"That's right bitches; I got a crossbow!"-The Losers (2010) Review

The Losers Review

Director: Sylvain White

Genre: Action

Codestar30 Rating: 7/10

When Colonel Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and his team, a group of elite special forces operatives, are sent into the Bolivian Jungle on a search and destroy mission, they assume it's just another day at the office. However, when the chopper they were supposed to be on is destroyed during the evac', it becomes clear that they have been betrayed, and are now targets. They are presumed dead, and go into hiding. Some time later, they meet the mysterious Aisha (Zoe Saldana), who gives them an offer that seems to good to be true. She'll get them home, and all they have to do in return is kill Max (Jason Patric), the man responsible for the attempt on their lives. But there's a catch. It's a suicide mission. 


This is a pretty common format of action movie. Heros get betrayed, heros take revenge on the bad guys, but despite this tired old structure, this movie does stand out, but don't expect any outstanding plot lines. 


There's plenty of action, which in an action movie is of course good. People running around with dual MP5s, Berretas, knives, Aks, M4s and an SR-25 left right and centre. Nothing lacking in that department. Lots of shooting. There aren't too many fist fights, so if your more of a fan of that kind of action, and not gun fights, then this might not be the perfect film for you.


This movie isn't a comedy, but it is an action film with a sense of humour, and has a pretty light hearted feel through most of it. Jensen (Chris Evans) and Pooch (Columbus Short) are the more comical characters, providing a laugh here and there throughout the movie, and maintaing the light hearted feel.


As afore mention, there isn't a spectacular plot. It's fine, but not outstanding. There is a little twist here and there but not much, The story's pretty simple, and there's no character development.  


Despite the weak story, this film is still very enjoyable and definitely worth a watch for any action fan. If you like your guns fights, then 'The Losers' wont be lost on you.

"Have you ever tried... not being a mutant?"-X-Men 2 (2003) Review

X-Men 2 Review

Director: Bryan Singer

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi

Codestar30 Rating: 6.5/10

When an assassination attempt is made on the President of the U.S. by the mutant Night Crawler (Alan Cumming), a military scientist, William Stryker (Brain Cox) is authorised to begin the hunt for Night Crawler. Meanwhile, the 'X-Men', a team of mutants dedicated to the protection of mutants from humans and visa versa, are also trying to track down the assassin. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), a rouge member of the 'X-Men' is still trying to re-discover his shrouded past and overcome his amnesia. Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos), the last remaining free member of the 'Brotherhood', a group of mutants devoted to achieving mutant superiority, is trying to find away to break her leader, Magneto (Ian McKellen), out of his plastic prison where he has been incarcerated since the last film after being captured by the 'X-Men'.

This film is widely regarded as the best of the the 'X-Men films', and I would have to agree. It's arguably the most gritty of the X-Men films, possibly equaled by 'X-Men' 1. This is 1 movie that doesn't shy away from drugging and abducting children.

It's go enough action. Not as much as I personally prefer in a super hero movie, but it's got enough. There's a fair few fire balls flying, fists swinging, claws slashing, storms brewing, lasers shooting, missiles firing, jets zooming, flips, jumps, kicks and teleportations. Pleasantly there is a big fight sequence in the opening scene so the film definitely jumps straight in, and hooks your attention. 

The acting isn't too cheesy considering its a super hero movie. Hugh Jackman does a good job as Wolverine, and gets a fair bit of character development in this movie. I thought Rebecca Romijn-Stamos was very good, playing Mystique. I didn't really like the way Famke Janssen played Jean Grey; she wasn't too bad, but she was a bit cheesy. Although he doesn't get much of a look in this movie I did quite like James Marsden's performance, and if you agree and want to see more of him then X-Men 1 is where you can find him. 

The setting's damn good on the whole. A large portion of the film takes place in Strykers secret underground base, and it looks fantastic, with a green glow from crappy old underground lighting, worn equipment and walls, massive heavy rusted mental doors, and the laboratory where Wolverine was given his 'Adamantium' skeleton with its human fish tank, chains, cables and bubbling tub of molten 'Adamantium'. 

