Fast & Furious (2009)

Posted on December 9, 2013 by badblokebob

2013 #86
Justin Lin | 102 mins | TV | 16:9 | USA / English | 12 / PG-13

Some say this is the worst of the series, and I think I agree. 2 Fast 2 Furious has a stupid name and Tokyo Drift is almost a direct-to-DVD cheapo, but they embrace their trashy roots and are kinda fun.

#4 takes itself too seriously as a revenge/drug-smuggling thriller. There’s only the occasional uninspiring driving sequence, many featuring CGI that looks straight out of a computer game — and not even a computer game now, but a computer game back when the film was made.

The tagline — “New model. Original parts.” — was very neat, but is also the best thing here.

This review is part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2013. Read more here.

Hanna (2011)

Posted on December 8, 2013 by badblokebob

Most action-thrillers are cast from the same mould; it’s the decoration which dictates whether the final product is a Steven Segal or a Jason Bourne.

Hanna is an original, though. There’s the genre’s typical globetrotting, fistfighting thrills; but also an allegorical coming-of-age indie drama; plus a surreal, fairytale tone that drifts across proceedings like a pleasant morning mist.

The director of Atonement may seem an odd fit, but he brings his trademark long takes to several stunning action sequences, bolstered by the Chemical Brothers’ pulsatingly memorable score.

Hanna will not please everyone, but some will love it — as I did.

This review is part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2013. Read more here.

Hanna placed 5th on my list of The Ten Best Films I Saw For the First Time in 2013, which can be read in full here.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters – Extended Cut (2013)

Posted on December 5, 2013 by badblokebob

aka Unrated Cut

Having heard only bad things, I expected a soul-crushing dud of Van Helsing proportions. Actually, it’s a lot of fun.

At times it takes itself too seriously, and for a bit in the middle it goes on, but mostly it’s thoroughly daft — in a good way. Some of that’s deliberate humour, other bits likely unintentional (why do a random scattering of characters have American accents?!) The action and gore are treated appropriately too; that’s to say, outrageously comical most of the time.

It’s not some missed classic, but it is a fun time, and plentifully entertaining as a comedy-horror-fantasy-action flick.

This review is part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2013. Read more here.

* Despite being ‘unrated’ in America, both cuts received a 15 from the BBFC. They list the extended version as precisely 10 minutes longer. There’s a full list of differences here, or a quicker summary here. ^

Black Death (2010)

Posted on December 3, 2013 by badblokebob

Sean Bean and his ragtag band of knights investigate an unaffected village during Ye plague-adled Olden Days in this folk horror from the director of Creep, Severance and Triangle.

Though not entirely devoid of gore or jumps, this is more a creeping horror; a tale of the supernatural where an uncanny mood is more important than visceral thrills. I don’t think it’s too lofty to suggest comparison to The Wicker Man rather than an historical Saw.

Still not for the faint-hearted, Black Death is the kind of eerie experience that can weave a spell over viewers who aren’t genre aficionados.

This review is part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2013. Read more here.

Dredd (2012)

Posted on December 1, 2013 by badblokebob

Dogged by comparisons to The Raid (which filmed after but released before), and enforced 3D that its 18+ audience didn’t go for, Dredd underwhelmed at the box office.

Huge shame. It’s the gritty take on 2000AD’s primary hero that aficionados have long desired, but also an exemplary sci-fi/action movie in its own right. With impressive gun battles, dry humour, and Karl Urban nailing the title character (yes, including the voice), it’s an hour-and-a-half of unencumbered testosterone entertainment.

Screenwriter/producer Alex Garland’s trilogy outline sounded unmissably good. We must hope home media sales are ultra-strong and the ongoing sequel campaign ultimately succeeds.

This review is part of the 100 Films Advent Calendar 2013. Read more here.

Dredd placed 6th on my list of The Ten Best Films I Saw For the First Time in 2013, which can be read in full here.

* IMDb used to list the countries of production as UK, USA and India, while the end credits of the film itself refer to it being “A South Africa/United Kingdom co-production”. With that in mind, I found the BFI list all four. Seems only fair. (IMDb have since taken my suggestion and added South Africa.) ^

Immortals (2011)

Posted on November 20, 2013 by badblokebob

A mash-up of mythology and… well, not giving a toss about mythology, Immortals is largely style over substance. Trailers reminiscent of 300 belie a (slightly) higher degree of artiness: in the making-of, Tarsem espouses that there are many “comic strip” movies, but he wanted to make a “painted strip” movie; Henry Cavill calls it “Fight Club meets Caravaggio”.

