Thursday 27 February 2014

OJ's Movie Review - The Monuments Men

A unique film, an amazing story, a brilliant cast.

The Monuments Men stars George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Hugh Bonneville. The basic premise is that in WWII a group of men, all with a passion for different types of art, must travel around Europe stealing back the stolen art from the Nazis. I have to say before watching this I loved the trailer and was quite excited until seeing some reviews which said it was no where near as good as they expected but nevertheless I went and saw it and I came away understanding where people criticized it but all-in-all I enjoyed it quite a bit. It's fun seeing all these brilliant actors in one film, the comedy is good, the story has a nice moral and all together I liked it. I've hear people say it's boring but I wasn't bored at all, the pacing inst fast, and there aren't particularly any 'action scenes' but it's by no means boring. The way the film is put together I thought was a little strange, the first half felt like a series of sketches mixed with a very dramatic story of World War horror; about half way through it got much better but you did get the odd scene which added nothing to the story but gave you a good laugh, which I did. So in the end The Monuments Men was a gentle film with some very funny moments and some quite sad moments and worth a watch if you want a break from the fast-paced CGI destruction of modern cinema. I'D SEE IT AGAIN.

Monday 24 February 2014

OJ's BIT Review - Convict 99

This the first Back In Time review, and today's classic entertainment is the movie Convict 99.

  This is one of the many Will Hay films that were made in the early 1900's, and in case you didn't know, Will Hay was a true British comic genius. Convict 99 Hay plays a school teacher who is being transferred to another school but due to a mix-up with some names he is mistaken as a prison governor and sent to some tough prison down in Devon. To make it worse when he arrives in a drunk state he is mistaken for a convict. From beginning to end this film is full of laughs. Original British comedy is truly a gem; Will Hay does comedy brilliantly and this film is no exception and as with most of his other films it also stars crazy old Moore Marriott and funny kid Graham Moffatt who add to the laughs as well. The story isn't half bad as well and you love how the characters react to different situations. Don't always turn away from black & white movies, especially the comedies, I'd give Convict 99 a 10 out of 10 any day, pure AWESOMNESS.

Wednesday 19 February 2014

OJ's Movie Review - The LEGO Movie

I haven't actually reviewed an animated movie in quite while, but how could I pass this one up?

I love LEGO, I've had it since I was very little, I love building things, usually just building them and never touching them again but I also played with the sets I had. So when I learnt that there was a LEGO movie coming out I was so pumped and ready for it that when the first trailer came out I just wanted to show everybody. And just a mere few hours ago I sat and watched the full film at the cinema. What can I say about a movie entirely based on an actual brand? Is it just a giant product ad? Well I think the urge to buy/play LEGO afterwards is just an added bonus. The LEGO Movie is some of the best animation I've ever seen, these things on screen look especially real, almost to the point where you're convinced that certain parts must be stop-motion (I still think bits are). Adding to the animation is of course the voice cast, with Chris Pratt leading (2014 seems to be his year as the main guy) and also Will Arnett whose work I've only seen in voice form in animated movies and then the big one: Morgan Freeman. All these guys do terrific work and the lines and jokes they come out with are fantastic. The storyline itself can seem a little slow at times but as a whole it's pretty solid, the last 30 mins especially is the best part. Oh and by the way, for the next week you'll have an awesome song going round your head! All in all I'D SEE IT AGAIN.