Bollcrap? #2: Blackwoods (2001)

Uwe Boll directs a anti-drunk driving campaign dressed up as a psychological horror/thriller complete with rowdy rednecks. I actually quite enjoyed this, sure its a little messy and the acting is not that good but it was certainly fun.
The plot concerns a guy traveling to the Blackwoods with his girlfriend to meet her family for the first time, however things seem a little strange and we get flashes to something that may have happened in the past, so there's some intrigue and mystery that's all pretty easy to solve but still interesting to see unravel throughout the film with its little fun twists. The film is also quite well shot with some pretty good cinematography though there is a slight overuse of slow shutter speed shots. Overall the film is entertaining and runs at a good pace and I had a fun time watching it. ***

Bollcrap? #1: Sanctimony (2000)

Uwe Boll is notorious for being a terrible film director, who according to many, has made a few of the worst films ever made. Now I myself have never properly watched any of his films, but have always kind of been intrigued to, so I've decided to finally delve into as much of his filmography as possible and see what I think of his work.
So first up we have Sanctimony which was Boll's first English language feature. Its a very generic and straight forward crime thriller that kind of bland with not much going for it. It features a typical hard nosed detective who drives a Volkswagen Beetle and is tried to catch the culprit in a string of homicides. The film however lacks any mystery or intrigue and stuff just kind of happens in a rather bland way.
The acting is also not good and full of awkward deliveries which is mainly down to the bad dialogue which is sometimes quite laughable with everyone spouting awkward one liners and using cuss words in a forced un-natural way, this also this awkward rough/rapey sex scene which apparently got cut by the BBFC for the UK release for 'sexual violence' though I struggle to think many could take it seriously.
I will say however the visual side isn't bad, the cinematography is pretty decent overall and Boll does his best John Woo impression in the climax with lots of slow mo gun shooting which is one of the best scenes in the film. Overall this a rather flat thriller that's a little fun and laughable in places, but that's about it. **

The Shallows (2016)

Shark movies aside from Jaws can be regarded has one of the trashiest sub genres in films, but every now and then, someone has a go at making one that is genuinely good, which is exactly what the Shallows is. It's a one person survival movie like 127 hours that also  involves a shark and its very very good indeed. These kind films can be hard to get right as it all comes down to the central performance and how you keep it interesting and this film manages to keep things engaging throughout and has a very solid central performance from Blake Lively. The shark is mainly CG but there's also a small use of practical effects which is pretty cool. It also has a very satisfying climax and a nice little layer of character depth and overall it's just really entertaining and well crafted, definitely one of the best Shark movies since Jaws and worth a watch. ****

Nerve (2016)

Nerve is a techno thriller that focuses on the dangers of societies heavy use of technology and social media. It highlights these issues through the films online dare game which is at the centre of the films plot. In the game you either play and do dares for money, or you watch and decide the dares. It's a rather intriguing film with some pretty decent performances but it opts for a pretty safe ending that greatly decreases the films impact. But still is quite a fun 96 minutes with its vibrant neon colours, energy and quick pace which I'm sure will be good enough for it's target teenage audience. ***

Pete's Dragon (2016)

The remake of the 1977 Disney musical film that I don't think I've ever seen fully but apparently is not all that good and is one of Disney's weaker efforts. It would seem then that this time around, they have taken the material and made something much better with it, dropping the musical elements for a more grounded approach, the new Pete's Dragon is actually a decent piece of harmless family entertainment.
It's got pretty solid performances across the board and the dragon is also quite adorable and has a very dog like inspired look to him. The films story is very simple and well executed, with a few emotional moments laced through it, including it's very touching ending.
Its nothing outstanding by any means, but certainly well made and decent overall. ***

Suicide Squad (2016)

So here is the latest DC offering that has been bashed by many critics and people and while it is true that the film doesn't fit nicely into your typical critical framework, I found the film to be quite alright actually, nothing outstanding but decent, Sure it's a little rushed and messy and the script is a little weak, but it is undoubtedly entertaining. I think the strongest aspect of this film is the acting which is very solid, everyone makes best use of what they can to bring these characters to life and I would happily see them play them again in future films. I think Will Smith in particular is on top form and I quite enjoyed Leto's Joker, also I think it's the first time I've liked Jai Courtney in anything, so that an achievement. The actions alright, there's a nice dose of humour and all in all I had a fun time, which for now is good enough for me. ***

Jason Bourne (2016)

Jason Bourne returns after 9 years in a brand new thriller fronted once again by Paul 'Handheld or GTFO' Greengrass. Prior to seeing this movie I watched the first three Bourne films (Legacy don't matter) for the first time, now I quite enjoyed them all (see previous post) and was interested to see what we would get 9 years on in this latest outing. Turns out it's all pretty much the same thing again, that's not to say that its bad, the film is actually pretty decent overall, it just doesn't bring anything new or super interesting to the table. The acting is sold overall as per usual with some strong additions to the cast including Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel and Tommy Lee Jones and the story is pretty decent but lacking the same dramatic impact as the previous films. Action is also aright but largely forgettable, plagued by its 'signature' handheld shaky style.
Film kind of just goes through the motions and slowly starts to pick up towards the end, definitely the weakest of the actual Bourne films, struggling to escape from a formula that's just a little tiresome, a thriller thats all in all just fine. ***

The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum (2002 - 2007)

In anticipation for the newest Bourne film, I decided to watch the first three films for the first time. I was always a little reluctant to watch the series due to the influence the films had in popularising the use of shakycam in modern action cinema, ruining many action sequences for years to come. Despite my doubts though, I did end up really enjoying this films and think they are all very good thrillers.

The Bourne Identity (2002)

I never realised that the first film in the series was not directed by Paul Greengrass, instead we get Doug Liman and hardly any of the shaky handheld aesthetic that dominates later films (hoorah!) . Anyway this is a really well executed thriller, with solid writing, acting and cinematography. I felt like it had a similar tone and vibe to the first mission impossible movie which might be why I liked it so much. Its just a very engaging film, that's well paced and put together with Matt Damon being a very compelling lead. A great start to the franchise. ****


 The Bourne Supremacy (2004)

 With the second film in the series Paul Greengrass takes over, implementing the 'realist' handheld shakycam aesthetic. Now I hate that kind of visual aesthetic, but Paul Greengrass kind of knows what hes doing with it, so it isn't too bad and is barely a distraction in this film . The acting again is really solid with more of the great Brian Cox which is always nice and I really like the way they continue the story from the first one. There's also more action which (shakycam aside) is pretty good overall, though I found the climax a little weak. And there's also a little more character depth that leads to a superb scene before the ending. Overall I thought this was great and the best film in the series, it does lose a bit of steam in the climax, but the scene afterwards more than makes up for it and really ups this films ranking. ****


The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

Most people regard this as the best of the series, I however think its the weakest of the three. watching this film I just already started to get tired of the with all this chasing round after Bourne and didn't really get invested until towards the end. I mean it's all solidly made still with the acting, story and action, but I just didn't care much at this point, still the ending is very strong and its still very entertaining, I just feel it doesn't match up as well to the first two.