5 stars

District 9

I couple of days ago I went to see “District 9“. I’ve been waiting for the movie and finally it hit the Cyprus cinemas. I’ve seen the trailer and heard a lot of people spreading good word of a mouth about the film, but wanted to see it for myself.

It turned out to be an excellent movie. First of all, it didn’t follow those typical Hollywood storylines. It actually had an orignal story, which it told in a rather original way of pseudo-documentary. Not that we didn’t have pseudo-documentaries in the movies before, but I don’t remember the genre used for an alien story.

Secondly, it was nice to see action taking place somewhere else. Not New York, not London, not Paris. Not even US or Europe. Not even Mexico. Africa. And not the bushmen Africa, but a rather large city of Johannesburg.

Thidly, there was plenty of good acting. Most of the actors are not the mainstream well-known faces. But the talent is there. Interesting, how unknown actors together with an original story make this film so much more realistic and believable.

Fourthly, there is a whole lot of special effects and CGI. With Peter Jackson being one of the producers, you wouldn’t expect anything else. But all those effects were integrated in the film in a very natural way. After all, the film was about people and aliens, and not about special effects.

Overall, I enjoyed the film quite a bit. It was engaging, original, entertaining, and gave me something to think about. And I don’t ask for anything else from a movie. 5 stars.

Sleepers

A few days ago I watched “Sleepers“. I guess the title of the movie makes it sound like a horror film and that’s why I missed it for all these years. Somehow this time I decided to check the cast and was very surprised to find so many celebrities in – Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt, Robert De Niro, Dustin Hoffman, and a few others.

The film turned out be excellent. First of all, the story, which is fascinating. It is said to be based on a true story, however there are only so many people who can back it up. But it’s not really important if it is true or not. It’s realistic enough and has enough unexpected twists and turns.

Secondly, plenty of good acting. There was enough freedom given to each of the actors, and there was enough to explore and enough screen time to show the results.

Thirdly, the technical part. While the film didn’t need as much of special effects as any modern action film (which it is not), there were quite a few challenges, which were solved nicely. The back in time feeling, boys’ memories, and the atmosphere for each scene, varying from childish fun to adult sadness – all were done excellent.

Overall, a highly recommended movie with 5 stars from me.

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Yesterday I went to see “The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3” in the cinema. I expected it to be good, having seen the trailer and knowing that it was directed by Tony Scott and featuring Denzel Washington and John Travolta. But it happened to be even better than I expected.

There is more to the story than shown in the trailer. There is more suspense, than can be guessed from the trailer. And there is some good acting to be seen, both by Washington and Travolta.

Sometimes the film reminds of another Tony Scott and Denzel Washington venture – “Man on Fire”, however not as a copy of a previous work but rather an expansion of it. This is especially so during the cuts of the New York City.

Overall, a good entertainment that will keep you on the edge of your seat for the whole during of the film. 5 stars.

Sharpe’s Rifles

I spent the weekend watching Sharpe’s movies. I’ve heard a lot of good words about them, but couldn’t get my hands on the copy. Finally, I managed to get 14 films. I’m missing the last two episodes which were done recently, but I’ll get them too eventually.

The series are a collection of full length films – 1 hour 40 minutes each. It’s a history action set back in 1810’s during the Napoleon invasion of the world. A soldier by the name of Richard Sharpe (played by Sean Bean) is making a military career, being raised from the ranks (as opposed to being born a gentlemen). Each episode has some sort of a mission, or a situation to deal with, some romance, and lots of fighting. The films are also full of moral values, setting good examples. Except that one situation involving a French woman, which is of course arguable.

Each film is on its own and the series can be watched in random order, but if you do it sequentially, there is a little bit more to enjoy of it. Also, one thing that I wanted to note is the quality of the films – all of them are done like they are a one really long movie. No episode is better or worse than any other episode.

Overall, really good stuff – 5 stars.

Taken

I just came back from the cinema, where I watched “Taken“. I’ve seen this film earlier on DVD, and it doesn’t have much to offer for the big screen versus the huge TV, but it’s a good enough movie to watch a few times. And I have to say that I enjoyed watching it again as much as I enjoyed watching it for the first time.

There is something about average looking special agents who can tare Europe apart if they need so. There is something about tough guys shooting, fighting, and driving in a very efficient way, without any show off what so ever. There is something about pissed off fathers coming to get their daughters. Well, except maybe the last one, this film is very similar to the Bourne films, so if you enjoyed those, you will enjoy this one too.

The film is a little bit slow to start and is a bit too verbose (to my taste) on the father’s love and protection of his daughter, but once it starts with the action stuff, it never stops until the very end. There is plenty to watch and follow, and there is enough suspense to keep you glued to the screen.

Overall, an excellent action movie – 5 stars.