Basic

Basic (2003) starring John Travolta, Connie Nielsen, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Before...considering before I looked at it on the shelf and thought it was a different film altogether, there is nothing much I can really write in this box, as watching it on Wednesday night, seemed to me like the first time I had watched it. It was brilliant, this barely ever happens and so I was looking forward to the film. Travolta and Jackson, back together after 8 years!! AWESOME!:D

Tom Hardy (Travolta), an ex-Army Ranger turned DEA agent, is drawn into an ever-widening mystery surrounding the disappearance of the feared and often hated Sgt. Nathan West (Jackson), as well as several of his elite Special Forces trainees on what appears, at first, to have been a routine training exercise during a hurricane in the jungles of Panama. Capt. Julia Osborne (Nielsen) struggles with her investigation. So base commander Col. Bill Styles calls in ex-Ranger Hardy, an old friend and a persuasive interrogator. What happened to West and his Ranger team? And what were they really doing out there in the jungle? As each layer reveals more lies and greater deceptions, Hardy and Osborne inch towards the horrible truth about the fate of the missing Rangers.

My wife's view..."A puzzle of a movie. Cryptic and clever, without giving too much away it keeps you thinking till the end. Poirot without the moustache. Probably will love it even more the second time, when I will have forgotten how it all ends up anyway. Don't watch it with a hangover...not that we did! ★★★★☆"

Where to start...clever, complex and intelligent, this movie gripped me immediately the credits started to role. Jackson plays a crazed army sergeant and does it brilliantly. You immediately want to hate him, and that is the point. Travolta plays an equally uneven and slightly off the wall DEA interogator, who immediately rubs Nielsen's Osborne up the wrong way. The cast of this film gels together really well and are all utterly believable for me.

The plot is highly complex and to some might seem convoluted, however to them I say all you need to do is concentrate. As my wife says, trying to watch this hungover or drunk is not the way to go with this film, your complete concentration is needed in order to fully appreciate this film. The twists are turns it makes might need multiple watchings in order to appreciate them, but I think it is well worth it.

Deep down this is a murder mystery whodunnit type film, and I am a sucker for these types of films, I love to watch them play out before my eyes, and with this one it is no different. Clever twisty and very enjoyable. It is a thinker but definitely worth it, which is why I am giving this film...

★★★★☆

Bad Boys II

Bad Boys 2 (2003) starring Martin Lawrence, Will Smith, Gabrielle Union, Jordi Mollà and Joe Pantoliano.

Before...I honestly can't remember what I felt about it before watching it. This time, however, I was hoping for the same kind of fun and enjoyment I expect from Michael Bay films, I was hoping that it wouldn't be one of those films that I would watch again and be disappointed about re-watching!

Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence), who are part of the Miami PD's Tactical Narcotics Team (TNT), still don't always get along, and now they're keeping secrets from each other. Mike's secret is that he's been seeing Marcus' sister, Sydney "Syd" Burnett (Union), a reported paper pusher for the DEA's New York office. Marcus's secret is that he has asked for a transfer, because he wants to spend more time with his family, and less time with Mike. That's all set aside when their boss, Captain Howard (Pantoliano), assigns them to stop the flow of record amounts of ecstasy into the city. This puts Mike and Marcus on the trail of the most dangerous enemy that they have ever faced...Cuban drug kingpin Hector Juan Carlos "Johnny" Tapia (Molia), who wants to take control of the entire ecstasy trade in the USA, and is working with local dealers and club owners such as Russian mafia boss Alexei. Every time the Miami PD has ever arrested Tapia, Tapia has sued the Miami PD for false arrest, and won millions of dollars. This has caused the department to back off and not go after Tapia. Well, everyone has backed off except for Mike and Marcus, who have never faced Tapia before. Now, it seems that Tapia is using a mortuary as a cover for his operations, smuggling ecstacy hidden inside dead bodies, while sending his money to Cuba in hidden compartments in the coffins. While Mike and Marcus try to bring Tapia down, they also deal with the discovery that Syd is actually working undercover for the DEA to bring down a money laundering operation run by Alexei, and as part of her undercover job, Syd is in deep with Tapia. When Haitian gangsters try to steal Tapia's money and kill Syd, the two investigations cross paths. Syd's cover is later blown, and she is kidnapped by Tapia, who takes her to his compound in Cuba. With the unofficial help of people from the CIA, the Miami PD, and anti-Castro forces in Cuba, Mike and Marcus head out to rescue Syd, and bring Tapia down. How far will Tapia go to keep his drug empire? And how far will Marcus and Mike go to rescue Syd?

