Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol - (AKA, i heart Tom Cruise...)

(An article i wrote for the print issue of Groove Korea)




Poor old Tom Cruise. The actor who was once the golden boy of Hollywood with that million-dollar smile, has now become known as that couch hopping scientologist nut. And we as a movie going public showed our displeasure with his antics by boycotting his films. Knight and Day, which I thought wasn't too bad, recouped but a fraction of it's gargantuan budget and despite some solid performances in Lions for Lambs and Valkyrie, audiences by and large generally stayed away. Even Paramount used Cruise’s "bad behavior" as one of the reasons for releasing him from his development deal after 14 years.

Now, whatever you may think about Tom Cruise as a person, there's no doubting his credentials as a movie star and his commitment to his craft. He continually seeks to do his own stunts and he doesn't forget the most important reason for him being where he is today, the fans. During one red carpet moment, he delayed the premiere of his film in London’s Leicester square so he could see as many fans as possible who came to see him (And no, I wasn’t one of them). Compare that with Britney spears who spent 20 seconds waving at the crowd before her premiere of Crossroads. But what does Cruise get in return? Water squirted in his face and a lampooning on Scary Movie 4!

Now, with a succession of relative failures by Hollywood standards under his belt, Tom Cruise has decided to return to the safer, more secure pastures of the Mission Impossible franchise. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol sees Tom Cruise back as super spy Ethan Hunt who continues to work behind the scenes for the US Government along with regular team member Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg) and newcomers Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and Brandt (Jeremy Renner). After a covert mission goes bad and the IMF are implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, Ethan and his new team are forced to go rogue to clear their organization's name.

I can understand the decision to go back to the tried and trusted formula of the Mission Impossible films. With the exception of MI:2, they are great rides, and judging by the trailer for Ghost Protocol it look as if Tom Cruise is back onto winning ways as the action seems bigger, as do the stunts. Again, the majority of stunts Cruise did himself. With Ethan Hunt’s team having to go underground, it appears as if Ethan Hunt has got a bit of Jack Bauer about him and being a huge 24 fan, this can only be a good thing. I think the decision to hire director Brad Bird who has previously only directed animation is risky, but considering JJ Abrams is still producing it appears that if you are a fan of the franchise, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol will not let it’s audience down and hopefully be a small step in a return to stardom for Tom Cruise.

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn....give me strength...

(Article i wrote for December's print issue of Groove Korea)

Sun Tzu famously wrote in his classic The Art of War, that "if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle” but “if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles”. This is my justification for choosing to preview the latest installment of the Twilight series ‘Breaking Dawn’, when there are far more interesting films coming to Korea in December such as ‘Tin Tin’ or ‘Sherlock Holmes 2’. The Twilight films are one of my battles. I know they are horrible films. But to explain why and defeat them, I must know them, lest I will be imperiled and lose my good taste in movies. Besides, what kind or critic would I be if I didn’t acknowledge a franchise that has grossed almost $1 billion dollars in the US alone?

We last saw Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson, or R. Patz to the kids) propose to Bella Swan (Kirsten Stewart or K...Stew?) and Breaking Dawn sees them marry and enjoy a Honeymoon in Rio because as we all know, Vampires love hot sunny climates. However, not all is well in the Cullen household as betrayals abound and during a near fatal childbirth, Edward has to succumb to Bella’s wish to make her immortal or risk losing her forever. What should be a joyous moment as they becomes parents to a “remarkable daughter”, only sets off a chain of events that pits them against their enemies, the Volturi which culminates in an all out battle. Much like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, internet rumors are rife as to where Breaking Dawn Part 1 will end and Part 2 will begin.

Now before I continue, I have a confession to make. I actually quite enjoyed the first twilight movie. There, I said it. I liked it so much that I even went to see New Moon. Big mistake, as that had to be one of the worst films I have ever seen and Eclipse was only marginally better. So what can we expect from Breaking Dawn? One thing that is for certain is that a lot of fans are going to be extremely disappointed. The huge talking point is the book’s notorious birth scene, which contains macabre details of vomiting blood, Edward biting through a placenta and bloody corpses. Hardcore fans want these essential details to remain, but Producer Wyck Godfrey has addressed this by saying, "it would be a crime against our audience to go R-rated" which translates to “we want to make more money”. So it appears that if you are a fan of the Twilight saga thus far you are in for a treat, meaning more of the same, but if you were looking for an adult adaptation from page to screen, you’re probably going to want to take comfort in a good book. May I recommend Sun Tzu’s The Art of War? It has gotten me through many a difficult tough time. Watching Breaking Dawn included.

