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The Bank Job (Blu-ray)
by funzo
FILM ONLY REVIEW
I will openly admit that I am not the greatest fan of Jason Statham; I found his films very one dimensional and his acting so wooden I have an urge to varnish the screen every time he is on. So it was to my surprise, I actually enjoyed a film he starred in.
The Bank Job is an enjoyable British ... made film written by the British legends Dick Clement and Ian La Frenias, that thankfully lacks the explosions and unnecessary car chases seen all too often in heist and robbery movies made the other side of the Atlantic. There is something uniquely British about both the story and the film which warmed the cockles enough to ignore the wooden like nature of Mr Statham...which to be fair...London gangster? It's the part he was born for.
The Bank Job is the incredible true story of a bank heist that happened in London in 1971 involving a motley crew of thieves, pimps, royalty, London spivs and government officials all involved in an intricate plot to rob a bank because of the contents of a safety deposit box.
I went into this film knowing virtually nothing of the actual events that happened in real life but this in no way detracts from the film. In fact, the more you learn the events in the film are real, the more intriguing this film becomes.
Jason Statham puts in a solid performance as Terry Leather - the East London car dealer leading the bank robbers, whilst the beautiful Saffron Burrows puts in a solid shift as Martine Love. There is also a very commendable casting of David Suchet as the sex shop owner who exudes a seedy menace that makes you forget that he is Poirot!.
The story is fast paced enough to keep you in suspense and the story is told in a way that keeps your interest throughout. However, the director Donaldson does fail to resist the temptation to go a little too far in the 1970's The Sweeney/London gangster cliched script, but you would rather this than something too American or lacking realism. There are also a few scenes that look like a parody of those 'Confessions of...' films from the 70's but overall, Statham does well, the director tells an intriguing story and the cast is ably filled with a good collection of British actors and actresses that Brits will instantly recognize.
A good film telling the fascinating true story of a bank job in 1970's London.
Run Time 111 mins (slightly too long IMO)
Certificate R
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Ted (Blu-Ray)
by Drewster_Rooster
When 8 year old Johnny Bennett makes a very special Christmas wish he has no idea that it's about to come true. Friendless and picked on by the kids in his neighbourhood all Johnny wants more than anything else in the world is a best buddy so when he's given a large stuffed bear for Christmas and makes a wish on a falling star he's ... astonished to discover that he has a living, breathing new best pal; Ted has magically come alive. Vowing to be best friends forever and seeing each other through thick and thin Ted and Johnny grow up together and as Johnny matures into an adult so does Ted but will their friendship survive when affairs of the heart take centre stage in Johnny's life. When does a boy outgrow his Teddy Bear?
From the paragraph above you'd be forgiven for thinking that Ted is a kids film, the magical storyline about a Teddy Bear coming to life is fantastical and the stuff of fairy tales but Ted isn't a film for kids unless you want them to see a drinking, foul mouthed stuffed toy who has a very distinctive personality all of his own. This is strictly a film aimed at adults and older teens and concentrates on the now adult friendship between the 35 year old John and his best friend who just so happens to be a Teddy bear. John played by Mark Wahlberg is a bit of a loser, he has a minimum wage job, smokes and drinks a little bit too much but is very much in love with his girlfriend Lori played by the smoking hot Mila Kunis. It's John's sense of humour that attracts Lori to him, he knows she's out of his league really but their mutual attraction and fun they have when they are together allows her to see past his faults for the most part although their relationship is getting to the serious stage and Ted has started getting in the way.
Ted is, of course, the star of the film - an overgrown Teddy bear with a not-so innocent personality is always going to overshadow the rest of the cast and here he takes centre stage. The CGI and motion-capture rendering of Ted is flawless I have to say and you really do believe that there is a walking, talking (swearing!) Teddy bear that interacts with his co-stars. Ted is larger than life, rude, crude and a definite handful but his loyalty and friendship with John is unquestionable and as far as he's concerned it's the pair of them against the world. They both share a nostalgic fondness for all things 1980's and whilst their relationship isn't exactly normal seeing as how Ted did become a minor celebrity back when the world found out that a little boy's wish came true the interest around him soon subsided and he's pretty much accepted now as an interesting curiosity. Ted has developed his own personality and seems to be stuck in booze-filled, drug smoking slacker existence which is pulling John down and stopping him from living an adult life with adult responsibilities and as fond as Lori is about Ted she wants John to grow up and for them to have a normal adult relationship.
