akajohncastle

With the release of the Grudge 2 in the Uk, I was looking forward to the continuation of the story. Director Takashi Shimizu is back again to continue what was started with the Grudge. In the Grudge, it is said that the rage and fury left in a house will last an eternity, getting stronger and stronger down through the ages....or words to that effect. The first film introduced us to the story and was set and shot in Tokyo and stared Sarah Michelle Geller of Buffy fame. Fans of the original Japanese films would have probably found the Hollywood versions a little watered down, but for the likes of me, who had never seen the Japanese versions, I watched them not expecting anything but a horror film. The second film opened the story up a little further and answered a few questions that remained unanswered in the first. The Director gave us the Hollywood slant but left enough of the Japanese element in it to keep the purists happy. The second film is without a doubt brilliant and horror fans will find enough shocks and jumps to keep the average bed wetter wet for decades.

A+ For effort.

SuperStorm came to our screens in the Uk over the last three weeks and despite reservations with the plot and the fact that this has been done before in Hollywood Blockbusters, I was kind of looking forward to seeing it. I wasn't disappointed. taken off the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the mini series, takes us into the world of weather manipulation. Something that a few years ago would have been unheard of, is now a reality and becoming less like science fiction every day. The storyline has some interesting ideas and dilemmas. If only we could change the course of a storm we could save the lives of thousands of people every year. However Mother nature has proved many times before that she isn't one to be tampered with or tamed and with discovery, comes great risk and even possible failure and tragedy.

I won't tell you the plot, as you will have to see it yourself to understand, but to sum up, SuperStorm poses us questions and offers answers. With fantastic special effects and a strong cast and funding from both sides of the Atlantic under the banner of the BBC, SuperStorm is a must see in my book.

Watch it as a piece of fiction, but ask yourself the question.....what if.

Enjoy.

There have been a lot of films in the narrative format in the past and this was a good addition to a long line including Pulp fiction and Sin City to name a couple. I have not seen anything else by Mario Van Peebles only the films he has taken part in as an Actor. I was impressed on the whole. All I could think of with van peebles was the fact that he doesn't appear to have aged in the twenty or so years it has been between the first and the last time i saw him on screen. Wesley Snipes was what he always is, hugely entertaining and kick ass at the same time. With the sub plot of the serial Killer, I thought Sybyl Shepherd was chilling in the role and think she should do more like this as this suited her like a glove. I liked the direction of the film, I didn't find it confusing or sketchy. It was interesting throughout giving good character plots, leaving us with a good one liners and a thumping sound track.

To be honest i think the serial Killer plot could have been a whole new film, however the way it was introduced into the main plot which in any other film would have been the sub plot, was very well done.

Over all? Hugely entertaining and another snipes film that fans wouldn't want to miss. We see some good acting from shepherd and peebles and I would recommend it to people who like to sit down on a Friday night with beer and a Burger. Good fun.

Andy Cooper

Having just bought this film on DVD on a whim, I wasn't sure what to expect from it having never seen a Korean Film before. I don't normally go for subtitles as i am a little dyslexic but I was surprised that this film didn't really distract with the subtitles.

I was enthralled by the characters who on the whole were a family of misfits starting with the father of a Sweet girl living with his father in what seemed to be a Kiosk selling practically everything a person would want. The film started off with English talk, which for me was a bonus. Of course the bad guy in all this was the American scientist who forced his assistant to get rid of some rather nasty chemicals down the sink. What was to follow was the mutation and growth of a monster that could give the Japanese a run for the money. A cross between a fish and what could be only described as a carnivorous frog, it brought terror to the Streets of the South Korean Town, taking from the hands of her father the daughter. What was to follow then was a desperate race to find the Monster and the daughter before she became a light snack between meals. Yes at times the Monster was a little silly looking and the dialogue was a little strange in places but that didn't matter as with effects to match some of the best and worst that Hollywood can offer with other films behind the team including Superman and the Harry Potter Goblet of fire film behind them, this was a film well deserving of the success it has had around the world. The Atmosphere was dark and edgy, the plot line was more than just hunt and destroy, and if you like something more than just a monster movie, then this has it all.

It is fun, well made, exciting in parts Well written and very well directed by a man who i hope to see a lot more of in the future.

Highly recommended by this viewer.

Andy Cooper