A movie thats worth a watch if you like the X-Men films, or are a fan of the superhero genre. You may just find that this move certainly has the X factor. 

"Don't drink and bone."-Knocked Up (2007) Review

Knocked Up Review

Director: Judd Apatow

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Codestar30 Rating: 7/10

When Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) gets a promotion at work, she and her sister, Debbie (Leslie Mann) decide to go out to a night club to celebrate. While there Alison meets Ben (Seth Rogen), and after Debbie has to go and attend to an emergency with one of her young children, Alison and Ben proceed to get drunk, dance the night away, go back to her place, and get down and dirty. However, due to a misinterpretation of "Just do it!", Ben doesn't use a condom, and 8 weeks later Alison asks him out for dinner, and tells him she's pregnant. 

This film is a great, and very unique take on the Romance story. Instead of the usual Rom-Com structure, (2 people meet, fall in love and push through funny obstacles and end up together happy ever after), this is a story of 2 people falling in love when they wouldn't of under normal circumstances. If Ben had not had got Alison pregnant they would have both gone their separate ways and probably never seen each other again. However, he does get her pregnant, and as a result they are forced to give each other a go for the sake of the soon-to-be child, and do eventually fall in love. Its the love story back-wards.

This film is a comedy, so obviously your going to be watching it wanting comedy, and man has this film got comedy! It's a very funny movie on the whole. Although the laughs are scarcer at the beginning, if you stick with it the hilarity will pick up as the film moves along. There are so many moments when I simply could not stop laughing. My favorite part was probably near the middle, where Ben, and Debbie's husband Pete (Paul Rudd), go to vegas, get high on mushrooms and once back in their hotel room Pete Beings to count the chairs. Pete-"There are five different types of chairs in this hotel room". Ben- "That's way too many chairs for one room!". (It's a lot funnier in the movie.)

Definitely a movie you should see. Very funny. I give it a hearty recommendation. WARNING: if you watch this movie when your pregnant you may laugh so much that it will make you go into labour. 

"Exterminate!"-Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. (1966) Review

Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.

Director: Gordon Felmyng 

Genre: Sci-Fi

Codestar30 Rating: 6/10

While out on patrol one evening, Police Constable Tom Campbell (Bernard Cribbins), is beaten up while out on patrol. His assailant hops into a get away vehicle followed by 2 other men who have just robbed the shop across the street. As they drive away, Tom come around and attempts to give chase, but they are already speeding away. He spots a police phone box, and runs to it to summon help. However, when he opens the door, he finds that in fact, this police telephone box is a time machine. He faints from the shock. When he wakes up he welcomed by Doctor Who (Peter Cushing), his niece Louise (Jill Curzon), and his granddaughter Susan (Roberta Tovey). They explain to him they are time travelers, and that they have tim traveled to London, Earth, the year 2150 A.D. However, this isn't the way they'd expected to find earth. This is Earth during the Daleks', a race of killer robots, invasion.

This was one of my favorite films when I was a small child. It is a cinema interpretation of an episode of the T.V. series Doctor Who, also titled 'Dalek's Invasion of Earth: 2150 A.D.', which originally aired in 1994. It was the second film interpretation of an Episode of Doctor Who by Warner Brothers. 

I can't really comment on much because its quite old, and I'm not really familiar with the standards of the time so I can't compare it. By todays standards it is obviously not amazing quality, but that is due to its age of almost 50 years. However I imagine that it couldn't have had a massive budget or range technology that could be used and judging by this the set and effects are good I would imagine. The sets were obviously well thought out and look good. But due to its age once again the effects are mostly just smoke and flashes. A very common setting, a post apocalypse. The acting isn't anything special, although I'm not saying it's bad. However, using lighting and music it is quite atmospheric. The action scenes are actually fairly exiting. 

Its kind of hard to describe, but this movie is pretty good. Its hard to put my finger on why, but it does have a very endearing quality and is enjoyable. I'd say watch it if your a sci-fi fan or if your nostalgic about older movies. 

