Firewall

 

"You just lost twenty million. Now you know what it feels like to lose what you love."

Firewall is about a Banker (Harrison Ford) whose family is held hostage by thieves who force Ford into stealing the banks number in which he created the system. 

The film isn't one of Harrison's best but it is a good film. It is the usual hostage movie so the plot is unoriginal. however, the performances are done well & i really enjoyed the movie. 

I found it deeply unsettling the way the robbers were treating the family but Harrison eventually gets revenge at the end of the film. His acting is done well, i mean, it's Harrison Ford, one of the best. The other cast members did a convincing job, expecially Paul Bettany, who i thought was really good performing as a true criminal. 

The ending was unexpected as i thought it would end with Paul Bettany's chgaracter gettinf caught by police. Several deaths occur & plenty of fight scenes & violence make this film more for adults. It got a 12 here in the UK but i think is was a bit rough to be a 12. Either way, i wouldn't reccomend for kids as they find it distressing to watch or may get bored as this is a really complex fim. 

In Conclusion. Harrison Ford gives a satisfactory performance as well as Bettany. The film is a good thriller & definately something to watch for an adrenaline rush.

★★★☆☆

War Horse

 

"Please sir. He's my horse."

Watching War Horse was a fantastic experience. The movie looked great & was presented as an epic film all about a horse. 

The film, based on the Michael Morpurgo book, is about a horse raised on a farm sold for use in World War 1 and goes on a journey of new land, owners & experiences, all to reunite with the young biy who raised him on the english farm. 

The horse looked beautiful on screen and did a splendid job. Fascinating creature. The acting was done well, if a little exaggerated. The scenery looked fantastic, both the farmland and the warzone. Steven Spielberg did a fantastc directing job. It isn't his best but I would rank it up alongside E.T. & Duel. 

The story is an emotional drama all the way and it really connects the audience with the poeple & the horse. I'll admit I got a little emotional when the horse reunites with its owner. Not often does that happen & it further shows how powerful this movie is. 

There are some great sequences as this is also a war film. The scene of No Man's Land remindeed me of the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. The scene of the horse running through NML was also an awesome sight. also when an English soldier & German soldier worked together to rescue the horse from barbed-wire wasreally powerful as two enemies put their differences aside in the midst of a war. 

War Horse is a really powerful & moving film which is a pleasure to watch. Not only does Spielberg manage to surpass himself in creating a fantastic movie about a horse but I'm further surprised that Spielberg wasn't nominated the Oscar for Best Director. This is one of the best films I've ever seen for its epicness, great scenery, score, scenes & of course, the horse!

★★★★☆

The Next Three Days

"No prison in the world is airtight."

The Next Three Days is a slow building thriller about college teacher Russell Crowe planning out an escape plan to break his wife out of prison after she was arrested for a murder Crowe believes she has been wrongfully accused for. 

At first viewing, i thought the film was satisfactory but i watched it again recently and on second veiwing, i enjoyed it more. That usually happens, i enjoy movies when i watch it a second time. 

Paul Haggis, director of Academy Award winning Crash, does a good job conveying the life Crowe's character goes through planning a way to take his wife to a new life. He manages to make this film very grim, very dull as though Crowe's has virtually no chance of 'saving' his wife and resuming normal life with their young son. 

Russell Crowe, my favourite actor, does a commendable job. Not his best performance but at least he keeps you locked into the film to see what he does to ensure he can live his life with the people he loves together. Elizabeth Banks plays the wife, who suffers from the fact that she will never see her son grow up. Banks plays distressed and emotional wreck very well in her character. The chemistry between Crowe & Banks conveys the relationship the two have. 

Another important character is Liam Neeson's character, an escapee who Crowe interrogates to learn how to carry out his escape plan. I loved the one scene between the two, it was done very well and Neeson did a great cameo performance. 

As i previously described, the story starts slow and i think it moves at a good pace so it doesn't overload the veiwers with too much. We are constantly reminded about Crowe's devotion to rescuing his wife from injustice. After finalising the plan, Crowe carries out with interesting techniques and dangerous intentions, going where he would never have thought he would go, just to save his wife. 

