28 Weeks Later

IT'S so easy to be dubious but 28 Weeks Later is a gruesomely satisfying sequel in every sense of the word.
Set seven months after the Rage virus decimated Britain, the war against the infection has seemingly been won.
Aided by American soldiers, authorities are picking up the pieces of London's ravished city and survivors are being herded into a safe zone simply known as District One'.
Initially, the story focuses on Don (Robert Carlyle) who is reunited with his kids in the first wave of returning refugees.
Anxious to visit their family home, Don's kids sneak out of District One into the restricted area of the city.
But when they reach the house, they unlock a dark secret about the virus which has catastrophic consequences for the survivors.
Using much of the same soundtrack as its predecessor and relying on tension and shock value, 28 Weeks Later succeeds as a sequel because it maintains the same tone as the 2002 original.
Expect dramatic pulsing music, a lot of gore and some genuinely scary bits.
The US military response to the new outbreak of Rage is also emotive and horrific and is an obvious critique of American foreign policy of late.
Generally, 28 Weeks Later is an excellent film and almost lives up to Danny Boyle's original but there are a few snags. A couple of moments are so coincidental and convenient that it almost ruins the experience and the film's subtext is as subtle as a slap in the face.
But if you can forgive these problems, then you'll certainly enjoy the ride.

Spiderman 3

"WHERE do all these guys come from?"
Never has a truer word been spoken by arachnid hero Peter Parker in the third and possibly final instalment of the Sam Raimi opus.
Because, during the lengthy 140-minute film, Spiderman has clashed with three super villains in true comic book style.
Among the eccentric oddballs, expect a petty criminal who conveniently gets caught in an accident that displaces molecules and a parasitic meteoric black substance that engulfs its host.
Yes, Spiderman 3 is very possibly the most absurd edition of the trilogy but, if you suspend your disbelief, you will really enjoy the ride.
Set a short while after the second movie, Peter Parker has finally struck a balance between his relationship with MJ and his duties as a superhero.
But things start to unravel when his relationship becomes jeopardised and a rival is set to swipe the staff job he had lined up at the Daily Bugle.
His best friend Harry Osborn is also out for cold-blooded vengeance for Peter's role in his father's death from the first film.
The fight scenes are astounding and it really goes to show what modern special effects and a budget of more than £250 million can achieve.
It is also the darkest instalment of the trilogy as Spiderman comes to terms with his inner turmoil in and out of the suit.
This is perfectly offset with some hilarious scenes, including Peter Parker trying to play it cool' as well as an excellent cameo by cult legend Bruce Campbell as a French waiter.
In terms of story, Spiderman 3 falls flat and the message of revenge and redemption is horribly clichéd but taken at face value, the film will catch you in its web.

Sunshine

IN space no one can hear you scream. Or at least no one can hear the eerie knell of catastrophe.
Set 50 years in the future, Sunshine is the story of a group of astronauts who are charged with the gallant task of re-igniting the dying sun with a bomb the size of Manhattan Island.
As the film starts, the audience is immediately thrust into the epicentre of the Icarus II vessel at its pinnacle moments.
The crew is about to enter the 'dead zone' of space meaning they can no longer contact Earth, and face the cold fact that they are the last hope to save humanity.
Events then take a turn for the surreal when a chilling distress signal is picked up from the original Icarus ship assigned to save the sun seven years ago.
Should they investigate the signal or continue directly with the mission? The final decision splinters the crew and shapes events for the rest of the film.

Fairly typically for director, Danny Boyle, an authentic veil of dread permeates the movie and expect some horrifying scenes as things go wayward - a little bit like Event Horizon but executed much better.
Aesthetically, Sunshine pays homage to Ridley Scott's Alien marrying up old-fashioned consoles with futuristic computers to give the film a timeless appeal. There is even a joke referring to Ridley Scott's opus that further cements the film's roots.
Sunshine also boasts the unquestionable talents of Cillian Murphy who successfully portrays a man devoted to duty and obsessed with the sun.

