peter-stewart866 Reviews

Contagion (2011)

Less epidemic more a mild cold

[6/10 · 29 October 2011]

This review will be broken down into two sections; the first section is everything that is bad with the film, the second section is everything that is good about the film. It is important to start with the bad parts as it had many. Firstly, Jude Law's character; there is no need for him, there is no reason for him to be Aussie (and do it badly) There is no reason for him to have a wonky tooth that i could no take my eyes off. None of this added character, not one little bit to his already pointless part. There were many pointless parts in this film, Marion Cotillard would be another example of a character that is pointless. She appears then disappears for the majority of the film, then is reintroduced only to disappear again for some reason. Another big problem is the lack of... anything for the most part after the first twenty minutes, it is just to many characters with not a lot to do. The virus starts well but goes way down hill after that. There is not a brooding sense of danger in this film or for the characters that you think might die, which is a shame because it brings me onto the good parts. What is good about this film is the first twenty minutes. All the tension in the film is in those twenty minutes. It is well acted, well driven and the spread of the virus is very interesting. I would advise however when those twenty minutes are up you pick up your bag and you leave because it is a long, slow and not very interesting film after that.

Demons Never Die (2011)

Hope this demon stays dead

[29 October 2011]

Let me just start with, this film does not make sense at all. Firstly, if you have a bunch of kids who want to kill themselves, the tension is removed when someone starts to murder them. Secondly, there's no reason for the killer to be killing in the first place even though you're happy to watch these caricatures and racial stereotypes be picked off one by one. Aside from that the main problem with "Demons Never Dies" is that it feels cold and empty with a massive lack of fun that other slasher films are abundant in, especially scream which most of the death scenes, in this film, are taken from. I have given this film one star only because of the directors ability to point the camera in the right direction which was its only saving grace even though it might have been better if he had pointed toward another story line.

Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Still One of the best horror ideas in years

[7/10 · 24 October 2011]

Found footage films have become more and more popular in resent years but it has to be said that the Paranormal activity trilogy is head and shoulders above the rest. The premise of the tree working backwards from the very end of the story to the start so that the full picture is hidden from the audience is an amazing way to get bums on seats to see your film.

Every thing that made the first paranormal activity great is still here in this film the slow progression and build up of tension by playing high pitched notes and a slow bass note that gradually gets louder until it is almost shaking the food that you ate for dinner out of your body well before a scare happens that finishes the job and leave you a quivering wreck in your cinema seat is all here and ready for you. the only problem is that i have seen the other two films i know the scares and i know the build up so it wasn't as spine tingling as the first or even the second but it was a great addition to the set.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010)

not enough going bump in the night

[10 October 2011]

Lets start off by saying that the set pieces in this film are great and that everything that is needed to make a really good ghost and ghoul story was here and ready to be used to make everyone in the cinema quiver in terror, unfortunately there wasn't much in the ways of things going bump in the night in don't be afraid of the dark and not much darkness for that matter.

There were a few main point in which this film fell short one was the music in the film, it wasn't quite horror music and it wasn't quite fantasy music this is where the problem lies if you are not ether one or the other then it just leave the audience sitting on the fence nether scared or entertained and in the days of paranormal activity scaring the pants off of people and the only thing closely resembling a sound track in that film a low bass note that gives the whole audience a deep sense that something is wrong but they don't know what it is and they don't know when it is going to jump out and scare the crap out of them but it just isn't there in don't be afraid of the dark,

the second part that is just wrong in this film are the monsters they are revealed to the audience to early and so the tension given by just the sense of the unknown is lost and never regained since they just aren't that scary to begin with so the only thing they had going for them (being hidden in the shadows is lost)

These faults are in no way minor ones and so this film just falls down at the first hurdle and just never gets back up.

Melancholia (2011)

An ass numbing wonderfest!

