Thursday 4 October 2007
Over The Hedge
It's nothing new but Over The Hedge is an enjoyably funny affair from Dreamworks. We've seen better animation films over the past few years and Over The Hedge only copies their winning formula - a fast-action plot, lovable characters with big-star na...(read more)me voices, and the idea that the little guy overcomes adversity - but there's a sense we've been here and done that already. Over The Hedge is funny and endearing, but it's treading a hedgerow we've been down many times before.
Monday 1 October 2007
Love Film DVD Rental - Don't use this company!
The first month was great – too good, in fact – and there I was parading the virtues of online DVD rental and how perfect my supplier Love Film was. Oh dear, how wrong was I. Don’t let the ‘2 weeks free trial’ con you into thinking you’re getting a good deal!
I was with them for four months (using their £12.99 a month package which allows you to receive an unlimited amount of DVDs with two at home at any given time), and for the final three months, I never once received a film I actually wanted.
At one point I received DVDs in the post, checked to see what they were, and sent them back immediately because I simply didn’t care to watch them. Part of the problem with renting films is that you have to watch them within a given time frame. Sometimes this can work out for the better, but the way online rental works - with your next DVDs sent out once you’ve returned your last ones - you only get your moneys worth if you power through around 4 films a week. Two things: 1) Sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the week to get through 4 films, but more importantly with Love Film, it’s even harder when the films aren’t ones you actually want; and 2) you are relying on Love Film to post out your DVDs promptly to beat Sunday’s lack of post.
Love Film pander to the needs of new customers leaving monthly subscribers out in the cold. For the first few weeks I received all the DVDs I wanted, promptly and in good condition. After my first month’s payment had been taken, I stopped receiving the films I wanted and only got films they force you to add to a wish list. Basically, if you don’t have twenty films on a list, they won’t send you a single film – or at least, I didn’t receive one when I struggled to list twenty. My problem with the list is that I only wanted brand new releases, perhaps two per week. I have a huge collection of DVDs at home, I wasn’t interested in catalogue titles. After a month, I’d run out of catalogue titles I wanted. When my list dwindled to less than the ‘recommended’ (actually read: necessary) twenty titles, nothing was sent out until I replenished the list, essentially, with films I didn’t want. I was left paying for a service I wasn’t getting.
Essentially, Love Film wants to be bigger than it can manage, at least at the present time, and I wouldn’t recommend using them as your online rental company. Their customer service is very poor (although they have tried to improve it), their inability to deliver on the customer’s need is even more damning, and they have a poor policy for customers who want to leave. I had to pay for another month of zero service because after ringing their customer service team (you have to phone them to cancel membership, you cannot do it online) I was told (a complete lie) that near the time of my next payment I could officially cancel my membership online. This was not the case. I called up on the day of my payment for the following month and because I had DVDs at home (they’d sent more out even though I’d notified them that I wanted to cancel my membership), I had to pay for another month. Terrible.
I won’t be ignoring the huge amount of unhappy user reviews on ciao.co.uk ever again.
I was with them for four months (using their £12.99 a month package which allows you to receive an unlimited amount of DVDs with two at home at any given time), and for the final three months, I never once received a film I actually wanted.
At one point I received DVDs in the post, checked to see what they were, and sent them back immediately because I simply didn’t care to watch them. Part of the problem with renting films is that you have to watch them within a given time frame. Sometimes this can work out for the better, but the way online rental works - with your next DVDs sent out once you’ve returned your last ones - you only get your moneys worth if you power through around 4 films a week. Two things: 1) Sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the week to get through 4 films, but more importantly with Love Film, it’s even harder when the films aren’t ones you actually want; and 2) you are relying on Love Film to post out your DVDs promptly to beat Sunday’s lack of post.
Love Film pander to the needs of new customers leaving monthly subscribers out in the cold. For the first few weeks I received all the DVDs I wanted, promptly and in good condition. After my first month’s payment had been taken, I stopped receiving the films I wanted and only got films they force you to add to a wish list. Basically, if you don’t have twenty films on a list, they won’t send you a single film – or at least, I didn’t receive one when I struggled to list twenty. My problem with the list is that I only wanted brand new releases, perhaps two per week. I have a huge collection of DVDs at home, I wasn’t interested in catalogue titles. After a month, I’d run out of catalogue titles I wanted. When my list dwindled to less than the ‘recommended’ (actually read: necessary) twenty titles, nothing was sent out until I replenished the list, essentially, with films I didn’t want. I was left paying for a service I wasn’t getting.