Because of the story & what's at stake, the emotions are running high within the characters. Crowe takes dangerous risks with severe consequences to save his wife as does Banks who goes through aperiod of whether wanting to live or die. 

The final 40 minutes is what makes this film enjoyable, which is when Crowe finally carries out his escape plan. It is a thrilling, rivetting, fast paced chase at the end, escaping prison and escaping the authoroties, which I really enjoyed. One of the best on-foot chase scenes. 

More thrilling and more emotional than you think, The Next Three Days features good performances, a tense story with a rivetting conclusion, this is one film any Russell Crowe fan needs to see.

★★★★☆

Ned Kelly

 

"I don't know why I took his watch. It was somethin' to do with his not needin' it."

The story of Ned Kelly, the famous outlaw, is a powerful, emotional, thrilling tale about about a man who after being forming a gang and commiting robberies, which leads to three cops murdred, becomes an outlaw and become one of Australia's notable figures in history. 

Heath Ledger portrays Ned Kelly and i think he's really good. Orlando Bloom, Naomi Watts & Geoffrey Rush are also very good in their roles. The depth of Ned Kelly's life i've heard isn't enough to truely capture who the man really was but i felt this film did a satisfactory job. 

The story for me was done well and ipaced well enough for me to keep myself immersed in the film. There is great drama & action and it is all blended well together. 

I particulary found the final shoot-out very realistically shot & edited & very enjoyable. 

I'm not familiar with Ned Kelly's story but after watching this film, i can say that it is interesting and definately a great watch, even though more detail would have been welcomed. 

This is one of the few films that i really enjoyed thouroughly which i had low expectations for. It's a film which although isn't quite the epic masterpiece we were hoping for, it is still a compelling tale about the life of an outlaw which I would watch again.

★★★☆☆

Lakeview Terrace

 

" I am the police! You *have* to do what I say!"

Lakeview Terrace is the story of an inter-racial couple who move into a great place in Los Angeles. As they try to adapt a new life, they are met by their next door neighbour (Samuel L. Jackson) who welcomes them. But in the days that follow, the couple grow suspicious of Jackson's behaviour to point where they are terrorised by Jackson who is revealed to be a police cop. 

This is an interesting story. I really enjoyed it for the tension growing between the neighbours who started as friends but by the end of the film, they are at each other's throats. The slow build-up is done really well to the point where the final scene is riveting. There are very tense moments, especially when wondering what Samuel L. Jackson is up to next and what situations have happened and whether he is helping the couple or not. 

Samuel L. Jackson is really good in his role. His character is an aging police man who is being forced into retirement. Jacksons character is awesome to watch as he has a presence that he is good & bad in one package. He is funny and creepy and conveys those feelings extremely well. 

Although I cant say much about this film as it doesn?t have the feeling of a big movie, Lakeview Terrace is still a thrilling, action-packed suspense film which shows one of the best performances of Samuel L. Jackson''s career. 

Definitely one to check out.

★★★★☆

The Big Lebowski

"That Rug really tied the room together" 

One of the greatest, funniest and outrageous comedies of all time, The Big Lebowski delivers the comedy, the crime and the drama in this masterpiece from the Coen Brothers. 

Jeff Lebowski aka The Dude (Jeff Bridges) isn't happy about a Chinaman peeing on his rug after a misunderstanding and in trying to solve his problems, gets wound up in a hostage situation with another Jeff Lebowski. Told to rescue Lebowski's wife from Nihilists, Dude has his buddies Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) and Donny (Steve Buscemi) to help him out. 

The first striking image is of Jeff Bridges' legendary character of The Dude, bowler and White Russian drinker concerned about his soiled rug. It's a role in which he fits right into and Jeff Bridges excels his comedic talents in a great role. However, the show-stealer is John Goodman's Vietnam veteran, Jewish bowling partner Walter Sobchak, definitely one of the greatest comedy characters ever! Every quote is memorable and every scene involving him is an instant side-splitter. It is the role John Goodman will forever be remembered for. Steve Buscemi plays Donny, another bowling partner who is constantly told to shut up and John Turturro plays Quintana Jesus in a short but memorable role. The other cast members a pretty good too. 

