Film 85/365, Day 89/365 – Daredevil

I've never really liked the Daredevil character, his only special power is that he can see whilst being blind!  Yeah he’s a good gymnast but that’s not a special power.  Anyhow this film is a pretty average action film ruined by some pretty awful CGI.  Jennifer Garner is the only redeeming feature.

Synopsis: Matt Murdock is a solicitor by day and masked vigilante Daredevil by night.  Oh and he’s also blind.  He patrols the streets of his neighbourhood protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty.  But he’s sticking his nose where it’s not wanted and now the Kingpin is going to take care of him.

Film 84/365, Day 89/365 – Mr and Mrs Smith

It’s silly, absurd and very entertaining.  Forget your silly little arguments with the other half, this is how real couples fight… with guns, knives and bombs! OK, maybe not but it isn’t half fun.  The best thing is how tongue in cheek the whole thing is, if it had been deadly serious it wouldn’t have been half as good.

Synopsis: John and Jane Smith are like most married couples, everything looks fine on the surface but they both have a dirty little secret that they are keeping from one another, they are both professional assassins who work for rival firms and everyone knows except them.  So when there working lives finally clash you can expect fireworks!

Film 83/365, Day 88/365 – Juno

Juno has a fantastic script which is performed delightfully by Ellen Page as the wonderfully sarcastic Juno.  However expect to see Michael Cera, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner all playing the characters you would have expected.  This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, just don't expect any shocks or twists.  Not my usual choice of film but it was a nice change, although I may need to watch something suitably manic now in an attempt to raise my adrenaline levels.

Synopsis: Juno is a teenage girl who discovers that she is pregnant.  After plenty of debating and a failed trip to the abortion clinic Juno decides to have the baby and goes about looking for a couple who want to adopt it.  Having found a young couple who seem perfect everything looks set.  What could possibly go wrong?

Film 82/365, Day 87/365 – Dreamcatcher

Watching a film based on the novel by Stephen King can be very risky.  Sometimes they are exceptional, some times they are not.  This, sadly, falls into the second category.  The back story, which I assume is covered in more detail in the book, would have made a much better film.  Watch out for the ridiculous aliens!  Not really worth it!

Synopsis: Four school friends meet up every year at an isolated cabin to drink and catch up.  These four friends also have some very unusual powers gifted to them by an unusual boy called Duddits.  Whilst at the cabin they encounter a man that has been lost in the snow for a couple of days and he’s not doing so well.

Film 81/365, Day 85/365 – Hot Shots!

Very much in the same style as Airplane!, Hot Shots! does not disappoint.  It is packed full of excellent one liners and endless plays on words and whilst it isn’t anywhere near as good as Airplane! it is still a good way to waste some time.  Don’t forget to check out the credits for even more jokes.

Synopsis: Topper Harley, the son of a disgraced navy pilot, must conquer his issues to ensure that a mission to destroy a nuclear power station in Iraq goes without a hitch.  The problem is there are people already betting against and will make sure that the mission is unsuccessful.

Film 80/365, Day 83/365 – Pitch Black

Pitch Black gives rise to the greatest anti-hero of all time in the form of Riddick.  Like this film Vin Diesel kicks ass from start to finish.  It is packed full of non-stop action with probably the simplest of stories, a group of strangers are thrown into a dangerous scenario which gets more and more dangerous until their only hope is possibly the most dangerous of all!

Synopsis: Dangerous fugitive Riddick has been captured by a bounty hunter and is on being transported to a prison planet when the space ship is caught in the tail of a comet causing it to crash onto a lifeless desert planet.  When the three suns are eclipsed another danger comes out from beneath the sand.

Film 79/365, Day 82/365 – School of Rock

School of Rock is hilarious and a little bit cute, but mostly hilarious.  Jack Black is excellent as the loveable loser Dewey Finn.  You can’t help but want him to succeed.  Obviously it’s not the most taxing of stories but it should keep you entertained all the way through, not to mention the rocking soundtrack.  It rock’s!

Synopsis: Wannabe rock star Dewey Finn is desperate for some cash, he’s just been kicked out of his band and now his room-mate is threatening to throw him out if he can’t pay his rent.  So when he answers the phone he pretends to be his room-mate so that he can accept a substitute teacher’s role at a private school.  Soon he is teaching the kids all about rock and roll…

Film 78/365, Day 81/365 – Predator

Complete and utter mindless fun, a bunch of beefed up guys running around the jungle with huge guns being hunted by an invisible alien with bigger guns.  Surely the only way they could have made this any better would have been to have a bunch of oiled up beauties with big guns running around the jungle being hunted by an invisible alien with bigger guns… I am so going to write that script!!!  Watch it, it is excellent.

