watch tHe skies

So this weekend I caught the big-budget remake of The Poseidon Adventure. Starring Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas and Richard Dreyfuss, this $160m re-imagining of the original book tells the story of uber-plush cruise liner Poseidon that is flipped upside-down by a rogue wave.

A small group of survivors, lead by ex-navy man Josh Lucas, and ex-fireman and NY governor Kurt Russell, attempt to climb to safety by ascending to the bowels of the ship to find a way out, leaving the rest of the surviving passengers and crew to wait patiently beside large glass windows for rescue.

This was a bit of a strange movie. At times it was absolutely compelling, such as when they are trying to cross a lift shaft below a damaged lift hanging by a thread, at other times it was just daft, such as Josh Lucas diving 40ft in to flaming water and surviving without a scratch. However the movie managed to keep me interested until nearly the final moments of the film, when I think that the screenwriter just gave up, wrote a conveniently happy ending and went home. (more…)

I love it when movies come out early in the US and are out on DVD before they are shown theatrically in the UK, as it means I don’t have to ask Jen’s mum to look after Ben so that we can go to the cinema - we can just get the DVD and watch in the comfort of our home and look smug because we’ve seen it before all of our friends.

The Sentinel, starring Michael Douglas, Keifer Sutherland and Eva Longoria, is such a movie. We fancied this one as it looked a lot like 24: The Movie, and it had the added eye candy of Eva Longoria along for the ride. Pete Garrison (Douglas) is a veteran Secret Service agent who took one in the gut protecting Ronald Reagan many moons ago. Still employed in protecting presidents, his world is rocked when he appears to be being blackmailed by someone aware that he is, in fact, seeing to the First Lady (Kim Basinger). And if that wasn’t enough, he uncovers a plot to assassinate the President, not only putting him in the frame as a suspect, but the case is investigated by his ex-best friend Breckinridge (Sutherland), who believes Garrison to be the cause of the breakup of his marriage. (more…)

Yet another Snakes on a Plane post, but check out http://snakesonaplane.varitalk.com/ and send a personalised message to your friends from the leg end himself, Samuel “I will lay my vengeance upon thee” L. Jackson. Pity it’s a US site because it lets you send phone messages as well as email…

You should also check out http://www.snakesonaplane.co.uk/ if you have the time (parental caution advised)…

Saw an advert last night for Samuel L. Jackson’s “Snakes On A Plane”. It is clear from the trailer that the title of this movie “does exactly what it says on the tin”, as the Ronseal adverts say. That is, the title is no clever metaphor for the theme of the movie - it really is about snakes on a plane. This has the advantage for a thriller that the potential customer can immediately visualise the concept and decide then and there whether the images that they conjure up appeal to them or not.

So it made me wonder what other movie titles could benefit from the Ronseal treatment…. (more…)

A military manoeuver left Ben with Granny this afternoon, freeing Jenny and I to head over to the flix to see Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns. Twenty or so years since we last saw the Man of Steel on the silver screen, unknown Brandon Routh steps up to fill Christopher Reeve’s considerable red boots.

Set after Superman II, and sensibly ignoring the risible Superman III and Superman IV, we seen Kal-El return to Earth after five years’ visiting the remains of Krypton. In the meantime, the world has moved on, and Superman is a distant memory, even in the mind of Lois Lane, who now has a child and a partner (James Marsden). In the meantime, Lex Luthor, menacingly played by Kevin Spacey, has gotten out of prison and is busy scheming world domination, using Krypton technology.

It was a tough thing to do, to reinvigorate a franchise with so much baggage - a legendary original movie, the one that effectively created the superhero movie genre, a legendary on screen character, in Christopher Reeve’s Superman, and a franchise crushed by two poor sequels. So Singer’s vision carefully works on the memorable imagery from the original film; the chemistry between Superman and Lois, whilst portraying Superman as a vulnerable person who, despite his incredible powers, cannot find respite from the feeling of isolation and loneliness from being the only one of his kind. This theme is mirrored in Lex Luthor’s evil scheming to recreate Krypton on earth, killing millions in the process, and making plenty of bucks in the process. Yet Superman is so distracted by the fact that the love of his life has moved on, that all clues pointing to another dastardly scheme from chrome-dome are completely missed, as he mopes about a bit, catching criminals.