[10/10 · 2 October 2011]

Let me just start by saying do not watch this film if you are tired you need to stay awake and watch it, it might numb your ass but it is so worth it. From the very start of this film i was hooked i wanted to know more about each of the characters as soon as they appeared on the screen and for some that happened and others not so much but you were not left looking at empty shells of characters that are just brought in to look pretty they are really tangible people that make you want to know them and you are happy for the little glimpse that you are given into each of there lives (and that is just the first part)

The second part is just as gripping it is both subtle and beautiful in ways which are really hard to describe and with a final moment that has stuck with me a the front of my brain ever since i left the cinema.

this film is not for everyone and normally i would give it a lower rating for just that reason but not in this case i feel that even if you watch this film and you hate it you life will be better for just seeing it. please watch it, please please please!

Red State (2011)

A film it is hard to be impartial about

[2 October 2011]

Red state takes on the role of being both a moral film about the excesses of the government and the views religion extremists on the one hand and balances that with a gun fight on the other. which for anyone who wanted to watch a film about crazy religious fanatics shooting Federal agents they might be pleasantly surprised.

For me though i was not pleasantly surprised i thought a film which had lots of potential to deal with issues that are at the front of the publics minds it came up very short. Instead it created another religion bashing mindless action film that might of caused more harm that good drawing mass attention to the crazy family this film is based on which is what they want.

This film is also oddly short and could with a little bit more time spent on it could of turned into something very special but in this case it did not turn into something special more like a waste of time and effort for all involved. all i can say is it is a shame it could have been so much better.

Apollo 18 (2011)

mehhhh! its OK!

[7 September 2011]

When i first saw the advert for Apollo 18 i thought "awesome a found footage this will be right up my street" and in that aspect this film is really good the editing and camera-work gives you the feeling of being there yourself from the pov style during lots of the film. The points where this film falls short of other found footage films is that the monsters and scares are just not up to par they are to much like animals that are found on this planet i guess to make the viewer feel like it could happen to them but i always feel like it removes a form of mystery and excitement when the monster turns out to be something you could find in you bathroom. this film is a good piece of B movie making good if you can see it for next to nothing or can't cope with a really scary movie and want to look brave in front of you mates. all in all Apollo 18 far from the best film i have ever seen but it is very very far from the worst.

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)

Not the best of ether genre

[25 August 2011]

Put simply this film isn't great but it isn't bad by no means. the acting is good apart from the little kid from the last air bender who is just as cardboard as he was in that film leaving me shocked as to why he was cast in this film since a rock shaped like a boy could act better. My main fault with this film is that there is just not enough explanation for anything that happens i would love it if there was just more of an explanation for the whole plot and i mean this film is not short by any means but it really doesn't put any effort into developing the characters or plot. On a good side this film is just a better action adventure than most of the crap that has come out this summer so if you've got some free time why it is the biggest waste of time to go and watch as long as you know it is not the best watch ether.

The Skin I Live In (2011)

Almodovar at his best

[25 August 2011]

Any review for this film should start with this film is not for the faint hearted but definitely for those who want to see film making at its best. I often find that films coming out of Europe be it in English or subtitled are striving for the best story telling out there with fantastic acting,cinematography and plot and "The skin i live in" is no exception. It shoots for the highest heights of cinema and film making with a story both subtle and in your face at the same time leading the audience in one direction before leaving them baffled by Almodivar's use of misdirection.

Most of the audience in the showing of the film i was in could not believe what they were seeing and couldn't help but burst out in laughter not because it was meant to be funny but they just could not believe what they were seeing and were left with the only option but to giggle and wonder where the film would take us next. Do not mistake laughing as a bad sign for this film it was more just an expression of disbelief and what a wonderful expression it was even leaving me giggling at the wonderful plot this film has.

I highly recommend this film to anyone who has the stomach to deal with it because it is a masterclass of film making and so worth a watch.

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

All American hero left with a flimsy plot line backbone!