Blood Diamond

GRITTY socio-political thrillers based on real world events seem to be the latest phase in modern motion picture history these days.
And if films like The Last King of Scotland and Blood Diamond are anything to go by, we can all look forward to some deeply thought provoking cinema in the months to come.
But that's assuming this is to your taste because Blood Diamond is an extremely violent and provocative experience and hardly the material for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
The film chronicles, albeit in a slightly sensationalised manner, the civil war that engulfed Sierra Leone in the 1990s.
No holds barred, director Edward Zwick reveals the true devastation of the conflict.
A country torn apart, marauding rebels indiscriminately murder anyone who stands in their way and much of the population are forced to become refugees.
What's even more shocking is the recruitment of children to fight the war and this subtle portrayal of innocence lost is stunning.
Amid the conflict, a South African mercenary, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, a Mende fisherman, Djimon Hounsou, and an American journalist, Jennifer Connelly, are drawn together to recover a rare pink diamond.
Danny is motivated by money, the diamond is Solomon's ticket to rescue his family and Maddy wants to break the story that could end the conflict - diamond corruption.
It really is a film that makes you think and it is also very easy to sympathise with the struggling journalist who is trying to change the world for the better.
Although it could have been shorter - and DiCaprio's accent was a bit dodgy - Blood Diamond is a bold movie with an important message about war, greed and corruption.

Babel

EVERY so often a film comes along that shakes you to the core, transcending its cinematic format to say something brutally honest about the human condition.
The third instalment in a vague trilogy by director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarittu, Babel is the first movie in quite some time to come within a cat's whisker of such a feat.
Babel is the far-flung story of a poor Moroccan man who buys a rifle to protect his goats.
Entrusting the weapon to his sons, tragedy soon strikes when the reckless boys start taking pot shots at a passing coach.
Unaware of the danger, an American tourist is in the unintentional firing line and is hit by a stray bullet.
This accident has consequences throughout the globe and propels a group of people into a sequence of tragic events, which also gives the audience a unique insight into each of their lives.

The troubled American couple must take refuge in a dangerous Moroccan village and suffer the selfish whims of the other tourists who want to get back to their hotel.
Meanwhile, a nanny is crushed between her obligations to look after the couple's children for one more day as well as attending her son's wedding in Mexico.
On the other side of the globe, a Japanese man struggling to connect with his deaf-mute daughter is quizzed about his link with the gun used in Morocco.
This arc of the story has been criticised for only holding a tenuous link with the core plot and perhaps this holds some weight.
But this becomes irrelevant when the film is able to portray so excellently the frustrations, loneliness and isolation a deaf person could feel.
This is a hard-hitting film that will stay with you long after you leave the cinema and the last scene is absolutely haunting.

Smokin' Aces

IT'S 15 years since Tarantino burst onto the silver screen yet his indelible mark on modern cinema is still making its impact today.
Smokin' Aces is just one in a long series of copycat films that try to replicate the Tarantino formula but fall down flat.
The movie is about a Las Vegas performer-turned-snitch called Buddy Israel (Jeremy Piven) who decides to testify against the mob.
It then becomes a race against time as FBI agents try to protect their key witness while various assassins attempt to kill the snitch for a hefty sum.
Expect a gang of neo nazis, a pair of black hit-women and a master of disguise among many others who all face off against each other to get to the hit and the ensuing carnage is definitely the film's highlight.

Come the final half hour, the movie builds into its inevitable crescendo and, as the bullets start to fly, the death count starts to rise in some scenes, which are a little reminiscent of True Romance's epic and classic shootout.
In fact, it is fair to say that Smokin' Aces has some nice touches but it quickly becomes apparent that stylisation, clever editing, sharp dialogue and a star-studded cast have all taken precedence over a clear and coherent plot.
Put simply, writer-director Joe Carnahan was trying too hard and was not quite ready to graduate from the school of Tarantino.
Better luck next time.

Rocky Balboa

PAYING good money to watch a 60-year-old get pummelled by a man half his age just doesn't seem right does it?
It's all too easy to have this misconception of Rocky's final bout on the silver screen and admittedly those were my feelings when a friend dragged me along to the cinema.
Because, however unlikely it sounds, boxing plays second fiddle to the characterization in this sixth instalment of the Rocky opus.
Much time has passed since Rocky last left the ring and the retired champion now runs a popular restaurant.
However, Rocky's mind still lingers in the past and accompanied by his brother-in-law Paulie he drives around all the hotspots that used to mean so much to him.
Following the death of his wife, his dwindled boxing career and his troubled relationship with his son, the ex-champion feels washed out and some scenes have a convincing air of gloom to them.

When Rocky sees his opportunity to have another shot at the big time he is initially reluctant but eventually views it as something he has to do to redeem himself in his own eyes.
What's great about this film is that it works well when, by rights, it really shouldn't. Sequels like this are often little more than commercial venture to cash in on a popular franchise.
But in this case, Stallone has never been on better acting form and lends Rocky an effortless grace.
And, although perhaps predictable, the ending is a satisfying finale to a slice of Hollywood history.