On an ordinary New York day, a train going by the name as Pelham 123 is hijacked by a group of thugs and ex-cons. The head of the group, known only by the nick-name Ryder (John Travolta), contacts "the man on the other other end of the line", Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), a train co-ordinator under investigation for a crime he claims he didnt commit. Ryder demands a total sum of $10,000,000 (ten million) for the safe return of all nineteen hostages within the hour before he picks them off one by one.Itsup to Garber to get these hostagesback safely and stop Ryder fromshooting them dead.I would like to start by saying that I am a little unsure of what to make of Pelham 123. After watching the trailer (at a screening of Angels and Demons, I might add), I thought it looked great and a must see. Unfortunately however, the film doesnt live up to my expectations. Its not a bad film, far from it as it doesnt do anything majorly wrong, however it just isnt very spectacular and quite forgettable. I'll start with the performances. The two leads, John Travolta and Denzel Washington, are nothing short of great. Both actors bring alot of life into their characters, that I honestly thought were a little to familiar i.e. a loose cannon thats smarter then he looks and an ordinary man thrown into extraordinary circumastances.

Also, James Gandolfini's role as the hostage negotiator deserves a very special mention as he brings forth a great performance, unexpected for a comedian. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast, the background performers, are quite poorly written, scripted and are very annoying for the most part. This is mainly because of the constant swearing and the clichedNoo Yawk attitude. A dishonerable mention is also deserved for the Mayor of New York, as not only is he a complete D-Bag, but his character is also a clear substitute for the social commentary of how the city was run at the time, as seen in the original film.The hostages are incredibally ugly personalities and I felt close to no compassion for them, excluding a small few. Director Tony Scotts attempt at character development can be a bit sketchy at times. For example Ryder has many issues that are only lightly touched on in the film, such as his Catholic Faith, his Prison Sentence and his motivation (apart from the appeal of money) to take over the train. These really could have formed a better and more interesting character, or though he does hold some intrigue.

The original plot was based on the 1970's book-to-movie, however the new film really says alot about how much movies have changed over the years. The original films Ryder was alot more of a subtle, brooding and totallyeveryday man. The new films Ryder is a lot less subtle, alot less brooding and definately someone you would expect to commit such a crime. It really shows how in our society, for aman to commit such a terrible crime, he has to look like one to (look up Ryders picture and you'll know what I mean). Also, Scotts direction (especially for the first 15 minutes or so) was nausiating, with his constant jittery camera work (done intentially but ending up looking like a bad framerate on a low budget game). And he also felt the need to add a DJ/Guitar/Drum combo playing in the background. The atmosphere is alot less tense then you would expect, and is spoiled further by the constant swearing and ugly personalities. Its really quite unspectacular to be honest, as there are no memorbale scenes. It ends up feeling like a knock off of Collateral (also starring Denzel Washington in a very familiar role). Despite this harsh review, The Taking of Pelham 123 can be entertaining and is a decent thriller, but compared to the original its quite mediocre. But if you can get over these flaws, you'll probably enjoy Pelham123 more then I have.

Overall : 3/5

28 Years ago, Aliens made contact with earth, landing a ship over South Africa. They are now being held in District 9, a heavily guarded area, that has gone to the slums with Gangs taking over and constant riots accross the city. Now, the government has given in andis moving the aliens, known by the derogitory termPrawns for their appearance, to District 10. Wikus van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) is incharge of this ordeal, and after trying to hand out eviction forms for a group of Prawns, is infected and doomed to become one of them. Hunted for his ability to use the Prawns high tech weaponary by the government, he is forced to live in the slums of District 9. Rookie Director Neill Blomkamp has crafted an incredibally good story. Not only does it have an intriguing plot, it is also delivered with amazing skill. Blomkamp has shot the film incredibally realistically, with the first part of the film being directed in documentary form then moving to regular shooting. District 9's plot is also filled with morals, some to do with racism and immigration, and others simplysly nods to racism of the past. It looks amazing aswell, a surprise considering the budget was a low-ish $30 million.

