27/07/2012: Snow White and the Huntsmen [2012]

This was one of those movies I was really on the fence about seeing. On the one hand it’s trailer promised an impressive visual feast and an interesting retelling of the childhood story. On the other hand, it feature a teenage girl's dream team of Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth. But it was playing locally for cheap, so I dug out all my change and met up with a friend. In the end, I could have waited a couple of years or so to watch this on a rainy day on my television and I would have been better off.

26/07/2012: Hellboy [2004]

Hellboy is one of those movies that may have its flaws, but still has so many cool ideas that I love it despite of any shortcomings. Guillermo del Toro brought yet another comic book to the big screen but not just your well known superhero. While I’m not sure where Hellboy sits on the hero/anti-hero scale I do know that he kicks some ass, and his world of supernatural monstrosities and oddities is something special. I decided to rewatch Hellboy again after Ron Pearlman’s charitable deed and the new rumours of the third movie, and I think I liked it even more the second time.

25/07/2012: Highlander 2: The Quickening [1991]

Over half a year ago now, I watched Highlander expecting some kind of cheesy sci-fi movie. Instead I got an extremely well done story of an immortal Scottish swordsmen, and knowledge as to the origin of “There can only be one.” Now, I have finally brought myself to watch its sequel, The Quickening with no idea as to how successful it was. But hey, Highlander spawned five sequels and a T.V. series, it must have been good. Well, after watching The Quickening, I am only glad to hear that the entire thing was disowned by everyone involved and stricken from the rest of the series.                                        It really was that bad.

10/07/2012: Constantine [2005]

Constantine is one of my guilty pleasure movies. Sure it wasn’t a box office hit nor has it unfortunately spawned a number of sequels, but I’ve spent almost a year thinking about rewatching it. Well, memory served right, and while I had forgotten much, it only served to make Constantine better the second time. With the perfect mix of some of my favourite themes and styles I can only hope that a sequel is still to come.

07/07/2012: The Amazing Spiderman [2012]

I had just finished rushing out of Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer and into The Amazing Spiderman as the opening titles began to roll. Throwing on my 3D glasses I picked a spot on the side, about half way up. One friend followed me, while the other two sat low and in the middle. So, what is more important to you, height or angle? As for The Amazing Spiderman, well it kind of self titled itself.

07/07/2012: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter [2012]

Just after finishing Moonrise Kingdom, I headed to the next theater. I eventually wandered in, with the standard pre-pre-show show playing, and waited for my friends to join me from Ted. AL:VH showed a lot of promise, although I had been on the edge about seeing it in theaters. But as usual, all it takes is one name, and this time it was Timur Bekmambetov. So, how preposterous was the idea of Abraham Lincoln as a vampire slayer? Not as crazy as you might think. Based on the terms usage today, you might’ve been able to slap a "Based On True Events" tag on this beast.

02/06/2012: Franklyn [2008]

I picked up Franklyn after reading a list of Eva Green's other notable movies after I watch Dark Shadows. I actually had a bit of difficulty finding it, and only a couple weeks ago found it in my favourite used DVD store. I quickly picked it up, along with a couple of other movies I had been having trouble finding. Unlike, most of my pick-ups, Franklyn did not disappear into the pile of DVD I have yet to watch, and within a week and a half I had watched it. But was my intrigue satisfied?

11/05/2012: Dark Shadows [2012]

After the trailer was released, many sat pondering in their seats whether the world needed another vampire flick, even if it did include the dream duo of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. Fortunately for Burton, Dark Shadows proved to be a fine movie, for the most part...

I'm not sure why that line is there. Oh well...

27/04/2012: Being John Malkovich [1999]

"Ever wanted to be someone else?" That is the tagline for Being John Malkovich, but isn't that the entire reason we watch movies? To be someone else? Being John Malkovich may be one of the strangest movies out there, but it does ask an important question, one everyone already knows the answer to.

04/05/2012: Underworld: Awakening [2012]

I must confess that I was sorely disappointed when, after a month of waiting, I realized that Underworld: Awakening was not going to come to my local theatre. However tonight I finally got a chance to watch it, just before it hits shelves. While it would have definitely been nice to see on the big screen, Awakening still kicks ass on the small one.

13/04/2012: Nightbreed [1990]

On Friday the 13th I of course had to watch a horror movie, as such I watched one from one of the best minds in horror, Clive Barker's Nightbreed. While the movie may not be all it could have been, anyone watching it can still see it's potential and realize what it could have been.

17/03/2012: Midnight In Paris [2011]

There was a lot of buzz around Midnight In Paris when it came out, but I think it still slipped under most radars. Midnight In Paris is truly a Nostalgic movie, and can only be best appreciated when one had significant knowledge of  1920's art and culture in Paris.

