MOVIE REVIEW: IDENTITY THIEF (15)

"MINIMUM LAUGHTER"

Identity Thief is a crime comedy film Directed by Seth Gordon (same man that brought us Horrible Bosses, 2011). Businessman Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Miami to confront the deceptively harmless-looking woman who has been living it up after stealing his identity. Its Starring Jason Bateman, Melissa McCarthy, Jon Favreau, Amanda Peet, T.I., Genesis Rodriguez, Morris Chestnut, John Cho, Robert Patrick, Eric Stonestreet & Ryan Gual.
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IN CINEMAS 22ND MARCH 2013.
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THE REVIEW:

Nobody want to be a victim of identity fraud, I would hate to find out any Tom, Dick or Harry was out there using my money to enjoy life and also committing crime under my name. This is why Sandy Patterson, a father and husband, who's had his identity stolen, travels to Florida to find the thief and stop her building up more debts. He also has to convince her to return back to Colorado to get things straightened out in order to save his job and get his life back.


Identity thief didn't live up to my exception, there's minimum comedy, the plot is just ridiculous & it's just a jumble of what is meant to be comedy. The writers had an believable back story, they just didn't have good enough jokes, it wasn't dramatic enough and it struggles to find any focus. The two main characters are the only ones focused on in making the jokes happen and if it wasn't for them this movie would have been fraud in itself. This is the same director that brought us "Horrible Bosses" in 2011, that was funny, this was anything but. Someone please tell Seth Gordon that his movies are meant to get funnier not get worse. 

From the start I could I feel the lack of substance and creativity gone into making this movie. If I knew the best parts of this movie was in the trailer I wouldn't have bothered watching the full thing. It tries to be a dark comedy but fails at being a comedy to start off with. For me to only laugh a couple times whilst watching a comedy movie is really bad. Some parts are interesting, emotional and sometimes sentimental. But having these emotions ended up not meaning much, it's more of a just going through the cycle approach. 

The cast did just about enough to keep this movie from sinking, even with the ridiculous script. Jason Bateman & Melissa McCarthy worked well on screen together, their funny bones had to click to make this even watchable. They did a great job, and so did most of the cast, with enough screen time other members of the cast could have added their own sense of humour but sadly wasn't given the chance. A waste of talent in John Cho, Robert Patrick, Amanda Peet & Morris Chestnut.

OVERALL: NOT FUNNY ENOUGH.

STAR RATINGS OUT OF 5:  2.5

FAVOURITE MOMENTS IN THE FILM:
Every time McCarthy punches someone in the throat.

(if you loved another moment in the film, please feel free to share it with ME in the comments section :)

TRAILER:

OSCAR 2013: THE WINNERS

The 85th Annual 

Academy Awards Winners

Best Motion Picture: Argo

Achievement in Directing: Ang Lee, Life of Pi

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

 

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

 

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

 

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Adapted Screenplay: Argo, Chris Terrio

Original Screenplay: Django Unchained, Quentin Tarantino

Original Score: Life of Pi, Mychael Danna

Original Song: "Skyfall," Adele Adkins & Paul Epworth; Skyfall

Best Animated Feature Film: Brave

Best Animated Short Film: Paperman

Achievement in Cinematography: Life of Pi, Claudio Miranda

Achievement in Visual Effects: Life of Pi

 

Achievement in Costume Design: Anna Karenina, Jacqueline Durran

Achievement in Makeup & Hairstyling: Les Misérables

Best Live-Action Short Film: Curfew

Best Documentary Short Subject: Inocente

Best Documentary Feature: Searching for a Sugar Man

Best Foreign-Language Film: Amour (Austria)

Achievement in Sound Mixing: Les Misérables

Achievement in Sound Editing: Zero Dark Thirty & Skyfall

Achievement in Film Editing: Argo

Achievement in Production Direction: Lincoln

MOVIE REVIEW: A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (12A)

"TERRIBLE SHOOT'EM UP MOVIE"

A Good Day To Die Hard is an action film Directed by John Moore (same man that brought us Max Payne, 2008). John McClane travels to Russia to help out his seemingly wayward son, Jack, only to discover that Jack is a CIA operative working to prevent a nuclear-weapons heist, causing the father and son to team up against underworld forces. Its starring Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney, Sebastian Koch, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Yuliya Snigir, Radivoje Bukvic, Cole Hauser, Amaury Nolasco, Sergei Kolesnikov, Roman Luknar, Ganxsta Zolee, Peter Takatsy, Pavel Lychnikoff, Megalyn Echikunwoke & Melissa Tang.

