Gary's Reviews

This movie is Fantastic the animation is excellent the detail terrific and the world it creates is oh so imaginative. I came on to this movie after watching Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and the "Making of" extra where a lot of the same people came together referred to 9. As I watched 9 I wondered which came first the game Little Big Planet or this (given the short that this film sprang from I would say call in the lawyers!). Tim Burton's movies Coraline and Nightmare before Chrismas are also exploring macabre rag/sack doll (or Burlap as the Yanks call it). I hope I get it for Christmas!

Enjoyable watch at home with a great plot that flows well right through to the end. Enjoy the story as a vampire adventure story and leave critical analysis for a film that it intended to be serious. Abe is great with that stiffness mixed with the chinese wire whizbang martial arts style that has become popular. If you liked the DowneyJnr Sherlock homes movies or Kung Fu Hustle then I think you will like this.

I laughed several times although a little bit soppy, this movie was an enjoyable comedy film with an enjoyable soundtrack and some great lines. Having watched Ryan Gosling in drive and felt he came across a bit "simple" in that this movie actually manages to make him more likeable especial the "photo-shop" quip. But this movie reminds me of Steve Martin's Parenthood and even Bill Murray's Rushmore and even John Cusack in Say Anything with it's exploration of similar themes. Steve Carrell is a consistent winner in this genre.

This movie is Good. It is clever. But sadly could have been better - I wanted more. I starts out as a modernisation genre of the teenage angst of the The Breakfast Club (1985) or Pretty in Pink (1986). It has a very, very clever handling of the "chatroom" phenomena that might just have well been Facebook or Twitter and then gets all "Gothic" and menacing. Along the way it delivers some timely and possibly relatable warnings about online presence (Deception, Stalking, Bullying and cyber security) that makes the movie useful for sharing with a parent and teenager and even adoption by someone like Beyond Blue. I particularly like the "Pedo" posing as a teenage girl and how it was handled by the film (not by the characters). Although I liked the sudden ending and without spoiling anything it does not resolve happily for characters (like the Breakfast Club or Pink) or us the viewers. I felt I was left with too many questions - I think they may have gone over budget.

This is a Great film and if you can get over the subtitles, highly enjoyable. I am not sure I get all the nuances as often subtitled films do not get the context right but even so a great film! It was a different well scripted action thriller delivered by competent actors. If the original and better Nordic Stieg Larsson Dragon Tattoo (Millenium Trilogy) movies had a brother it would be this film, and as Jo Nesbo (another Nordic crime author) had a creative influence you can see why. These Nord movie/TV guys are crazy focused and they do it right! It reminded me of Travolta' and Elmore Leonards "Get Shorty" for its quirky plots and approach though if you watch the extras Headhunters was made with the Meals budget of a major Hollywood film. The real standout is the main character who at times resembled Adrian the Punk from the Young Ones. But supporting talent is also very good. Game of Thrones buffs might recognize one guy and be shocked by how different it is to hear one cast member so comfortable in a foreign language. Shames Aussies like me who are only mono-lingual. Its no wonder HBO is dabling in the Scandanavian.

This is a movie that you can watch enjoy and get a buzz spotting the local locales. But it does have issues. Having recently watched "The Guard" an Irish Film Board movie and commented how using "Gun"actors can be counter productive this movie is another example,,,but worst. Although a good watch, this film was thoroughly Bi-Polar and confused. The movie had too many why's. The Jason Statham factor obviously brought in the modern action unbelievable fights and stunts of his past films (think hose fight in Transporters 3) but it was set in the past. The other personality was the historical spy thriller with the allusion to the chemistry of Spy Game (Redford and Pitt) and attention to detail and reproduction of the remade Tinker Tailer. I agree De Niro was a bit confused (hugely better in Ronin) and the overall notion of "Shadow" organisations were far better portrayed in The Shadowline. If I was Film Victoria I would be looking at the books on this one it screamed "junket". How much was paid for all the old cars (now collectors items) and that part of the budget going to overseas actors and asking why was it in the past and where did it derail? Although faithful to the era (I checked Olympus sites) why that bloody camera it looked too modern? At least I learned that the Chuck girlie was an aussie. Take an concept modernise it and ignore the period piece control the talent don't buy ego's and invest in one cohesive script direction and you make a better film.

Luc Besson does good movies and although this one is in Black and White it still had all the Luc Besson's quirkiness and amazing style that distinguish his films from others in his chosen merged Genre(s) be Action and human (Taken, Transporter, From Paris with Love,Leon and Nikita) or strange different films (Big Blue the 5th element). When watching this, I thought of John Travolta in Michael (1996) and Alanis Morissette in Dogma (1999). This is a french subtitled film so I am sure I lost a lot of context in the translation but even still this movie is fast and light and the lead Character Jamel Debbouze (the little Algerian) is amazingly fast and incredibly expressive but a little prone to over-hamming it a bit (Drunk bar scene). The juxtaposition-ing of the Tall girl and the short man is just one example of how Besson does things and so are some of the setting, camera angles and scene transitions - style, style and more style. The soundtrack is excellent and listen for the song "can I keep Him" it is even more rich when listened to fully.

Every culture in every country other than America has a pet project film industry; this movie appears to be a product of Ireland's film board. Australia has its quirky local vernacular movies (Crackerjack, Proof Death in Brunswick) and this is up there with Raising Ned Divine. As always there are always few ring-in actors from the US as there was here Mark Strong (Kick Ass playing a similar character) and Don Cheadle. I didn't mind this film but it needed something more to get it over the line as a stand up for itself movie.