Synopsis: Dutch and his team of commandos are the best of the best and consequently are hired by the CIA to go deep into the Central American jungle to rescue some of their men.  The mission is a walk in the park for these guys however it soon becomes apparent that something is tracking them and one by one killing them.  Will anyone make it out alive?

Film 77/365, Day 80/365 – The Mist

The Mist was stunning and absolutely haunting.  I was mesmerized from the beginning right up to the ending, which is the best ending I’ve ever seen from a film that has been adapted from a Stephen King story.  Witness the best and the worst of humanity.  This is an absolute must see film.

Synopsis: The morning after a strange electrical storm David Drayton heads to the local store with his son to pick supplies so that they can survive until the power lines are restored.  A strange mist soon descends on the town trapping the town’s people inside the store.  On top of that there is something in the fog, something unworldly, but then there could be even more danger from the people within!

Film 76/365, Day 79/365 – Evolution

Directed by Ivan Reitman, the man behind Ghostbusters, Evolution is a hilarious ride, packed with non-stop nonsense thanks to a good story and an excellent cast.  The real highlight of the films is the aliens, which are both brilliant and extremely weird.  A thoroughly enjoyable, fun film with plenty to keep you entertained throughout.

Synopsis: When a meteorite falls to Earth two professors from the local college go to investigate, and what they find could very well change their lives for ever.  The meteorite housed a simple organism that is now evolving to Earth’s atmosphere.  At the rate that the organisms are evolving it won’t be long before they pass us as the dominant species!

Film 75/365, Day 79/365 – The Invasion

The Invasion was a high intensity version of Invasion of the Body Snatchers complete with eerie emotionless humans wondering around looking for any uninfected.  The action was very good throughout and told at quite a high tempo and the infected were very spooky.  It’s only flaw was that once again it was all too easy for the heroes to find out what was happening and to find a solution it.

Synopsis: A space shuttle explodes on entry to Earth’s atmosphere scattering debris from Washington DC to Dallas and anyone that comes into contact with it is changing.  Psychiatrist Carol Bennell has begun to notice the changes and realises that an alien virus is sweeping across the nation.  Can she find a way to stop the spread or is humanity doomed?

Film 74/365, Day 75/365 – Ghostbusters

They just don’t make them like this any more!  This is Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray at their absolute best.  The laughs are excellent, however I do remember the ghosts being a little scarier when I was younger, especially in the library!  This is still an excellent film and one that everyone should watch.

Synopsis: Three scientists obsessed with the occult get their funding cut just as they are beginning to make a break through.  Now they are going private and their not just going to find ghosts but they are going to catch them, for a price of course.  But the ghosts are just the beginning, something big is coming… so who ya gonna call?

Film 73/365, Day 74/365 – Ninja Assassin

Without a doubt the best ninja film I’ve ever seen.  The action is exceptional all the way through.  The ninjas use stealth like nothing I’ve ever seen before slipping in and out of shadows, brilliant.  Also following on from seeing Jeff from Coupling in Prince of Persia, Patrick is in this film… bizarre!  Well worth watching if you like actions films or martial arts films.

Synopsis: When a Europol agent, Mika, finds credible evidence that ninjas are being used as by a number of organisations as assassins she herself becomes a target.  Mika’s only hope now lies with Raizo, a former member of the Ozunu clan where he was adopted and trained as a ninja.  After his first kill he turns against his master and only just survives, now if he is ever to have any peace he is going to have take care of things once and for all.

Film 72/365, Day 73/365 – Appleseed

Appleseed is visually stunning and the soundtrack is superb, perfectly complimenting the action.  The story is very interesting and whilst it may take a little long getting to the point it is still a very enjoyable film.  The animation is a mix of computer generated animation and traditional anime.  Hot chicks, big robots, big guns… boom, love it!

Synopsis: After the earth was decimated by a third world war Olympus, a Utopian society, was created to house what is left of humanity.  Outside of the city the war rages on.  Deunan, a commander in the war, is rescued and brought back to Olympus.  There she discovers that Olympus is not quite the perfect society and elements from her past will return, some she didn’t even know about.