Transformers: Dark SIDE of the Moon

So, another "must see" 3D title is here, and this time it's Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D. Strap yourself in for a action packed ride in 3D! Did i mention it was in 3D? Yes yes, I am being sarcastic, but with good reason. I mildly enjoyed Avatar and I thought it looked great, yet the film itself was lacking a great deal. Specifically, decent story. Step Up: 3D was great for a cheesy 3D flick, as was Final Destination 3D, but the final straw for me was Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland. Was it even shot in 3D? Because I couldn't tell. Then another final straw came in the shape of Clash of the Titans. I actually watched half of that film with the glasses off! But then the final, FINAL straw came with Green Lantern. I wanted to like that film so much but it just took itself too seriously and the 3D wasn't particularly impressive. So after seeing trailer upon trailer for Transformers in 3D, I was adament that I was going to give it a miss. But after reading only positive reviews from bloggers around the world, and in particular positive reviews of the 3D aspect, I decided to cave in and give it a go.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon introduces us to an alternate version of history, ala the opening of Watchmen but no way near as good, where the space race of the 1960s was instigated by an alien life form crashing into the moon. Low and behold, this "alien" life form was none other than the former leader of the Transformers, Sentinel Prime. He is rescued and brought back to Earth by the Autobots, but as you would expect, those pesky Deceptacons have ulterior motives and a war between the Autobots and the decptacons ensues. Of Course Sam Witwicky (Shia LeBeouf) finds himself at the centre of the war due to his closeness to the Autobots and needs to be saved from constant danger. It's not all bad for poor old Sam though, as after having been dumped by Megan Fox, he finds himself a new, even hotter girlfriend in the form of English model, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. So, would this film restore my faith in 3D films? And is it actually any good? The answer to both those questions i'm afraid, is yes AND no.

The 3D visuals in this film are FANTASTIC! I know people use Avatar as a bench mark for what 3D should be (I still say Final Destination 3D should be the bench mark, but hey, who am I?) but this definitely equals Avatar at times. Some of the action set pieces are stunning and the camera work is amazing. The stunts are huge, the robot fights are immense and the camera goes everywhere. The fact that the back drop to Transformers is a real city and not the computer generated Pandora only adds to the films achievements as the last set piece is techinically one of the best actions sequences I have seen in a while. The wide helicoptor shots of Chicago with robots atop Trump Tower are just breath taking. After about an hour into the film when you are given your first full on Robot vs. Robot fight, I thought this is going to be one of the best action films i've seen all year, if not the best 3D film i've seen, ever! Sadly, it wasn't to be.

You see, the reason I answered "yes AND no" to my earlier question, is that Transformers: Dark of the Moon is basically two films. There's the good stuff when the Transformers are fighting, and then there is everything else. And i have to say, everything else ain't pretty. The rest of Transformers is HORRIBLE and I can't remember the last time i rolled my eyes in disgust so much at a film. Even The Human Centipede got a "meh" from me, but this film is scarier than The Full Sequence will ever be. The acting - terrible. The dialogue - terrible. The directing without robots - terrible. With the majority of the film being so bad, it ultimately took away any enjoyment I might have had in the robot sequences. I was so bored and frustrated through the rest of the film that I found it impossible to get excited the overly long 45 minute finale.


The first big problem I had was the film's need to force feed us Sam Witwiky's new relationhip with sexed up Brit, Carly. The first shot we see of her, is literally a close up of her arse-cheeks. Yes yes, teens and adults alike all enjoyed looking at a sweaty, sexy Megan Fox, but this was just ridiculous. The film seems so desperate to justify this new relationship, that Michael Bay crams in scenes of them kissing or of cheesy flashbacks to when they first met, or forced dialogue referring to Sam being dumped. It's just all too much, as one second you're trying to watch an action film, but the next minute the films turns into Dawson's creek complete with the slow-mo and acoustic guitar sundtrack. It feels like two different films have been stitched together but the Dawson's Creek-esque parts are more embarassing than romantic. Not to mention the fact that she is WAY out of his league, it's unture. Now these may sound like the words of a bitter man, and they probably are, but for the sake of verisimilitude one might deem it plausible that in Transformers parts 1 and 2, Sam and Mikaela go through this life changing experience therefore making Sam and Mikaela's relationship a reality. But here, they are just thrown together after meeting for a brief second and they become soul mates? Pur-lease. And if you have to hook Sam up with a hottie, which to be fair, they did...at least get one that can act! For all Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's beauty, you never see any emotion on her face, only those pouty, pouty lips. "Just let it go, Dean" you say. "It doesn't matter if she can act, she is the "eye candy"". Well I say YOU'RE WRONG! The whole final act is based upon Sam's love for Carly and his desire to save her. But if we don't believe that they should be together or that they don't love each other, why shoud we care?

