Riches Random Reviews

[Rich]

Title: 27 Dresses

Runtime:111
Certificate:12
Year:2008
Genres:Romance, Comedy

Plot:Katherine Heigl (Knocked Up, Grey's Anatomy) finds the perfect fit in this sexy stylish film from the screenwriter of The Devil Wears Prada..
Sassy, smart, single Jane (Heigl) is the perfect friend - but looking after other people's perfect moments can sometimes land you in hot water, especially when you have friends to please, a sister's wedding to organise, a boss you secretly love and a handsome stranger thrown into the mix! What's a girl to do? Discover how Jane juggles life, love, laughter, a wardrobe of dresses and multiple weddings in this fabulous feel good film. With an all star cast including Ed Burns (The Holiday, She's The One) and James Marsden (Enchanted, XMen), 27 Dresses is this season's must-have accessory.
My Review:
Mildly entertaining fluff, gently amusing and reasonably acted.
Not enough rom and not enough com to make it stand out, and will fall into the 'soon to be forgotten' category. The characters are fairly dull, the script is cliche riddled, and it is ridiculously obvious from the beginning.
The film could have cut away at least half an hour and the viewer wouldn't have noticed, except for less boredom.
One to miss unless you catch it on TV on a rainy Sunday afternoon, dvd player not working, and your leg in a cast.

My Rating
 

[Rich]

Title: American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

Runtime:93
Certificate:18
Year:2009
Genres:Comedy

Plot:This all-new slice of American Pie is packed with more sexy antics, hot babes and uninhibited comedy than ever before!
Rob, Nathan and Lube are High School friends determined to score with the girls of their dreams. They accidentally discover a legendary guide for sexual success, written by former pupils, hidden in the school library. But a few missing pages lead to hilarious surprises for everyone!

My Review:
Even pissed this film is crap, unless you are a 15/16 year-old adolescent boy.
American Pie should have stopped after the 1st film.
But hey, it was bought for my 16 year old son, so I'll ask him after he watches it and maybe he can advise if it hit the target audience

My Rating
 

[Jimmy]

But hey, it was bought for my 16 year old son, so I'll ask him after he watches it

You will have to wait 2 years to know

[Emma]

Oh boy, I have to admit I quite liked both American Pie and American Pie 2, I felt the Wedding was ok, but unnecessary.... :/ the American Pie Presents series have been ridiculous ¬_¬ no story.... and crap acting. (except for Eugene Levy)

[Tom]

Title: American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

How well fared Brandon Hardesty in it? He is the guy left on the cover with the green shirt. I follow his YouTube channel where he makes some fun movie scenes re-enactments.

[Rich]

Title: American Pie Presents: The Book of Love

How well fared Brandon Hardesty in it? He is the guy left on the cover with the green shirt. I follow his YouTube channel where he makes some fun movie scenes re-enactments.

He plays the fat kid with a crush on a cheerleader, fantasising about laying her for most of the film, but of course has no chance. Does end up bedding a hottie thanks to 'the book of love'.
He is ok, and that is about 100 times better than most of the awful performers in this movie 

[Rich]

Title: Total Recall

Runtime:114
Certificate:18
Year:1990
Genres:Action, Science-Fiction, Suspense/Thriller

Plot:Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as Douglas Quaid, a tough construction worker with a beautiful wife, a good job and great friends. Haunted by recurring dreams of another life on Mars, Quaid is drawn to Rekall Incorporated, a travel service specializing in implanting fantasies in the minds of those who wish to turn their dreams into reality - dreams as real as a memory in your mind.
But something goes wrong and the procedure unlocks memories that were supposed to be left hidden - suddenly his every move is dogged by would-be assassins and he discovers a mirror image recording of himself which says 'Get ready for a big surprise. You're not you. You're me.'
As his reality shatters around him, Quaid journeys to Mars to solve the mystery of who he is. It's a journey of non-stop action and extraordinary special effects on which Quaid must contend with strange mutants, futuristic vehicles and a staggering array of weaponry.
My Review:
First viewing of this old favourite on bluray.
There has clearly been efforts to upgrade the quality from dvd, but it was a bit grainy if you stood close to the tv, and it wasn't 'stagerringly better' in this format.
For the film, I love this OTT sci-fi with plenty of black humour, special effects which have stood the test of time, and action in spades. Arnie shines in this synthetic role, and Sharon Stone was a real eye opener.
It is packed with detail, and director Verhoven works a functional script into a great popcorn movie hit.