In the finished film the style doesn’t come across so self-consciously, but it does look beauteous more than strive to make sense. Nonetheless, despite a slow-ish first half and muddled final act, it’s often entertaining in a “pretty pictures with fighting” way.

* The UK version was modified to get a 15: a couple of cuts to extreme violence (beheadings, throat slittings), red blood re-coloured black, and a reduced sound effect. Unusually, this is the same on the DVD & Blu-ray as it was in cinemas. Technically, therefore, the version I watched isn’t rated R; though it’s still very violent, so it’s hard to imagine it would have missed out. ^

Man on a Ledge (2012)

Posted on October 21, 2013 by badblokebob

A man books into a swish hotel, has a nice meal, then climbs out the window. Onlookers and police gather. Will he jump? Or is he just a distraction?

What follows is pretty generic ‘single location thriller’ material, with a thoroughly daft ending… but when the whole film strains plausibility (it’s not trying to be The Wire), do we buy it?

It is mostly enjoyable, especially as I like this kind of thriller (see: Phone Booth, Inside Man). It isn’t as accomplished as those, but it’s not bad — at worst, it’s average. Genre fans should be entertained while it lasts.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

Posted on October 9, 2013 by badblokebob

2013 #19
John Madden | 118 mins | TV | 2.35:1 | UK, USA & UAE / English | 12 / PG-13

“Old fogies go to India” is the setup of this frothy comedy-drama that clearly courts the so-called ‘grey pound’ — i.e. older viewers still prepared to pay to go to the cinema. But when said fogies are played by Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Ronald Pickup, Celia Imrie and Penelope Wilton, it will surprise no one to learn there’s something here for us all.

Mixing gentle humour with very modern themes and the odd tragedy, it’s an affecting brew. And such a box office success that there’s plans for a sequel! Never was a more unlikely franchise born.

Once again, we have a film where no one can agree on a year. Once again, IMDb go older (2011) while Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes go newer (2012). Once again, Google decides: “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2011” gives 1.12m results vs. “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2012” at 1.38m.

The Debt (2011)

Posted on October 8, 2013 by badblokebob

2013 #37
John Madden | 109 mins | TV | 2.35:1 | USA, UK & Hungary / English, German & Russian | 15 / R

Screenwriting partnership Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn vacate their usual milieu (see Stardust, Kick-Ass, etc.) for this Israeli spy thriller remake.

In a dual-pronged narrative, a team of Mossad agents are hailed as heroes following a high-value mission, only to face serious repercussions decades later. A cast led by Oscar winner Helen Mirren and nominees Jessica Chastain and Tom Wilkinson help affirm this as serious-minded Cold War drama, miles away from the Bondian world Goldman & Vaughn will next enter for Mark Millar adaptation The Secret Service.

Perhaps a little stodgy in places, it’s nonetheless an engrossingly plausible espionage drama.

The Debt is the latest in an ever-growing number of films where the internet can’t agree on its ‘year’: IMDb go with 2010, but sites like Wikipedia and Rotten Tomatoes go with 2011. On the old methodology of Google searches, “The Debt 2010 film” produces 107 million results, while “The Debt 2011 film” gives 146 million.

Safe House (2012)

Posted on October 6, 2013 by badblokebob

2013 #20
Daniel Espinosa | 110 mins | TV | 2.35:1 | USA & South Africa / English | 15 / R

Denzel Washington is a fugitive, Ryan Reynolds is the CIA rookie who ends up looking after him — and later, chasing him — after Something Goes Wrong at the titular abode in this workmanlike thriller.

Washington can deliver a quality anti-hero in his sleep now, and the same can be said of the actors lined up as villains and questionable-types in the supporting cast: Brendan Gleeson, Sam Shepard, Robert Patrick, Liam Cunningham. Reynolds makes for a likeable if bland leading man, while the storyline and action sequences offer sub-Bourne thrills.

Nothing new, then, but those after a straightforward action-thriller could do worse.

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Category Archives: drabble reviews

Fast & Furious (2009)

Hanna (2011)

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters – Extended Cut (2013)

Black Death (2010)

Dredd (2012)

Immortals (2011)

Man on a Ledge (2012)

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2012)

The Debt (2011)

Safe House (2012)