The Lorax Review

Directed by Chris Renaud, Kyle Balda and starring the voices of Zac Efron, Danny Devito and Ed Helms. The Lorax follows the story of a 12 year old boy who's searching for the one thing that will win him the affection of the girl of his dreams. To do this he must discover the story of the Lorax.

 Ever since the worldwide disembowelment of Seuss' classic The Cat In The Hat back in 2003, many thought it was the end for any future Seuss adaptation's. The total lack of care and consideration for one of the worlds best children's books left a lot of frustrated customers and critics, including the wife of the late writer Audrey Geisel who stated that there were to be no more live-action adaptations of her husbands books. However CGI adaptations were still a possibility, which 5 years later sparked the acclaimed adaptation of 'Horton Hears A Who', and now 'The Lorax'.

 The Lorax is quite different to any previous Seuss adaptations carrying a very prominent and thoughtful message inside a world full of all too relate able occurrences. Which is brilliant, there's nothing better than a children's film that, as-well as displaying an entertaining story also provides an important moral message. However there is a massive difference between a simple message and complete message overload! Audiences go to the cinema to be entertained, not feel like their back in primary school in-front of a 'happy-go-lucky' teacher that tries to make learning about the environment fun, when it's just boring and completely nonsensical! That is the complete personification of The Lorax, the whole film just feels like an 86 minute 'powerpoint' lecturing the audience on how to make the world a better place, and the outcome is quite how you would expect. Forgettable. Not only is there this overpowering message, but this message is forced down your throat till it just becomes unbearable.

 It doesn't help the film that the only thing that's carrying the message across is a totally contrived and predictable story which destroys the original kids novel. It follows the  formulaic basis of a children's film, never straying from the path, which inevitably brings about generic actions and an unrealistic end. I didn't really care for any of the characters due to a complete lack of development, we never really know why Ted, the protagonist, cares so much as to risk his life just to hear a story. Throughout the story, we are also 'treated' to a collection of small musical numbers, which although may be written fairly well, are totally unnecessary, and add nothing to the story or atmosphere. They were actually very forgettable, mainly because of the forced main message we were left with at the end, shrouding the film, making any occurrences previous to the finale seem irrelevant. The humor within this film is what to be expected of a generic children's film. Packed full with granny, fart and bottom jokes, which ceased to be funny after a good 5 minutes.

 On the other hand however, I am clearly not the target audience and despite it's plethora of faults, I still believe it could be enjoyable for the target demographic. One thing prominent throughout the whole range of Seuss books and films for that matter is it's compelling sense of imagination and fun. As the old legend of the Lorax is revealed we are taken to a fantasy world, where we experience a colourful land full of child-friendly cute, singing animals. Which no matter what your age, is sure to make you go 'awww'! Even the gloomy, realistic world of 'Thneed-Ville' is dominated by towering buildings, surrounded by perplexing  cars, trees and other visually beautiful scenery.

 Overall The Lorax was quite disappointing for someone outside the target audience, if your inside that demographic however you could find this to be a fun time. After all which child cares about a contrived and incoherent story?

40%- The most picturesque yet contrived science lesson I've had in years!

Calum Russell

Cloud Atlas Trailer Review

Cloud Atlas extended trailer starring : Tom Hanks, Halle Berry and Hugh Grant http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWnAqFyaQ5s

Based on the best- selling novel, Cloud Atlas explores how the actions of individual lives, impact one another in the past, present and future... wait I'm going to have to read that again...already I'm slightly confused! Ever since Christopher Nolan changed  the steriotypical conventions of a  blockbuster , back in 2010 with his psychological epic 'Inception', movie studios and subsequently directors are becoming less concerned about confusing audiences with a complicated plot. Finally movie studios are beginning to realize that there films are playing worldwide to educated audiences, and not to a population of mindless chickens that are willing to constantly pay to watch whatever they carelessly chuck out of there're studio.

