The Sorcerers Apprentice (2010)

Director: Jon Turteltaub
Starring: Jay Baruchel, Nicolas Cage, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Toby Kebbell
Certificate: PG
Genre: Action, Adventure
Awards:  None

When Dave (Baruchel) was just a kid, he met a wizard named Balthasar (Cage) and accidentally trapped him and his mortal enemy for ten years. The event scarred him for life and - when he finally gets over the ordeal - the wizards return and now he is the only one who can stop the evil Morgana from returning. Now he has to get the girl and save the world...

Despite the formulaic plot, The Sorcerers Apprentice pulls it off by adding humour to the mixture. This film is genuinely funny - mostly thanks to Baruchel's wit and Kebbell's stupidity. It's by no means perfect. The plot is predictable but Nicholas Cage does well as a grizzled wizard who has seen it all. If you want a light hearted action flick, give this one a go.

****Good

The Sorcerer's Apprentice Trailer

Apocalypse Now (1979)

Director: Frances Ford Coppola
Starring: Martin Sheen, Sam Bottoms, Frederic Forest, Robert Duvall, Albert Hall, Laurence Fishburne, Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, Harrison Ford
Certificate: 15
Genre: War
Awards: Best Cinematography, Best Sound

Apocalypse Now follows Captain Benjamin Willard (Sheen) who has been assigned to assassinate an insane colonel Kurtz (Brando) during the Vietnam war. On his way to the madman, he encounters others who are fighting the war and questions whether Kurtz is more insane than anyone else.

Apocalypse Now seems like a road trip from hell. It's eerie atmosphere and sickening colours makes it look like a drug induced dream. It has a feeling of horror and despair entwined within the multiple characters and scenarios. Plus it has a brilliant soundtrack of The Doors and The Rolling Stones.

To be blunt, Apocalypse Now is one of the weirdest films you will ever see. I find it is a film that you appreciate more than enjoy. It is amazingly made and has enormous talent. But it is just so strange...

****Good

Apocalypse Now Trailer

Fargo (1996)

Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: William H. Macy, Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare
Certificate: 18
Genre: Crime, Thriller
Awards: Best actress McDormand, Best original screenplay

Fargo is the Coen brothers's dark comedy. Jerry Lundegard (H. Macy) is a shoddy car salesman who needs money. He therefore hatches a plan where he hires two men (Buscemi, Stormare) to kidnap his wife so that his father-in-law will pay the ransom and therefore give him the money he needs. But the plan goes wrong when the hired kidnappers end up murdering people, calling in heavily pregnant, homicide cop Marge Gunderson (McDormand).

Fargo paints a pitch black picture but adds humour, Mostly from Steve Buscemi. Buscemi steals the show as loudmouth criminal Carl. He breaks the dark moments of the film with outbursts of genius dialogue. This is definitely my favourite Coen brothers film so far.

*****Brilliant

Fargo Trailer

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Director: Stephen Herek
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin
Certificate: PG
Genre: Comedy, Sci Fi
Awards: None

Bill S Preston (Winter) and Ted Logan (Reeves) are two school slackers who dream of creating a band - even though neither of them know how to play an instrument. What they don't know is that they will become prophets in the future. Due to this, a man from the future named Rufus (Carlin) goes back in time in order to give them his time machine so that they can past their history test - because if they don't pass their test, the future can never come true as Ted will be sent to military school.

Most of Bill and Ted's comedy is focused on the two main characters. The way they speak and act in different scenarios make the film extremely amusing. The characters are surfer dudes who are not very bright. The portrayal of all the different famous people in history is also rather funny.

****Good

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Trailer

The Seventh Seal (1957)

Director: Ingmar Bergman
Starring: Max Von Sydow, Gunnar Bjornstand, Bengt Ekerot, Nils Poppe, Bibi Andersson
Certificate: 8.3
Genre: Drama, Fantasy
Awards: None

The Seventh Seal is a Norwegian film that takes place during the black plague. A Knight from the crusades returns home where he meets death and challenges him to a game of chess. If he wins, he gets to live. During the breaks in their chess game, he and his squire meet other characters who all have their own views on life and death. The knight is anxious to know if god exists before his time is up.

The Seventh seal is very symbolic and shows how you cannot win against death and that it is not fair. A lot of it probably went straight over my head as it is very philosophical. But unlike The Tree Of Life, it has a story to go with it. The film has great characters with a wide array of personalities. There is a sense of humour in parts which stop it from getting too depressing. Death strikes a very powerful character, dressed all in black. I would have liked to see more of him in the film all the best scenes have his character looming over the other characters.

This is a film to watch. Definitely. It's still known as a brilliant film today- more than fifty years later. I would like to watch it again to understand it better.

****Good

The Seventh Seal Trailer

In Bruges (2008)

Director: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clémence Poésy, Jordan Prentice
Certificate: 18
Genre: Comedy, Crime
Awards: None

Bruges is a small medieval village in Belgium that two hit men are sent to hide after their job goes wrong. There they have to wait for their boss (Fiennes) to call them. Although Ken (Gleeson) is happy enough to sightsee, Ken (Farrell) finds Bruges the most boring place to be. Once he starts to explore however, he meets dwarves, drug dealers and a few sticky situations.

In Bruges is the funniest film I have seen for a very long time - perhaps ever. It has a unique sense of humour that makes it hard to stop watching. Colin Farrell is a likeable lead while Gleeson and Fiennes both get their share of comedic moments. I would say that In Bruges has some of the best dialogue ever filmed. It feels like every scene has a moment of solid gold that you will remember forever. I really want to see what Martin McDonagh does next.

*****Brilliant

In Bruges Trailer