Film Review: After Dark (Original Title The Philosophers)

Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Thriller

Director: John Huddles

Producer: John Huddles, Cybill Lui, George Zakk

Screenwriter: John Huddles

Starring:  James D'Arcy as Mr. Zimit , Bonnie Wright as Georgina, Daryl Sabara as Chips, Sophie Lowe as Petra, Rhys Wakefield,  Katie Findlay , Freddie Stroma,  Maia Mitchell as Beatrice,  Erin Moriarty, Cinta Laura,  George Blagden,  Jacob Artist, Philippa Coulthard , Abhi Sinha

Running time: 107 min.

Cert: 18 cert

Parents advised to read before viewing film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: The film opens with a naked man and woman kissing on a bed. We only see the bare back of the woman and the man is covered with a sheet below the hips.
A sexual relationship between two characters is is implied. 


Violence & Gore: A man is pushed into the tracks of a trolley. Several people are tied at the end of the trolley's tracks.
A person retrieves a gun several times.
A man shoots another person in the head with a gun. A gun would is visible and blood splatters when the gun shoots.
Several gunshots are heard. A group of people are shown dead on the ground after having been shot. (No visible blood).
A man wields and points an assault weapon at another person. 


Profanity: only the use of words will kill you" 

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Wine is mentioned but never drunk.

Frightening/Intense Scenes: The haunting aspect of a nuclear war having to choice who lives who dies maybe disturbing for some viewers.

Story: After the Dark" is set at an international school in Jakarta, where a philosophy teacher (D'Arcy) challenges his class of twenty students to a final thought experiment. Faced with an impending nuclear apocalypse, they must determine which ten of them would take shelter underground and reboot the human race. The decision quickly becomes deadly as each in the group turns against each other in a desperate fight for survival that blurs the lines between theory and reality.


Likes : This movie is very hard to understand unless you know philosophy because the of way this is filmed is very clever & use's alot of  philosophy through out the film. After seeing so many review pulling this film down truly show that those that have put this film down are missing the whole point of the film using philosophy in a way of logic which most people seem to lack.
The film revolves around's a set of apocalyptic scenarios where only 10 people can only live in a bunker for a year the other's must iver fight for them self or die in the blast, but here where philosophy come in to play with logic in the way who would be the best ten people that would best suit a future to rebuild the human race to those that would be completely unless , logic dictate that people with needed skill need to be chosen to live to build the human race back but mistake's can be made if you don't use logic right.
This is where this film is brilliant because not only does this film explain the philosophy but cleverly show the philosophy in work i sutal ways,apart from one scene which was unrealistic and illogical thank god it was only one scene because the rest was very thought provoking & brilliantly done.
This film is prove why you should never listen to some bad review's & view the film for yourself because your missing out on gems like this film because this is intelligently made & very clever with the wild card element in the philosophy which throws the choice do you chose to save the wild card or do you chose to let that person but it comes with a price which is logic because the choice could save your life as well or it could kill you that is show perfectly in this film.This is a film i recommend if you know philosophy & logic because you will really enjoy this film if you get the the point of the film.

Dislikes : Just the one scene was a little unrealistic and illogical for the moment, but apart from that the whole film was great.

Overall : Brilliant use of logic & philosophy, good especial effect not over done,

Rating: 5 out of 5 for entertainment / 9.1 out of 10 for the use of logic & philosophy

Film Review: Walking With Dinosaurs

Genre:  Animation Adventure Family

Cert: U cert

Director: Barry Cook, Neil Nightingale

Written: John Collee

Starring: Charlie Rowe, Karl Urban, Angourie Rice, John Leguizamo (voice over) Justin Long (voice over) Skyler Stone (voice over) Tiya Sircar(voice over).

Running time: 87 min

Parents advised to read before viewing film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: none

Violence & Gore: There are many Dino Battles but little blood is seen and the plot does not dwell on characters that die.

Profanity: No cursing whatsoever 

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: none

Frightening/Intense Scenes:  there are scenes that make you jump. and the dino battles are kinda intense that maybe a little to disturbing for younger viewers.

Story: For the first time in movie history, audiences will truly see and feel what it was like when dinosaurs ruled the Earth. "Walking with Dinosaurs" is the ultimate immerse experience, utilizing state of the art 3D to put audiences in the middle of a thrilling and epic prehistoric world, where an underdog Dino triumphs to become a hero for the ages.

