HALLOWEEN FILM REVIEW
Halloween is a 1978 Horror film that was written, directed and produced my John Carpenter. The film stars Jamie Lee Curtis & Donald Pleasence. The film grossed more than $60,000,000 at the box office and went on to become a media franchised series.
The film starts with a 6 year old Michael Myers murdering his sister with a kitchen knife. As the film continues, we are introduced to Laurie Strode who is the main protagonist of the film. She quickly become Michael’s latest victim after she continually she sees him through her day. During her babysitting shift, 3 of her friends are murdered by Michael Myers. He then attempts to kill her several times but fails. In the end, Michael is shot several times by Dr. Loomis and falls off of the balcony however when Dr. Loomis looks over the balcony, Michael’s body has disappeared.
(Halloween poster, Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode and killer Michael Myers)
Halloween is your classic horror film. There’s a situation at the start of the film that leads to a situation at the end of the film, there’s a victim, a suspect, a hero, a serial killer and a murder weapon. The characteristics of the characters in horror films are pretty basic. You have a serial killer whose main motive is to kill the lead character, anyone who witnesses the murders or anyone in site; you have the main character who is always a female and is always oblivious to the situation; and you have the lead characters friends who always end up dying first. These are you typical genre codes and conventions of horror movies.
The acting in the film is to an okay standard. Some of the actors did an incredible job of making there character and the situation seem believable however some of the other actors performance was dreadful. In the scene where Michael kills Annie, she blinks several times after he has killed. Also when he is actually committing the murder, the performance was very unbelievable.
Overall, I’m going to rate the movies a 7 of out 10. The plot for the movie was okay but at times I felt that the story kind of dragged on rather than getting straight to the point.
FEAR AND LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS FILM REVIEW
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a 1998 drama film directed by Terry Gilliam. The film stars Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. The film was originally a 1971 novel of the same name which was written by Hunter S. Thompson. The film was a box office failure after it grossed $10.6 million dollars at the box office despite its budget of $18 million dollars. Despite its low grossing and mixed reviews, the film has become a cult classic.
The film is about a journalist and his psychopathic lawyer who travel to Las Vegas for a wild drugged crazed road trip adventure. Johnny Depp (Raoul Duke) narrates throughout the whole film.
(Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas poster, Johnny Depp as Raoul Duke and Benicio Del Toro as Dr. Gonzo)
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is a dramatic adventure film. It includes all your typical codes and conventions of a drama/adventure film. There’s a location where the main characters explore and cause drama, there’s a scenario that happens which takes place at the 2/4 of the film which usually leads to a character in the film either being hurt really badly or dead.
The acting in the film is very good. Majority of the characters are portrayed by A-List actors such as Johnny Depp, Cameron Diaz, Christina Ricci, Benicio Del Toro and Tobey Maguire. The characters that they portray are very believable and by the end of the film you can relate to at least one of the characters.
Overall, I think the film was good. Despite its mixed reviews from critics, I think the film is unique and displays a different side of life and what drugs can do. I would give this film a 7 out 10. The plot is understandable and the characters are fresh and very relatable.
THE GUARD REVIEW
The Guard is a 2011 independent Irish black comedy film which was directed and written by John Michael McDonagh. It stars Irish actor Brendan Gleeson and Academy Award nominee Don Cheadle. The Guard is the most successful independent Irish film of all time grossing more than £16 million at the box office.
The film is about an Irish police officer; Sergeant Gerry Boyle who teams up with FBI Agent; Wendell Everett to investigate an international drug smuggling case in Ireland. Despite the constant rift between Sergeant Gerry Boyle and FBI Agent Wendell Everett, they put there differences aside to solve this case which not only involves drug smuggling but also bribery, murder and blackmail.
(The Guard Poster, a screen shot of Sergeant Gerry Boyle & FBI Agent Wendell Everett in the film)
Deciding on whether to class this film as a comedy or drama is a difficult decision but however you can not deny that the film doesn’t consist of both. Impressively the script is cleverly funny and keeps the humor going throughout the film. When watching a film that features police officers and a few racist slurs here and there, you usually assume that the film will be dull and boring with an okay ending however The Guard is the complete opposite. You are draw to the film from the first scene and stay hooked right until the end.
Usually, a success of a film would either depend on the cast or the budget. However, the success of The Guard didn’t depend on either of these things. The film got raved reviews from critics and is the most successful Irish film of all time beating The Wind That Shakes the Barley.
The actors that appear in The Guard are mainly British or Irish besides Don Cheadle who is African-American. The director has cleverly selected actors who are unknown worldwide but have amazing acting abilities. Some of the actors who appear in the film are: Liam Cunningham, Mark Strong, David Wilmot, Dominique McElligott and Fionnghuala Manon Flanagan.
Overall, I would rate this film 8 out of 10. The storyline is fresh and the humor and the characters keep you drawn to the film. John Michael McDonagh has written and directed this film excellently.
FOUR LIONS REVIEW
Four Lions is a 2010 British comedy film which was written and directed by Chris Morris. The film stars Riz Ahmed, Preeya Kalidas, Kayvan Novak, Craig Parkinson & Nigel Lindsay. The film grossed £4.5 million at the box office. The film is also a Film 4 Production.
The film is about a group of young Muslim men who decide to become suicide bombers. They each go through a training process learning the aspects to creating and using bombs. After what seems like moths of training, the young group of Muslim men decides to give their plan the green light and target the London marathon. Their carefully throughout plans collapses in a heartbeat when some of the men accidentally blow themselves up. Their suicide mission failed.
(Four Lions Poster, a Screen Shot of a scene in Four Lions which shows the characters)
Despite the film lacking emotion, it makes up for that with its comedic humor and mesmerizing characters. Films about terrorists & bombs are usually very surreal and always capture the audience by the events that will take place in the film. Four Lions is different because the film doesn’t depend on it’s storyline to grab the audience. The film is centered on 4 men. This brings the attention to them first then the storyline.
The only negative side to this film is that it lacks one thing; Emotion. There is no emotional connection between the characters until the very end of the film where the characters go to commit suicide via the bombs. You could argue that this is very cliché that only at the end of the film you feel the hurt and pain of the characters. Minus the lack of emotion, this film is really good. The acting in Four Lions is sensational. All the actors who portray the characters in Four Lions are British actors. I feel that they do an amazing job in portraying the characters.
Overall, I would rate this film 9 out of 10. The characters, to me make the film and are the one key element that is keeping interested in the film. The storyline is explored really well and I personally feel that this film in years to come will become a British classic.
shayjohnson 