This was an enjoyable film and Samuel L Jackson is a cross between Robert De niro's Cape Fear and what Samuel's character in Pulp Fiction had continued in his chosen profession. As I watched this absorbing post Global Financial Crisis suburban nightmare spirals into a revelatory thriller, I couldn't help thinking of Mickey Rourke and De Niro's little dance in Angel Heart. But then this movie takes a different direction and the most important piece of Dialogue is in the last 2 minutes of the movie.

In the last week I have watched two Samuel L Jackson movies this one and Raising Evil and I enjoyed this film like some of the other critics listed here. I really really hate that "experimental" format of Sky Pilots and Sin City it only made the film harder to watch. Forget the hero, forget the strong female characters Sammy is the bestest interestingest character. This film is a likeable watch.

I liked this movie goddammit despite the naysayers Johnny Depp played Johnny Depp and Johnny Depp suited this movie, the supporting characters....were.....supporting. There are allusions to a sequel that I wouldn't mind. I would like the Vampire's assistant t be more like "Renquist"

It was an enjoyable film to watch at home kind of a a B Grade Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (except no real emphasis on humour) with a couple of borrowed treatments - case in point and somewhat ironically as I am typing the movie Leon The Professional (Luc Besson) is suggested as an alternative. It is a good (ish) guy drawn into a bad situation by the "F***K-ups" of friends and attentions of psychotics. In this way it parallels a movie I saw at the same time equally watcheable Middle Men. Along the way I lost the plot a little bit and it has some bad character choices. If you want a cleverer similar movie watch the BBC tele-series The Shadowline.

This was recommended on a few sites for its image quality and younger members of your family will love this movie and for an Asian to Anglo Saxon Transplant it was surprisingly good. It is syrupy cutesy with usual toilet humour and martial arts mantra. It suffers from the traditional problems of lousy voiceovers and poor contextual treatments but if any of your family is a fan of the droll treatments that most Anime gets when it is brought to our screens (I am talking to you Aunty ABC) then they will ignore it.

This is a movie with and about happy endings and I thought it was watch-able-ish. I found it much better than Boogie Nights. It was also one of the Facto-Fictional movies but the plot was good the characters weren't bad (though some of the actors were badder than others). I enjoyed it not a big screen movie unless you like well-fit hard bodies (who doesn't)and two metre jubblies (apparently in the script some do) but still a surprising at home watch. Has a message about cable companies and hotel chains. By chance I watched London Boulevard at the same time and was stuck by the similarity of the underlying criminal plot lines though different countries and different subject matter. There is an Easteregg in the extras - watch the Slap Montage.

Great flying, Great Footage (Definitely Big Screen), Good Soundtrack, Bad Acting and Poor Foley (shoes on wood etc.). If this movie was cheap to make and If it was a pilot project (excuse the pun) for a budding studio then I wish them well and hope they focus on a having scripts that emphasise more cohesive characters, If this was a Red Bull movie - plane racing porn. Then it could have had more of the same. Some special effects areas need a bit of polishing and again if this was just a low budget first go then kudos to them for their ambition.

Warning this movie is offensive and extremely politically incorrect. Having said that I am sure that anyone familiar with SBC's material knows that already and some parts of this movie I found funny. I was not in the particular targetted section of the community. This movie was a series of comedic scenarios loosely patched into a plot and tied with the usual kind of moral message bow often found in Adam Sandler movies. The speech to the UN by the main character about the benefits of the US electing a Dictator is an intelligent example, and of course the the Villain gets the girl and love (kinda) triumphs. One of the best performances was from the Nuclear scientist turned Apple Bar Genius although I don't get his motivation.

I looked forward to this film, I enjoyed this film but I did not enjoy this as much as I had hoped. I went through my teenager years with Troma movies and agree with the expectations of some of the commentators on this film who thought or expected a refresh in this film. But If you have heard any Nordic rock or other forms of entertainment music then you know it sometimes the mindset of Scandanavians don’t translate completely to English and English popular culture. I think this film movie is one of these instances also. This is an enjoyable movie with great CGI (Computer-generated imagery), good plot and some humour but like the Nords it comes across a little dry and flatter in translation and misses some context. But having said that this movie’s budget of only $USD 9.2M (€7.5 million) has returned $USD 8.1 in direct Box Office AND as with the CGI a library of data that can now be applied to generate content into the future. For me the real story can now begin with the final scene of this film (with the credits rolling) being a great starting place for the contest of a powered up and post-nazi Moon based culture versus a nuclear devastated earth.

This was Not A Bad Film! It has a reasonable resemblance to Bugsy with the same approach of trailing the real life development of organised crime in a section of American society. It also has a real story documentary included in the special features that is well worth watching and pairing to sections of the movie. Ultimately it tells the tale of crime figures that are socio-pathological killers that are able to endear themselves to sections of the community and blurring the line between clearly evil and small measures of good. It also highlights the evil of enforcement agencies getting into bed with the villains for information and plea-bargaining for the sake of a conviction thereby weighting one serious crime higher than another and denying equal justice to all victims - a sober warning for Australian criminal and intelligence agencies.

This movie was an OK film implying criminals might have a moral code running the same line on three different levels. There were lots of chances with set-ups for plots to branch off in different directions that were not followed up, I began to feel that the movie left a lot of the plot on the screenwriters or post-production floor just to make a coherent but paired-back film. The question in life (as in this film) is what happened to Mario Van Peebles.

This one screams Tax deductible Junket...maybe..... if filmed in Ireland,,,,question if it was in Ireland why? Real Bikie soap that loses direction but comes back on line when it gets back to the US storyline and vengeance is delivered. Somewhere someone really had an axe to grind against Irish Catholics. Last season Gemma toys with the J.C. but not this season - the MC don't like no R.C.

