Tag: 2010

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Movie Review

The Losers (2010) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Comic Book Movies – L – The Losers – Movie Review

The Losers

Director: Sylvain White (Slender Man)

Writer: Peter Berg, James Vanderbilt (Screenplay)

Writer: Andy Diggle, Jock (Comic Book)

Cast

Plot: A CIA special forces team is betrayed and left for dead by their superiors, galvanizing them to mount an offensive on the CIA.

Runtime: 1 Hour 37 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Losers starts as a specialist CIA team Clay (Morgan), Roque (Elba), Jensen (Evans), Pooch (Short) and Cougar (Jaenada) see their latest mission in Bolivia go wrong. They as stranded in Bolivia until Aisha (Saldana) arrives, offering to help them get back into America and kill the man who framed them.

Once the crew is back stateside, they put together their plan to get even with Max (Patric). Only not everything goes to plan for the crew, but this is where they shine.

Verdict on The Losers

The Losers is an action thriller based on a comic book. It sees the brotherhood between soldiers that have their own special set of skills, coming together. It shows that despite certain differences, they will find a way to become a unit against threats to the world.

The story might well be one we have seen similar before, where a rag-tag group of soldiers needed to overcome the odds. It plays out in the style needed to make it stand out on its own, making everything feel entertaining.

The banter between the guys is wonderful to see, which comes both from the characters and the actors working so well together. Jason Patric as the over-the-top villain shows us a much funnier side to the movie.

Final Thoughts –The Losers is an entertaining action thriller, with an excellent cast.

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Movie Review

Road Train (2010) Movie Review

Road Train – ABC Film Challenge – Horror – X (Xavier Samuel) – Road Train -Movie Review

Road Train

Director: Dean Francis

Writer: Clive Hopkins (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A supernatural thriller about a group of teenagers menaced by a driver-less train in the Australian outback.

Runtime: 1 Hour 27 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Road Train starts when four friends Craig (Morley), Nina (Lowe), Liz (Haig) and Marcus (Samuel) are travelling around the Australian outback. They find themselves clashing with a trucker, which knocks them off the road. However, when they go in search of the driver, they find themselves without any answers.

When they catch up with the truck, they can’t find a driver and decide to use the truck to find their own safety. It isn’t long before things start spiralling out of control and the friends find themselves in a battle for survival.

Verdict on Road Train

Road Train is a horror mystery following four friends that find themselves dealing with the mystery of a road train lorry in the Australian outback. This sees them starting to question what happened and who was behind the attack.

The movie goes in a strange direction, one you would never have imagined. This keeps things feeling uneasy throughout the movie and even more disturbing when we see the final outcome. It gets to show how open the outback is and how helpless people can become if something evil is going on there. This is a tidy horror looking at the human factors between friends.

Final Thoughts – Road Train is a disturbing thriller with twists along the way.

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Movie Review

Twilight: Eclipse (2010) Movie Review

Twilight Eclipse – ABC Film Challenge – Sequels/Remake – X (Xavier Samuel) – Twilight Eclipse – Movie Review

Eclipse

Director: David Slade

Writer: Melissa Rosenberg (Screenplay)

Writer: Stephenie Meyer (Novel)

Cast

  • Kristen Stewart (Spencer)
  • Robert Pattinson (The Batman)
  • Taylor Lautner (Abduction)
  • Xavier Samuel (Fury)
  • Billy Burke (Drive Angry)

Plot: As a string of mysterious killings grips Seattle, Bella, whose high school graduation is fast approaching, is forced to choose between her love for vampire Edward and her friendship with werewolf Jacob.

Runtime: 2 Hours 4 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Twilight Eclipse starts as Bella (Stewart) is getting back into her life with Edward (Pattinson). She wants to keep her friendship with Jacob (Lautner) alive, while the vampires and werewolves continue to be at each other’s throats.

When a new threat starts heading to the small town. The vampires and werewolves must put aside their differences to stand side by side to fight back against the new blood vampires. They are deadlier than most, as Victoria looks to get revenge on Bella for taking her partner at the beginning of the saga.

Verdict on Twilight Eclipse

Twilight Eclipse is the third instalment in the fantasy romance series. This time the two sides must work together against a common enemy after Bella. However, her feelings for both will cause more drama than necessary as the promise previously made cause tension.

This series is building up a nice interesting battle between vampires and werewolves. With the vampire needing to deal with their own kind being a problem too. However, it is when we dive into the romance side of the story everything becomes frustrating. It is all too much of a waste of story potential, seeing the two alpha males fighting over Bella and seeing both sides fighting to protect her. This doesn’t seem to go anywhere new, showing Edward having the upper hand despite his own objections to her request to be transformed in the future. If things had been left between the battle between fantasy creatures, we could have had a lot more fun here.

