THE LEGO MOVIE by Michael Johnston
well with jo out on a spa day I was left with my son for the day so that meant a trip to the cinema,and the lego movie was the one...admittedly after 2 tickets a drink and some nachos not much change from £30 left me in a bit of a grump, and it was a big let down really ,slightly funny in places but not a lot to get excited by ,the theme of lego is meant to be played with and don't just stick to the instructions was done so much better in toy story,if anyone bothers to go don't waste extra cash on the 3d its not needed and hardly noticeable.this film has made gazillions for some strange reason and isn't to be compared to the wonderful .turbo. which was almost "straight to dvd" proving brand naming and advertising works!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/?ref_=nv_sr_1
KUDOS FILM CLUB REVIEWS, want to have your review published just email the text I will do the rest, no signing up, no fuss kudosfilmclub@gmail.com don't put KFC into the search, unless you want to talk chicken
Sunday 23 February 2014
THE LAVENDER HILL MOB by Nigel Hare & Kudos
THE LAVENDER HILL MOB by Kudos
It is very easy to live in the present and dismiss the past, ignored it if its not in 3DHD5.2 WS but certain aspects of films ride over their time, clever scripts, top notch acting and less reliance on FX means some films don’t look dated, just look their time.
LAVENDER HILL MOB is one of them, character based drama with a solid heist plot, it is oceans 11 with out the need to ramp up the action or acting, if you cant rely on flashy effects and big stunts then you are forced to get the other elements pin sharp and it does, you get hints of why Sid James became as big as he did and one very clever car chase but it is the two main leads that carry the plot and draw the viewer into rooting for them ….........even though they are the “bad guys”, 90 mins of faultless acting and story telling
This is only my second toe I have dipped into this era, but this and “I’m alright Jack” means I would be happy to take plunge and give some time to understanding the roots of modern cinema
THE LAVENDER HILL MOB by Nigel Hare
Sunday, the day of rest. Church in the morning followed by a roast dinner with lots of vegetables and fruit pie and custard to follow. The afternoon spent on the sofa watching old movies, while mother did the ironing. After a light tea, left over roast in sandwiches perhaps, its the bath before bed ready for another week. That was pretty much my life back in the early 70s.
Today there isn't church, dinner is now in the evening and it's me doing the ironing. But ...the movie is still an old one, although it is a better description to call it ancient now.
Alec Guinness (Old Ben in the first Stars Wars movies) is superb in this witty crime caper. Yes it's black and white and it doesn't have violent thugs, it has gentle middle class thieves who team up with likeable trusting professional criminals to steal a million in gold. There aren't any high speed chases or double crosses, it's Ealing Studios Britain. What this fifties movie has is laughs: 'Dutch' scrambling around after being tied and blind folding after the theft, running down the spiral staircase to beat the lift descending down the Eiffel tower and the policeman singing 'Old Macdonald' verse about pigs among many. You will be fully entertained for 90 minutes if you give this movie ago.
It is very easy to live in the present and dismiss the past, ignored it if its not in 3DHD5.2 WS but certain aspects of films ride over their time, clever scripts, top notch acting and less reliance on FX means some films don’t look dated, just look their time.
LAVENDER HILL MOB is one of them, character based drama with a solid heist plot, it is oceans 11 with out the need to ramp up the action or acting, if you cant rely on flashy effects and big stunts then you are forced to get the other elements pin sharp and it does, you get hints of why Sid James became as big as he did and one very clever car chase but it is the two main leads that carry the plot and draw the viewer into rooting for them ….........even though they are the “bad guys”, 90 mins of faultless acting and story telling
This is only my second toe I have dipped into this era, but this and “I’m alright Jack” means I would be happy to take plunge and give some time to understanding the roots of modern cinema
THE LAVENDER HILL MOB by Nigel Hare
Sunday, the day of rest. Church in the morning followed by a roast dinner with lots of vegetables and fruit pie and custard to follow. The afternoon spent on the sofa watching old movies, while mother did the ironing. After a light tea, left over roast in sandwiches perhaps, its the bath before bed ready for another week. That was pretty much my life back in the early 70s.
