Scream 4

The Scream franchise, my guilty pleasure, joins a long list of Hollywood films that are getting remade, reborn and 'sequelised' for a new generation. Unlike most of these other films, Scream does all the right things.
Scream Four still stars our old friends, Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weathers (Courteney Cox) and Dewey (David Arquette) but it introduces a new high school generation of Ghostface victims.
The reappearance of the infamous Ghostface is triggered by Sidney's return to hometown Woodsboro, where it all began. Sidney is back in town 10 years after her last dealings with Ghostface, promoting her bestselling book. She meets up with all her old friends, married couple Gale and Dewey, as well as her cousin, high school sweetheart Jill (Emma Roberts). Jill heads the new generation which serves the same function as the original cast, even with similar characters archetypes, including hot girl and big boobed Kirby, played cheekily by Hayden Panettiere. Like all previous Scream films, this addition centres around the mystery of who is donning the Ghostface mask - the result may surprise you.
What makes this film so good is the way in which it doesn't take itself too seriously, and that it even parodies the previous Scream films. This addition has also been updated to match the conventions of a new generation of horror slasher films - the purpose of the Scream franchise in the first place. One thing that worked better than the original film was the fact that the teenagers actually look like teenagers, not actors who are in their mid to late twenties pretending to be teens.
There were many highlights in the film but my favourite moment (without giving anything away) had to be the opening sequence, all three of them to be exact. A great introduction to a new generation of Scream seekers.
3.5/5

Limitless

Struggling writer Eddie (Bradley Cooper) faces the cliché story of writers block and after being dumped by his hot girlfriend (Australia’s Abbie Cornish) his life can’t get much worse. That is until he bumps into his ex-brother-in-law who offers him a new kind of drug, yet to appear on the market. This drug enables you to access the full potential of your brain. Eddie tries to refuse but easily gives into temptation, swallowing the pill – the catalyst event that changes his life. Writing becomes less important to Eddie and with his full brain capacity he turns to the stock market, with the ability to understand and predict the markets outcome. This however does not go unnoticed, especially by businessman Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro) and also a few bad men who are after Eddie’s head.
The film contains a compelling mystery, some surprising twists and a talented cast. One of the main highlights in the film is the way in which they visually achieved in demonstrating the characters perceptions of being on this drug; warmer colours, clearer sounds, rotoscoping and the sick-inducing continual zoom.
A film about drugs – the most powerful drug in the world – one would expect a powerful fall. This is evident in the crisis when one of Eddie’s actions on the floor of his apartment should be a wakeup call to any drug addict! But the ending does not refer to any wakeup call and instead ends on a high.
Moral of the story – Drugs are bad but Eddie doesn't learn a thing.
3.5/5

Red Riding Hood

Catherine Hardwhicke’s first movie since Twilight is a twist on the children’s story Little Red Riding Hood. The film is set in a medieval mountain village, where the townsfolk have lived in fear for many years because of the presence of a deadly werewolf. A not so little red riding hood, known in this story as Valerie (Amanda Seyfried) is mixed up in all the werewolf drama when her younger sister is killed by the wolf. Now Valerie not only has to deal with the choice between being with arranged fiancé Henry (Max Irons) or childhood lover Peter (Shiloh Fernandez); she also has to fight against the wolf and its desires for her. The mystery of the film lies with the identity of the werewolf, which could be anyone in the village.
The first issue with this film is that it will immediately be compared to Twilight because of the notable Catherine Hardwhicke style, but at the end of the day these are two completely different films. The story itself is a bit shaky, mainly due to the heavy Bold and the Beautiful dialogue. The introduction of Gary Oldman’s character breathes life into the film, and you almost forget how obscene the dialogue is when Oldman performs it. The film does have a good enough twist and attempts an emotional ending, but it’s all a bit underdeveloped. The art direction and cinematography is the highlight. The red cloak against the snow is beautiful, but this alone cannot save the film.
Pure escapism and a bit of fun.
2.5/5

I Am Number Four

Nine powerful alien children escape from their war torn home planet Lorien, and seek refuge on planet Earth. The nine separate across the continents protected by their guardians. But they are not alone, the Mogadorians, an enemy alien race who destroyed Lorien are on Earth hunting down the nine, threatened by their potential powers. The catch, a curse permits that the nine can only be killed off in a certain order. In the beginning of the film we see the death of Number Three, the focus then turns to the next in line, the protagonist of the film, Number Four (Alex Pettfyer).
We watch as Number Four moves to a new town; Paradise, Ohio; and we learn that he is constantly on the move with his Guardian Henri (Timothy Olyphant). Number Four with his new alias, John Smith, enrolls in the local school, resulting in John not only having to deal with the awful prospect of being hunted down, but also having to deal with everyday high school perils. John is tired of always being on the run and yearns for stability in his life and with moving to Paradise he makes a friend in Alien-obsessed geek Sam (Melbourne-born Callan McAuliffe) and meets a love interest in Sarah (Glee's Dianna Agron). As John makes a home for himself in Paradise it results in him letting his guard down and perhaps allowing the evil Mogadorians; scary eight footed, bald, black eye, sharp teeth creatures, to locate him.
It may seem confusing but the film is easy to follow. It is based on the novel of the same name which was only released in August 2010, interesting enough the film studio jumped on the project early, buying the creative rights to the manuscript in 2009 before publication. The story obviously has changed from the novel, with information subtracted when it was adapted to film, but the film does setup the mystery arc of the whole series, something that was mentioned once in the novel.
The acting is adequate, the chemistry between John and Sarah is memorable, perhaps emphasised due to both parties being incredibly hot. The film does lose some emotional depth, they changed the order of events in the end of the film which I feel creates less emotional impact in the final crisis.
The action is incredibly cool, character Number Six, played wonderfully by hot Aussie Teresa Palmer, stole the action scenes with her leather jacket, motor bike and kick-ass tactics.
The film is in a potential series of six, the authors plan to spread the story over six novels, but only time will tell, based upon box office success, whether a sequel will ever hit out screens.
3/5