Which brings me onto the October release of Cloud Atlas. From the mind's that bought us the magnificent action thriller 'The Matrix' and unfortunately the dull sequels which followed, as well as the relatively unknown director of 'Run Lola Run' Tom Tykwer. Before I'd even begun to watch the overlong 5 minute trailer, I couldn't help thinking this would be a classic case of 'too many cooks spoil the broth', and by the end of the trailer my concerns were confirmed. This trailer is all over the place, mainly due to it's ridiculous time-span of exactly 5:42, an unheard of length for a debut trailer , which SHOULD simply showcase the films main plot and characters aswell as showing off with some visually stunning set pieces. The trailer does all these points but in overwhelming detail. We are presented with a simple initial story of a man trying to find the second half of a journal that he has become enticed by, simple enough. As the trailer progresses things just start to get increasingly preposterous, a new handful of new characters are produced every minute expanding this trailer's complexity. These characters are then transformed into 3,4 or 5  unique versions of themselves,  it was so utterly nonsensical and incoherent, I simply gave up on attempting to comprehend the films story. Furthermore all these unique variations of each character are presented in a new setting, whether it be an ancient civilization, a 'technological wonderland' in the distant future or simply the present day, this trailer is completely excessive and over indulgent. The sheer extent of  information that this trailer dictates to you is completely overwhelming, and is never truly fully explained, I know this is only the trailer, but if the trailer makes no sense then I don't have high hopes for the film.

However the fact that this trailer is so excessive, so ridiculous and so utterly incomprehensible, inadvertently makes it a beautiful spectacle which pushes the boundaries of cinema. Although there may be a complete 'setting overload', the destinations that are displayed look absolutely awe inspiring. This trailer's almost inconceivable set pieces are the only things that really caught my attention, the worlds they creating had aesthetic beauty and intrigue, instantly dragging me in. While we are being introduced to a plethora of different settings, a perfectly fitting piece of music is introduced around the 3:30 mark which labels the tone of the film brilliantly. Subsequent to that comes the slightly pretentious yet ever so essential main message of the film which really ties the whole trailer together, injecting as much sense as possible into the previous 5 minutes.

 Despite the film's utter ridiculousness and complexity, I can safely admit that I'm looking forward to this film, the set pieces and general scope of this film looks astounding, completely winning me over. This is a momentous spectacle beyond words, and due to this extended trailer, it looks as though it's going to be a lengthy one!

Moon (Mini- DVD Review)

Directed by Duncan Jones and Starring Sam Rockwell,Moon follows the story of an astronaut who's working on the moon, collecting energy from the sun, when he discovers a life-changing secret. 

In general sci-fi's tend to frustrate me, beginning with an intriguing and clever story-line, which slowly disintegrates into an overly-confusing climax. However I'm pleased to say that Moon is really quite different, providing that brilliant initial story-line, but then maintaining it throughout the film till the finish. While the story on paper is quite confusing, it fortunately never really gets too complex or too absurd. 

Sam Rockwell provides a fantastic performance, playing 2 characters at once for the majority of the film. He acts with genuine passion and discomfort which means that he could easily manipulate the audience to relate with his character and share his feelings. 

Moon is one of those rare, unexpected beauties, that just completely baffles you, especially since we've gone without a good moon- based film for years, to see such a triumph as good as this (should've been) Oscar worthy!! 

90%- Exciting, interesting and never dull, Sam Rockwell gives the performance of his career in this brilliant realistic sci-fi

The Dark Knight Rises Review

Directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale, Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway. The much anticipated Dark Knight Rises follows the story of Batman's resurface, in order to take down a new terrorist leader, Bane.

Ever since the acclaimed 'Batman Begins' back in 2005, Christopher Nolan's hope has been restored in the once corny and ridiculous Batman franchise. Then in 2008 'The Dark Knight' shocked audience's and critics alike, hailed as 'the best superhero movie of all time' featuring an unprecedented performance of Batman's finest villain, The Joker, by the late Heath Ledger. How could the Dark Knight be 'topped', would Hardy live up to Ledger's performance, how would the trilogy end! The epic conclusion to The Dark Knight series is finally here, and it certainly stands up to it's predecessors.