Today there isn't church, dinner is now in the evening and it's me doing the ironing. But ...the movie is still an old one, although it is a better description to call it ancient now.
Alec Guinness (Old Ben in the first Stars Wars movies) is superb in this witty crime caper. Yes it's black and white and it doesn't have violent thugs, it has gentle middle class thieves who team up with likeable trusting professional criminals to steal a million in gold. There aren't any high speed chases or double crosses, it's Ealing Studios Britain. What this fifties movie has is laughs: 'Dutch' scrambling around after being tied and blind folding after the theft, running down the spiral staircase to beat the lift descending down the Eiffel tower and the policeman singing 'Old Macdonald' verse about pigs among many. You will be fully entertained for 90 minutes if you give this movie ago.
WORLD WAR Z byNigel Hare & Kudos
WORLD WAR Z by Nigel Hare
From the moment I saw George A Romero 'Dawn of the Dead' I've been a fan of Zombie movies. WWZ has changed the genre, given it new rules that future zombie movies must adhere to if they want credibility. Gone are zombies that you can knock to the ground and escape from; changed into a snapping jawed white water human torrent. Kudos hit the nail on the head with his review with tension far outweighing the gore and the movie is much the better for that direction. I'm off to secure and sound prove my house, build up my food supply and if anyone knows a source for a good disease let me know please. A must watch movie!
WORLD WAR Z by Kudos
Very easy film to review, stick the DVD in and enjoy the ride, doesn’t have the claustrophobic jeopardy of 28 days or the bite of walking dead BUT borrows from both and adds in a huge chunk of ambition............less than 2 hours to explore a global pandemic and never gets bogged down on the science or politics, they are there but they are elements that your brain will explore after the film...........the last 20 minutes in the welsh lab are as tense as a 70s DJ waiting for a knock on the door. There is flaws but the pace and tension never lets you ponder on them whilst watching..........this is my forte in films and I have no hesitation in recommending it
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/?ref_=nv_sr_1
From the moment I saw George A Romero 'Dawn of the Dead' I've been a fan of Zombie movies. WWZ has changed the genre, given it new rules that future zombie movies must adhere to if they want credibility. Gone are zombies that you can knock to the ground and escape from; changed into a snapping jawed white water human torrent. Kudos hit the nail on the head with his review with tension far outweighing the gore and the movie is much the better for that direction. I'm off to secure and sound prove my house, build up my food supply and if anyone knows a source for a good disease let me know please. A must watch movie!
WORLD WAR Z by Kudos
Very easy film to review, stick the DVD in and enjoy the ride, doesn’t have the claustrophobic jeopardy of 28 days or the bite of walking dead BUT borrows from both and adds in a huge chunk of ambition............less than 2 hours to explore a global pandemic and never gets bogged down on the science or politics, they are there but they are elements that your brain will explore after the film...........the last 20 minutes in the welsh lab are as tense as a 70s DJ waiting for a knock on the door. There is flaws but the pace and tension never lets you ponder on them whilst watching..........this is my forte in films and I have no hesitation in recommending it
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816711/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Tuesday 18 February 2014
CAPTAIN PHILIPS by Kudos
CAPTAIN PHILIPS by Kudos
a true story involving an American in a big budget movie, this could have been Pearl Harbour with less ships and a different coloured enemy.......... but this vessel is being steered by Paul Greengrass, not a black and white tale, this is a place where there is no American hero’s or dastardly villains just people reacting to their own circumstances............sometimes with very few options, this place is called the real world. , why the Somali pirates do what do is handled in a way that our modern news media would never explore......
