The Social Network: Wall Street for Generation Y!

Late again I know and I'm sure my review of The Social Network wont add much to the debate, but here goes.

By now you will know that The Social Network is the new film from David Fincher, with a script from Aron Sorkin about Mark Zuckerberg the creator of Facebook.

The story follows Zukerberg from Harvard and the inception of 'The Facebook' to the double lawsuits regarding ownership of Facebook.

Many reviews will say how Jessie Eisenberg makes Zuckerberg into a likeable asshole that you want to like but never feel you can...a kind of Gordon Gecko figure, but i always like Gecko...and i l 'Like' Zuckerberg.

I don't think the Wall Street comparison stops there though. Though The Social Network isn't a film about greed and capitalism (almost the opposite), it is inspirational and showcases the new breed of young .com entrepreneurs, that don't have the years of business experience behind them.

8/10

Kick-Ass BluRay

As I slow crawl to decrepitude and leave the house less and less, it becomes easy just to watch movies from my arm chair...

So Kick-Ass on Blu-Ray. Another comic book conversion from comic book writer Mark Millar (him that wrote Wanted). Like a lot of Millars work it twists the usual conventions of comic book story telling but at the same time following ever comic book hero that has ever been written.

The story is set in a relatively believable world, where masked avengers don't exist...but why not? why doesn't someone put on a ski mask and....Kick-Ass?

That's what Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) decides to do...and becomes the title character. Along the way he is joined by Hit Girl and Big Daddy and Father and daughter team of crime fighters.

Without spoiling it...you can see the ending coming a mile off, but it is a comic book movie after all!

The quality of the movie is great in HD and the Blu-Ray has all the usual features, Directors commentary, making off...but nothing special, no BD-Live feature for example.

Movie rating: 6.5/10

Blu-Ray rating: 5/10

Future of Blogging

Great article from Six Pixels on the Future of Blogging:

http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/the-future-of-blogging-might-surprise-you/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+TwistImage+(Six+Pixels+of+Separation+-+Marketing+and+Communications+Insights+Blog+-+Mitch+Joel+-+Twist+Image)

Though I don't do as much as i'd like I still feel blogs and blogging have a future, even with the rise of Micro blogging platforms like Twitter.

Star Wars in 3D

It seems George Lucas is determined to ruin my childhood by again butchering the original Star Wars movies, buy retro-fitting 3D technology on them.
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=29054

We all now know that this is an ongoing marketing strategy buy Lucas films to rip off the millions of Star Wars fans every few years. I guess the 3D cinema release will coincide with the Blu Ray release.

Too busy to blog is not an excuse!

Ok, so i have actually been busy, moving house, hosting house warming parties, rebuilding new house...but I have seen loads of movies as well. Inception, Batman: Under the Red Hood...(Both worth seeing, though you may already know that about Inception)

To keep things moving on my blog i'm going to continue to review movies but also give you nuggets on other things going on...So expect reviews and comments on Social Media, Music, Games, comic books...anything geeky that i'm into.

All coming soon..I hope!

2 Days in Paris

I know this is an old movie (2007), but i managed to catch it on TV recently I thought it was worth reviewing.

I suppose it touched a nerve with me as i've played out most of this movie for real when i lived in Spain!

2 Days in Paris sees Marion and Jack (Julie Delpy Adam Goldberg) returning to Marion's home. Paris. They are forced to stay with Marion's parents for the stay and mix with Marion's old boyfriends...which she has a lot! Her starts the problems and Jacks building paranoia.

Both Delpy and Goldberg play there roles perfectly. Dark and ironic.

A funny and touching movie for anyone that's ever been in a relationship where English is the first language!

6.5/10

Prince of Persia: Sand of Time

If you're a fan of the Pirates of The Carribian movies, then you should like Prince of Persia:Sands of Time. Based on the successful Video game franchise, which it almost captures the look and feel...almost. The gamers amongst you will see a a striking resemblance to another game franchise, Assassins Creed. The images of Jake Gyllenhaal prince Dastan precariously standing on roof tops definitely looks closer to Assassins creed than any Prince of Persia game.

The film canters along and a fast enough pace never to become dull, but lakes the set pieces of the Pirates movies. It also lacks a stand out performance...We have no Jake Sparrow to chew up the celluloid, which might seem like a good thing. We do have Ben Kingsley on best bad guy form and the strangely perma-tanned Gemma Arterton, but whose complaining...it's Gemma Arterton after all.

