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300
Cert: 15
Starring: Gerard Butler,
Lena Headey, David Wenham
Director: Zack
Snyder
Running Time: 117
minutes
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Following
very closely to Frank Millers graphic novel, the story is based on
the battle fought at Thermopylae. As the Spartan king Leonidas (Gerard
Butler) receives word that the king of Persia Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro)
is marching with his army towards Sparta.
As Leonidas rushes to defend his country he finds that corrupt priests
and politicians refuse to declare war.
Forbidden then by custom to raise his army his only choice is to
assemble 300 of his personal bodyguard, and march them along the
coast of the Aegean Sea to a narrow pass known as the Hot Gates.
Once there, this small number will have to face the thousands of
advancing Persian soldiers to protect their country and their king.
Nothing about 300 is really intended to be subtle, it is really just
a simple tale about valour and sacrifice and the conse-quences in
battle that can go with this.
Gerard Butler gives a strong performance as a leader of men, showing
strength of character combined with charisma.
The main area this movie is different from others such as Troy is
in the way it is filmed. Like another of Frank Millers works ’Sin
City’ it has been shot almost entirely against blue screen
so it could be graphically altered to capture the style of the original
graphic novel.
Now this may not be to every ones taste, and can sometimes lead to
it feeling a little to animated, but it does make it visually interesting.
If you are looking for something with hard-hitting action that’s
a little different from what else is about, then this could be worth
a watch. |
The
Hills Have Eyes 2
Cert: 18
Starring: Jessica
Stroup, Reshad Strik, Michael McMillian, Daniella
Alonso, Lee Thompson Young
Directors: Martin
Weisz
Running
Time: 89
minutes
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Another
familiar title as the second movie
of these cult films has been remade, and what started with
the Carter family while they travelled through New Mexico,
obviously didn’t
end with them.
A local National Guard troop half way through their basic training
are given a mission, to deliver equipment to scientists in
a remote and secret research camp. It is when they find the
camp deserted they decide to mount a search and rescue mission
into the hills - after all, who else could be up there?
Who of course, are the remnants of the tribe of mutants that
still survive in the hills, led by ‘Hades’ the
worst mutant of them all.
Unknowing the soldiers are wandering into a cannibalistic group,
who’s only interest is to kill for food, and to find
more women to increase there numbers.
It has only been a year since the remake of the first movie,
and Wes Craven (the original movies writer/director) was also
brought in to co-write the script for this one. But all of
this only tends to leave you a bit disappointed with what you
came to see.
There is no doubt that the film manages to follow all the right
formula for this genre of movie. The problem is, there is nothing
new here at all. There are some good atmospheric scenes, and
the special effects stand up well.
So, for fans of this type of movie, they will get what they
expect from it, just as long as they don’t hope to see
something new and a little different. |
TMNT
Cert: PG
Starring: James
Arnold Taylor, Nolan North, Mikey Kelley, Mitchell
Whitfield, Mako, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chris
Evans
Director: Kevin
Munroe
Running
Time: 87
minutes
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TMNT
if you haven’t worked it out yet is the updated version
of an old kids favourite Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The storyline takes up sometime after the defeat of their old
arch-enemy, and the turtles are no longer the tight family
they used to be.
Leonardo (voiced by James Arnold) has been living as a vigilante
in Mexico, Donatello (voiced by Mitchell Whitfield) when not
at home is working at a computer help desk hotline; Raphael
(voiced by Nolan North) sleeps all day, while stopping petty
crime at night; and Michel-angelo (voiced by Mikey Kelley)
dresses up as Cowabunga Carl for kiddy’s parties.
It is when their old friend April (voiced by Sarah Michelle
Gellar) persuades Leonardo to return, they are reunited again.
Under their old rat sensei, Splinter (voiced by Mako), they
must find a way to work together once more to protect the city.
The CGI animation is does certainly tend to suit this sort
of movie, but while it has been given a slightly darker edge
(closer to the original comic it came from) it is still missing
something, and in some ways has lost a little of its appeal.
The storyline does rely on you having a little background knowledge
of the characters, which may prove a little confusing for the
younger children seeing this for the first time. In its favour,
it does move quite quickly, and contains enough action to keep
them entertained, but those who decide to see it for a bit
of nos-talgia may be a little disappointed. |
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