My wife says "Thrills and spills. It was designed for boys but that doesn't mean girls can't enjoy it too. A bit complicated for a film that is essentially car chases, gun fights and pretty women. There was some very silly boyish jokes. Generally enjoyable. Probably more enjoyable next time as I will know what the plot is and who the characters are. ★★★☆☆"

Where to start...The film, even after all these many action films, still manages, for me, to stand the test of time and be one of the most enjoyable and ridiculously fun movies out there. Mindless fun is how to describe it really. No the film has no definitive aim, other than wanting to blow things up really and that is what we get, especially from the first car chase. The first car chase is utterly stunning, the way it is filmed and the construct of it all is brilliant.

For me Smith and Lawrence are a perfect partnership. They both play off each other brilliantly and their comic backgrounds are evident from watching this film, especially when it comes to the guys interogating Lawrences' onscreen daughter. The issues for me come up when the film starts to go down a slightly sicker route, e.g. corpse tossing.

The issues really come to a head when the film passed the 2 hour mark...a good action movie, unless it has a fantastic plot, should not under any circumstances pass the 2 hour mark. Bay has created a film that has all elements of a perfect action, the problem is that he has added a bit too many explosions, a few too many car chases and a few too many bad gags (and if you know me the fact that I think there are too many is definitely saying something)!! So all in all there is a bit of a mixed bag here. Great in some parts, awful in others! Which leads me to give this film...

★★★☆☆

The Aviator

The Aviator (2004) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Kate Beckinsale, John C. Reilly, Alec Baldwin, and Alan Alda.

Before...with the amount of hype and awards it garnered I was really looking forward to seeing this film. The thing that made me nervous about this film was the length...could Leo keep me captivated for that long...could a story about a guy I'd never heard of keep me interested...only one way to find out let's watch it!!

Focusing on his early years (from the 1930 production of 'Hell's Angels' to the 1947 test flight of the Blue Spruce, when he was 42), this is the story of how young Howard Hughes transformed a small fortune into a massive one. The son of the Texan inventor of an amazing drill bit who died when he was 18, leaving him with 75% of the "Hughes Tool Co.", Howard Hughes (DiCaprio) quickly moved to Los Angeles to become a Hollywood film producer, where he helped launch the career of Jean Harlow and other starlets, and producing such classics as Hell's Angels, The Front Page, Flying Leathernecks, and Scarface (the 1932 original), eventually owning RKO Pictures. Hughes' legend came not from focusing on just Hollywood, however, as he simultaneously branched into industry after industry, including aviation in 1932 (including TWA Airlines), and during WWII, defense, leading to the creation of the (infamous) Spruce Goose, a flying boat of immense size. After WWII, Hughes' expansions continued, with an electronics company that was integral to the evolution of the satellite, and Hughes' several Las Vegas casinos (though this film may be ending before he moves there). This film will also focus on Hughes' romances with Hollywood stars like Katharine Hepburn (Blanchett) and Ava Gardner (Beckinsale). (Baldwin plays the president of their competitor, Pan Am and Alda plays the senator trying to publically humiliate him)

My wife's view..."First time I watched it I was bored, but this time I could follow what was going on a little bit easier. Charming acting from the ladies, excellent acting from DiCaprio and that's what really makes it. Interesting story, but my husband tells me it's not quite how it happened in real life. Not a date movie. If you are gonna watch it, watch it twice! ★★★★☆

Where to start...First things first, Leonardo DiCaprio in this film is incredible. He is on screen practically from start to finish and at no point did I tire of him. DiCaprio is truly an incredible actor, and from seeing him in this and also The Departed he is becoming one of my favourite actors. Really looking forward to Shutter Island coming out at the start of 2010, trailer looks great!

The other actors around him do amazingly as well. All simply boosting his performances into the stratosphere, which is what supporting actors should do...all of them do this amazingly...all except Cate Blanchett. Blanchett, instead of taking the supporting actor role, seems to have decided to fight it out with Leo as to who is the better actor. When on screen together they both are fantastic. As Hepburn, Blanchett is stunning, not only does she look like her but also she acts near to exactly what she was like, simply incredible!!

Aside from that the plot of the film is great, though since researching about Hughes they seem to have missed out a few seemingly key facts, like that he was initially married. It leaves you feeling that maybe they Hollywoodised his life just that bit too much, which I can't understand why. For me it seems that Howard Hughes' life is so fantastical that no embellishment is needed. Ah well, maybe that's just my problem. All in all because of that I am going to give it...