It’s a bit of an odd movie. It’s quite long and a lot of the running time is attributed to talking. The set pieces, when they occur, are pretty awesome. The reintroduction of Superman, during which he rescues a space shuttle and 777 from certain death, is mindblowing - exciting, scary, and pure Superman, the way we remember him, all accompanied by John Williams’ awe-inspiring score. Then there is Supes and Lois’ abridged flight above Metropolis, a little nod to the original movie, that is just lovely to see as a fan of the original.

Overall it is a fun movie for fans of the original film. I’m not sure that it will bring a whole new audience to the character, it is a little oddly paced and the script lacks a little punch, I have a couple of gripes about it, mainly that it falls flat after the resolution of the main threat, Lois fails to react to a very odd situation in any way sensible, and the Lex Luthor situation is left way too open, even if they are planning for a sequel. Overall, it could have been a little shorter, a little less loving of the original movie, and had a little more action in it. Routh is great as Superman, bringing warmth and strength to him whilst retaining much of Reeve’s portrayal. Kate Bosworth does a decent enough job as Lois Lane, but she doesn’t really compare to Margot Kidder’s ballsy version in the original movies. Kevin Spacey’s Luthor is similar to Gene Hackman’s but with more menace.

As I said, reviving the franchise was a tough challenge, and as such, Superman Returns does well. It won’t blow your mind, but it will probably remind you why most people love the character, and it wipes any bad tastes from Supermans III and IV. Let’s not wait so long for the next chapter, maybe Superman v Batman?

Well we got around to catching the Pirates of the Caribbean sequel at the weekend. Going to the cinema is a lot of a deal with a little baby, we used to go at a whim, but now everything must be planned like a military manoeuver. Take baby to Granny between feeds, express enough milk to cover estimated absence (3 hours), take all toys and prams and nappies and equipment. And then after all that, remember to actually go to the cinema to watch the film.

So we did in fact arrive in time to watch the film, and once I had persuaded Jenny that the phone would work in the cinema on silent, allaying fears that her Mum wouldn’t be able to contact us in the event of an emergency, we actually got a chance to enjoy the film.

And enjoy it we did, two and a half hours of pirate fun in the vein of the first movie. Sure, there is a lot of plot (after all this is part 1 of a 2 part movie, with the third installment, At World’s End, coming next summer), and it wouldn really help if you have recently watched the first movie before you go to see this one, but it is an absolute blast. (more…)

Caught Ant & Dec’s foray in to movie making with Alien Autopsy. Based on the story of Ray Santilli, it is the story of Ray and Gary (Ant and Dec), who, having bought genuine footage of the Roswell autopsy, find that the reel has degraded by the time they return to England. Driven by the need to satisfy their investor, they resort to “remaking” the footage, and end up making a fortune from TV stations all over the world.

It’s an entertaining enough story, with a gentle British humour running throughout. However, it does suffer a little from sticking to the apparent story instead of giving it the beginning, middle and end that movies require. For example, a major character, who potentially causes a big problem for our heroes, is conveniently bumped off. Now, maybe this is true, but it doesn’t make for a good movie, does it?

Also, it assumes to some level that viewers remember the hoax. I don’t really, maybe vaguely, but it was a long time ago. Finally it tries to be a little too clever with the discussions with the film-maker, trying to link it to the film itself, if you know what I mean.

All of the main actors do well, and it is fun when they are mocking up the movie, but after that it seems unsure of which way to go, and moves from a comedy to a straight story with few laughs, drama or tension. Therefore we sit and wait out the end titles, when we see the real Ray and Gary, who tell us how clever they are. Thanks guys, that cements my opinion that you are the only people who think about how clever you are.

