Views from the Void

Saw 4
Plot: The Jigsaw is back…. Or is he? Jigsaw is dead (but you’d know this if you saw Saw 3) as is Amanda Young, but there are still some traps around. For Detective Rigg is still reeling from the shock of finding his fellow officers dead- and no-one has been able to find Eric Matthews (from Saw 2). Will Rigg be able to solve the traps set for him before Matthews and his colleagues die? And will the new cops on the case be able to prove that Jigsaw actually had help from a third person?
My Thoughts: The first saw was groundbreaking. I enjoyed the second saw but thought the third was a bit of a let down- probably because it went in a different direction. Saw 4 goes in a different direction again. We get to see more of a back story for the Jigsaw Killer- and are introduced to his ex-wife who I don’t remember ever being mentioned before. Because of these forays into the past, there is less ‘trap’ action than some would want. The opening scenes are good. The first trap is worth the watching alone- and the Jigsaw autopsy is … graphic! After that, the plot falters quite a bit. The series seems to have lost that ‘fight for your right to live’ moral (is this moral?) and some of the stuff is purely there for effect. For example, there is one scene where the lady detective approaches a doll and it blows up. There is no reason for it and no way of escaping it.
What is good about the film is the way it connects the other films. You may think that this follows on from Saw 3, but you will be mistaken. That’s all I’m saying. After seeing that twist, I would probably have to see it again to put it properly into context- and I have a strange feeling that this was meant to lead into a Saw 5. (I will be expecting it next Halloween)
On the whole, slightly disappointing in terms of content, but there is enough for series fans to enjoy the connections. Also it is good to have the ‘who is it?’ surprise element back into it. It may be worth seeing the previous 2 films before seeing it.
Best bit: The first trap is frantic.
Score: 6/10

Rendition
Plot: Anwar El-Ibrahimi is taken by his own government and shipped out to North Africa where he is held and tortured due to the fact that he may have received phone calls from a phone number that once may have belonged to a terrorist. His wife (Reese Witherspoon) tries her hardest to get information about the disappearance of her husband. In North Africa, CIA agent Doug (Jake Gyllenhaal), who recently lost a partner in a suicide bombing, is charged with overseeing the ‘interrogation, which is led by Abasi. However, Abasi appears to have his own problems, as his daughter has just disappeared with her boyfriend- a member of a terrorist cell.
My Thoughts: This film has many strands to it. It seems to follow two main stories throughout. The one about Anwar- his arrest and torture- and the second about Abasi’s daughter. It is only at the end when you realise how one affects the other, in what seemed at the time of viewing a very surprising twist. It was only afterwards when I started to think about the timing, that I started to confuse myself, and I couldn’t work out how the time line worked. If you’ve seen the film, then you know what I am talking about (I didn’t want to spoiler it). Other than that twist, it is quite a dark and depressing film which delves into the issue of Extraordinary Rendition- the rights of the government to kidnap people, ship them off to another country and let them torture them that way wiping their hands of the whole thing. It does highlight the issue quite well, and it is well acted, Reese Witherspoon and Meryl Streep especially doing very well. However as a piece of drama, it wasn’t very clear and left too many questions (which may have been it’s purpose).
On the whole, a political film that really shouldn’t call itself a thriller. Interesting to watch but the twist, as clever as it was, left me a bit muddled- Or I may have totally misunderstood the twist completely!
Best Bit: Reese and Meryl act extremely well.
Score: 7/10

The Dark is rising
Plot: Will Stanton, a 14 year old seventh son of a seventh son, is home for Christmas when he finds out that he is really one of the ‘Old Ones’. He is the Seeker- his job is to seek the ‘signs’ and stop the Rider (Christopher Eccleston) bringing forth the Darkness and to reinstate the Light.
My Thoughts: This takes me back to all those old BBC kids dramas like Moon Stone, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase and The Box of Delights where it was all atmosphere and no action. Why does it remind me of these? Because the film seemed to be all atmosphere and no action. It had a dark feeling but really achieved any menace. Everything seemed to be accepted quickly and the Hero was frankly quite irritating. Not Even Christopher Eccleston could bring this to life- even though he did a good job as the Doctor! The plot was rushed, bland and predictable (I never saw the sixth sign twist coming- yawn) and the twist at the end would have been better if they had developed the idea of ‘Tom’ in more detail. Still even his re-appearance seemed to be accepted a bit too easily. There was some nice moments when Will went time jumping looking for signs, but these scenes were over quickly and didn’t produce enough of a ‘complication’ to make the story more engrossing.
On the whole, the film was a bit of a disappointment. You may be better of going to see Stardust.
Best Bit: The time jumping scenes were good and brief. And Christopher Eccleston’s Doctor was quite menacing but could have been developed further.
Score: 5/10

