Matt’s Review:

When the film you’re going to watch is the 4th in a Trilogy you know there’s a strong chance of there being disappointment involved…

and yet, I was pleasantly surprised with how little I was disappoited, if that makes sense…

I’ll admit there were bits where the movie kinda seemed to lose it’s way, and my attention in the process, but it never seems to take long for the humor, and Johnny Depp, to pull you back in. Although I didn’t laugh as long or as hard as in previous outings…

Ian McShane as Blackbeard was pretty cool, he really has come a long way since hie “Lovejoy” days! His face and voice make him perfect for an “mostly” evil pirate kinda role.

And having Keith Richards pop up as Sparrow’s dad got me some confused stares from the kids when I laughed and they had no idea why!

Obviously Kira Knightly was missed, but the interplay between Penelope Cruz and Jonny made up for it. Part of the fun of the film is the character interplay, it’s good to see a big budget movie, especially a “sequal”, that doesn’t need to rely totally on the special effects…

It’s not the best of the “Trilogy”, but it’s fun to watch and has that same odd quality of making you not really that bothered about where the story is going, you really do just enjoy being along for the ride!

Score – 7/10

Gemma’s Review:

I found Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was as good as the previous three, if not better. I feel that if Johnny Depp had gone, instead of Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom, it would not have worked anywhere near as well as it did. The film would have been boring.

But because Depp is still in it, the crowd of new characters doesn’t affect the success of the film. Depp has always been the reason many of us have watched the films, due to his humour, sarcasm and charm, as well as his genuinely brilliant acting ability.

Depp’s character (Jack Sparrow) embarks on a journey to find the Fountain of Youth, along with Barbossa; and Blackbeard, who wants to find the fountain because he only has two weeks until he is going to die, at Barbossa’s hand.

Blackbeard’s daughter is a woman called Angelica Malon, played by Penélope Cruz. Sparrow has a past with Angelica, which is a main part of the film, and in the end he saves her life, proving he still loves her.

Phillip, who’s played by actor Sam Claflin, and Syrena, who’s played by actress Astrid Berges-Frisbey, are the lovey-dovey couple who replace Bloom and Knightley, and I must say, they do quite a good job of it too.

So the film does have quite a lovey-dovey plot throughout, but as always, it doesn’t distract from the comic side of the film, or the base story line.

I rather enjoyed the film, but I won’t be buying it on DVD until I get the other four, and I’m in no rush.

Rating: 7/10.

Sam’s Review:

This was the fourth Pirates of the Carribean film and is certainly as good as all the others in my opinion. Although Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom aren’t in this one the other characters are arguably as good, and of couse the charming and witty Johnny Depp is back and funny as ever. Now though he’s accompanied by Penélope Cruz as Angelica, an old associate of Jack.

This time jack and the team are after the legendary and highly elusive ‘fountain of youth’, but soon it becomes a race as both the Spaniards and English are persuing the fountain too. As the story continues Jack and Angelica end up on the infamous Captain Blackbeard’s ship as they battle to procure priceless artifacts from perilous situations on their route to the mystical fountain.

I was certainly not expecting this fourth film as the third film was a very good end point I thought, but i’ve been proven wrong, this most recent installment was filled with even more cannon fire and cutlass slashing and although few in number the special effects were brilliant. Sadly I felt that although it was just as good quality humor, there seemed to be less of it than in previous movies, but overall it quite good

Rating: 7/10

Tags: Movies

Matt’s Review:

I’m been a fan of the X-Men since I discovered the comics 25+ years ago, so I’m always excited to watch a new X-Men movie, even after the somewhat crap ending to the last one, although the more Wolverine did kinda make up for that.

This latest outing may not be the best, but it was good and certainly better than X-Men 3 (I forget the title of that one off hand). In some ways it’s kinda weird going back to an earlier point in the storyline, but they’ve actaully managed to not only make it work, but keep it true to the original story, or at least close enough.