True Grit

The Cohen Brothers bring us another great film with True Grit, based upon the novel and a remake of a 1969 film with John Wayne. It is a true western film and follows the story of a 14 year old girl Mattie (Hailee Stienfeld) on a quest to bring justice to her father's killer. The courageous and quick witted young girl hires the help of a 'true grit' man, the abrupt Marshall Rooster Cogburn (Jeff Bridges) to hunt down the murderer. Texan ranger LaBoeuf (Matt Damon) joins the pair who so happens to be hunting the same man for a different crime.

Tension builds leading to a satisfying climax. It is a true western; dirty, gritty, bloody whilst all travelling on horse back.

The characters are memorable; Cogburn as the drunk, egotistical Marshall who shows some of his heart brings the film many laughs, but it is Mattie, the young girl filled with determination and strong will that gives emotional heart to the film. Stienfeld gives an amazing performance stealing the scenes from the more experienced actors.

The film gives hope that the western genre lives on, especially in the hands of the such gifted storytellers as the Cohen Brothers.
4.5/5

127 Hours

It is May 2003. Adventurer Aron Ralson goes on a weekend trip down to Bluejohn Canyon, Utah. He has done this a thousand times before, he knows the land. But one mistake; a misplaced foot, a small fall, a loose rock and Aron's life instantly changes. Aron's right arm gets lodged between the loose rock and the wall of the canyon. He is stuck. With no hope of rescue, a lack of food and water, and hours and hours in the desert Aron has to make an extremely courageous decision to survive.

Based on the incredible true story, 127 Hours stars James Franco as Aron. Franco gives a captivating performance, which is a strong credit as the film basically only features Franco and without this Oscar nominated performance, the film would have failed. Bold British director Danny Boyle, handles the film with an electrifying intensity. Boyle's passion for storytelling is evident by the sheer fact of deciding to direct such a challenging film. Imagine a film crew, director, cameramen, gaffers etc, etc, filming between two rocks and a bit of earth.

The script is emotionally engaging, it does not rely on heavily detailed flashbacks to keep the film interesting but instead incorporates dreamy, quick-edited memory and dream sequences sparked by Aron's self consciousness as a result of his desperate circumstance. These sequences are a reflection of his life. Guilt. Regrets. Dreams. And hopes.

The music by Academy Award winning composer A R Rahman (Slumdog Millionaire) is sublime. The soundtrack is the key factor in creating the films emotional impact. The overall sound of the film is amazing, the piercing ringing used in the crisis point creates a long lasting affect. The cinematography is beautiful, the talented work of the cameramen are daring, having to work in a confined space as well as being in close proximity to the actor. Editing of the film is top notch, creating pace, tension and an interesting look with the device of splitting the screen in thirds throughout some of the film.

Danny Boyle brings us another noteworthy film for our generation, and is perhaps a tough contender for Best Picture at this years Academy Awards.

4.5/5

The Fighter

The Fighter is based on the true story of American boxer Micky "Irish" Ward as he struggles with the dream of winning a boxing title, as well as coping with his demanding, crazy, overbearing family. Micky is overshadowed by the dominated personalities around him, much like Mark Wahlberg's performance of the character. Micky is a passive main character, something that is rarely seen in films, but of course rules are meant to be broken, and the film works because the supporting characters are incredibly active, resulting in the actors performances to overshadow Wahlberg's. Micky's coke-head, crazy brother Dicky (played brilliantly by an unrecognisable Christian Bale) along with Mother-from-Hell Alice (Melissa Leo), who both are Mickey's boxing trainer and manager respectfully. But when the new outspoken, cool, smart, loving girlfriend of Micky hits the scene (played wonderfully by Amy Adams) the family dynamic begins to crumble. Add 7 bogan sisters to the plot and you are sure to have a fun time watching one hell crazy family.

The film's main dramatic question is whether Micky will obtain his boxing title dream, but at its heart, it is about the bounds of family. This film would be just another boxing film if it didn't have such a rich collection of interesting characters to be enjoyed. The acting is top notch, Christian Bale and Melissa Leo will definitely take out the supporting actor and actress awards respectfully at the Oscars. Amy Adams and Mark Wahlberg are also at the top of their game but are overshadowed, particularly Wahlberg by the more colourful personalities that surround him.

It is nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards which suggests how good the film is, and although it won't be winning the big gong, it is still a worthy film.

4/5