Monday, November 30, 2015

Mad Max: Fury Road Review










Mad Max: Fury Road


Release Date: 14th May 2015 - Australia


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures (presentation)
Kennedy Miller Mitchell
Village Roadshow Pictures (in association with)
RatPac-Dune Entertainment
(in association with)

Distribution
Roadshow Films


Genre: Sci-Fi/Action

Rating: MA15+ (Not Suitable for Young Children)

Runtime: 120 minutes


Budget: $185,100,000

Box Office Gross: $380,418,444 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Due to his dark past that has tormented him, Mad Max believes that the only way to survive is to wander alone in the desert. He joins a group fleeing across the Wasteland in a War Rig driven by Furiosa, an elite Imperator. They are escaping from Immortan Joe and his tyranny across his Citadel, from whom they have taken something irreplaceable
that belongs to him. It
angered the Warlord and
caused him to ruthlessly
rally all his gangs and pursue
the rebels, which had arisen
in the high-octane Road War.


Cast
Tom Hardy - Max Rockatansky
Charlize Theron - Imperiator
Furiosa
Nicholas Hoult - Nux
Hugh Keays-Byrne - Immortan Joe
Josh Helman - Slit
Nathan Jones - Rictus Erectus
Zoë Kravitz - Toast the Knowing
Rosie Huntington Whiteley -
The Splendid Angharad
Riley Keough - Capable
Abbey Lee - The Dag
Courtney Eaton - Cheedo the
Fragile
John Howard - The People Eater
Richard Carter - The Bullet Farmer
Iota - The Doof Warrior
Angus Sampson - The Organic
Mechanic
Jennifer Hagan - Miss Giddy
Megan Gale - The Valkyrie
Melissa Jaffer - Keeper of the Seeds
Jon Iles - The Ace
Quentin Kenihan - Corpus Colossus
Coco Jack Gillies - Glory the Child
Chris Patton - Morsov
Stephen Dunlevy - The Rock
Rider Chief/The Winchman
Richard Norton - The Prime Imperator
Darren Andrew Mitchell - Black Mask

Crew
Writer/Producer/Director - George Miller
Writer/Concept Designs - Brendan McCarthy
Writer - Nick Lathouris
Script Supervisor - Sophie Fabbri-Jackson
Script Supervisor: Action Unit - Georgina Selby
Executive Producers - Bruce Berman,
Graeme Burke, Christopher DeFaria,
Steven Mnuchin, Iain Smith and
Courtenay Valenti
Producer - Doug Mitchell
Producer/First Assistant Director - P.J. Voeten
Casting Directors - Ronna Kress
and Nikki Barrett
Production Designer - Colin Gibson
Principal Vehicle Designer/Storyboard Artist -
Peter Pound
Principal Storyboard Artist - Mark Sexton
Supervising Art Directors - Richard Hobbs
and Charlie Revai
Set Decorators - Nicki Gardiner,
Katie Sharrock, Lisa Thompson and
Gena Vazquez
Property Master - Andrew Orlando
Costume Designer - Jenny Beavan
Hair and Makeup Designer - Lesley Vanderwalt
Prosthetic Supervisor - Damian Martin
Armoury Supervisor/Key Armourer -
Lance Peters
Director of Photography/Camera Operator -
John Seale
Director of Photography: Second Unit - David Burr
A Camera/Steadicam Operator - Simon Harding
Cablecam Operator/Stunt and Rigging
Coordinator - Keir Beck
First Assistant Camera: "A" Camera, Additional
Photography - Matt Toll
Production Supervisor/Visual Effects Producer -
Holly Radcliffe
Supervising Location Manager -
Simon Crook
Supervising Unit Production Manager -
Sally French
Second Unit Director/Stunts/
Supervising Stunt Coordinator - Guy Norris
Stunt Coordinators/Stunts - Glenn Suter,
Lawrence Woodward and Tyrone Stevenson
Stunt Coordinator/Stunt Driver: Big Foot
& Gigahorse/Stunts - Steve Griffin
Fight Coordinator - Richard Norton 
Principal Fight Choreographer/Weapons
Advisor/Consultant/Stunts - Greg van Borssum
Principal War Driver/War Rig Stunts -
Lee Adamson
Action Vehicle Supervisor - Darren Loveday
Special Effects Supervisors - Dan Oliver and
Andy Williams
Workshop Supervisor: Weta Workshop -
Rob Gillies
Visual Effects Supervisor - Andrew Jackson
Visual Effects Supervisor: Iloura - Tom Wood
Additional Visual Effects Supervisor -
David Nelson
Editor - Margaret Sixel
Additional Editors - Jason Ballantine and
Mark Perry
Supervising Sound Editors - Scott Hecker
and Mark A. Mangini
Supervising Dialogue Editors - Yulia Akerholt,
Mark Franken and Kira Roessler
Sound Designers - Christopher S. Aud,
Chuck Michael and David White
Re-Recording Mixers - Chris Jenkins,
Steve Maslow and Gregg Rudloff
Foley Artist - John Simpson
Score Wrangler - Bob Badami
Music - Junkie XL
Music Editors - Alex Gibson,
Ryan Rubin and Katrina Schiller


