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Reviews
Alien Code (2018)
low budget gem!
I also randomly watched this film and was pleasantly surprised, it captivated me right to the end I found it very well written and directed, the acting of the main character was excellent, he carried the film with great intensity, his decline until the scene with the alien, was very well done, great acting! The director and writer has some serious skills, I'm sure he will continue his rise in Hollywood over the years and I look forward to his future projects
I give this film 8/10 for the acting, writing and direction, and also because it wasn't made on some Hollywood budget.
Well done
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
mixed feelings...
I'm a big fan of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, the cinematic quality was like a painting in every scene, it was a master piece to say the least and winning the Academy awards once all 3 films were screened was inevitable.
I saw The Hobbit on 12.12.12 as a friend of mine was chewing at the bit to see it. The first thing i noticed was the cinematic values... some scenes were like looking at cheap video, this is due to the frame rate that was used, it looked too clean and as a result the cinematic quality of The Hobbit fell short of the LOTR films.
Why did they choose to go 3D? I don't get it. OK, the 3D effect itself looks very 3D and gives that feeling of distance between the characters and foreground and background, but the frame rate seems to completely take away the cinematic quality we saw in LOTR. When we both came out of the cinema we both complained of head aches, my head ache lasted the entire day! I think this was due to all that was going on on the screen, my brain was trying to make sense of what i was seeing... i guess. I am not saying the film was crap, what i am saying is the choices made cinematically were perhaps not necessary, a bit like polishing firewood.
King of the Coral Sea (1954)
I enjoyed this film after waiting over 40 years to see it!
Chips Rafferty and Lee Robinson were partners for many years and this is one of the earlier feature collaborations they worked on.
Making films in Australia back in the 1950's was not easy, it was considered a " Non Essential Industry" due to the financial constraints put upon the country after WWII. This film had a budget of 25 thousand pounds, this is all the Government would give to assist film makers during this dry period. Its impressive to see a film of this caliber being made on such a small budget considering the locations involved.
Robinson had a theory in those days, he couldn't make an Aussie film as the fear was that an international audience would not be interested in this island of once convicts. The idea Robinson and Rafferty had was to make a film with fantastic locations which would in its own right be eye candy and write a script which would encapsulate these beautiful locations. The visual aspect of this film in some scenes is stunning, this was Robinson's idea from the start, he knew he needed to incorporate stunning visuals all tied up in a story which actually makes sense, the fact is, human smuggling is still being done to this day.
The underwater scenes were real, I was told that Robinson sat on the bottom of the ocean wearing a bell helmet and sitting in his Directors chair, what a class act for 1954!!
This film is an Aussie gem, really deserves a place in the history of Australian Cinema. Robinson and Rafferty changed the rules with this emerging industry, having audience with the Prime Minister on numerous occasions to discuss changes which were necessary to help the Australian film Industry evolve into what it is today.
The Australian Film Industry has a lot the thank Lee Robinson for, he was true pioneer.
I salute you Lee Robinson an unforgotten Hero!
John Carter (2012)
good and the bad
I was very excited to see this film, after reading numerous review and checking the trailer i was very intrigued to see this movie in its full 3D glory. Technically I was rather disappointed with the wide angle shots of the vast expanse of Mars with the characters matted into these shots looking slightly out of proportion to their surroundings, the model making looked like models and let down the overall look of this film. John Carter looked like a hobbit in some scenes next to the 12 foot aliens... it just didn't look real to me. The film has its good points as well, some nice CGI, the acting is fine, but the film unfortunately lacks a certain realism which i missed. would i recommend this film, yes, its a good pop corn film which i would have been happy watching without the 3D. I don't think this film was shot 3D but converted in post production. Overall this film did not live up to my expectations, but still worth a look as this is only my opinion.
Abduction (2011)
why did they bother making this film, did someone lose a bet?