My worries with the dark knight materialized early with the reveal of 'Catwoman', the 'indecipherable' Bane and the sheer pressure that fan's exerted onto Nolan! Thankfully all my worries for the film were distinguished quickly, as the lights dimmed and the first scene was presented. The memories of 'Batman Begins and 'The Dark Knight' came flooding back to me as I suddenly began to realise the sheer spectacle of this film. This is after all the BIGGEST film of 2012, concluding the BEST superhero franchise of all time! The first scene firmly 'fastens your seat-belt' displaying an intelligent, disturbing and above all deeply intimidating introduction to Bane.

Bane is a 'psychopathic Juggernaut', he has no feelings whatsoever and will do anything in order to achieve his goal, as is shown in the opening minutes. As well as firmly planting his print onto the dark knight franchise, Tom Hardy has also presented the most intimidating, most fierce, most enjoyable and most enthralling villain I've seen in the Batman franchise. Topping the performance, of the fantastic Heath Ledger. Every time he was on screen, he stole the scene, his gargantuan figure and power dominating over any character. As for his undecipherable dialogue? Yes, it was difficult to understand throughout certain points in the film, however his voice became easy to understand once, you'd been hearing it for a good 5 minutes and your ears's had tuned to his frequency. His departure however is somewhat of a different story. As we progress through the film, the plot takes some unexpected twists and turns producing an increasing amount of information about each character, making them all the more interesting and compelling. Bane is one of those characters, but just as soon as we become immersed within his story, he's forgotten about and almost becomes left in the dark. Unfortunately this is a running trait throughout the film, actions are committed but never fully explained or remembered. People appear out of thin air, and the audience are expected to accept this fact, plot point materialize all too spontaneously making the film feel a little too contrived.

As previously mentioned the film begins with a thrilling introduction to the film's villain, catching the whole audience off guard as the action happens almost immediately, and never really holds back. From the off-set we are enthralled within the story, which admittedly takes a while to take off. However when it does, the audience is there, with every character, feeling their pain and emotions, we're there in every scene of public destruction sharing their shock and awe. This film is after all a spectacle on a momentous scale, most scenes of destruction are real and most importantly feel real! Nearing the end of the film we are treated to some of the biggest, most daunting and intimidating set-pieces ever seen on film. With the most poignant moment coming from the stadium scene, where I sat there, open-mouthed at the exhilarating occurrences that appeared before my eyes. The use of music within this scene is especially inspiring, the contrast of innocence with pure evil. Every scene following this one shares it's ambition and spectacle, again displaying terrific scenes of action shown on a gargantuan scale. Until the unexpected end. Initially once the film had finished and the credits began to role I was frustrated, I felt the ending tried to make everyone happy, and just confused itself producing a clump of rubbish at the end. However upon further thought, while the ending may frustrate some, I rather liked it, it was a satisfying and pleasant ending to what has been a fantastic series.

Anne Hathaway was a worry from the very beginning, the star of the whimsical 'Princess Diaries' playing one of Batman's most famous, dangerous and seductive enemy/ally 'Catwoman'. The feelings that I have about 'Catwoman' are almost identical to the feelings I had about 'Two Face' in Batman's previous outing 'The Dark Knight'. Aaron Eckhart displayed a brilliant performance depicting the once sane, but now deluded villain, although I believe that he wasn't needed within the film. The fact that he was included simply meant that there was less emphasis on the fantastic 'Joker'. Catwoman is very similar in this sense. Anne Hathaway produces a surprisingly immersive performance, however whenever she was on screen I just wanted to return to the evil, vindictive actions of Bane. Furthermore I never really felt that the character of Catwoman was looked at in much detail, we don't learn much about her past, or her perculier housemate!

The acting throughout the film is what you would expect from some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy and Joseph Gordan-Levitt to name just a few. Each actor delivering a performance which would be expected of their level of experience, everyone within this film is brilliant. Michael Caine delivers his most heart-felt and relate able performance yet of the loveable 'Alfred' while Gordon-Levitt is the surprise star of the film, conveying the feelings and emotions of a civilian police officer who finds himself entangled within the chaos of Gotham.

This film is the most exciting and simply thrilling film of the past few years, the sheer momentous spectacle of this film shines through within the passion of each and every performance. Everyone behind this production clearly portrays their dedication and devotion to make this film work, from the directing, to the music, to the art department! This film and in fact this series is something to be proud of, it's the epic conclusion to the fantastic series.