Review
A new and revamped instalment comes thirty years after the seemingly indefinite halt to the Mad Max series (with the third movie Beyond Thunderdome concluding the original arc). The trilogy becomes a series, with FURY ROAD as a return to form to breathe new life into the franchise. Director George Miller has returned from the digital animation pioneering of the two Happy Feet movies to the live-action genre and Mad Max, which he has proudly welcomed to a growing list of Aussie cinema classics. This instalment still sets in a radical, frightening post-apocalyptic world and a civilisation without law and order. Furthermore, FURY ROAD is in the same league as The Road Warrior with fuel-driven camera shots and high-octane action. Compared to the originals, FURY ROAD has outdone itself with the driving sequences and elaborate stunts.

The acting of Tom Hardy was good. He seems to play it safe and not take risks. Tom has this near-uncanny resemblance to the now-aged original actor Mel Gibson. All the scepticism about his acting talent has faded away. Critics' reviews have been highly positive of his portrayal. The main reason I was confident he would be up to the challenge was having witnessed his outstanding performance of the Bane character in The Dark Knight Rises. Also in this movie is the talented Charlize Theron. She plays distinctively as the leader of the female rogues (which consists of Zoë Kravitz, among others). She seems to be well-adjusted for the part and, as usual, presents a strong female character.

I now consider FURY ROAD the second-best movie in the series, with The Road Warrior still taking the lead as the best instalment. Your impression of this movie would be best if you watch the original Mad Max movies. As a standalone feature, it is not as impactful as you would have gotten lost without the titular character's backstory and his journey through the treacherous highways of the outlands.

If you're in the mood for a serving of action, edge-of-your-seat thrills and large-scale explosions, this is the film for you. If you haven't seen it, then you should.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

Monday, November 23, 2015

Spectre Review










Spectre


Release Date: 12th November 2015 - Australia 


Production Companies
EON Productions
B24
Metro Goldwyn Mayer (copyright holder)
Columbia Pictures (copyright holder)
Danjaq (copyright holder)

Distribution 
Sony Pictures Australia


Genre: Action

Rating: M

Runtime: 148 minutes


Budget: $250,000,000

Box Office Gross: $880,674,609 (Worldwide - figure subject to change)


Plot Summary
A cryptic message from
James Bond's past prompts
him to set out to uncover
a sinister criminal
organization called
SPECTRE (SPecial
Executive for Counter-
intelligence, Terrorism,
Revenge and Extortion).

While M battles political
forces to keep the secret
service safe alive, Bond
peels back the layers of
deceit to reveal the terrible
truth behind SPECTRE. (Source - Metro Cinemas)


Cast
Daniel Craig - James Bond
Christoph Waltz - Franz Oberhauser
Lea Seydoux - Madeleine Swann
Ralph Fiennes - M
Monica Bellucci - Lucia Sciarra
Ben Whislaw - Q
Naomie Harris - Eve Moneypenny
Dave Bautista - Mr. Hinx
Andrew Scott - C
Rory Kinnear - Bill Tannen
Jesper Christensen - Mr. White
Alessandro Cremona - Marco Sciarra
Stephanie Sigman - Estrella
Judi Dench - M (Cameo)
(Uncredited)