So Prince of Persia is a non-offensive summer block buster that will probably spawn several increasingly ridiculous sequels...but it is the first decent video game conversion I've seen.

5.5/10

IronMan 2

Being a comic book fan, I was always bound to enjoy Ironman 2. So this review is unashamed in it's positivity.

Jon Favreau delivers a fan boys wet dream and an admirable follow up to 2008's Ironman.

The movie picks up several years after the original. Tony Stark is Ironman and everyone loves him for it (almost), but the suit is slowly poisoning him.

The government is after his ironman suits as his closest rival Justin Hammer, played to frighteningly nerdy perfection by Sam Rockwell. Hammer enlists Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), to build a drone army to stop Starks dominance in the weaponised exo-skeleton arena.

Starks best friend Lt. Col. James 'Rhodey' Rhodes is also after the suit and eventually get his hands on a prototype, to become War Machine...a supped up version of Ironman.

Other charaters from the marvel also pop up, Scarlett Johansson turns up as S.H.I.E.L.D agent Black Widow and Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury. All leading towards 2012's Avengers movie.

I was always bound to love it...

8/10

P.S Stay in your seat for the end credits for an extra scene

Clash of The Titans

I have a soft spot for the original Clash of the Titans, with its Ray Harryhausen stop frame animation and hammy acting.

As Hollywood has run out of ideas and is now dredging through it's back catalogue or raiding your local comic book store for new stories.

Thanks to that we have a new big budget (though the FX don't represent this) version of Clash of the Titans from directorLouis Leterrier.

Leterrier is famous for the Transporter movies and the better of the two recent Incredible Hulk movies. So perfect for a movie that selo-tapes Greek mythology

together.

Man of the moment Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator: Salvation) is Perseus...all muscles and no brains and as wooden as the sets (if they where built and not generated).

This version has none of the charm of the original and the least said about Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes the better. This really is a turkey!

2/10

Shutter Island

Shutter Island is Martin Scorsese's latest. A thriller set on the eponymous 'Shutter Island' asylum. A murder mystery that sees

Leonardo DiCaprio US marshal sent to investigate.

Obviously something is fishy as the the asylum is run by (Sir) Ben Kingsley...

The movie has a few scares and is fairly tense and looks beautiful as you would expect with a Scorsese movie.

The closest movie to Shutter Island is Scorsese's own remake of Cape Fear. The sound track beats you into submission and constantly reminds you that you are watching a THRILLER!

I'm a huge Scorsese fan and have loved his past collaborations with Leo. However the biggest issue i have with this movie is Leo. He just isn't believable as an military man with a shadowy past, he simply isn't old enough and doesn't have enough age in his eyes.

It's no spoiler to tell you that the movie has a twist (the US marketing was based around telling you that the movie has a twist) So don't be shocked when you see the twist crashing towards you as loudly as the movies booming score.

7/10

Green Zone

It would be easy to call Green Zone, "Jason Bourne does Iraq!" But that would make a pithy and dismissive review.

It's true Green Zone is directed by Paul Greengrass and it stars Matt Damon. It's filmed in Greengrass' handheld and improvised style...but that's where the comparisons ends.

Damons' Staff Sergent Miller is a much more believable character, with a very real agenda...to find those WMD's.
Miller isn't the unstoppable force like Jason Bourne and most importantly Miller is based in the real world, during a real event. At one point Damon/Miller even gets a swift beating from Jason Isaacs (Hello Jasons Isaacs) Special Forces operative.

This is a much easier film to watch that any of the Bourne movies, it rattles along nicely with an amazing 30 minute set piece finale, which would make any fan of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare put down there controller.

This is easily the best of the recent crop of Iraq war movies, including The Hurt Locker.

8/10

The Wolfman

I think we are about to be overwhelmed by period horror/thriller/action movies, with the success of Sherlock Holmes (and its still to come sequels) and now The Wolfman ...

The Wolfman harks back to Hammer horror and the classic Hollywood horrors from the 40's.
Set at the end of 18th century, it's the story of an estranged Son returning to his birth place after the brutal murder of his brother. The 'horror' begins when Benicio Del Toro is attacked by the title creature

The movie looks amazing at times, with more than a generous nod to the original movie.
Joe Johnston's is in the end a confused flick, not going far enough to be a true horror and not a good enough scripted to be thriller.

While watching The Wolfman, one other movie constantly pops into your head...An American Werewolf in London, which The Wolfman even parodies at one point.

AAWL sets an ironic tone from the start and keeps that up through the script...The Wolfman lacks the conviction.

6/10