Total Recall Review

Total Recall (15)
Reviewed by Rachel Geeson
Score: 4/5

Total Recall, directed by Len Wiseman, is a science fiction action “remake” or “reboot” of the 1990 film of the same name, in turn loosely based on the 1966 short story “We Can Remember It for You Wholesale” by Philip K. Dick.

I haven’t seen the original film with Arnold Schwarzenegger, so I can’t really compare whether or not the two films are similar, but I do know that the last film featured on Mars, unlike this film which stays firmly on Earth. At the end of 21st Century, the Earth was divided into two territories — the United Federation of Britain (UFB) and the Colony (Australia) — after chemical warfare devastates the remainder of the planet.

Total Recall centres on Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), a factory worker and resident of The Colony. After having the same recurring nightmare and feeling like he’s missing something from his life, he decides to go to Rekall, a company that gives clients any memory they chose. As a slick-talking Rekall employee (played by John Cho) prepares to inject the fantasy of a secret agent lifestyle into Quaid’s brain, a team of elite forces cuts the procedure short, leading Quaid to realise that he isn’t who he thinks he is.

Not everyone would enjoy the film; however I’m a fan of action films and of the main cast of this film. Colin Farrell plays a good part and does suit this action genre. Although I do love his character of Ray from the film In Bruges (2008), he was great in the action thriller S.W.A.T (2003).

Jessica Biel fights alongside him as Melina, the tough resistance fighter played by Rachel Ticotin in Paul Verhoeven’s 1990 film. She’s convincing enough in Total Recall’s numerous action scenes and has some good fights with Quaid’s wife in the film, Lori, played by Kate Beckinsale. The Underworld actress also played her character well in the movie and proved to be a persistent part of the film.

Even though the castings for the main characters were chosen well, I think they made some mistakes casting the roles of Chancellor Vilos Cohaagen (played by Bryan Cranston) and Matthias Lair, the leader of the Resistance (played by Bill Nighy. The pair just didn’t look like they should be there. Don’t get me wrong Nighy and Cranston are great actors, but they just suit the comedy role better. When I saw Cranston on the screen I just thought of Hal from Malcolm in the Middle and when Nighly was on the screen I just thought of him from Shaun of the Dead and Love Actually.

This movie pretty much has everything a great action thriller needs; amazing car chases, massive explosions, lots of guns and a good, but slightly confusing storyline.

So why don’t you head down the Dorchester Plaza Cinema to see this visually impressive film.

The Watch Review

The Watch (15)

Reviewed by Rachel Geeson

Score 3.5/5

The Watch is a sci-fi comedy, directed by Akiva Schaffer. The film brings four comedy talents together to form a local crime-fighting team.

Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and Richard Ayoade play neighbours who form a Neighbourhood Watch group after a friend is murdered. They each join the group for different reasons such as revenge and escape. As more members of the community are brutally murdered, they soon realise their little town of Glenview is the centre of an alien invasion and the battle begins to protect their neighbourhood.

Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn are back to working together and although they work well with each other, their on-screen pairing was better in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004).

Ben Stiller plays Evan, an overbearing, doing things the right way kind of guy, who loves his life in the small town. Evan manages the local Costco, and seems perfectly happy in his work, until there is tragedy when one of his employees is murdered. To investigate the murder he sets up the neighbourhood watch. Enter Vince Vaughn who plays Bob, the all-drinking, all-playing one of the group, who only stops now and then to keep an eye on his daughter and her youthful social life. Vince Vaughn is on top form in this film, and without him I don’t think the comedy would have been nearly as good as it is. He and Jonah Hill play similar characters to roles we’ve seen them play before in other movies.

Jonah Hill plays Franklin, a reject from the police who is clearly mentally unstable. Hill has got himself a place next to the well-known comedian actors in this film. He keeps the jokes rolling out, always tries to get with the ladies when they’re around and looks up to his “special guy” who is Vince Vaughn’s character.

The last member of the neighbourhood watch is Richard Ayoade who plays Jamarcus. His character is liked from the start and he gives the audience plenty of laughs during the movie. Ayoade is known for playing the technically brilliant but socially awkward Maurice Moss in Channel 4’s The IT Crowd. He makes his high-profile Hollywood acting debut here, and is a great highlight to the film.