As is usual with anything the Coen Brothers do, the story is written very well and delivers a lot of unexpected developments. There are several dream sequences that are done really well. The visuals are great and each dream is different and memorable and funny. The dialogue is memorable a hilarious and definitely makes this one of the most quotable films ever. 

Definitely one of my favourite films with incredibly funny and featuring awesome characters, The Big Lebowski deliver hilarious lines, awesome visuals and a great story.

★★★★★

The Dark Knight

"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

True words for one of the many great characters in this, arguably the best superhero movie ever. Christopher Nolan surpasses his brilliant reimagining of the Batman legacy. Batman is now a force in Gotham City, striking fear in the hearts of all criminals, resulting in a drastic drop in crime. That is until a familiar villain begins a campaign of chaos. 

Christian Bale returns as Batman, once again a strong performance. The regular crew of Gary Oldman, Michael Caine & Morgan Freeman are all great too. Maggie Gyllenhaal replaces Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes and performs well. Aaron Eckhart's interpretation of Two-Face is definitely the best. Gone are the memories of Tommy Lee Jones' poor man's Joker impression from Batman Forever and in comes a dark, vengeful psychopath. Eckhart delivers powerful emotion and is gripping throughout the final act. 

But all acting praise goes to Heath Ledger for his masterful portrayal of the Joker. Ledger brings a new layer of creepiness to the famed Batman villain character. With no goal in life but to cause chaos, Joker in this film is scary but you can't take your eyes off him. He commands all the attention and deservedly so. Every mannerism and movement he does looks all so natural to him. A richly deserved Oscar winning role, Ledger's performance is definitely the highlight of the film. 

The story is really enthralling, thanks to the solid script and excellent acting. The music by Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard is incredible. Every piece of music fits perfectly into every scene it is used in, enhancing the drama, the action, the perils and the characters. The action sequences are shot beautifully and look amazing. I'm pretty sure they would look fantastic on an IMAX screen, as the DVD I own contain several IMAX scenes, including the brilliant car chase. 

Darker, more action-packed and entirely gripping, The Dark Knight is the definitive Batman film for any and all fans of the Caped Crusader.

★★★★★

Batman Begins

"It's Not Who I Am Underneath. It's What I Do That Defines Me."

Tim Burton directed the first major Batman movie in 1989. It was a great film with it's dark gothic tone, energetic villain and interesting hero. As the years passed, the Batman films degraded into a brightly coloured, slapstick, comedic style franchise geared for young audiences. Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin died a horrible death at the box office and no new Bat-films were released. For years, reboots ideas were being tossed around until Christopher Nolan decided to tackle the project. And what we got is a fantastic beginning of a terrific superhero trilogy, arguably the best. 

Nolan created a more realistic world, a new Gotham City which anybody can immerse themselves into the characters are more realistic than their comic book counterparts and there is none of the silliness of the Schumacher films. It retains a dark mood like Burton's films but doesn't go into gothic territory and it doesn't delve into the campy style of the 60's Batman. This is the dream film franchise every Bat-fan demanded. 

The first film, Batman Begins, starts the franchise reboot very well. It gives us a different look at the already established characters of the comics but changes their personality for the realistic world and we get more in-depth characters. 

The story looks at Bruce Wayne from youth dealing with his fear of bats and witnessing the death of his parents to his travels to the Himalayas training to become a fighter to rid Gotham of criminals. The story is very well paced and delves deep into the character of Bruce Wayne. I like the elements of crime films added with the presence of Gotham criminal kingpin Carmine Falcone. As for superhero fiction, there are elements at the end of the film which make it a true superhero film and transitions from origin to crime to superhero genre very smoothly. 

