Communion review

Acting 70%

Christopher Walken is the only notable actor in this movie, all the other actors are bland as hell, but the wife isn't bad because she seems very realistic.

Plot 88%

This is about a guy who claims he was abducted by aliens. It plays it realistically about how his family and others would react but the guy seems crazy anyway. Anyway, despite getting raped he "communes" with the aliens at the end, wtf?

VFX 74%

The effects are low budget, the aliens look creepy enough though. Fire in the Sky looked better.

SFX 54%

The jazz score is a little annoying sometimes the music when the aliens arrive is cool.

Overall 85%

I like it, it's really funny when he get's anal probed, and it's a very weird movie. It's kind of a mix between realistic and surreal. The guy who directed it also directed Howling III: The Marsupials.

Bram Stoker's Dracula review

Storyline 90%

Awesome as it follows closely the novel.. but there is a deviation with the love story - like it or hate it, it does give a bit more depth to the story and pathos for Dracula.

VFX 92%

All old-style and practical effects - looks very good and the visuals and production are just stunning to look at. Recreates a sumptious Victorian and gothic atmosphere. Only let down is some dodgy matte paintings - but it was 1992 after all.

SFX 95%

I don't know who did the music but it's one of those classic orchestral scores that really gets you in the mood and the atmosphere.

Acting 90%

Gary Oldman and Anthony Hopkins are perfect as Dracula and Van Helsing. Alot of good British actors. Tom Waits is great Renfield. And then there's some hot actresses like Sadie Frost and Winona Ryder who are very enjoyable to watch. Only bad thing is Keanu Reeves who does a bad english accent.

Sex/nudity 97%

No sex but vampirism is kind of a metaphor for sex anyway. Lots of half naked women writhing about, it's so hot watching gorgeous girls lusting for Dracula. We have sexy vampire chicks too including Monica Bellucci who is one of the seductive 'Dracula's brides' (that sequence where they have a blood sucking vampire orgy is awesome). I don't think anyone would mind losing blood to get it on with such hot vampire chicks. XD No vampire lesbians unfortunately but oh well.

Violence 90%

Awesome - not much gore but lots of blood and decapitations. Very violent of course because it's about undead creatures who suck the blood of the living.

Overall 99%

Best Dracula adaptation. The others are good but they don't have a hyper-stylish and erotic atmosphere like this does. It's such a classic that you will never forget this movie. I saw it in 1992 when it was released and I have always watched it when it was on tv. Only recently when I saw it again and got the dvd did I really start to appreciate it's awesomeness. It's just one of those classic Victorian gothic tales and Bram Stoker is a genius to weave myth, history, horror, sexuality and modern literature together like that. But it's his book which is why vampires are so popular and even now they are releasing new vampire movies every single year. Anyway, this, I have to say is the greatest adaptation of his work (although i know some will disagree with me).

Predator 2 review

VisualFX (96%)

This movie had great special effects - the predator cloak looked awesome. Creature designs by Stan Winston's company were top rate.

Storyline (15%)

Just a rehash of the plot of the first Predator - but without the imagination and themes of that movie. The only thing changed is the setting.Really this movie is just Lethal Weapon crossed with Predator.

SoundFX (60%)

Predator sounds were great but not as good as the first movie (I like the first movie's shoulder cannon sound better). The music is the same too. Violent Factor (82%)Lots of gore and violence in this movie - with stabbings, decapitations, skinned bodies, etc. Not as violent as Predator, though.

Overall (38%)

Predator 2 is overrated by fans I think. It is not really original - just another dumb early 90s action movie - a cross between Predator, Lethal Weapon and Aliens. This makes it derivative and mediocre, at best.

In fact, at the rare times I watch this movie - I mainly just skip straight to the penthouse and the warehouse scene. Because the character stuff is so boring and cliched (not as bad as AVPR though). The actors are good but they cannot match Arnie or the other guys from the first film. The one exception is King Willie - he was great in his brief scene.

Plus the setting is really boring - I liked the jungle setting better in the first movie.

1984 review

VisualFx: (84%)

The whole world of 1984 was realised brilliantly in this movie - with a distinctly 1940s, wartorn look that is extremely grey and depressing.