It’s also cool to see explanations of certain realtionships and other stuff that happens “in the future”, and it’s kinda fun to know that some of the “new” characters you’re introduced to have no way of making it to the end of the movie, kinda like giving them a red shirt to wear!

It does have more of the Hollywood “feel good” factor going on than I’d prefer, but to be fair the comics were a lot like that anyway, it’s usually easy to spot what’s coming, who’s going to live or die, and even who’s going to “swap sides”.

There’s a reasonable dash of humor, and the special effects are unsurprisingly good, without being OTT, considering the subject. And of course there is some fantastic “eye candy” for us lecherous old men, but then I always had a soft spot for Emma Frost in the comics too… lol!

I will add this one to my DVD collection, but I’m probably not going to be in a rush to watch it again, I’ll wait until I feel like doing an “X-men” movie marathon.

If you’re a fan of the X-Men movies I’m pretty sure you’ll enjoy it, if you’re new to the story line you may not, as it may not make as much sense, but I think it does still stand up on it’s own as a fun fantasy/action movie.

Score: 8/10

Gemma’s Review:

I loved X-Men: First Class. It explains how Xavier and Magneto meet, and how they become friends, before having a rather major disagreement about whether humans are good or dangerous.

Anyone who has watched the first X-Men film will know the basic plot line, as it explains how they reach the stage they’re at in the original X-Men. So the main plot for this film is kind of obvious, however there are a few twists and turns in the film which keep you hooked.

I think James McAvoy, who plays Xavier, and Michael Fassbender, who plays Erik (otherwise known as Magneto) are brilliant actors, and fit into their characters very well.

The special effects are brilliant, and look rather realistic; some of the best this year.

I would very happily go and watch it again; especially as I am a major X-Men fan.

I will definitely be buying this on DVD to go with the rest of my collection of the X-Men films, as I’d highly recommend seeing it.

And I will definitely, if they make another film, be going to see it.

Rating: ?/10

Sam’s Review:

This is the fifth and most recent of the X-Men movies and its definitely returned with a bang.

X-Men first class tells the story of how Charles Xavier (Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (Magneto) meet and their ensuing friendship. Sadly this friendship is torn apart by the fears of a rising war between mutants and humans, but before this special bond between Xavier and Erik turns sour they do manage to complete some incredible feats, like building a machine to find other mutants, stopping a very powerful mutant hell bent on destroying the world and, of course, stopping the humans starting a nuclear world war.

I enjoyed this film alot because im a bit of an X-Men fan and have seen the other four movies so I was certainly looking forward to this one. One of my favourite parts was when Erik and Xavier were looking for new mutants to help them fight and they found Wolverine and they went to speak to him, he basically told them to get stuffed.

Also the start of the film where it shows a background into Eriks childhood while he was in the concentration camps was very good, especially as it was a lead on from the scene of Erik At the start of the first X-Men film.

The only downside was because it’s a prequel there are certain things that had to happen in it so that took away some of the mystery but the story linking those inevitable events together was very good. The cast were all great, the story was brilliant even the special effects were ace, excellent all round. A must see for any X-Men fan!

Rating: 8/10

Tags: Movies

Review by Lewis McNeely

MPAA Rating: PG-13  for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and some drug use.

When 2 of the most bankable names in Hollywood, Stephen Spielberg and J. J. Abrams, collaborate to bring entertainment to the big screen, the odds are it’s going to be a huge blockbuster. “Super 8,” with its excellent storyline, great cinematography and acting, coupled with fast paced chills and thrills, does not disappoint. This film will certainly be the biggest hit of this summer.

“Super 8” centers around a group of teenagers in the fictional small town of Lillian, Ohio. The teens are shooting an amateur film on a Super 8mm camera for entry into a local contest. While filming at night on the platform of a local train station, a horrific train crash ensues. In the aftermath the teens regroup scratched and bruised but otherwise fully intact to discover the cause of the crash was intentional. Upon further investigation they learn by being eyewitnesses to this amazing scene of destruction, that their very lives are in danger.