Stardust
Plot: Tristan is determined to win the hand of his love Victoria, and when he sees a shooting star he vows to collect it for her. However, to collect it means crowing the wall- a gateway to a magical kingdom. The star turns out to be a young woman, knocked out of the sky by a gem thrown by the dying king, in an attempt to set a challenge to his sons- the heir that finds the gem and turns it blood red will be the next King. Also seeking the star are three witches that need her heart to restore their youth and beauty.
My Thoughts: This film is a lot of fun and a real treat. The plot is well developed and has many elements, the characters are well developed and superbly acted- especially the Pirate Captain Shakespeare! There is enough fun and adventure to keep a family entertained and captivated throughout it’s two hours. A real captivating and heart warming treat.
Definitely worth a see over Half Term
Best Bits: The banter between the princes is fun- as they try to kill each other for the throne. And Captain Shakespeare is an entertaining character. And the end fight scene with the corpse of Septimus is good too.
Score: 8/10

Resident Evil: Extinction
Plot: It’s five years after the events of the last movie and the Umbrella Corp have failed to contain the T-virus. Now the whole world has turned into a zombie infested, post apocalyptic planet. But Alice is still alive as are a few other survivors, including a band of travellers led by Claire Redfield. As they head for the relative safety, they are unaware that the Umbrella Corps are after Alice for their experiments
My Thoughts: I really enjoyed the first two movies and so I was eagerly awaiting this one. And it was disappointing. Unlike the second film, which followed pretty much after the first, this is set quite a bit after the second and so there feels like a lot of story missing. What happened to Jill Valentine? And the little girl? A quick dialogue saying that Alice ran away, broke into the Hive and disabled the tracking device was not enough of an explanation! The plot of this film seems old. A bit too much like Mad Max, and the action is infrequent. It was nice to see another game character appear (Claire) but she wasn’t used well. The bad guy didn’t appear too menacing, and the exciting bit at the end- where the T-virus monster appeared- was over too quickly. However, there were some nice scenes. Like the bit with the crows, the attack in Las Vegas and the end scene (Albeit too brief)
On the whole, I wanted more from this. Maybe Resi 4 will deliver more.
Best bits: The crows, Las Vegas and the T-virus Monster
Score: 6/10

The Heartbreak Kid
Plot: Eddie (Ben Stiller) meets and dates Lila, and when he finds out that she will be sent to Poland with her ‘job’ he decides to marry her to keep her in the country. However, on their honeymoon he finds out she is a little more irritating than he first thought- and ends up falling for Miranda, who is also holidaying with her family. Eddie ends up balancing time with his new wife and his new love, but things don’t turn out as he planned.
My thoughts: I wasn’t sure if this film would work… and I was right. The characters are unrealistic and unbelievable and there I made no empathic or sympathetic connection with any of them. If we were supposed to feel sorry for Eddie, then I’m sorry, but it didn’t work. There were some comic moments, but they are few and far between and often rely on Stiller’s comic (and done-it-al-before) style or the over the top antics of Lila. But you do end up feeling that this is all familiar territory right from the ‘wedding table full of kids’ to the ‘sunburn’ and the ‘weeing on the jellyfish sting’- Are you sure I wasn’t watching episodes of Friends? Oddly enough these were some of my favourite moments. The plot was lame, the characters are lame, the comedy was passable and the ending was disappointing.
Best bit: The jellyfish moment. Lila stole the show in an over the top way.
Score 5/10

The Kingdom
Plot: When a terrorist cell attacks Riyadh, firstly with a suicide bomber then a planted bomb, a group of American FBI agents fly to Saudi Arabia to help investigate it. Even though the Prince welcomes their help, their reception is icy and their investigations are hindered by the Saudi police. However, their investigations lead them to uncover the terrorist cell- and the people that killed their friend.
My thoughts: This film starts off very difficult to watch. The dialogue is difficult to follow and the political overtones are evident from the offset. IT is slow and drawn out for the first hour, but I imagine it is an honest reflection of how the FBI would be treated- even for their own good. But after a very slow start, it really does pick up- and from the moment the terrorists attack the FBI team and take a hostage- it is an adrenaline rush right to the climax.
It is a good film- very thought provoking- with a great ‘thought-provoking’ final scene. It’s a shame that you had to sit through so much slowness to get to the action
Best bit: The terrorist attack/ hostage taking on the road. And the final scene
Score: 7/10