What can I say, I enjoyed this movie. There is a conspiracy theory by the Scandanavian countries by making films with incredibly beautiful scenery like this and great TV shows like this (The Eagle, The Killing and The Dragon Tattoo movie series) that every Nord has great mobile service and beautiful weather even when its cold and wet. You cannot give too much about content without exposing the story but people who are low budget fanboys Blair Witch, Paranormal Activity, Monsters and District 9 might get a kick out of this and ignore some of its shortcomings. Oh also, if you have a passion for testing the warranty on your sub-woofer and surround sound speaker crank this movie up to "11" and watch it Spinal Tap style!

You have to be in the right mood for this movie., It is clever but it has the caveat. - the fact that it's a modern homage on the silent movie era. Unlike the reviewers I did not enjoy it as much as they did but it was watch-able. Cinema-graphically it is clean and clear and shadowy only when it wants to be. I expected a good music score although it was lower and not as swelling or surrounding as I would have hoped. Yet it's tempo was well matched to the movie. The acting (mugging is the word) especially the female character was too bright, the plot and presentation was recreation of the silent movie era but I would have liked a more modern more brutally honest treatment. This in reality WAS the true Hollywood hedonism times and the material the death of silent style. for me it was too romantically involved with the myth rather than the reality of the times. Try Gore Vidal's book as a starter. I kind of expected an entourage plot with a silent movie treatment. Watch the special features they are excellent, especially the architecture short as there is a great Easter egg for Blade Runner fans and might explain some of that movie's styling and why the Blade runner soundtrack has a Torch song.

This is a Fantastic film and reminds me of all those small budget movies that provide big bang for Buck results using relative unknowns, clever effects and great (or different) story lines to achieve results exceeding those of the epic multi-million-dollar too-big-to-fail genre currently pumped out at rates that equate to the net GDP of 90% of global economies.

I laughed at this film and I guess the intention of its creators was just that to approach the subject matter in a totally disruptive manner. It is a critique of the logic of the home grown variant of the subject matter seeking to live and reconcile too the mundane day to day existence. It is also pokes a stick a the response too the the home grown variant of the films subject matter - just keep an eye and ear out for the wookie is a bear sequence. Watch the extras too!

This movie is notable for two things, a haunting Folk-song soundtrack and a depiction of a terrible time in a part of Europe that a large number of people are saying will flare up again because of the unresolved ethnic tensions of past and more recent histories. If there is any doubt try locating the music on You Tube and read the comments section or read the chapter in "The Body Stripped Bare" by Mark Danner. This movie for me is to be thankful NOT to be born into a part of the world where history and personal experiences have not so twisted the national psyche that the types of action portrayed in the film are deemed as rational or necessary. One execution scene reminds me of the power of music and image to convey a message. It reminds me of the Execution scene (or just before it) of "L'armee Du Crime" (Vivaldi Laudate Pueri), Omagh (Pete Travis or if you can get hold of the radio interviews) and the clock chiming in Lust Caution (Ang Le) or even the real life documentary on the Cellist of Sarajevo.

This movie was strange and not what I expected. I was tempted to watched the commentary version but didn't want to waste my time My wife tells me that the main actor is hot at the moment but I just think he is strange or maybe lacking in the "speaking good for movies" department. The movie is slow starting then flips up a gear, I am told there are lots of "Homages" but they are too obscure for me and what is it with the bad 70's sounding soundtrack and scorpion jacket?

The question is why? Why remake this film and still try to make it Scandinavian...ish especially so soon after the original (and great film series). I did not dislike it but really was the original such a risk for US movie goers?

This is a surprisingly good movie that asks questions and tests the sensitivities of the viewers and is either made with the right motives (entertain and explore the issues) or the wrong motives (cut and paste the memes with a view to maximising the profit). On the base level for those that like series like Spooks, Patriot Games and Rendition it is both entertaining and the plot has some very surprising twists. On a deeper level it looks at the motivations, issues and stakes at play in Terrorism and the War on Terror and argues that both sides of the game played by ruthlessly ambitious leaders, the morally damaged and sociopaths using - without mercy - the passion of youth.

This movie was Fantastic and I do not understand why it was not better received. I loved the plot, the characters, the actors CGI (England) and Beautifully shot! There were the great moments in Shakespeare acted out and recreated in the original contextual theatre crowd setting of the Globe and court. There were the power plays and intrigues of the era moving and influencing each - the dramas affecting society and society affecting the dramas. Forget Game of Thrones the historians need to get together with people like Roland Emmerich's (Director) crew and ramp up the historical accuracy, plug in the skills of the movie makers and push play on the real intrigue and plots of history - bring them to back to life and use all these skills to better understand the past grapple with our present and so guide the future. But also we must always acknowledge the fact that we were not there and the people of the era lived each day as an unfolding unknown with their own sensibilities where as we see that age as a complete set and with hindsight and our own modern sensibilities. It’s like one of the arguments put by Inga Clendinnen in "The History Question: Who Owns The Past?" quarterly essays that I have found useful for Judging other period pieces like The Tudors for instance.

Firstly, on a technical movie and a demonstration of just what the Blu-Ray format, Surround Sound and movie-making can do. The special effects, make-up, sound and footage of Rome were clearly excellent. Anthony Hopkins plays yet another good Hannibal Lector. Now for the content. The object of horror is to play on fear and scare the day lights out of you using dark, phobias (cats , birds, spiders and heights etc.), but with movie and the documentary content tie-in makes me wonder where the movie makers, cast and consultants heads are at. This movie was either intended to scare the day light into you, scare you so much that you stay with a Jesus based faith or like all other movies make as much money as possible. On the first two cases it is based on a fallacious Dark Age’s fear and ignorance argument that has (like the Greek Gods of Old) toying with humanity and ignoring the notion of Free will and the Calvinist Dilemma of Pre-Determination. I will not (because of the sensitivity of the material and people actually involved inside its sphere and coz Satanists are just as badly flawed in their logic) be dismissive of it. But religious political and cult leaders have always sought to demand absolute faith and that the greatest skill of the Devil (Communism, Capitalism whatever dogma etc) is to convince you that he/she/it or them does/do not really exist.