From this point the film is an exciting ride of action and intrigue as we the viewers along with the teens, try to unravel exactly what happened and what the consequences will mean for the town of Lillian and its citizenry. Perhaps aided by its circa 1970’s backdrop, “Super 8” does an excellent job of capturing the magic and mystery of early Spielberg films like “E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial.” As such it is destined to be a classic film from the start. “Super 8” also contains elements of an M. Night Shyamalan kind of style and feel to the film very akin to “Signs” and “The Sixth Sense.”

Through the hit TV series “Lost”, we learned the writer and director of “Super 8”, J. J. Abrams, has a knack for grabbing viewers’ attention with paranormal or science-fiction mystery. His direction here utilizes his masterful technique to immediately connect the filmgoers to both the plot and the cast of characters. His storytelling style causes us to care for each character almost from the first moment he or she is introduced on-screen. The film uses quick glimpses and dark shadows of intrigue to move the film forward, skillfully melding these elements into a well-told story of pain and loss.

There’s also plenty of humor in the dialogue as as we watch these teens emotionally bloom from self-centered kids into young adults who begin to understand the world is a much bigger and unpredictable force to deal with.

In addition to trying to discover the mystery behind the train and its unknown contents, “Super 8” centers on the loss and heartache of one of the teens, Joe Lamb, played by newcomer Joel Courtney. We learn from the opening scenes he’s lost his mother through a tragic work accident. Throughout the film his young character navigates through a tumultuous relationship with his grieving father played by Kyle Chandler as well as developing a romantic interest in the only female in the young group, Alice, played by the wonderful Elle Fanning.

The negative aspect from this part of the story is Joe is never offered any remedy in the way of spiritual help.  Healing from the pain that life on Earth deals to us, is often found in something bigger than ourselves. There’s also the common negative theme underlying many films of the past 30 years that suggests our Government is not to be trusted, and it portrays the military as a force desiring to take away our basic freedoms as a society.

The content of “Super 8” is tame with the total absence of any sexual humor or suggestive dialogue. But like many of Speilberg’s works from the 70s and 80s, there is an abundance of scatological terms used by the young characters. The use of such dialogue is unnecessary and adds nothing to the film other than for those who find teenagers using such crude language humorous. There’s also one strong sexual profanity used by one of the older characters. As expected, there’s plenty of non-gratuitous violence here and there, but for the most part, those scenes are quick and bloodless.

As I shared, “Super 8” is a wonderful offering sure to become a classic like many Spielberg produced/directed films in the order of “E. T.…,” “Indiana Jones…,” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind.” It’s the best film I have seen in years. Other than the abundance of potty mouth, which is enough to make me wait to see it again with a DVD content filtering system at home, the film has much to offer in the way of entertainment.

My Ratings: Moral rating: Better than Average / Moviemaking quality: 5

Lewis McNeely

Tags: Movies

Sam:

Suckerpunch is a fantasy movie that follows the adventures of ‘Babydoll’, a young girl who is forced to enter an assylum that has a sinister secret.

When Babydoll meets four other girls that were forced to enter the assylum they begin an epic quest to escape their terrible nightmare before its too late.

Using their vivid imaginations to mask the horrific truth, they face many foes together, but in the end they must decide if they are willing to risk their lives for a chance at freedom.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie as its dark storyline completly surprised me and the special effects were stunning. I would reccomend this film to my friends

7/10

Gemma:

I wasn’t exactly thrilled when my dad said we were going to see Sucker Punch, as from what I’d seen of the trailers it looked very much like a film made for guys, which is filled with scantily dressed, pretty and skinny girls, who fight in a fantasy styled world, that seemed like a mix between Sailor moon and an Xbox game, such as Assassins Creed.

After watching the film however, my opinion has changed slightly. Yes the girls do wear very little clothing, but that is sort of built into the film through the twist.