Likes : Despite the bad reviews this film as got i think these people are more use to the action film than seeing the real beauty behind this film, which i completely loved it best thing was (John Leguizamo) narrating though the film telling the story. I'm a big kid at heart i love dinosaur movies this remembers me of land before time animated film & the other film called dinosaurs i use to watch when i was a kid as all the dinosaurs have their own traits & character that all the family will laugh & cry at.
The one thing in this film that got me laughing my head off was the three Pterodactyl just the way their scene's in this film are filmed just complete comical moment but that my sense of humor i love seeing that it a film it adds character to the film.
It tells the story of Patchi voiced by (Justin Long) a Pachyrhinosaurus as he struggles to make his way in the dinosaur world. Patchi is brave and kind and despite being the runt of the litter has an incredible knack of survival in an extremely treacherous environment with a life long friend named Alex a Alexornis voice by (John Leguizamo), the adventure together is laughable at time, funny & inspiring as patchi also fall in love with another pachyrhinosaurus named Juniper voiced by (Tiya Sircar) together it becomes a struggle to the feed ground with patchi's bullying brother Scowler voice by (Skyler Stone).
This story does have its moments with tragic scenes that bring an emotional side along with some fact about some of the dinosaurs as they appear which is good to educate the young kids i thought that was brilliant done & the story isn't to complicated for the younger kid to follow it just depend on the attention span your kid will have because some kids wont sit down & watch a film, but for the older generation this does have some adult humor like the ice age film have depending on your sense of humor.
All in all this film is a great film for kids, family or even if your in to dinosaur movies this is a film i recommend for all generation's to enjoy.


Dislikes : i think it could of had a bit more dinosaurs in this but for kids this film is brilliantly done.

Overall : Great C.G.I, brilliant adventure film, great story, brilliant characters & funny moment's

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 for entertainment / 8 out of 10 for story-line / comical moment's

Film Review: Haunt

Genre: Horror  Mystery

Cert: 18 cert (R-rated)

Director: Mac Carter

Written by : Andrew Barrer

Starring: Liana Liberato, Ione Skye,Harrison Gilbertson, Jacki Weaver,Danielle Chuchran, Jan Broberg 

Running time: 86 min

Parents advised to read before viewing film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: Two teenage engaging in sex

Violence & Gore: ghostly figure is seen, girl is seen being beaten, hammer is seen use as a weapon with blood spraying over the walls.

Profanity:  use of a f word is use

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: reference to father drink being drunk

Frightening/Intense Scenes: Ghostly figure may appear to be very frightening to some viewers

Story: A mother and father and their three teen-age children move to a new home that has a "personal tragedy" associated with it. The son meets a mysterious neighbor girl and together they experiment with an old radio they find in an attic alcove that can be used to communicate with the dead. Something is unleashed that brings new horror.

Likes : This isn't a bad effort for a horror film, it keeps it dark moody creepy feel through the film, with a era of mystery to whats going on it doesn't reveal the shocking dark truth until the very end which keeps you watch it.
Acting is pretty solid to set a creepy moody & setting to the house, it got its good point but it also has some bad points although this is a film good for watch the once.its a  Fairly standard haunted house thriller that owes a great deal to THE AMITYVILLE HORROR and practically every other Stephen King ghost story out out which isn't badly done just lacking in pace as it tends to drag on really in places.
 simple effective effects and storyline combined with subtle performances give this movie a much higher quality feel to it than it probably looked on paper. great film with a surprisingly R-rating which is hardly anything R-rated about it, given the great scary atmosphere and context of the story line.. just shows you don't need nudity and explicit gore shots to make a little horror film especially one with such a twisted ending look good.
The movie it's self is much like The Conjuring, creates a chilling atmosphere and that dread at the pit of your stomach at the beginning its kind of like insidious in some part in a way but all in all his isnt a bad horror film to watch once.

Dislikes : I think the lack of pace & less things going on kind of ruin the film slightly, a film like this has potential it could of been alot scarier than it was, i think with a little more pace & more things happening this could of been a brilliant haunted house film but it fall short of that.

Overall : Not a bad horror film, good special effects, dark atmospheric tone, good acting

Rating: 3.1 out of 5 for entertainment / 6 out of 10 for story-line & horror theme

Film Review: Ali

Genre:  Biography  Drama  Sport

Cert: 15 cert

Director : Michael Mann

Writers : Gregory Allen Howard (story), Stephen J. Rivele (Screen play), Christopher (screenplay), Wilkinson (screenplay), Eric Roth (screenplay) Michael Mann (screenplay)

Starring :  Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Mykelti Williamson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Nona Gaye, Michael Michele, Barry Shabaka Henley, many more.

Running time: 157 min

Parents advised to read before viewing film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: Men and women kiss passionately, an implied sex scene.