Truly GORY Love STORY Cast inside medieval english HISTORY (starring the Ninja's of the time the Templars).

I have seen this movie, but when I saw it had a different name, but name or not, this IS a good film it is graphically violent and shows a totally merciless world hidden under a guise of civility. In Russia, they are called men with big necks and you can buy books about the Tattoos rather like some of the Latin American and Asian crime syndicates and there is a story in itself - why? The plot has some traditional aspects with some unconventional twists as well that make it a good film without some of the gloss that Hollywood puts on the genre.

There three things to note about this movie. Firstly Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy inject a steady stream straight laced (Stiller) crazy humor (Murphy). Secondly, like Mi 4 Ghost Protocol it is a big screen movie and this is either beneficial or detrimental to those with a fear of heights. Finally the underlying message of this film classifies it into the Bernie Madoff Movie. I found this film more enjoyable than the critics did for point one and two, but for point three I preferred Margin Call as a Madoff movie especially for the Breakfast scene at the end and the speech of the Old Man (Jeremy Irons) where they acknowledge the regrettable truth of Private Equity, Wall Street and corporate abuses and make no apologies - rather like the Ex-Bain guy Edward Conard said on the Daily Show.

First things first, why was this MA - I think this might of killed its success right of the bat. This Movie is Baraka meets Princess Bride with excellent stunning imagery, absolutely amazing transitions between scenes (slightly reminiscent of the "Shadowline" series (that recently aired on the ABC). a potentially great story and two main characters the jilted stuntman and the little girl. It looks also like a homage to old Buster Keaton style (maybe someone else I don't know) silent movies. But then I the filmaker just sniffed a little too much ether and the plot begins to unravel towards . Also audio wise though the dialogue is good it is hard to hear. If you read a lot of the Home Theatre Sites a lot of people love this film so maybe its my setup. The extras are interesting beacuse they don't so much explain the film but without voiceover dialoge capture the producion process (elephant on a boat). All in all, watch enjoy but don't try to figure it out too much.

I don't mind these Greeky/Romany (no not the Gypsies) Mytho genre movies and the story, the sound and vision in this one was pretty good but the acting Ugh give me a break! The Hero (Henry Cavill) was as wooden as a Trojan horse although his personal trainer should get an oscar for doing such a great job of physically ramping up old wooden Henry from his equally wooden days in the Tudors series (qualified good stuff HBO). Mickey Rourke has taken some blows and is a passable evil guy dispensing evilly evil on a fairly consistent basis. Coming from a position of ignorance on the true to story mythology I cannot comment on the storyline but as a movie it bubbles along - think Lord of The Rings movie three.

Sadly, I am too old for this movie and it was not what I expected. It reminds me of those earlier teen films that I liked when I was a teenager because they hooked into the whole teenager hormonal experiences that I was experiencing at the time. It was a Seth Rogan screenplay and you can see that in some of the characters looking strangely like smaller (younger) versions of characters in Seth's older films (Superbad).

I enjoyed this film and some of the experiences in the film connected with me personally. Unfortunately, it was being rich and living in the Hawaiian Islands and luckily, my spouse wasn't cheating on me. This film was a warm bath of an emotional ride but way too shallow for the topics it picked up. I found myself very concerned that the youngest daughter was practically ignored although in real life it is likely to be the unmaking of her (and to be fair in one line the Clooney character picks up on that). Just once I wish that american movie makers would be brave enough to face the topics of premature death on famlies without the safety-net of characters who are in the upper or middle insured classes. I guess no one would want to pay to watch it but i might be closer to that "realism". The Hawaiian story and scenery was beautiful and definitely a big screen effect (and to be fair again the narrator at the start makes a valid point about tragedy in paradise).

This movie is what happens when Stand by Me and Koyaanisqatsi have a baby that they then hand over it to be raised the Hubble Telescope and the Church of Scientology. Mind you the soundtrack was excellent. The movie was enjoyable but long and for some reason the dialogue and the sound goes up and down in a thoroughly incomprehensible manner. The question to be asked and if you type it in to google you see you are not alone, is, who died?

This was a great sequel to an equally great first try by the Robert Downey Jnr Sherlock Holmes adaptation crew but this one had added secret sauce - an extra bad well cast Moriarty! I love the pre-planned fight sequences and this one had a doozy at the end. Both films were shot brilliantly and Robert D has found a new niche for his character style that travels as well in Victorian times as it does in the current batch of Supehero movies. To be fair Jude Law is a good Watson, a more intelligent, less Bumbly and a much more reluctantly indepedent then prevous incarnations of the genre. This is Ironman with extra Toff!

This is a beautiful to watch movie the deep rich red, blue and green colours of the era are almost Baroque sadly the plot is corny re-imagined copy of the Richard Chamberlain versions of the 1970s. To be fair it is PG13 and so is targetted for tweenies and teens for whom I would say it will be enjoyable but not memorable (you know teenagers). There is some great footage of some wonderfully opulent palaces and gardens which I thought was Versailles but IMDB says no (have a look). But don't trust IMBD If you like this movie and want similar coz for me I would classify this movie as heavily steampunk so instead of romantic dross, you should opt for movies like Wild Wild West, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Sherlock Holmes and if desperate Gulliver's Travels (Jack Black).