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Film Fact: Aaron Paul, Liam Hemsworth, James Badge Dale, Paul Walker, Ben Foster, Shiloh Fernandez, Milo Ventimiglia, Paul Dano, Steven R. McQueen & D.J. Cotrona were considered to play John McClane's Son. The role ultimately was earned by Jai Courtney.
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IN UK CINEMAS 14th FEBRUARY 2013.
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THE REVIEW:

Bruce Willis made himself a household name because of his character as John McClane, and it undoubtedly lead him to be one of the most recognizable face in the action film genre. Unfortunately this is a bad day for die hard because this fifth instalment in the series is one of the worst. Are you not supposed to leave the best till last? (I'm hoping this is the last).
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This movie is messy, noisy, pointless and bland. John doesn't seem to be the same cop he was from the rest of his franchise (even if he is on "vacation"). He is not as involved and in danger as we have seen him in previous, its way too dumb down. Even he can't save the day, no matter how many on-liners he says. Director John Moore didn't have much luck with Max Payne, and it certainly doesn't get any better here. This is hardly a movie, its 97 minutes worth of drawn out action scenes.
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A Good Day To Die Hard does not feel like a Die Hard movie. It felt rushed and the plot/dialogue is virtually non existence, seems the writers made it up as filming went along. I wanted to like this movie, I just couldn't, and even the villains are rubbish. It's failed attempts on so many levels only makes me question if it's time to let the franchise go, forever. Only the action scenes are worth remembering because everything is moving at literally 100 miles an hour. From the car chase scenes and all the explosions, I saw more CGI and various stuntmen doing all the work rather than the characters.
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This is what always happens to films that have focused on getting more people in the cinema than actually making a great movie. With a 12A classification, i expected an awful film with a stupid ending and that's exactly what it turns out to be. I'm a fan of the young John McClane and the first three films. That's where he's a real action man. Here he's Mr invincible dodging multiple bullets & helicopter blades. The only good thing now would be for the franchise to die hard. Breaks my heart to say that.

OVERALL: AWFUL.

STAR RATINGS OUT OF 5:  2

MY FAVOURITE MOMENTS IN THE FILM:

The opening car chase scene.

(if you loved another moment in the film, please feel free to share it with ME in the comments section :)

TRAILER:

MOVIE REVIEW: FLIGHT (15)

"INTRIGUING DRAMA"

 Flight is a drama film Directed by Robert Zemeckis (same man that brought us Castaway, 2000). An airplane pilot save a flight from crashing, but investigation into the malfunctions reveals something troubling. Its starring Denzel Washington, Tamara Tunie, John Goodman, Kelly Reilly, Melissa Leo, Don Cheadle, Nadine Velazquez, Bruce Greenwood, Brian Geraghty & James Badge Bale.
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FilmFact: This is Director Robert Zemeckis' first live-action since Cast Away. 
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IN UK CINEMAS 1st FEBRUARY 2013.
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THE REVIEW:

One does not sit around on a Friday night thinking of what to do when there's a brand spanking new Denzel Washington drama in the cinema, am I right?. I had the chance of watching this on its official UK release date. 
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Being the best at your job doesn't always mean that the person is a good & clean person, that's what we learn about pilot, Whip Whitaker. He manages to save nearly all the passengers lives when his plane malfunctions on a flight. An investigation is carried out to look into the crash only to find out the captain was not fit to operate such machinery in the first place. His bad habit and lifestyle is brought out in the open which leaves him with difficult questions to answer.
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The storyline starts off very promising, the best opening to a movie any Denzel fan could wish for. The cinematography gives this calm & clean perspective to this dark & powerful story. What the director also does exceptionally well is bringing to life a plane crash with one of the most atmospheric scenes I've seen in a film this year, really good effects. The flight scenes are brilliantly shot, but unfortunately soon after that the movie starts to free fall on its own. The trailer makes this look like an action film but it's far from that. A film supposedly meant to be about this crazy accident where a clear miracle is performed, but no it's more about one man & his journey, does he rise or does he fall further. It felt like two completely different scripts joined together mid way through. 

The writer creates a cast full of troubled characters that are all interesting and unique to watch, but are not all used to their obvious potential. This is a Denzel Washington headlining film, it's 100% worth the watch. His acting is nothing short of superb. Fans will enjoy it even if he just plays a drug addict & a drunk, he still manages to produce his best from such a complex role. Also, great performances from Don Cheadle, John Goodman & Bruce Greenwood

This is a type of film an alcoholic/drug addict will watch and hopefully leave the cinema and head straight to one of them meeting about their serious addiction, begging for help. Yep, its that kind of movie.

OVERALL: DENZEL SAVES THE SHOW.

STAR RATINGS OUT OF 5:  3.5

MY FAVOURITE MOMENTS IN THE FILM:

1.  The first hour of the film.

2. The stairwell in the hospital scene.

(if you loved another moment in the film, please feel free to share it with ME in the comments section :)

TRAILER:

TRAILERS: ALL THE FILMS OUT IN CINEMA THIS FEBRUARY (2013)

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- HERE ARE ALL THE TRAILERS FOR MOVIES OUT THIS FEBRUARY IN THE UK.