There are a few scenes that stand out for me. One short scene that gets the audience laughing is when Stiller and Hill interrogate a rebel teenager after an egg through incident, the screen play that goes on back on forth between them is great. Another funny scene is when the guys are just being “guys” and are messing around at Vaughn’s house taking photos of each other with one of their secret discoveries.

The scenes and arguments between Vaughn and his daughter show stereotypical behavior of an overprotective father trying to look out for his daughter. One scene in particular that stands out is when he internet stalks his daughter and finds something that he doesn’t like causing a confrontation with his “little princess”.

I wasn’t sure what to think of the film once I left the cinema. It is a very funny film and you will enjoy watching it; however I don’t think The Watch is the comedy film of the season.

Why don’t you see for yourself and visit The Dorchester Plaza Cinema and check out The Watch.

Brave

‘Brave’ (PG)

Written By Kate Maitland-Gleed

Rated: 5 Stars

Yet again, Disney Pixar have created another great film for children and adults. But there is one difference.. This one will knock your socks off! With it’s fantastic cast and wonderful storyline, ‘Brave’ will leave you feeling happy and slightly teary.

Being a princess isn’t all that is’t made out to be.Yes you look beautiful. Yes you get swooned over by every handsome prince in the kingdom. But to be a princess, you have to do what you’re told… Merida (voiced by Kelly Macdonald) is the princess in our story and she is not one for following the rules! Love, marriage and leadership all awaits her. But she wants freedom, and to be able to fire arrows in the woods as the wind flows through her hair! There is one thing that stands in her way between her prefered fate, and her real fate… Her mother, the Queen, Elinor (voiced by Emma Thompson).Wanting her only daughter and first born child to someday become Queen herself, Elinor teaches Merida everything a princess should know. Skills like sewing, public speaking and how to look proper. But in her own time, Merida teaches herself how to ride a horse and use weapons… Especially a bow and arrow…

Her father, the King, Fergus (voiced by Billy Connolly) helps his daughter to persue her dream, and on her birthday, he buys her her very own bow. Not boding well with Elinor, the Queen works even harder to prepare her daughter for marriage. But after proving to her parents that she does not want to get married, a big argument breaks out between the princess and her mother. Will this push Merida over the edge? Will the bond between her and her mother ever be mended? Will fate be changed? You will have to watch the film to find out…!

Wow! This film is jam packed with famous voices including; Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane and Craig Ferguson. ‘Brave’ had me in tears. Both of laughter and sadness. In the words of my friend; ‘I want to see this film again!’. And I think you will too..!

Ted Review

Ted (15)

Reviewed by Rachel Geeson

Score: 3 /5

I’m not really sure where to begin. Ted is a very interesting film produced and directed by Seth MacFarlane, who is best known for being the creator of the animated sitcom Family Guy. This is the first movie debut that MacFarlane has made and alongside Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, he plays the voice of Ted.

Mark Wahlberg plays easy going guy John Bennett, who was a lonely and unhappy child. That was until Christmas Day in 1985, when he got a teddy bear as a present and called it Teddy. John took Teddy everywhere and was happy to have a friend at last, however one night he wished upon a falling star (not quite your Pinocchio story) that Teddy was able to come to life, and the following day he did. Next we see Teddy become “Ted”, and the miracle of him spreads around the country. Ted becomes a national sensation, going on TV shows and appearing on magazine covers, however Ted was only briefly a celebrity and his time in the spotlight came to an end. Twenty five years later, Ted (now voiced by Seth MacFarlane) and John have “grown up” and are living together with John’s girlfriend, Lori, played by Mila Kunis. Ted is a certainly not a cute child’s teddy bear anymore, he’s foul-mouthed, has a love for casual sex and drugs and is possessive of John, which doesn’t really work for Lori. She
has put up with John’s little companion for four years and is fed up with sharing her man with a talking toy bear. So on their anniversary dinner she gives John an ultimatum. Either she goes or Ted does.

There were some great scenes such as Ted’s house party, his job interviews and flashback scenes. But my favourite scene has to be when there was a thunderstorm and John’s in bed frightened. Ever since the pair became best friends when John was eight years old they promised to always stay “thunder buddies for life.” So as the storm becomes more thunderous, Ted runs in and jumps into the bed between John and Lori, and the guys sing “the thunder song”, causing the audience to laugh out loud.