Violence & Gore:Numerous boxing fights throughout the film, a man is assassinated; he is shot with a shotgun several times until he dies; with bloody detail. Televised war images are briefly seen.


Profanity: At least five F words, and a dozen other mild profanities.


Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Several acts of alcoholism, people are seen smoking, people drinking in nightclubs.


Frightening/Intense Scenes:  Rated R for: Adult Content, Adult Language, Violence.(HBO advisory)

Story: In 1964, a brash new pro boxer, fresh from his Olympic gold medal victory, explodes on to the scene, Cassius Clay. Bold and outspoken, he cuts an entirely new image for African Americans in sport with his proud public self confidence with his unapologetic belief that he is the greatest boxer of all time. To his credit, he sets out to prove that with his highly agile and forceful style soon making him a formidable boxer who soon claims the heavyweight championship. His personal life is no less noteworthy with his allegiance to the Nation of Islam, his friendship with the controversial Malcolm X and his abandonment of his slave name in favor of Muhammad Ali stirring up controversy. Yet, at the top of his game, both Ali's personal and professional lives face the ultimate test with the military draft rules are changed, making him eligible for military induction during the Vietnam War. Despite the fact that he could easily agree to a sweetheart deal that would have meant an easy tour of duty for himself, Ali refuses to submit on principle to cooperate in an unjust war for a racist nation that treated his people so poorly. The cost of that stand is high as he finds himself unable to legally box in his own country while his case is contested in court. What follows is a battle for a man who would sacrifice so much for what he believes in and a comeback that would cement his legend as one of the great sports figures of all time.

Likes : I really don't follow boxing at all but from watching this film i understood the man Mohammad Ali was, he's really had a tough time in life to be recognized but the way he was standing up to human right is what made him not only the greatest world champion boxer it made him a good man standing up to  corrupted government trying to bring him down because of his colour fair play to him.
I think Will Smith played him brilliantly down to every trait & character that ali was inside & out of the ring, with a some what powerful, emotional & gritty way. The boxing scene's aren't quiet like the rocky film's but surprisingly real non the less which give this film it's realism & realistic feel I was glad to see a close to perfect adaptation of Ali's fights.
The only downside of the movie was to focus a little longer on effect's of Africa on him which will smith shod brilliantly on screen. But the "Loud mouth" Champs witty and "punchy" remark's in his real life along, with his big blows inside the ring is what keep you watching as it gets funny at times.
Smith had to go through heavy amounts of boxing and weight training, to feel like a boxer, and then also look at Ali as a youngster from footage, and then become him. That he did, in only the way that Will Smith can. He was so good that the academy saw the role to be worthy of an academy award nomination. It was a shame that he did not win it because this performance was brilliant.
 I found Jon Voight's role as the outlandish sports commentator, Howard Cosell, to be brilliant, although to look at him you cant really tell its Jon voight with the makeup but you can tell from the voice, the way he played this role with a bit of stiffness as a commentator would be back then on air was brilliant done.
The power & emotional side clearly came from the Africa scenes but also after refusing to join the army & being threaten with jail this man showed absolute courage & strength in the face of corruption & power as every government official try to stop Ali fighting in the ring, this is why Ali will always be one of the greatest boxers in the world inside & out.This is a film i recommend watching if your in to boxing films or bio film's.


Dislikes : Can be a little slow in places though the pace could of be a little faster, i think the boxing scene could of been a bit more than just a few scenes.

Overall :  Will Smith's hard-work, Mann's adaptation and Mohammad Ali's legendary life makes 'Ali' a must watch for movie goers

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 for entertainment / 8.2 out of 10 for story-line / Ali adaptation by will smith

Film Review: The Grandmaster

Genre: Action , Biography Martial Arts, Drama   

Cert: PG -13

Director: Kar Wai Wong

Writing Credits:  Kar Wai Wong - story & screen play, Jingzhi Zou - screen play, Haofeng Xu - screen play.

Running time: 130 min

 

Parents advised to read before viewing film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: None


Violence & Gore: Intense fights. Especially with IP Man.

Profanity: One use of "Ass" by a guy during the middle scene of the movie/film.
  

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Opium usage by the main woman character.