· ANTIVIRAL (IN CINEMA 1ST FEBRUARY)

· BULLET TO THE HEAD (15) (IN CINEMA 1ST FEBRUARY)

· CIRQUE DU SOLEIL: WORLDS AWAY (3D) (PG) (IN CINEMA 1ST FEBRUARY)

· FLIGHT (15) (IN CINEMA 1ST FEBRUARY)

· HYDE PARK ON HUDSON (12A) (IN CINEMA 1ST FEBRUARY)

· THE FALL OF THE ESSEX BOYS (18) (IN CINEMA 8TH FEBRUARY)

· HITCHCOCK (12A) (IN CINEMA 8TH FEBRUARY)

· I GIVE IT A YEAR (15) (IN CINEMA 8TH FEBRUARY)

· WARM BODIES (12A) (IN CINEMA 8TH FEBRUARY)

· WRECK IT RALPH (3D)  (PG) (IN CINEMA TH FEBRUARY)

· BEAUTIFUL CREATURES (IN CINEMA 13TH FEBRUARY)

· A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD (IN CINEMA 14TH FEBRUARY)

· THIS IS 40 (15) (IN CINEMA 14TH FEBRUARY)

· REIGN OF ASSASSINS (15) (IN CINEMA 15TH FEBRUARY)

· CLOUD ATLAS (15) (IN CINEMA 22ND FEBRUARY)

· THE LIABILITY (15) (IN CINEMA 22ND FEBRUARY)

· MAMA (15) (IN CINEMA 22ND FEBRUARY)

· TO THE WONDER (12A) (IN CINEMA 22ND FEBRUARY)

· HANSEL & GRETEL: WITCH HUNTERS (3D) (15) (IN CINEMA 27TH FEBRUARY)

MOVIE REVIEW: DJANGO UNCHAINED (18)

"THE TARANTINO SHOW"

Django Unchained is an action, drama & western film Directed by Quentin Tarantino (same guy that brought us Kill Bill 1, 2 & Inglourious Basterds). A black slave is rescued from his owners and turned into a bounty hunter. He then sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner, with the help of his mentor. Its starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L Jackson, Walton Goggins, Dennis Christopher, James Remar, David Steen, Sammi Rotibi, Attoh Esandoh, Laura Cayouette & Ato Essandoh.
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FilmFact: Will Smith, Idris Elba, Chris Tucker, Terrence Howard, Michael Kenneth Williams & Tyrese Gibson were all considered for the role of Django. Quentin Tarantino actually wrote the role with Will Smith in mind, and Smith's agents and manager wanted him to accept it, but Smith ultimately decided to pass. Tarantino then offered the part to Jamie Foxx.
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IN CINEMAS 18TH JANUARY 2013.
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THE REVIEW:

The buzz around this movie has been unstoppable especially with the 2013 Oscar nominations being revealed. Everyone has been talking about Quentin Tarantino's new movie & the 5 awards its up for. I had the pleasure of an early viewing and its my pleasure to tell you that this movie is amazing, a brilliant effort. Haven't said that, I do think with a few more major characters & a shorter plot, it would have been PERFECT. Django Unchained is a spaghetti western set in the Deep South. The film follows a freed slave on a mission to rescue his wife from a plantation owner with the help of a bounty hunter.

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Django Unchained is very entertaining, playful, funny, daring yet enjoyable from start to finish and has all the Tarantino trademarks written all over.  As usual expect a witty/cute dialogue, fast reaction shots, heap of profanity, over the top gruesome violence, great characters and a marmite plot. With all these elements I was still injected with the seriousness of slavery and racism. The script is a little inaccurate & slow but at the same time refreshing, hardly could I tell what was going to happen next, it literally draws you in. The storyline is so many things at once; it's a western, a drama, a love story, a comedy and an action film. I just wish this storyline of nearly 3 hours pushed for greatness not just brilliance because I did feel the plot dragging. I felt like the film concentrated too much on just using the "N" word and splattering blood everywhere like a violently drawn art piece. 

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Quentin Tarantino is without a doubt one of the greats when it comes to directing. His style is unique, unpredictable and always daring. Whenever he puts together the dialogue, characters and soundtrack everything seems to blend effortlessly. He was close to perfection with this movie. Its the performances from the top four characters that had me in awe, for a cast to be put together and work with such chemistry like they do, I am now not surprised about the Oscar nominations.

