The Pact

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Dave On Film

20120609-201815.jpg

Supernatural Horrors have always been a mainstay of the American movie industry, going back to the likes of Exorcist and through to modern day spooks with Stigmata and Paranormal Activity.

Trailers for recent horrors have also promised much but not necessarily delivered…and so to The Pact. A trailer shows what looks to be plenty of possession and spooky goings on and it had all the obligatory claims of being genuinely scary from random newspaper articles.

Following the death of her mother, Annie’s sister visits her childhood home and come a cropper when she investigates odd noises in the house…in the dark whilst Skype-ing her daughter. She disappears. Along comes Annie now…looking for her sister…in the dark. Then a cupboard opens…and it’s dark…so she investigates it…in the dark.

Granted, the lights flicker out, and there’s a few bumps in the dark…and then the ghostly picking up of Annie and throwing her around begins. Next, up pops Casper Van Dien as a sceptical cop who looks like he was picked straight out of a Silent Hill game and dropped into this film. He offers almost nothing apart from a torch (which flickers out) to the story, much like the rest of the cast.

There’s something very lacking throughout the whole film. There’s a little bit of tension which is brought about by slow zooms into dark spots, but that is about all I am afraid. There’s no pay-off near the end, and the whole unfolding of the story following a Ouija Board scene just all seems to change direction massively from where it had been going.

A nice attempt, but not a film I would ever rush into seeing again.

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Men In Black 3

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Dave On Film

20120609-195013.jpg

“Here come the Men In Black, Galaxy Defenders!”

The Men In Black are Back…fifteen years after making their first big screen outing, the trials and tribulations of agents K and J are returning to cinemas following a poor sequel between.

When the original movie came out, it was fun and fresh and something unique. The tale of New York cop James recruited to the mysterious and secret organisation which monitors alien life and protects Earth against “The Worst Scum Of The Universe” (…and no, for once this doesn’t mean Man Utd fans…)

Wisecracking Agent J is teamed up with the surly Agent K, and the buddy movie was taken to whole new levels with brilliant special effects and a good comedy script.

Then came MIB2…highly anticipated…huge letdown. A very inferior movie which attempted to pick up on the success of the original but in only a few short years, the entire thing was diluted and out of ideas.

So it was with a little bit of apprehension that I approached MIB3.

My day kicked off quite well as I turned 50p into £10 on the quiz machine in the lobby of the cinema, so my mood was already up as I went into the film…and the good mood continued as the movie started…and we are introduced to Boris The Animal (“It’s just Boris!”) and a rather fetching looking accomplice played by Nicole Scherzinger. Following Boris’ escape from a maximum security prison, its alerted to the Men In Black (and the Woman In Black played by Emma Thompson) to seek him out…but things all go pear shaped and soon we’re dealing with the erasing of Tommy Lee Jones from history and the subsequent jump back in time by J to attempt a rescue…

…and then Josh Brolin turns up with arguable the best ever actor-playing-a-younger-actor impersonation ever to be seen on screen. Brolin absolutely nails the younger K and the film enters a whole new dimension with Will Smith’s character once again out of his depth and looking to learn from his mentor.

The 3D element of the movie is brilliantly used and well put together and arguably some of the best I have seen. It’s a very simple story but well executed and all the new additions and bit-parts in the cast, from the guys in the bowling alley to Agent W, are welcome and well utilised.

There could have been more laughs, but there’s also a very sentimental feel to a film which rolls out to a very well-placed finish.

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Prometheus

Posted on June 9, 2012 by Dave On Film

20120609-113029.jpg
Prometheus
n.
1. Greek Mythology A Titan who stole fire from Olympus and gave it to humankind, for which Zeus chained him to a rock and sent an eagle to eat his liver, which grew back daily.
2. A satellite of Saturn.

Underwhelm
tr.v. un·der·whelmed, un·der·whelm·ing, un·der·whelms
To fail to excite, stimulate, or impress.

Ridley Scott’s return to the world he created back in 1979 with the thrusting of Ripley and her battle against the Xenomorph’s came with a huge fanfare of film buffs all ready to once again exclaim that “Scott’s done it again” and the obligatory “Triumph” from any one of the many movie review magazines out there…

…and that’s where the problems begin. Overhype can be one of cinema’s biggest killers.