After the 1st 15 mins the pace never drops, the tension is as taut as a size 10 g-string on a 18 stone super tanker , Tom Hanks final scene was a clever way to finish.......not all “heros” just dust themselves down and carry on
Not since “City of God” have I seen a film that cuts under the media mould on the surface to reveal a desperate existence which forces actions by removing choices, anyone who walks out of this and thinks “them Somali pirates...........scum-bags” has wasted over 2 hours of their life........any film that has you hoping for both sides is a film that has worked
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1535109/?ref_=nv_sr_2
Monday 17 February 2014
ROBOCOP (2014) by Kudos
ROBOCOP (2014) REVIEW by Kudos
The good news, it is certainly better than the original, I revisited that last week and was shocked how dated it looked. This time around the fx are convincing, the cast is stronger and it does a better job of sneaking in some morality issues ie the use of drones. The performances from Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Samuel L Jackson lift the film but Kinnaman fails to bring much to the role of Murphy..........bit of a robotic like effort even when not being a robot
The bad news, the science is so flawed it destroys the suspension of reality, Robocop is all robot from the chest down, no stomach, no intestines, no liver etc, not convinced is plausible. Laughable ballistic flaws.........we are told 50 caliber or above will be fatal yet he laughs off a rain storm of them with just a few dents that “chipsaway” could sort. I am not a fan of big set pieces but when done right they can add to a film, the ones in Robocop felt flat and lacked anything jaw dropping or new.
If you are expecting a smash bang robot battle orgy then you will be disappointed, if you are expecting some social science fiction then there is probably enough in here to warrant a watch, Samuel L Jackson role as the “FOX NEWS” style presenter is definitely worth watching but sadly the iconic ED 209s are reduced down to the role of dum metal guard dogs.
A recyclable film that entertains whilst watching but after only 3 days since watching is rusty in my head.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234721/?ref_=nv_sr_1
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1234721/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Sunday 16 February 2014
DEAD OF NIGHT by Nigel hare
DEAD OF NIGHT by Nigel Hare
Dead of Night..... I've seen many horror movies in my long life; The slasher flix, the zombie, vampire, monster movies are amongst that long list. I've enjoyed some of them, maybe even most of them. But at the end of the day they are like action movies: enjoyable for the 90 or so minutes I view them but not many of them are anything but forgettable entertainment. there is nothing wrong with that and I have no intention to belittle them. I first saw Dead of Night w...hen I was very young and it did scare me. Not the individual stories as I remember but the end sequence. Obviously if it was made now it wouldn't have the horror tag placed on it because it wouldn't fit in that genre. Yet I would still suggest that this movie is worth a watch. Michael Redgrave is particularly wild eyed and brought tension right out of the screen. I enjoyed watching this for just the third time and I would still rate it higher in the scary stakes than a nightmare or a fowl mouthed head spinning round and vomiting.
Tuesday 11 February 2014
THE WORLDS END by Michael Johnston & Lee Frost
THE WORLDS END by Michael Johnston & Lee Frost
Michael Johnston
last night ended a great trilogy ..the worlds end! peg and frost back again and it starts as the others do nice and calm then with 45 mins gone it does its usual "dusk till dawn" twist and your watching a new film..pegg is better in this than any film ive seen him in . not quite as good as hot fuzz but its very funny and the leads indulging themselves like an adam sandler wet dream...who knew nick frost and simon pegg were master martial artists..great fun but be in a silly mood ,don't expect 12 years a slave.....
Lee Frost
Fantastic film, wasn't expecting too much. I did this with Hot Fuzz and felt disappointed, (although it's still a cracking film), as nothing was to be better than Shaun of the Dead. This however delivers in an amazingly OTT way...these three need to keep making movies!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213663/?ref_=nv_sr_1
Michael Johnston
last night ended a great trilogy ..the worlds end! peg and frost back again and it starts as the others do nice and calm then with 45 mins gone it does its usual "dusk till dawn" twist and your watching a new film..pegg is better in this than any film ive seen him in . not quite as good as hot fuzz but its very funny and the leads indulging themselves like an adam sandler wet dream...who knew nick frost and simon pegg were master martial artists..great fun but be in a silly mood ,don't expect 12 years a slave.....
Lee Frost
Fantastic film, wasn't expecting too much. I did this with Hot Fuzz and felt disappointed, (although it's still a cracking film), as nothing was to be better than Shaun of the Dead. This however delivers in an amazingly OTT way...these three need to keep making movies!!
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1213663/?ref_=nv_sr_1
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