Film 71/365, Day 72/365 – Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

I love a good epic so had high hopes for Prince of Persia, and whilst some of the action is very entertaining and the vistas are stunning it felt like the story had been a little too Disney-fied.  On the plus side Gemma Arterton gets a lot of screen time, and that is no bad thing.  Also try and spot Jeff from Coupling!  Good fun but too simple!

Synopsis: The adopted son of the Persian king is framed and accused of killing his father and is ruthlessly hunted across the lands.  He finds a number of unlikely allies including the Princess of the city he just helped invade.  A mystical secret is buried at the heart of the betrayal that could lead to untold power or the destruction of mankind.

Film 70/365, Day 71/365 – The Last Samurai

The Last Samurai is a fantastic story which is beautifully filmed.  I am fascinated by Japanese culture and the samurai in particular and this is a wonderful insight into their world.  Tom Cruise is actually pretty good in this although for me it is the story that is the real star especially as some elements are based on actual events.

Synopsis: American military captain, Nathan Algren, is hired by an American arms dealer to demonstrate the might of their weapons by defeating the samurai warriors.  Forced into battle before his army are prepared they are easily defeated by the organised might of the samurai.  Algren is captured and begins to see the samurai in a very different light.

Film 69/365, Day 70/365 – South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

This film is excellent on so many levels; the main story is a self-parodying non stop celeb bashing delight where no one is safe from ridicule.  I have never once disagreed with the humour of Parker and Stone and this is just one of the funniest films ever made.  It is also a musical with one of the best collections of songs that are guaranteed to stick in you head long after you’ve seen it.  Simply brilliant!

Synopsis: Four young boys from South Park, Colorado, go to the cinema to watch the film adaptation of their favourite TV show, Terence and Philip in Asses of Fire!  When the boys pick up some fairly colourful language their parents look for someone to blame and as Terence and Philip are Canadian, well, they blame Canada and manage to gain support to begin a full scale war.

Film 68/365, Day 69/365 – Up in Smoke

Hey… man!  Like… did you see this film… man!  It's like the first Cheech and Chong film... man! There are some genuinely funny moments in Up in Smoke as it set the bar for stoner films everywhere.  It’s not the best movie in the world but then it was probably never meant to be.  Basically it’s just a load of stupid fun, although ironically, or not, this film is probably much funnier if you are stoned!

Synopsis: Two stoners meet in a chance encounter which takes them all the way to Tijuana, Mexico where they accidentally pick up a van made entirely out of weed and drive back to California unaware that they are being followed all the way by the police.



Film 67/365, Day 68/365 – Kick Ass

Kick Ass has everything you’d want from an action movie, lots of action, a frequent splattering of comedy, brilliant stunts and a host of characters that you can really believe in.  It is excellent, I cannot recommend it highly enough, basically there is only really one thing to say (and I promised myself I wouldn’t… but here goes anyway), it KICK’S ASS!

Synopsis: Average high school student Dave, who spends most of his time reading comics or discussing them with his friends, one day raises a question.  “Why has no-one become a super hero?”  With that idea fresh in his head Dave orders a wet suit online and sets about becoming a super hero.  It doesn’t go so well from the start but things soon begin to pick up until the local Mob boss doesn’t take too kindly to super heroes messing in his business and sets about destroying them.

Film 66/365, Day 67/365 – Planet Terror

The Second half of Grindhouse, Robert Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is a slicker and more entertaining film than Death Proof.  Admittedly I like zombie films so this should be right up my street, and it is!  The characters have more depth than in Death Proof and the relationships and struggles between them are all very good.  Oh and there are lots of crazy zombies, military zombies and a chick with an assault rifle as a leg (complete with rocket launcher)!

Synopsis: A secret government weapon is released into the atmosphere which causes the locals to turn into flesh hungry zombies.  The few surviving folk have to band together in order to survive.  But where does the infection end and is there a cure or will the zombies just about eat everyone?

Film 65/365, Day 66/365 – Death Proof

Tarantino’s half of Grindhouse, Death Proof felt a little disjointed almost like two episodes rather than a single film.  And yes, I understand it is a homage to the old B movies but the story really is a little too simple and the dialogue alone sadly is not enough to make this anywhere near as good as Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs.  Kurt Russel however is excellent as the unhinged Stuntman Mike.  OK, but could have been better!

Synopsis: Stuntman Mike has been in the business for a little too long, all those bumps and knocks can’t be good for the head.  Now armed with his trusty death-proof car he singles out groups of girls and uses his car as a weapon and kills them.  But then he might have just picked on the wrong group of girls this time!