90%- The summer movie to end all summer movies.

Calum Russell

R.I.P to all the victims of the Aurora shootings.

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (DVD Review)

Directed by Jake Kasdan and starring John C. Reilly and Kristen Wigg, Walk hard is a spoof comedy film which follows the story of 'Dewey Coks' as he overcomes adversity to become a music legend. 

Having never even heard of this film until last week, I initially assumed that it was a failed comedy that never really picked up much of a recognition for itself. However after viewing, I was shocked that I'd never seen or even heard of it before, as I believe that this is one of Jud Apatow's best film's to date. Bursting with a creative story-line and screenplay, although showing a similarity to it's counterpart, 'Spinal Tap'. Contrary to Jud Apatow's previous film's 'Walk Hard' provides a change of comedic angle, which works both in the films favor and against it. For example Apatow's 2007 hit 'Superbad' contains universal comedy which should appeal to the masses, whereas Walk Hard's comedy may only appeal to the select few, as it's more of silly spoof. Now in no way am I saying this isn't a funny film, in fact it's hilarious! It's just that this film play's along with it's total absurdness and as a result supplies some silly scenes along with some silly jokes, which may deter some viewers. A lot of jokes are repeated throughout, which provides the main bulk of the comedy, some of the running jokes are brilliant and will get you laughing every time they occur, whereas unfortunately others get old very quickly, this creates some awkward moments later in the film where the 'running-joke' is supposed to be the pinnacle joke of the scene but just falls flat. 

The acting in this film is good overall with the stand out performance belonging to Tim Meadows, who supplies and creates the funniest moments in the film. However the biggest thing that the surprised me in this film was the sheer mass of cameo's that appeared! I think that nearly every American comic actor/actress appeared, in some way or another, may it be rude news reporter, Jewish music producer or even Buddy Holly! But by far the best cameo and in fact the best scene in the film is when Dewey Cox meets the Beatles, the scene is filled with such originality and comedic flare and it really stands out from the rest of the film. 

On the whole, I thought this was a pleasant surprise, supplying a comedic story line with fitting jokes to match, although some fall flat, the film picks itself up and never gives up on trying to make you laugh. 

70%- Compelling story line, with some hilarious jokes, however the lack of consistency and different comedic angle may leave you underwhelmed. 

Calum. Russell

Magic Mike Review

Directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer and Cody Horn. Magic Mike, follows the story of 'Mike' a male stripper who teaches a younger performer how to party, pick up women and make easy money. 

In a summer of films dominated by action and violence, very much targeted at a male audience, there seemed to be a lack of femininity within the films of 2012. Until now. At first glance, Magic Mike is very much a 'girly flick' orientated around male strippers, aiming to be as flirtatious as possible. However, at the heart of this film, is a much more realistic and relateable storyline about a man who wants to be taken seriously in order to live out his lifetime dream. 

Despite the simplistic, dull and obvious initial plot, as this film progresses so does the film's realism and complexity, beginning as simply a film about strippers and ending about something much more. This is done brilliantly well, due mainly to terrific performances conveying perfectly the feelings and lives of normal strippers. Towards the end of the film I found myself oddly attached to the majority of characters from the protagonist 'Mike' to his fellow co-strippers! Perhaps the best performance in this film belongs to either Matthew McConaughey or Alex Pettyfer, who both portrayed their characters perfectly, with McConaughey providing an all too enticing yet intimidating performance and Pettyfer who displayed a brilliant understanding of his irresponsible character. 

The main triumph within this film, is it's ability to 'tend to the needs' of all audience members. The prominent plot line of male strippers, is never analysed to the point where it becomes uncomfortable, yet neither is it just brushed on. The perfect balance of weirdly enjoyable 'stripping shows' and heart-felt story is achieved, making it bearable for the majority of male viewers! Furthermore the worries I had within the stripping scenes, were immediatly quelled. Expecting all too 'seedy' scenes of pure embarresment yet actually recieving something a lot different. The scenes were so 'over the top' and kitsch that it was surpisingly funny and entertaining.The stripping never really went into too much detail, instead what was displyed was a plethera of thrilling dance-numbers and 'caberet-esque' performances. 