"Just leave it, Dean..." you say. "The main focus of the film is the robots, right? Don't let it bother you." You're right, you're right...BUT NO! Not only do we have a relationshio that doesn't work, but we have Michael Bay's attempts at humour every 5 seconds. In particular John Turturo who returns for the third film, but for some reason decides to reprise the character of Jeses from The Big Lebowski. John Malkovich makes an apearance as a wacky boss desinged to give you some laughs, but he is only in the films for 10 minutes and he is not funny. I just didn't get it. The same goes for Ken Jeong who plays the nerdy tech guy but is so over the top it's untrue. I actually cringed every time he was on screen. Oh yeah, remember Sam's parents, Ron and Judy and how they always used to mock poor little Sam? It was funny in the first film, wasn't it? Ha ha. Remember that? It was slightly amusing in the second film. Now the do the same thing, but say "shit" a lot so it's even funnier. Ha ha. Hilarious. It felt to me like Michael Bay had watched Adam McKays Step Brothers the week before shooting and decided this would be his inspiration. Step Brothers was funny. This was not.

The rest of the supporting actors appear as if they are simply phoning in their performances. Take Tyrese Gibson for example. It's feels as if the real Tyrese Gibson was busy on another film so they borrowed his waxwork dummy from Madame Taussauds and got that to say his lines instead. Same can be said for the amazing Oscar Winner Frances McDormand. She either has children who like the transformers or kids that like money! And then there's Shia Lebeouf. My god is there Shia Lebeof. I don't know if it's due to Michael Bay's directing or whether Shia Lebeouf is paid by the word, but the guy does not shut up! Why say 5 words whn you can say 20? Again, all this might be nitpicking, but when you have a 200million dollar summer blockbuster where the films plot centres around robots trying to wipe out the human race, do you really want your audience cheering for the villains?

Speaking of Robots, thank god walking racial slurs Skids and Mudflap are gone. Thank god the director and producers learned their lesson from that debacle. So instead of two jive talking robots, we have a cockney autobot that sounds Australian and calls people wankers, and a Scottish robot that wants to headbutt people. And don't forget the two black guys that insult each other the whole time and knuckle bump. You gotta have the knuckle bumps. You dig?

I don't know if it's simply because my tastes in films have changed over the years, but the Transformers franchise is no longer for me. It's not that I don't love action films anymore. My biggest movie guilty pleasure is the Fast & Furious films, with Fast 5 being one of the best action films I have seen in a long time. But I would happily sit through The Coen Brothers' True Grit 10 times in a row then watch Transformers 3 again. And that's True Grit. A film in which practically nothing happens for 2 hours, yet I loved it. Now, please just don't take my word for it, as many of you will no doubt love Transformers: Dark of the Moon and ignore a lot of the things I had a problem with. I just could not. Some of the things I have picked up on may seem harsh, but this is how the film made me feel. In terms of the 3D quality, this films needs to be seen in the Cinema and ideally in an IMAX theatre. But be warned! It's long. And if you had any issues with the first Transformers movie, you will hate this. As for me, I have definitely learned my lesson and will be abstaining from the whole Blockbuster/3D movie gimmick in the coming future. Wait, what's that? Harry Potter in 3D is out this month? I'm in!

Wait a minute....

******************************************UPDATED************************************

Having time to reflect over the weekend, I thought I might have been a little harsh on Transformers: Dark of the Moon. There was a lot of praise for the film, albeit none towards the acting, plot or dialogue, but a lot of praise none the less. I saw the trailer on TV again this weekend and I got a little excited thinking about some of the set peices, and I was even contemplating going to see it again. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, so knowing what I knew now about the film, surely I could just revel in the 3D/SFX magic and just do a suduko on my phone while Shia LaBeouf is talking.

But then I saw this.

