Film Review: Star Wars 7: The Force Awakens

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Cert: 12A

Director: J.J. Abrams

Screen writer: Lawrence Kasdan (written by) & J.J. Abrams (written by) and
 Michael Arndt (written by)  George Lucas   ... (characters)

Starring: Harrison Ford , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , Adam Driver , Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac , Lupita Nyong'o , Andy Serkis , Domhnall Gleeson , Anthony Daniels , Max von Sydow , Peter Mayhew , Gwendoline Christie , Joonas Suotamo , Pip Andersen

Running time: 2h 15min

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

Sex & Nudity: In a cantina an alien woman lounges seductively in the arms of a massive brute.

Violence & Gore: Violence: Science-fiction violence including:

A village is wiped out by Stormtroopers.

A defenseless old man, a leader of the village, is mercilessly struck down and murdered.

A Stormtrooper is shot and he leaves a bloody handprint on the helmet of another Stormtrooper.

Several characters are held against their will and mentally tortured to the point of extreme pain or exhaustion.

Numerous Stormtroopers are shot and fall down throughout the film. The presumption is that they are dead.

Several characters are eaten by multi-tentacled beasts.

Several fights occur where characters are struck in the face, body and legs.

Numerous chase and dogfight scenes between the spacecraft of the Rebel Alliance and the First Order.

Planets are exterminated by a Star Killer Base and the inhabitants see it coming.

Several building are destroyed, either by exploding or by being fired upon.

Gore: A character drinks out of a dirty trough, lapping up filthy water alongside a hog-like creature
Profanity:  In the vein of the original trilogy, there is some mild profanity.

2 uses of hell and 1 use of damn.
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Some characters in a cantina may be imbibing alcohol and may be smoking but it is not overt.

Frightening/Intense Scenes:  Confirmed MPAA rating: PG-13 for sci-fi action violence

Story: Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a rag-tag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.

Likes : MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU !!!!! First of all im gonna be honest im a huge star wars fan always have been since the age of 8 when i first watch the original star wars movie, although the first three film phantom menace,attack of the clone & revenge of the sith were to over driven with to much c.g.i, im happy to say that they didn't repeat that same mistake with force awakens.
The acting is pretty solid special from Daisy Ridley playing the character Rey, her performance complete stole the lime light of the film, which is great as she reveals some interest things with her character as the story progresses.
John Boyega also dose a great job with this character Finn, although i was expecting more from his character it didn't feel as if he was the main focus of the film which is a shame.Oscar Isaac portraying the best fighter pilot which his character really dosent shows off he just come across as the best as you will see in this film. Adam Driver come's off pretty well as Kylo Ren with some pretty revealing story subplot of who he actually is in the film, which leads to a pretty bold move from disney put this one scene in the film which actually shocked me but felt to soon to happen this early in the new trilogy of film's (those that have watched the film will know what i mean).
It was good to see the old favourite characters like Han sole (Harrison Ford) , Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher), C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) R2-D2 (Kenny Baker) Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) return for a few short scenes, some scene were funny.
As for the film visual effect vast improvement over what was done with 1,2,3 films of stars using more prop effect & less c.g.i which yes this film dose have but not over bearing which actually helps the film.


Dislikes : Sadly this film wasnt all that great, dont get me wrong the acting was great, the visual effect are great, its leads to the next film well, but this film was lacking in so many way's in storyline.
This is what a feared from disney when they brought the franchise, it didn't feel like star wars, its like that take the essence of what star wars was out of it just made the film in a different direction.
What i mean by that is instead of following where return of jedi left off it skips a go 40 years on which comes off really bad in the story, it felt rushed there wasn't much character development happening.
Special with Kylo Ren his character felt rush nn the writing for the character, he supposed to be the villain of the film he just dont come off on screen with that villain presence like darth vader did, he come off as this weaker version which didn't sell the character at all. i feel more could have been done John Boyega character than the way it was done in the film, there was a missed opportunity for a character development. Which sadly the only person hold up the film was Daisy Ridley with her performance, i feel this film could have been done better it just felt like disney milking the franchise instead of it being a wow factor film it could of been.