I was warned that this WAS a great 3D cinema movie (ABC Movie Show...thanks David), and I didn't go! Having watched the Blu-Ray 2D version I deeply regret it. The shots of Paris and the moves though the Train Station would have been quite good I think. This movie was very beautiful to watch and the warm brown colours reminded me of more recent Tinker Tailor movie. I was also under the impression that it was more of a Kids film than it really was, and although my daughter liked it, I think it was a homage to early movie makers - probably explains why Martin Scorsese took it on. It also reminded me of US interpretations of the dark fantasy magic of the french films such as The City of Lost Children and Micmacs by Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro. Also watch the extras like the one on Automatons. Also look for the Smashing Pumpkins Video Music Clip for "Tonite Tonite" and ask who influenced who?

There are two things about this movie: First its not bad but it is not a big screen movie it is a very good night in. When watching this its hard for me not to compare this with the Hangover (parts Un and Deux). Both are part of the new American Teenager at 38 genre that is floating around but this has some greater writing, better humour and far more interesting characters (including the sat nav). On a lower budget I'm sure though Kevin Spacey's & Jennifer Aniston's (partially) undeserved paypacket(s) probably kicked it higher this film made me LAUGH (out loud). Chuck the series Secondly as I watch it the quirky little guy in the film (Charlie Day) kept reminding me of the Morgan Grimes character in the Chuck series as he was earlier on but didn't remain in later episodes - could have been almost interchangeable. I do not want to take away from Charlie Day he was good and funny and his character would have been a perfect Morgan. Conclusion I loved the horrible bosses they were horrible and the movie was funny.

If you can get over the subtitles and the suspicion that maybe you are missing some of the context by not being or speaking French, then this movie is a still a very good film about a truly unimaginable time in Paris's history. It definitely is an emotional insight onto life under the Nazis for those who did not agree with the views of the far right in France at the time and actively resisted them. It is also a reminder to the far right of France today that some of it's best hero's were not always borne in France or shared a popular ideology. Whilst it addressed the notion of being an active resistor to the occupation, it dealt lightly with the consequences and costs that people were forced to make when faced with hardship, torture, genocidal slaughter and death - kind of a Sophie's Choice between equally sh**ty alternatives.

By strange coincidence the night after Columbiana I watched Hanna (a partly Australian film). It's in the same vein (Female Super Assassin) and because of its different treatments and the Villains are again very differently Villainous well worth a watch, The soundtrack is by The Chemical Brothers and the volume in places goes off the chart so watch your woofers! Again strangely good with great shots in the Desert and a Snowbound Forest somewheres. I just wished I knew what happened to the family Hanna travelled with. This movie had sequel coming out every orifice, maybe she meets up with Salt or Haywire or La Femme Nikita (I see reading the other on-site reviews that others think so too).

If you want to Understand what is going on in the World and the Australian economy at this moment then this movie IS a good place to start. The Chicago Guys are ruling the perceptions of most Treasurers and they are loving the notions set forward by Hayek an Milton Friedman. Swan is by delivering an "Austere" budget seeks to create the crisis necessary to initiate far right government policy in Friedman's world its called "crisis". Only a crisis - actual or perceived - produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That, I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes the politically inevitable.” ? Milton Friedman The newer Chicago boys poppimng up in guest editorials and on the TV now use "Nudge" and "living beyond our means" when they want to do the same thing.

Although it was a bit of pedicto-schmaltzy with a gorgeous woman turned Hitwoman it has some really really original elements especially a great Pakour chase scene that ends so very cleverly. There are some good choices of actors and sequences and guns, guns, guns! On the extras it shows them trying the different actors used in different roles in the film and that was interesting Later I watched the credits looking for the Johnny Cash Song that ends the film, and THEN it became obvious why it was so appealing to me, it's production and scripting included Luc Besson (Taken, Leon, Transporter(s), Fifth Element, From Paris with Love and the original La Femme Nikita). Luc Besson repeats a lot of his favourite themes, often uses a family of co-workers but every movie has some new twists.

By sheer administrative accident, I saw The Hangover 2 BEFORE this movie and sadly, for those who have not seen THAT movie things do not improve. Put simply it is basically the same script transplanted to a new a location (and I guess that after watching both partly intentional). There is some greater recognition of the best elements (if it can be said to have any) the side characters and Zach's character. I hope that the directors were aiming for shock laughs through acting as a barometer of the audience's capacity for offence. The Loud Ugly American thing has really been tapped out.

What a good movie! The cast fitted perfectly and the pace and delivery was excellent it was West Wing's darker cousin (although the later two seasons started to go there), the less funny brother of Primary Colours and the unwanted bastard son of Wag the dog. Based on a play it is worth watching the "making of" documentary for the factual real life tie in’s and screams sequel! Sequel! Worth a watch is the BBC 3 movie series House of Cards by Michael Dobbs and Andrew Davies or the books of Jeffrey Archer who became a story in himself.

That heady God and Guns in the US. I enjoyed this movie less than I had hoped and cannot understand its classification as a "Horror" flick. There were several good thematic angles set up in this film and several good actors (Goodman particularly) but the makers didn’t quite pick one or two and explore them fully - Religious extremism, Gun Freedoms and the politics of policing them. Also, the psychological narratives of cult members (Jim Jones, Jamestown and Waco). A great ending was also handled badly (I kind of wanted them to explore the rapture angle). Watch the Director's thought provoking rave and you almost begin to see a lot of the sermonising in the Preacher (which I think was a bit too long). But my wife and enjoyed the film so it’s still a good watch and the movie-making model explored by this film would be good for all of us. Finally, the only thing I don't understand is why so many film school independents reach for the guns and violence in their movies when there are so many better plot drivers than that available.