You've got to be kidding me? He rehashed a scene from a previous film? I thought the scene looked a little stranged at first, but I just presumed that it was due to the sparse nature of the highway. They must have had to close it down for a while and it would have taken a while to film so I just let it go. Now after watching this video it all becomes clear. WE'VE SEEN IT BEFORE! It's a $200 million dollar movie, the least you can do is try to make it totally original.

So, having seen this, and realised I was justified in my original opinions and theTransformers won't be getting another Penny from me. Bad Boys 2 or no Bad Boys 2 - Bay, we're done!

February's film viewing....

Having returned from Korea, and being quite sick for most of the month, February has given me a lot of time to catch a few films. Some good, some not so good.

But here's the list in order of viewing, i'll pick my top 3 at the bottom. If you guys have seen anything worth watching, let me know or feel free to comment on the films i've seen.

Piranha

Unfortunately, i didn't see the 3D version, but i bet Kelly Brooks boobs and the giant, bitten off penis that was hurtled towards the screen would have looked GREAT in eye popping 3D. lame script, lame acting, lame effects, but the film knows it and is a lot of fun. I liked it a whole more than i thought i was going to!

Nine

Not really for me, this one. Thought it was quite dull and was lacking that "pizazz" that 'Chicago' had. Plus, for a musical, the songs were pretty crap.

A Single Man

Loved it. Looked great but not as stylised as some made out, and i thought the acting was great. This was the film that Colin Firth should have won the Oscar for, not the "oh, it's his time..." bollocks that got him it for The Kings Speech. Which leads me on nicely to....

The Kings Speech

Good acting, yep, looks good, yep, it's about the monarchy, sure, but i really didn't see what all the fuss was about here. It's great for British cinema and all that, but when will we ever see a 'Nil by Mouth' esque British film doing well and not something based around the British elite. Having said that, this poster is a hoot, isn't it? Look how cheeky Geoffrey Rush looks. Yeeeah, look at you, ya' little scally wag. I wonder what cheeky chappy ideas he's got going on there? Probably thinking why have Miramax photoshopped a picture from 20 years ago to his body, that's what...

RED

I actually really enjoyed RED. Some good stunts. Some great chemistry between Willis, Freeman and Malkovich. A great plane ride film. Unlike...

Paranormal Activity 2

Crap. Utter crap. it wasn't as bad as the first one seeing as the annoying boyfriend was hardly in it, but Paranormal Activity has clearly become a cash cow which the industry fully intends to milk dry. Horror/Sci fi is probably my favourite genre of film, and i fully appreciate how great the first Paranormal Activity was at promoting itself and appreciate the stir it caused. But take all that away, you're left with nothing but hand held cam with two attempts at scares, and a trailer that tells you how scary it is, which, which makes you think you're scared even before you've seen the film, when the film isn't scary at all! Scariest film in years, my arse! Paranormal Activity 3 is scheduled for release later this year if you're interested.

Let Me In

Now, Let the Right One In was a horror film. One of the best films of the last 10 years if you ask me. I was worried about a remake and was reluctant to see it. Part of me thought right after seeing the original, that would i have liked it as much if it was in English? While i preferred the original a great deal, i still enjoyed this a lot and thought it did the original justice. Didn't quite capture the same feeling of unease and i think the final scene was poorly recreated, but on the whole a solid effort.

The Inside Job

If you're too lazy to read a paper, or look on the Internet for the causes of the global melt down, watch this. It was a good film. Informative and what not, but how this beat 'Exit through the Gift Shop' is beyond me. But let's be honest, like i said, this is a topic that a lot of people could have researched themselves whereas who really knew about underground street art except for underground street artists? Everyone has a bank account and knows how they were swindled, but not everyone has a Banksy.

Never Let Me Go

I'm sure it's a great book, but for me, it just didn't work as a film. Not as a story and not as a piece of Art. Not enough interesting shots to work as an Art film, and not enough character development to work as a story on screen.

Paul

Funny enough to satisfy Frost and Pegg fans, but falls way short of hitting the heights set by Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Full review is here.

Black Swan

Loved it. Absolutely loved it. There aren't enough words to describe how much i loved Black Swan. Oh wait, yes there are. Right here! If you haven't noticed yet, i liked this film...A LOT!

True Grit

I'm not usually a fan of Westerns, but this was directed by the Coen's so i thought i would give it a go and was pleasantly surprised. I couldn't quite put my finger on what i liked so much about it, but then i couldn't put my finger on what i didn't like, either. Good acting, good directing, good script...the film looks great!...overall it was just a solid film. Well worth a watch.

