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Superman
Returns
Cert: 12A
Starring: Sam Huntington,
Brandon Routh, Kevin Spacey, James Marsden,
Eva Marie Saint, Kal Penn, Parker Posey, Kate
Bosworth
Director: Bryan
Singer
Running Time: 150
minutes
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Born
on a planet that is dying a young boy, Kal-El is sent to earth to
be found and adopted by humans. The boy, who is now renamed Clarke
Kent, grows up soon realising he is very different to everyone else.
So Clark lives out his duel life changing to the ‘Man of Steel’ whenever
our world needs him. But in the last five years there has been no
sign of the superhero.
Crime has risen in Metropolis and elsewhere. Lex Luthor escaped his
jail sentence when Superman fails to testify, and even Lois Lane
has moved on. With a young son to look after and being engaged to
the Editor’s nephew, she has all but forgotten about her past.
Superman’s search for where he belongs in the Universe brings
him back to Earth just as we need him the most, just as Lex Luthor’s
plan to take over the world using Superman’s own technological
secrets are almost complete!
I wouldn’t envy the director Bryn Singer’s job taking
this movie on. It has been nineteen years since Superman was last
on the cinema screen, and the original cast members are closely remembered
for the roles they played. This is what gives rise to this film’s
main problem; that the audience are likely to be comparing the film
and the actors to the original movies and cast.
You can’t deny the on screen presence that Christopher Reeve
gave the character, or the chemistry between Reeves and Margot Kidder
(original Lois Lane). In this film Brandon Routh plays his Clarke
Kent character a little differently, a little less clumsy and awkward,
and more like someone you just wouldn’t tend to notice. Kate
Bosworth (Lois Lane) gives a solid performance, but some of that
chemistry between her and Brandon Routh (Superman) does seem to be
missing.
I have always been a fan of Kevin Spacey, and his portrayal of Lex
Luthor is not bad, but somehow I just expected a little more. That
really is the general feeling for the whole film.
This is still an entertaining movie. There are a few scenes that
are a little long in places and seem to slow the story line down.
The film is well produced, but leaves you feeling a little unsatisfied. |
Warrior
King
Cert: 18
Starring: Tony Jaa,
Petchtai Wongkamlao, Bongkoj Khongmalai, Jing
Xing, Nathan Jones
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Running
Time: 110
minutes
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Do
you remember how martial arts movies used to be, before the
likes of ’Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ‘House
of Flying Daggers’? This is film harks back the more
traditional martial arts movies, and while the plot is weak
it still doesn’t stop this film being entertaining.
Tony Jaa is an up and coming talented martial artist who is
likely to follow in the footsteps of others such as Jackie
Chan and Jet Li.
Jaa and the others in his stunt team from previous films have
put together another stream of action sequences.
Young Kham (Jaa) plays a Thai farmer, living with his father,
and there elephants. Honing his martial arts skills, farming
and building are the things Kham’s his life revolves
around.
Elephants are highly prized animals in Thailand, and when Kham’s
father is shot and the beasts are taken. He vows to take revenge
and return with his animals. To do this he must travel to Australia,
and so begins his journey tracking down the gangsters that
are responsible.
Through his adventures he is accompanied by his tubby comedic
side-kick (Petchtai Wongkamlao), helping to add humour to the
fight scenes, which can also be a little brutal at times.
As the film progresses the bad guys get bigger and tougher
(Including the large Australian wrestler, Nathan Jones) as
you would expect, and so do some of the stunts such as Jaa
doing a backward somersault to kick a man of a motorbike – all
good stuff.
This is not a film to see for strong story lines or amazing
dialogue, but if you just want to see a no-nonsense, back to
basics martial arts film just for fun, then its worth a watch. |
The
Break-up
Cert: 12A
Starring: Vince
Vaughn, Jennifer Aniston, Jon Favreau, Jason
Bateman, Joey Lauren Adams, Cole Hauser, John
Michael Higgins
Director: Peyton
Reed
Running
Time: 105
minutes
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This
is director Peyton Reeds offering as a romantic comedy, or
should we say un-romantic comedy. The film takes a very brief
look at how a couple, Brooke (Jennifer Aniston) and Gary (Vince
Vaughn) met and fell in love, and then moves quickly on to
where it all starts to fall apart. When they begin to drive
each other crazy, and continue from one argument to another
Brooke decides to call it quits with her boyfriend. The only
problem is that neither of them wants to move out of the condo
they share. So the only thing left is the series of bad behaviour
from both parties in an effort to force the other one to leave
(constantly fuelled by advise and wisdom from their friends).
It’s a little surprising in some ways that with all the
publicity of the two leading characters’ relationship
in real life, that there seems to be little chemistry between
them both on screen. In fact it actually sees much stronger
between themselves and their movie friends, Judy Davis as Brooke’s
gallery boss and especially Jon Favreau as Gary’s bartender
buddy.
We have seen this type of film before in ‘War of the
Roses’ which makes no bones as to being a comedy movie,
but with this film the arguments and how things progress are
all too real and believable. This tends to leave you a little
unsure sure whether you are watching a drama or a comedy.
This is not particularly a bad film, and does manage an ending
that ties things up nicely for the audience. |
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