The film seemed to have three different layers of the plot. The first was the real version of what was happening where the main character, played by Emily Browning, is institutionalized by her step father, Gerard Plunkett, who abused her.

Browning’s character, Baby Doll, then creates a fantasy reality where she and the other girls from the asylum are forced to be dancers in a brothel. She then develops another fantasy reality within this one, where when music plays, and she dances, she transforms to a reality where her and the other girls fight battles against characters based on the characters from the other two realities.

Baby Doll comes up with a plan that in her fantasy reality means they can escape from the brothel, but in reality it is to escape the asylum. For the rest of the film, the girls all try to get the items Baby Doll needs for the plan to work, so that they can escape.

Jena Malone’s character, Rocket, is the first to die, as she is stabbed by the cook whilst they try and get a knife. She is closely followed by Vanessa Hudgens as Blondie, and Jamie Chung as Amber, who are killed by the main ‘bad guy’ Blue Jones, played by Oscar Isaac.

This leaves just Baby Doll, and Rocket’s sister – Sweet pea, who’s played by Abbie Cornish.

It turns out that in order for Sweet Pea to escape, to find her parents again, Baby Doll must sacrifice herself. With the decision made, the fantasy worlds die, leaving Baby Doll sat in a chair with the doctor, played by Jonn Hamm, performing a lobotomy on her.

The film has a sort of happy ending, as Sweet Pea escapes and gets onto a bus that will take her back to her parents; and Blue is arrested, thanks to Dr. Vera Gorski, who’s played by Carla Gugino, who stands up to him by reporting him.

So overall, due to these rather unexpected twists to the plot, I actually rather enjoyed the film. Proving it’s not just a film done for men to get their jollies over.

I’d quite happily give the film a rate of 7 / 10.

Matt:

Well, Sucker Punch was definitely not what I was expecting!

The trailer had caught my eye with the very stylized Anime meets Lord of the Rings angle in the action sequences, but the first part of the film puts it in a totally different, and unexpected, “frame”.

The main character, “Babydoll”, is sent to an asylum after accidentally killing her little sister whilst trying to save her from their abusive step father, which was a lot “darker” than the “light entertainment” fantasy/action movie I was expecting.

The action sequences and special effects are impressive and entertaining, but take on a different tone when you remember that they are simply a way of the girls dealing with what they are having to go through in “reality”.

There is kind of a happy ending, but again it’s not quiet what you would expect…

I noticed they’ve got the strap line “it’s kill bill meets inception” on some of the trailers, it’s not. But whilst it may not be a ground breaking movie, or even that “deep”, it did offer a lot more than I was expecting and certainly enjoyed it, and more than I had expected to! I suspect it’ll even end up in my collection…

7/10

Tags: Movies

The 1993 classic, What’s Love Got to Do with It, is about the rise to fame of Ike and Tina Turner and their abusive and drug induced downfall.

The movie stars Angela Bassett as Anna Mae Bullock, a young woman with a huge talent, who later goes on to become Tina Turner. Laurence Fishburne plays Ike Turner, a guitar playing musician who discovers Tina’s talents.

Tina and Ike Turner become an overnight sensation. They are opening venues all over the country and in the mist of it all; Tina and Ike have a baby and get married.

The constant traveling and stress overcomes Tina and she winds up becoming extremely unhealthy, but that does not worry Ike, because he is only concerned with getting her back on the road and recovered to keep them successful.

Tina does recover, and instantly jumps back on the road to tour. Ike, in the mean time, has picked up a new drug habit and takes out his frustration for the lack of stardom he is receiving on Tina.

There are a number of scenes throughout the movie, where the domestic violence between Ike and Tina is disturbing. There are also scenes where if he is not physically abusing her, he is emotionally abusing her.

Tina puts up with the emotional and physical strain for a number of years before she realizes that it is just not worth it anymore.

One defining moment in the movie is when Ike and Tina had just had a huge physical fight in a limo outside their hotel and Tina waits until Ike is sleeping and leaves the hotel. She flees to another hotel where she tells the manager who she is and about her situation and without hesitation he takes care of her. That becomes the deciding moment where Tina knows she is leaving Ike.