Final Thoughts – Twilight Eclipse has way too much romantic drama holding back the bigger battles.

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Movie Review

Messages Deleted (2010) Movie Review

Messages Deleted – ABC Film Challenge – Mystery – M – Messages Deleted – Movie Review

Messages Deleted

Director: Rob Cowan

Writer: Larry Cohen (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A screenwriting teacher is forced to live out the plot of a screenplay idea he stole from a student, who now seeks revenge.

Runtime: 1 Hour 32 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Messages Deleted starts when screenwriting teacher Joel Brandt (Lillard) receives an answer phone message from someone begging for help. He believes it is a prank call and ignores it. However, when Joel meets his girlfriend Claire (Zanni) they get a shock when a body is thrown in front of them.

This ends up being the person calling for help. Detective Lavery (Unger) leads the investigation with the clues pointing directly at Joel. Meanwhile, Joel starts his own investigation, as he tries to save the people calling him.

Verdict on Messages Deleted

Messages Deleted is a mystery thriller following a screenwriter that finds himself in the middle of a series of murders. He gets a call from the killer using the victim to beg for help. This sees him becoming the prime suspect as he races to prove his innocence.

The movie gets to use the idea that screenplays are not always perfect and need something to bring a twist to the story. It spends a lot of time pointing out the faults in the events as if it was a screenplay being written. This gets to bend the meta of the movie well, as we are left guessing as to what will happen in the end. Unfortunately, we get a twist that doesn’t click as well as it should and one that takes away from a lot of what we have previously seen. Matthew Lillard is great in the leading role, being the shining light of the movie.

Final Thoughts – Messages Deleted is a nice tense thriller, let down by a twist that doesn’t completely make sense.

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Movie Review

Siren (2010) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – 2010 Movies – S – Siren – Movie Review – A seductive tale of an ancient folklore.

Siren 2010 Movie Poster

Director: Andrew Hull

Writer: Andrew Hull, Geoffrey Gunn (Screenplay)

Cast

Siren Cast

Plot: Strange goings-on ensues when a few friends on a sailboat find an island with a beautiful lone female inhabitant.

Runtime: 1 Hour 20 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Siren starts as Ken (Macken), Rachel (Skellern) and Marco (Jabre) are going on a sailing trip. When Marco sees someone in need of help, he grounds the boat. Leaving the three meet a beautiful young woman Silka (Srbova) and an injured man.

As the four spend time on the island, they start noticing strange events. Rachel is drawn towards Silka, while the guys are driven crazy by an unknown presence. The three discover other dead bodies on the island and look to escape before becoming the latest victims.

Verdict on Siren

Characters

Ken is a businessman whose work has got his friends the boat for the trip. He is engaged to Rachel, but not pushing forward with the wedding plans. Still, getting excited by kinky sex often pushes Rachel into joining him in dangerous situations. He does have a short temper, one that can be exposed quickly, like a switch.

Rachel is the fiancée who once had a relationship with Marco. She wanted to set him up with a girlfriend of hers, only to be let down. She brings a friendly nature, the one that wants to help a person in need. Rachel is drawn to Silka, the one who wanted to help her.

Silka is the siren on the island, coming off like a lost survivor on the island. She has been drawing people to the island, with the three latest victims, seeing who she can trust to stay with her.

Marco is the third friend on the trip, travelling the world. He has seen a lot and knows he let Rachel go in the past. He still has a longing for what once was. Being the one that sees what is going on with Silka on the island.

Performances

Eion Macken (Resident Evil: The Final Chapter) shows us a character that is selfish, arrogant and believes he is the best for Rachel. He makes this character his own, full of hate toward anyone he sees as beneath him.

Tereza Srbova (Goal! III) as the siren works very well, she has the seductive look to make herself draw people in. having an innocent side too, shows how easily people would stop to help her.

Anna Skellern (Blood Moon) is Rachel, the purest of the four characters we meet. She brings the character to life with her down-to-Earth approach to everything she goes through.

Story

The story follows three friends that find themselves drawn to an island by a lone surviving woman. They soon discover what has been happening, but it is too late as she has got into their heads already. The group will need to shake their minds if they are going to make it off.

Using the old sea folk tale of sirens drawn sailors to their deaths. This movie will show a modern image of this, one where the siren has adapted to a more human appearance. Although still conducting the same spells on their victims. The added love triangle will make things a little bit more interesting, but not by much. It is all about what the siren figure will do to her victims.

Themes

Siren is a horror thriller that uses a remote island as the main setting. Placed our characters there in need of fixing their boat to escape. The location would be a prime location for a siren figure to conduct their games. When it comes to the effects, we only see the slow aftermath of what happens, when she conducts her magic.

Where to Watch: Siren is available to rent or buy on Apple TV in the UK.

Final Thoughts – Siren is a seductive thriller, one that modernises an old folklore tale.