03/03/2012: Trolljegeren (Trollhunter) [2010]

Trollhunter is a Norwegian documentary that was shot by a trio of university students, as they follow a mysterious hunter while doing an investigation into recent bear attacks. They soon discover he is a government paid Troll Hunter, quietly taking care of any trolls that wander out of their territories. The journalists footage was released on the 13th of October in 2008, and has since been investigated. It was determined genuine and Trolljegeren is the footage that has since been released.

04/02/2012: Subspecies [1991]

Vampires. One of the oldest creatures in horror with a thousand variations, mythos and rules. Countless horror movies and even other genres tell different stories of the creatures of the night, those who live off the blood of the living. From the great Dracula movies of early film making vampires, have evolved into some amazing stories, but sadly vampire movies aren't what they used to be. Subspecies however gives us the true vampire, a castle dwelling monster, drooling blood and sporting a cape.

03/01/2012: Beastly [2011]

You may wonder, why the hell did I watch this?
1. Neil Patrick Harris
2. It was simply on the T.V.

Warning contains some profanity.

So I guess this was some kinda re-imagining and modernization of the whole Beauty and the Best story. I was just kinda like. Sure he's got tattoos and scars, but what the fuck is with the metal vine in his forehead? You seriously couldn't remove that?  However that guy was a pretty big douche, and a better ending woulda been to keep him ugly.

As for reason #1, NPH was a pretty cool character, he actually wore opaque contacts so he was blind when they were filming.

Another cool thing, was apparently Mary-Kate Olson was the witch, I didn't notice, glad to see her child acting career really went somewhere.

Overall, watch this movie if your a teenage girl.

Link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1152398/

31/12/2011: Night Watch (Nochnoy Dozor) [2004]

Rewatched one of my favourites, the Russian blockbuster Night Watch. What makes this movie unique is that it is Russia's attempt at making a big budget blockbuster movie to rival Hollywood's. In my opinion it has more than succeeded.

Night Watch is an adaption of the first in a bestselling series of Russian books, and creates a new fantasy world of Dark and Light others. The plotline is standard for a storyline derived from a book, it builds the world as best it can but is still missing a few pieces. However the world it does build is great, mixing many great elements to create a great fantasy version of modern Moscow where supernatural forces due battle.
Night Watch combines the action sequences, and budget of a Hollywood blockbuster with the essence of the Russian books and culture. While some things become a little muddled in translation, the movie is meant to have some mystery to it normally. The only place it feels awkward is in the emotion of the english voice over which doesn't always match what I imagine the characters would be experiencing.

However the utterly unique special effects are quite something and the Moscow setting is another. Not high end tourism area's but everyday average Russia, filled with dingy apartments and colourful streets. The costumes are also intriguing and the cast is fitting, not filled with celebrities.
I'm not exactly sure why I find Night Watch and its sequel Day Watch to be some of my favourite films, but it has largely to do with the fantasy world in which the movies takes place. I have all the books and will be reading them soon, my only disappointment is there is little hope for the third movie at this point.

Link:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/

25/12/2011: The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus [2009]

This movie takes you on an adventure with a similar style of Alice in Wonderland and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It's strange with an extravagant set and costume style and a story that gets rather confusing. The plot is full of strange symbol isms and metaphors with many things hinted at but never explained.

This was in fact Heath Ledgers' last movie,as he passed away during filming. In order to increase the movies confusing story, Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Collin Farrel all stepped in to finish the movie, replacing Heath Ledger as Tony. They do however do a great job.

If your looking for something a little crazy with a lot of imagination this is a great movie.

Link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1054606/

19/12/2011: Highlander [1986]

IMDB : An immortal Scottish swordsman must confront the last of his immortal opponent, a murderously brutal barbarian who lusts for the fabled "Prize".

Upon reading this summary the movie sounds a little ridiculous, and I was weary of watching it. However I was pleasantly surprised to find this fantasy movie extremely enjoyable, with a good mix of Braveheart, Sean Connery, the supernatural, and New York city.

Telling the story of both the current fight amongst immortals in New York as well as splicing it scenes telling of Macleod's life of ~450 years, the movie is rich in fantasy, and sword fights.

It is of little surprise that the movie spawned a franchise including several sequels, a couple T.V. series, as well as books and comics. Unfortunately I am disappointed to see how poorly those appear to have gone, with the plotline being rewritten and other movies forgotten. I shall however watch them in hope, and if need be the T.V. series, because this concept appears promising.

Link:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091203/