Bruce Wayne is played by Christian Bale, and in my opinion the best actor to portray Bruce/Batman. He plays a troubled young man seen at the beginning of the film very well and we sympathise with his choices of avenging his dead parents to his search to fight the means of injustice. Bale looks very comfortable playing he grown up Bruce Wayne and commands a terrifying presence as Batman, even if his voice is criticized for being too gravely The supporting cast is tremendous. Michael Caine is a good Alfred, although I wish he grew a moustache for the role. In previous Bat-films, Commissioner Gordon doesn't really have a large role. He is usually just in the background barking orders. However, Gary Oldman's presence adds incredible depth to the character and we have a connection with him because of Oldman's star power and the value of Jim Gordon to Batman in the comics. This film really brings us a proper Commissioner Gordon. Katie Holmes, Morgan Freeman & Tom Wilkinson all play pivotal roles and are all relevant to the story. 

I like the choice of villains, The Scarecrow and Ra's Al Ghul, played respectively by Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson. They have never been portrayed on film and aren't as well known as Joker, Mr. Freeze and Riddler. Murphy & Neeson play their roles very well. There roles in the story make it more compelling since it was Al Ghul who trained Batman and adds a Student Vs Teacher battle at the end of the film. Although we mostly saw the man behind the Scarecrow mask Jonathan Crane then his villain alter ego, but the character is set up very well and raises hopes that Scarecrow would have a larger role in a future film. How disappointed Scarecrow fans would be when The Dark Knight did come out, 

Adding the realism of the movies, Nolan doesn't include a lot of CGI. Although scenery like in the Himalayas is CGI, Nolan doesn't depend a lot on CGI which adds more credibility to the film. I enjoy films more when it uses CGI only when needed and Nolan definitely used the special effects where applied. 

In conclusion, Batman Begins is the beginning of one of the greatest trilogies in history. The characters are incredibly detailed and have a lot of depth, the origin story is splendid and the plot is very well constructed, despite some minor complaints, such as the reason for the diabolical plan which isn't explained very well. The realistic Gotham environment has hints of Burton's scenery of his first Batman film. With none of the silliness from Joel Schumacher's films and not going to gothic like Tim Burton, Christhopher Nolan gives us a different and realistic world of Batman we fans needed.

★★★★★

The Avengers

"Superheroes? In New York? Give me a break!"

Not since The Dark Knight have I enjoyed watching a superhero movie which blew away every single comic book film by miles. What can I say about The Avengers that hasn't been said already? Well, let me tell you why I think its the best Marvel film ever, best comic book film ever and the best movie of 2012 thus far. 

The story of the Avengers has been set up very well by five previous Marvel films; Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor & Captain America: The First Avenger. They all tie in together with hints to each other and all comes together in this epic film. 

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) comes to earth via the Terrasect, and plans to rule earth by unleashing the Chitauri army provided by a being known as The Other. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and his S.H.I.E.L.D. organisation plan to bring together remarkable people to form a group to save the earth from Loki's army. 

Most the main cast from the 5 previous films return; Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Nick Fury, Loki, Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), Eric Salvig (Stellen Skarsgard), JARVIS (Paul Bettany) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) return and are all their same classic characters from their individual films. Downey Jr. is a stand-out. 

Joss Whedon directs the film and does a really great job. Intriguing camera angles adds realism to the film and makes it more enjoyable as every scene has something to grab your attention. Joss Whedon knows his comic books and I love all the Marvel Universe elements he added like the Heli-Carrier & some comic book scenes made into the movie. Hope he directs the sequel. 

One notable change in cast is Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk, who definitely gives the best performance of any Banner/Hulk featured on screen. The Hulk, unlike his previous two films, really feels like a second person connected to Bruce Banner & Ruffalo does an excellent portrayal acknowledging that the Hulk is a terrible alter-ego. The Hulk was a definite highlight of the film. He smashes the way only the Hulk can and is a instant favourite to watch once unleashed. Really funny & menacing, I can't wait to see Ruffalo return in future films as Banner/Hulk. 

Another highlight character is Tom Hiddleston as Loki, who does a better performance than in Thor. Taking things to the extreme, with his tricks and evil demeanour, I feel Loki is established one of the greatest superhero villains ever in cinema. A special mention to Clark Gregg for his portrayal of Phil Coulson, who has a larger role than previous appearances. Really funny and a great character overall, Coulson unfortunately will be missed. 