Although I did, for the most part, find Magic Mike a wierdly enjoyable time, there were some aspects of the film I really disliked, one aspect comes in the form of the script. 

Within almost every 'chick-flick' a poor display of dialouge is put on show, and although I wouldn't catorgorise Magic Mike as such a film, it's dialouge is just as bad. It was a shame to see that in a film of such realism among characters, the words that came out their mouths were just totally contrived. The worst example of dialouge materializes out of nowhere when they're in the water, and as they emerge 'Adam' (Pettyfer) say's 'I think we should be best friends'. Now not all the dialoge within this film is quite as perposterous and childish, oddly enough some character's dialouge is perfectly acceptable, creating for a more enjoyable performance's from previously mentioned actors Matthew McConaughey and Alex Pettyfer (despite that awful line!).

I also had a problem with the acting within this film from one actress in particular. Cody Horn plays Brooke, Channing Tatum's love interest, who towards the end of the film play's a big role. The only problem with Cody Horn is that she is incapable of showing any other emotion other than 'bored', and this reflects in her performance. Above all Magic Mike is a fun film for everyone to simply enjoy...how can we enjoy the film when the 'leading lady' puts a down note on every scene. She only ever really looks happy to be on screen when shes with Channing Tatum, which if looked at from a different perspective could be seen as simply part of the plot. 

Overall, Magic Mike was a big surprise, despite the large feminine appeal, this film offers a strong driving force of a story, told through the eyes of some enthralling, lovable and oddly enticing characters. 

70%- A surprisingly enjoyable film, providing an interesting story into the largely untouched occupation of male strippers. 

Calum. Russell

Law Abiding Citizen (DVD Review)

Directed by F.Gary Gray, and starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, Law abiding citizen follows the story of a man who witnesses the murder of his wife and child, and decides to take justice into his own hands. 

Knowing this was a revenge thriller, product of Hollywood, I had average expectations, and, depending how you look at the film, that's what I received. With the exception however of the initial story which was surprisingly enticing and clever, ignoring the horrific and unnecessary torture scene. As the plot thickens however things begin to get more and more cliched , showing an annoyingly similar resemblance to David Fincher's 'Se7en'. The story however is very messy, at times being very simple, then leading off into a dead-end in which they never really return to, creating many frustrating 'pot-holes' .The character's were mainly quite linear and predictable, with the exception of Gerard Butler whom I thought played his character as well as he could with the sloppy dialogue he was given. However even the main role was cliched, showing (at times) a clear resemblance to 'Hannibal' from the 'Silence of the lambs'. 

Nothing in this film actually surprised me apart from the slightly shocking ending, every action was foreseeable, which includes the 'final destination' 'esque' deaths! Which involved, characters saying a ridiculous line, (all to happily) before a ridiculous death. Which brings me onto my next point, this film is given an 18 certificate, and for everyone who's seen the film you'll know why, but this certificate does not mean that you have to include everything that comes under an 18, but clearly the director felt that this should be done, including the most graphic and unnecessary torture and death scenes I've ever seen and of course we were exposed to every one of them. 
The dialogue is very sloppy, preposterous and (continuing in the tradition) cliched! Delivering such lines as 'Release me...Or what...Or I kill everyone!'. This almost makes the film a joke, like their taking the Micky out of their own film because they know it's ridiculous. 

Overall I actually thought this film could've been quite good, if it had been put into the right hands, unfortunately it wasn't handled with care, and with that inevitably comes; glaring pot holes, a ridiculous and completely un-original story-line and the dialogue of a B-movie. 

40%- The initial story-line should keep you going till the end but don't expect to be satisfied by the lack-luster final product.

The Pirates! Band Of Misfits Review

Directed by Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt, and starring the voices of Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson and Martin Freeman, Pirates is a stop-motion film, which follows the story of the Pirate Captain who sets out to win the 'Pirate of the year' award. 