Hi my name is (what?), my name is (who?), chika chika Maximus!-Gladiator (2000) Review

Gladiator Review

Director: Ridley Scott

Genre: Action

Codestar30 Rating: 8.5/10

After winning many wars, Maximus (Russell Crow), the most powerful and respected general of the roman armies, is told in private by the aging Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris), that it is his wish that Maximus be the next Emperor. However when Marcus breaks this news to his son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), Commodus kills him before the Emperor can make his wishes official. Commodus orders the death of Maximus, who manages to kill the executioners and escape, but not without being wounded. He flees to his home, his farm in spain, but arrives to find his Wife and Son crucified. Wounded, and without the will to live, Maximus collapses. He awakes some time later to find he has been captured by a slaver, and is consequently sold to be a gladiator, and is forced to fight to survive on a regular basis to amuse the crowds. 

In my opinion the story in this film is great, and I've never really seen anything else like it. The most powerful warrior of the Roman army is reduced to the lowest form of warrior in the land. Granted, it is another movie where the protagonist is fueled solely by revenge , but the plot around it is a very unique take, with Maximus doing more than just get his revenge, although I shan't tell you anymore along that line as it will spoil it for you. 

The scenery is remarkable. I don't know whether it was done with CGI or if they actually recreated it, but during the scenes in the colosseum, it looks like your actually there in Roman times. The baying of the mob, the crash of shields, the scrape on sword on sword, the scream as some guy is gutted, it looks and feels so incredibly real that you'll find yourself lost in the world of the gladiators, and think your actually looking into the past.

The performances are excellent. Russell Crow plays his role superbly, and very movingly. Joaquin Phoenix portrays the insane Caesar very well, and makes a great antagonist. I did feel that Connie Nielsen's part of Lucilla, Commodus's sister, was acted slightly woodenly but it wasn't too bad. Oliver Reed plays Proximo, Maximus's mentor as a gladiator, very convincingly.

The battles and gladiator matches are great. There's an abundance of sword fights, volleys of arrows, chopping and hacking, stabbing and slicing, and blood and guts. Maximus turns the tables on his opponents, who expect to be fighting a mere slave with a sword who's been training for a few days, not a war hardened general of the Roman army. The camera work during the fight sequences really means you can see everything thats going on in the fight, and lets you keep up. Whereas with some movie during a melee based fight sequence the camera an gle changes so rapidly you get dizzy. 

This is a brilliant movie. I would strongly recommend you watch it. Its moving, entertaining and action packed. Gladiator gets the thumb-up from Caesar, and from me!

"Do you wana see a magic trick?"-The Dark Knight (2008) Review

The Dark Knight Review

Director: Christopher Nolan

Genre: Action/Crime

Codestar30 Rating: 9/10

Batman (Christian Bale), Police Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and the new district attorney, Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), are Squeezing the criminal mobs hard. They are on the verge of doing some major damage to the operations of the low-lifes in Gotham City. In their desperation they accept an offer from the psychopathic Joker (Heath Ledger) to kill the Batman for half of all their money. Batman struggles to cope with everything the Joker throws at him, but with help, he fights on. However, the Joker is like no threat Batman has been faced with before.

1st off, this is the best Batman film, it out does each of its predecessors by a mile. 

This movie has so much going for it. The most notable feature in my opinion is the amazing performance by Heath Ledger as The Joker, which deservingly won best supporting actor, and it is a tragedy that he is no longer with us. He just plays the part so well, its impossible not to believe he really is a deranged psychopath, with a chilling laugh and conducts his horrific crimes with such a casual attitude. Aaron Eckhart also does a notably good job playing Harvey Dent, and the rest of the cast put in a good performance to. 

There is plenty of action. Fist fights, car chases and explosions. The Batman beats many a criminal to a pulp. The plot is luscious, with twists, turns, and suspense galore. There is never a dull moment, as the next threat from The Joker is always lurking around the next corner. 