Every superhero film needs action and The Avengers delivers plenty of it. Very creative and packed with lots of fighting & destruction, some of the best action I've ever seen. The battle in Germany is quite enjoyable and some fighting between the heroes is interesting. But the main event is the final alien invasion battle which comprises a large bulk of the final act. Very long & action packed every second, one of the greatest cinematic battles & finales I've ever seen. 

I should mention one of my favourite moments, which actually talks place during the credits. After the first portion of the credits finishes, an extra scene occurs where Loki's supplier The Other warns his master that The Avengers are deadly if taken on. His master turns and grins at the camera. I won't spoil it for those wanting find out on a future Marvel film but I can't wait to see this character unleash his fury on the Avengers. 

I better discuss the negative points but there aren't that much, if any at all. I would've like to have seen Captain America fit into 21st America but there are some deleted scenes with some moments & no doubt Captain America 2 will deal with it more but I'm not complaining. 

Another thing I would've liked where more of the original Avenger members making appearances like The Wasp, Ant-Man and possibly Ms Marvel, Wolverine & Spider-Man. But for legal reasons in the case of Spider-Man and Wolverine, we can't and probably won't in the future film. 

In conclusion, I love this movie, instantly in my Top 10 films! The acting, the action, the story, the humour, the directing, everything is done really well. Setting the bar very high for Avengers 2 and future Marvel films, this is the perfect cinematic portrayal of superheroes & comic books.

Fantastic characters, action and story, The Avengers in my opinion is the greatest comic book film ever produced.

★★★★★

Master And Commander: The Far Side of the World

"For England, for home, and for the prize!"

One of my favouroite movie of all time. It changes alot but after watching this recently again, i have to say this is one best movie ever made in my opinion. It won 2 Academy Awards (Best Sound Editing & Best Cinematography) 

The story is about a ship commanded by Russell Crowe & after his ship gets attack, he goes out to seek that ship & attack back. Simple plot but the performances, sequences & over-all quality of action makes this a great movie. 

Firstly, this movie has Russell Crowe, movie legend, Oscar winning Australian actor. He is also my favourte actor ever. That makes this movie even better. His performance is incredible & I'm surprised he didn't win an Oscar for this role. Not many actors have the aura & talent that Russell Crowe has. The other actors perform well too, especially Paul Bettany, someone I'm starting to pay attention to more often. 

The special effects used for the explosions and action scenes are awesome, possibly the best ever in a movie. Movies about ships being attacked & sailing the seven seas are usually great moves & this one reigns supreme. 

What more can I say about this movie? It's excellent in everyway imaginable. I heard Russell Crowe is wanting a sequel to this movie. I definately agree. They should start it now!

Incredible action and visuals effects backed up by one of Russell Crowe's finest performances, Master and Commander is a thrilling adve nture which begs for a franchise.

★★★★★

Real Steel

"We fight smart, be patient and pray. Seriously, pray!"

This film is an Adrenaline Rush of Action & Entertainment. I found no faults while watching & didn't complain about anything. 

Robot Fighting has always been something that interests people from the Robot Wars film from th 80's to the popular television show Robot Wars and even to Transformers. 

Real Steel is the story of Robot Boxing, nowe that Humans aren't taking part due to the unlikely No Holds Barred style of fighting people want to see that people can't do. Retired boxer (Hugh Jackman) is finding difficu,lty to become a huge hit in this world and spends the summer with his estranged son who will be in the custody of his aunt & uncle since Jackman's ex-wife passed away. After some grumblings, father & son become close when they find an old robot Atom & train him up to take on the Robot Champion of the World, Zeus. 

As I described, this is an Adrenaline Rush of Action and Excitement as there was never a dull moment on screen. All the fight scenes were head-on and you could feel every hit thrown from the Robots. All the robots looked original and impressive. A case of CGI used well. I think it was more Motion Capture as the Robots moved freely & copied all the movements the characters did. Very impressive effects. The presentation made feel epic, almost like a real life phenomenan. The locations were great & the music used fitted perfectly with every scene. Good job Danny Elfman. The film sounds awesome with cinema sound too. Also Steven Spielberg was Executive Producer so this was obviousd going to be a fun film. 

