The Last King Of Scotland

Based on true events surrounding the regime of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin, "The Last King of Scotland" is a gripping thriller, which has you hooked from the very start.

The main character is actually the physician, Nicholas Garrigan, played by James McAvoy. He travels to Uganda to get away from the UK, but ends up trapped as personal doctor to the Ugandan dictator.

I really enjoyed this film. I thought the acting was superb all round. James McAvoy is just a brilliant actor and it's good to see him in a role that actually has him using his own accent.

But it's Forrest Whitaker who really stands out in this film. He is totally believable as Amin, filled with a passion for his country, and is also terrifyingly brutal. Absolutely deserved his Oscar for Best Actor for this role. He even manages to bring a touch of humour to the role, which I wasn't expecting at all.

Was quite surprising to see Gillian Anderson in a minor role. I had no idea she was in it, and it took me a wee while to realise it was her. :P

I'd recommend this film if you enjoy compelling drama thrillers. It's probably worth watching for the excellent acting alone.

8/10

AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem

Now, I am no huge fan of Sci Fi monster movies (with the exception of perhaps Cloverfield), so unsurprisingly I wasn't that impressed with this film.

Perhaps it was because I'm not really a fan of either Alien or Predator movies, or just because of the awful plot, but I found this to be quite a boring film.

The special effects were the best thing about it, but perhaps they spent so much time on them that they forgot to insert an interesting story. A bunch of people (none of whom are particularly likeable) faffing around, trying to escape a city where Alien and Predator are battling it out.... meh. They could have came up with something a bit more exciting than that.

The acting is bland, I was fed up by the end and was quite pleased when the credits arrived. If you're desperate to see this, then fair enough, but otherwise, give it a miss.

3/10

American Psycho

I'd been wanting to see American Psycho for a while. It was a film that really intruiged me, despite the fact that I didn't really know what it was about. Perhaps it was the bizarre image of Christian Bale wearing an eye mask on the posters/dvd covers etc.

I was surprised at how amusing I actually found it. I had always been under the impression that American Psycho wasn't supposed to be funny, but what I found was a terrific black comedy mixed with psycho-like murders and such.

Christian Bale is superb in the lead role. He totally makes the film. His portayal of scary, narcissistic Patrick Bateman is both hilarious and terrifying. You end up feeling sorry for him in parts. I liked the ending, confusing as it was. I like to think you get to make up your own mind about how it ends.

Great film overall, excellent acting, and a super 80's soundtrack!! Definitely worth a watch, I'd say.

9/10

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

The last of the LOTR trilogy, "The Return Of The King" is definitely the best and most emotional of the three films.

I love the story. I love all the scenes that are set in Minas Tirith and Osgiliath. Denethor, the father of Faramir and Boromir is one of the only new characters in this film. (He does make a very short appearance in the extended version of The Two Towers though). John Noble, who plays Denethor, is brilliant at bringing out the cold heartedness of the character, yet you do eventually start to feel a bit sorry for him. I just adore the scene between him and Pippin.

It's brilliant to see the hobbits really come into their own in this film. For the first time, Merry and Pippin are seperated. Pippin is taken by Gandalf to Gondor, and Merry stays behind in Rohan and grows close to Eowyn. When they are reunited after the battle of the Pelennor Fields, it truly is a lovely moment.

There are plenty of moving moments in the film. A few that stand out for me are when Eowyn sits next to the dying Theoden, Sam and Frodo talking about Hobbiton whilst sitting on the edge of Mount Doom, and Aragorn's "You bow to no one". All amazing scenes that never fail to get me all teary.

It's a beautiful film, with excellent acting and a superb soundtrack. Probably one of the best films I have ever seen (and will ever see). A must see.

10/10

Wolf Creek

I enjoy horror films as much as the next person, and I was genuinely intruiged by this film. It's apparently based on true events (although I found out that none of the characters are real nor are any of the things that happened to them) and is set in Australia.

The first 45 minutes of the movie are a total bore. I couldn't believe how incredibly fed up I was with it. 45 minutes of partying, chatting between the backpackers, filling up the car with petrol, driving along saying nothing.... I desperately wanted something to happen. Oh, and when they were all sitting round the fire having a farting contest, I just wanted to fling the bloody disk out the window.

I have to say, the gore (when it finally did arrive) was not too bad at all. Definitely made me squirm in parts and did capture my interest... if only slightly.

The wide shots of the landscape were probably the best thing about this film. Wide, sweeping shots of Australia were dotted throughout the film, all looked stunning.

This was quite a forgettable film. I doubt if I'll ever have the desire to watch it again.

4/10

The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers

The second film in the Lord of the Rings trilogy is "The Two Towers". It leaves on from where the first movie ended and follows the Fellowship as they embark on their seperate journeys: Frodo and Sam are travelling to Mordor, Merry and Pippin stumble into Fangorn Forest and meet an Ent, and Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli (with the help of the reincarnated Gandalf) travel to Edoras to meet with King Theoden.

I think the seperate storylines really make this film work. Personally, I love the Aragorn/Gandalf/Theoden one best, as they take part in the battle of Helm's Deep... probably one of the best battle scenes ever seen on film. That's not to say that I don't enjoy the others. Merry and Pippin provide the comedy value (although their plot is probably the weakest as I'm not a huge fan of Treebeard.. he just seems to be a bit of a pointless character in my opinion), and Frodo and Sam's storyline introduces Gollum.

Andy Serkis is just superb as Gollum. It's quite amazing how they have created the character. The facial expressions and movements just fit perfectly with Serkis' voice. Wonderful.

Overall, I think The Two Towers is probably the weakest of the trilogy, but that's not to say it's a bad film, because it's anything but. It truly is a wonderful piece of filmmaking. Definitely up there as one of the greatest ever made. If one tree is all I have to complain about with this film, then I'd say that's pretty good going.

10/10

The Sword In The Stone

I adore Disney movies. The Sword In The Stone is probably one of my favourites. It very much reminds me of my childhood (like most Disney movies do). Such a nostalgic film.

I wouldn't say it's neccessarily the BEST Disney film, but it's certainly one of the most entertaining. Merlin has to be one of the best Disney characters ever. The part where he gets his beard caught in the door of his cottage is very amusing indeed.

One of the best scenes is the one where Merlin turns himself and Arthur into squirrels. As a squirrel lover, I just found this scene both adorable and hilarious. Arthur gets pursued by this cute little girl squirrel, while Merlin has his hands full with a funny little fat squirrel. Almost impossible to watch this scene without giggling.

Oh, and every scene with Sir Pelinore is giggleworthy too :)

I would say that The Sword In The Stone is quite an underrated Disney film. It's a simple plot, very easy for kids to follow. The animation is good and it provides plenty of laughs.

9/10