So it was with high expectations that I popped along to Cineworld on Wednesday with my brother-in-law in tow. Orange Wednesdays and Cineworld Unlimited card…a marriage made in movie heaven.

After sitting through an extra-long 3D Spiderman advert, which seemed wholly unnecessary after already seeing one about 5 minutes prior, Prometheus kicked in…and thus began the Underwhelm.

The story unfolds of the space explorer Prometheus, exploring a moon very much like our own Earth, at the centre of a cross-era map (no, not a map, an invitation) on which we find our central human characters searching for the meaning of life and an answer to the eternal question of Where do we come from?

Helping (or hindering) our humans is android David played by Michael Fassbender. Here the film really begins to touch on the links between this film and the Alien franchise. Can the ‘droid be trusted with the lives of mankind? Fassbender nails the robotic and emotionless David with a freakishly good piece of acting.

But David is the only character we ever really care about. Sure there’s some back-story to the enigmatic Meredith Vickers played by Charlize Theron and a little bit of foreshadowing surrounding the lead Elizabeth Shaw who is in the capable hands of Noomi Rapace, but other than that we have a whole set of 2D characters in 3D film.

Prometheus, for me, misses the mark by a long shot. In a movie which should be built on the fear and isolation of a far off world, there is very little tension and a couple of the set-pieces are actually quite laughable.

Yes there’s a pay off near the end and movie-geeks who have sought a few answers to the Alien quadrilogy may just find a little bit of resolution in the last twenty minutes, but all-in-all there’s so much more that could have been done with this film. It all ends up feeling a little flat and uninspiring.

No-where near Ridley Scott’s best work. Worth seeing if you’re a massive fan, but don’t expect anything amazing. Stunning special effects and a decent 3D offering might just be the helping hand in the Box Office stakes though.

Posted in Movies | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Clearout?

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Dave On Film

So it’s that time of year…and with the Championship being over, the end of the football season has arrived…(I don’t give a shit about the Premiership), and it’s time for the Leeds United Sale. We’ve got last year’s shirts at £10 a pop and half the team available to buy for not much more! Here’s my views on who should be in the 2012/13 squad and who should be given a swift boot down the road to Sheffield/Norwich etc…

Goalkeepers

Andy Lonergan – Not actually that bad, but I can’t help thinking Warnock has his replacement lined up already and would definitely prefer to see Paddy Kenny in goal. Sorry Lonners…but I think it’s your time.

Alex Cairns – Future prospect and should be kept on as the backup and reserve team keeper. Can’t see him going anywhere soon.

Defenders

Paul Connolly – Little bit torn with Connolly. Sometimes puts in a good solid performance but tends to be out of position and floating around a lot. Potentially sold or released.

Patrick Kisnorbo – Sorry Paddy, but you’re not the same headband-wearing nutter we all used to know and love. Lost too much pace and skill following injury and I just don’t think he’s destined to be in Leeds much longer. A shame as he was on his way to becoming a hero at Elland Road.

Alex Bruce – Heard mixed reports about him going and staying. Personally believe he’s one of the better defenders we have in the ranks and genuinely enjoys playing. Would prefer him to stay on but got a feeling he will be sold on…probably to someone mid-table Championship.

Andy O’Brien – Would like him to stay from an experience point of view. Not sure what Warnock inks of him because he’s not been in the mix. Think he will stay.

Tom Lees – The Future! Must keep Lees and develop him into a better player. The signs are there. Definitely one to keep and build around.

Leigh Bromby – Your time is up…off you go!

Aidan White – Hit and miss all season. Could be kept on as backup to any new signings though.

Charlie Taylor – Another future prospect. Time will tell, so needs to be kept on and given the chance.

Paul Robinson – Age is against him but is the type of player Warnock loves. Would like to see him signed as long as he can keep fit.

Midfielders

Michael Brown – Warnock’s adopted son…could be kept on but not used in a major capacity next season.

Lloyd Sam – A trier…of patience…off you go Lloyd!

Adam Clayton – On his day, arguably the best midfielder we have…keep keep keep!

Danny Pugh – Too many failings for me. Pugh is Poo!

Ramon Nunez – Shite and possibly the most overrated player ever. Would not be sad to see him leave..but he’ll probably go somewhere else and become their best player!

Zac Thompson – Another future boy…keep on…even though you win nothing with kids…!