Crew
Director - Sam Mendes
Based on Characters - Ian Fleming
Screenplay - Neal Purvis,
Robert Wade, John Logan
and Jez Butterworth
Associate Producers - Jayne-
Ann Tenggren and Gregg Wilson
Executive Producer - Callum
McDougall
Producers - Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli
Co-Producers - Daniel Craig,
Andrew Noakes, Stacy Perskie
(Mexico) and David Pope
Casting Directors - Debbie McWilliams and Alejandro Reza (Uncredited)
Production Designer - Dennis Gassner
Supervising Art Director - Chris Lowe
Art Directors - Andrew Bennett,
Neal Callow, Dean Clegg, Ben Collins
and Mark Harris
Set Decorator - Anna Pinnock
Costume Designers - Jany Temime and
Timothy Everest (Uncredited)
Cinematography - Hoyte Van Hoytema
Second Unit Director/Director of Photography:
Second Unit - Alexander Witt 
Splinter Second Unit Director/Stunt Coordinator -
Gary Powell 
Fight Choreographer - Oliver Schneider 
Splinter Second Unit Director/Picture Vehicle/Special
and Miniature Effects Supervisor - Chris Corbould
Special Effects Coordinator/Buyer - Lynne Corbould
Visual Effects Supervisors - Steven Pegg and
Mark Curtis
Visual Effects Supervisor: ILM London - Mark Bakowski
Visual Effects Supervisor: Cinesite - Zave Jackson
Visual Effects Producers - Leslie Lerman
and Laura Schultz
Associate Visual Effects Supervisor - Andrew Whitehurst
Animation Supervisors: MPC - Greg Fisher and
Catherine Mullan
Film Editor - Lee Smith
Main Titles Designer - Daniel Kleinman
Composer: James Bond Theme - Monty Norman
Music - Thomas Newman
Writer/Performer: Song "Writing's on the Wall" -
Sam Smith
Writer: Song "Writing's on the Wall" -
Jimmy Napes


Review
'SPECTRE' is a film of good quality and lasting value, but it isn't the movie that I hoped that it would be and does not meet the standards of the series quintessential feature 'Skyfall'. It was better than the subpar 'Quantum of Solace' which was served with plot errors and not having Q in the movie which is such an integral character to the Bond formula. 'Spectre' began with a pre-credits opening that any Bond fan would expect to be more explosive than the opening of the previous movie. The plot is a little lopsided and the length is too long where some unnecessary footage revolving politics should have been cut out of the film. But on a positive note, the movie takes viewers on a journey through new exciting locations of which some of these scenes are filmed on location not in a studio. This makes a big difference in terms of making the environments and locations more realistic and believable. 

I was surprised that the English actor Ralph Fiennes would undoubtedly be taking over Judi Dench's character as the new chief of MI6 after starring in its predecessor for a small supporting role. I do believe that any movie-goer who follows Quentin Tarantino would recognise the actor Christoph Waltz as having played a Bond villain, but the true identity of his character is not revealed until three quarters through the way of the movie and this delivers a suspenseful twist for anyone who has followed the Bond franchise from the start.

This may not be the best time for Bond fans who may have really had their hopes up after 'Skyfall'. In contrast, this movie is nowhere near as good but still it does have some unmistakable large-scale action, fine acting and occasional laughs. I would recommend watching this, if you have not seen it. 

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

Monday, November 16, 2015

On Her Majesty's Secret Service Review











On Her Majesty's Secret Service


Release Date: 1969 - Australia


Production Companies
Eon Productions (made by)


Genre: Action

Rating: PG

Runtime: 142 minutes


Budget: $7,000,000

Box Office Gross: $82,000,000 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Failing his usual
intelligence sources, Bond
enlists the help of crime
boss Draco to find Ernst
Blofeld, head of the evil
SPECTRE organisation.
Bond goes undercover in
Blofeld's high-tech
headquarters in the
mountains of Switzerland.
He meets various
seductive women, but
none as beautiful as Draco's
daughter, Tracy, who
charms 007 with her fierce
independence, biting wit
and spirit of adventure.

Bond pledges his undying
devotion to her, but there
are more urgent matters
on his mind: Blofeld plans
to unleash horrific germ
warfare weaponry, which
will threaten every living
thing on the planet!