Frightening/Intense Scenes: Very sad, intense fight scene
  

Story: Ip Man's peaceful life in Foshan changes after Gong Yutian seeks an heir for his family in Southern China. Ip Man then meets Gong Er who challenges him for the sake of regaining her family's Honor. After the Second Sino-Japanese War, Ip Man moves to Hong Kong and struggles to provide for his family. In the mean time, Gong Er chooses the path of vengeance after her father was killed by Ma San

Likes : I see from alot of reviews this film has got some bad reception but i think this is because these people were expecting some Hollywood make over & expecting alot of fight intense scene & alot more action when they don't realise this isn't an action film. This is a story based film & not an action film although it has the fight scenes, this is a story telling of one of the greatest master's of marshal art's IP man who taught world famous Bruce Lee (R.I.P) when he was a young boy, i think the fight scene are beautiful choreography special the fight scene at the begin of the film, i though that was a brilliant fight show the beauty of wing chun.
  Set in 1940s Fushan, Canton province, the martial arts community, lead by Gong Yutian from the north, is retiring and holds a challenge to select an heir to bring southern martial arts to the north. The southern community elects Ip Man, the shining newcomer, up for the challenge. Ip Man develops a friendship with Gong's daughter, Gong Er. The story crosses two decades as Ip Man and Gong Er stand the tests of life. The Japanese Army invasion of Fushan forces Ip Man into poverty and he resettles in Hong Kong. A mutiny within the Gong family sets Gong Er on a quest for revenge. In a time where age-old tradition is being replaced with modernity.
I for one think this film is beautiful done to show the life of one man's journey down the decades living for hardship, losing hes family during the war through separation unable to get back to the country where he wife & kids live as to be one of the hardest things to live with in life, just show how strong of a person Bruce Lee teacher was to have that happen in life.
Some of the fight scene in this film are beautiful done to capture the different style of martial arts from wing Chung, Hung gar, 65 hands, many others as well as the masters of the art Sister San "Bagua" master, Master Rui "Xingyi master & Master youg " Hung Gar master, these fighting styles are beautiful choreographed into this film & captures the true honor & respect of the martial art world.
 I truly think this film should of got more that a 6 rating because i feel this is a worthy film of the wing Chung master IP that shows not just a man with skill in the martial arts but also an honorable man with ideas & passion to show the world that martial's arts shouldn't just be taught in class's but taught to the world.
Which Bruce Lee carried on that honor of his master IP for many year's until he's death in Kowloon Tong on 20 July 1973 at the age of 32 just after way of the dragon was filmed.
If your in to the martial art or Japaneses film's this is one to watch as you wont be dispointed.

Dislikes : It can be a little slow in place i think the pace could of been a little faster.

Overall : Great story-telling of IP man, Great fight scene & beautifully choreograph martial arts.

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 for entertainment / 7.9 out of 10 for story-line/ martial arts.

Film Review: 300: Rise of an Empire

Genre:  Action Drama War warning this film contain strong adult sexual scene & blood violence

Cert: This was given a 15, but seriously this should of been an 18 cert due to the nature of the film as it very R-RATED.

Parents advised to read before viewing film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: Brief sexual violence's & rape is seen & Eva green character is topless in a strong sex scene, men are topless as due to the nature of the film.


Violence & Gore: Throats being cut, head been cut off, spears & swords seen piecing the body's blood is spread across the screen & every where, Many soldiers burn alive after their ship is set on fire,  this is a very R-rated film in violence.

Profanity: very strong language

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: wine is seen being drunk.

Frightening/Intense Scenes: Seeing some ones head being cut off maybe be a little disturbing for some people.

Story: After its victory over Leonidas' 300, the Persian Army under the command of Xerxes marches towards the major Greek city-states. The Democratic city of Athens, first on the path of Xerxes' army, bases its strength on its fleet, led by admiral Themistocles. Themistocles is forced to an unwilling alliance with the traditional rival of Athens, oligarchic Sparta whose might lies with its superior infantry troops. But Xerxes still reigns supreme in numbers over sea and land