[9 August 2011]

Out of all the comic book films to be released captain America is definitely not the worst. The first twenty minutes of the film when the viewer is getting to know the man who would later become captain America we see the potential of what might of become one of the summers biggest and best hits. what happens instead is that the polished muscles of the captains must have blinded the writers as to the rest of the plot. The plot line is extremely weak and the action become extremely repetitive because how many ways are there to hit a man with a shield but that isn't even the worst part. The main problem is what has effected all of the marvel films that have been release and that is that there is no where near enough development around the bad guy and it lets down the whole film because you as the viewer just don't care what happens to ether of them by the end. The marvel film studio got it so write with Iron man but since then there has been let down after let down. so go and see captain America if you want some extremely mindless action then go for it I think personally i'll just wait for the Dark knight rises.

Super 8 (2011)

ET If he was very ticked off

[9 August 2011]

Super 8 is the shining star of the Summer blockbusters but it really doesn't take much for it to become that with most of the overwhelming disappointments that have come out over the last couple of months. The story is simple but well extremely well executed and most views might find it a little bit familiar, a bunch of kids finding an alien, adventure ensues ring any bells? anyone... no? this film is basically ET on steroids and with bunch of explosions. Despite all that the characters are extremely relatable and enjoyable to watch, the story might be simple but most importantly it is a good story and old fashioned fun. so before you was your money on anything else go and watch this film it will make you day.

Cars 2 (2011)

fun with a dark side

[9 August 2011]

This film right of the back was not Pixar at its best but still very much on form. although personally i find it a little bit hard to relate to cars playing people i did find this film endlessly enjoyable to watch as with any Pixar film. The points where i feel this film fell short was that the story was pretty strange for a film that was originally meant to be about racing and the spy aspect did feel a little bit off. what I found very odd in a film that is a U was the level of death and i know that might be a strange thing to say since all the characters are all cars so what does it matter if they get blown to peaces but aren't people meant to be able to relate to these characters and if some of the things that happened in this film happened to real people then this film would at least be a twelve. However this film is a great peace of summer fun and is much more enjoyable that most of the films that have been released this summer.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Lots of whizz, pop but lacking in the bang

[20 July 2011]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 as far as special effects and 3d were concerned were quite spectacular. The story and the acting were also very much head and shoulders above that of when the young actors started the franchise. I have to say I really enjoyed this film but that's only because I had a Harry Potter translator to get my through it. I have never read the books so my only look into the life of Harry Potter is through the films and as they are films they can only ever be adaptations from a much larger story that wouldn't be feasible in film to try and recreate. However with the story stretching over eight films now you would think there would have been a little bit more explanation as to why everything was happening. I got a general outline of why but no depth into what I have been told is a very well thought out and deep set of books. Don't get me wrong I really enjoyed the film I am just saying it could of been closer to a great film if there had been just a little bit more time filling in the cracks in the Plot. I'll finish with this Harry potter book fans will love this Harry Potter film fans get the book fans to explain why things are happening and sit back and enjoy its wizarding goodness.

The Tree of Life (2011)

Nice Pictures with a minimal plot line garnish

[2/10 · 9 July 2011]

Let me start by saying after I had seen this film and was leaving the cinema there was a mixture of Happy, Sad and bemused looking people around me. Some wondering what had just happened to them and if they had just been mugged for five pound and three hours of their lives and others thinking back over the amazing images and sounds that had just been neatly arranged for them. I fell into the first group I love films and can appreciate the fact that the cinematography in this one was nothing short of brilliant however this is not enough for me I need a story that will keep my mind busy for the duration wondering what would happen next. Tree of life however fall so far short this, the story is not complex it is just unexplained you can fallow it if you really want to but would be forgiven for getting lost in the Images that are presented to you. It would appear to try and answer the questions surrounding life itself but it is so wrapped up in its own self importance that it finishes answering nothing it set out to. My final thought on this is that people will say "you didn't like it cause you didn't get it" so please don't get me wrong I love the study of life and existence through religion and science this film is nether the sites you will see during it are amazing but they are not an insight into life the universe and every just a classic case of the emperor's new clothes. Life is amazing do not waste yours with this film.