Wahlberg played the character of John Bennett well and has proved in the past that he can do comedy when he appeared in The Othe­­r Guys in 2010. However I think he’s been better in films such as The Italian Job (2003), The Departed (2006) and Shooter (2007). Unlike Mila Kunis who fitted into her comic role well. She has previously starred in comedy films before, such as Friends with Benefits (2011) and Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008), but is known for playing Meg Griffin from Family Guy.

Although there are some cheesy moments of the film, and the storyline does seem a bit strange when a creepy man and his son get involved, the movie is very funny. The film does not run out of steam, the screenplay was well written and there are a number of humorous one-liners.

I am personally not sure whether I was laughing non-stop during the film due to the comic entertainment or the fact that I wasted an hour and a half of my life watching a grown man talking to a cuddly teddy.

So why don’t you check out this cute-as-a-button swearing teddy bear down at your local cinema and see what you think of it.  

Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Dog Days

‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Dog Days’ (PG)

Written By Kate Maitland-Gleed

Rated: 3 Stars

Written and produced by ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ author, Jeff Kinney, ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Dog Days’ is the third in the series. Summer is around the corner, and sun, sea, noisy kids, theme parks, girls, a dog and a lack of swimming trunks all awaits a trouble making school child… Greg  Heffley (played by Zachary Gordon), who is more excited than ever as this summer, as he will level up on his video game! But little does Greg know that his Dad, Frank Heffley (played by Steve Zahn) has a different idea of a summer of fun. The choice is Greg’s video games and T.V, or outdoor activities and excersise. Umm… Tricky desision!

But before school ends, yearbooks have to be signed, and there is one person that Greg, and his best friend Rowley (played by Robert Capron) want to sign theirs… Holly Hills (played by Peyton List), the most beautiful girl in school who, in her spare time, teaches young children how to play tennis down at the local clubhouse. But unfortunately, after being asked for her number by Greg, Holly is wisked away by her best friend and Greg’s worst nightmare, Patty Farrell (played by Laine MacNeil), before finishing the number. What is a boy to do?! And this isn’t the only problem that Greg will face. Will he meet up with the love of his life? Will he make his father proud? Will he level up? Will he ever find his swimming trunks? You will have to watch this film if you want to find out!

I feel that you need to have seen the last two films, or at least read the books, to really get into this film. As I hadn’t done either, I didn’t fully understand this movie, as I hadn’t got to know the characters before hand. The friend I went to the cinema with, who had read all of the books, told me that the film had failed to include vital details that the book had in it originally. Yes, I did enjoy most parts of this movie, but some, I really didn’t get. Maybe it was because I am 14, and this film was made for younger kids, but I felt that most of the humour was immature and childish. I guess that’s why it’s certified as ‘PG’! I would really recommend going to the cinema to see this film for a family day out!

The Lorax

What would you do if the person who you really fancied would only like you if you brought them a tree? Well, I would go and buy a tree! But what if the only place you could get a precious tree was from outside your city – in a forbidden place where no-one is allowed to go? Tricky question. What would you do?

Well, Ted (voiced by Zac Efron), broke all the rules and left his hometown of Thneedville, to find a beautiful tree for the love of his life, Audrey (voiced by Taylor Swift). Of course, this isn’t as easy as it seems… But with a little help from his mad grandmother, Grammy Norma (voiced by Betty White), Ted finds his way out of the closely watched city, and into the wilderness. Strange contraptions and desolate planes, leads him to a strange house. Home to the Once’ler! This mysterious man (voiced by Ed Helms) shares his story about his encounter with the Lorax (voiced by Danny DeVito), and it soon becomes clear why no tree can be found in the city of Thneedville.

After dancing with fluffy bears, singing with humming fish, finding success and and feeding marshmallows to woodland animals, the Once’ler’s luck takes a turn for the worst and ends up destroying his relationship with the Lorax. Will it be too late to patch things up? Will Audrey get her tree? Will Ted get his girl? Will there be quite, fluffy bears skipping around world again? You will have to watch the film and find out!!!

Although I enjoyed this film, fell in love with a tiny bear called Pipsqueak and had a laugh, I am sorry to say that I was slightly disappointed with the Lorax. Although it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the film, it turned out that this was actually a musical. Lots of songs that didn’t fit into the scene. Also, I got the impression from the trailers, that the film was following the story of Ted and his time with the Lorax, but actually it was mostly about the Once’ler. I like Dr. Seuss films, but this one I sadly won’t be seeing again.