Cast
George Lazenby - James Bond
Diana Rigg - Tracy Di Vicenzo
Telly Salvalas - Ernst Stavro Blofeld
Gabriele Ferzetti - Marc Ange Draco
Isle Steppat - Irma Bunt
Yuri Borienko - Grunther
Bernard Lee - M
Lois Maxwell - Miss Moneypenny
Desmond Llewellyn - Q
George Baker - Sir Hilary Bray
Angela Scoular - Ruby Bartlett
Bernard Horsfall - Campbell
Virginia North - Olympie
Catherine Schell - Nancy
Geoffrey Cheshire - Toussaint
Irvin Allen - Che Che
Terence Mountain - Raphael
John Gay - Hammond
James Bree - Gebruder Gumbold
Julie Ege - The Scandinavian Girl
Mona Chong - The Chinese Girl
Sylvana Henriques - The Jamaican Girl
Sally Sheridan - The American Girl
Joanna Lumley - The English Girl
Zaheera - The Indian Girl
Anouska Hempel - The Australian Girl
Ingrid Back - The German Girl
Helena Ronee - The Israeli Girl
Jenny Hanley - The Irish Girl

Crew
Director - Peter Hunt
Based on the Novel "On Her
Majesty's Secret Service" and Characters
"James Bond" - Ian Fleming (Uncredited)
Screenplay - Richard Maibaum
Additional Dialogue - Simon Raven
Associate Producer - Stanley Sopel
Producers - Albert R. Broccoli and
Harry Saltzman
Production Designer - Syd Cain
Art Director - Bob Laing
Set Decorator - Peter Lamont
Costume Designer - Marjory Cornelius
Director of Photography - Michael Reed
Camera Operator - Alec Mills
Aerial Cameraman - John Jordan
Ski Cameramen - Willy Bogner
and Alex Barbey
Assistant Director - Frank Ernst
Second Unit Director/Editor - John Glen
Stunt Arranger - George Leech
Special Effects - John Stears
Special Effects Technician - Bert Luxford (Uncredited)
Matte Artist and Optical Effects - Cliff Culley
(Uncredited)
Optical and Matte Cameraman - Roy Field (Uncredited)
Visual Effects Unit Cameramen - Robin Browne
and Martin Shorthall (Uncredited)
Dubbing Editors - Nicolas Stevenson
and Harry Miller
Sound Recordists - John Mitchell
and Gordon McCallum
Main Title Designer - Maurice Binder
Composer: James Bond Theme - Monty Norman
Music - John Barry
Lyricist - Hal David
Performer: Song "We Have All the Time in the
World" - Louis Armstrong


Review
It's been a year since I watched a Bond movie and decided to review another one. I currently reviewed a Bond movie, You Only Live Twicebut I'm halfway through the sixth flick of ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, and still, there's work to do in re-watching this underrated classic. It came out as what many consider to be an overlooked film. Since then, everyone who has watched its predecessors nearly forgot this movie until decades later, they began to like it even more. Some even regarded it a better film than the entries Roger Moore was in and the latter two with Timothy Dalton.

I first saw this film before I went on with the rest of the series of its significant plotting and winning formula with its action, espionage and romance. It was a unique rarity that a Bond film like this had a dark and unhappy ending, which I'll never get over because I was so young and unprepared for any sad conclusions. I have seen this instalment twice because the latest film, Spectre, has now opened in cinemas. I watched it to get myself in the mood for the upcoming feature.

ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE could have been a big start for George Lazenby in his tenure as 007. Unfortunately, his agent persuaded him to decline the role of Diamonds Are Forever due to the salary offer being too low of a figure. Sadly, it was a missed opportunity due to critical reception. Some movie-goers preferred Sean Connery in the lead when he could not be present in this picture. The action sequences are fun to watch and have a lot of edge-of-your-seat moments. The action takes viewers into skiing and bob-sledding and again portrays Bond as a jack of all trades.

More praise is due to George, who, despite being a non-English actor, was a charismatic secret agent with style, charm and wit. He still manages to convince us that Bond is still a suave protagonist. Telly Salvalas's portrayal of Blofeld is unforgettable. He is sure not as compelling as Donald Pleasence's interpretation, and the story doesn't explain the appearance change, so it's left to the audience's imagination as to why he looks so different.