The film is basically a tale of friendship and the sacrifices you have to make as you get older and although there are plenty of fun-filled distractions courtesy of Ted you know that at some point things are going to change and that there's some heartbreak to come. There is a certain charm to the film that is mostly apparent at the start and end and whilst the middle does become a little too reliant on fart gags and various bodily functions I did enjoy spending a bit of time with Ted and those around him. It does border on the puerile at times admittedly and these moments do spoil the film a little but I suppose it was just too tempting to make Ted a larger than life character and Seth McFarlane (the voice of Ted) goes out of his way to make sure that the limelight is always firmly on him. Whilst Ted is a flawed character there's no denying that he's fun and the chemistry between him and Wahlberg is really well played with an affection that is undeniably apparent. The pair do bounce of one another and whilst I don't think that Mark Wahlberg is the best actor in the world he does do a good job in convincing the audience that he's torn between his best friend and the love of his life.
Mila Kunis' character of Lori is well developed and whilst she could have been written as an unsympathetic controlling influence in John's life she's actually very tolerant of the friendship between the pair. It would have been easy to portray her as the 'bitch' and the destructive force that ruins a friendship but instead you do end up feeling sorry for her as she just wants a normal relationship with her boyfriend and unfortunately for them his best friend is getting in the way a bit. I did like the dynamics between the three of them and I do think that all of the characters were well written without being obviously cliched and it was nice to see how the relationships developed and changed during the film.
To many though it's all going to be all about Ted and whilst he does demand your attention and focus the film is more than just about a swearing teddy bear. It is a comedy, there are many funny moments and it did hold my attention throughout its running time and despite having low expectations before I sat down and watched it I did find myself rooting for the characters and ended up enjoying the film far more than I expected to. It does run a little stale through the middle and there was a mild sense of 'seen it all before' once the impact of Ted had lessened but a good beginning and very strong ending made up for a middle section lull. I would recommend the film to others, do be aware that there is lots of swearing throughout the film and the humour is rather base to say the least but it's fun and entertaining all the same.
Being a Blu Ray review I better mention the extra's that you get should you buy the retail version of the film and included is an extended cut that features footage not shown in the original theatrical edition which adds about 7 minutes onto the running time. I didn't see the film at the cinema so can't say if the additional content makes much difference but I'd imagine that it mainly features a few extra boobs and more swearing than originally shown. The picture transfer is flawless as you would imagine from a major studio release with a brilliantly clear quality that is truly high definition in quality. There are a number of special features which I will list although didn't watch as I don't tend to bother with them but again I'll include them here in case anyone is interested:
The Making Of: A Guy, A Girl And A Teddy Bear; Doing It Live; A MacFarlane Set
Alternate Takes
Teddy Bear Scuffle
Deleted Scenes
Gag Reel
Theatrical Feature
Commentary with Director/Co-Writer Seth MacFarlane, Co-Writer Alec Sulkin and Star Mark Wahlberg
For £17.99 as the Blu Ray currently retails for I would say it's expensive and wouldn't necessarily recommend its purchase, I did enjoy the film but wouldn't really be in a rush to see it again in all honesty as I don't think it has much re-play value. Rent it would be my advice or wait for the price to lower, it has been out a few months now so is probably due a price reduction any time soon, generally speaking I don't tend to buy new release DVDs or Blu Rays anyway but for some I would imagine this to be a film they would like to own and if you own a Blu Ray player then this is the format to see the film in.
In conclusion then Ted gets a 4 star rating from me, it's not a 5 star film but it has it's moments of genius and laugh out loud silliness and underneath the brashness of a foul mouthed, fuzzy central character there is a certain charm that I found endearing and more than watchable.
Recommended. Thanks for reading my review.
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End Of Watch (Blu-ray)
by Taz123456
I am a big fan of movies, rushing to the cinema when ever there are new releases. However I have found that in recent months there has been a lack of decent movies being released, most movies concentrating too much on CGI and on the action rather than creating an inspiring and gripping story which grab the viewers by their heart strings. ... The last movie I reviewed on this site was Seven Pounds and that was the last real decent movie that I had seen, but thanks to my friends persuading me to go and see 'End of Watch' I can now say that this is the best movie had seen in years (since Seven Pounds!), its has everything I want in a movie; it has a great cast, gripping edge of your seat storytelling and an emotional story that stays with you days after watching it. Don't get me wrong I love a good comedy just as much as the next person, but there are times when we need to check back to reality and watch a film that tells a true story and has us experiencing a roller-coaster of emotions throughout, and I can certainly say this is the movie that does all that and more, being one of most realistic cop movies I have ever seen.