Hugh Jackman's character, Charlie Keaton, comes of as a jerk & a cool guy and Jackman does his part really well. All the other actors were good too, especially Anthony Mackie. It's a film for families, with a father, female supporter & a kid having fun. There involvment with the robots make you feel sympathetic, annoyed & have a laugh at the human characters & by the end of the film, you want Jackman's robot Atom to win the final fight just like in a real boxing match. People call it a cross between Rocky & Transformers & I cansee the relation. Robots involved & interactign with humans & a story about an Underdog fighting the best in the world. 

In conclusion, although it wouldn't be for everyone's liking, Real Steel features bags of entertainment, a good story, good performances, good camera work, good music & all that makes a Fantastic Blockbuster that's worth a watch. If you want Robot Vs Robot fighting more serious & emotional than Transformers, then this is the film for you.

Real Steel features very satisfying robot on robot action on par with those from the Tranformers films. Great operformances help add an emotional story to produce a great film to watch.

★★★★☆

Dragon Wars

"I keep trying to understand, but none of this is making any sense."

Dragon Wars is the worst movie I have ever seen! Seriously, how did this movie get clearance to be made? Some people actually liked it! There is nothing good about this film and so many things wrong. 

The story is basically about this girl with a mark on her shoulder from another time where Dragons & serpants roamed. From that time, a warrior protecting her dies but is reborn to protect another girl who was reborn from the girl from the ancient times because an evil sorceror warrior is planning to kill her to rule the world with his serpants & dragons & army of soldiers. The mark on the girls shoulder represents her clan or something that she has lost after they were killed. 

The story mainly takes place in modern times but the story is so farfetched that its ridiculous. 

The acting is horrible. The main hero is bland and I can't relate to him like other heroes. The main girl seems dumb. The main villain is the worst ever, with a horrible speaking voice which is mainly a growl. All the other acting is bad. 

There isn't anything exciting about this film. It's as flat as a pancake all the way through. 

It's only worth watching to see the dragons & serpants because they look cool and make up some interesting action scenes and destruction but it can't save this pitiful movie. 

The movie is called Dragon Wars yet we only see 10 minutes qworth of Dragons and the rest of screen time featuring monsters is a giant serpant. It might as well be called Serpant Wars! Some dragons look cool as i said but some dragons look like reptilian hippos & velociraptors. 

Some CGI looks okay but the story is so poor, the acting is horrible & the editing is dreadful. There are some scenes in this film that shouldn't be in it at all because there is no point of them and are just fillers to fill in the time. 

I can't say anything else about this movie except it's so bad it makes the 1998 Godzilla movie Oscar worthy material. A reviewer said that i'It's impossible not to be entertained.' I agree, i was entertained at how hilariously crap this movie is.

Ridiculous in every way and mostly a bore, Dragon Wars is truly the worst film I've ever seen!

☆☆☆☆☆

The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

"How's your thirst for adventure, Captain?"

One the the greatest things I've ever seen. I used to read the books& watch the cartoons when i was younger but then lost interest when other things came up. But when Steven Spielberg & Peter Jackson were anno0unced to make a Tintin movie, I got back to reading the books and watching the cartoons again in preperation to watching thie film. And i was not dissapointed 

The film is based on three Tintin books, The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn & Red Rackham's Treasure. For those not familiar with these stories, Tintin buys a replica model of the Unicorn, an ancient ship captained by Sir Francis Haddock. A man called Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine attempts to buy it off him, but Tintin refuses as the model interests him. The ship gets stolen & Tintin ends up on an adventure to find out what the secret of the Unicorn is, with the help of Francis' descendant Captain Haddock & The Tompson Twins & his trusty dog, Snowy. 