Storyline: (100%)

It's based on one of the best books ever written, and is the most faithful adaptation. It keeps the grim tone and downbeat ending.Basically we follow Winston Smith (John Hurt) as he rebels against Big Brother (the all-powerful government in this movie).

Let me tell you about the kind of world he lives in. The state regulates every single activity you do. Hell, even thinking out of line with the government is called a "thought crime" and is punishable by brutal torture and/or death. And the most disturbing thing is that people worship Big Brother, as they are manipulated and controlled.

SoundFx: (84%)

Ok, I guess. Not the best sound as it is a fairly old movie. Has a pretty good music score - not something you'd notice but fits the movie well.

Violent Factor: (84%)

The torture scenes at the end may be hard to watch for some people - they are pretty brutal and John Hurt's (who is utterly brilliant in this, btw) acting makes it hard to watch as his spirit is broken.

Sex/nudity

There is also some nudity in there and a few brief non-explicit sex scenes (one with an ugly prostitute), for those who are offended by that sort of thing.

Overall: (92%)

I think this is the best kind of movie dealing with this subject matter. It is the most realistic and follows the book 1984 the most faithfully. Other movies have been made inspired by 1984 (V for Vendetta, THX-1138, Brazil) but I think this is the best.

Beware though, this is a very depressing movie and a grim reminder of what may happen one day if the state manages to control everything in our lives (you can often see real-life parallels to 1984 - like the surveillance state in Britain).John Hurt and Richard Burton are brilliant in this, btw.

A warning though to those whose attention span is almost zero - this movie has a slow pace so if you get bored watching episodes of Pokemon - then you probably won't like this movie.

Fight Club review

VisualFX

Not much but there is a cool opening sequence where you see the inside of the human brain and all the neurons. Has great camerawork and visual style as well. No shot in the movie looks fake (except that penguin but it's probably supposed to look like that). 90%

Storyline

This is more to do with characters than story but it is about a guy who starts up a secret club where men go to fight eachother and that eventually evolves into a terrorist group that wants to takes revenge against corporations. I reallly can't say much more without giving it away. 75%

SoundFX

Pretty good - the sounds of the punches are realistic, has a great score too with many decent tracks by good artists. 85%

Violent factor

Very violent and sometimes gory as we see people getting bashed to a pulp with bloody faces, and other violent scenes. 97%

Acting

Edward Norton is a tour de force in this movie as he depicts the everyman who is going crazy with his empty existence. I thought he sold the irony and dark humour really well. Guy is a really great actor. Brad Pitt is also in this and he plays himself for the most part which is all he really needs to do. Helena Bonham Carter is also good as the sensual and neurotic Marla Singer. 95%

Sex/nudity

Pretty non-existent, only one sex scene but it's done in a weird slo mo so it's nothing to get your rocks off on.

Overall

One of the best black comedies ever made. 95%

The Dark Knight

The Visuals

It was a great decision on the filmmaker's part to film many sequences in IMAX. Many of the shots, particularly the aerial shots, have such a breadth of detail in them that makes them visually breathtaking.

I love shots of cityscapes in particular, and views such as that of the cities of Chicago and Hong Kong are captured beautifully.

The cinematography has an almost Kubrick 'feel' to it, with the pristine camera angles, well composed shots, fluid camerawork and the choice of lenses to give it that deep focus look. It drives the epic quality beyond the script, making this a solid visual masterpiece.

The Joker

The movie shows his polar opposite to Batman. An anarchic, psychopathic mastermind. This is the REAL Joker - forget all prior interpretations. It's a flawless performance by Heath Ledger and very enjoyable to watch.

Modern parallels

Many may disagree, but I see many parallels to the post 9/11 situation. Not just that the Joker could be called a terrorist, but the psychological use of terrorism and the way public figures respond to these events. Such as witness the Joker's attempt to turn the people of Gotham against eachother, like the racism that occured after 9/11, and the corruption of public figures. There are many other little things, but you would have to watch it with that in mind.

Overall

An epic, awesome movie that without fail is the best Batman movie and the best comic book movie ever made.

Welcome to this blog

This blog will be about my obssession with cinema and the movies that I am interested in. It'll mainly focus on reviews and trivia about my favourite films.