films of 2009: INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

(More of a personal re-cap than a review)



This film was quite anticipated, and was in the works for a long long time. Tarintino, having a good track record and a number of cult movies under his belt, like many of the other fans i expected ALOT from him - and my expectations were exceeded.

The film, was absolutley brilliant. To put it very simply: Its everything any tarinto fan would expect from the man himself, its quirky, its extremely violent, its obscene and very witty. Tarintinos story telling abilities are also at its best in this film, presenting it to us in chapters as he did with the kill bill Volumes, and throwing some out-landish and diverse characters in the mix.

Brad Pitt gives us a gritty and comical performance as Lt. Aldo Raine, which is met by Christoph Waltz' sinister and brutal portrayal of Col. Hans Landa.

The rest of the cast also give great performances, Eli Roth, Daniel Bruhl and B.J. Novak are all names worth remembering.

Other than what ive said, I couldn't really find a weak point in the whole movie, its just one of those films i enjoyed from start to finish.

9/10

films of 2009: WATCHMEN

(More of a personal re-cap than a review)


This is brought to us by 'visionary' 300 director and 'watchmen' fan boy Zak Snyder. It was inevitable that the film was going to be heavily criticized by fans from the start, but compared to other adaptions of Alan Moore's work, this has to be the best so far. ( from hell and v for vendetta were very average films at best, with the exception of league of extraordinary gentlemen which was incredibly bad)

If you're a fan of the original graphic novel, then you're probably already going to be biast like alot of people were/are, and you'll no doubt see flaws here and there through out the film (especially the ending which seems quite 'infamous' among the fans of the original work)

But that doesn't mean this can't be enjoyed, and as a film i think this works very well. Zack Snyder has shot this in a superb way, and ive herd alot of people say its style over substance, which i disagree with. The cinematography and special effects obviously make it a pleasurable visual experience, But this isn't on the same level as Avatar when it comes to style over substance. Alan Moore's characters are brought to life and to the big screen perfectly here, with some especially outstanding performances from Jackie Earle Haley as RORSCHACH and patrick wilson as NIGHT OWL II.

Whether you're a fan of the graphic novel, or haven't even read it, id recommend this to anyone.

8.25/10