Film Reviews May

Cinema Releases

Iron Man 2

Release Date: April 30th

Robert Downey Jr. is one busy man, working on Sherlock Holmes which was one of the biggest films of last winter (before Avatar that is) he was also working on the eagerly awaited Iron Man sequel.

So now that everyone knows that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is our masked hero “Iron Man” what will happen next ? Well as well as picking up a new rival called Whiplash (Mickey Rourke) Tony should also worry about the government who are trying to make a suite which is just the same as his to use in war type environments.

It is nice to see the admiring Mickey Rourke on board, after his outstanding performance in the wrestler he brings a brilliant bad ass image to the table becoming the perfect bad guy for Iron Man to face up to.

With an old school rock soundtrack that mostly includes the awesome AC/DC this is sure to be one of the most pumping! action movies of the year.

So I will conclude with this: After being completely blown away by the first one I am certain I know what to expect from this one, the exact same thing!

Robin Hood

Release Date: May 14th

Russell Crowe is finally back kicking ass like he did in the Gladiator/3.10 to Yuma days.

Ridley Scott is again behind the directing seat, the combination of Ridley and Russell is one of a kind, somewhat similar to the Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio duo.

Robin Hood tells the classic tale of an at first un known archer (Robin Hood) in King Richards Army. After his heroic acts he swiftly rises through the ranks and becomes legendary and well known throughout the united kingdom.

Robin Hood stories have been around for close to a hundred years now and to be honest we don’t need any computer graphics or high budget to illustrate this plot on screen. With that in mind I really don’t know what to expect, I hope this isn’t another Gladiator as that is something we have seen before, but saying that I sure hope it is just as good as Gladiator!

This film looks to be gritty, and adventurous at the same time, hold on to your seats, because Robin Hood is back.

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Release Date: May 28th

Yes his previous character roles have witnessed the end of the world in the epic “The Day After Tomorrow” but Jake Gyllenhaal is now travelling back in time to play to the video game super star Prince Dastan.

Basically the plot is identical to the video game, to stop the crazed ruler Nizam from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world, the young Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton) and Prince Dastan team up to stop his evil ways.

Joining this already awesome cast is Ben Kingsly who seems to be picking up some good scripts lately, after blowing us away in the mysterious Shutter Island lets hope he brings his unique craft to the table in this modern adventure.

From the team that bought us the world hit Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (soon to be quadrilogy ) this looks to be just as fun and a brilliant adaptation from the game. There isn’t many games that have been adapted well into the cinema screens, Silent Hill was one of the rare phew, films like Resident Evil have failed to please gamers across the world. I am hoping for a pleasant surprise and not something that turns out to be the next scorpion king, fingers crossed.

DVD Releases

Where the Wild Things Are

Release Date: May 10th

The child that is Max always craves to acquire enjoyment in his life, he feels much wiser than the ones that confine him, and also possesses an endless imagination. After a miss out on supper the disobedient boy that is occasionally Max is appointed to go to his bed, angered by this he instead decides to runaway from home, once he hops on his boat and rows to an unknown island the night advances and his surroundings begin to energize to life. Abnormal creatures soon grasp Max into the nightfall on an enchanting and inspiring journey.

Most of the population will maintain the knowledge that this is an adaptation from a children’s classic book penned by Maurice Sendak, which is just 48 pages in length. Accommodating spine tingling animation that will literally make you feel like your there, you will find yourself impressed by what will be a treasure for generations to come.

The Road

Release Date: May 17th

Set in the future where the world is gradually dying, we see a young boy and his father (you never find out their names) go about their day to day struggles of surviving, their looking to get to the south coast in the belief that they might be able to find food, or even set sail and discover another country which maybe has survivors. On the way, their only home is a trolley which holds all their supplies. At the same time they find themselves in various deadly situations; escaping gangs of carnivores is just one of these. The film also cuts back and forth between the times when his wife was alive and provides us the tensions and fears that mount up between them.

Okay, so maybe this film isn’t the most pleasant way to start the spring but I think in recent times we have discovered there certainly is an audience for post apocalyptic narrative: I Am Legend, The Book of Eli, both have massive followings and brilliant write ups and also may I add that Mad Max 4 is on the way again, affirming that this theme is more than catching along.

Up In The Air

Release Date: May 24th

Ryan (George Clooney) Bingham’s job involves him travelling around the world to fire people as companies are too nervous to do it themselves and as this happens, he finds himself almost never at home. This soon becomes history as a new girl Natalie (Anna Kendrick) joins the company and changes the way in which Ryan fires people, just by using the internet and a web cam she discovers that you don’t have to travel anywhere to do the job, you can just do it all from the comfort of your office.

This has drastic effects on Ryan's life as he is used to being isolated in hotels, partying until dawn, having the occasional affair and certainly never being at home. So once this occurs, he ends up at his sister’s wedding speaking to a family he has pretty much never kept in contact with, but saying this, Ryan is still needed to save the day.

This film really has nailed the idea of escapism, it’s modern yet timeless and a brilliant start to this decade for Clooney. The soundtrack is bizarre yet engrossing, the acting is outstanding and the film has already won an award for Best Screenplay. Reitman brings the atmosphere and humour parallel to Juno and you can't go wrong with such a perfect formula. So to put it simply, all these positives can only bring a positive result, and it sure did.

Andrew Dex