Growing up in Bristol, the home of Aardaman animations studios, has meant that for every new Aardaman release, their have been floods of people flocking to their nearest cinema to see some local film making. This film continued the tradition and in classic Aardaman form, delivered another hilarious animation, to be proud of. Pirates is debateably the funniest release of theirs yet, packing in plenty of clever jokes as-well as literally hundreds of visual gags. However the brilliance of this is that these jokes aren't just for kids, the balance is just right that, kids will be laughing at the actions and personalities of the characters while the adults will be laughing at the clever dialouge . The visuals are brilliant, but not in the awe-inspiring way you may think. Since all the sets in the film are made on a very small scale, and all the characters and their expressions are made using only clay, you can clearly see the effort that's gone into this film, and to see such a detailed and creative world on such a small scale is amazing. The characters are enticing and interesting, each one delivering a fresh view on every situation, creating even more comedy situations, however this positive point does bring up a few issues... 

Their were so many characters that it was almost inevitable that not all of them would get a full 'run out' and character development. This is exactly what happens and your left thinking, i would've really liked to know more about that character, which in a way you can't really blame the production team for. With every minute of filming taking a pain-staking, back-aching time of carefully modelling each character, this is a very time consuming process, so to ask them to create even 10 minutes worth of extra footage would take hours. This coincidentally affects the running time of the film and the pace at which the film is shot. 

Overall however it's a brilliant piece of harmless fun and comedy for both children and adults to enjoy. It does have it's faults but none that you wouldn't expect from a film which takes such effort and dedication to complete. 

80%- Aardman deliver yet another heart-warming comedy for the whole family to enjoy.

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

Directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans The Amazing Spider Man follows the story of Peter Parker, as his search for the truth about his parents, leads him to Dr. Connors (Ifans) and a date with a radioactive spider. 

Just five years after the disastrous 'Spider-man 3', fans have been treated with the perhaps unnecessary reboot of the popular franchise. Although this reboot may be telling pretty much the same story, that is where the similarities end, as this film is mostly quite different from it's previous 'series'. There has been a change in director, with Webb taking over from Raimi, hoping to transform the tone of the film from tame to dark, to the criticism of many. However most prominently there has been a change in the lead role, the cheesy and uncomfortable presence of Tobey Maguire will not be returning, instead Andrew Garfield is hoping to insert a dose of gritty realism into the franchise. 

However despite these major changes, The Amazing Spider Man is a lot like it's predecessors being cheesy, predictable and totally incoherent. To my surprise it was actually the build-up, which went so wrong for the 2002 version, that completely 'stole the show'. Every character was depicted perfectly, in an initial story that was relatively fresh, showing sides to the well-known plot that has never been seen before on screen. Oddly enough it was when Parker's powers materialized that I really started to dislike the film. There's one specific moment in the film when the overall tone is just flipped on it's head, almost as if Raimi has taken the reigns from Webb! Plot points became predictable, half-hearted CGI became prominent and the screenplay became all too familiar. 

Due to Spider Man 3's lack of any source of threat or intimidation from the two villains. You would expect The Amazing spider Man to learn from it's mistakes and produce a threatening, malicious creature with powerful motives for wanting to kill the protagonist. Instead what was produced was more of the same absurdity, a giant, un-intimidating, CGI blob, who had weak motives for his destructive actions. Setting off as a genuinely good person Rhys Ifans' character 'Dr Connors' unrealistically transforms his personality, to the point where he now wants to savagely destroy everything in sight. The change simply did not make any sense and there was near to no explanation for the lizards actions, with the slight exception of a pathetic information video in Dr Connors' lab. Furthermore the Lizard looked quite poor, obviously I wasn't expecting totally realistic features, after all he is a 7ft talking reptile, but they could've at least made an effort. I found that this film wanted to stick religiously to the comics, by creating this huge fantasy beast when actually more of an impact could've been given by simply reducing his size and by giving him relate-able features with far less CGI. Take Christopher Nolans 'Dark Knight Rises' for example, in the batman comics, Bane is a humongous beast, however in the film he's simply represented as a man with similar intimidating features. 