This is a great movie, possibly the best comic book hero movie ever. You definitely need to watch it in the unlikely event you haven't already. The Dark Knight is guaranteed to put a smile on your face.

"That's some high quality H2O."-The Waterboy (1998) Review

The Waterboy Review

Director: Frank Coraci

Genre: Comedy/Sport

Codestar30 Rating: 7.5/10

When Bobby Boucher (Adam Sandler), a 31 year old water-boy, is fired from his job as the water-boy for a successful american football team, he seeks employment at the lowly college team, "The Mud Dogs", who are on a 40 game losing streak. While going about his water dispensing duty's he is harassed by the players. Eventually Coach Klein (Henry Winkler) advises him to stand up for himself, resulting in Bobby performing a monumental tackle on a player being mean to him. The Coach immediately signs him up for the team, and slowly but surely Bobby begins to improve the fortunes of "The Mud Dogs".

This film is a pretty standard under-dog movie. A lowly water boy ascends to a famous american football player, and in doing so carries the worst team in the league to winning the series. However this film has my favorite protagonists of any under-dog movie I've seen. The lovable Bobby Boucher will both amuse you with his social ignorance and warm your heart with his well meaning nature, the mentally broken Coach Klein will have you giggling, and the whole cast will have you dizzy with laughter. 

Its a great feel good movie. This story of triumph will make you feel all fuzzy inside and the antics, stupidity and ridiculousness of the characters will have you splitting your sides. Another great Adam Sandler movie.

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."-Sucker Punch (2011) Review

Sucker Punch Review

Director: Zack Snyder

Genre: Action/Fantasy

Codestar30 Rating: 10/10

(This is directed by the same legend that directed '300' and 'Watchmen'!)

A young girl, only ever referred to as Baby Doll (Emily Browning), is put into a mental asylum by her abusive step father. Once there, she retreats to her fantasies and day dreams as a coping mechanism, and while there imagines herself to be one of many dancing held captive in a speak-easy and forced to perform on stage to survive. While there she and 4 other girls, Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), and Amber (Jamie Chung), devise a plan to escape from the speak easy. They have to get 5 items to escape their captivity, and the acquiring of each of these items is represented by yet another level of fantasy within the fantasy. 

1st of all after reading that 1st bit you may be just extremely confused and could have quite possibly already been put off. I am not going to pretend that the plot of this film is that good or that it even makes much sense. However despite this major weakness you won't even notice that what's going on doesn't make any sense, and I shall tell you why.

To be honest this film, although labeled as a female empowerment movie, this film is clearly something to be enjoyed by men. Unless you are a woman who enjoys watching sexy, scantily dressed, tight leather bound young women running around fighting gangsters, giant robot samurai, clock-work nazi zombies, orcs, dragons, shiny robots, and fat chefs. And that leads me on to why you, if you are a man, are highly unlikely to notice that lack of plot. You will be too distracted by the shooting and stabbing and punching and kicking and exploding and running and flying and jumping and killing and smashing and all round carnage. Aaaaaaaaand of course the revealingly dressed beautiful women. 

There is simply no other movie that has so much awesome stuff in it. Yes, the plot is bad, BUT it does provide the excuse to have all the afore mentioned stuff all in one amazing movie and still have it make just a little bit of sense. I mean, why would any straight guy (not saying the gay men wouldn't enjoy this, but the sexy women will obviously not be such an appeal)  would not love to see fit girls killing a wide range of awesome enemies with lots of guns and swords and helicopters and planes. 

Also all the actors and actresses do actually act very well. I couldn't possibly flaw any of them. The special effects are incredible, Avatar can go play in the corner. The colors and the rendering of the movie just looks great, as with all Zack Snyder movies. The directing is of course brilliant, because its Zack Snyder. Its just such a good film. I really can't think of anything negative to say other than the plot.

As you may be able to tell I LOVE THIS MOVIE. IT IS MY FAVORITE MOVIE OF AAAAAALLLLL TIME!!!!!!!!!!!! IT IS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would strongly recommend that you see it. I mean come on, I gave it 10/10 and there's a reason for that.