In this time of economic crisis and people all around us loosing homes and jobs, i just wonder what type of salary this Taylor Lautner got for his role in this movie? (7.5 million!!!)Here's a guy who has no right to be given the opportunity to act in films and be paid for it! There are so many talented actors out there serving tables and this guy is getting massive salaries to do what he obviously does worst... act! This was a B minus film, not worth the admission fee or the 2 hours you will waste watching it! I wonder what the budget of this film was?, the money would have been better used if given to starving children or me! go to a gym if your interested in hot bodies, go to the movies if you want a good film, or so the theory goes...
Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)
Aussie grunt and more!
I saw this film at the Amsterdam Film festival last week, what a blast from the past! This Doco was well executed and totally engrossing, accurate and entertaining. As an Aussie your not aware of the type of films we were offered at that time, its other nationalities which identify our styles years later, we just grew up with it and accepted it as the norm. Its great to see Tarrantino so enthusiastic about the Aussie film industry, the genre which was identified was the B films which at the time of release were considered OK, but these films have stood the test of time, what once was ridiculed as being rubbish is now being seen in a completely new light. I was surprised that Tarrantino talked at length about the film, "Long Weekend" which he considers on of his 5 favorite Aussie Horror films, at the time of watching it in the cinema i remember thinking this was one of the best made Aussie films i had ever seen... so... great minds think alike!!
Watch this doco if you have any interest in the Aussie film industry, its a real eye opener and very well made. thumbs up and a big 10!
The Incredible Hulk (2008)
The Incredible Hulk...Incredibly Bad!!
I'm sorry to write a negative comment on a film which cost 130 million to make... I went into the cinema with an open mind as I'm definitely no Hulk fan, my son of 15 wanted to see this movie. When the film finished I had the feeling of being let down, the CGI of the Hulk is like looking at a CGI character, I never had the feeling that the Hulk was real in a movie sense, the Abomination was far better as a visual image, the Hulk doesn't even have the slightest resemblance to Edward Nortons facual characteristics. The special effects and camera work was sometimes extraordinary, but this was not maintained. I was very disappointed with the look of the Hulk, Edward Norton was fine as Banner, as he is in most films... I wonder what motivated him to take this role? obviously the money, but what about his reputation as a serious actor who takes roles that demand great talent. This film didn't ring my bells at all... Iron Man is a great film and with Robert Downey jn in the title role brought depth and emotion to the character which I didn't feel with Norton. Sorry to be so negative...
Jumper (2008)
Not as bad as i expected considering the negative comments
I saw this film last night, and i must say i was pleasantly surprised, I have been reading lots of comments on IMDb to get an idea of what to expect, lots of people were negative about the acting performance of Hayden Christensen, well i don't agree, I think he handled the character in an interesting fashion, considering his character left home at the age of 16 or so, raised himself and used his abilities to support himself in a wild and fun manner. So he is not your average run of the mill kid, nobody knows what he can do and he can basically do and go where he wants, creating an aloof type of character, so under these circumstance i think his performance was okay, maybe not worthy of an academy award but totally interesting to watch, I enjoyed his intensity. Overall i thought it was a great film for what it was, special effects are great, and the story holds together in most aspects. The concept of Jumping is something we have all thought about at one time or another, just like time travel. I think that a lot of people who comment on IMDb have no idea of what goes into making a movie, but just like to be critical as possible. When i go to the movies i want to be entertained, this movie certainly did that!! Check it out and don't forget the popcorn!!!
7-10
Attack Force Z (1981)
A great Anti-War film
Under the conditions this film was made, I think it sends a powerful anti-war message. When the film was made the original director left due to differences with the producers, a new director was brought in at short notice and that was an unfortunate setback for the film. This film has a great Australian cast plus John Philip Law. Mel Gibson plays his character with the conviction and talent he is famous for, he had just completed Mad Max and was well on his way to Stardom! This film focuses on a team of special ops Commando's call the "Z Force", similar to the green beret's, these were highly trained soldier's, equipped to handle the most impossible missions, this is one story of one mission which really happened during WWII, had this mission been a success,it is believed this would have altered the outcome of the war with the Japanese, unfortunately their mission was a failure and this is the message which is so powerful.. the total waste war creates. I enjoyed this film and i think you will enjoy it as well.