The creation of the Aliens/Prawns on screen is amazing, much in the sense of the original Transformers. While you know the Robots in Transformers arent real, they look damn close to it. The special effects stand out, but arent made to be a giant spectacal either. The Prawns hold a sense of charm and individualism about them as they wear scavenged clothes from the dump of District 9. The characters are also incredibally well crafted and brutally honest to, something not usually seen in a sci-fi/action movie. The acting matches this too, with amazing performamces by the whole cast (infact, all are rookies. Sharlto Copley has never even starred on a tv show, let alone a feature film. The South African setting adds to the realism of the whole movie, as it doesnt stick to the traditionalidea seen in other movies, "Interesting things only happen in America". This is heightened by the fact that aliens landing on earth is probably one of the biggest things that could happen on earth.

Everything about District 9 is close to perfect, with the well crafted characters, great acting, amazing special effects and an outstanding story. To be honest, my only complaint is that there is a heavy use of swear words in almost every sentence. However, this isnt a big deal, similiar to texture pop in in a game. District 9 is an amazing film, and probably the only one that manages to perfectly combine Action and Story so that everyone should be satisfied. If the Halo Movie is ever put back in development, please let Niell Blomkamp direct it, he wont dissapoint.

Overall : 4.5/5 Stars.

When Caleb, a young boy, opens a time capsule at his schoolafter 50 years, he is given a page covered with seemingly random numbers. Eventually, Caleb starts to hear strange voices and is approached on numerous occasions by masked people, much to Johns (Nicolas Cage), Calebs father, dismay. After John surveys the page, he soon realizes that the numbers on the page are all the time, date and area of every world-disaster over the past 50 years, and that there are 3 major disasters left to happen. Aidedby a reluctant Diana (Rose Byrne), he soon sets out to try and stop these events, and find out what happens when the numbers stop counting . . . Ill start this review by saying straight up that Knowing is a very bizarre film. While the plot overview may seem intriguing (albiet a tad odd), the plot soon spirals into something ridiculous that left me thinking 'WTF?'. Alex Proyas', the Directors, previous film was I,Robot, soyou cant be blamed by being intrigued by this movie, and I expected a fairly strong plot. However, the plot isa real disapointment as it showed great promise. Proyas' choice of music for the film is also a disapointment, as it feels incredibally out of place and ruins each scene.

However, where the film picks up is the disaster scenes in the film. Not only are the special effects nothing short of stunning, but the aftermath of (mainly the Plane scene) them is incredibally graphic and hard to watch in areas. The film is also aided by the Melbourne/New Zealand locations for the film, and the landscape choice that Proyas made is definately a highlight of the film. Probably the main draw to the film is the casting, with Nicolas Cage and Rose Byrne heading a good cast. The performances are definately worthy of a mention, and the supporting cast holds up very well. However, Proyas doesnt treat his characters/cast members with the respect that they deserve. When your advertising the film on the shoulders of an actress (aside from Nicolas Cage) like Rose Byrne, its probably best to give them upwards of 30 minutes of screen time and not end their story so abruptly. Also, Proyas made a really lousy attempt at character development. For example, John has stopped talking to his parents as they are deeply religious and his views conflict with their faith, and at the end of the film John is supposed to have gone threw a huge 'change of character'.

However, John seems no different. And even Johns grief after his wifes death, something that could really help Johns character, seems wasted as it doesnt go anywhere. In short, both these elements of Johns psychie are really unnecessary. And to add to this, Proyas includes close to no development on Rose Byrnes character, Diana, making her dull and a really pointless plot point. Knowing really intrigued me, as the plot seemed very interesting and the choice of cast, shooting locations and other footage shown (plane crash, anyone?) looked really good. However, the film is a real let down as it lacks polish, and hasa truly bizarre plot towards the end as well as many other points that let it down. Some great scenes only highlight this ultimately forgettable film.

Overall : 2.5/5 stars.