Rollin With the Nines

After having worked for the director last year on a project, i had a few hours spare and decided to see his first feature. While it is obviously very low-budget, it had some very good action sequences and it was nice seeing something different to the mockey "fackin' ell guvnor'" type gangsters that were coming out left right and centre at the time.

Bonnie and Clyde

I don't remember this film being so funny the first time i watched it and i'm sure this wasn't supposed to be the case. Watch as part of a film club, but i'd recommend watching it by yourself, as it's a classic and was one of the most controversial films in it's day.

Waiting for Superman

A harsh look at the education system in the United States. Heart breaking at times but interesting watch none the less. It also made me thank my lucky stars that i wasn't born a poor boy in America. Man that would suck.

Blue Valentine

I loved it. A heartbreaking and sometimes uncomfortable portrayal of a relationship when two people fall out of love. Really great stuff. Not much of a story here, more of an insight, but really great none the less. You can read a review from the Electric Fleapit here.

The Nutty Professor

Erm...maybe it was because i........erm........you see, Eddie Murphy used to be....erm........the make up effects at the time were.......oh whatever! SCREW YOU, OK! DON'T YOU FRICKIN' JUDGE ME! IT WAS LATE, IT CAME ON AND I COULDN'T STOP WATCHING IT, OK! I JUST COULDN'T STOOOOOOOOP!!!!

So, number 1 iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis....

1. Black Swan

2. Blue Valentine

3. True Grit

If ay of you guys have any films that you watched last month that you'd like to share with me, please do. If you think i've got the wrong opinion about any of the films i've seen, let me know that too. But please don't bother if you're going to tell me i'm wrong about Paranormal Activity, as i'll just stick my fingers in my ears and go "LALALALALALALALALALA, I AM NOT LISTNING TO YOOOOOOU"!!!!

Movie Review - Paul

Shaun of the Dead was one of the few genuine surprises i've had in my years of going to the cinema. I didn't really think a rom-com-zom would be for me, but i loved it. it was hilarious, and the chemistry between Simon Pegg and Nick Frost was fantastic. Then came Hot Fuzz. It didn't quite hit the heights of it's predecessor, but i laughed a great deal none the less, and it was a cracking homage to action films everywhere. Now the third Frost and Pegg collaboration is Paul, which sees our duo accompanied by Seth Rogan as the Alien which the film is named after. After viewing a trailer, it didn't seem like a film i was dying to see, but with 2 hours to kill between Black Swan and True Grit, and seeing how i hadn't been let down by Frost and Pegg in the past, i decided to give it a go.

Paul tells the story of British comic book geeks, Graeme Willy (Simon Pegg) and Clive Gollings (Nick Frost) who, while on holiday in the US visiting famous UFO hot spots, encounter an alien named 'Paul'. As you might expect, Paul, is on a mission to get home and needs the help of Willy and Gollings. Unlike E.T, paul is a foul mouthed, chain smoking, beer drinking, R-rated Alien who likes boobs and eating birds. Their mission to get Paul home is made more difficult as they encounter not only CIA send agents, lead by special agent Lorenzo Zoil (Jason Bateman) but rednecks looking to kick some gay ass, and god-fearing folk looking to get back his daughter.

When i first saw that Seth Rogan was supplying the voice of Paul, i was a little bit skeptical as i feel i have suffered from Seth Rogan overload in recent years, and have become bored and diluted with him playing the same character and telling the same jokes in every film. However, Seth Rogen as Paul worked . Every time he spoke i laughed. It's the same drunk, foul mouthed stoner comedy you'd probably expect, but coming out of the mouth of a 3-foot tall alien, i found it hilarious. Sadly, this was the only thing that stood out about the film.

That's not to say there is nothing else to enjoy about Paul, it's just that while the film is a an enjoyable popcorn flick, it comes no way near to reaching the heights of Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz. The chemistry between Pegg and Frost was at time the funniest and most endearing thing about their previous films, but in Paul, this chemistry seems to have been substituted for foul mouthed toilet humour. Not that i find 'dick' jokes and swearing offensive in any way, i just expected more. The supporting cast are funny at times, but it all feels a little bit too try-hard and dare i say it; American! I can understand a desire for the film to be set in the US and to try and break an american audience, but i felt Pegg and Frost just looked a little alien (no pun intended) and lost in their surroundings.