The film was done with Motion Capture CGI, which was smart as the film really captures the style of a Tintin book. The characters have been slightly updated from their book appearnaces by been given a more realistic look as humans. Jamie bell portrays Tintin and does a good job. Simon Pegg & Nick Frost were great as the Tompson Twins and Andy Serkis (Master of Motion Capture) is awesome as Captain Haddock. Daniel Craig is the villain Sakharine and is really good too. There are cool cameos by two Tintin characters Alan (Captain Haddock's ex-first shipmate, & Bianca Castafiore, opera singer). 

Combining three stories is a good idea as the books were made into a cartoon and a better story can be made. The film stays true to all major points made in the book, especially Secret of the Unicorn as that is the main story. There are some references to other Tintin stories (Cigar of the Pharohs, The Black Island) which were neat. 

There are some comedic times during this film which stayed true to the books as The Tompson Twins & Haddock delivered the comedy just like they did in the books. During the film, there is a death which is quite extreme for a film based on a character children enjoy reading about. But it's a tame one so no one should find it offensive. There is gunfire, common in Tintin books & something I'm glad wasn't changed. 

The best aspect of the movie has to be the visual presentation. It looks like what a Tintin movie should look like. It could not have been done well enough. The visuals of the boats at sea, the action scenes (in real-time and flashbacks) and a great chase scene, one of my favourite scenes. Another favourite is the opening sequence, which looked fantastic & showed that animation still hasn't reached it's full potential. 

Another thing i liked is how there is still a demand for Tintin, considering the character is over 70 years old. I looked around the cinema and I saw old people, there to relive there childhood, and i saw young children, who can witness Tintin for the first time in some cases after hearing about it. 

In conclusion, Tintin is one of the most enjoyabe films ever. It's an action packed, adventure similar to Indiana Jones. Reading & watching Tintin from my early days, I was really emotionally atatched to the film as I was watching it because it was absolutely beautiful to watch. It's great to see a vintage fictional series converted into a fantastic movie after several fails like Garfield & Asterix. Steven Spielberg & Peter Jackson did Tintin faithfully to Herge's books & I'm sure Tintin fans, longtime & new, and Herge himself would be proud of this pasterpiece.

Fantastic performances, amazing visuals, exhilarating action and all-around entertaining, The Adventures of Tintin is one of the most fun movies I've ever seen.

★★★★★

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

"It's the oldest question of all, George. Who can spy on the spies?"

Based on a novel, this spy thriller features riveting performances by Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, Colin Firth, John Hurt & rising star Tom Hardy. 

A retired spy (Gary Oldman) comes out of retirement at the request of the government to investigate the Russian 'mole' that has infiltrated into becoming one of the top spies in Britain. I found the plot a bit hard to follow but when I got the full grasp of it as the film progressed, I began to really enjoy it. I recommend reading the book first just in case, which i should have done to grasp the story better. 

I found this film to be rather more mature than other films of this kind. It's been filmed seriously and taken seriously with hardly any humour or action. It doesn't go over the top like James Bond. The whole films has a dark feeling, an unsettling mood that enforces my opinion that it's more mature. The beginning starts well, I felt it slows down after the first 15 minutes but about an hour into the film, it's really starts to get compelling. The music is one of the highlights. The music really sounds good & fits into old age Britain. 

The costumes & settings looked very intricate and the locations have been chosen very well to fit into the story. It really looked like 1970's Britain. The character's appearances & personalities were done well too. Gary Oldman does a splendid performance & steals the show. Colin Firth, Mark Strong & John Hurt were particularly interesting in their roles and Tom Hardy did a fantastic performance during his scenes, a personal highlight being his retelling of his mission which he slightly diverted from. 

This being a spy movie, you would expect some car chases, gun fights & womanizing. But this is the kind of spy thriller that doesn't require these attributes that often. There are no car chases, a few gun deaths & some womanizing but not enough to compare it with other films of the genre. This is more of a vocal film with mostly talking, which is a welcome change. It's treated differently and feels like watching a 1970'a film in the way it was filmed along with the locations & acting. 

In conclusion, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy is a really enjoyable film which differentiates itself from other films of the genre. More talking & less action is what you get with this film. 

An incredible performance by Gary Oldman, fantastic cinematography and a compelling story makes this a fascinating film. One the best films of 2011.

★★★★☆