Category Archives: Review

Clerks

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Clerks arrived and we started our Kevin Smitheron by watching it this evening.  It plays a little more like an extended sketch show than a movie, with varying parts of the day as individual sketches linked through some overall theme.

It’s certainly entertaining, and amusing, but it wasn’t belly laughing funny.  There are clear moments where the actor’s either forget their lines, or stumble over their lines or just plainly adlib which give the movie a real ‘college project’ feel, but then considering the cost and the background it’s not surprising.  There are real moments of pure quality cinema as well, with two-character sparring dialog that reminds me of Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction in a lot of ways (both 1994).

In general, I enjoyed it.  I’m not sure it’s going to be a cult classic in this house, and we enjoyed Clerks II more (and that despite having never seen the first one), but maybe if we watch it a few more times we’ll get more into the swing and enjoy what’s going on around the image.

Clerks II

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This is a deeply religious movie with strong moral overtones and an solid core of existential theory running through it.  Our heroes must come to terms with their place in the world and learn how to stretch their own minds to release their inner sanctity.  Once accomplished, only then will they realise the true nature of the universe and achieve everlasting happiness.

Or, it’s a rather amusing comedy from Kevin Smith about a couple of guys pushing burgers who discover friendship is stronger than a small fire, and that you should look at that which you take for granted for the love you so dearly need.

Funny, light-hearted, good natured and surreal in a Blues Brothers way, Clerks II was worth watching and has given me an appetite to check out Mr Smith’s other films.

Edit: I know right, you’re thinking omfg how can he NOT have seen any Kevin Smith movies? I know, so sue me.  I’m fixing that right now, it was like, I knew they were there, but I just felt, I dunno, ok? right? is that clear?

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels

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I wonder sometimes why I write reviews for movies which are, all things considered, pretty old ((let’s be honest, I wonder sometimes why I bother writing anything, but there you go )).  However, I guess I do it because I enjoy writing movie reviews.  Before watching Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (LS&TSB) I’d seen maybe one 5 minute section I caught accidentally one day flicking through the channels, and I’d never seen a Guy Ritchie movie.

LS&TSB is good.  It’s clever, witty, well paced and very stylish.  I like that style, I enjoy the little voice over narration and the slow motion / paused motion shots.  I liked the characters and I really enjoyed some of the performances.  The dialog felt reasonably natural although it was obviously styalised to fit with the theme.  The plot was good and interesting and although I saw the little twists coming, they were so well delivered it didn’t really matter.  I really don’t normally enjoy a lot of different characters in a film, but I managed to hold it together during LS&TSB thanks to the actors and the script.

Overall, watching it was a really good experience, and I’d recommend it to anyone who’s not seen it.  If you’re not British, you may struggle with some of the accents and the slang, but hey, it’s your turn to cope for a change (or was in 1998).

Dog Soldiers

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After enjoying Doomsday last night, we watched Dog Soldiers today. It’s been out a while so I’m just going to write a short little review. It’s gory, it’s a bit scary at the start, and it’s got some jumps. But it’s got a great thread of British humour all the way through it, and the individual scenes are all worthwhile.

There are some elements of the story that didn’t quite gel, but overall the story works really well. I loved the characters, I loved the Britishness and even though it’s not my kind of movie normally, I really enjoyed watching it a second time even though I knew what was coming.

If you’re looking for something to get your adrenaline going and make you laugh at the same time, you should get Dog Soldiers and turn off the lights.

Shrek the Third

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Short review for this one. The freshness has gone, but the heart is still there. Shrek the Third is funny in parts, technically still impressive, but doesn’t add anything new to the franchise. Watch this if you’re a huge fan or have some free time to kill, or can watch it for free. Your kids will love it, and you’ll get a giggle and a good feeling.