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An energetic Dr. King Schultz, Christoph Waltz takes the star of the show award because his charismatic performance was in a class of it's own. The best supporting actor I've seen in a long time, he was made to be in Tarantino movies. Leonardo DiCaprio played plantation owner Calvin J. Candie, he showed that even though he's not the top guy here, he can still deliver in any role. As Stephen, Samuel L. Jackson also does very well, he reminds that even at his age he can be and still is one of the best. Jamie Foxx as Django & Kerry Washington as Broomhilda were both brilliant. Their romance kept the purpose of the film alive, the red from the bloodshed splattered represented the deepness of their love. This movie has set the pace for top movie of 2013 so far.

OVERALL: BRILLIANT EFFORT.

STAR RATINGS OUT OF 5:  4.5

ONE FAVOURITE MOMENT IN THE FILM:
The scene where Django picks his clothes.

(if you loved another moment in the film, please feel free to share it with ME in the comments section :)

TRAILER:

OSCAR NOMINATIONS 2013 REVEALED

BEST PICTURE

Amour

Argo

Django Unchained

Les Misérables

Life Of Pi

Lincoln

Zero Dark Thirty

Beasts Of The Southern Wild

Silver Linings Playbook

BEST DIRECTOR

Life Of Pi - Ang Lee

Lincoln - Steven Spielberg

Amour - Michael Haneke

Silver Linings Playbook - David O. Russell

Beasts Of The Southern Wild - Benh Zeitlin

BEST ACTOR

Denzel Washington - Flight

Bradley Cooper - Silver Linings Playbook

Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

Hugh Jackman - Les Misérables

Joaquin Phoenix - The Master

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Alan Arkin - Argo

Christoph Waltz - Django Unchained

Robert De Niro - Silver Linings Playbook

Philip Seymour Hoffman - The Master

Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

BEST ACTRESS

Emmanuelle Riva - Amour

Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Jessica Chastain - Zero Dark Thirty

Quvenzhané Wallis - Beasts Of The Southern Wild

Naomi Watts - The Impossible

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Amy Adams - The Master

Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables

Helen Hunt - The Sessions

Sally Field - Lincoln

Jacky Weaver - Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ANIMATED FILM

Brave

Frankenweenie

Paranorman

The Pirates! In An Adventure WIth Scientists

Wreck-it-Ralph

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

Chris Terrio - Argo

Lucy Alibar, Benh Zeitlin - Beasts Of The Southern Wild 

David Magee - Life Of Pi

Tony Kushner - Lincoln

David O. Russell - Silver Linings Playbook

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Michael Haneke - Amour

Quentin Tarantino - Django Unchained

Wes Anderson, Roman Coppola - Moonrise Kingdom

Mark Boal - Zero Dark Thirty

John Gatins - Flight

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Anna Karenina - Seamus McGarvey

Django Unchained - Robert Richardson

Life Of Pi - Claudio Miranda

Lincoln - Janusz Kaminski

Skyfall - Roger Deakins

COSTUME DESIGN

Anna Karenina - Jacqueline Durran

Les Misérables - Paco Delgado

Lincoln - Joanna Johnston

Mirror Mirror - Eiko Ishioka

Snow White And The Huntsman - Colleen Atwood

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

5 Broken Cameras 

The Gatekeepers 

How To Survive A Plague

The Invisible War

Searching For Sugar Man

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT

Inocente

Kings Point

Mondays At Racine

Open Heart

Redemption

BEST FILM EDITING

Argo - William Goldenberg

Life Of Pi - Tim Squyres

Zero Dark Thirty - Dylan Tichenor, William Goldenberg

Lincoln - Michael Kahn

Silver Linings Playbook - Jay Cassidy & Crispin Struthers

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

Amour - Austria

Kon-Tiki - Norway

No - Chile

A Royal Affair - Denmark

War Witch - Canada

BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING

Hitchcock - Julie Hewett, Martin Samuel, Howard Berger

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Peter Swords King, Richard Taylor, Rick Findlater

Les Misérables - Lisa Westcott

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

Anna Karenina - Dario Marianelli

Argo - Alexandre Desplat

Life Of Pi - Mychael Danna

Lincoln - John Williams

Skyfall - Thomas Newman

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

'Before My Time' from Chasing Ice

'Everybody Needs A Best Friend' from Ted

'Pi's Lullaby' from Life Of Pi

'Skyfall' from Skyfall

'Suddenly' from Les Miserables

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

Anna Karenina

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Les Miserables

Life Of Pi

Lincoln

BEST ANIMATED SHORT

Adam and Dog

Fresh Guacamole

Head Over Heels

Maggie Simpson In "The Longest Daycare"

Paperman

BEST LIVE FILM SHORT

Asad

Buzkashi Boys

Curfew

Death Of A Shadow

Henry

BEST SOUND EDITING

Argo

Django Unchained

Life Of Pi

Skyfall

Zero Dark Thirty

BEST SOUND MIXING

Argo

Les Miserables

Life Of Pi

Lincoln

Skyfall

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey 

Life Of Pi

Marvel Avengers Assemble 

Prometheus 

Snow White And The Huntsman