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I went to see this movie on it’s preview night last week, fairly sure it was the first night it was opening on and ever expecting it to be fairly packed we decided to book tickets online just to assure that we got a look in. My how wrong we could have been, I’ve been to many of the pre-launch previews and they are always packed but I would easily estimate there were 20 people in the #1 screen in omni. More spreadage space I says as I undid the belt a couple notches and started on nourishing popcorn feast for one!

I had seen the trailers for this film and had seen Will Smith being interviewed on the Johnathon Woss show and it had sealed the deal. I loved the twist they put on the super hero character by making him an alcoholic layabout. It starts with all the same style gags you see in the trailer and Will Smith plays the character brilliantly.

These gag moments won’t make the film on their own, the plot has to take a turn at some stage and when it does it shifts to an unexpected avenue. In my view this is where the film is a let down. It shifts too drastically form a hillarious goof plot to a romantic buzz theme that just doesn’t keep you interested. In my view there was a lot of scope to develop Will Smith’s character a lot more than was done.

In a year where there haven’t been a lot of decent mainstream films out it would be worth a trip to the cinema but don’t expect too much from the second half of the movie.

This weekend saw a bit of a Movie Marathon taking place. Not in the Bridget Jones, lock yourself away from all humanity and drink wine but just at the end of the weekend I just looked back and was like ’shit I’ve watched a lot of shit’. Speaking of shit, one of the bottom barrell one’s i managed to dig out was PS. I Love You. It had been a long time coming having dodged the bullet from Mrs Ben to watch it. Of course she had read the Cecilia Ahern book the film is based on, but alas according to a very annoyed Mrs Ben it doesn’t really follow the book enough and this takes away from the whole vibe, apparantly!

The film is about a young widower (Holly Kennedy played by Hillary Swank) who is trying to come to terms with her husbands (Gerry Kennedy played by Gerard Butler)  passing after suffering a brain tumor. Before passing on he wrote a series of letters that over the course of the year get delivered to Holly. These letters are to help her move on and get over his death.

I’m gonna put it out there and say that this wasn’t a bad film in theory, there are parts that are quite touching BUT what makes it completely and utterly unbelievable/stupid and what took the whole goodness of the film away was the complete paddy whackary going on throughout the 126 minutes (which doesn’t fly by as quick as one would hope!). It reeked of ‘top o the mornin’ to ya’ and wasn’t short of producing the wee leprachaun with hit ‘pot a gold’.

It features a part where Holly travels to Ireland (AAYERLAND) and the only genuinely believable bit is when you meet Gerry’s Parents and they are Irish people, Irish actors and their accents aren’t the dogs dinner.

An enjoyable flick of sorts, too many plot turns and twists and characters who aren’t needed to make this film what it is. Watch it and ask yourself ‘Why is Harry Connick Jnr. in this film AT ALL!?’. A DVD rental at a push becuase your other half wants it, no more, no less. Leave your brain at the door. . .

Went to see the movie Awake tonight, mostly because nothing looked overly impressive in the cinema and Mrs Ben was on my case about going the flicks, it’s a popcorn thing! I was pleasantly suprised by this movie, not only because i had no idea Jessican Alba was in it but it was quite a good thriller!

The story is about a man who undergoes a heart transplant operation and experiences anesthetic awareness, basically he’s paralysed but can feel and hear everything going on around him. What follows are a few decent storyline twists but a well scripted and put together story.

Anyone who is squeemish or has had any kind of operation and feels weird about anesthetic to maybe avoid this one, but if scenes of open chest operations are your thing, spend the few bucks and see this one!

7.5/10

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Knowing that it’s only March but this simply put is my film of the year (so far!). It’s one of those films you will go to the cinema to watch, buy the dvd and spend a lot of time annoying everyone quoting at any given opportunity. Not quite sure if it’s anchorman level but it’s up there.

Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell play two hitmen hiding out in Bruges awaiting further instructions from their employer (Ralph Fiennes). The storyline is simple but well put together with a lot of funny dialog happening on irrelevant tangent storylines.
Colin Farrell is brilliantly suited to these kind of films, he seems just to be playing a more natural character and doesn’t seem forced in a Hollywood kinda way. He suits this role very well and is more impressive than his role in Intermission.

Gleeson is equally a lovable rogue and his acting is top rate. You will laugh out loud at this one, sometimes at things deep down you wouldn’t find yourself laughing at all but it’s all brilliantly scripted and worked in cleverly.

A must see, a must buy and a must keeper.

“If i’d grown up on a farm and was retarded Bruges might impress me, but i didn’t, so i don’t…”

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A film like The Bucket List doesn’t come around very often. It’s a diamond amongst a lot of average coals. I only regret not seeing it in the cinema, if you consider how many truly brutal films i have seen lately.
The film see’s two of the greatest actors in my opinion play equally heart warming characters who escape a cancer ward in their last few months to complete a list of to-do’s. Two different men with two different lifestyles and the only thing in common is both of them are terminally ill. Jack Nicolson plays an eccentric millionaire who funds the couple trip around the world as they cross off the items on their bucket list (list of things they want to do before they kick the bucket eh)

It’s a beautifully made film and with flashes of humorous brilliance. Sean Hayes (Will & Grace) plays a great supporting role. I can’t stress enough how everyone should watch this film. A film that once you stop watching leaves you warm inside.