Paul will be a hardcore science fiction fans dream in trying to count the number of references to other films, but i just felt like something was missing. Whether it be the the American setting, or the inferior supporting cast, it just never really got out of second gear and never quite captured the magic of Shaun of the Dead of Hot Fuzz. But hey, maybe that's my problem and my problem alone and you guys will love it, as it was still an enjoyable film with plenty of laughs throughout

Movie Review - Black Swan

Darren Aronofsky is fast becoming one of the most exciting directors of the 21st Century. From his frenetic debut, Pi, through to my favourite film of the last decade, The Wrestler, he is on par with The Coen Brothers and Christopher Nolan as someone whose films i will go to any lengths to see. During Black Swan's initial launch, i was in South Korea where it was deemed unfit for a theatrical release, (i guess murder and lesbian sex isn't everyones cup of tea. . . ) so i found myself having to "go out of my way" to watch it on a tiny screen with poor speakers. Definitely not the way Black Swan was intended to be seen. I enjoyed it enough, but jumped at the chance to see the film in the cinema once i returned to the UK. Hey, murder and lesbian sex ARE my cup of tea!

After entering the world of amateur wrestling with The Wrestler, Black Swan sees Aronofsky venturing into the high brow world of the New York ballet scene, in which we follow Natalie Portman's Nina, a shy, aspiring ballet dancer who lives with her mother who strives for her daughter to be the best. The company's director, Vincent Cassel's Thomas, is producing a new version of Swan Lake and Nina is selected to be the Swan Queen. Thomas has doubts however, that she can fully channel the role of the black swan and encourages her to "let go" both artistically and sexually to fully capture both swans. As Nina struggles with competition from the over sexed, Lily, her paranoias and fears come to the fore as she is lead down an Alice in Wonderland type spiral of self harm and hallucinations until we reach the final crescendo that is the final, brilliant performance of Swan Lake.

Black Swan is sexy, confusing, uncomfortable, exhausting and brilliant. I loved every second of it and much like Requiem for a Dream, i found it exhilarating and thought it showed ones person decline and descent into madness superbly. It had been a while since i had gotten to the end of a film and just sat through the entire credits to gather my thoughts about what i had just seen. (The last film to do so was Gasper Noe's 'Enter the Void')

But what makes it such a good film? In short, everything. Aronofsky has created such a claustrophobic, paranoid world, that you can't help but revel in Nina's sense of paranoia. The set design owes as much to this as does anything else. Everywhere you look there are subtle nods to Nina's transformation with black and white colours filling every room, similarly with the costumes. She is the pure white swan, always in virginal colours until she finally lets go in a club and is handed a sexy black outfit by Mila Kunis' Lily. In almost every scene, mirrors and reflections abound giving us indications to the split personality inside of Nina. In a nod to Lewis Carroll's 'Through the Looking glass', Nina falls down the metaphorical rabbit hole of perfection and madness, but only this fantasy Wonderland has grave consequences.

Much has been said about Natalie Portman's performance, and while i was initially only impressed by her physical transformation and dancing skills, upon second viewing, i found Natalie Portman captivating and thought she did an excellent job playing the shy, vulnerable Nina, which only made her transformation into the Black Swan even more impressive. She earns her spurs during the second act of Swan Lake where we see her whole persona and body language change as, in her mind, she literally becomes the black swan. The visual and sound effects add nice touches in transforming Portman into the swan queen. The subtle sound of a flapping wing here, or the scales of her skin rising there were great touches without taking us out of her performance. I don't know much about Ballet, but from I saw in the film, i can tell that Natalie Portman must have worked extremely hard as i thought the dancing scenes were fantastic. The way this was shot was also responsible for this, as much like the Wrestler, a lot of the "action" was shot hand-held with the camera running in and out of the performers as if the camera were dancing with them in these long takes.

The supporting cast all do their bit, with Mila Kunis particularly impressive as the laid back, sexy Lily. As does Vincent Cassel as stage director Thomas Leroy and Barbara Hershey is particularly frightening as the dominant mother who is now living her dreams through her daughter.

To give my reviews a air of credibility, when i clearly like a film, i usually like to pick up on something that might have been less than impressive to show that i am giving an unbiased account. However, I really couldn't fault Black Swan. I've seen Black Swan described as 'pretentious' 'predictable' with sketchy characters. I couldn't disagree with these comments more. If by pretentious, you mean "unconventional"? fine! Predictable? Sure! The first time we are told the story of Swan Lake, it was obvious that Nina's life would run parallel to this ballet's story, we would just be watching to see HOW events unfold, and unfold they do!