The following scene is in a court room, and a huge moment in the scene is when the judge asks Tina what she wants to keep from their marriage and she responds that she wants nothing…
“Except my name. I’ll give up all that other stuff, but only if I get to keep my name. I’ve worked too hard for it, your honor.”

The movie ends on a positive note by showing Tina doing her own shows and becoming a success all on her own, without the power and control of Ike. Overall, the movie was a good look at the real life story of Tina Turner.

I would rate this movie a 8.5 out of 10

Mollie Campbell
Communications Major/ Writing for Publication Minor at Colby-Sawyer College

Tags: Movies

Gemma’s “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1″ Review

I rather enjoyed Harry Potter, as it has been better than all of the others, however I don’t think it has been as good as some of the other films I have watched recently.

I didn’t enjoy it as much, because it was split into two halves, and a lot more of the book was missed out in the film, making it less enjoyable.

The effects were good, even though they were used quite a bit, as there was quite a lot going on.

The majority of the film was just story, leading up to fights, which I found quite boring.

I’m not sure I would want to go back and watch the film again in a rush, but I would love to see the second part as it should sum up this one, and will hopefully be better.

I give this film at 6/ 10.

Sam’s Review of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1″

The movie kept me entertained all the way through with its stunning animations and brilliant action scenes.

It had a much darker plot than earlier movies in the series but retained the same great standard of acting.

The ending really draws you in for the next movie, I’m definitely looking forward to part 2!

This Harry Potter movie had action scenes all the way through, including an amazing fight scene very near the beginning with several characters dieing and a very inventive ‘gun fight’ styled scene in a cafe.

There’s also a brilliant action scene at the end where it seems as if all is lost, but Harry’s short house elf shaped friend manages to save the day.

The final death at the end was very sad and brought a tear to many peoples eyes (although I found the scene to be quite humorous and I laughed)

Rating – 8/10

Matt’s review of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1″

it is getting strange with movies nowadays that you’re so used to the effects being good and looking realistic that you just expect it, but somehow this one still manages to look fresh and have great effects, the chase scene through the woods was very well done, and the brusining to Harry’s face seemed particularly well done!

There weren’t any real suprises or twists in the plotline (and no, I’d not read the book). Ron buggering off for a while wasn’t much of a twist as you knew it was just a matter of timing for him to pop back up, and obviously it was a very “useful” time when he did, perhaps a little too predictible, but still fairly well done.

There seemed to be more “ooh” and “ah”‘s from the audience from Harry going in to the icy cold water than the snake attack, lol!

Ron dissappearance did give the opportunity for an excellent comedy moment in Harry trying to dance, and then once he was back Hermiony torturing him for having left.

These actors are now very good at playing the roles, but then they have been doing the same roles so long they’re very comforatble with the characters and it probably doesn’t feel much like acting… and the dynamics between the characters does work!

There were also some great moments in their visit to the ministry of magic, both action and humor. All in all a thoroughly enjoyable movie, the 2 hours passed a lot quicker than I expected and I’m really looking forward to the last one…

Rating – 8/10

Tags: Movies

Gemma’s “I am Number Four” Review

I am Number Four is, in my opinion, a great film.

It is very much like Jumper in the way that it has been done, but it has more of superhero tint on the main characters, especially with the whole good versus evil plot.

The effects in it are brilliant, and a lot more believable than in many other recent films.

The main character in it is Alex Pettyfer, who has been in several teen films such as Wildchild, but he is not my favorite character.

I think Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron play their parts very well, and I was heartbroken when Henri (Timothy) died around the half way mark.

The film seemed to have most of the action at the end of the film, with the beginning just being a story and build-up to the fight.

Bits of romance were also intertwined to entertain a wider audience.

I will be thrilled to go and watch if a sequel is made, although I doubt it will be as good as this one is. I will definitely be buying this to add to my DVD collection when it comes out.