Film 64/365, Day 66/365 – The Great Outdoors

This was one of my favourite films as a child and whilst it is still a good family film it sadly isn’t quite as good as I remember it.  It is still worth watching as John Candy and Dan Aykroyd are still two of the great comedic actors and this is a real situation comedy and the situations are all very good, however the raccoons are my personal highlights.

Synopsis: Chet Ripley has taken his family to the family cabin by the lake for a bit of bonding and outdoors fun.  He didn’t count on his obnoxious brother-in-law Roman Craig to show up uninvited with his family.  Reluctantly Chet allows his Roman and his family to stay.  If Chet and his family can put up with their guests they may struggle with the raccoons and the balded bear!

Film 63/365, Day 65/365 – The Lost Boys

The Lost Boys is still one of the best vampire films ever made.  It is what you would and should expect from a vampire film, evil blood thirsty creatures of the night that don’t just fall in love with everybody and everything.  The haunting soundtrack is absolutely fantastic and the cinematography is exquisite.  An absolute gem of a film and that’s without even mentioning the Frog brothers!

Synopsis: Michael and Sam are forced to move with their mother to a small town in California.  Everything seems as you would expect except for the alarmingly large number of missing people.  Michael falls for a local girl who hangs out with a group of teenage bikers who seem to be causing all sorts of mischief.  Desperate to get the girl Michael will do anything the gang says to fit in… almost anything!

Film 62/365, Day 65/365 – Clash of the Titans

It all seemed too easy.  Admittedly Perseus’ father is Zeus but solutions just seem to drop out of the sky to help him.  It is supposed to be a quest but Perseus doesn’t appear to have anything that he needs to overcome in order to complete his quest.  There was some good action scenes and some excellent panoramics.  The acting was acceptable for an action film, for me it was just the execution of the story that let it down, especially as the original was one of the first films I remember watching.

Synopsis: Perseus’ family have just died at the hands of Hades, who has also declared to the city of Argos that he will release the Kraken unless the Princess of Argos is sacrificed.  In order to stop the Kraken, save the people of Argos and make Hades pay Perseus must go on a quest where he will discover that he is the son of Zeus, battle giant scorpions and come face to face with Medusa!

Film 61/365, Day 64/365 – A Perfect Getaway

More like a perfect waste of time!  The film wasn’t a complete waste though as it could serve as an example of how not to lay a film out.  Don’t have the characters start talking about the concept of a ‘Red Herring’ just so you can try and throw one at us.  Spoiler warning – if they are the killers don’t have them having little private conversations about whether or not they think the other couple are the killers, that is just ridiculous.

Synopsis: Newly weds Cliff and Cydney are in Hawaii for their honeymoon.  They decide to go hiking to a beach that is only accessible by foot or kayak.  Whilst on their way there they hear of a murder on one of the islands.  Rather than turn back they join up with another couple, Nick and Gina, and continue towards the beach.  Then when they discover that the killers may have gone to their island they begin to suspect each other of being the killers.

Film 60/365, Day 63/365 – RED

RED, Retired and Extremely Dangerous, follows recently retired CIA operative Frank Roses who is struggling to adjust to normal life. Then one night, out of the blue Frank is ambushed at home, and when he neutralizes the team he goes on the run with his pension handler Sarah and soon reunites with a number of his ‘old’ colleagues. Chased across the country they must find out why they have become a target and who is responsible.

With plenty of action and lots of laughs RED is an enjoyable film. Although once you get over the idea of these pensioners running around and kicking arse it could just be another non-specific action film. The story is OK, although the postcard cut scene thing gets a little annoying. John Malkovich was a particular highlight for me. It’s good but not great.

Film 59/365, Day 63/365 – Fletch

Fletch is an investigatory journalist working on a story about drug pushing on a Los Angeles beach. One day whilst pretending to be a down and out looking for his next hit he is approached by a man who makes him an interesting proposition. He claims to have a nasty form of cancer and needs Fletch to murder him so that his insurance will pay out to his family. Curious Fletch begins to research the man, which leads him back to the drugs. Will Fletch work it all out before it’s too late? 

Fletch, played by Chevy Chase, is a bizarre yet brilliant character. Chevy Chase oozes charisma and ever line is excellently delivered and whilst the story is fairly intriguing it sadly doesn’t quite hold up to more modern films. It is some fairly light entertainment with one of the all time great comedic actors. If you’ve got some time and it’s on, why not give it a go?

