I also...

This weekend I also got to see three great films:

The Chronicles of Riddick

I really liked Pitch Black, the idea, the cinematography and Riddick's anti-hero/hero character. So I looked forward to The Chronicles, although some had said it was not so good, oh how wrong they were.
I am crap at writing reviews, and so this is not one!
I loved the ideas, themes, comic book esq feeling, interesting characters and amazing scenery.
The idea of a race forcing their beliefs on others, the awesome ships with iconic designs, so they can sweep down on a planet and take it over in no time, leaving no question as to who the people should be bowing down to. The casting, the acting, the stunts, all great.
And of course the lovely and feisty Alexa Davalos
(who played and equally feisty and beautiful woman in Angel, I thought she seemed familiar)
And Vin's pretty cool too.
I should shut up now, cos I'm not making the kind of sense I would like to.
Suffice it to say this is a good film and more than that a great and suprising DVD, great extras and a suprise or two!
I look forward to further Chronicles



Terminator 3 Rise of the Machines

What a great intro...A stunning woman, walking through the streets, nekid! And what a woman (although I have to say that I preferred her with the long wavy hair than the tight look, she reminded me too much of an ex Eastender).
Unfortunately I was distracted from the film by a phone call, but a happy distraction.
I don't really need to say much about this film, Terminator kicks ass!



New Port South

I was about to go to bed, but was delayed slightly by something that slips my mind right now, and glad I was to or I would have missed this. It did mean a late night but was worth it.
What hooked me in was when they said about a boy who had escaped from a mental hospital and was then freeing other patients from other institutions.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the film. I thought the script was great as was the idea-a disenchanted student decides to make a statement and a difference to a school he believes is another form of institution or asylum. No big names (nice change), but some good acting.
Unfortunately the film lacked "meat" it felt a little slow and wishy washy at times, and about three quarters through dropped into an abyss of unnecessary predictability, sell-out, weakness and stolen ideas.
I still enjoyed it, although the end was seriously disappointing, instead of fighting the system and making a difference, he lost the plot and his plans fizzled out (as did the film), and so no lessons were learnt by anyone, the teachers got away with it, and the kid probably got sent to the asylum.
On a plus this is the first film I've seen that harks back to those great 80's teen films like The Breakfast Club and Heathers. We need more of that sort of thing, and more integrity in films.
I don't know if the writer planned the film to go this way or was pushed to change it, but I would like to see what else he has written (and perhaps ask him to redo the film with a better ending!)
Ok, just checked out his bio and all becomes clear. James Hughes the writer and producer is the son of the famous John Hughes who brought us the wonderful Breakfast Club, as well as other 80's greats such as Ferris Buellers Day Off, Pretty in Pink and weird Science!
So what went wrong?