Prominent in nearly all superhero film's is the use of a cheesy and unrealistic screenplay, and The Amazing Spider Man doesn't buck the trend. The film is full of some poor moments of dialogue and many totally unrealistic scenes of stupidity. My favorite piece of terrible dialogue within the film being 'Put the mask on, it will make you strong'. The Lizard is responsible for many scenes of idiocy towards the end of the film, one scene in-particular stands out as the worst, so without spoiling anything all I'll say is the crane scene is a lazy piece of film making! 

Although there are many problems with this film, I do believe that it does have some positive points. For the film's first 45 minutes I was engulfed and totally engaged. The scenes at home with the family were the best scenes of all portraying a realistic family, and a young boy who is still adapting to life without his parents. Andrew Garfield is excellent as Peter Parker, depicting what Spider-Man truly is at the heart, a shy geek, who finds confidence within his new power. Emma Stone is also equally as brilliant producing a very realistic, natural performance. In fact the acting across the whole cast was above average, even Rhys Ifans puts up a strong performance as the terrible villain, Lizard. 

Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man  was an enjoyable enough watch, for the first 45 minutes, until Peter Parker became spider-man! From here the story slowly started to fall apart , the screenplay became absurd, the Lizard started to talk, and poor action scenes were displayed in the most ridiculous locations. However it is considerably better than the 2002 original! 

60%- A lenient score on what was a disappointing film, what could have been fresh and original became predictable and corny. 

Calum Russell

The Amazing Spider-Man (Coming Soon)

Stay Tuned for a spider man review, which will be up later

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter Review

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov and starring Benjamin Walker and Dominic Cooper, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire hunter follows the story of the 16th president of the United States as he tries to eliminate the threat of vampires from the USA.

No matter what your age, gender, interests e.t.c. One thing that we can all agree on is that Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, is such an absurd, hilarious and brilliant concept for a book and subsequently a film. This will coincidentally 'pave the way' for hundreds of historical inaccuracies and misrepresentations. So if your searching for an accurate depiction of the 16th president of the USA, your won't find it in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (However you may find it in 'Lincoln' which is released later this year). Instead you will find a film which quite simply does not understand it's source material.

For a film which follows the life of one of the most iconic American presidents of all time as he hunts vampires, it takes itself way too seriously. Conveying horror mediums through a flimsy plot that was completely nonsensical due to poor characters and the films many contradictions. Usually I let the occasional contradiction within a film slide, but this one had so many, it was simply inexcusable. One of the most important 'rules' within the film is broken, however as the audience was baffled at this occurrence, the film simply ran on, leaving one thing after another completely unexplained. The main villain in this film produces no real threat, he's predictable and tame, but the least you can expect from him is a satisfying gory departure, right? Wrong. This film produces possibly the biggest anti-climax in any film I've seen to date, and it feels totally out of place. Within a film where crazy action scenes are dragged out and focused on in depth, it was really odd to see no 'final battle'.

What with the film's '15' certificate, and possibly misleading title, the question of target demographic is also a prominent problem within this film. With vampires, gore and action attracting teens, while the prospect of an American President on screen could attract adults. However as the film attempts to balance both demographics the film just tumbles, producing a sloppy mess of disjointed action with simply uneventful and absurd political information. I appreciate that Bekmambetov at least attempted to create a fun yet slightly accurate film, but with a title such as 'Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter' absurdity is a necessity!

On the other hand, if your simply looking for a piece of harmless fun, I think that this film would suffice. Yes the story's poor, yes the characters are atrocious, but the action is as ridiculous as it should be, with huge amounts of gore and satisfying (if not, totally overused) special effects. The most preposterous action scene materializing out of nowhere, involves the use of thousands of CGI horses, sound stupid? It is, but it's also undeniably thrilling. Another unintentional positive about this film, is that some scenes and lines in this film are just so atrocious it's laughable!

Overall however this film isn't as fun as you'd expect and is actually rather boring throughout. Providing a totally incoherent story-line with a poor script to match, as well as hundreds of indefensible mistakes.

40%- If your looking for harmless fun this might be for you, just don't expect a good story, script, or set of characters to follow.

Calum Russell

Abe Lincon- Vampire Hunter

I'm off to see Abraham Lincon Vampire Hunter tonight,  I'll be writing a review of it tomorrow!