Empire top 301: #255 IMDb top 250: - Rating 5/10 Director: Michael Bay Writers: Robert Orci & Alex Kurtzman Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel & Jon Voight "No sacrifice, no victory." Transformers based on the toys by Hasbro is about two Cybertron races - the Autobots and the Decepticons - coming to earth in search of the AllSpark (Cube) both to use in very different ways. The Autobots led by Optimus Prime want the AllSpark to rebuild Cybertron and the Decepticons led by Megatron want it to rule the universe. Naturally humans are caught up in the middle of this war and they assist the Autobots in trying to save the world.
My 5/10 rating probably suggests I don't like this movie but that's not exactly the case. I do enjoy this movie but it just doesn't blow me away or warrant a higher rating. Whilst as an action movie it does what it says on the tin it doesn't really offer anything new. The script could've been taken from any number of action films and all the script writers have done is change the names of the characters. It's all so predictable, a bit of a paint by numbers action film. These types of characters have been done to death and are a bit obvious and whilst there are some funny moments in the movie the jokes and sight gags used have been seen and heard before. Some scenes are just ridiculous; like the phone operator in the call centre offering the package deals, whilst things are blowing up in the background on the other end of the phone, it's all a bit silly. The acting is passable from all except Megan Fox who is at times a bit weak, however her character hardly requires a Meryl Streep type performance. There is A LOT of shouting and that gets a bit annoying after a while. Shia's parents in the movie are really good and provide some good laughs and it's always nice to see Bernie Mac on my screen.
The movie has a lot of scenes of the main characters dodging, ducking and diving all kinds of debris, bullets, flying robots and cars and it appears everyone who has a line of dialogue in this movie has this superhuman skill! This is something that really annoys me and I think is very lazy storytelling. Shia LaBeouf's character can't see a massive bump in the road whilst riding his mothers bike and ends up flipping over, yet manages to avoid being shot or crushed whilst all sorts of things are blowing up around him, it's silly and insulting to the viewer. The CGI is very good, however in parts the action is so fast it's hard to tell what's going on and I find it difficult to tell the robots apart when they're fighting. All this aside it is still a very watchable movie if you switch your brain off and just enjoy it for what it is! I've seen it a number of times before and would watch it again!
Empire top 301: #50 IMDb top 250: #116 Rating 10/10 Director: Guillermo del Toro Writers: Guillermo del Toro Starring: Sergi López, Ivana Baquero, Mariabel Verdú & Doug Jones "You're getting older, and you'll see that life isn't like your fairy tales. The world is a cruel place. And you'll learn that, even if it hurts." Pan's Labyrinth is the story of Ofelia who along with her pregnant mother goes to live with her evil Step-Father Captain Vidal who hunts and fights the Spanish Maquis in Franco's Spain 1944. Ofelia escapes this dark and dangerous world into a mystical world just as dark and dangerous and has to complete three tasks before the next full moon to reveal if she is the true Princess of the Underworld - who had left to join the surface many years before and the sunlight had erased her momory. When I first saw Pan's Labyrinth I was blown away, so much so I immediately went to the next showing to watch again.
The word masterpiece is thrown around so nonchalantly when people describe movies but to me this is a masterpiece. The film is essentially a fairytale but is given a really dark and brilliant twist which works so well against the backdrop of post civil-war Spain. The film is so beautifully made by Guillermo and co and features some amazing CGI and makeup. The cast are stunning especially Sergi Lopez as the sadistic Captain Vidal; whilst his actions are brutal and extreme you can understand why he is this way and how his fathers death made him the man he became. Ivana Baquero is delightful as Ofelia and gives a very mature and lovely performance. I love Maribel Verdu in this movie - who I had previously loved in Y Tu Mamá También - and think Mercedes is a great character! During her scenes alongside Captain Vidal in the last 30 minutes you see her character really grow and you'll be cheering for her when she does!
For a fairytale, the movie is extremely violent and very tense in scenes, not least the one with The White Man and is definitely not for children; my kind of fairytale. Pan's Labyrinth is an amazing and magical movie that really deserves it's place in the Empire 500!
Empire top 301: #196 IMDb top 250: - Rating 8/10 Director: John Landis Writers: John Landis Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, John Woodvine & Griffin Dunne "Beware the moon, lads." Two American college students on a tour of Europe start off in Britain and are attacked by a werewolf when visiting a small village outside of London. The movie is part horror and part comedy and it delivers on scares and laughs aplenty. It's most notable for having the most realistic werewolf transformation scene pre CGI.