It is a worthy instalment regardless of the critics' negative reviews and some negative feedback from fans. The film takes me back to nostalgia, which is significant as it was the first of the series I've seen. Please give it another chance, viewers.

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

Monday, November 9, 2015

Cocktail Review











Cocktail


Release Date: 1st December 1988 - Australia


Production Companies
Touchstone Pictures (presents)
Silver Screen Partners III (in 
association with)
Interscope Communications 

Distribution
Walt Disney Studios Motion 
Pictures Australia


Genre: Romance/Drama

Rating: M

Runtime: 98 minutes


Budget: $20,000,000

Box Office Gross: $171,504,781 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
Brian Flanagan, young,
confident and ambitious,
becomes Manhattan's
hottest bartending
prospect with help from
an experienced pro. After
moving to Jamaica and
meeting Jordan, an
independent artist, a
whirlwind romance brings
a new perspective to the
self-absorbed barkeep.

Brian Flanagan's story
begins to unravel, and
Brian discovers the truth
about love, happiness, and,
most of all, Brian Flanagan
himself.


Cast
Tom Cruise - Brian Flanagan
Elisabeth Shue - Jordan Mooney
Bryan Brown - Doug Coughlin
Lisa Banes - Bonnie
Laurence Luckinbill - Mr. Mooney
Kelly Lynch - Kerry Coughlin
Ron Dean - Uncle Pat
Gina Gershon - Coral
Robert Donley - Eddie
Ellen Foley - Eleanor
Andrea Doven - Dulcy
Diane Douglass - Mrs. Rivkin

Crew
Director - Roger Donaldson
Based Upon the Book/
Screenplay - Heywood Gould
Producers - Ted Field and
Robert W. Cort
Casting Directors - Donna Isaacson
and John S. Lyons
Production Designer - Mel Bourne
Art Director - Dan Davis
Set Decorator - Hilton Rosemarin
Costume Designer - Ellen Mirojnick
Director of Photography - Dean Semler
Second Assistant Camera - Steve 'Spaz' Williams
Unit Production Manager - David Coatsworth
Location Manager: New York - Charles Miller
First Assistant Director - Rob Cowan
Stunt Coordinator - Branko Racki
Special Effects Coordinator - Michael Kavanagh
Editor - Neil Travis
Assistant Editors: Los Angeles - Blair Daily,
Karen Gebura and Thomas R. Moore
Supervising Sound Editor - Richard L. Anderson
Sound Editors - James Christopher,
John Dunn and Bunny Speakman
Sound Mixer: New York, Jamaica - Tod A. Maitland
Re-Recording Mixers - David J. Hudson,
Mel Metcalfe and Terry Porter
Foley Artists - Sarah Monat and
Edward M. Steidele
Music - J. Peter Robinson
"Cocktail" Album Supervisor - Carole Childs


Review
I know what you're thinking about COCKTAIL, a film I am regretfully announcing was not a highlight of Tom's career. However, this film was seriously underrated. This picture got criticised for being cheesy. I disagreed with the generally hostile reception of this feature as it is a non-stop watchable guilty pleasure. Tom Cruise soon redeemed his honour with the release of Rain Man later that same year. When watching COCKTAIL, it was very over-the-top with its fresh comedy and heartbreak. I enjoyed seeing Tom with his smug-faced charm and his masterful bartending skills. It complements the film for what's shaken, not stirred and redeems itself from the underwritten concept, which was predictable and presented no value.

The chemistry between Tom and his co-star Bryan Brown has this sort of a love/hate relationship where they begin as close friends, but Tom has his trust betrayed, which leads to a spiralling downfall. Eventually, they settle their disputes and once again mend their friendly bond. The soundtrack has some energy and excitation, which compliments the overall quality of the film, especially the main songs from legendary artists/bands Robert Palmer and The Beach Boys.

My final thought for this picture is if you're in the mood for a good midday movie with some good points and real lighthearted 80s music. Then, this is a solid picture for you.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Back to the Future Review













Back to the Future


Release Date: 15th August 1985 - Australia


Production Companies
Universal Pictures
Amblin Entertainment
U-Drive Productions (Uncredited)

Distribution
Universal Pictures Australia


Genre: Sci-Fi/Comedy

Rating: PG

Runtime: 116 minutes


Budget: $19,000,000

Box Office Gross: $394,536,790 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
An average teenager named Marty McFly accidentally travels back to 1955 through a DeLorean "time machine" built by the mildly insane Dr. Emmett Brown. Marty unintentionally jeopardises his existence when he bumps into his parents and has to make sure that they have fallen in love around the same time he goes back to his own time.