"The Devil's hands have been busy"-Terminator: Salvation (2009) Review

Terminator: Salvation Review

Director: McG

Genre: Action/Science Fiction

Codestar30 Rating: 8/10

In 2003, Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a criminal on death row, is convinced to donate his body to scientific research. He wakes up 15 years later in 2018 with amnesia, in a post-apocalypse world. The first person he meets turns out to be a Terminator, 1 of a deadly race of killer robots invented to seek and destroy the survivors of the nuclear holocaust. He is saved by a young man and a small girl, Kyle Reece (Anton Yelchin) and Star (Jadagrace). Together they try to out run the terminators and find 'The Resistance', the organised left over humans devoted to destroying the Terminators and winning the war against the Machines. Meanwhile, John Connor (Christian Bale), the prophesied leader of 'The Resistance', and the rest of his rag-tag army believe they have found a way to end the war, and are preparing their final strike against the machines.

First of all, whilst this movie can be enjoyed on its own, I would strongly recommend viewing the 1st 3 terminator movies before you watch it. Otherwise you will end up confused and lost. 

The acting is overall good in this movie. Sam Worthington puts in an excellent performance. Christian Bale puts on his raspy Batman voice, and gives a reasonable performance. The rest of the cast do their jobs as the scared yet courageous resistance.

There's plenty of action. Car, motor bike and Jet chases, gun battles, fist fights, explosions and crashes. No lacking of excitement. This Terminator is more of a war movie, as apposed to the cat-and-mouse chase format of the previous 3, so as apposed to a few humans trying to kill one almighty Terminator, its lots of humans trying to kill lots of terminators. So if you like action in your movies this movie won't disappoint. 

The plot's good. It hard to describe it without ruining a few surprises, but the story is very good. John Connor's part in this movie isn't the best part (Partly due to the mediocre acting of Christian Bale), but Marcus is an excellent character and his journey of redemption, and his transition from criminal to hero is very unique (despite that many films have a similar character redemption journey, Terminator: Salvation puts a new spin of redemption and second chances.)

Any fan of the Terminator franchise should love this movie. Its a step in a new direction for the series and gives new life to it, whilst still keeping the underlying themes and overall story. However, it should appeal to more than just hard-core Terminator fans and I would recommend it to any action lover, even those who have not followed the story so far. I hope they make a sequel! 

"You changed your name to McLovin?!"-Superbad (2007) Review

Superbad Review

Director: Greg Mottola

Genre: Comedy

Codestar30 Rating: 8.5/10

Meet Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera). Two unpopular, awkward teenagers in their last  week of High School. Although usually excluded from parties, after claiming they are getting a fake ID they are entrusted to buy alcohol for the final big party of the year, hosted by the coolest girl in school, Jules (Emma Stone). Seth wants Jules, and Evan wants Becca (Martha MacIsaac). Maybe if they get the booze, they can get them drunk enough to get laid. However to get the booze, they're going to need the help of their nerdy acquaintance, Fogel (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) who actually has a fake ID. Too bad his fake ID says his name is Mclovin, he is 25 and is a Hawaiian organ donor. 

This film is really funny. The first time I watched it I couldn't stop laughing. I have lost count of how many times I have seen it since, and I still enjoy watching it. 

The performances from every actor are great, every single 1 contributes to the comedy, the laughs are non-stop, The characters are genius, The plot is great and is a great basis for laughs, and there's a really good aaaaaawwwww ending.

I can't really think of much to say really as all I can do is praise the genius humor and story of this film. There really are no down sides to it. So I'm simply going to say; Go watch it. Its brilliant. You WILL laugh your arse off.

"A man's got to know his limitations."-Magnum Force (1973) Review

Magnum Force Review

Director: Ted Post

Genre: Action/Crime/Mystery

Codestar30 Rating: 4.5/10

Inspector 'Dirty' Harry Calahan (Clint Eastwood), a gritty, unpopular homicide detective for the San Fransico Police Department, who gets the job done one way or another (usually resorting to  simply shooting criminals),  is out to catch a vigilante who's taken the law into his own hands, and begun killing San Fransico's high profile criminals.

