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We Are What We Are, a review by samuelrichardscott

We Are What We Are (2010) R2 UK

Shortened Review:
Cannibals "Let the Right One In"? Absolutely not. Something new? To a point, yes. For me, it was a film of two halves with the first half working better, not as a cannibal film, but as a film about a family struggling to cope after the death of the head of the family. The fact that they eat human flesh to live didn't feel like the main part of the story at this point, despite the film largely focusing on the brothers struggle to get along and to find a victim. The second half of the film felt like a cannibal film, victim finally bound and gagged, violence exploding but shot in a way in which, for the most part, we don't see the maliciousness of the attacks, but the way it is shot still gives you a rather vivid idea of what has happened. A good example of this was when the mother, Patricia, hits a victim repeatedly with a golf club. We see the hatred in her actions and her eyes, and we see the club get viciously swung towards the victim, but we don't see the actual contact, or the victim at all during the attack. The acting ranges from mediocre for the brothers, to above average for the mother, to excellent for Sheila, the sister, who does not get enough screen time to shine. Script wise the story could've flowed a little better at times but as a whole it is better than most films of the genre. The soundtrack was suitable but didn't really add to the atmosphere or build tension as much as it should've, which was a shame. As a whole I would say don't believe the hate, or the love this has received. I didn't find it to be anything new apart from the way the first half of the film develops and the fact it is set in a city rather than the middle of nowhere (and the city setting could've been utilised to a greater extent) yet I do feel that as a debut, Grau hasn't done bad and is a name to look out for in the future.

Full review:
http://www.dvdcompare.net/review.php?rid=2362

Released 21st March 2011.

(From Never Ending Movie Marathon (short reviews) on March 3rd, 2011)

The Book Of Eli, a review by dfmorgan

The Book Of Eli

Year: 2010
Director: The Hughes Brothers
Cast: Denzel Washington, Gary Oldman, Mila Kunis
Overview: Eli walks alone in post-apocalyptic America. He heads west along the highway of Death on a mission he doesn't fully understand but knows he must complete. In his backpack is the last copy of a book that could become the wellspring of a revived society. Or in the wrong hands, the hammer of a despot. Denzel Washington is Eli, who keeps his blade sharp and his survival instincts sharper as his quest thrusts him into a savage wasteland... and into explosive conflict with a resourceful warlord (Gary Oldman) set on possessing the book. "We walk by faith, not by sight," quotes Eli. Under the taut direction of the Hughes Brothers (From Hell), those words hit home with unexpected meaning and power.

Watched: 3rd Jul. 2010
My Thoughts: An excellent film which I enjoyed very much. I had guessed what the book was from the overview and that was confirmed less than halfway through but the twist with the details of the book and Eli himself I didn't spot coming. Gary Oldman to me seemed to play the bad guy character very much as he did in other films, Zorg in The Fifth Element and the detective in . Denzel Washington played Eli with a laconic, laidback ease but with power when necessary. Mila Kunis I haven't seen before but she came over not too badly. The imagery with the bright sunlight and washed out backgrounds came over well especially with the subtle change at the end when Eli reached his destination. One section I wasn't too sure off was the scenes at the remote farm with Michael Gambon and Frances De La Tour, when Gary Oldman and his gang arrived it reminded me the house shootdown in Clint Eastwood's The Gauntlet.

My Rating: An excellent 4

Dave

(From Dave's DVD/Blu-ray Reviews on July 4th, 2010)

"Stargate SG-1" Marathon, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: A summit of the free Jaffa was attacked and dozens have been killed. Teal'c and Bra'tac were heavily wounded. Teal'c finds out who is behind this - a Jaffa with whom Teal'c has to settle a score anyway. But this Jaffa threatens to attack Earth unless he is being left alone.

My Opinion: I was afraid they would kill Bra'tac off, four episodes before the end of the show, he is about 143 years old after all. But the show isn't written by Joss Whedon, thus we can assume that everyone will survive. After Bra'tac had survived I didn't fear for Teal'c. But I didn't like the fact that this Jaffa, who has no honour, possessed a weapon that looked a lot like a Samurai Katana.

Synopsis: The Tel'taks that are filled with Naqadah and were supposed to be used in the attack on Earth are still out there. And one is already hidden on Earth. But Vala's father knows where they are and he will reveal this information if he is granted asylum on Earth.

My Opinion: This episode implied that Qetesh possessed Vala only for a few years because the difference in age between her and her father doesn't allow for much more (she didn't age while Qetesh was possessing her). But I didn't found the story that interesting. The meeting between Landry and his ex-wife on the other hand was nice.

Synopsis: Adria is back in our galaxy and SG-1 plans to capture her. But Ba'al beats them to it and implants one of his Symbiote clones into her. Now he has access to her knowledge and he is preparing to take over the entire Ori fleet.

My Opinion: Aside from the fact that the show is soon over, I really believe that this was the last Ba'al clone (why else would he kill all the others?) and it was cool that they've made a short rift of him. I also liked it (don't get me wrong!) that Vala was honestly hurt at the begin of the episode. That shows that she has build a real emotional bond to the team and Earth.

Synopsis: The Asgard realized that their extinction is inevitable and they decide to obliterate themselves. But before that they transfer all their knowledge and technology to the Humans. But unfortunately exactly this technology makes the Odyssey detectable. Every time they return to normal space the Ori ships appear soon after. But there isn't enough time to disable the Asgard components until suddenly they have too much time at their hands.

My Opinion: Great closing. Honestly. While the show was cancelled only after the airing of this episode, the end is quite suitable. The last conversation between Sam and Thor was really moving and that is quite an achievement given the fact that Thor is only a puppet/animation. I also liked the years on the ship but I believe I also would have gone up the walls like Cameron. The aging masks still didn't look real but they've come a long way since Jack's aging in Brief Candle. Teal'c is now 157 and thus 14 years older than Bra'tac. I am curious if they will consider this in future movies. After all, he's now over 50 years without symbiote.

The Season - My Opinion: Now as it is over, it could have lasted longer. Vala and Cameron made a good addition and brought fresh blood into the show, after the Anubis arc had become a bit tiresome. Luckily I still have Stargate: The Ark of Truth and Stargate: Continuum to watch. But I am still not too thrilled about Stargate: Atlantis. Still I think it was a good idea to end it at this point. In this season a number of ideas were used again and they also had several filler episodes.

(From "Stargate SG-1" Marathon on May 3rd, 2008)