Thursday 27 October 2011

Films: Angels of Evil



















Angels of Evil
Reviewer: Wally
Director: Michele Placido
Released: 24th October 2011 (DVD & Blu)
Popcorns: 3/5

Angels of Evil is the biographical true story of Italy’s most notorious gangster and Milanese bank robber, Renato Vallanzasca.

The movie starts in 1981 in a maximum security prison, where Renato Vallanzasca (Kim Rossi Stuart) rules the roost. He strolls around his dirty prison cell in his pants and gets served a bowl of filthy looking rice with a cockroach crawling around in it. From scene one, we can tell this isn’t going to be a pretty looking film. Whilst beating up prison guards, we hear his voiceover saying he ‘never could stand bullies’ and because of this, his first job was freeing circus animals from their cages.

He got into crime from an early age, stealing heaters and other electrical equipment to sell on. Because of his downright thuggery, he gets sent to a juvenile detention centre, where he eventually becomes the “boss of the Comasina”, which is a district in Milan.

To read the rest of the review, head over to Flick Feast, by clicking here...

Monday 24 October 2011

Films: Santa Who?


















Santa Who?
Reviewer: Wally
Director: William Dear
Released: 24th October 2011
Popcorns: 2.5/5

Santa Claus suffers a spell of amnesia after falling to earth from his sleigh. A small child is his only hope of regaining his memory and saving Christmas.

Santa Who? begins with little Peter Albright in an orphanage writing out his Christmas letter to Santa. All he wants for Christmas is to be with a family who loves him. He finds out that his father thinks it’ll be best for Peter to stay in the orphanage forever. The letter is thrown onto the fire and magical sparkles travel up the chimney.

Cut to twenty five years later and Peter (Steven Eckholdt) is walking around town interviewing people for channel 12 news. Everyone is going absolutely nuts over their Christmas shopping and ignoring the poor guy. He just can’t get a break.

If you'd like to read the rest of this premature festive review, please click here to head over to Flick Feast...

Films: Holy Rollers


















Holy Rollers
Reviewer: Wally
Director: Kevin Asch
Released: 24th October 2011
Popcorns: 3/5

Holy Rollers is a biographical crime drama set in Brooklyn and inspired by true events. A young Orthodox Jew is enticed into the world of drug smuggling by his neighbour, who has connections with an Israeli drug lord.

Jesse Eisenberg plays Sam Gold, a young Hasidic Jew living in a Jewish community in Brooklyn with his family. He works in his father’s dress making shop and has his whole life planned out for him. He will be married off to a girl he’s hardly ever talked to and is set to become a Rabbi.

Sam has grown up in a stereotypical, poor New York Jewish family, with lots of ‘shaloms’ and ‘chutzpahs’ and they are in the process of celebrating Hanukah. Eisenberg plays Sam in a very recognisable format, giving him a socially awkward charm, with a head for business (sound familiar?). It’s definitely not a far stretch from his characters in Zombieland, The Social Network and Adventureland, in the way he portrays Sam.

If you want to read the rest of this review, please click here to head over to Flick Feast...

Saturday 22 October 2011

News: The Bunny Game BBFC Ban











I’m sorry, have I been transported back to the 80s? The BBFC are at it again and have banned another movie.  This time it’s The Bunny Game and the trailer can be viewed here if you are curious.  I must warn that even the trailer is a little explicit and contains mucho nudity, so tread carefully.
The basic premise, as described on IMDB is, ‘A prostitute looking for her next meal hitches a ride with a trucker that leaves her praying for her next breath.’ 
Starring Rodleen Getsic, Norwood Fisher and Gregg Gilmore, The Bunny Game looks like it has taken ‘torture porn’ to the next level and beyond.
This is director Adam Rehmeier’s first feature length movie and it’s already shrouded in controversy.  I’m sure he couldn’t have wished for any more publicity.

The BBFC put out a statement saying: “The principal focus of The Bunny Game is the unremitting sexual and physical abuse of a helpless woman, as well as the sadistic and sexual pleasure the man derives from this.”
Rehmeier counteracted with: "Rodleen and I didn't make 'The Bunny Game' to glamorise prostitution. It is far from an erotic film. It is a modern cautionary tale grounded in reality."

What with Human Centipede 2 being initially banned and then released with cuts, there seems to be a bit of a hark back to the 80s going on and a new wave in video nasties.
The BBFC director, David Cooke added his comments too, “It is the Board’s carefully considered view that to issue a certificate to this work, even if confined to adults, would be inconsistent with the Board’s Guidelines, would risk potential harm within the terms of the Video Recordings Act, and would accordingly be unacceptable to the public.”
So, even with cuts, this may not get a release at all. The film really doesn’t look good in any way, but the banning of it will just make people want to get hold of it more to see what the deal is.  People will still get their hands on it, whether it’s banned or not.

Sunday 16 October 2011

Films: Last Night


















Last Night
Reviewer: Wally
Director: Massy Tadjedin
Released: 17th October 2011
Popcorns: 3.5/5

Last Night follows a married couple and the events of a single night apart. Michael, the husband, is on a business trip to Philadelphia with a colleague who he finds incredibly attractive. Joanna, his wife, encounters her ex-lover and they both have to fight with temptation for one night.

This is the directorial debut of writer Massy Tadjedin and a great one at that. Tadjedin is best known for writing the screenplays for The Jacket and Leo and has finally decided to take a shot at directing one of her stories. Starring Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes and Guillaume Canet, it has a top level cast, so it’s a wonder why this romantic drama only got a limited cinema release back in June.

To check out the rest of the review, please click here...

Thursday 13 October 2011

Films: Everything Must Go


















Everything Must Go
Reviewer: Wally
Director: Dan Rush
Released: 14th October 2011
Popcorns: 3/5

When an alcoholic relapses, causing him to lose his wife and his job, he holds a yard sale on his front lawn in an attempt to start over. A new neighbor might be the key to his return to form. 

Everything must go was written and directed by Dan Rush, adapted from Raymond Carver’s short story ‘Why Don’t You Dance?’ It's Rush’s first shot at directing a feature and it’s impressive that he’s secured such a high profile Hollywood star in Ferrell. It’s a deliberately paced movie and a pleasant change from the star's zanier outings. It is certainly no Anchor Man, Elf or Step Brothers and even though it’s marketed as a drama/comedy, there aren’t many laughs. It also stars Rebecca Hall as the concerned pregnant neighbour and Christopher CJ Wallace (Notorious B.I.G’s son) as the kid who helps him get his life back on track.

To read the rest of the review, over at Lost in the Multiplex, click here...

Films: Real Steel

 
















Real Steel
Reviewer: Wally
Director: Shawn Levy
Released: 14th October 2011
Popcorns: 4/5

Set in the near future, where robot boxing is a top sport, a struggling promoter feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father. 

Real Steel is Dreamworks’ latest outing and I'll start off by saying that my expectations were low.  Imagine my surprise when it actually turned out to be a pretty decent movie.
The premise is generic. Set in the not too distant future, Charlie Kenton (Jackman) is a washed up boxer, now specialising in the world of Robot Boxing. He discovers that his ex-partner has passed away and left behind his estranged 11 year old son, Max (Goyo). Charlie and Max team up for a few weeks before full custody is handed over to his aunt, and they discover an old sparring robot in the scrap yard. Max believes it could be a champion.

To read the rest of the review, over at Lost in the Multiplex, click here...