I watched this movie and enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There are references to all the old pulp crime fiction and the the sleazy LA partly portrayed in Entourage. There is an in and out pause and rewind storytelling format to the movie that I didn't mind but it could have been better integrated. The film is confusing throughout rushes here and there but Robert Downey Jr plays Robert Downey Jr (Sherlock) and pulls it together in the final quarter in a great sequence. Sadly Val Kilmer and the woman could have been better. I went looking for a making of bonus to try and understand it better but there wasn't one although there is a narration soundtrack by major actors...but I couldn't watch it again.

Loud Ugly American Movie Sometimes there comes along a movie that suprises...this wasnt that movie this movie had some good characters, good material but failed badly. This movie screamed Junket (in many forms) tax, holiday and cash in (kaching) and was a male form of the Sex in the City Fiasco. If you want to see Zach Galifianakis in his frustrating best see Due Date or dig back and watch Clockwise and see the genre (kinda a reverse Waiting for Godot). If you want a teens behaving badly movie where the main characters are a**holes but somehow everybody still manages to love them the Ferris Bueller and any other of the John Hughes stable or modern sexed up clones will do. It was the quirky sub characters Chinese Guy and the Israeli Bar owner or the Cheeky Monkey that added a lot of humour to the movie. And if you like the Israeli character I regretfully recommend the Adam Sandler Movie "Don't mess with Zohan". This movie hospitalised a Stuntman for a cheap laugh and dishonoured Buddhists for an even lamer one and taught a monkey to smoke it was as if they wanted to shock and confront sensibilities - nah it was just for the money.

Although Noam Chomsky is a poignant author and activist and this movie is chock full of Adroit observations, I was not sold on this as a movie. It is more of a showreel movie trailer for (and of) his talks and books. For me, Pilger et al. put together a better movie and argument against the frightening really real forces of darkness in geo-politics. But to be fair he is in his 70's and this new media thingey may not be his cup of tea.

This movie is visually beautiful (Venice), humorous and not a bad translation of the original film and far better French Film "Anthony Zimmer". Johnnie Depp added some of his Drunken Pirates of the Caribbean character whilst Angelina Jolie was wrong for the film but Steven Berkoff was a most excellent villain. Why they tweaked the plot and the location screams tax deductible Junket, maybe the French when put into local context and maybe it becomes less slick and sophisticated but this US version "looks" classier and seems to my mind to be filmed more on a GQ and Belle budget than the original.

Having watched the unrated version available on the blu-ray, I dont know why this movie wasn't so disliked (as a Blu-ray or DVD). This was a nerd comic/sci fi community film and on this, it was just as funny in parts as Fanboys 2009 or Bing Bang. Also, anyone that like the Brittish Team Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of The Dead and Spaced) might enjoy more of the same. Maybe they went a liitle to "american" on this movie to appeal to a wider audence but for me and for people of my era raised up on the filmography and science fiction culture of the time, I got a few laughs (raiders references, ET references and Alien Kicker at the end). If I had one complaint, it was that it was good concept but insufficiently irreligious!

As a Blu Ray this movie is Beautiful in both sound and vision. As a story loosely based on the Mayans, please see the National Geographic website for a some glaring inaccuracies (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/12/061208-apocalypto-mel.html), it is still a very good imagining. But what this movie is REALLY good at is an exploration or demonstration of Mel Gibson's disturbed darker creative side. If you put this with the Traitors William Wallace Death (Hung, Drawn and Quartered) scene in Brave Heart and more recently and the The Passion of The Christ you have got to worry what he has in his basement. At the moment I am watching the HBO series The Tudors (also subject to large inaccuracies) and the fear of the punishment of the Traitors death sentence portrayed Braveheart make the "imagined Gibson brutal depictions" more concrete.

What is this movie? The sound track is excellent and the image was very a good Blu Ray reproduction. I like the character of Withnail (the actor Richard E Grant has got that character nailed see Hudson Hawk and LA Story), the Junkie dealer (I thought of Sid Snot by Kenny Everritt and is actually the roadie character in )and the eccentric "Gay" Uncle (he is also Harry Potters Uncle but I liked him in Pie In The Sky). I love the era the movie was set in the recovering grey WWII Bland Britain with the young drug rebellious undercurrent of the directors life is recreated where the break out was rapidly approaching, the swinging sixties, pirate radio and the Profumo and. the Cambridge spy ring. It reminds we at how well the new Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy movie recreated the "brown is in style" of the era that was part of the original smiley movie because it was the era the original film was made. I wonder on the Hamlet references especially the last scene and why that was so important or was it factual to the movie anyway Grant delivers the Lines well. But what is this movie it is hypnotic?

This was good, a far better movie than I had anticipated and I was quite surprised by its PG rating but the violence is stylised. Anyone who likes the underground comic novella's would enjoy this and eagerly await the sequels. The vampirey villains remind me of the the monster (before it puts its eyes in) in the beautiful Pans Labyrinth the Spanish/Mexican anti-fascist movie by Guillermo del Toro (I cant wait until he does HIS Vampire Trilogy - "THE STRAIN") go see the website! This is an enjoyable watch a believable steam-punk 1984 post-apocolyptic original creation. I wonder if he read the books of China Mi?ville (Perdito Station and Iron Council) they would also make good movies.

This was a good film and film that was important to be made. It was structured and easy to follow. Sadly, and online interviews attest (to things being a lot worse than what made the final cut the lessons still have not been learned as in the tail end of the movie when we see Obama's action. It added new aspects that I have felt were not previously aired, the responsibility of the financial intelligentsia that manage to ratify the actions of the most horrifying main unrepentant beneficiaries who blame the politically defenestrated often ideologically like-minded regulators for failing to stop them. But also, not listed was the track records of some of the so called good guy commentators such as George (Bank of London) Soros and Christine (Society Generale Trader scandal) Lagarde who really should not throw stones. For the rest of us, we must be boggled by the amounts made by a few and outraged by the Australian Banks continue to raise rates to maintain record profit levels deemed - through the passing of time and inactivity of free marketeering Treasurers (Yes you Mr Swan) - allowed to become viewed as normal.