Terminator Salvation picks up 15 years after the previous installment, T3: Rise of the Machines, with John Connor (Christian Bale) leading the rebellion thatis cracking at the seems. Skynet, the evil robots, are growing in strength, but the rebellion has a trick up its sleeve that could save humanity. Meanwhile, Marcus (Sam Worthington) wakes up in the war-torn landscape and cant remember anything since 2003 when he was on deathrow and gave his body to science, and realizes that hes not as human as he once thought. And while all this is going on, Connor must find his father, Kyle Reece, before its to late. So the plot is farely busy for an action movie, but the director (McG, Charlies Angels Full Throttle) manages it farely well, making it understandable even if your not a Terminator fan.With that said, the plot isnt really that great and is pretty uninspired. But, ofcourse, it isnt about the plot, its about the action, and McG definately delivers. The battles are a treat to watch, with special effects put to good use. Infact, there were only one or two occasions when the effects were poorer then the previous standard, compared to alot of other action movies (Wanted shines through in this example).

Some of the scenes were fairly memorable, although not all of them are memorablecompared to the sheer scale of the action. McG does a good job with the camera work and setting out of these action scenes. There is no"Bourne - esc" camera work in Salvation (Unlike certain other movies such as Quantum of Solace), and McG gets the best shots of the action on tape. However, certain points of the movie (mainly the action scenes) can appear quite dark on camera.McG also does a good job in establishing that each and every Terminator in the movie is deadly, and that it takes a lot to take them down. This is important for a Terminator film, seeing as each film only contains one per movie that were seemingly impossible to kill. It also adds to the effect of the "end of the world setting" as these furious machines come in large packs and roam the baren land of earth. Now to the acting. Quite honestly, I think Christian Bale is a poor actor. He has been very wooden in his previous roles (The Dark Knight) and is quite wooden in this role as well. Infact, the highlight of his career was the American Adaption of the Anime movie "Howls Moving Castle", and he wasnt that great in the film.

The supporting actors are a mixed bag as well. Moon Bloodgood is mediocre, Anton Yelchin was decent as Kyle Reece, and the only highlight in the acting was Sam Worthington. Worthington does a very good performance, and judging by the fact that the director is called"McG", he probably wasnt given much to work with or much inspiration from him. The soundtrack is farely decent, but like the plot, is quite uninspired. It is basically your normal Action Movie kind of soundtrack, with nothing that quite stands out in the movie, nor does much of the soudtrack stand out above other action movies. This, obviously, isnt a good thing. So Terminator Salvation is a fun movie to see with friends if you just want a basic action romp, however by movie standards it is quite poor. Spectacular action cant make up for Mediocre Performances and uninspired Plot and soundtrack, which ultimately drag the film down.

Plot: 6/10. The plot is quite uninspired by even action movie standards.

Performances: 6/10. Sam Worthington saves Salvation from mediocrity, performance wise.

Directing: 7/10. McG does a good job with camerawork, set pieces, etc . . . However, its really nothing great.

Soundtrack: 5/10. Quite mediocre really.

Other : action : 8/10. The action is great, and great special effects as well.

Overall : (not an average of above scores) 6/10. A good action romp, althoughlittle more.

Hi all, after paying $120 for the awful (really just awful) Silent Hill Homecoming, I have decided to use the trade in money to put money towards some games coming out. Trouble is, I cant figure out what ones to choose. Im currently trying to narrow it down to 3 choices to put say $40 down on each, so this is where you all come in.

So my choices are -

• Borderlands
• The Saboteur
• Halo 3 : ODST
• Alpha Protocal
• Modern Warfare 2
• Assassins Creed 2

Thanks in advance (By the way, Bioshock 2 would be on there if it wasnt pushed back to 2010).

Two teenagers, Mark (Sebastien Gregory) and James (Joshua Payne) were abused as children by the infamous Gary Parker (Michael Dorman). After serving his time in jail, Parker is released and the boys, joined by their friend/James' girlfriend Chasely (Hanna Manghan Lawrence), are afraid of him. After Mark accidentaly discovers local family man Ian Wright (Joel Edgerton) burying a body in the forest they track him down and blackmail him to kill Parker. So as the plot broadly shows, Acolytes is not your typical "teenagers in peril" kind of movie (such as Prom Night, I Know What You Did Last Summer) and John Hewitt, the director, has for the most part crafted an intense film and painted a disturbing image of some of the dark undertones that people carrywith them. Eg.Wrights dabbling in murder, James and Marks traumatizing past.