I give this film: ***

The Dark Knight Rises Review

The Dark Knight Rises (12a)

Reviewed by Rachel Geeson

Score: 5/5

Wow . . . what an amazing film. It’s hard to summarise 2 hours and 44 minutes of pure cinematography genius and excitement, but I’m going to give it a try and I hope you agree with my thoughts.

We all knew it was going to be hard for director Christopher Nolan to top The Dark Knight, when it came round to the third and final of his Batman films. And I have to say The Dark Knight Rises was every bit the finale that I was hoping for.

Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Gotham City is a much safer city without the danger from organised crimes. Batman hasn’t been seen since the death of Harvey Dent, whose death was blamed on the masked figure, and with the city being much harmless, they didn’t really rely on Batman; which caused Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) to drift into the shadows of his former self. That’s until Bane (Tom Hardy), a cold and calculating terrorist shows up in Gotham with plans to create chaos and cause mayhem; making Bruce realise that maybe it’s time for him to put his cape back on. With Bruce having lost so many loved ones, does he have anything left to lose?

The casting for the film is exceptional in my eyes. It’s remarkable to think that the bulky brilliant villain, Bane is played by the charmingly cute British actor, Tom Hardy. Hardy did very well portraying the bad guy, although sometimes it was hard to understand what he was saying through his artificial voice box. On the other hand, this did make Hardy have a detached presence with his immense mask hiding his facial expressions causing him to appear slightly inhuman.  Hardy’s character Bane; completely embodies terror and uses that as his strongest asset, being menacing and posing as an even greater threat to the Dark Knight then the Joker ever did.

Christian Bale has continued to once again play an outstanding character and in this Batman film, it is all about Batman. In The Dark Knight, the spotlight was on Heath Ledger as he portrayed the Joker, and for me was the best part of the last film. However in this movie the spotlight shifts back onto Bruce as he faces tough challenges, one of them being retirement.

With great supporting roles from Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, an idealist cop who still has faith in the Batman, and Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate, an investor and member of the Wayne Enterprises executive board who seems more than willing to help the company get back on its feet (not to mention the always great performances by Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman), The Dark Knight Rises hits all the right notes. Additional applause must be given to Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman, who took a role that usually ends up becoming oversexed and too campy, and making it completely believable in this Batman film. And of course we see Michael Caine who was absolutely astounding in his portrayal of the worn-down butler as he gave a heartbreaking performance that nearly moved me to tears.

I just want to take a moment to send out my sympathies to all the victims and their families of the recent events of the Aurora Colorado shooting.  My heart goes out to them.

The Dark Knight Rises is a very intense movie. It’s emotionally engaging; it grabs the audience’s attention and is full of drama and action. There are a number of shocks, revelations and twists in the film that keep you enticed in the movie.

Every minute of the movie is gripping and as soon as it finishes, your definitely be wanting more.

So why don’t you head to the cinema and check this fantastic film out, you’d be crazy as a bat if you missed it.

Magic Mike Review

Magic Mike (15)

Reviewed by Rachel Geeson

Score: 4/5

Now this film is definitely worth watching for the girls out there as there is plenty of eye candy from start to finish.

Some people have compared Magic Mike to Full Monty, however I think it’s pretty different. This film is directed by Steven Soderbergh, who is best known for directing films such as Erin Brockovich and the remake of Ocean’s Eleven. Soderbergh has managed with Magic Mike, to make a classy film on a tacky subject with a very impressive cast helping out.

There are two main characters in the film, Mike played by Channing Tatum and Adam played by Alex Pettyfer. Along with Tatum being one of the sexy stars in this film he is also the producer.

The storyline for this film isn’t the best but it’s still enjoyable. Mike describes himself as an “entrepreneur”, who has been saving up money doing a number of jobs so he can fulfil his dream of becoming a craftsman of unique furniture. The main job that earns him the most money is stripping. One night he encourages his young new friend Adam to join him and the guys to have some fun and earn cash quickly. After the pair becomes popular working at the club Xquisite, the owner Dallas, played by Matthew McConaughey, has planned to expand their talents across to Miami.

