Conan The Barbarian - Will

Conan The Barbarian

Reviewed by William Monck

44886098

Genre: Action, adventure
and fantasy

Year of release: 2011

Director: Marcus Nispel

Starring: Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols and Ron Perlman

Story Plot:

"A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil. " - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816462/

This movie was an epic thriller, the story kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. A young boy who loses all he has to a evil king, and has forged himself into a warrior who will gain vengeance was awesome to watch. I enjoyed the massive battle scenes where lots of people were fighting, however I thought the multitude of scenes where Conan was fighting on his own with great odds against him yet always wining was super unbelievable.

Over all though this movie was very entertaining, due to an action packed storyline, I personally rate it 8/10 fudges.

Final rating: 8/10 fudges.

Conan The Barbarian trailer:

Hot Rod

Hot Rod

Reviewed by Sam Sietsma

4488 6128

Genre: Comedy

Year of release: 2007

Director: Akiva Schaffer

Starring: Andy Samberg, Isla Fisher, Ian McShane

A classic goofy comedy film, Andy Samberg plays the self-proclaimed stuntman Rod Kimble, whose life dream is to be as good a stuntman as his deceased father. He and his younger brother, two beds friends and neighbour Denise [Isla Fisher] plan a stunt that nobody has ever done before: to clear 15 buses in one jump, in order that Rod can raise money for his unapproving step-father’s [Ian McShane] heart operation, and potentially finally win his respect.

The film’s story line only exists for further comedy, with setback in Rod’s journey, ironic “special” effects, training montages, and character interactions all serving solely for the enjoyment of the audience, to laugh at or with Rod in different situations.

Overall, the film provides a classic laugh for everyone, great movie quotes to keep and use in regular life (such as “Have fun being married to Satan!" and the origin of “cool beans”), all wrapped up in the classic tale of Rod Kimble, Stuntman.

Final rating: 8.5/10 fudges.

Hot Rod trailer:

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Review By Brent Williams

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Starring: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach

Director: Sergio Leone

Genre: Western

Year of Release: 1966

"You see, in this world there's two kinds of people, my friend; Those with loaded guns; and those that dig. You dig"

A film that epitomizes the essence of what a good western is and then sets the bench mark with the colossal performance driven by three magnificent characters. Giddy Up! 

Plot:

There are a set few tropes that define the western genre, this film proves that its not necessarily a bad thing. The titular characters Joe, Tuco and Angel Eyes form unlikely alliances throughout the film in order to race to try and obtain a massive fortune of $200,000 hidden in a isolated cemetery. 

Characters:

Clint Eastwood, as usual, blesses us at the calm, steely sharpshooter character we have come to expect from him. Although titled as "The Good", Blondie still seems willing to engage in criminal activities in order to obtain gold. Eli Wallach as Tuco was the standout performance in this film, his character definitely lived up to the 'ugly' side of the wild wild west and stopped short of nothing to obtain gold. Lee Van Cleef's ironically named Angel Eyes served as a sound antagonist with his menacing glare and calculating schemes. He embodies the roguish qualities of a western protagonist whilst still longing for the ecstasy of gold. The film definitely became the celebrated classic it is today through the performances by the trio. 

Overall:

Leone has prefered to use visuals over words in order to tell the narrative, with the film having some of the most intense scenes particularly the graveyard showdown. These scenes are driven by quick camera shots and a fantastic soundtrack. The film is definitely character driven and the sudden "film within a film" with the Civil War battle sequence seemed a little disjointed in the overarching plot. However the film is remarkable and is a must watch for any avid movie watcher. 

8/10 Fudges

Movie Trailer: 

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Reviewed by Peter Batt - 44919429

The fourth film in the series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is set in 1957 which is 19 years after the previous movie, The Last Crusade. They do not try to cover the fact that Indiana Jones has aged significantly between the movies as it plays a key part in his role. Indiana is living a quiet life, teaching in a high school full time until this new adventure is brought upon him. He races against some agents of the Soviet Union, led by Irina Spalko, a woman with a crazy desire for power and knowledge, for a crystal skull. This skull is made of solid gold but to Irina, the power it holds is far more important than its monetary value, she see's knowledge as power and demands to know 'everything'. His journey takes him across Nevada, Connecticut, Peru and the Amazon Rainforest in Brazil. Indiana is faced with betrayal by one of his best friends, Mac, who puts the value of property before a strong friendship. He is also introduced to Mutt Williams, who, after dealing with some difficult situations with the Soviet union, finds out that he is his son. They discovered that his real name is actually Henry Jones. He is also reunited with Marion Ravenwood, seen in the first movie, The Raiders of the Lost Ark, as Indiana Jones' former lover.