Cast
Michael J. Fox - Marty McFly
Christopher Lloyd - Dr. Emmett Brown
Crispin Glover - George McFly
Lea Thompson - Lorraine Baines
Thomas F. Wilson - Biff Tannen
Claudia Wells - Jennifer
James Tolkan - Mr. Strickland
Marc McClure - Dave McFly
Wendie Jo Sperber - Linda McFly
George DiCenzo - Sam Baines
Frances Lee McCain - Stella Baines
J.J. Cohen - Skinhead
Casey Siemaszko - 3-D
Billy Zane - Match
Harry Waters Jr. - Marvin Berry
Donald Fullilove - Goldie Wilson
Lisa Freeman - Babs
Elsa Raven - Clocktower Lady
Will Hare - Pa Peabody
Ivy Bethune - Ma Peabody
Jason Maron - Sherman Peabody
Katherine Briton - Peabody Daughter
Jason Hervey - Milton Baines
Maia Brewton - Sally Baines
Courtney Gains - Dixon
Norman Alden - Lou
Richard L. Duran - Terrorist
Jeff Van Haco - Terrorist Van Driver
Norman Alden - Lou
George 'Buck' Flower - Bum

Crew
Writer/Director - Robert Zemeckis
Writer/Producer - Bob Gale
Executive Producer/Second
Unit Director - Frank Marshall
Executive Producers - Kathleen Kennedy and Steven Spielberg
Producer - Neil Canton
Casting Directors - Jane Feinberg, Mike Fenton and Judy Taylor
Animal Handlers - Robert Weatherwax and Richard Calkins
Consultant: DeLorean Time Travel - Ron Cobb
Production Designer - Lawrence G. Paull
Production Illustrators - Dick Lasley and
Andrew Probert
Art Director - Todd Hallowell
Set Decorator - Hal Gausman
Costume Designer - Deborah Lynn Scott
Makeup Creator - Ken Chase
Director of Photography - Dean Cundey
Camera Operator/Director of Photography:
Second Unit - Raymond Stella
First Assistant Camera - Clyde E. Bryan
Unit Production Managers - Jack Grossberg
and Dennis E. Jones
First Assistant Director - David McGiffert
Stunt Coordinator - Walter Scott
Special Effects Supervisor - Kevin Pike
Supervisor of Visual Effects: ILM - Ken Ralston
(Uncredited)
Camera Operators: ILM - Scott Farrar and
Kim Marks (Uncredited)
Assistant Camera Operators: ILM - Ray Gilberti,
Randy Jonsson and Martin Rosenberg (Uncredited)
Supervising Model Maker: ILM - Steve Gawley
(Uncredited)
Film Editors - Harry Keramidas and
Arthur Schmidt
Sound Designer - Tak Ogawa
Supervising Sound Editors - Charles L. Campbell
and Robert R. Rutledge
Sound Editors - Larry Carow,
Samuel C. Crutcher, Janice Hampton,
Scott Hecker, John A. Larsen, Harry B. Miller,
Chuck Neely, Bruce Richardson,
Fred Stafford and Jerry Stanford
Re-Recording Mixers - Daniel J. Leahy,
B. Tennyson Sebastian II, Robert Thirlwell
and Bill Varney
Foley - John Roesch
Music - Alan Silvestri
Performers: Songs "The Power of Love" and
"Back in Time" - Huey Lewis & The News
Music Supervisor - Bones Howe


Awards

1986 Academy Awards
Best Sound Editing - Charles L. Campbell
and Robert R. Rutledge (Won)
----------------------
Best Original Screenplay - Robert Zemeckis
and Bob Gale (Nominated)
Best Sound - Bill Varney,
B. Tennyson Sebastian II, Robert Thirlwell
and William B. Kaplan (Nominated)
Best Music, Original Song "The Power of Love" -
Chris Hayes, Johnny Colla and Huey Lewis (Nominated)