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Caught this film on Saturday night last in UCI Coolock. Had been looking forward to it since seeing the trailer before christmas. Anything to do with snipers has me quids in from the start, that and the fact that Mathew Fox has a lead role in it made so Mrs Ben is also looked after.

The film is about the events that lead up to the assasination of the US President while he is attending a summit on anti-terrorism. I say lead up due to the fact that it doesn’t really follow on from that point and finishes with a fizzle rather than a bang. It shows the run up to the assasination from diferent *ahem* Vantage Points, the TV crew, a bent cop, the Secret Service and the president himself.

The film gets annoying with the constant rewinds and double up on dialog. Then thrown in are completely pointless characters for no purpose and once the film tries to develop the characters it just seems to rewind and start from scratch again.

The ending is weak and just not believable. The best bit about this film is the trailer, but i can safely say once you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen the film. The film’s rewind and rewind approach will have you annoyed and it’s one of those films that the whole cinema will sigh out in annoyance!

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Recently released on DVD this film seemed to go under the radar when it was out in the cinemas. The trailer reminded me too much of Clooney’s film Syriana only less sand and turbans but equally paint-watchingly boring. However saying that I was surprised that I actually enjoyed Michael Clayton as much as I did.

The film is about a corporate lawyer who get’s embroiled in a huge legal case being brought against some sort of evil crop spraying \ cancer enducing corporation.
The quick capsule review would suggest that you go and watch Erin Brockovich and then come back and realise how close the two films actually are storyline and characterwise. In saying that, Michael Clayton appears to be more of a man’s type of film than Julia Roberts mid 90’s classic and this would be more due to the fact that is overly peppered with hooded men using all sorts of assasination techniques and there is a scene that involves a poker game.

For me the film could have explored a few of the storylines more than it actually did and you are left wondering why they would even introduce certain characters or plot turners.

A decent film to watch but don’t expect great things that you might come to expect from *stiffled laughter* Mr. Clooney.

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It’s never good when you are queing up for your popcorn and there are warning signs saying the film you just bought a ticket for might cause epilepsy and or motion sickness but there really was nothing else on in the cinema and my fingernails were sore from scraping the bottom of the barrell.

Cloverfield was hyped up late last year as one of the most jaw dropping trailers that was confused for real life footage. The viral and secrecy ended when the launch date was announced and it hit cinemas with a bang crash and wallop!

I didn’t get swept up with the media hype or the mixed reviews as I had just seen I Am Legend and although I very much had to have my arm twisted for that one Cloverfield looked like a bit of a copy cat!

The effects in this film are very good, the plot is wishy washy and it does have the ability to make you squirm and jump on a couple of occasions. It ends all too suddenly and leaves you in your seat going ‘is that all’ but contrary to me telling Ms Ben that there was something at the end of the credits love nor money could have kept me in the cinema.

Again the only thing that scores this film high is the effects. Personally the Blair-witch-esque shakey hand held camera work did nothing for me only give me pink eye.

My verdict, wait for it to come out on DVD, get it and convince yourself it would’ve been better on the big screen. But you’d be wrong.

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This will be easy enough to keep simple. There’ll be no ‘this film is loosely based on’ at all. It’s Rambo and to be honest the only reason you’d feel compelled to watch it is to retrace any last chance of feeling youthful at all. And believe me that’s snatched right away from you when you see that Sly should be using a zimmer frame. In my opinion it’s by far the goriest episode of the Rambo films. If you like films with lots of killing it’s for you. If the last film you saw had Hilary Swank in it, it’s not for you.

Don’t see it in the cinema, get it on DVD (IF you have to see it at all).

The End.

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When i saw this had been released to DVD i couldn’t understand how this had escaped the radar when it was in the cinemas. Samuel L, 50 cent (erm) and Jessica Biel are part of the line up and really without knowing much more then seeing the advert i rented it last night.

The film starts with how all of their paths have crossed whilst on a tour in Iraq. Some of the military background to the film should have been in my view made better. The start of the film tries too hard to be a Black Hawk Down and is a bit of a blunderfest. (No one fires an M16 assault rifle one handed sideways like a gangsta in the army)

The film itself is a follow on from their tour and seeing how they cope with everyday life when they come home. No heroes parade, burying their dead comrades, dealing with life long injuries and of course living with what they’ve had to do in Iraq.

It’s a funny kind of film and i’m really between two minds. It’s a good film when it’s believable and it’s borderline silly when it’s not. It reminds me a lot like the program called ‘Over There’ that ran for one season a couple years back.

The acting is good from, well the people who are actors. The only thing believable about 50 cent is that he’s muscle enough for the army, thats where it ends. I could see this film being more popular in America than anywhere in Europe.

Verdict? If you are into that post-war-sydrome kinda flick, it’s for you, otherwise i’d leave it on the shelf. Take a gander at the trailer…

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