While Black Swan might not have as many Oscar nominations as The Kings Speech or The Social Network, i would still rank it as my favourite film of the year and i hope it does well at the Oscars and i look forward to seeing more of Aronofsky's work. Hell, i liked it so much that i might even go back and take another look at "The Fountain". Now if that doesn't tell you how much i liked Black Swan, nothing will!

Interview with Tyler Crawford - Aged 10 - after watching Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part I

(DC) What is your name?

(TC) Tyler Crawford.

How old are you?

I’m 10 and I’m in year 6.

What is your favourite Harry Potter film so far?

The Chamber of Secrets. I loved the end when he killed the book with that snake tooth.

So, what did you think of the film?

I thought it was 5 out of 5!

Why did you like it so much?

I liked it because it was a really adventurous film and because at some moments it was really scary!

Anything else?

I liked the bit where they told the story of the three brothers (the story explaining the existence of the Deathly Hallows). It was a good story. I don’t think it would have been that good if I had of read it but because I could actually see it, it made it a lot better. The animation was really cool!

What didn’t you like?

I didn’t think it was that funny. I laughed once or twice, but it wasn;t that funny. Other people might find it hilarious, but not me.

What was your favourite part of the film?

The part with the three brothers?

Really?!

Nah, nah, nah…my best part was the snake fight in the house. Because it was scary. One minute he was fighting Harry Potter and the next he was jumping out to the screen!

Any other bits you liked?

I liked the bit when Ron smashed the necklace (a horcrux) because it was really cool. It was scary and and came out to the screen. There was nothing I didn’t like! (Pause) Oh, hang on! I didn’t like it when Dobby died as that was sad. And I didn’t like the part where Bellatrix was torturing Hermione.

Who was your favourite character?

I think my favourite character was Dobby as he was funnier than all the others and I thought he was cool because he could teleport.

What do you think will happen in part 2?

I think they are going on a quest to find the hufflepuff cup?

The what?

The hufflepuff cup. You know, the things they have to find.

The horcruxes?

No, the hufflepuff cup!

They are looking for “horcruxes”!

Well you said that they we’re looking for the hufflepuff cup!

Oh sorry, my fault then?

Yep!

Are you looking forward to Part II?

Yes, very much. I think it’s going to be more adventurous and I’m looking forward to seeing how they escape the traps!

Would you recommend the film to your friends?

Probably not.

What? Why not?

Well, all my friends don’t like Harry Potter….they think it’s a bit geeky.

Really? So you wouldn’t tell them to go and see it?

Maybe. I mean, I really liked it, but I just want to fit in…like Meg in Family Guy! (said with irony) But if they liked Harry Potter I’d tell them it’s great!

Can you sum up the film in one word?

I can’t sum it up in one word can i???

Sure you can.

Alright then…supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Any last thoughts?

The film is number 1!

But you won’t tell your mates?

Nah, I’ll tell them that it was 5 or 6!

Anything else you won’t to say?

I will say I’m proud of my big brother…..and I don’t mean you Dean, ha ha!

Movie Review - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I

As some of you will be aware, i spent well over a year of my life working at Hogwarts and the reward for that was an advanced ticket to the cast and crew screening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I. Well, i say cast and crew, but i found out last year that it is mainly crew and friends of the crew that go, as the majority of the main cast tend to skip out on this screening and wait for the premiere. Suckers! This screening was a full 5 days before the world premiere so, ha! It made no odds to my little brother mind you, as i managed to convince him that Ron's stand in was actually Rupert Grint himself. So in his eyes, he was mixing with the stars! Right, enough of my babbling, onto the (hopefully, not too biased) review.

As we all know, Harry Potter is a global phenomenon. I have been to several parts of the globe where kids couldn't speak a word of english, but could happily tell you the four houses of Hogwarts! It's amazing. And the buzz of what would and wouldn't be included in the final parts of the franchaise caused intense speculation on the web. Debates had been raging since the films announcement.

In some ways, I feel this buzz and passion transcended onto the set, and you could tell there was definitely an attempt by director David Yates to do the last book justice and keep in mind the story that needed to be told. I mean, it seemed that everyone was well aware that you can have all the effects and action in the world, but if you lose sight of the story, you don't have a film. So how did all this hard work and effort turn out on screen?