When I first saw this film, many moons ago (pun intended), I did find it quite scary, now after many viewings I watch it and appreciate how hilarious it is. Comedy and Horror are two genres that are hard to combine and get right but Landis does it superbly. There are some genuinely scary moments that'll have you jumping out your seat and then you'll be laughing out loud at some great very funny dialogue and sight gags! The scene in the zoo where David (David Naughton) runs around naked is very funny but the best scene for me is in the porn theatre with David's victims and his dead best friend Jack (Griffin Dunne) giving him advice on how to kill himself. It is genius! If it's gore you're after your in for a treat as the movie has it in spades, the Piccadilly Circus scene is particularly gruesome. The movie rightly won the Oscar for Best Makeup for Rick Baker, his first of seven. If made today most if not all the 'special effects' would be CGI but it looks so much better with prosthetics and makeup.
The acting's a bit ropey at times, especially from David Naughton but it's not particularly terrible from anyone. Jenny Agutter is very sexy and I'd completely forgotten Rik Mayall was one of the patrons in The Slaughtered Lamb. An American Werewolf is a great movie with some of the most amazing makeup ever seen on screen. Listen out for the Moon inspired soundtrack too, another nice little touch!
Empire top 301: #70 IMDb top 250: #30 Rating 10/10 Director: Alfred Hitchcock Writers: Joseph Stefano Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles & John Gavin "It's not like my mother is a maniac or a raving thing. She just goes a little mad sometimes. We all go a little mad sometimes. Haven't you?" Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho is one of the greatest psychological thrillers/horror movies ever made. By today's standards it probably wouldn't be classed as a horror movie, but in 1960 when it was released I can imagine it really did terrify audiences. The film is beautifully written by Joseph Stefano, the dialogue is simply perfect and the overall pace of the movie works so well. Even if you've never seen this movie you'll know about the now iconic shower scene, and the point at which it comes in the movie is brilliant!
At the time of the films release in 1960 most horror villains where vampires or werewolves, scary to the eyes grotesque movie monsters! But with Psycho Hitchcock gave us an even scarier monster, the boy next door. Perkins does a stellar job as Norman Bates, never playing the crazed killer as a raving lunatic. His performance is really layered as whilst he does come across rather creepy and unsettling he's also rather sweet and charming, to begin with anyway. Janet Leigh gives an Oscar nominated performance as Marion Crane and her scene in the parlour with Perkins is fantastic, brilliant acting from both of them. The rest of the supporting cast are great as well. The real star though is Hitchcock, his direction is outstanding and he builds the suspense brilliantly. Not just for one good scare, but time and time again! There are so many great moments, not just the shower scene, that have now been copied to death but never with the same flair as Hitchcock. But the shower scene is just perfect. I watched the film with my dad who said when he first saw the movie he thought the blood was in colour. It's so well executed you see nothing but still feel every stab of the knife. That's how good the direction and editing is.
Not only is the direction, acting and writing amazing the movie also boasts one of the greatest scores ever. Bernard Herrmann's music is as iconic as the scenes it plays over. I'm a big lover of Hitchcock and for me this is his greatest picture! I just love it. If you've never seen this movie before, why the hell not! Get to it!
Empire top 301: #219 IMDb top 250: #96 Rating 8/10 Director: George Roy Hill Writers: David S. Ward Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford & Robert Shaw "Not only are you a cheat, you're a gutless cheat as well." The Sting reunites from - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid - Director George Roy Hill with Paul Newman and Robert Redford. It is a great movie full of so many twists and turns that you don't see coming and it keeps you guessing right up until the final moment. Robert Redford plays grifter Johnny Hooker (Redford) who seeks out Henry Gondorf (Newman) after the death of his partner to teach him "the big con"- an elaborate scam known as "the wire", using actors and con artists to create a fake off-track betting parlour - to fleece money from evil Doyle Lonnegan (Shaw) who was responsible for the death of his partner.
The three leads are all equally great, although Robert Shaw's Irish accent dips here and there. Robert Redford is charming and perfectly cast. Newman is a hoot as Henry and gets the best lines, which are delivered to perfection and have me laughing out loud every time I hear them. I've not seen this movie in a while and completely forgot that Miles (Harold Gould) from the Golden Girls was in it. One of the best things about the movie is the music, Scott Joplin's rag lends itself so well to the fast, crime caper tone and period of the movie. You'll be whistling 'The Entertainer' for hours, long after the movie is finished. The sets are just right and the costumes are wonderful, every detail perfect right down to the clicking of Johnny's Brogues.
The Sting has a great script and a fast pace and it really does have some 'didn't see that coming' twists, where no one or nothing are what they seem. It is a classic that totally deserves to be in the top 500!