Likes : To understand this film "Greece" is under attack of Xerxes of Persia (ca. 480 BC). While Leonidas of Sparta is fighting in Battle of Thermopylae ("300"), Themistokles of Athens (Sullivan Stapleton) is preparing a sea battle at Salamis (this movie). Basically the first act of the film is a prequel in a way explaining Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) past & the second act is the sequel as Themistokles played by Sullivan Stapleton takes on the sea battle with Eva Greens character Artemisia.
Don't expect deep historic drama here as this is not a history film that some people seem to mistake this film for, history is the wrong genre this film is. This is a graphic-novel art splendor and a strong sequel of 300. Highly entertained with amazing graphic art scenery and a high Asian Martial Art feel fight scenes, this is what Hollywood should take note at on how to make a sequel because this was nothing short of perfect with more blood scene than the first film.
From the start this film throw you straight in to the action with bloody scene as well as the back story of Xerxes which is brilliant done as it plays as a prequel/sequel type of film which is cleverly done.
 Sullivan Stapleton as Themistokles did very well as the hero of the film, he wasn't like Gerard butlers role with Leonidas but very close with a different battle style of fighting which was brilliant on screen.
 Lena Headey reprise her role as Queen Gorgo was once again shown as a graceful power lady with vengeance i her heart she really show's this well on screen for a believe character,special with the fighting scenes (really live's up to the quote Leonidas said in the first film to xerxes "clear you dont know spartan woman we should of sent them out here, they are more of a warrior then the men you sent out today").
 Rodrigo Santoro as Xerxes becoming the God King of Persia was brilliant done to give him more character & showing just how he became the god king which was amazing.
  Eva Green as Admiral Artemisia now this role was perfect for her acting, this is why Eva Green is a fantastic actress & has a on screen presences of that woe factor, the way is plays this role, strong like in Kingdom of Heaven she did, but with a cold ruthless nasty almost demonic nature like she would scarfice anyone to get victory she plays this role with flawless ease, its why i rate her one of the top 10 actress's around.
300: Rise of an empire lives up to the hype, its a must to watch, never have a seen a better squeal to a film than this one, normal when you get a sequel they end up poorly done or badly written but this film should stand in Hollywood on how to make a fantastic sequel, brilliant acting, brilliant fight scene, bloodier than the first film with a back story.Just an outstanding film.

Dislikes : My only complaint about this film is the certification this film got in the cinema, the violence level, rape scene's & strong sexual scene, extreme bloody content of this film is Very R-Rated & should of been an 18 cert.

Overall : One of the best Sequel in ages, lives up to the hype & bloodier than ever with a brilliant mix of prequel & sequel mix in one film.

Rating: 5 out of 5 for entertainment / 10 out of 10 for action scenes & story-line.

Film Review: The Book Theif

Genre: Drama War 

Cert: 12A cert

Parents advised to read before viewing film as some scene may contain scenes unsuitable for younger viewers.

Sex & Nudity: None.


Violence & Gore:A boy is seen dead with blood running out of his nose.
A girl punches a boy and hits him on the ground. He is seen with a blood nose. She is spanked on her behind.
A man and woman are beaten to the ground and kicked.
A man vomits into his food.
2 boys fight. One is thrown to the ground with a bloodied lip.
A girl kicks a boy over, she has blood on her leg.
A man is bundled into a car and another pushed to the ground.
A truck is hit by a bomb which overturns it.
A girl is pushed to the ground a couple of times.
Dead bodies are seen laid out in the street.
A boy starts to speak but dies. 

Profanity: One use of hell.
  


Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: A man is seen drinking from a bottle.
A person pays someone else with a bottle of champagne.

Frightening/Intense Scenes: bombing raid might bring back memories for some 

Story: Based on the beloved bestselling book, THE BOOK THIEF tells the story of a spirited and courageous young girl who transforms the lives of everyone around her when she is sent to live with a foster family in World War II Germany.

Likes : I'am not normally one for the drama film because they tend to be very slow but this seriously captured my heart, its one of the most beautiful written & beautifully filmed film ive ever seen. I can't tell how many time i was in tears through this film, as it really hearts your heart on a emotional level like ever before.
The whole film is shown from a little girl perspective surviving during the the height of the second world war in German, but what is brilliant is that it is also told from death perspective a well as this little girl captures his heart & see the human race in a different light through her eye's, its brilliantly written.
Strong performances from Geoffrey Rush, Emily Watson, and newcomer Sophie Nélisse who plays the little girl Liesel with a stunning performance who has a bright future ahead in the film industry.The film clothing & speaking were all perfect for the era of the film its set in, as was the perfect scenery that was breathtaking and captivating, and I felt transported back to 1941 German.
 The emotional impact & Captivating and extremely powerful scene make this one of the best film your see in a long time, i know i normal say this about some action film but this is just an outstanding journey in the heart of human life seeing through death eye's as the literary vehicle of death as the narrator really is a masterstroke and works perfectly giving a sense that death is always with us you cant live forever.
I know from the trailer your thinking this is going to be a slow boring film but if you think that you seriously are missing out on one of the most emotional, powerful, beautifully written film's of 2014 that i recommend seeing at the cinema or owning on DVD.
 The ending of this film really blow me away with just how beautiful & emotionally fitting it was as you hear death narrating Liesel life to the very end in present day such a perfect way to end a film on a sad happy note really brings you to tears.

Dislikes : This is nothing short of perfection.brilliant film not wrong

Overall : Emotional,heart-warming journey of life, a must to watch.

Rating: 5 out of 5 for entertainment / 9.7 out of 10 for the death narrating concept & story