Strikers

Robbie Rogers – Still not seen enough to warrant a viewpoint either way. His own hype makes him sound like Messi…but I fear he might just be messy!

Billy Paynter – Erm…part of me wants him to stay. When he puts himself about he can be very useful. Wouldn’t be sad to see him leave, but likewise wouldn’t mind to see him stay and see what he can do…!

Luciano Becchio – Not had the best season, but works well beside someone like Beckford for him t flick onto. McCormack doesn’t play off him well enough. Could be better alongside Paynter…

Mikael Forssell – Wouldn’t be bothered if he went…contributes Very little!

Robert Snodgrass – Keep, under any circumstances. Sign your contract lad!

Danny Webber – Garbage! Off ya go son!

Davide Somma – Need to get back into the team and find his scoring boots. Can see him going out on loans gain.

Ross McCormack – Our top scorer. Keep but don’t guarantee him a place. Seems to play better under pressure.

Posted in Leeds United | Tagged | Leave a comment

Project X

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Dave On Film

This movie should carry a “Don’t Try This At Home” warning for any teenagers on the verge of inviting a few friends around for a few beers. It today’s Internet-society where Facebook is King and millions are in the Twitter-sphere, it’s all easy for a small gathering to turn into one epic night that no-one will forget…but not always in a good way.

The story is loosely based on those little newspaper stories we’ve all read about, where the address of a party is posted online and a few hours, hundreds of beers and plenty of illegal substances later, the repair bills have entered the tens of thousands of pounds.

So here we have Thomas, an average kid, with average grades who is never really going to make his mark in the schoolyard until, coaxed by his sidekicks Costa and JB, he decides to host a party and video it all on Camera as a memento. What begins as a pull and tug comedy routine between the three on-screen teenagers and the one off-camera one, soon becomes dipped in alcohol and drugs and on a downward spiral.

All the signs are there early…the car Thomas’s Dad doesn’t want touching, the dog who needs to be locked up and away from anything going on, and the house in pristine condition…all of which you know will end up getting the party treatment by the end of the film.

It’s a coming of age journey, threatening to seriously warn the youth of today that taking it that one step too far may never be recoverable.

A banging soundtrack, some absolute perfect comedy, and some wild set pieces that will have you looking at the screen in disbelief all merge into one joyful ride which will leave you laughing, aghast and shocked by what goes down because deep down, you know this has happened and will happen again…and who knows, it could be your street where the party comes next!

20120307-220443.jpg

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Club 10…and counting

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Dave On Film

16 weeks…2st 8lb…Club 10!

Yup, that’s how long it has taken to achieve the first major goal on my weight loss mission. There’s even been a couple of weeks in there where I maintained and even a slight gain in a couple of situations, but all in all, the Slimming World weight loss plan is working a treat.

Am I bored yet? Not a chance. We’ve been mixing it up at mealtimes, sometimes having Quiche for lunch, sometimes Jacket and beans, and sometimes tuna and sweetcorn pasta. Lunchtimes are never boring. Then on an evening it’s steak and slimming world chips, chilli, pizza topped chicken, pek n peas and much much more. Chuck in full fry ups for breakfast and some might ask “How the hell have you lost 36lb?”

It’s been an enjoyable 16 weeks and with a long road ahead, it’s a fantastic kickstart to grander things.

And here, for your viewing pleasure are my photographic updates :

Before :

20120228-221248.jpg

20120228-221313.jpg

After Club 10 :

20120228-221341.jpg

20120228-221356.jpg

Posted in Slimming | Tagged | 1 Comment

The Woman In Black

Posted on February 17, 2012 by Dave On Film

Breaking away from a role which an actor is so familiar with and recognisable from is a very difficult prospect and The Woman In Black is Daniel Radcliffe’s first major role beyond the boundaries of Harry Potter. Here he attempts to take on the role of Arthur Kipps, a London-based Lawyer striving to save his job to provide for his son by taking on a case in the North East. All he has to do is go up and check out the paperwork on the estate of a deceased woman. But things are never going to be that simple. Following numerous warnings to stay away from the house, there’s only one way this is heading…to the house.

