Archive for the ‘adventure’ Category
Author: Colin
Action!
I have seen the best film ever made. The only problem is that this wasn’t it. It is, however, an action movie that tries quite hard to make you believe it’s a spoof of an action movie – but I certainly don’t mean that in a bad way. Yes, there certainly will be people out there who will enjoy picking holes in this movie; the cheesey dialogue, the seemingly endless supply of bullets and grenades available to our heroes, a plot so thin you can see daylight through it and an array of über-macho blokes doing what the Americans so fittingly describe as ‘blowing shit up’. Did I like it? Yeah, of course I did.
Author: James
Pixar’s peak
A delight – make sure you don’t miss your chance to laugh and cry in roughly equal measure at the final Toy Story installment.
I ask you – manipulated to tears (nay, proper sobs) by a bunch of cartoon characters? That was me, sure enough, at the end of Toy Story 3 (2010) by Lee Unkrich (Toy Story 2 (1999)) who, along with writers Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine (2006)) and John Lasseter (Cars (2006)), has ensured that the franchise that first put Pixar Studios on the map takes its bow with all the wit, charm and sheer lovableness that characterized the first two chapters.
Author: James
A+
Don’t you just love it when a remake comes together?
Revisions, such as A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), have been getting rather bad press of late, largely because most of them have suffered somewhat from being crap.
Deep joy, then, when a director (Joe Carnahan, he of the excellent Smokin’ Aces (2006)) first-time writer (Brian Bloom) and an ensemble cast led by Liam Neeson combine to offer an action flick that engages guts, brains and funny bone – and the result would be The A-Team (2010).
Author: Eleanor
Super-heroic stuff
Another day, another Picturenose recruit. We are delighted to welcome talented young author Eleanor Salter to the fold, with her take on the latest comic-book adaptation.
By now, nearly everyone must have seen or heard of Kick-Ass (2010) via its clever advertising and the famous actors in the cast, and the hype leading up to the release of one of the biggest films of the year was well worth it. The actors include Aaron Johnson (Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging (2008)), Nicolas Cage (Ghost Rider (2007), World Trade Center (2006)), Mark Strong (Stardust (2007), Sherlock Holmes (2009)) and 13-year-old Chloë Grace Moretz ((500) Days of Summer (2009), Bolt (2008)).
Author: James
Mythic
Things have certainly come some way since the last time your reviewer donned an extra pair of glasses to complement his own for a movie – writer Stephen King, who is very short-sighted, once declared that if 3D ever came back to cinemas in a big way, he was going to invest in a pair of prescription lenses, one red, one blue.
Author: James
‘Sighs’ do matter
Check out the award that this film won – but that’s what can happen when you give people the vote, right?
Author: James
Church on time?
Picturenose welcomes another new recruit – Kerry Richards – to entertain us with her thoughts on the latest ‘men behaving badly’ romp.
Todd Phillips’ (Road Trip (2000), Starsky and Hutch (2004)) The Hangover (2009) is a Las Vegas-set comedy centered around three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed buddy during their drunken misadventures, and who must then must retrace their steps in order to find him – an extremely funny and, in fact, bizarrely gripping movie. The fun begins with three best friends, Phil Wenneck (Bradley Cooper), Stu Price (Ed Helms) and Alan Garner (Zach Galifianakis) heading to Las Vegas for a ‘Bachelor Party’, cruising in the father-in-law-to-be’s much-loved vintage Mercedes.
Author: James
Sharp-fisted fella
Prequels, eh? We all know that The Godfather Part II (1974) by and large started the ball rolling, with its look at the early life of Brando’s Vito Corleone, as played by Robert De Niro in the second film. However, that is one of the best films ever made (it was the first and thus far only sequel/prequel to win the Best Picture Oscar) – X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), surprisingly enough, is not quite in the same league.
Author: James
Big bangs can’t conceal shoddy script
First, a question. Did you enjoy Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day, way back in 1996?
This reviewer did – loved it, in fact. A blast of old-fashioned Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers (1956) fun with, for its time, simply amazing S/FX that left you in no doubt that the world was ending not with a whimper, but rather a VERY big bang. In addition, the film’s sheer momentum and seamless progression from set-piece to set-piece allowed you to put your mind in neutral and enjoy the ride.
Author: James
The right combination…
Jeremy Slater takes a look at Kathryn Bigelow’s latest – she’s a woman who knows about men, it seems..
The Hurt Locker (2008) is the latest from high-octane director Kathryn Bigelow (Point Break (1991), Strange Days (1995)), and it’s an intense portrayal of a group of elite soldiers who have a very dangerous job to do, namely disarming bombs in the heat of the desert and combat.
- Colin: Mike: the Matrix was utter toss. Don’t go there. Anyhow, I’m right with you on Aliens –...
- Colin: James: Why not do ten more and see if you can avoid putting the god-awful travesty that is Independence Day in...
- CD: The Day the Earth Stood Still (it’s about an alien who is Jesus…but better than ET) Soylent Green...
- James: Hello Chris, and welcome to Picturenose!
Many thanks for your comment – I thought, in fact, that... - James: Colin, good points, both on Westworld (which should really have been included, I know, I know) and otters.