or do they?
All I know is that Top Ten box office hits seldom compare to the critical top ten in the same time frame - yet the films that struggle seem to be the ones that the critics decide are not for you or I to see.
I went to see The Brave One back in the summer and thought the film was well directed and well acted by Jodie Foster yet a day or so later i read a local film critics destruction of the film which was, frankly, unfair and far too up it's own arse for it's own good.
I wrote to the local paper that ran the critique and tried to point out that a critic's job is not to laud or destroy a film via their writing but to guide people in their choice of 'see or not see'. Where they seem to have lost the plot is in their forgetfulness of the place they should hold in the public services and the place that they want to have in the 'failed journalist/failed director/failed producer' post career.
What I want to know is what kind of film it is, who is in it and whether it's well made, covering the basics of plot, direction, casting and actor performance. That's it.
I don't want to get into the personal opinion of this critic or that - it's totally irrelevant - after all, if I want to see my Tuesday Movie and it happens to be a choice between a couple of Sci-Fi films why would I seek counsel from someone who hates sci-fi.
My point here, that I'm realising that I'm getting to in a very long-winded way, is that films, much like music, are very subjective forms of art. No critic should be so arrogant as to use their 'column' or 'site' or 'blog' to toss the movie into the cinematic toilet bowl.
With that in mind here is my Top Ten of films I've seen in 2007. There are two points to make here; 1) I have not yet seen Charlie Wilson's War and I expect that film (having just finished the book) to enter at number one 2) I obviously have not seen every film on offer over the year - this is in no way a top ten of all films - just the ones I've seen either on DVD (could be prior to 2007) or in the Cinema.
1: Eastern Promises - under-rated film of 2007 in my book - brilliant! *****
2: The Bourne Ultimatum - I'm a Bourne fan and this wasn't Supremacy ****
3: Elizabeth, The Golden Age - gripping stuff,superb acting and direction. ****
4: Shoot 'em Up - Clive Owen again? Paul Giamatti is brilliant! ****
5: A History of Violence - (DVD) 2005 but a classic Cronenburg ****
6: No Country for Old Men - Crap ending but best man hunt film ever ***
7: Transformers - Starts great, middle is crap - end fight is amazing! ***
8: American Gangster - Denzel in best form since man On Fire. ***
9: War - Good vehicle for Li and Statham. Fight romptastic! ***
10: Live Free or Die Hard - best Die Hard yet - Willis still has it. ***
Honorable mention to The Brave One.
I toyed with a top 5 worst films but after my initial bit of the post.....
However, films that I saw that did NOT live up to my expectations from watching the trailer - I like to call it 'Trailer was the best thing about the film' are:
Superbad, Balls Of Fury, Lions for Lambs and Dan in Real Life.
I still have to see Charlie Wilson, Sweeney Todd and I am Legend this year and all three would probably edge in to my Top ten at various points.
....anyway - whoever you are - enjoy checking out my best films of 2007.
OK, so I forgot about this blog for far too long and it's just inexcusable, but as I probably have 2 readers out there it's no big loss to my circulation if i lose them! :-) The reason for this rare post is that I needed a place to distrubute my recipe for the best sauce you can ever have with Christmas turkey and strange as it may seem - the North Americans don't seem to know about it - well that just has to change as this sauce, called Bread Sauce, (I know! not a great title and probably puts people off right away!) is not only the best thing about a Turkey dinner but it's also the best thing to smother on turkey sandwiches the next day - as it gets thicker and tastier left in the fridge.
Ok - first that name - would it be more appetising if we (I) called it Sauce A'la Pan? Here is MY recipe - you can forgoe the pre-prep stage if you want and play around with the onion/clove algorithm but I have made this many times and this really is the best way to get the fullest flavour.
The Pre-prep stage (can be done on the day but best done a few days in advance and lets face it - advance stuff for Christmas dinner or lunch is best, eh?) Get a large jar - maybe a large pickle jar or a large mason jar - it needs to have a wide opening as you need to get the onion in there.
Chop up some onion - 2 -3 medium - or a large one - up to you doesn't matter too much but the onion needs to be small enough to fit in the jar. Take about 6 or 8 cloves and add to the onion in a pan - pour over a litre or so of milk (your choice on the milk and just make sure you don't use too much that the milk and onion and clove don't fit in your large jar. Don't add any salt but I add a grind or two of black pepper. The 'on the day' method for this often state that you stick the cloves in a whole onion and add to the milk - this is fine and aids the separation of the onion and clove from the milk but I feel this doesn't get the full flavour from the onion.
Bring to a light boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Cover and let it cool a bit. Pour it all into the jar. Cool with the lid just on - then when cold pop the lid on and stick it in the fridge to be forgotten about a few days. On the day...... Get the liquor (the milk/onion/clove milk) out of the fridge about an hour before you plan to make the sauce. I would make the sauce about the same time I make the gravy. Now - you need to prepare some breadcrumbs - white, no crusts and I tend to have a loaf that I've had in a brown bag for a couple days and let it go a bit stale (not mouldy). A whole loaf is usually enough. Cut off the crusts and whizz in a food processor - just make sure you don't have any big bits but conformity isn't that important. Sieve (pass) the liquor from the jar into a pan and bring to a simmer - add half the bread crumbs and mix. Now it's up to you how thick you have it - I tend to like it so I can spoon it from a sauce bowl rather than pour it.
Add the rest of the bread and decide your thickness as you do it - keep it warm, don't burn the bottom of the pan and transfer to a sauce bowl as you pour the gravy into your boat. people will probably balk at it if you call it bread sauce - so make something up - it's better than the cranberry sauce and almost as good as my gravy which I have just made the stock for - make as much as you can as the real delight is spreading it on a turkey sandwich the next day. Here is your shopping list: Onion - white not red - 3 medium or one large one. Some cloves - at least 4 up to 8 Milk - 2% is best about a litre or so. Bread - white and let go stale and made into breadcrumbs sans the crust. Some fresh black pepper. There you have it!