Review
November 5th, 2015, marks the day Marty McFly first travelled back in time in his DeLorean to 1955. BACK TO THE FUTURE is now on its 30th anniversary. It still leaves a lasting impression of what it would be like to see the hilarious consequences of time travel from 1985 to 1955. It also started a trilogy with two sequels that didn't live up to the first. An original and timeless sci-fi comedy was ahead of its time. It was BACK TO THE FUTURE that reinvented the time travelling concept. There's no one else who would direct such a top-grosser with laughter. And the only one who could do it was Robert Zemeckis. Even its executive producer, Steven Spielberg, should be proud of the film that began a trilogy that would please many generations of sci-fi fans. The writing is superb and packed with references that are only known to people familiar with most of these types of pop culture films, including Star Wars.

The comedic acting is exceptional, with Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd cast in the big leads. Lloyd plays an eccentric scientist, and Fox portrays a youth who becomes the bane of his existence. The supporting talents of Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson were commendable for being rocksteady of the other characters. The special effects are likely to behold long-lasting value and didn't age by today's standards of motion capture and CGI standards. Finally, the music complements this feature with Huey Lewis's memorable songs "The Power of Love" and "Back in Time" and Alan Silvestri's brilliant score.

I was enthralled to have seen it again after being busy with the other films and doing so. BACK TO THE FUTURE has top-notch performances, an original story and spontaneous laughter to mark it as one of my all-time favourites. If you have not seen this film, I say, "Great Scott! You don't know what you're missing!"

Star rating: (10/10) Best Movie Ever

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Monday, November 2, 2015

Office Space Review











Office Space


Release Date: 15th April 1999 - Australia


Production Companies 
20th Century Fox
Cubicle Inc. (Uncredited)

Distribution 
20th Century Fox Australia 


Genre: Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 89 minutes 


Budget: $10,000,000

Box Office Gross: $12,176,186 
(Worldwide)


Plot Summary 
Unable to endure another 
mind-numbing day at 
Intech Corporation, cubicle 
slave Peter Gibbons gets 
fired up... and decides to 
get fired. Armed with a 
leisurely new attitude and 
a sexy new girlfriend, he 
soon masters the art of 
neglecting his job, which 
quickly propels him into 
the ranks of upper 
management!


Cast
Ron Livingston - Peter Gibbons
Gary Cole - Bill Lumbergh
Stephen Root - Milton Waddams
Jennifer Aniston - Joanna
Ajay Naidu - Samir Nagheenanajar
David Herman - Michael Bolton
Diedrich Bader - Lawrence
Richard Riehle - Tom Smykowski
Alexandra Wentworth - Anne
Joe Bays - Dom Portwood
John C. McGinley - Bob Slydell
Paul Wilson - Bob Porter
Kinna McInroe - Nina
Greg Pitts - Drew
Michael McShane - Dr. Swanson
Linda Wakeman - Laura Smykowski 

Crew
Based on "Milton" Animated
Shorts/Screenplay/Producer
(Uncredited)/Director - Mike Judge
Executive Producer - Guy Riedel
Producers - Michael Rotenberg 
and Daniel Rappaport
Production Designer - Edward McAvoy 
Director of Photography - Tim Suhrstedt
Film Editor - David Rennie
Music - John Frizzell


Review
One of the highest points of Mike Judge's career besides 'Beavis and Butthead' and 'King of the Hill' is 'OFFICE SPACE'. This comedy classic is a well known comedic satire that is considered to have high esteem among various critics. The film tells a funny story about a man who has zero tolerance for his job and from the minute, he walks in the door, all he can think about is the minute he gets to leave. Many people will relate to the experience of hating their job and for these people, I'm sure they will find this movie a hoot. I am sorry to say that this film was not a high point for me, so where do I start. For starters, I really can't relate to the satirical humour and for this reason, I did not find the humour funny. I found with this movie that with the exception of a few brief scenes that for the most part the feature was rather flat and unappealing for me

I feel sorry for the talented actors for giving good performances in this film who I feel could have been cast in better roles. Gary Cole is the standout performer because of his self-centered character.

I presume that 'OFFICE SPACE' was overrated and was given more credit than deserved. If you agree with my opinion in this review, than I think it would be safe to say that this movie is not for you.

Star rating: (3/10) Disappointing