I was suprised, I had tipped that this would be yet another scripturally dysfunctional "Pirates" movie but it wasn't. It wasnt the lost plot that two and three was it was a stand alone effort that hooked into the genre and genus It was enjoyable on its own with good performances by the usual stars and fresh villians. There was a good amount of CGI and pyrotechnics. It was an enjoyable watch BUT not a stellar one.

Sadly, this movie in its delivery, its incorporation of solid condemning real footage, its pedigree and choice of Actors is buried Gold. It has Sean Penn in a redeeming role (i remember a quote in Tropical Thunder but refer actually to is real life Off the Rails expereiences) and a lot of good casting choices Naomi Watts (only a little Saccharin) and in other actors that enable you to IDENTIFY THE REAL BAD GUYS. It is also sad that America has a long unglorious history of being led by the nose into a wars for some questionable ideological/realist cause but often for the benefit of some agenda now resurfacing in 2012. From the Spanish American Civil War, the Gulf of Tonkin and then the false WMD reason for the Iraqi Invasion portrayed in this movie. The most poignant quote (and I hope it was really said) is by Penn's Character at the end of the film in a lecture to students. The fact is there were enough dissenting voices, enough evidence but the Coalition of the willing swallowed whatever lies it was sold. Read the reviews on IMDB follow the links to the critics, dont believe "the Man" and God Bless the Zucker Brothers may they always Fly High!

As a movie, I enjoyed it even if it had a little too much schmaltz it was good color, good sound, reasonable plot flow and a good cast. This a movie in its current interpretation of a Philip K Dick story ("The Adjustment Team"), would have been accused of being a Scientology raga had it starred Tom Cruise. But whilst I was watching it I couldn't help thinking about the Ian M Banks "Use of Weapons" book which is one of the Culture series that runs a similar genetic vein. I wonder I the makers and Ian M Banks dreamt of Electric Sheep?

Neh good idea possible but lost in the implementation Depleted Uranium IS a problem that in itself would make a good movie. Maybe a documentary or two (Pilger included) about its effects on Iraqi civillians and how US plan to us it in their new Australian Bases.

Having watched the developments in Mexico, Brazil and Argentina through excellent documentaries like this one that clearly demonstrate that the wider the distance between the well off and the really poor why are we surprised that the value of human life declines, extreme crime takes hold and society breaks down. This film is interesting for me as it parallels evangelical Christian fundamentalism with a gang faith. Put this movie against some of the Vanguard documentaries on Mexican crime and US prison gangs and you know that by ignoring the root causes and just try to treat the symptoms is to grow the problem. Top marks for sheer "docu" balls and sensitive creative editing placing the greatest personal tragedies at the end of the film.

This is a good film had good reviews travelled nicely along great on Blu Ray but for me I think the ending was either bad case of script fatigue or was handed over to the accountants. The soundtrack is quite good.

This is one of the best Blu Ray Science Fiction movies that I have seen around. The sound is vital for really conveying some sense of the Titanic forces at play in our Universe. Suspend your disbelief and enjoy this movie for what it is - an undiscovered classic. The ethical concepts played out in the plot rival some of the ones the Star Trek is often recognised for. I saw this at the movies and I think it is better on BluRay. ****Warning***, keep an ear out for the one VITAL throw away line that does not resolve itself until the final scene of the film it is a classic closure moment that if missed may leave you a bit adrift.

Robert Redford makes good looking movies where the best aspects of American nature are revealed. Naturally the mountain and river scenes are beautiful. Even on a human side both this movie AND the Horse Whisperer explore "real" persons in a created environment distilled from the truth. A good movie with a good soundtrack it gentle picks at the life of the Author and it is well worth watching "making of " documentary even if it is a little dated.

Great movie Stand by Me with a (different) twist on growing up and rites of passage. Excellent images and sound but maybe lost its nerve on the ending and the need to make a buck.

This quite simply is a great Blu Ray for Star Trek Fans with a wonderful "imagined" pre-history to the whole Trek saga. Anyone who has watched the old series and the documentary on Star Trek can see the Kirk monster replicated perfectly. It is great visually and even manages to have a good laugh about itself.

My daughter (Age 10) enjoyed this.

This is one of Clint Eastwood's best and should really be watched alongside or after Flags of Our Fathers (2006) as they are mirror movies. The opening scenes with its gently beguiling and soundtrack contrast with the later "reality" of the film. On Blu Ray it is haunting and asks us to question our viewpoint on war. It amazes me that after these two movies Eastwood directed Gran Torino I thought his pair might have been a Trilogy (and maybe it was meant to be) but he lost me on that film even though it is good for its own reasons. Watch....Enjoy...Think and never succumb to the darker side of national pride. It was also a play on the old Julius Ceasar scene where a parting is well met.

This is one movie that is lost in translation, I persisted as long as I could. It has one scene the water scene but after that it is just actors free ranging inside a loose plot...I think. Think Wim Wenders Think Jim Jarmusch Think Werner Herzog.

My daughter and I enjoyed this movie the animation was excellent BUT this I believe is another case where context and translation are letting viewers down. My daughter watches several anime series on ABC TV and the Anglicised plots as described by the translated dialogue result in some nonsense elements (Chocolates and Vampires, Chracters suddenly deciding to go for a swim etc). Translators please try harder.