Overall :  Great acting, great visual effect story is a bit meh!!! not the greatest star wars film but still entertaining

Rating: 5 out of 5 for entertainment / 7.5 out of 10 for story continuity 

Film Review: Miss You Already

Genre:  Comedy, Drama, Romance  

Cert: 12A

Director: Catherine Hardwicke

Screen writer: Morwenna Banks (screenplay)

Starring: Drew Barrymore , Toni Collette , Dominic Cooper, Paddy Considine , Tyson Ritter , Mem Ferda,  Noah Huntley , Jacqueline Bisset , Janice Acquah , Charlotte Ubben , Shola Adewusi , Honor Kneafsey , Anjli Mohindra , Ryan Lennon Baker , Joanna Bobin 

Running time: 112 min

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

Sex & Nudity: There is an implied sexual scene where a couple is kissing, and the man subsequently removes the womans underwear and turns her around. Nothing else is shown and the scene does not contain any depiction of nudity.

In another scene set at a party, a man is seen standing closely facing a woman. Some hand movements below the frame are seen, this is followed by the woman running to her friend to announce that she just had sex.
Violence & Gore: none

Profanity:  4 uses of the expletive 'f**k', two are mumbled, but voiced by a child.

Constant uses of the expletives 's**t' and 'a**' throughout.

Characters also flip 'the bird' throughout the film.

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Drinking is seen by main characters

Frightening/Intense Scenes:  The central plot revolves around a pair of good friends whose friendship is tested when one learns that she has breast cancer. This thematic element can be intense for some viewers.

Story:Milly and Jess have been best friends forever. They've shared everything since they were kids - secrets, clothes, laughs, substances, boyfriends... now they are trying to be grown-ups. Milly has a high-flying job and lives in a beautiful townhouse with husband Kit and their two kids. Jess is a town planner and she and her boyfriend Jago live on a bohemian houseboat on a London canal. Their friendship is as rock solid as ever. That is until Jess struggles to have a much longed-for baby and Milly finds out she has breast cancer. How do you share that?

Likes : I went into this film not expecting much in story but this story really draws you in, it kind of reminds me of a british version of beaches as they have similar concept in story of two friends that have a bond for life when tragedy strike the story goes from a heart warming & a tear jerker that really hits you hard.
For anyone that been thought this type of concept knows just how hard it is to loss someone, the way this film comes across is beautiful dont so not to shove it in your face like most films do, it slowly builds itself as two friends have their ups & downs through life as most friends do, i think Drew Barrymore & Toni Collette played these role perfect to really sell the film & bring the emotional high's & low's to bring this film a real feeling of true friendship & love.
The directing behind this film is brilliant down to the way its written the way the characters are written & performance on screen really bring a uplifting but emotional rollercoaster film that will leave you in tears by the end, when a film can truly make you feel these emotion, its show alot of heart & effort has gone into the film to make it look real as possible. This is a film i recommend watching great melodrama that really pulls on the heart strings.


Dislikes : None this was a perfect film.

Overall : Rollercoaster film of emotions that will have you in tear by the end.

Rating:   5 out of 5 for entertainment / 10 out of 10 for story

Film Review: Wolf Warrior

Genre: Action, Drama, War

Cert: 15 cert

Director: Jing Wu (as Jacky Wu)

Starring: Jing Wu , Scott Adkins ,  Nan Yu  , Kyle Shapiro , Christopher Collins , Ziyi Deng , Sona Eyambe , Dahong Ni , Zhaoqi Shi , Samuel Thivierge , Sen Wang , Zhu Xiao

Running time: 90 min

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

Sex & Nudity: none

Violence & Gore: Bloody violence throughout the film

A man has his arm shot off with bloody results

Profanity:  2 uses of "f-ck", 1 use of sh-t

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: none

Frightening/Intense Scenes: none

Story: A Chinese special force soldier with extraordinary marksmanship is confronted by a group of deadly foreign mercenaries who are hired to assassinate him by a vicious drug lord.

Likes : I first saw this film on a trailer which i actually thought it looked a pretty good film, but apoun viewing the film i wouldn't say dispointed in the film it dose have its quality in action & fighting but curtain aspects of the film were putting me off watching it.
 i can say this China is renowned for delivering outstanding martial arts movies from time to time, which would be an understatement, but sadly this is anything but a little over rated, Wolf Warrior, does not continue the tradition of most martial art film's in action which is shame because this film could have been better.
 Though the words 'breathtaking martial arts' appears on the top of the dvd art ,ive got to be honest in saying that this to assure viewers of this statement is inaccurate to what the film is showing . It is unfortunate the fight sequences failed to convey anything original, however, the addendum that these scenes only comprise less than five minutes of the feature's entirety, only add to the film failures.