What makes the story seem so real is the fact that these teenagers in the film are played by real teenagers, and these actors showcase true talent and very strong performances, performances that most hollywood actors strive to achieve. The three teens, Sebastien Gregory, Joshua Payne and Hanna Manghan Lawrence really seem to fit incredibally well into Hewitts well designedcharacters. Mark is a rational student who is infatuated with Chasely, James is an uncaring self centered high school jerk, and Chasely is an older-then-her-yearstalented artist who is drawn to James' rough exterior and damaged interior. Michael Dorman gives a great performance as the menacing and seemingly insane Parker, while Joel Edgerton excells as the family man who indulges in killing, and his talent towards the role is slightly unsettling.

John Hewitt has done a great job as the director - for the most part (but ill get to that). The casting is truly terrific and is probably the main highlight of the movie, and clearly Hewitt was a great inspiration to the actors on set. Also the locations are fantastic and the Brisbane/Adelaide settingis great. The way that Hewitt moves swiftly from Bushland to Suburban area's is a great achievment, and Hewitt has proved that he really knows how to place a camera, which is also shown off with the HD Camera Work. Although, my main problem with the camera work is the constant flashes from the normal scene (eg. A Conversation between the teens) and then a quick flash of something random (Eg. A girl running away, screaming in the woods) then back again. This may sound minor, but its incredibally annoying.

Acolytes starts out with a strong and engaging first third and is followed up by an intense second third. However, the last third is where the film loses its original appeal and what made it so great to begin with. Essentially, when I was finished watching the movie, I was left with a sense of WTF-ness? I'll elaborate, Hewitt decides to add a twist into the mix of the film. This may seem normal, but the twist is not only unnecessary but incredibally annoying and pretty damn confusing. It actually took me about 2 hours of thinking about it to understand what happened, and im still not entirely sure. Although im pretty sure this is probably because of quite a few loose ends that needed to be tied up. I would like to shrug this off as a minor hiccup in a some-what great film, but honestly this is a large movie breaker and probably the only reason the film has a 5.7/10 average on IMDB. Quite frankly, I am sick of Directors constantly deciding to put a "Mind Boggling" twist in the mix of a great movie, it just ruins it.

There is definately talent in Acolytes, but the ending and other flaws make it seem slightly wasted. But I am willing to cut Hewitt some slack as this is his first job directing, and some of the scenes are truly incredibal, as well as the acting.

Plot: 7/10. Definately a nice spin on the "Teenagers in Peril" genre of movies, although the ending ruins it.

Performances: 9/10. The acting is fantastic, top notch Australian talent.

Directing: 7/10. Camera Work and settings are great, however constant jumps that derive away from each scene ruin it.

Other: Horror:7/10 This isnt really a horror movie as such, but it is thrilling and intense. Although Hewitt tries to scare by using quick flashes of scary images (like The Strangers was reduces to).

Overall: Acolytes sports great talent, an interesting plot and solid Directing, however the few flaws that the movie does contain are to marring to call it a great film or a must watch.

7/10. (not an average of previous summaries).

I had my birthday on June 27th, sorry it took me so long to post. Well after so many comments on my Birthday Games post, I was able to make a decision. I ended up getting -

• Red Faction Guerilla
• Prototype
• Afro Samurai game and dvd
• Far Cry 2
• Tales of Vesperia
• and some $$$ and plenty of books. Like 7 storys high of books.

Anyway, thanks you to all the people who posted. Not only did it help me, but it also got my levels up. Although thats kinda stupid.

So I was looking at Ubisofts background listings for games and I realized that they make the Imagine series. Then I got to thinking "how far will they take this series?". Anyway, I want my wonderful readers to post what new additions should be added to the Imagine series for young childrenand maybea brief overview on what the occupation/game involves (ofcourse some are self explanitory).Ok, ill get you started -

• Imagine Butcher
• Imagine Suicide Bomber
• Imagine Cheesy Sitcom Writer
• Imagine Anethatist
• Imagine Bartender

Ok, traumatize away ! Oh, and Im sick again. Great.

