31: THE SPIRIT

Thus begins a series of "catch ups". I'm about seven movies behind at the moment, so I need to step up a gear. I saw this one at the turn of the new year.

Visually quite impressive and some nice bods to boot, but this Frank Miller solo directorial debut lacks substance and Samuel Jackson is just waaaay too over the top.

4 out of 10

Change In Format

Here I am again, debating about whether to continue this blog or not. And here I am again, redefining the content in an attempt to keep it going. All I really want to do is to keep track of my quest to see 100 movies in two years (yes, two years now, not one) and to be able to look back and reflect on what movies I managed to see, whether they were brilliantly constructed epics, entertaining blockbusters, disappointments and let downs . . . or The Happening.

So, I shall continue with a bare bones account of my quest to see 100 MOVIES IN TWO YEARS, FOR FREE!!

P.S. Please feel free to post comments as I will be more than happy to weigh in with a more detailed opinion.

Movies I'm Excited About - # 2

I'm always dead keen on seeing the next Michael Mann movie and this one looks like it won't disappoint.

Depp, Bale and what looks like a 1930s version of Heat.

Sign me up!

30: STAR TREK

Why I chose it?

Good reviews and a promising trailer suggested that this re-envisioning by J. J. Abrams would be entertaining. Also, a hangover ruled out anything too taxing on the noggin.

Where?

The old faithful, Wandsworth, 640pm.

Comments?

I've never been a Trekkie; I'm more of a Star Wars fan. I've tried to watch some of the movies and a couple of the TV episodes but I could never get into the whole Star Trek thing. The later series, Next Generation, etc, did nothing to generate interest either. Nah, definitely Star Wars for me, through and through.

That said, there's a chink in my anti-Star Trek armour after last night. I enjoyed this new version of Star Trek, using the original (and best) characters, made with flair and skill by director J. J. Abrams of Lost and MI:3 fame. In fact, I loved it. Excellent fast moving storyline (not the "by the numbers" plot my hangover was hoping for), likeable characters and amazing special effects. Not being a Trekkie, I can't say for certain whether this movie was faithful to the original but I got the impression that it was. The cheers and the clapping as the credits rolled seemed genuine and were a good sign of approval.

The humour in the movie surprised me and it's entertaining humour, especially in the scenes with Kirk (Chris Pine), Spock (Zachary Quinto) and, of course, Scotty (Simon Pegg). There are plenty of nods to the old series too, including a cameo that does not come off as a hastily inserted publicity stunt at all; in fact, it fits into the storyline superbly, the first appearance of the character giving me one of my laugh out loud moments.

But this is not all laughs and nostalgia - the action and tension is ramped up with brilliant space battle scenes and entertaining hand to hand combats. And Bana is brilliant as the Romulan baddie - like Chopper Reed, but with ears.

The movie's best moments, in my opinion, are when Spock is on the screen. Quinto does an amazing job at nailing this role and bringing a darker side to the much loved character - an absolute joy to watch. Let's hope they keep him on.

I won't say I've been converted to the Trek side of science fiction, but if Abrams continues to champion this new vision, I'm definitely on board for future instalments.

Would I pay to see it?

Definitely - a must see on the big screen.

Rating?

8 out of 10

Post Movie Quote:

"Brilliant! Even with a hangover. Live long and prosper."

29: DUPLICITY

Why I chose it?

To tell you the truth, I travelled all the way to Hammersmith hoping that it was showing The Damned United. Alas, it wasn't. Therefore, I was left with four movies to choose from. Duplicity was picked because I like Clive Owen and I enjoyed Michael Clayton, which was written by the director.

Where?

Hammersmith, 830pm.

Comments?

Duplicity tries hard to bring together a complex plot of mystery and intrigue and almost pulls it off. The final twist in the tale is both clever and predictable and the film is a little clunky in bringing it all together. There's not the same feeling of complete satisfaction when the plot knots are unpicked; not like, say, Ocean's Eleven, which is as good a comparison as any.

The on screen chemistry between Julia Roberts (who, in my opinion, walks funny) and Clive Owen (always good) is not too bad. The banter between the two is enjoyable but is not as "cool" or smooth flowing as others (e.g. Out of Sight). The flashbacks to how their relationship develops is slightly annoying but is reasonably well handled. The one thing I couldn't get a grip on was how this relationship would work or last, given that they don't trust each other one iota. Must be the sex.

Would I pay to see it?

Probably not. It's an enjoyable romp that can be experienced on your TV at home and not necessary for a big screen experience.

Rating?

6 out of 10

Post Movie Quote:

"Not bad for a second choice. Must review cinema times in the future."

28: WATCHMEN

Why I chose it?

This was one of the comic books that I'd always heard about but had never read. It was the only graphic novel included in a recent listing of post 1930s 100 novels to read. It was a comic that changed the shape of superheroes. The trailer looked awesome. I didn't need too much more convincing.

Where?

Wandsworth, 630pm.

Comments?

In two words: awesome and complex. This is multilayered story telling at its best. Will have to watch it again to catch all the script's intricacies. It is an amazing movie to watch, visually out there with a narrative that jumps in and out, back and forth but still works. The alternative style and storyline will turn a few away, as will the long running time, and some diehard Watchmen fans might be a little peeved about glossed over details, but I enjoyed this immensely - a no holds barred anti-superhero roller coaster ride with violence, language, sex and the most interesting madman since The Joker! I'm talking about Rorschach!

Would I pay to see it?

Hell yes! Especially as some of the plot points passed over me. Not sure I'm too keen to see Dr Manhattan's blue penis again though.

Rating?

9 out of 10

Post Movie Quote:

"I'll be ticking off another of the 100 novels to read before you croak very damn soon."

Changes

The many demands of life have forced a change to the 100 Free Movie Blog. For some time, I have been contemplating closing it down and moving on. The reason for this was that it was taking some time to maintain, my blog entries falling well behind the number of movies I've watched (I think I am about eight behind at the moment). The Oscar series was a hard slog, that was for sure, and keeping the blog relatively up to date was taking time away from other things, including the novel that I am feverishly working on.

I recently read that blogging, Facebooking, Twittering and all that is all well and good but if it's taking away time from actually doing some novel writing, it should be canned. So that was what I had planned to do.

The thing is, I've loved cataloguing the movies I've watched this year, using my free movie voucher from Cineworld. I loved seeing the finished blogs with the eye catching posters. I loved watching the list on the right hand side (slowly) grow, loved perusing back through the movies I have seen.

During this aforementioned perusal, I happened across the first two movies I saw with my voucher, The Orphanage and [REC]. I noticed that the reviews were quick and to the point. Compare them to The Dark Knight and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and you can see the difference, how my reviews have grown in size. I had loads to say about those latter movies, but did I have that much more to say then compared to The Orphanage? Maybe a little more, but not five paragraphs more.

So in order to keep the blog alive, I am going to revert back to how I began - short, sharp reviews with lovely large movie posters. That way, I'll be able to keep the blog going without my other writing suffering.

Moving on from that decision, the blog will include two different posts over the next month: a combination of "Catch Up" movies seen long before the Oscars started but not yet included in the 100, and newer releases, of which two I will be seeing this weekend if I meet my writing goals.

So I'm hear to stay, albeit in reduced form, so your comments would be appreciated to beef up the blog. I've also got some news that I have been holding back since late December; news that will no doubt be the death of me.

Keep watching for more soon!