I would rate this at about 8/10.

Sam’s Review of “I am number Four”

The film is about nine young children who have fled their planet with their guardians to escape a race of bloodthirsty murderers who are attempting to exterminate all the planets inhabitants.

The nine children arrive on Earth and must go into hiding to avoid being butchered by vicious assassins from the race that destroyed their planet.

Years pass and three of the nine have been killed, the film’s main character John Smith, is targeted as the fourth.

He and his guardian Henri travel from town to town avoiding the assassins but its not long before they catch up.

In the current town called Paradise John falls in love and decides that he wont run any more, he will stand and fight.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film as it had fantastic animations, a good plot line and had just the right amount of action. I’d definitely recommend it and I hope there’s a sequel.

Rating – 8/10

Matt’s review of  “I Am Number Four”

If you enjoyed Jumper you’re going to love this, there’s a very similar feel to it.

John Smith, the main character, is an alien on the run and hiding from other aliens who destroyed his home world, now I know that sounds kind of a “cliche” crappy story line, but don’t worry, it doesn’t get in the way…

The movie does take a while to get going, as the relationship builds up between “John” and his love interest when he moves to another new school, and there’s some rather predictable school kid dynamics (the outcast geek being picked on by the jocks) to get through, not helped by the love interest coincidentally being the jock’s ex, so bringing obvious conflict to a head, giving John the ideal opportunity to try out his newly emerged powers…

So yeah, a bit predictable, but still great to watch and nicely done.

The lost dog turning out to be a guardian, again, really not a surprise, standard kinda formula.

but then we get to the final show down in the high school with the big bad aliens and it all comes together in some fun action scenes that are nicely put together.

The movie really isn’t groundbreaking, in any way, but I enjoyed it enough that I’d not only watch it again on DVD,

I’ll also go and watch the sequel, if they make one, and not just because I liked “number Six”…

Rating – 7/10

Tags: Movies

Gemma – Inception Movie Review

I think this is the best film I have seen this year, and Leonardo Dicaprio, who played Cobb, was great in it, as were Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Arthur) and Juno star Ellen Page (Ariadne).

Inception starts out a bit confusing, but once the film gets going things are explained and you easily begin to love this film, sitting on the edge of your seat eager to learn more about the weird dream worlds that Cobb and his team can induce.

They soon come up with a plan which proves to be a lot tougher to carry through than first thought. Cobb has to face up to his secrets and deal with his guilt, and Ariadne helps him to do this.

Cobb ends up in a sort of limbo with one member of his team and he has to find him and bring him back out of the dream, which is the scene the film starts with.

The film ends when Cobb see’s his kids again, but it ends on a cliff hanger and you have to decide whether you think it is the real world that he’s in, or if he is still in a dream.

That’s a great ending, leaving every viewer in suspense, bubbling with the emotion and thrill of the film.

I would recommend this film to anyone who loves good films, although it is more suitable for adults rather than children, because of the complexity.

I would easily rate this as a 9/ 10 for it’s originality.

Score: 9/10

Sam – Inception Movie Reviews

I thought Inception was amazing because the storyline was brilliant!

The movie is based around dreams and being able to steal information or plant an idea in someone’s subconscious, and to do so the person stealing things or the ‘extractor’ must get their target to sleep via special drugs.

They then enter the person’s subconscious, sometimes having to plunge into a dream within a dream and then steal the information before they are discovered by being killed by the targets subconscious which fights against them.

In the movie there is an ace team of extractors that are discovered while trying to steal information from someone who, once he is out of the dream, hires them to plant an idea in someones mind which is supposed to be impossible…

They plunge the target into a quadruple layered dream which is extremely risky because if they’re killed by the targets subconscious their mind gets stuck in limbo, leaving them mindless and mad back in the real world.

One of my favorite parts is when they’re in the 2nd dream in a hotel and the gravity changes and they all begin to float because the van that they’re in in the previous dream drove off of a bridge and is spinning through the air falling towards the river below.