Dislikes : The one problem this film had was the lack of option to select the speaking language option's because one minute the film is speaking chinese with english subtitles then speaking english, it jump back & forth between this i feel the film should of been english dub as an option with normal chinese language as the default for the film .
With the subtitle moving so fast you find yourself watching the subtile more than the film itself which took the focus away from the film which is a bad move for the film unless your hard of hearing. The film felt more slap stick action than a serious film which is a shame because this could have been so much more than what it is.

Overall : Not the greatest film, but its ok for a one time view or just avoid the film altogether.

Rating: 3.2 out of 5 for entertainment / 4.2 out of 10 for concept.

Film Review: Hunger games Mockingjay part 2

Genre:  Adventure, Sci-Fi

Cert: 12A

Director: Francis Lawrence 

Screen writer: Peter Craig (screenplay) and Danny Strong  (screenplay) Suzanne Collins

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence , Josh Hutcherson , Liam Hemsworth , Woody Harrelson , Donald Sutherland , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Julianne Moore , Willow Shields , Sam Claflin , Elizabeth Banks , Mahershala Ali , Jena Malone , Jeffrey Wright , Paula Malcomson ,Stanley Tucci 

Running time: 137 min

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

Sex & Nudity: A few kisses

Violence & Gore: A lot of violence was edited for the PG-13 rating.

The movie features some brutal war violence but most of it is either edited or off-screen.

Katniss is shot. We see her fall to the ground and we later see her swollen stomach. The shooting is brief and her injury is also very briefly shown

A building is blown up, killing two women inside.We see this from a distance.

A young man shoves an older man into a wave of tar. Suddenly, a barbed wire net pops out of the tar, yanks him up and leaves him hanging. We hear the clink of the metal blades and his quick shriek of pain as it freezes in the air.

The aftermath of the tar wave is seen and it is disturbing. We see the net containing the body of the man stiff with icicles of frozen tar hanging from it. The body inside is seen covered in the tar and mushed up. Another body of a man mushed up and trashed against a step is seen blured in the background.

The entire sewer sequence is not only one of the most violent parts of the movie, but also very frightening. Lots of people are tackled by odd lizard-like mutations called 'mutts.' A man is jumped on by several of the mutts and dragged down into the water. His death is not seen, but it is implied that he did not make it out alive. He is heard screaming as his allies run away.

A woman is tackled by the mutts. Another woman fires an explosive arrow at the creatures causing a huge explosion. Her death is implied but nothing is shown.

In one of the most tragic moments of the movie, a man is chased by several mutts as his friends watch from a ladder above. He is bitten on the shoulder and dragged into a knee-deep water. Mutts jump in after him and we hear him roar in pain from offscreen. His friend sets off an explosion to end his gruesome pain which instantly kills him.

A man loses his legs in an explosion. There is no blood or any gore whatsover, but it is just as horrific the way it is all implied. We see several shots of his face as he dies.

A young woman shoots a government official straight through the heart. She falls off a metre high podium and we see a long shot of her dead body, a long stream of blood pouring down the stone slabs.

A man is seen coughing up blood onto tissues several times throughout the movie. He eventually dies from a combination of getting beat up by a crowd and by laughing up blood. We see a very brief shot of little blood in his mouth at his death.

Tons of children are seen reaching up for small parachutes filled with 'gifts' and 'medicine.' These end up being bombs. We can clearly see their hands just tip them as they blow up. A character is rocked backwards in the explosive and stands up moments later. In a few seconds, another explosion knocks her back and she is lit on fire. We get a long shot of her coat smothered in flames as she blankly stares up at the sky.


Profanity:  None.

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking:In one scene, Johanna takes Katniss' morphling IV from Katniss' arm and connects it into her own.

A character talks about stealing drugs

Frightening/Intense Scenes:  Mockingjay Part 2 is truly the darkest, intense and the most emotional chapter in the series.

The Scene where, the capitol children and Prim gets bombed is one of the hardest and emotional scenes in the film, although it doesn't show any blood or gore, the after math of the dead bodies and parents holding them in their arms is heartbreaking.

The scene between Katniss and Buttercup is emotional.

A jump scare occurs in a dark tunnel

The death scenes are very intense and disturbing.

Story: After young Katniss Everdeen agrees to be the symbol of rebellion, the Mockingjay, she tries to return Peeta to his normal state, tries to get to the Capitol, and tries to deal with the battles coming her way...but all for her main goal; assassinating President Snow and returning peace to the Districts of Panem. As her squad starts to get smaller and smaller, will she make it to the Capitol? Will she get revenge on Snow? Or will her target change? Will she be with her "Star-Crossed Lover", Peeta? Or her long time friend, Gale? Deaths, Bombs, Bows and Arrows, A Love Triangle, Hope. What will happen?