★★★★☆

Addicted to Love

Addicted to Love (1997) starring Meg Ryan, Matthew Broderick, Kelly Preston, and Tchéky Karyo.

Before...Meg Ryan is not my favouritest of actresses, yes she has done some good films but I just find her plain annoying! On the other hand this film has Matthew Broderick...who I think is just awesome, my wife thought I was going to type "gorgeous"...no! It is a film that from the trailer is seemingly about two stalkers who want their ex's back...I went into this film with trepidation but intrigue, as my wife "loves" this film...then again she does love most films that she watches!

Good-natured astronomer Sam (Broderick) is devastated when the love of his life, Linda (Preston), leaves him for a suave Frenchman named Anton (Karyo). He therefore does what every other normal dumpee would do; go to New York and set up home in the abandoned building opposite his ex-girlfriend's apartment, intent on winning her back and waiting until she decides to leave her current lover. What Sam does not count on is being joined several weeks later by ultra hip tomboy Maggie (Ryan), a photographer and motor-cyclist who is determined to get revenge on Anton, her ex-fiance. Hostile at first, the two of them eventually join forces in an attempt to separate the couple, and ruin Anton's life. However, complications ensue when Sam and Maggie start falling for each other.

My wifes view...let me guess before she has her input though...something along the lines of I love it maybe...lets see..."It is a bit of rubbish, but I do watch it quite often. I like the idea of a Big Brother-esque telly (no not the channel 4 kind!!) on your wall. It's not my favourite but it is one to watch when you are feeling poorly, not as good as How to make an American Quilt for those occasions though. I guess it's just for colds not raging flu, for raging flu you need How to make an American Quilt. I think I liked it better when I was 15 than I do now. It is a bit adolescent. ★★★☆☆"

Where to start...as I said...I find Ryan highly annoying and it is kinda odd seeing her in a role out of the ordinary girl next door role. In my view, she, like Hugh Grant in About a Boy, suits this kind of different role better than her normal girl next door role. Broderick plays the same character he always does and does it brilliantly. In every role he does he brings his genius, in my view. Ferris Bueller, War Games, The Stepford Wives, Election, Inspector Gadget, and Godzilla. Broderick is great in this film.

The plot is kinda weak and creepy if I'm honest. Two people watching their ex's through a camera obscura...slightly odd if I'm honest. This is not, as my wife says, "your typical get your ex back film", it is a bit more twisted and dark though hidden in a romantic comedy guise. The acting is great but the concept is odd. It is an immature odd film that you can't help but smile at but at the same time you feel uncomfortable about it.

All in all great acting but a bit of an odd idea for a movie. Sufficed to say when Laura has a cold I will let her get on with it if she decides to watch this film...

★★★☆☆

About a Boy

About a Boy (2002) starring Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult, and Toni Collette.

Before...well first off, I was intrigued that the Weitz brothers were taking on such a beloved Hornby book. These are the brothers who brought American Pie into the world, so to hear that they were doing this made me nervous. On the other hand having read the book I was excited to see how it panned out....so a mixture of feelings were present...

Will Freeman (Grant) is a hip Londoner who one day realizes that his friends are all involved with the responsibilities of married life and that leaves him alone in the cold. Passing himself off as a single father, he starts to meet a string of single mums, confident in his ability to leave them behind when they start to ask for a commitment. But Will's hope of a continued bachelorhood is interrupted when he meets 12-year old Marcus (Hoult), in many ways his complete opposite. So he begins his journey of growing up as he helps Marcus deal with issues surrounding his mother (Collette).

My wife's view..."Loaf of bread, need I say more?? I love it! Everytime I watch it I love it. Insightful, even wise, funny, beautiful. Every scene is a gem. Music is lovely. Everyone is lovely. It is Hugh Grants best role ever. Let's watch it again. ★★★★★" Ladies and Gentlemen...my wife!!

Where to start...this is the first film for me where Hugh Grant isn't the annoying idiot that he is in most of his films. He is not the foppish fool that he is in other films. Grant in this film is an arrogant obnoxious prat of a man to start with. Completely self centred and horrible and this is a really refreshing role for Grant, it is a real shame, in my opinion, that he hasn't done more films with this type of character...instead he has been type cast. Hoult is an inspiration in his role as Marcus. Refreshingly honest and brilliant.

The plot also is fantastic, that though isn't due to anyone other than Nick Hornby in my view. His book is brilliant, and the film changes certain sections of it but it doesn't lose the essence of the book in my view.