The ending is brilliant because there’s four different climactic endings, one in each dream, which has an amazing effect.

At the very end, once they escape the dreams you’re left wondering if they escape into reality or yet another dream…

Score: 10/10

Matt – Inception Movie Reviewed

For once, this is one of those films where trailer not only doesn’t give you all the best bits from the movie, but in fact doesn’t even do it justice!

This is actually a lot more than a movie with excellent special effects (and they are particularly good), it’s actually a clever movie that makes you think, and yet at the same time isn’t too “deep” that it’s out of grasp.

The ideas presented are deep and complex, as opposed to just complicated and confusing, to the extent that Gemz & Sam both “got it” and enjoyed the movie far more than I was expecting them too because of that.

DiCaprio’s portrayal of Cobb’s self torture and simple “messed up-ness” is really well done, and the other main actors don’t drop the ball, with quite a mix of characters and roles, which change across the different levels of “reality” they experience.

It can get a bit tricky to keep up with the multiple “levels” of reality as the characters and the movie goes deeper, but then it all starts pulling together in a truly unusual way, effectively giving you numerous different climactic endings all converging at once!

I was expecting to enjoy this movie, but came away having enjoyed it far more than I expected, so a real hit for me!

Score: 9/10

Tags: Movies

Gemma – Toy story 3 Movie Review

I was thrilled to hear that Pixar were doing another Toy Story, so of course I just had to see it, and it took a bit of convincing to get my dad to take my brother and I to see it.

I had heard great comments from friends about it and told dad, he checked out the film online and agreed to take us.

I found that the film had a more modern animation of the cartoon than that of the original, so improved the quality of viewing.

I was a bit upset to find that a few of the characters were not in this one, like Woody’s ‘girlfriend’ Bow Peep, but there were some great new characters in the film which soon made up for it.

The film had that same action theme as the first two, but like the second had a sad undertone, because Andy is leaving for college which causes a spiral of events where the toys end up imprisoned at a day care centre.

Near the end of the film, the toys end up on their way into an incinerator and think it’s the end for them, they all join hands in a pledge to go together, and it’s a very emotional moment in which I think nearly everyone in the cinema was close to tears.

That’s not it, either, the toys manage to get back to Andy who bids a final farewell to them as he passes them on to a young girl, who is a lot like he was when he was younger.

The scene is once again very emotional as he says goodbye to Woody and the gang and leaves for college. I would give this film an 8/ 10 because of the emotion in it.

Score: 8/10

Sam – Toy Story 3 Review

I enjoyed toy story because it was an action packed and heart warming ending to the trilogy where Andy has grown up and is off to college and the toys are either into the rubbish or into the attic.

A terrible mix-up occurs while the toys are being moved to the attic and Andy’s mum mistakes them for rubbish, so they end up getting put outside in a binbag.

Luckily they escape and end up getting taken to a daycare center which is ruled by a seemingly nice teddy bear.

Woody decides to return to Andy and escapes, little does he know that his friends left in the daycare center would soon discover that the teddy bear in charge, Lotso, had a darker, more evil side.

Meanwhile woody manages to find out that the daycare center isn’t a nice place for toys and he heads back to try and save his friends.

Woody succeeds in freeing them from Lotso’s grasp, or so he thinks…

the toys then have to battle their way out of many horrific ‘situations’ (including an incinerator) before eventually getting home to Andy.

Every thing ends well as the daycare center is turned into a nice place for toys and Andy gives his childhood companions to a delighted new owner.

To be honest I think it would have been a more interesting ending if they’d been killed in the incinerator! lol!
score: 9/10

Matt – Toy Story 3 Reviewed

Another movie that I hadn’t really been planning on seeing, I was looking forward to watching the A-Team, but “democracy” had it’s way and I got outvoted again…

To be fair, I checked out the reviews for the movie and it sounded like it was probably going to be a better movie to watch than the A-Team, with some pretty impressive reviews.

