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Cinema Voyage - Akito Hirata, Filmhunter

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Cinema Voyage - September 2009

Review - Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs

September 27th 2009 03:23

Hamburgers, hotdogs, meatballs and steak falling from the sky wouldn't do much for me as a vegetarian but the township of Swallow Falls laps it all up. Sick of dining on sardines due to a sardine economic crisis, Flint Lockwood inventor extraordinaire comes up with a machine that can manufacture food from water - to order. His unveiling of the machine goes horribly wrong after an encounter with local policeman Earl Devereaux and not only does he manage to upset the entire population of Swallow Falls but his beloved machine is sent hurtling into the clouds.

As an outcast always trying to come up with a great invention, Flint Lockwood has all but given up on being an inventor when it begins to rain. As his machine is lodged in the clouds, it does not rain water as one might expect but hamburgers as his machine was programmed to do.

Mayor Shelbourne, quick to capitalise on any scheme to save their poverty stricken town, realises that this is his chance to put Swallow Falls back on the map. He convinces Flint that he must make it rain 3 meals a day in preparation for the great unveiling of a new tourist town. Sam Sparks, aspiring TV meteorologist, sees this as her manna from heaven giving her a chance to shine and prove to the world that she is more then just a pretty face. Everyone is seemingly happy with the situation except for Flint's dad Tim who owns a failing fishing tackle shop and would like to see Flint go into business with him.

Unfortunately for the town desperately trying to put themselves back on the map, all does not bode well. Messing about with molecular structures day in and day out causes the machine to have a breakdown creating uncontrollable gastronomical weather issues. And it is up to Flint Lockwood, Sam Sparks and his pet monkey to save the day.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs is loosely based on the children's book of the same name written by Judi and Ron Barrett. It has to be said that the graphics and colours used are very appealing especially for younger children and the movie works particularly well in 3D.

There are messages buried within in the name of overconsumption, obesity, food wastage and brains over beauty but they are mentioned in passing and not focussed on for too long. The voice cast consists of Bill Hader (Flint Lockwood), Anna Faris (Sam Sparks), James Caan (Tim Lockwood), Bruce Campbell (Mayor Shelbourne) and Mr T (Earl Devereaux).

Delicious fun and sweet to boot, Sony should be happy with the box-office results.

Voyage Review: 3.5/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Comedy

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Clooney In The Men Who Stare at Goats

September 25th 2009 03:07

What a great title for a book and even better when the book is made into a movie starring George Clooney, Ewan McGregor, Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey.

The film follows reporter Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) as he stumbles upon a story of a lifetime. Special Forces Agent, Lyn Cassady (George Clooney) reveals to Bob his twenty year involvement in a top secret, psychic military unit. The title of the movie comes from one of the bizarre activities the unit is involved in - staring at goats in order to kill them telepathically.

This comedy looks like a lot of fun and opens in cinemas in November.

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Movie Chatter

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Review - The Burning Plain

September 23rd 2009 14:34

Written and directed by Mexican born Guillermo Arriaga (Babel, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, 21 Grams), The Burning Plain stars Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger. In his directorial debut, Arriago takes the audience on a journey involving a number of characters which at first seem unconnected. As the story progresses we see that this is not the case although by this stage, we fail to connect fully to the characters and their involvement.

Charlize Theron is Sylvia, a restaurant manager in Oregon who lives alone and seems unable to develop a relationship prefering meaningless sex to anything more fulfilling. Cut to Gina (Kim Basinger), another unhappy woman living in New Mexico with her family. In order to find happiness she gets involved in an affair with Nick (Joaquim de Almeida). Both women are unfulfilled and full of regret.

The actions of these women affect many lives and as the story slowly unfolds we also get to know Nick's son Santiago (J.D. Pardo) and Gina's daughter Mariana (Jennifer Lawrence). Their parent's forbidden relationship draws them together both seeking solace and comfort from one another.

To give any more of the storyline away would be a spoiler as the enjoyment from Arriago's work comes from piecing together the puzzle pieces that he places in front of us. Overall the acting is solid and the scenery is beautiful. Admittedly, the pacing of the movie is a little slow and this may affect the overall enjoyment of moviegoers.

Voyage Review: 2.5/5

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Drama

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Review: Slaughterhouse-Five

September 20th 2009 03:17

The Time Traveller's Wife is still on my list to catch at the cinema although in it's absence I thought I would review Slaughterhouse-Five. It was actually made in 1972 movie and focusses on a man who becomes unstuck in time, travelling through time and space.

Based on Kurt Vonnegut's novel of the same name, Slaughterhouse-Five was well received winning the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and earning a Golden Globe nomination for the lead actor Michael Sacks. Interestingly enough, Sacks only remained in the industry for 12 years and retired from acting in 1984 to pursue a career in Technology

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Sci-Fi

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Review - Saving Grace

September 18th 2009 16:51

Sometimes you come across a film which didn’t attract a lot of attention when it was released and you have to wonder why. This is one of those films. It is funny and quirky in the way that only the British can do. If you enjoy films like “Waking Ned Devine” then you will love this.

Saving Grace is the story of Grace Trevethen, played by Brenda Blethyn. Grace is a middle-aged, upper class woman living on a large estate in Cornwall. Her husband has just committed suicide and she has been left with the estate which is in need of upkeep as well as a huge debt. Virtually everything has been mortgaged and she has to cope with repossessors knocking on her door as she grieves for her husband. Of course, the grief turns to anger when she finds out that her beloved husband had a mistress on the side! In order to keep her home the bank is insisting that Grace repay her debt and commit to making regular repayments of her mortgage

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Comedy

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Review - My Geisha

September 1st 2009 14:55

At first sight “My Geisha” looks like just another fluffy Hollywood film from the early 1960’s. Although this is a romantic comedy it has far more depth to it than many films of its genre. It helps that the beautiful music of Madame Butterfly is woven throughout the film.

My Geisha stars Shirley MacLaine as Lucy Dell, a well known comedy actress. Her husband, Paul Robaix who is played by Yves Montand, is a film director. Together they have made many movies and Lucy’s star status has helped Robaix to become successful

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Posted By: Michelle Sweeney - Category: Comedy

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