We now find Arthur in the house and over the course of three days and numerous events, the story unfolds. Rocking chairs rocking whilst no-one is sat in it, doors opening on their own, and clockwork toys setting off on their own and local children seemingly committing suicide…everything is there to provide the right set of jumps for any teenage Harry Potter fan whose scariest cinematic experience to date was Voldemort’s slitty nose! For the seasoned horror goer, The Woman In Black just seems to lack an edge which would have pushed the film from tense to scary. Yes, the tenseness is there and you are always expecting something to happen, but most of the scares are telegraphed to any experienced horror fanatic.

Daniel Radcliffe spends most of the film just looking like Harry Potter with stubble and looking uncomfortable grabbing a candle for light instead of shaking his wand and shouting “Lumos” to light the way. His voice-acting skills still leave a lot to be desired as he still sounds like the boy he was back when The Philosopher’s Stone was released. He did however do well to increase the tension in the times he was silent, bringing the audience into the action and making you want to look around a corner quicker than he was!

All-in-all, The Woman In Black is a good old fashioned English ghost story with a couple of big scary jumps (or more if you aren’t as desensitised to horrors as I am) and a lot of tension which builds and builds to the climax.

Worth a watch.

Posted in Movies | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Climbing back on the wagon!

Posted on November 14, 2011 by Dave On Film

A wagon is a precarious thing…it can wobble and it can topple and often you can be thrown from the seat and plummet down, down, deeper and down and hit rock bottom and carry on going deeper…and that’s where I am currently at. Two years ago, almost to the day, I joined Slimming World weighing 23st 11lb after having enough of being a fat bastard. In nine months I managed to lose 4 stone and meet the love of my life and then the wagon hit the bump in the road and it overturned. Off the wagon I was, and on the weight was piling. I ended up back up above what I had been when I started at 23st 12lb. Annoyed, I joined Weight Watchers…but didn’t enjoy it.

Weight Watchers just seemed to give you too much freedom and guidelines on too much to eat per day. I was finding myself eating shite just to keep up to it. It never felt right. Tie that in to a crap group with zero inspiration and I needed to do something. So even though I had only clambered back onto the wagon for a short time, I fell again and this was where I fell deeper and lower than ever.

Tonight, we went back to Slimming World, a more local group and back into the swing of things. Signing up, I realised that I had missed Slimming World and the delights of the Extra Easy plan. Today is hopefully the start of good things. I got on the scales and topped them at a massive 24st 9lb…the heaviest I have ever been.

I have set my ultimate goal…16st…the reason? I wanna do a Sky Dive! And to do a tandem sky dive in the UK you have to weigh under 16st so that’s it…oh and there’s the small matter of a wedding in April 20th 2013 🙂

Here are my Before photos…for those faint of heart…I am topless… :

20111114-214030.jpg

20111114-214102.jpg

Posted in Slimming | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Reinvention Of The WWE?

Posted on July 19, 2011 by Dave On Film

In less than 48 hours, World Wrestling Entertainment, the company I know and love has done the unthinkable and pulled off one hell of a massive swerve.

The WWE had been in a lull of late. Coming off the back of another hot Wrestlemania, it’s the time when the company tends to struggle. How do you top the grandest stage of them all? You bring the smaller stage up to the big time.

The idea was simple…a superstar with a contract coming up, a big match against the current golden (or purple) boy of the business topping off a night where there were more screams of “Holy Shit!” than there were chants of “Cena Sucks!”, and the swing of either the WWE Championship or a firing holding up the main event. CM Punk was the contract less one, John Cena on the cusp of being ‘fired’. Punk heated up the whole thing with a beautifully crafted piece of work where he laid into everyone from Vince McMahon, his ‘idiot daughter Steph, and his ‘doofus’ son-in-law Triple H, to Cena, Hogan, Dwayne Johnson and anyone else that popped into his drug-free mind.

What resulted was a buzz in the WWE that I had not felt for a very long time. A sense of realism not often seen on Raw and Smackdown. A real feeling of wonder as to where things may go next…and then comes Money In The Bank!

The Superstars themselves must hate when MITB rolls around. Originally a Wrestlemania attraction, this now-annual ladder-fest has earned it’s way up the rungs (sorry!) to it’s own Pay-Per-View (unless you are in England and you got this one for free”). Bodies inevitably go through proverbial hell from the moment they step in until the moment they are wheeled, staggered, carried and rolled out of the arena. Big falls, insane crash and burns and the odd cocked up move make for an unpredictable set of moments where you don’t know whether to laugh, scream or go wild. Even Sin Cara turned to drugs to earn himself a 30-day ban to escape too much punishment by the steel!