Essentially, Love Film wants to be bigger than it can manage, at least at the present time, and I wouldn’t recommend using them as your online rental company. Their customer service is very poor (although they have tried to improve it), their inability to deliver on the customer’s need is even more damning, and they have a poor policy for customers who want to leave. I had to pay for another month of zero service because after ringing their customer service team (you have to phone them to cancel membership, you cannot do it online) I was told (a complete lie) that near the time of my next payment I could officially cancel my membership online. This was not the case. I called up on the day of my payment for the following month and because I had DVDs at home (they’d sent more out even though I’d notified them that I wanted to cancel my membership), I had to pay for another month. Terrible.
I won’t be ignoring the huge amount of unhappy user reviews on ciao.co.uk ever again.
Friday 21 September 2007
Disturbed by Disturbia..and not in a good way
I'm kind in forgetting Disturbia isn't original because it's just another drawback in a list of bad things this soulless, predictable, poorly directed film has going for it.
Is it unfair of me to mention Rear Window - Alfred Hitchcock's (the maestro of suspense) perfect thriller about a man who believes his neighbour killed somebody - the film Disturbia tries to update for the 21st Century, mobile phone-using, Ipod-listening, internet-using audience that craves, believe it of not, American Pie turned into a Silence of The Lambs meets The 'Burbs. I'd say it isn't unfair because the filmmakers should have watched Rear Window over and over and over again to find out just exactly how to make a thriller work.
The film itself is poor from execution right through the actors to the script. It takes 40 minutes for anything to happen and then the finale is rushed and predictable. The other problem is how the themes of loss and the protagonist's psychological struggle after his father's death is an afterthought to the house arrest set-up and his infatuation with the beautiful neighbour.
It's all just badly judged and makes the much better remake of The Hills Have Eyes, The Saw sequels, and Wrong Turn look like bona fide modern day classics.
My advice: watch for free, or don't watch at all.
Is it unfair of me to mention Rear Window - Alfred Hitchcock's (the maestro of suspense) perfect thriller about a man who believes his neighbour killed somebody - the film Disturbia tries to update for the 21st Century, mobile phone-using, Ipod-listening, internet-using audience that craves, believe it of not, American Pie turned into a Silence of The Lambs meets The 'Burbs. I'd say it isn't unfair because the filmmakers should have watched Rear Window over and over and over again to find out just exactly how to make a thriller work.
The film itself is poor from execution right through the actors to the script. It takes 40 minutes for anything to happen and then the finale is rushed and predictable. The other problem is how the themes of loss and the protagonist's psychological struggle after his father's death is an afterthought to the house arrest set-up and his infatuation with the beautiful neighbour.
It's all just badly judged and makes the much better remake of The Hills Have Eyes, The Saw sequels, and Wrong Turn look like bona fide modern day classics.
My advice: watch for free, or don't watch at all.
Wednesday 23 May 2007
Celebrating Into The Night
...John Landis' most underrated film is arguably his greatest achievement. For new and old fans, and for those just wanting to find out more about it, check out Celebrating Into The Night.
Tuesday 22 May 2007
This feels like...Deja Vu...
....Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott re-team for the excellent time-bending movie Deja Vu. Despite a few issues I had with the narrative logic of the film, this is an exciting roller coaster ride of bad guys, car chases, and thrilling action sequences.
Monday 21 May 2007
Jason X isn't so bad....
...okay, it isn't a 'great' film...in fact it's really, really, really, silly, but it knows it's limitations and runs with a playful use of slasher convention and science-fiction mystique. Oh, and it also borrows heavily from the Alien movies! READ MY REVIEW HERE
WHERE IT RANKS in the Friday The 13th series:
1. Friday The 13th (3/5)
2. Friday The 13th - The Final Chapter (3/5)
3. Jason Lives: Friday The 13th Part IV (3/5)
4. Friday The 13th - Part II (2/5)
5. Friday The 13th - Part III (2/5)
6. Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (2/5)
7. Jason X (2/5)
8. Friday The 13th - A New Beginning (Part V) (1/5)
9. Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1/5)
10. Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1/5)
11. Freddy Versus Jason (1/5)
Friday The 13th (Sean S. Cunningham, 1980, USA) - The raw and bloody original was a lot less influential than people think. It was massively inspired by John Carpenter’s Halloween and not nearly as good. Rating: 3 out of 5
Friday The 13th - Part II (Steve Miner, 1981, USA) - The second film is the first where Jason actually is the killer. It’s more enjoyable than the original film but far too similar. Rating: 2 out of 5