The strippers in this film are quite a mixture. You have Channing Tatum, who fits into the film perfectly with his good looks and his dance skills that were previously seen when he starred in the Step Up movies. Next there’s Alex Pettyfer who resembles an Abercrombie and Fitch model, who although is slightly shy at the beginning he soon gets into his new working role. We then have supporting actor Matthew McConaughey who wasn’t a great character in the film, however he did get many laughs from the audience. The other strippers are Ken played by Matt Bomer (Suits), Tarzan played by wrestler Kevin Nash (Rock of Ages), Tito played by Adam Rodríguez (CSI: Miami) and Big Dick Richie played by Joe Manganiello (True Blood), who each bring excitement for both the viewers and the audience at the club.

There are many cheeky choreographed routines in the film, especially the lad’s version of “It’s Raining Men”, which I certainly enjoyed.

So girls if you’re with your friends and fancy seeing this funny film with plenty of flesh on show, then head down to the cinema.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 3D

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter 3D (15)

Reviewed by Rachel Geeson

Score: 2.5/5

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter explores the secret life of one of America’s greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln, and the untold story that shaped the nation.

Abraham Lincoln, played by Benjamin Walker, vows to kill all vampires after witnessing a vampire murder his mother when he was just a little boy. As an adult Lincoln tracks down the vampire and tries to take vengeance however he fails and is almost killed, until Henry Sturges, played by Dominic Cooper saves him, and becomes his mentor in vampire hunting.

Benjamin Walker (who looks like a young Liam Neeson) plays our heroic president and fits into the character well. Towards the end of the film he really looks the part appearing as a Van Helsing figure. There are a number of other actors in film who stand out as well such as Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winsted (Lincoln’s wife), Anthony Mackie (Lincoln’s childhood friend) and Rufus Sewell (the leader of an order of vampires).

The action fantasy horror film is brought to our screens by director Timur Bekmanbetov and the much loved Tim Burton as the producer. The pair worked together to create the big-screen version of the adaption of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel.

The film does have some rough edges to it such as the scene when Lincoln has a fight with a vampire involving horses which was well . . . interesting. Also the 3D cinematography didn’t really grab my attention and seemed to be a bit of a waste of time.

Saying that; there is some built up emotion in the film, as the audience get to know Lincoln’s past and follow him on his journey to get his revenge against the vampires. So why don’t you check this movie out, to see if you agree with my opinion.

Snow White and the Huntsman Review

Snow White and the Huntsman Review

Reviewed by Rachel Geeson

Score: 5/5

Snow White and the Huntsman is the second ‘Snow White’ adaptation of 2012.

This epic and beautifully shot fantasy film lives up to the hype. The visual effects of the feature are very good. The special effects team should feel very pleased with themselves.

Kristen Stewart, the Twilight star, takes on a slightly different role as Snow White, in this darker version of the much loved fairy tale. Queen Ravenna (Charlize Theron) becomes her stepmother after the death of Snow White’s father, the King. Once Queen Ravenna is in control, darkness takes over the kingdom and the young princess is locked up. The Queen is an eternally young looking woman who uses dark magic to steal the beauty from young women in order to maintain her power and appearance.

When the young princess escapes, the Queen sends out someone to bring her back. Enter the macho and rugged Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth). Although he has a drunken start, he soon shows of his skills in the dark forest.

Hemsworth added good charm to his character, just as he always does (especially when playing Thor). He showed great charisma and raw machismo playing the Huntsman. The great casting continued with Kristen Stewart playing the beautiful iconic character, showing emotion and purity.

Charlize Theron embraced the wicked queen’s role well and had a number of shouting and screeching scenes that displayed a true evil side.  Theron is equally more dark and heartless then the role of Queen Clementianna played by Julia Roberts in Mirror Mirror.

By retelling the classic fairy tale, Snow White cannot be the same without dwarves stepping into the story. When we meet them in the movie they aren’t so sweet to start off with, however they soon become loveable characters with a good sense of humour. The actors that were digitally down-sized were Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane, Ray Winstone, Nick Frost, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, Johnny Harris and Brian Gleeson, who each brought their quirky characteristics to the film.

Snow White and the Huntsman is the feature debut for director Rupert Sanders, showing real promise for him in the future. He managed to create magical atmospheres throughout the film. The scenes that stand out are the enchanting fairy woodland, the scary yet stunning castle and the menacing dark forest.

So if you fancy seeing this breathtaking and thrilling adaption of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale then head down to the cinema.