In a nut shell, very well. (The following includes minor spoilers so please don't read on if you haven't read the book or are not interested in knowing what happens.) Deathly Hallows part one picks up with a warning that everything has changed. Voldemort's army are attacking both humans and wizards and are slowly taking control. Harry and Hermione have had to pack up their remaining belongings and leave their homes. It is particularly tough for Hermione who has to not only leave her parents, but to also erase herself from their memories and become an orphan herself like Harry. What follows in the next 2 and a half hours could essentially be described as a road movie with magic. Deathly Hallows Part One is the build up to the final showdown between good and evil. The horcruxes introduced inThe Half Blood Prince need to be found, and it is up to our three heroes to find and destroy them. This is no easy task mind you. Voldemorts army are out to find Harry Potter and nobody can be trusted. We watch as they scour the country high and low for clues, constantly putting themselves in danger and ultimately getting caught by Bellatrix's army.

The film definitely lives up to hype and it opens at such a pace that you are hooked from the start. I thought The Half Blood Princelost a little spark and strayed too far from the book, but that isn't the case here. The "seven potters" sequence is truly breathtaking and let's you know that you're not in hogwarts anymore. Within the first 15 minutes, George loses an ear and mad eye moody is killed. The polyjuice sequence in the Ministry of Magic is epic but also provides a few laughs.

At 2 and half hours long, i was never once bored and that is saying something considering that almost everything you have seen before is absent from this film. There is no hogwarts, no quidditch and no kids except for a few brief appearances from our supporting cast. This is all about Harry, Ron and Hermione and there quest for the horcruxes and their persuit to destroy Voldemort.

The acting again betters the previous years efforts as do the special effects. There are some real tense moments the 3 main cast have to deal with, but they did a great job and you really feel for them and i'll admit it, there were a few unexpected emotions flying about at the end. There were some great cameo appearances from the likes of Rhys Ifans who seemed like a top bloke, and Bill Nighy who was one of the nicest people i met on the set. Well, i say met. I think i just stared at him for a few days until he had no option but to say hello!

I did have a few issues with the film however, but these were the same issues i had with the book. I found the middle section seemed to drag on for far too long. This is where the bias of working on the film may come in, as i personally wasn't bored by these sequences as it was a trip down memory lane. But one might find it a little tedious watching 3 kids on the hunt for horcruxes and on the run from you know who. I understand that this was such an important section of the book in terms of storyline, character development and the fact that it sets up a large part of what is to come later on in the story, but if you are not a hardcore fan of the books and maybe only watch the films for the fantasy elements, it may leave you sitting waiting for the next big set piece.

I couldn't recall too many things missing from the book, except for a lack of explanation as to why the kids can be traced so easily. In the book it is because Voldemort can trace a person everytime they say his name, but there is no real reason given as to why they are being found so easily or why this suddenly stops. But they do start using "you know who" instead of Voldemort. Another thing that i found odd, but i believe to be the same as the book, was the lack of love for poor old Mad Eye Moody! There is a very sad moment towards the end of the film when a loveable character dies and you could tell most of the audience were welling up. Even big old Dean here got a bit emotional and had to be strong for his little brother's sake. But when poor Mad Eye Moody kicks it after trying to do everything he can to save Harry, it's like ". . . and we flew away from the deatheaters and they almost caught us but it's ok cos we're back. . . oh yeah, Mad Eye's dead. What's for dinner?". I also got this same vibe in the book.

These are only personal gripes and have more to do with the book than the actual film itself. If the things i didn't like about the film were not included, i'm sure the hardcore fans would have been more than upset because like i said before, you can have all the magic in the world, but without a good story you have no film.

So overall i felt The Deathly Hallows to be a success. It should be every Potter fans dream - It's adventurous, fantastical and is a real spectacle. And on a personal note, i couldn't tell you how proud i was to be associated with it and see my name come up in the closing credits. (About 6 minutes in if anyone stays that long!) The film definitely had a lot of story telling to do, but this sets up the Deathly Hallows Part 2 perfectly. And even though i'm not really a Potter fan, i can't wait to see it. There were some longs days and nights spent filming filming the finale and it's set pieces, and i'm positive it will be the perfect ending for most Potter fans!

"Sorry Dean, but i just don't see the resemblance so i'm afraid you can't be my new stunt double!"