Friday The 13th - Part III (Steve Miner, 1982, USA) - It’s exactly the same film as the previous two, with the unfortunate bonus of 3-D. Rating: 2 out of 5
Friday The 13th - The Final Chapter (Part IV) (Joseph Zito, 1984, USA) - The film stars a young Corey Feldman who has to come to his older sister’s aid when Jason takes a fancy to her. This is silly fun and follows a very similar path to the films that proceeded it. However, it’s a better film than Part III and the most enjoyable of the sequels. Rating: 3 out of 5
Friday The 13th - A New Beginning (Part V) (Danny Steinmann, 1985, USA) - The best sequel is followed by the worst. A plotless mess and the worst Jason Voorhees film in the franchise. The fifth film tries to reignite the series after Jason is seemingly killed for good, but it fails to do a good job, simply stringing together bloody deaths for the sake of showing off the latest prosthetic and make-up effects. Waste of time. Rating: 1 out of 5
Jason Lives: Friday The 13th Part IV (Tom McLoughlin, 1986, USA) - A coherent plot helps Part IV be one of the better sequels. Rating: 3 out of 5
Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (John Buechler, 1988, USA) - A nice premise that sees a sort of Carrie V Jason battle is sadly under-developed. However, it makes for some fun sequences and a little inventiveness to what had, by this time, become a rather dull retread of the same plot line. Rating: 2 out of 5
Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (Rob Heddon, 1989, USA) - A terrible mess that lacks any sort of plot. There’s some nice special-effects towards the end but you’d have fallen asleep by the time you get to them. Rating: 1 out of 5
Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (Adam Marcus, 1993, USA) - Jason gets killed at the beginning which is about the only decent bit of the movie. Rating: 1 out of 5
Freddy Versus Jason (Ronny Yu, 2003, USA) - A gimmicky piece of rubbish seeing Freddy Krueger battling Jason Voorhees. On paper it seems like a crowd-pleaser but it’s bad filmmaking 101, and isn’t as fun as Jason X. Rating: 1 out of 5
(c) Strange Conversation
WHERE IT RANKS in the Friday The 13th series:
1. Friday The 13th (3/5)
2. Friday The 13th - The Final Chapter (3/5)
3. Jason Lives: Friday The 13th Part IV (3/5)
4. Friday The 13th - Part II (2/5)
5. Friday The 13th - Part III (2/5)
6. Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (2/5)
7. Jason X (2/5)
8. Friday The 13th - A New Beginning (Part V) (1/5)
9. Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1/5)
10. Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1/5)
11. Freddy Versus Jason (1/5)
Friday The 13th (Sean S. Cunningham, 1980, USA) - The raw and bloody original was a lot less influential than people think. It was massively inspired by John Carpenter’s Halloween and not nearly as good. Rating: 3 out of 5
Friday The 13th - Part II (Steve Miner, 1981, USA) - The second film is the first where Jason actually is the killer. It’s more enjoyable than the original film but far too similar. Rating: 2 out of 5
Friday The 13th - Part III (Steve Miner, 1982, USA) - It’s exactly the same film as the previous two, with the unfortunate bonus of 3-D. Rating: 2 out of 5
Friday The 13th - The Final Chapter (Part IV) (Joseph Zito, 1984, USA) - The film stars a young Corey Feldman who has to come to his older sister’s aid when Jason takes a fancy to her. This is silly fun and follows a very similar path to the films that proceeded it. However, it’s a better film than Part III and the most enjoyable of the sequels. Rating: 3 out of 5
Friday The 13th - A New Beginning (Part V) (Danny Steinmann, 1985, USA) - The best sequel is followed by the worst. A plotless mess and the worst Jason Voorhees film in the franchise. The fifth film tries to reignite the series after Jason is seemingly killed for good, but it fails to do a good job, simply stringing together bloody deaths for the sake of showing off the latest prosthetic and make-up effects. Waste of time. Rating: 1 out of 5
Jason Lives: Friday The 13th Part IV (Tom McLoughlin, 1986, USA) - A coherent plot helps Part IV be one of the better sequels. Rating: 3 out of 5
Friday The 13th Part VII: The New Blood (John Buechler, 1988, USA) - A nice premise that sees a sort of Carrie V Jason battle is sadly under-developed. However, it makes for some fun sequences and a little inventiveness to what had, by this time, become a rather dull retread of the same plot line. Rating: 2 out of 5
Friday The 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (Rob Heddon, 1989, USA) - A terrible mess that lacks any sort of plot. There’s some nice special-effects towards the end but you’d have fallen asleep by the time you get to them. Rating: 1 out of 5
Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (Adam Marcus, 1993, USA) - Jason gets killed at the beginning which is about the only decent bit of the movie. Rating: 1 out of 5
Freddy Versus Jason (Ronny Yu, 2003, USA) - A gimmicky piece of rubbish seeing Freddy Krueger battling Jason Voorhees. On paper it seems like a crowd-pleaser but it’s bad filmmaking 101, and isn’t as fun as Jason X. Rating: 1 out of 5
(c) Strange Conversation
Friday 18 May 2007
Doomed....
Perhaps I had higher hopes than I should have for the videogame adaptation Doom. I can't say it's a good film...read my review HERE
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