Likes : I've been following these film since they first hit ours screen's, i wasn't really a fan at first but i came to actually like these film although the first part of the mocking jay was lacking in that action & spark the second film had.
 I feel as if this film shouldn't of been split in two parts, it would have been better to have just left it as one whole film really but this was just my opinion. This second part was slightly better than the first part of the film because it had all the action parts, although some scenes were predictable as you could see them coming but for some reason one scene even though predictable as you could see the set up coming the still made me jump out of my chair lol.
I think this scene in the tunnels was a great idea for the film adding tension & intense moments making the film a bit more entertaining with it slow pacing, but i will say they gave the ending of this final film of the franchise a perfect ending to end on.

Dislikes : I feel as if this film made the bad choice of splitting the film in two, it should have been one whole film instead of two parts it would have looked better on screen

Overall : slightly better than the first part, great ending to the franchise,

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 for entertainment /  8.1 out of 10 for final story

Film Review: Heist (2015)

Genre: Action, Thriller

Cert: R-rated

Director: Scott Mann

Screen writer: Stephen Cyrus Sepher, Max Adams

Starring: Jeffrey Dean Morgan , Dave Bautista , Robert De Niro , Gina Carano , Kate Bosworth , Mark-Paul Gosselaar , Morris Chestnut , Summer Altice , D.B. Sweeney , Joshua Mikel , Lydia Hull , Courtney B Turk , Alyssa Julya Smith , Rosie Fellner , Derek DuChesne.

Running time: 93 min

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

Sex & Nudity: Brief nude scene by a main character

Violence & Gore: Man is shot blood sprays across the window, man thrown from the bus, man is shot & scene bleeding out

Profanity:  strong language

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Alcohol & smoking seen by main characters

Frightening/Intense Scenes: Some scene maybe a little intense but pretty mild

Story: When their attempt to rob a casino owned by the feared gangster Pope goes awry and a shootout ensues, Vaughn and Cox are forced to flee on foot and hijack city Bus 657 and take the passengers hostage.

Likes : This is a pretty solid cast for movie with a strong story that actually keep the film going, This is the story of Vaughn (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who is in need of cash for his sick daughter. Faced with desperation he meets up with Cox (Dave Batista) who has a plan of stealing from their own casino boss Pope (Robert De Niro). It's not an elaborate plan, in fact this might just be one of the shortest operations on heist movie.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is brilliant for this role as he play the father on the brink of the edge as he struggle to raise money for his daughter surgery to save her life, Jeffrey performance come off very well as a loving father clearly experience with this role from playing the father role in supernatural, he a great actor well performed.
Robert niro playing the usual role as the gangster mob boss of a casino, the usual type of role he normally gets, but for his age this is a good solid role for him, less running around small scene, really come off good doing like the old day his use to play the mob boss, but less tone down with this film.
Dave batista getting alot of roles just lately becoming a pretty good actor,  last film he was in the new bond film spectre, this time playing a main story character that ropes Morgen's character Vaughn in to doing a heist that dosent quite work out right the plan falls apart in to a high speed chase with a bus that remind you of the film speed.
Some of the stunt action in this film is pretty well done & well chronograph as some stunt scene involved with the speed bus, brilliant done but the stunt team to sell that scene, the story is pretty easy to follow along with Gina Carano looking beautiful as ever play the police officer the get involved in the chase, accord to cast list  Kate Bosworth was in the film, didn't even realise but oh well, but if you a Robert De Niro & Jeffrey Dean Morgan fan you like this


Dislikes : Just a little short on the story, but the cast hold the film up with solid performances.

Overall : Great little film of sacrifice & love for family, worth checking out

Rating: 4.3 out of 5 for entertainment / 7.6 out of 10 for story

Film Review: Pan

Genre: Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Cert: PG should really of been 12A some scene were a little over the age of PG.

Director: Joe Wright

Screen writer: Jason Fuchs, J.M. Barrie (characters)

Starring: Hugh Jackman , Levi Miller , Garrett Hedlund , Rooney Mara , Adeel Akhtar , Nonso Anozie , Amanda Seyfried , Kathy Burke , Lewis MacDougall , Cara Delevingne , Tae-joo Na , Jack Charles , Bronson Webb , Mike Shepherd Brian Bovell

Running time: 111 min

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

Sex & Nudity: None

Violence & Gore: Few fighting scene instead of blood they explode in to coloured smoke.