My Rating
 

[Rich]

Title: The Patriot

Runtime:175
Certificate:15
Year:2000
Genres:War, Drama

Plot:In a picture that "has everything you want in an epic" ('Time'), Mel Gibson delivers "a powerful and effective performance" (Roger Ebert) as former war hero Benjamin Martin, who has renounced fighting forever-until the Revolutionary War arrives at his front door.
Faced with the harsh reality of fighting to protect those he loves, Martin takes up arms and commands a brave rebel militia in fierce battles against the well-armed English army, fighting for his family and his young nation's freedom.
My Review:
The Patriot looked remarkable on bluray, the colours are bright and vibrantly add realism to each shot, the contrast is superb, faces and costumes literally jump out of the screen, shadows and dark areas come alive. This attention to detail and work done on this catalogue transfer is as good as I have seen, and makes this release worthwhile purchasing just to highlight to others the benefits of HD viewing.
To really add a cherry on top, the audio is amazing, full use of surroundism is utilised, with bullets whizzing round the room, natures sounds popping out of all speakers, and the cannon fire delivered with whopping bassy realism.
For the film, of course it is a very watchable classic, a bit heavy in terms of its length, but totally absorbing, crisp and professionally directed, with history tweaked a bit for the viewing pleasure. The acting is generally magnificent, with Jason Isaacs being the stand out star for me.
Get this on blu-ray!

My Rating
 

[Jon]

For the film, of course it is a very watchable classic...

 

Now look, I enjoy this film too and I'm glad to see someone giving it a boost, but... well, that's my point. It needs support! It's usually universally derided!

Oh yeah, and thanks. That's another Blu upgrade to consider...

[Rich]

For the film, of course it is a very watchable classic...

 

Now look, I enjoy this film too and I'm glad to see someone giving it a boost, but... well, that's my point. It needs support! It's usually universally derided!

Oh yeah, and thanks. That's another Blu upgrade to consider...

Ok - 'classic' may have been an overstatement    but lets be honest everyone says Braveheart is a classic, and this film has so many parallels with that movie they are practically identical under the surface

But I was still overwhelmed by the AVC transfer when I wrote the review, hats off to Sony for another great job

[Jon]

There are a lot of parallels, but I do think of Braveheart as being a far better film all round. Story, cast, plot, all gel together better.

[Rich]

Title: Gangs Of New York

Runtime:166
Certificate:18
Year:2002
Genres:Drama, Action, War

Plot:Martin Scorsese's GANGS OF NEW YORK introduces today's world to the Five Points, a dark corner of the city known to New Yorkers of long ago as the centre of vice and chaos.
Into this frontier of extreme lawlessness arrives the young Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio). Amsterdam is the orphaned son of the slain Priest Vallon (Liam Neeson) - once chief warrior of the Dead Rabbits gang that rallied the Irish immigrants of the Five Points.
Amsterdam has returned to the Five Points to hunt down his father's killer. His target is William Cutting AKA "Bill the Butcher" (Daniel Day-Lewis), who has since become the merciless new leader of the neighbourhood, a Nativist who detests the newly arrived immigrants and is determined to fend off all so-called "foreign invaders".

My Review:
You would of hoped that a big movie like this which was condemned as being poor quality on dvd, would have been remastered for blu-ray. Sadly not, there is still problems with hues, ghosting and shadow on the edges of the picture, and it is very noticeable specifically in the big fight scenes. The audio is first-rate and really loud, had to turn amp way down more than usual.
For the film itself, it has many flaws of course most noticibly DiCrapio playing a hard Irish immigrant (   ) but it is a fun action and bloodthirsty tale, with Daniel Day Lewis playing a wonderful role, and it is one of my guilty pleasures.

My Rating
 

[Rich]

Title: District 9

Runtime:108
Certificate:15
Year:2009
Genres:Science-Fiction, Action

Plot:From producer Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and director Neill Blomkamp comes a startlingly original science fiction thriller. With stunning special effects and gritty realism, the film plunges us into a world where the aliens have landed... only to be exiled to a slum on the fringes of Johannesburg. Now, one lone human discovers the mysterious secret of the extraterrestrial weapon technology. Hunted and hounded through the bizarre back alleys of an alien shantytown, he will discover what it means to be the ultimate outsider on your own planet.

My Review:
Disappointed after watching this movie, had hoped it would be either much better action, stronger sci-fi storyline, or blackly humourous. It kinda fails on all counts.
It is jam-packed full of amazing special effects, but it is so light on drama, atmosphere or storyline that it just doesn't ever hit a sweetspot. It is wholly original in many aspects, although you can definately pick out elements that Jackson has picked up from other films, it is pacy, the lead of Jason Cope is excellent, and it doesn't stink of Hollywood.
I think it will be more attractive to others, and I hope to read some reviews on here. For me I liked it, but I was a long way away from loving it.

My Rating
 

[Achim]

I enjoyed District 9 a lot and started cheering once they began to use the alien weaponry

I can see how the trailer may have been misleading and could have built false expectations.

[Rogmeister]

My brother got a blu-ray player for Christmas from his son as well as 5 movies.  This was one of the 5 movies he got and the first one he watched.  He didn't care much for it and his wife stopped about 10 minutes into it.    I can't borrow it since I don't have a blu-ray machine.