The actors in this movie are:

         Cate Blanchett - Irina Spalko

         Shia LaBeouf   - Mutt Williams

         Ray Winstone  - Mac

         Harrison Ford  - Indiana Jones

Directed by: Steven Spielberg

I rate this movie 8.2/10 Fudges

Movie Trailer:

Hot Fuzz

Hot Fuzz

Reviewed by Sam Sietsma
44886128

Genre: Comedy, Action, Crime/Mystery

Year of release: 2007

Director: Edgar Wright

Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman

The second film in the ‘three flavours cornetto trilogy’, Hot Fuzz also stars Simon Pegg, but this time as the British constable, Nicholas Angel, who is transferred from London to a sleepy town in country England. His new partner-in-fighting-crime, the less adept Danny Butterman (Nick Frost). However, mysterious deaths have been on the rise in the town, and Nicholas and Danny team together to solve the mystery.

Similarly to Shaun of the Dead, Edgar Wright is at it again with his quality filming style providing so much to the movie. Particularly in this one, he uses script to his advantage. If paying attention, the entire plot is spoiled comically for the audience early on in the film, as Danny Butterman questions new pro-cop Nicholas on life as a London Cop. He asks a number of radical questions to do with action stunts and fighting crime: all of which Nicholas finds ridiculous, but all come true at the end of the film.

Once again, Edgar Wright and his acting co-stars create one of my favourite films. Its ability to create such an intense plotline but maintain the humour and spoof of the action genre make this film an all-time great.

Final rating: 9.9/10 fudges.

Movie Trailer: 

Elysium Movie Review - Will

Elysium   

Reviewed by William Monck

44886098 

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

Year of release: 2013

Director: Neill Blomkamp

Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster and Sharlto Copley
Run time: 109mins

In the year 2154, The earth has become overpopulated and poverty stricken, all the most wealthy have left earth to live in a space station called elysium, where they enjoy a lush lifestyle with modern medical and leisure technologies. This leaves the people of earth jealous as they look up at the space station due to there poverty. Thus sets the story of elysium. A poor man Max (Matt Damon) has always wanted to go live in elysium, and when times turn bad for him he takes a risky job for some futuristic gagsters to get there. With his life on the line takes on a dangerous mission, one that pits him against Elysium's defense officer Delacourt (Jodie Foster) and her hard-line forces. If he completes his job, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.

I personally found the storyline quite intriguing, as I was not expecting it to be an amazing story but it turned out better than I thought. The whole journey was a on screen spectacular with the combination of futuristic and modern technologies being used at the same time by the people in poverty and the wealthy class on elysium. The Action scenes where thrilling and the whole story ended as I would it expect it to, not too happy but happy. Overall the combination of a good plot and good si-fi CGI I rate this a delicious 7.8/10 Fudges. 

Final rating: 7.8/10 Fudges.

Movie trailer:

Pulp Fiction Review

Review By Brent Williams

Pulp Fiction

Starring: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Therman and Bruce Willis
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Crime, Drama, Black Comedy
Year of Release: 1994

“Zed’s Dead, baby. Zed’s Dead.”

A neo-noir crime film that follows four separate storylines that intertwines to create a spectacular blend of violence and deliverance. 

Plot:
A strong plot should always hold the foundation for characters to react and adapt to. It allows the audience to follow along with the journey and grow with the characters. The fragmented and time-bending story telling used in this by Tarantino adds a twist to the conventional means. With all four of the storylines occurring at different times it conveys a greater meaning to certain scenes rather than it was to be sequential. Although the four storylines are simple enough it is how the characters from each interact, a pivotal character to one is simply a side character to another it’s experimental style and outrageous violence mixed in with black humour marks it as a gripping plot. 

Characters:
Pulp Fiction won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1995 and you can tell instantly upon watching. It is filled to the brim with cool one liner’s; aptly delivered by a star studded cast. The hitmen Vincent and Jules are able to transfer seamlessly from philosophical musings to hilarious and memorable one liners without breaking character. Just goes to show the detail that went behind the characters. Uma Therman is particularly memorable in her portrayal as the haunting and troubled actress Mia. All characters seemed in place within the world of Pulp Fiction.

Overall:
A quirky and memorable film that has tangible rewatch value due to its incredible soundtrack and brilliant characters (One fudge point for Jules Ezekiel 25:17 monologue).
9/10 Fudges

Movie Trailer: 

Pulp Fiction Movie Trailer