This year’s two MITB matches were nothing short of absolutely breathtaking and one of the outcomes in particular was shocking. Daniel Bryan winning the Smackdown match was a real move I didn’t see coming.

But all eyes were on the main event…and CM Punk, in his hometown, threatening to leave the company with the title belt all felt a little too much like 1997 all over again. Chicago pumped wildly in Punk’s favour and the typical PPV Cena-baiting was well received. Which way would the match go? Would Punk win and leave with the title? Would Cena get fired? Would Punk win, but someone cash in the MITB and keep the title in the WWE’s hands? The simple answer was…NO!

Vince paid homage to the Montreal Screwjob in fine style, coming to the ring and calling for the bell in the middle of Cena’s locked-in STF on Punk…but Cena stopped all that…and walked straight into a GTS for the Punk victory. Chicago’s wind picked up and was threatened to be quelled when Vince forced Alberto Del Rio to cash in…but before he could, Punk laid him out and legged it from the arena with the WWE title belt in tow…which he then went and put in his fridge…

20110719-211130.jpg

So to Raw…Cena had to get fired and Vince had to address Punk disappearing with his pride and joy…

…naturally we had a tournament to crown the new champion…which would be pointless if there was no belt to compete for! And as the final was set to get underway, Vince came out and threatened to fire John Cena. But would he go ahead with it? Surely not…but how would the WWE get around having a firing stipulation this time? The answer came in the form of Triple H…yes…the bosses’ son-in-law wrecked the Cena-haters party in brilliant fashion by announcing that the board has put a vote of No-Confidence in Vince and were forcing him out of the company.

What really pushed the point home though is that deep down, we all know that the company is indeed heading that way. Vince is no doubt grooming Triple H to take over the reigns and the tears in the Chairman’s eyes could well have been the real thing.

So what happens now? Will we see Vince rising up against Triple H and forming his own band of merry men to bring about an Invasion-esque storyline? Will the company actually be phased into Triple H’s hands full time? When will CM Punk return?

Who knows what will happen, but the buzz around is that the WWE is going from strength to strength with the best PPV I have ever seen and an amazing Raw to back it up…I am certainly getting excited and can’t wait for the next instalment of the saga that just keeps on rolling!

WWE is BACK and better than ever (wait…that sounds a bit like Eric Bischoff!)

Posted in Wrestling | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Batman Live!

Posted on July 17, 2011 by Dave On Film

20110717-191933.jpg

Batman Live is the stunning new spectacular live action show set in the fictional Gotham City starring the Caped Crusader.

I was lucky enough, through Show Film First, to get freebie tickets for what we were told would be a dressed rehearsal performance of the show not due to open on it’s World Tour until this coming Tuesday.

After buying my own Batman mask at the arena…I was ready to descent on Gotham.

20110717-193318.jpg

Entering the arena, you are instantly visually stunned by the huge bat-shaped video screen displaying a skyline of Gotham, towering above a set which runs almost the entire length of the arena, dotted with skyscrapers and road maps. This was set to be something out of this world.

20110717-193544.jpg

We were told by the directors of the show that being a dress rehearsal could mean that there might end up being stoppages to the show but as we hadn’t actually paid for the tickets, it wasn’t something we were overly worried about.

The show explores the reason behind Bruce Wayne becoming Batman in a swift move and quickly moves to the Big Top, leading to the introduction of Dick Grayson as a main character. What follows is a variety of stunning acrobatic acts, magic tricks and special effects that are truly mesmerising.

The bad guys are all there…The Riddler, The Penguin, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, Two-Face! Scarecrow, Poison Ivy…and the real star of the show…The Joker, who entertains with his unique brand of humour and illusion.

The show does have one big letdown though…and it has to be the fight scenes which just seem too fake and unrealistic. Obviously you have to forgive the fact that it is a live stage show and safety is a must, and if you can, then it’s not too big a downside.

From spectacular entrances, to pyro-fuelled exits, Batman Live delivers a two-hour thrill ride that will keep fans and newbies entertained…and hopefully if you go see, Batman won’t pull a muscle and call for the show to stop in the climactic fight scene…but the show did go on and the Caped Crusader battled on!

Very entertaining!

Posted in Shows | Tagged , | Leave a comment