This movie's pretty simple. Clint Eastwood plays his usual husky hard-man in his usual manner. 

The action sequences are pretty short, as 'Dirty' Harry is good at what he does. He quickly dispatches criminals, usually with 1 shot, so the shoot-out scenes are never very long. The best is when there's some 'Hoodlums' held up in a site managers office with Thomson sub-machine guns and shot-guns,  and it takes Harry and his men about a 5 minute shoot-out to get rid of them all. 

The plot's pretty predictable, and if you have half a brain you should have no trouble figuring out who did it long before the film lets you know for sure. There is an unexpected twist however so that was a nice surprise. (The fact that there was a twist, not what the twist was).

The majority of the film just seems to be mundane, unnecessary  padding, broken up with short bursts of gun blazing (which is in disappointing short supply). Its not really a great action film, or a great mystery. However, it was fairly entertaining and is probably worth a watch if you have nothing better to do. I wouldn't say avoid it but I'd see no reason to go out of your way to watch it. 

"Welcome to my world, bitch!"-Freddy Vs Jason (2003) Review

Freddy Vs Jason Review

Director: Ronny Yu

Genre: Horror

Codestar30 Rating: 7.5/10

Its been nearly a decade since Freddy Kruger (Robert Englund) last invaded the nightmares of the children of 'Elm Street', and since then it seems everyone's done their best to forget about him, and those that haven't have been locked up. If no-one remembers him, then no-one fears him, and if no-one fears him he can't come back from hell in their dreams. Freddy needs to re-kindle the fear, so he  resurrects Jason Voorhees (Ken Kerzinger) and sends him to elm street. Once Jason has hacked a few of the residents up, the rest of them are starting to remember the last person to kill around there; Freddy! So now Freddy is back in their Nightmares. However, he still has one problem. Jason is not willing to step aside and allow Freddy to kill 'Elm Street's' terrified teenagers, he wants them for himself. So its a fight to the death between them. Winner kills all.

First of all for anyone who loves graphic violence and gore, this is definitely a film you should see. There is a lot a teenagers getting hacked up over the whole course of the film, and once Freddy and Jason start fighting each other, they both seem to have an endless supply of blood to be spilled by the other. They are both seemingly indestructible as they hack, stab, slice, rip, crush, drown, burn, slash, smash, bash, crash, trash and generally destroy each other. As far as slashers go, this is my favourite so far. That isn't to say its the best of all time, just out of the ones I have seen. The violence is frequent, graphic, and gory.

The atmosphere throughout is incredibly tense. The characters are constantly terrified out of their wits. During their sleep they are attacked by Kruger, and in their waking hours, by Voorhees. They are never safe and a gory death seen is never far.

There's actually a bit of characters development for Jason. In a dream sequence we see flash backs to his traumatic death, and as Freddy strips away his terrifying exterior in order to attack the scared little boy at heart, Jason's fears, anxieties, insecurities and traumatic memories are revealed to us. I don't know about the original Friday the 13th, which I unfortunately have not seen, but in the re-make I have seen there was no where near as much insight into Jason's past.

If your looking for scares, this isn't the horror movie for you. If your looking for violence and blood, then grab a copy of this film, sit back, relax, watch and enjoy. 

Just to get started!

Hello! My name is Codestar30, and this is my new blog. In this blog my posts will be film reviews. They will of course be my opinion, and I aim to make them simple and easy to digest, yet informative. I hope you find them useful! When I watch a film and feel like reviewing it I will do so, and if you have a request for a review leave it in the comments!
Also, check out some of my other work!
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I scream, you scream, we all scream!-Scream 4(2011) Review

Scream 4 Review

Director:Wes Craven

Genre:Horror/Mystery

Codestar30 Rating:6.5/10

'Scre4m' or 'Scream 4', once again re-unites original cast members; Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), Gale Weather, now Gale Riley (Courtney Cox) and Dwight 'Dewey' Riley (David Arquette). Sidney Returns to her home town, Woodsboro, where it all began, on the last stop of her tour of her new self-help book. Unfortunately this inspires another psycho to grab a 'Ghost-Face' costume and go on an elaborate killing spree.