Film 58/365, Day 62/365 – Despicable Me

Gru is an evil genius, he was possibly the best evil genius... that is until someone stole one of the pyramids. Now in an attempt to put himself back to the top of the rankings he is planning to steal the moon! But first he needs to steal a shrink ray from the new top evil genius, Vector. To complete the first part of the plan he adopts three girls from an orphanage...

Despicable Me was a very entertaining film with plenty for the adults as well as the kids. The constant high-jinks from Gru’s minions were excellent and Gru himself was fantastically despicable. It’s no Toy Story but for anyone that enjoys those sort of films you should definitely check this out.

Film 57/365, Day 61/365 – Hot Fuzz

Police Officer Nicholas Angel is the best officer in the whole of the London Metropolitan Police Service. The only problem is that he’s too good and to stop him from showing up the rest of the service he is relocated to Sandford, Gloustershire. Sandford is a sleeper rural village with almost zero crime... or is that what they want you to think? 

Hot Fuzz is another fantastic film from Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg and has all you would expect from them. Visually Hot Fuzz is exceptional, the editing alone would be an example for any would be film makers out there. The story is excellent, packed full of dry comedy that made Sean of the Dead such a success. Hot Fuzz should not be missed.

Film 56/365, Day 60/365 – Die Hard 2: Die Harder

John McClane, now with the L.A. police department, finds himself in Washington DC for Christmas. Waiting for his wife to arrive from a flight from L.A. John uncovers a plot to take over the airport. Before it’s too late, and anyone will listen to him, the terrorists take complete control of the airport and shut down the runways leaving a number of planes circling in the skies above slowly running out of fuel.

Whilst not quite as good as the original Die Hard 2 is still a great follow up. All of the characters from the first film make an appearance throughout the film except of of course for poor old Hans Gruber. Which I think is why I don’t give it as good a rating, Alan Rickman is practically irreplaceable. What you do get from Die Hard 2 is great action and all the fun and excitement.

Film 55/365, Day 60/365 – Die Hard

New York cop John McClane is going to Los Angeles for Christmas to see his wife and kids. From the airport he drops in to his wife’s office for their Christmas party. Unfortunately he isn’t the only one dropping in, international terrorist Hans Gruber is also about to crash the party. Now John is the only hope the party goers have of getting home alive.

Die Hard is still one of the best action films ever made, of that there can be no question. The action is exceptional; the characters are incredible right from John McClane to Hans Gruber and the relationship John develops with L.A. Cop Al Powell over the radio is fantastic. In short everyone should watch Die Hard at least once a year. How on Earth did this not make it into the top twenty films from the '80s?

Review of February 2011

Well we are now two months into Film Year and here is the review of how it's going.

Overall I am now 5 films behind but I am still plodding along and currently have just started a week off work so should make up some ground pretty quickly.

Here is how I am doing with watching new to old films.

I have seen now seen more old films than new films but only just.  If I can keep it to this sort of ratio I will easily complete my target of a third of the films to be new films.

This is how the rating of the films has been going, there have been some really good ones and some really really bad ones, but they all count.

And finally here is the percentage of my time that I have spent watching films so far this year.

So no change there then!  I have now seen a few more actors in main roles more than once although yet to see anymore in three films.  Here are the names of the lucky few.

• Arnold Schwarzenegger
• Gene Wilder
• Jason Bateman
• Jim Carrey
• Rachel McAdams
• Robert Downey Jr.
• Scarlett Johansson
• Tom Hanks

Well, it's been nice catching up, now I need to get back to it!

Film 54/365, Day 59/365 – Teeth

Dawn is an active member of the abstinence group and regularly gives talks about abstinence. When she meets new boy Tobey she starts to have feelings that she has not felt before. Growing up in a religious community Dawn’s exposure to sex is very limited, not too mention the female body. So why would she think it’s weird if she has some extra teeth where she’s not supposed to.

This film was complete and utter crap. That's it, I feel like I should say more, but that just about sums it up.

Film 53/365, Day 59/365 – Tokyo Gore Police

The Japanese police force has been privatised in an attempt to rid Japan of its ever increasing crime rates. The source of the crime wave is the mysterious Engineers, who once injured magically grow a deadly weapon. Enter Engineer hunter Ruka the greatest Engineer hunter ever. Things however are about to take a dramatic twist!

First off let me point out that about 99% of people will not like this movie, myself included, the other 1% of you out there, and you know who you are, should keep it to yourself. I love Japanese films and animation, but this was just so weak and over the top that the entire premise of the film is revealed in the title. Only watch if you have seen absolutely everything else!