I love Jean Reno movies so I was biased coming into this but as a movie it was still enjoyable. Here we have Underbelly and Chopper over in Marseille it is a romanticized version of the life story of Jacky Imbert. Yes it is subtitled, yet it is a bit too much selling the Jean Reno type-cast character. BUT BUT BUT it is still enough of a good movie to and sufficiently different from the US Hollywood crime genre to be enjoyable and entertaining. If you have 5.1 have a watch of the Good Thief where Nick Nolte does a good US job of the genre but still needs a center channel and/or subtitlleing for his particular blend of mumbling gravel-speak.

This is a movie for the eyes. Firstly it is visually very nicely done in terms of catching the era and also the technical balance of colours. Secondly, more importantly the level of communication between the characters is so expressive that the fact that you are reading subtitles and outside out of the culture perhaps not enjoying the full contextual experience. Perhaps the in film references to old black and white movies alludes to this. Historically it is a film about a terrible time in China's history and the tragic ending (hinted at but not portrayed in the film) and timed to the clock is a masterful approach well delivered. Overall enjoyable for reasons other than the publicity it got

AS your guru YOU MUST WATCH THIS MOVIE for your own spiritual salvation. If your are religous it will challenge you in a good humoured way if you are not you will laugh also. But all of you will need to think a bit more, then have a read of the God Delusion by Richard Dawkins especially the section on memes and Charter schools in the UK under Blair (also relevant to the emerging Australian school systems).

This movie is gentle and beautiful and.....lost in translation but enjoy it as it is.

This movie works. This is an enjoyable movie for its story and they way it is shot, for conveying the sense of the Vietnamese steamy tropical climate it reminds me of scent of the Green Papaya or Angel Heart (US south). For the story of the menage a trois and the loss of innocence and corruption tragedy follows. There is a good choice of main characters too! But ALSO this is the movie based on the Graham Greene book of the same name that is critical of US foreign policy involvement and a kind of loss of Geo Political innocence in Vietnam. The scenario is also playing out in Afghanistan, Libya and other middle eastern countries where an "enemy of my enemy is my friend" (....for a while) and "He's our son of a bitch". Look at Norman Mailer's Harlots Ghost also.

This is a dated movie on an interesting concept especially if you like where the the latest neurosciences are going (dude where's my hardrive!). BUT ALSO if you have a 5.1 surround system and want to take your rear speakers for a walk. ALSO if you a Cameron fan you can see the technicals coming out on this one

If you have had a chance to watch the movie "The Prestige" then perhaps you can enjoy this movie more. If you are a fan of the Mitchell and Webb series or Peep Show then this movie is also going to score well with you. Even if you are watching ABC in October 2011 and get a chance to watch Penn and Teller's you cant fool us then you may also get a laugh but unless you like any of these then you might be best to bypass this quietly funny intelligently dialogued but poorly plotted movie.

(Spoiler Alert) This is an old movie with a Timeless theme set in a Broken Down (Post World War 2) Rome that could be Iraq, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia or even Somalia. The movie is a beautifully shot capturing a city in ruins slowly rebuilding amongst crime, poverty and social disparity. Not speaking Italian you have to rely on the subtitles so, maybe, the movie misses a lot of native context and possibly the directors intentions but the sentiment of a struggling family whose brighter future is destroyed by what we now would call a petty crime but then was of life and death for both the guilty and the innocent and prevents us from judging. Dont expect great acting or stellar performances but if you can enjoy the light, the scenes, the natural honesty of the characters and it is a movie that will affect you for longer than its running time.

If you are a Blu Ray Fan with surround sound then this is a movie if not for the level of entertainment for which their is mixed bag of opinions then - at least for the following other reasons; (a). Trivia - Play spot the actor who pops up in other RC movies (Russell Crowe) eg Gladiators and Lord of the Rings (not a Crowe movie but see if you can see who is in this and those! (b). A bit of the "Ole Stirring Oratorical Crowey" Loves his Shakespearian(?) monologues, BUT MOST OF ALL! (c). SURROUND Man! This movie has it all in the back with sounds and so forth and the sea scenes are great with the extra detail of Blu Ray. A lot of people use this movie as a reference disk.

This is a movie that has aged but in light of current issues associated with Australian Rules Football - Franchises, Million Dollar Players, Crime and Drugs in Sport and GAMBLING still very current. This movie has a Great Great Opening Sequence

Much Improved on Blu Ray the Aliens movie...when I first saw them on DVD were "dark" and suffered from being "too Dark To See" but on the Blu Rays.....both visable AND Audible. Good movie watchable again and then again. But for a sure first impact the original is still the best!

A simply good film about a another deeply disturbing time when "Them" and "Us" was taken way to far. On the same issue with a sweeter approach and an equally tragic conclusion watch "Life Is Beautiful" by Roberto Benigni.

The Coffee Shop Scene, The Ball Bearing Scene (5.1), John Travolta Great, Hugh Jackman Great, Halle Berry Gnah and the secret CIA patriot angle is something to worry about in real life.

This is not a War history movie it is very real reality show that will never appear on Television with Coke Pepsi and Doritos ads. This is a movie by a man who took his career seriously and eventually that career took his life....and that should be respected. This documentary is about the effects of war on individuals fighting and those living in it. Sadly if a movie could be made of all the footage that did not make it into the "Final Cut" we the audience would be much more informed. Because of their days of fear, boredom, loss, anger, moral questions etc that these barely out of teenagers faced because of bad decisions made by comfortable politicians and profitable munitions companies. It echoes Kipling "Ours is not to wonder why Ours is to or Die". In both the poem and this film the sentiment is wrong. It continues on and in time may be part of a similar kind that Ken Burns illustrated in his series "The War" - it is conflict personalised