A Good Day To Die Hard

When the tag line reads: "Like Father, Like Son, Like Hell" you immediately know this film is going to dreadful and somewhat awesome at the same time. Sadly for me it was just mostly mediocre and dissatisfying.

What was most frustrating thing about the film was the lack of effort. Despite being a Die Hard film there is very little "full on action", there is just loads of shooting and things just mostly crash and/or explode. There is neither any grittiness or grandeur to the whole affair.

It goes without saying that this film is a no-brainer but the whole thing is just massive face-palm. The plot is thread bare at best and the dialogue is diabolically bad. You don't want forced and painful bonding in a Die Hard film, especially when it is self depreciating. Throwing it in people's faces that you are making people cringe just adds insult to injury.

The whole sentiment is probably all summed up by a piss poor attempt to sexualise the film with the introduction of Yuliya Snigir's character. I have to say that she is probably one of the worst actresses I have seen in a long time, stick to the modelling...

Long story short, passable film if you enjoy Die Hard and you are literally paying no money to watch it... Otherwise just wait until you come across it on TV and there is nothing better to do >.<

Safe House

An action film that is somewhat entertaining but very quickly forgettable, Safe House is definitely something you don't want to pay a lot to watch.

The basic premise is interesting enough, Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds) is a frustrated "house keeper" for a CIA Safe House in South Africa. One day, one of the world's most wanted criminals, Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) ends up in Matt's custody and from here the dynamic between the two is explored.

Initially things were intriguing and I enjoyed the gritty realism, nothing was necessarily over the top or entirely implausible. However this quickly evaporated into boredom and was exacerbated by the fact that the dialog was at times completely inaudible. The story itself soon got a bit predictable and personalities fell into one-dimensional sterotypes.

Without adding too much more, the Metacritic score speaks for itself. I'm glad we watched it on an Orange Wednesday but I would strongly advise others to wait for the DVD...

The Three Musketeers (2011)

Back in October 2011 I went to see The Three Musketeers and I was pleasantly surprised by it actually!

Initial reviews I read pretty much seem to slate the film, so I didn't have very high expectations. This probably helped though as I could happily suspend disbelief and just enjoy the film.

Lighthearted and full of action, the film is fun and entertaining. The story isn't too bad and there is some charm in the film. The acting is fairly terrible at times though, Orlando Bloom makes for an annoying bad guy >.<

I didn't see the 3D version but it was shot in 3D, as opposed to layered in post-production, so I suspect the effects will be good. However I doubt it is worth the extra money and even with Orange Wednesdays I felt I was paying a bit much!

Overall, a good movie to get on DVD or to see with some friends. Expect lots of sword fighting, explosions, craziness and laughs!

Captain America - The First Avenger

The last film in the pre-Avengers series, Captain America is an entertaining film which good but not great. Although far from ground-breaking, there is enjoyment to be had and the film does well to prepare the ground for the Avengers.

Breaking the trend set by so many action films nowadays, Captain America actually has an interesting character story at the heart of it. Whilst the special effects and action is done well, it is not the entire focus of the film. Chris Evans does a great job as the eponymous hero but some could argue that his character is boring and unchanging, just the cliched good guy.

However I enjoyed the juxtaposition of his unchanging kind, naive nature to his rapid physical development. Gaining superpowers changes may change what we are but not necessarily who we are. The rest of the cast does a mighty fine job as well with Hugo Weaving doing a brilliant psychotic evil Nazi and Tommy Lee Jones providing some quality one liners.

One of my favourite aspects of the film was the setting of the world during the Second World War. Seeing an America full of classical cars and Tommy guns gives a beautiful feeling of nostalgia. Not having subliminal adverts for the latest gadgets and cars in the film really helps the immersion into the film. Although a matter of personal preference, it adds to the experience and enjoyability.

With an excellent story, solid characters and vivid backdrop of the 1940s, this film is an enjoyable portrayal of the typical all American hero. If you are a fan of Marvel films that this is a must see and I would highly recommend this to any fan of the superhero genre.

The Spirit - Scarlett Johansson

Browsing through Old Dominion and I came across the picture below...

Terrible film but awesome poster, I photoshopped the colour back in... all by myself! XD

The original post is here for all those interested.