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Movie Review

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010) Movie Review

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – ABC Film Challenge – 2010s Movies – N (Narnia) – Movie Review

DAwn Treader

Director: Michael Apted

Writer: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Michael Petroni (Screenplay)

Writer: C.S. Lewis (Novel)

Cast

Plot: Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk, and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world.

Runtime: 1 Hour 53 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader starts when Lucy (Henley) and Edmund (Keynes) continue to adapt to life. They miss their time in Narnia and the fellow child Eustace (Poulter) doesn’t make their time there easy.

When they get taken back into Narnia, they find themselves working with Caspian (Barnes) once again. The latest battle sees them travelling by sea to fight a new threat to Narnia with Eustace along for the journey.

Verdict on The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the third chapter in the series. It sees two of the siblings returning to Narnia again for a new battle. This time we are at open sea as Narnia faces a new threat. They must learn quickly in this latest battle as they continue to battle their own desires back home.

This doesn’t have the same magic as the originals, scaling back the adventure. It feels more like a side quest along the way to a bigger adventure. However, it does continue to have the bigger meaning behind the different worlds, escaping the troubles of war. This also struggles by only having two of the four siblings involved, which does feel like forced budget cuts. It is fine for the last chapter in the adventures though.

Final Thoughts – The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a basic ending to a trilogy.

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Movie Review

Grown Ups (2010) Movie Review

Grown Ups – ABC Film Challenge – 2010s Movies – G – Grown Ups – Movie Review

Grown Ups

Director: Dennis Dugan

Writer: Adam Sandler, Fred Wolf (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: After their high school basketball coach passes away, five good friends and former teammates reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend.

Runtime: 1 Hour 42 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Grown Ups starts 30 years after a high school basketball team won a championship. The five-star players Lenny (Sandler), Eric (James), Kurt (Rock), Marcus (Spade) and Rob (Schneider) reunite with their families after the coach dies.

This brings them back together for a family vacation, letting them unwind and learn to get back down to Earth with their families. Building the strained relationship, they have been going through.

Verdict on Grown Ups

Grown Ups is a comedy that sees old friends coming back together and remembering what is important in life. Rebuilding friendships and helping marriages stay together.

This is a movie that relies on comedy in the movie, which is the weakest part of the film. The heart involved is much better, showing the importance of friendships, through thick and thin. It might well end up being Adam Sandler hanging out with his buddies, but they do have chemistry together, which helps make everything feel more realistic between them.

Final Thoughts – Grown Ups lacks the comedy but has the heart to hold things together.

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Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominations – I – Inside Job (2010) Movie Review

Director: Charles Ferguson

Plot: Takes a closer look at what brought about the 2008 financial meltdown.

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Thoughts on Inside Job

Thoughts – Inside Job is a documentary that will dive into the 2008 financial meltdown that was created by corruption within the government and banks leading to them creating a system where they would be borrowing without anyway of covering the funds they were taking. This is a shocking look at how a few people took advantage of the world, to make more money, leaving millions in financial trouble. The documentary will go into a lot of technical talk about banking, finances, which might not be the easiest thing to stay on top of. It would have also been interesting to learn more about the tracking down to expose the truth, rather than just being pointed towards a few articles that claimed it was all coming down. Inside Job is an eye-opening documentary, one that needs to be watched to see how the world has been changed by a few greedy people, that have affected millions for generations.

Final Thoughts – Inside Job is an eye-opening documentary.

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Movie Review

Blue Valentine (2010) Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Oscar Nominations – B – Blue Valentine (2010) Movie Review

Blue Valentine

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Writer: Derek Cianfrance, Joey Curtis, Cami Delavigne (Screenplay)

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Michelle Williams, John Doman, Faith Wladyka, Mike Vogel, Marshall Johnson

Plot: The relationship of a contemporary married couple, charting their evolution over a span of years by cross-cutting between time periods.

Runtime: 1 Hour 52 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Blue Valentine starts as we meet the couple Dean (Gosling) and Cindy (Williams) who have a little girl Frankie (Wladyka) who have started to have a few troubles with their marriage. We jump through their relationship, seeing the different stages of their time together, from the first moments to the troubling stages.

Thoughts on Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine is a movie that is showing the positives and negatives people will go through during a relationship. Putting the characters through the ups and downs along the way. Much like the more recent Marriage Story. We get to look at a more realistic look at love, marriage and how things don’t go smoothly. Showing that not everything if happy endings in this world.

Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling are both brilliant in the leading roles. Showing the different stages, while everyone else in the supporting roles does a great job too. Where this will shine more is by having more everyday jobs for both the characters. Instead of any being unrealistic work life balance being the problem, it is just life that causing the problems.

Final Thoughts – Blue Valentine is an interesting look at love and the course it can take.