All in all, an ok film that has promise but fails to deliver. Hire it to see Ant and Dec, but you will be upset if you invest in your own copy.

You would never guess that I’m stuck in a hotel tonight, given my blog posts. Thank the lord for wireless LAN in hotels, it seems that even Bristol has finally joined this millennium.

Whilst watching the footie, I’m browsing the trailers on the apple site, and I came across Who Killed The Electric Car? A documentary investigating the conspiracy behind the failure of the electric car. Is it slow? Is it uneconomical? Well by the looks of the trailer, it is the saviour of the environment (maybe).

But for the oil companies and the motor industry we would all be driving Sinclair C5s (again, maybe), but this documentary looks like it has some explosive statements to make, so I hope that it is both interesting and as successful at making changes as Supersize Me.

Checkout the website for more information.

Whilst X-Men 3 conquered the box office in the US with an astounding $44 in one day, I sat down to catch the movie myself. This is a logistical challenge with a 2 week old baby, the details of which I won’t go in to, but believe me when I say getting to the cinema whilst keeping the family happy was interesting.

Still, I finally caught it this afternoon, in a completely full theatre. Any good? Bloody great mate. It’s much faster paced than the previous two, but manages to balance a lot of plot with a tonne of action and a basket full of plot twists that I didn’t see coming at all. Special effects are excellent throughout, on top of great performances across the cast.

If I had to complain about anything I would say that I suspect that Brett Ratner was a little over-enthusiastic in the cutting room at times, whilst leaving in a couple of redundant characters or sub-plots, in particular Angel, who seemed to serve no purpose at all to the film overall. He is also the basis for an annoying continuity error - the X-Mansion is in New York, right? How does Angel get from NY to San Francisco in the same time as the X-Jet?

Anyway grumbles aside this is a great addition to the series and if it ends there, then an excellent conclusion to what must be the best superhero trilogy until Spiderman 3 arrives in 2007. I do hope that we see an extended cut on DVD just because I feel that a slightly slower paced movie would do the characters a little more justice and fit with the previous movies.

All in all, get yourself to see it, if you liked the first two you will love it, if you haven’t seen the first two then sort it ahht!

Well it has happened at last.

The most eagerly awaited DVD release of a cinematic flop in history; Blade Runner, the ultimate cult sci-fi movie has a past so troubled it could have a movie made about it, particularly with the finale in sight.

Filmed in 1982, directed by Ridley Scott, starring Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer, and based upon the Philip L. Dick novel Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, the movie had problems before cinematic release. The movie has a troubled history. When Scott ran over budget, completion bond guarantors took control of it and made substantial changes before its 1982 theatrical release, adding a voice-over and a happy ending. That version was replaced by the much better-received director’s cut in 1992, but Scott has long been unhappy with it, complaining that he was rushed and unable to give it proper attention.

Although the movie bombed at the box office, it has a devoted fan base and sells big on every format that it is released on. All that has been available on DVD is the 1992 director’s cut with 2.0 sound, yet now, finally, it looks like there is an end in sight.

Warner have been planning a special edition release for some time, with Ridley Scott having admitted preparing a real director’s cut, restoring the movie to his ultimate vision, yet when Warner realised that their rights to the movie were due to expire, it was shelved last year. Now, with rights reacquired, the movie is being released as a remastered 1992 director’s cut 2 disk later in the year, for a limited 4 month release.

That’s not the good news, though, for in 2007 we will see Ridley Scott’s brand new Final Cut, released theatrically and followed with an ultimate DVD release along the lines of the recent Alien Quadrilogy release. Allegedly containing three to four versions of the movie, and brimming full of deleted scenes, commentaries and documentaries, this movie is finally getting the attention it deserves. However I’m not getting too excited until the movie is actually in my possession…

Check out wikipedia or BRZone for more information on the movie.