So I woke up Monday last week feeling really bad. I was coughing, and my mother was incredibally sick (not swine flu). So I stayed home and within a matter of hours I was sick with my mothers sickness. Which was crap. Then, I discovered that when I coughed I started to cry (which was fun for a while IE. cough -Its just getting so hard !) but was bad because I was having constant coughing fits, so I cryed alot. Then I discovered ifI coughed to much I vomited. Also fun.Itryed desperately to be back at school in time for my Maths test and cooking assignment, however missed both of those. That was crap.On thesaturday afternoon at the end of the week was my 14th Birthday and I was planning to have my first party in over 3 Years, however I had to cancel this because I was so sick. Which really sucked. Then, after a wonderful E3 with my laptop, it has decided to work only 1/3 times I turn it on. (also if anyone could help me with advice for my laptop that wouldbe great).

But when the magical day arrived I was well enough to go shopping for my presents. I got *Prototype, *Red Faction Guerilla, *Afro Samurai DVD (awsm) and about *5 Books.So that was good and we ended up having a nice quiet birthday celebration, even though the party was postponed. Anyway, I have a science test on thursday and will be retaking my Maths test on thursday, and on wednesday (tomorrow, im writing this on a tuesday) hopefully, if nothing goes to wrong, so fingers crossed for that. Anyway, I watched the amazing Guy Ritchies RockNRolla (Ill post a review up soon). I am really happy with red faction and prototype (although Prototype is surprisingly short), and my books are always fun. My Art and sketches is going well, despite my art lesson being cancelled for most of the year which is a shame (Im so close to finishing my masterpiece! Been working on it for around a year and a half now).

Anyway, sorry for this random and badly written post, I just thought I should update my profile for once (damn laptop). Anyway, cya. I REALLY NEED LAPTOP ADVICE, ILL POST THE PROBLEMS IF I GET ANY RESPONSES PLEASE!!!

THE SPIRIT REVIEW

The Spirit is Frank Miller latest green screen concoction and his first outing in the world of directing. The movie follows The Spirit, a former cop who was gunned down by a gangstar. However, he is back as The Spirit, the cities latest crime fighting hero. TheSpirit must verse fight against The Octopus, played maniacally by Samual L Jackson.So the plot is pretty basic, but most movie go-ers know that basic plots can be overcome by great execution. And just like an unco person playing Mirrors Edge, the jump is perilless and The Spirit misses by a considerable distance. Partly because of the plot, partly because of the one dimensional characters and the mediocre acting, and partly because of the strange quirkiness of humour that isnt necessarily bad or unsuitable but doesnt seem like it belongs in this movie (because of the dark vibe it gives off).

Firstly, the acting. The cast is almost all A-List, with actors such as Samual L Jackson, Gabriel Macht, Eva Longorier, Sarah Paulson and Scarlett Johansson. However, the acting is mediocre, with Gabriel Macht (as The Spirit) playing the part normally then flashing his abs and putting of a gruff voice. He just doesnt really work in the role,andhe also doesnt seem like a womanizer that all women love either.I used to think that Scarlett Johansenn was basically a name you put on a cover, however she actually does something in this movie as The Octypusses sidekick. Eva is outshined by a rookie actor who plays a younger version of her character for ten minutes of the movie.

Overall, the characters are very very one dimensional, so really actors werent needed as they could have used Stan and Kyle from southpark, and could have been animated aswell as everything else in this movie. The cinematography is pretty good, even if it is all green-screened. There are some interesting shifts in backgrounds from normal to animated white-red stripes and the final few scenes are pretty stand out. However, Sin City had all of it filmed on green screen, but The Spirit just makes it obvious and it doesnt really flow aswell as it did in Sin City. Basically , Millers job at directing would have been so much more praised (eg. BenAffleck - Gone Baby Gone) if he hadnt had made it so publisised andwasted so much money on it.

I really wanted to like The Spirit, mainly because im a different-ness-ness whore, but it just isnt that good. So overall, im going to give The Spirit a 5/10, and I still really want everyone to watch this movie because it is in no way bad, but it just isnt that good.