The other stellar performer of this film is the music. The soundtrack is written by Damon Gough, otherwise known as Badly Drawn Boy. It is rare that one artist is chosen to write AND perform all the tracks of a soundtrack, however as my wife says "it is perfect as it gives it some flow". The film moves from one scene to another fantastically. You could just close your eyes and listen to the film, the soundtrack is that good.

And so to my final words on the film. Fantastic acting, wonderful music and based on a brilliant book. Not the best film in the world in my view, which from the noises emenating from my wife means she completely disagrees with me. Not the best, but still up there...which leads me to give this film...

★★★★☆

Austin Powers

Austin Powers (1997) starring Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York, and Seth Green.

Before...wow, it has been so long ago that I saw this film that I can't even remember a time before seeing this film, how sad is that. Anyway, kinda wasn't really looking forward to rewatching it. It is a classic but still very childish humour...would I be wrong?

Austin Powers (Myers) is a 60's spy who is cryonically frozen and released in the 1990's. The world is a very different place for Powers. Unfortunately for Austin, everyone is no longer sex-mad. Although he may be in a different decade, his mission is still the same. He has been teamed up by his boss (York) with Vanessa Kensington (Hurley) to stop the evil Dr. Evil (Myers), who was also frozen in the past.

My wife's view..."Good fun but kind of annoying. I've never watched this film by choice and probably never will, nevertheless it was quite enjoyable. ★★☆☆☆"

Where to start...childish and silly, this is a film you have to be in the right frame of mind for in my view. It is incredibly over the top and ridiculous, much in the same way that Anchorman is. Both of these films have been created by Saturday Night Live alumni's and it is easy to see their similarities in type of humour. They are entertainment at it's best in some ways...part of me however wants something more, I definitely know that my humour has matured since I originally watched this film.

Myers has to be commended for re-invigorating the multi-role portrayal in this film, it was 3 years later that Murphy did his role as the multi-tude of characters in Nutty Professor 2: The Klumps. For Myers this was only the beginning of developing this, as in Austin Powers 2 and 3 he created more characters in which to pour further jokes.

The brilliant thing about this film is that Myers hits the comedic nail on the head. It is funny in all the right places and doesn't over step the mark, which is an issue for the sequels. As I noted earlier though, you definitely need to be in a silly mood to truly appreciate this film, because of this I have struggled to give it more than...

★★★☆☆

Armageddon

Armageddon (1998) starring Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Michael Clarke Duncan and Steve Buscemi.

Before...it has been so long since I first saw this and I cannot remember what I was thinking before seeing it. Possibly I was excited at the prospect of a big action movie with explosions but honestly I can't remember. What I do know is that I saw it at the cinema and enjoyed it. Before seeing it this time, if I am honest I was not looking forward to it. I had remembered it for being a love story and forgotten all of the action surrounding it...

After New York City is damaged by hundreds of small meteorites, NASA and Dan Truman (Thornton) discovers an asteroid the size of Texas is on a collision course with Earth. They recruit the best deep core driller in the world, Harry Stamper (Willis), to train astronauts who will go to the asteroid, drill into the center and detonate a nuclear warhead. Harry says he can't train men how to drill in ten days, so he brings in his own team (Affleck, Buscemi to name but two) of roughnecks to learn to become astronauts and get the job done. Stamper must come to terms with risking losing everything, including his daughter (Tyler), in order to save the planet.

My wife's view..."I think it is probably one of my favourite disaster/end of the world films. Great fun, and easy viewing everytime. I hate Ben Affleck, but he is actually quite appealing in this. Very Hollywoodised, very smooth, very funny. Will make you cry...in a good way. I like it. ★★★★☆"

Where to start...well as I said I came into this film with trepidation and fear, and then it began. First scene a MASSIVE explosion as metorites showered down on the earth blowing things up. All fear flew away and I was excited about watching the film. Then the humour came, the film actually was very hilarious. There are quite a few laugh out loud moments, for instance where Bear (Clarke Duncan) and some other members of the drilling team join in with A.J. (Affleck) in singing "Leaving on a jet plane". CLASSIC!!

The key issue with this film is the fact that it decides to forgo the jeers and taunts about it being far too over the top in it's cheesiness. In fact, if it cut all of that out of the film then there wouldn't be much left to the film. However it is that mix of cheesiness and action that somehow makes Bay's films work absolutely.

The film has it's action, it has its hammy acting and it has it's humour. All of this put together create one of Michael Bay's best films. Stylish slick and brilliant, just a bit cheesy sometimes. This is why this film gets...

★★★★☆