Idiotic victims without the sense not to leave themselves alone when there's a killer on the lose, Guts and gore, and a crazed killer dressed as 'Ghost-face' going around hacking people up with a knife because of a petty motive. You've seen the same 'Scream' dynamic thrice before. However, despite the repetitive nature of the 'Scream' films, there is no denying that this dynamic works, or its popularity with audiences. And 'Scre4m' has kept up the box office popularity of the series, taking $18,692,090 in its first weekend in america.

After more than a decade, I can't imagine that any 'Scream' fan wouldn't easily be able to stomach another sequel.

As I am a 'Scream' fan myself, I was delighted to see another installment. Although I did not feel that 'Scre4m' lived up to all its hype, that isn't to say it was a disappointment. The atmosphere of fear and tension kept me on the edge of my seat throughout, I definitely didn't see any of the twists coming this time round Woodsboro, I laughed when it was supposed to be funny (and sometimes when it wasn't, but thats just because I'm a bit disturbed) and there's plenty of your favorite red liquid for you gore lovers!

However, I feel that Wes Craven has, once again, filed to create a horror movie that is actually scary (unless you where one of the screeching teenage girls in the audience with me). Also the murder scenes are, on the whole, not as impressive as in previous 'Scream' films. And of course, as ever, there is no escaping the vast shadow cast by the almighty original 'Scream'. 

Is 'Scre4m' the greatest scream film ever, like some people are saying? No. Is it the breath of fresh air the series needs if they intend to continue for another 2 films (which apparently they do)? Possibly. Is it a must see for 'Scream' fans and any fans of the slasher genre? Definitely! 

"Shame she won't live. Then again, who does?"- Blade Runner (1982) Review

Blade Runner Review

Director:Ridley Scott

Genre: Science-Fiction 

Codestar30 Rating: 5/10

It's 2019. Humans have extended their reach to outer space, and as a result need robots to do the more dangerous stuff out there. To fill this need companies manufacture robots that completely identical to humans called "Replicants". However, "Replicants" are not allowed on Earth once they've been shipped off to outer space. If they return to Earth then they are hunted down and killed by a special division of the police, the "Blade Runners". 

6 Replicants have escaped back to Earth in an attempt to find their creator, and force him to fix them in order for them to survive longer, killing anyone who gets in their way. Apparently, there's only one man up to the job of tracking them down and taking them out; retired "Blade Runner", Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who reluctantly returns from retirement to sort them out. 

Overall, this movie is pretty slow-paced, and slightly boring. The exceptions being the brief struggles that occur when Decker catches up with a "Replicant", or a "Replicant" catches up with him, and the somewhat unsettling scene in which Decker and his "Replicant" lover, Rachael (Sean Young), somehow have some sort of freaky robot/human sex. 

The plot is quite hard to follow and a lot of things that are necessary to understanding the story are not established as early as you'd like. You really have to pay attention to understand what's going on. I even had to do some research on what the hell it was all about so I could fully understand it before writing this review.

The acting is fairly wooden, with exception  perhaps to Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer), the leader of the band of outlaw "Replicants", but even he is not exactly amazing in my opinion.

However, "Blade Runner" does have one very redeeming feature. The penultimate sequence where Decker has tracked down the final 2 "Replicants", and after killing one, is forced to desperately try and escape from Roy Batty, who has been driven insane by the loss of his fellow "Replicants" and focuses psychopathically on killing Decker in a "Cat-and-mouse" chase through a dark and dusty building. It's very, dramatic, exiting, atmospheric and adrenaline pumping. This is the 20 minute section where "Blade Runner" really comes to life. And based on this section I would strongly recommend watching "Blade Runner". Although you will of course have to watch the rest of the film for it to make sense!