Review: The Mist

The Mist (2008)

Director: Frank Darabont

Starring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden

UK Release Date: 4th July 2008

WARNING you must know before watching this film that it is, well, rather grim. The best way to really describe how grim the film is by pointing out that the TV show Darabont was responsible for creating and was briefly producer of, The Walking Dead looks like a happy walk in the park compared to The Mist. OK warning over, it must be stated that just because it's a little bit grim it doesn't mean that it's a bad film, in fact like the aforementioned TV show is a gripping look at a world ending event that instead of looking into the nature of the world ending event instead uses it as a way of being a study of human nature. This is anchored in an incredibly creepy performance by Marcia Gay Harden who is completely terrifying and utterly despicable. Darabont manages to balance the human drama with some jumpy action scenes that manages to keep you from getting bored. And that brings us to the end, an ending that will manage to drain all happiness from the world for at least a few hours but thankfully the film is of enough quality that it's almost worth it.

  

Review: Skyfall

Skyfall (2012)

Director: Sam Mendes

Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench

UK Release Date: 26 October 2012

Happy 50th Birthday Mr Bond!! We all knew we needed something very special for his birthday and thankfully Sam Mendes has managed to deliver with Skyfall. It's been a long wait for Craig's third film as Bond and thankfully Skyfall is closer to Casino Royale then Quantum of Solace. Not only does the film have excellent additions to the cast with Ralph Fiennes a particular highlight but it also uses the established pair of Craig and Dench, the latter finally getting her chance to shine after 17 years playing M, with Skyfall her M's seventh outing. But what really makes Skyfall a success is the way that Mendes and his crew have treated the film as a real love letter to the Bond films of the past, with the return of Q and a old classic beauty (and i ain't talking about a woman ;P) and even a love story to Britain itself with London and Scotland fantastically slotted into a story that is possibly the most British Bond film of them all. The Bond franchise has always being a franchise that is more about fun then any particular substance but thanks to the talents of Mr Sam Mendes, behind the fantastic American Beauty, Skyfall combines both fun and substance and is defiantly the most enjoyable of the Craig era and maybe of the whole series. Happy Birthday Mr Bond!!

Review: House At The End Of The Street

House At The End Of The Street (2012)

Director: Mark Tonderai

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue, Max Thieriot

UK Release Date: 21st September 2012

It was going to happen eventually but finally a Jennifer Lawrence film has let me down. OK so i know i shouldn't really be surprised that a B-movie horror film is a disappointment but the trailer for this one looked like it could actually be a little bit different from the trend. In fact the film is actually let down most by it's attempts to be ascetically different from the rest of the stuff out there. Another fatal lack is the fact that is meant to be a mix of horror, but surely you need to be at least jumpy to be a horror film, and thriller, again kinda needs to be at least a little bit thrilling. The mystery that runs through the film is just uninteresting and too ridiculous to make any lasting impact so defiantly don't believe the TV spot that claims 'you won't stop thinking about it for weeks' in fact i stopped thinking about it shortly after the 15 minute long conversation we had about the films flaws, well really more about how the film itself was a flaw. So my suggestion is stay well away from this film and if your a Jennifer Lawrence fan just think of it as the Attack of the Clones of her film career and just try to shove it too the back of your mind. 

Finally Some News

Now I know i've been a bit quiet recently but i've been very busy i swear, and i have been working on something for you although that is coming along quite slowly...

Anyway i actually do have some news i want to share with you. Ever since The Descendants was released at the start of the year i've known that Shailene Woodley has the potential to be the next big star, however there's been a bit of a problem; she hadn't even earned herself a major role. It must be said that she does have a TV program that will be taking up most of her time but finally there's news of a film role that has the potential to really kick start her career.

Well the news today has broken that she is apparently in talks to play MJ in the sequel to Mark Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man. Of course this could just be a rumor but i do trust Total Film's (http://www.totalfilm.com/news/shailene-woodley-to-play-mj-in-the-amazing-spider-man-2) judgement. Now to a certain generation of films fans, which includes myself, MJ will be known as the main love interest of Sam Remi's Spider-man trilogy were she was played by Kirsten Dunst. For me her exclusion from The Amazing Spider-Man was one of the few things that made the reboot different from the 2002 film, but her inclusion in the new film is an intriguing prospect with the almost inevitable creation of a Spidey love triangle. Hopefully without having a first half that we've pretty much all seen before will help the sequel to emerge from the shadow of Toby Maguire's bug man. There was already a great cast in place with Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone and the addition of Woodley is another step forward that could see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (working title) be the superhero film of 2014. Of course no Avengers Assemble or Dark Knight Rises will help that!

Best Birthday Ever!!

I'm going to point this out right at the start, this is just me showing off!! If you were a fan of my previous blog or actually know me you may of noticed that i'm a little bit of a massive Harry Potter fan and for my birthday this year my very lovely parents excelled themselves by letting me spent my 20th birthday here:

Yeah i was a little bit excited!! Well wouldn't you be? So as you might expect it was one of the best places i have ever been. Basically you get to go and have a looked around two studio lots filled with quite a few sets and props from the Harry Potter film series, you no the highest grossing British film series of all time!! You know sets like these:

So i'm not quite sure what else to say, as i mentioned earlier this is only for me to brag about having being to the Harry Potter Studios moohaha!! But if i'm being serious for a moment anyone who is either a film student or a Harry Potter fan (or both like me) this is a must see and i'm not going to give anything away in words but lets just say there's something rather special waiting for you at the end of the tour.