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American Hustle
#57 Stand by Me (1986)
.JPG)
Directed by: Rob ReinerStarring: Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman
Everyone must have seen this so i'll keep my views on it short.
Stand by Me evokes so many emotions. It's funny, tearjerking, tragic and heartwarming all at different times. It's a coming of age story that will make you cherish your friends and feel grateful that they're in your life.
It's well paced and each scene delivers something valid to the story. If you've not seen this, do so, you can thank me later.
#56 The Mist (2007)
.JPG)
Directed by: Frank DarabontStarring: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden
The Mist is one in a long line of Stephen King adaptations. The best of course, is The Shining, look out for that in a future review. This, however, seems to have split opinion amongst audiences and holds mixed reviews across the web.
Those mixed feelings sum up my thoughts on the movie too. One the one hand I feel that it's technically very good. The camera work and editing are all done very well and I really like some of the direction. On the other hand, however, I found the ending to be somewhat of a letdown and some of the characters annoying and underdeveloped. I'd recommend watching this and making up your own mind.
#55 Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
.JPG)
Directed by: Rupert WyattStarring: Andy Serkis, Karin Konoval, James Franco
The original planet of the apes is one of my all time favourite films. Even some of the sequels weren't too bad, with beneath the planet of the apes actually being really enjoyable.
I was, however, sceptical about this reboot. The Mark Whalberg version was dreadful and I feared this would go the same way.
The performances here are decent without being outstanding. Franco suits his role well without ever really excelling. This goes for most of the main cast. It does look incredible though, with the apes being the standout feature.
It's a strange film that makes the audience root for human extinction but this does exactly that. I found myself cheering on Caesar in his quest for freedom, even though I knew exactly what it would lead too.
In summary, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is the reboot I always wanted. It looks great, has a well written script and a nicely paced story. It also, importantly, pays homage to and respects the original. Highly recommended.
#54 Gangster Squad (2013)
.JPG)
Directed by: Ruben FleischerStarring: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone
Gangster squad features an all star cast. Man of the moment Ryan Gosling and one of Hollywood's current starlets, Emma Sone, promise a lot from this gangster film.
It's a difficult film to hate, in that it's immense fun to watch. From the very beginning to the end it really is an enjoyable ride, without ever being particularly great. I think had the cast been of a lesser standard i'd find this an easy problem to accept, but with the talent on show, it certainly feels like a missed opportunity.
With that being said, it's definitely a guilty pleasure film. One to watch when you want some mindless violence with a great cast. I just wish it had slightly more substance as it had the chance to deliver something really special.
#53 Broken City (2013)
Directed by: Allen HughesStarring: Mark Wahlberg, Russell Crowe, Catherine Zeta-Jones
Broken City has some big name actors and actresses and promised quite a lot. Unfortunately, while there is some good here, the script ruins what could have been a fine political thriller.
It holds together reasonably well and generally, there are good performances from the leads. The problem is that the material they are working with is extremely poor and some of the scenes seem to have just been stuck in as an after thought.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, but it's certainly entertaining and an easy watch. The big name actors scrape enough together to avoid it being disastrous.