Tag Archive: 2010


Burke and Hare (2010)

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February 6, 2012

Burke and Hare (2010)

Directed by John Landis

Starring Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis

 

 

Two con artists trying to make some money fall into the business of grave robbing which turns out to be very lucrative. The local rival Doctors are trying to find new things out about medical science and need fresh bodies to study, which is where Pegg and Serkis’ Burke and Hare come in.

This film is a comedy based on the true story of Burke and Hare but fails to deliver. Apart from the cast and odd cameo the comedy isn’t really there nor is the gore that you would expect in a film about grave robbing and cutting bodies open.

Not one of Simon Peggs greatest achievements. Stick to anything else he is in. Same goes for a John Landis film, there are much better ones you could watch.

 

Film Fact

 

In the West Port area of Edinburgh, the murderers’ legacy lives on in a strip club named Burke & Hare.

 

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The Tourist (2010)

Filed under: Sky/Television by thefriedgold — 1 Comment
February 1, 2012

The Tourist (2010)

Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Starring Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp and Paul Bettany

 

 

A women called Elise, played by Angelina Jolie, meets a tourist, played by Johnny Depp, to help her fool the men that are following her trying to reclaim a large amount of money that has been stolen.

The film tries to be clever and throw little twists in however the plot and twist can be seen from a mile off. The acting is pretty poor from Jolie and Depp and somehow Depp looks unwell and his face appears puffy in some scenes during the film (maybe he realised what he was making). Not many films lose my attention but this was definitely on the border of doing so with bad dialogue and not much action for a supposed action film.

What the director and studio seem to have done is get some big stars and a beautiful location and think that the film will be a hit. Well it isn’t. My recommendation would be to pick another film to watch.

 

Film Fact

 

Angelina Jolie admitted in an interview with Vogue Magazine that the only reason she agreed to do this movie was because she knew it would be a “quick shoot” in Venice, Italy. (and earn herself money for a bad film I guess)

 

 

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The Ghost (2010)

Filed under: Sky/Television by thefriedgold — 1 Comment
January 31, 2012

The Ghost (2010)

Directed by Roman Polanski

Starring Ewan McGregor and Pierce Brosnan

 

 

Ewan McGregor is hired as a ghost-writer to help complete the memoirs of a former Prime Minister however he uncovers a secret that puts his life in danger. I’m not going to say too much about this film as i do not want to give anything away but the story that is being played out has similarities to that of real life ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Although the film is a bit slow in places it helps deliver on the thriller/mystery aspect as you are sucked into the film not knowing which way it is going to turn. The whole film is shown from McGregor’s Ghost character as he tries to work out what is going on. There are parts to the film when you think back and have some “ahhh” and “I wonder if” moments.

Having not read the book by Robert Harris i cannot comment on the translation from page to screen however it keeps you going until the end and i would recommend this to anyone.

 

Film Fact

 

Ewan McGregor has said that the script never named his character, so in his head, his character name was Gordon McFarquor. The credits simply list him as The Ghost. (The character is never named in the original novel.)

 

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Megamind (2010)

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January 30, 2012

Megamind (2010)

Directed by Tom McGrath

Starring Will Farrell, Jonah Hill, Tina Fey and Brad Pitt

 

 

Another animated film where the main character is the bad guy. Megamind and Metroman both travelled to earth at the same time, both ended up at the same school and both wanted to be popular with the special powers they possess. However Metroman was just too good and nice so Megamind decided he had to be the villain of the piece. They became legendary rivals, battling each other over the years with Metroman always just winning, as the superhero always does. Until one day the fight doesn’t go to plan and Megamind is left all by himself. Bored of having no one to battle with it is up to Megamind to fix this.

 

The film has some very funny moments and quite iconic adaptations of other superhero films such as the home planets destruction and the parents sending their baby off to earth. With a massive A-list cast this film delivers in the alternate way, much like Despicable Me, because it has you viewing things from the villain’s side and rooting for them throughout the film. This is another film that people of all ages will enjoy watching and the animation looks fantastic.

 

Film Fact

 

Megamind lands in a prison, where he is raised to be a criminal. This alludes to ‘Superman: Red Son’, a graphic novel which demonstrates what could happen if the infant Superman had crash-landed and was raised in a location other than a Kansas farm (in the story it was the Soviet Union). Both also have similar denouements: the hero retires, goes into hiding and leaves his work in the hands of his former nemesis.

 

 

 

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Despicable Me (2010)

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Despicable Me (2010)

Directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud

Starring Steve Carell, Jason Segal and Russell Brand

 

 

What’s the best way to be the most notorious villain of all time? Steal something big! When a new villain comes to town and steals a Pyramid, Gru, voiced by Steve Carell, must come up with something bigger to steal. The ultimate plan is to steal the moon and then people will recognise him as a Super villain. As you would expect things do not exactly go to plan.

In this film there is no good guy to battle the bad guy. It is villain against villain. Who can be best at their job. Gru’s plan to be the best villain around stumbles with the introduction of 3 little girls he adopts to assist him in his evil plans. He goes from not caring about anything but being the best bad guy to realising that there is more to life.

The film has a big voice cast of Steve Carell, Jason Segal, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig and Julie Andrews amongst others. All the characters have some funny lines but what really makes the film are the minions. Gru has hundreds of minions who do all his building, planning, testing and babysitting. They do not talk properly they are very small and funny looking and with this give some of the funniest moments of the film.

Young or Old people will enjoy this film of the bad guy getting one over on the other bad guy and everyone will love the minions so much you will want your own one.

 

Film Fact

 

The directors actually wrote a language for the gibberish the minions speak throughout the film. They called it “minion-ese”. Each word the minions speak in the film translates into an actual word.

 

 

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