Profanity:  The two finger gesture is seen by the main character 

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Main character us fairy dust as a drug

Frightening/Intense Scenes: The scary stuff is a little 12A but very tame.

Story: 12-year-old orphan Peter is spirited away to the magical world of Neverland, where he finds both fun and danger, and ultimately discovers his destiny -- to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.

Likes :  I really don't understand why this film got so much bad press & reviews from critics, ya there are a few thing that i notice which made the film a little flawed, but all in all this was a great entertaining film to watch.
This is not the Peter pan story were already seen before some many time over, every story has a beginning this is one story that show who peter really is & how he was able to fly, plus a story of how he met captain hook before they became enemies.
You can tell from the very beginning alot of work has gone into making this film into a stunning visual effect of colours, atmosphere & characters, Huge Jackman stand out performance as black beard was brilliant in selling a character obsessed with immortality with fairy dust.
 Levi Miller was just brilliant as a child star playing peter pan character with a bit of a trouble child looking for adventure in the wrong places, really come in to his own as the story unfolds.  Rooney Mara didnt really think she would of suited the role as tiger lilly but what a performance totally sold the character & made it her own.
Garrett Hedlund plays the legendary captain hook before he become the pirate, dose a great job at doing it but wasn't to shore on the voice it felt a little force but thankfully you get use to it as the film progresses alone, which goes at a steady pace.
The special effect are stunning to bring a beautiful magical world of Neverland in all it glory, with some back story of pans mother & father which is great for the film. if your actually looking for a great family film this is one to watch.

Dislikes : Two flaws in this film which i did notice one obvious at the begin, the story said 12 years had moved on it was in the world war 2 which is 1940, yet at the beginning of the film peter is a young baby in what look like late 18th century victorian iron age in beginning of the 1900, so it skip 40 years in storyline which if your gonna nick pick would be a mistake in the film.
The other really is that the film dosent explain how peter & hook became enemies, weather they will do sequel to this pan film not should but if not this story should be told for the back ground story.

Overall : Great story, Great characters, Good musical moment & perfect performances.

Rating: 5 out of 5 for entertainment / 8 out of 10 for backstory.

Film Review: The Hollow (2015)

Genre: Horror

Cert: Cert 18

Director: Sheldon Wilson

Screen writer: Rick Suvalle, Sheldon Wilson 

Starring: Garry Chalk , Sarah Dugdale , Richard Harmon , Stephanie Hunt , Hilary Jardine , Laine MacNeil , Alisha Newton , Dylan Playfair , Deborah Kara Unger , Jonathan Whitesell

Running time: 85 min

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

Sex & Nudity: None

Violence & Gore: few scene off bodys brutally torn up & burned.

Profanity: Few F words thrown here & there through the film

Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: none

Frightening/Intense Scenes: The creature itself is very disturbing for younger viewers.

Story: It's Halloween eve on Shelter Island, and the small town is preparing for a killer storm. But the dark clouds gathering over the island are bringing with them a curse one-hundred years in waiting. As the woods give birth to an ungodly and insatiable creature of fire, bones, and earth, three sisters must scramble to stay alive through the long dark night of the Hollow. For it's not something you can kill. It's only something you can try and survive.

Likes : This is an interesting film for a tv movie, start off pretty well setting the scene of the concept of a deserted, isolated island , possible resource here of the utterly impenetrable wall of trees creating a spooky feeling at he beginning setting the audience on edge before the oncoming storm hits, while the slow-building mysterious events in emotion with the blank island and continual stranded nature create an eerie setting for which the insertion of the main concept of the story.
Although this film is slightly flawed in story at least the back ground to what is actually happening in the film is mention at one point in the film so it dosent leave you wonder what the hell is going on. The special effect are actually pretty good the acting is pretty spot on for a low budget film, im pretty surprised just well made this film is, as i was expect a pretty poor special effect film with poor acting, which im glad to say had nieve.
 The creature effect are impressive the appearance and powers of the creature are quite well done as the body being composed of tree roots and moss conjoined with supernatural fire bleeding through its eyes and mouth as well as its appears to teleport itself around to kill its victims which makes for a quite impressive creature feature film.
Dont get me wrong this is a syfy channel movie, you have to expect it for what it is a low budget horror film made for tv, but still a great entertaining film to watch.

Dislikes : The only flaw really was that it kind of lost it scariness mid way through, but the concept was pretty good.

Overall : Great special effects, good story concept, a little weak in scary horror but good film

Rating: 5 out of 5 for entertainment / 6.3 out of 10 for concept.