On hearing the name “Hell’s Angels”, most people are likely to think of thugs on motorcycles cruising over the highway, wearing their brotherhood ‘colours’. Few will know how the Hell’s Angels came to be such a worldwide brotherhood of men on bikes and this 40-minute documentary offers insight into the roots and development of the feared biker-gang.
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Discipline, Energy, Beauty, Strength. That’s what D.E.B.S. stands for as the name given to members of the secret, elite national defence organisation who fight crime wearing short, plaid skirts, knee-length white socks and brandishing huge guns. It’s Charlie’s Angels meets Mean Girls with a lesbian twist.
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It has taken nearly seven years between the “Legend Of Zorro” and “Mask Of Zorro”, and onscreen, the storyline has upped the cinematic timeline to ten. Not feeling optimistic, are we?
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I am not a Bounty Hunter. Neither are you I suspect. So, the majority of the audience will watch Domino with little prior knowledge of what a Bounty Hunter does. According to this film, it is not uncommon for them to cavort with each other under the desert sun after a life threatening car crash, and lap dancing gang members to avoid getting shot is day-to-day stuff. When Tony Scott added the ‘sort of’ to the film’s opening statement that this is ‘based on a true story’, he was not fooling around. Domino’s realism is almost as hazy as the diluted greens used to shoot the film. Yet, Scott’s aim has not been to make a believable action film, merely, he has tried to make a stylish, involving and darkly funny one. On the whole, he has failed.

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I was somewhat sceptical when I first learned of this movie. I thought the title was a bit lame and I was afraid it would be a tasteless comedy full of boring sexual innuendo. The only reason why I was still looking forward to seeing it was the lead role of Steve Carell. I absolutely loved him in Bruce Almighty and Anchorman and I think the guy is hilarious. Even more curious I was to see whether Carell could carry the lead in this movie and he didn’t disappoint me. Better still, the rest of the cast, story and movie didn’t disappoint me. This is probably the funniest movie to come out this year.

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As a big fan of the Star Wars series, I’ve always wondered what George Lucas’s earlier work was like. Especially this movie, because it’s science fiction. Luckily, a friend of mine bought the 2004 double disc rerelease of THX 1138 and offered to watch it when I was over there last night. Although it pretty much killed the cheerful mood we were in when we put the disc in I’m glad I finally got to see Lucas’ first feature length sci-fi movie.

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Director Fernando Meirelles made name and glory with his raw, yet critically acclaimed Cidade de Deus. The Constant Gardener, based on the novel by John Le Carré, is his first international production, starring Rachel Weisz and Ralph Fiennes. Fiennes plays a university professor, Justin Quayle, who meets activist and his future wife, Tessa (Weisz). On one of her trips to Africa, Tessa is brutally murdered in Kenya. Determined to find out the truth, Justin starts to investigate the case and comes across an international and diplomatic scandal, in which millions of lives are at stake.
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Some things are better left untouched. Why make another film version of Oliver Twist? My opinion was altered slightly after hearing who was in charge of a new adaptation of the famous story by Charles Dickens. Polish director Roman Polanski made some pretty impressive films in the past and somehow knowing he was the one directing set up high hopes for me. Alas, Polanski’s Oliver Twist is utterly superfluous and doesn’t add anything to the story or its reputation.
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There is a small three-minute scene in this new film based on a video-game which was widely talked about. It involves a point-of-view shot, incorporating a video-game-like ‘first person shooter’ angle. For die hard fans of the PC game “Doom”, this might be considered a highlight of the movie. I will agree for about a minute that this was a nice tip of the hat, but like the rest of the movie, it outwears its welcome.
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The first Ginger Snaps-movie is a gem. It is a film about coming-of-age, about dealing with sibling rivalry, awkwardness, sex, death and the uncertainty that comes with being a teenager. The fact that it has werewolves in it makes that film even more remarkable, for it is so much more than just a teen-horror movie. It’s the movie John Hughes would have made if he had been depressed and into scary films. I loved it; I’ve seen it several times. Needless to say I felt some trepidation about watching this third installment of the Ginger Snaps films, when it was thrown into my lap for reviewing purposes.
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