Some of the reviews would have us believe it’s the best Toy Story yet, but I disagree, it is very good, as all of them are, but I wouldn’t put it above the previous ones.

The important thing is that it still has all that clever ‘for the adults’ humor mixed in, cunningly disguised from the kids, although mine are now getting old enough to spot most of it and laugh at the same places I did…

The theme of the movie is very much in the style of a World War 2 Prison Escape movie, which did make for some great “action” funny moments, although I think I laughed most at some of the Barbie & Ken moments and the mad Monkey.

The toys all finding a new home at the end was a nice touch too, although I’m kinda with Sam on the idea that they could have just ended it in the incinerator!

score:8/10

Tags: Movies

I found that the beginning of The Last Airbender wasn’t great, as the film is based on the animated DVD series called the Avatar which is in three books, each book having about 20 episodes.

At the beginning of the film it misses out a lot of information which is shown in the animated series, of course anyone who hasn’t watched the animated version wouldn’t notice, but it does make the film is slightly ‘jumpy’, so doesn’t make total sense, which just looks like a bad film.

The actors also don’t seem very good at acting when the film first starts. However, as the film goes on it improves in both areas greatly.

The main character is named Aang, and it is up to Aang, with the help of his two friends, Katara and Sokka, to save the world. Of course he has a lot of work to do in order to be able to save the world.

The special effects throughout the film are brilliant, and are some of the best I’ve seen, making it one of the best 3D films this year.

This was only the first book, and I can’t wait to see the second and third when they come out if they are as good as this one.

I would give this film a 7/ 10 mainly because of the graphics.

Score: 7/10

Sam – The last air bender review

I really enjoyed avatar because the special effects were amazing!

The movie is based around the cartoon series which i’ve watched, so i understood what was going on in it a lot better, but you can easily watch it without even knowing about the series and still understand the storyline well.

The movie covers the first of three series from the cartoon and if they create movies for the other two that are even half as good I’ll be very keen to see them.

In the movie there are four nations: earth, fire, air and water, who each have special people among them who can bend their nations element to their will, but there is one person who can control all of the elements, the avatar.

In the time the movie is set in  the fire nation is at war with the other nations and has already wiped out the air nomads.

Aang, the hero of the movie, is the current avatar and the last air bender left. He has been missing for nearly 100 years, until Katara and her brother Sokka, members of the southern water tribe, find Aang and together they begin a revolution to stop the fire nation from defeating the remaining two nations.

There is a climactic and epic ending at the northern water tribe’s fortress, where they manage to defeat the fire nation against overwhelming odds, which has some wicked special effects!

Score:  8/10

Matt – The Last Airbender

I’m not a huge fan of M Night Shyamalan (see my previous review of http://cinem.com/m-night-shyalamans-the-happening-on-dvd/) and I had caught a few minutes of the cartoon version of this at some point when Gemma & Sam were watching it on TV a while back, so I wasn’t really expecting much. In fact I wasn’t even planning on watching it, but got out voted…

The first, and surprisingly only major, problem I had with the movie was the somewhat out of place casting of the three main characters as caucasians rather than asians as pretty much the rest of the cast, it appears to be a classic “hollywoodization” of the film, most likely in an attempt to appeal specifically to the western/US market.

Once past that the movie itself was pleasantly enjoyable, although that was possibly because I went in with such low expectations it was difficult for it to disappoint.

The plot is fairly simple, but then it is based on a kids cartoon, and the dialogue likewise lacks any real sparkle or bit, for probably the same reason.

The acting wasn’t exactly award winning, but I’ve seen worse from supposedly better actors, rather than kids… Dev from Slumdog Millionaire did a failry good turn as a “baddy”.

The saving grace of the film was simply the effects, which made the whole thing good enough that I would actually consider seeing any follow up movies, although I’d probably only go to watch them if Gemma & Sam want to, there’s pretty much always going to be something else on that I would rather watch…

Score: 4/10

Tags: Movies