==STORYLINE==
The story revolves around two young best friends and police officers Brian Taylor (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Pena) and centres around their day to day patrolling of the South Central district which is the most criminally populated area of Los Angeles. The documentary style direction shows how they realistically go about their daily patrols, as well as going through personal life issues; some being comical and some more serious. The film initially follows them as they go around in their patrol car solving low level crime, with Brian Taylor filming the whole thing with his camera which he states is for his own project. However things soon turn ugly when they unknowingly take down a dangerous gang's drug stash, resulting in them having a major hit put on their heads. The film then quickly picks up pace and follows the pair as they try to survive their day to day job while having the hit placed on the. This results in many heart pumping car chase scenes, shoot outs and emotional scenes that in my opinion warrants these actors an Oscar nomination.
==MAIN CAST==
Jake Gyllenhaal,
Michael Pena,
Anna Kendrick,
America Ferrera
==DIRECTOR==
David Ayer
==WRITER==
David Ayer
==ADDITIONAL INFORMATION==
Rated: R for strong violence, disturbing images, bad language including sexual references, and drug use.
Runtime: 109 min
==MY OPINION ==
Straight from the onset of the film the dramatic and intense car chase scene managed to gain my attention, and illustrates the pace, seriousness and violent nature of the movie. The movie definitely holds nothing back, the mouth opening and critical physical situations they find themselves in and the way the characters deal with the pressures of the job comes across very realistic and incredibly believable. For me it was the performances from the two main leads that made this movie what it is, Jake and Pena play their roles so well, playing off each others lines, joking around and the brother like relationship shows the intensity of their chemistry on screen. I was really able to connect to the main characters and feel their brotherly bond, which instantly grabbed me and encouraged me to continue watching to see how they deal with streets and the deadly hit on their heads.
The documentary style, in which the movie was shot, is what for me made this movie more unique and stand out from the rest of the cop movies. The style made it so much more realistic and gripping; it often felt like I was watching a real life cop show making the connection between the viewer and actors much more intense.
During the movie Jake and Pena's characters respond to many police calls, such an emergency call to a house fire, a domestic disturbance and somewhat normal visit to a house call which turns out to a shocking discovery of a human trafficking ring, which illustrates some of the disturbing realities police officers have to deal with. Although the movie plays on the intensity of the scenes so well, it also had many comical moments that had me laughing out loud a few times. The great friendly like banter between the two leads and the interesting stories they share about their personal life makes for a very entertainment viewing. It is the effortless bond in the chemistry between the two that make the light hearted conversations a great change from the heavy hearted scenes in the movie. An example of this is a scene showing the two cops playing practical jokes on an other officer by spraying cream on his face while he sleeps (I think It was cream...It has been a few months so forgive me if I got that wrong!) which resulted in a really funny scene. What I loved about this movie was the way it was able to add these light hearted moments without taking away the seriousness of the movie, and the way that the actors could play the heavy emotional scenes and then the comical scenes so well, which for me shows how well this movie was casted.
I also liked the personal aspect of the movie, delving into the personal lives of each character really makes the viewer develop feelings for characters. The personal stories such as Pena's character expecting a baby with his wife and childhood sweetheart is really heart warming, and shows the caring side of his personality and that his character is family orientated and 100% committed to his family. Jakes character is on the other hand initially single, however throughout the movie we see that he is searching for the right women and wanting to be like his police partner and settle down. The scenes with his love interest are very cute and sweet, and show that not all cops are hard tough men as they are often portrayed, but can also have a soft emotional side.
Overall I would definitely recommend this movie; you do not have to be a lover of cop movies to enjoy this one. Being a based on a true story really make this movie a must watch, I basically did not know it was based on true events until I had watched the movie, and for me made this movie even more appealing and recommendable to my friends. It a movie full of emotion, edge of the seat action, suspense and also has the added factor of having some humorous moments. It has something for everyone, and therefore I would without a doubt give this a 10/10.
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