Film Review – James Bond – Dr No
Dr. No is 1962 film that sits alongside a large collection of other legendary James Bond films. Starring Sean Connery as Bond, the film is set in Jamaica where an island called Crab Quay is set off limits to everyone, claiming that the island os home to a dragon. Bond is sent to Jamaica to find a missing colleague called John Strangways , and finds himself being lead to Crab Quay where he comes across Honey Rider (Ursula Andress) and the famous and well loved beach scene is seen. They team up to find their way into the huge organization that is of Dr. No.
Not being the biggest James Bond fan, I wasn’t the most excited about watching Dr. No. However, the film was a suprisingly better than average for me. It wasn’t anything ground breaking, but then maybe that is because I’m expecting too much from a 1962 film. I could’nt help myself spotting many jump cuts and poor green screening, but then it is a film that is nearly 40 years old. Sean Connery however was a fantastic lead as James Bond. Convincing acting, he looked cool, calm and collected regardless of what was happening around him, which is what you come to expect of James Bond. I was however disappointed with the ending, as the fight between Dr. No and Bond was too short lived and the moment Dr. No struggles to get up and dies is just a tad to unconvincing. Overal, it kept me entertained but im still not quite converted.
Film Review 13/12/09 – The Decent: Part Two
Another horror this week “The Decent: Part Two” carries on from where the original “The Decent” finished. Set in Northern America, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) has escaped from the underground caves in which she was trapped in, in the last film. Vaines (Gavan O’Herlihy) is a local sheriff who insists that Sarah joins Vaines and a team of experienced cave explorers to help find her friends who were trapped down there with her in the previous film. Sarah however cannot remember anything that happened to her and her friends previously, and therefore fails to tell anyone what really happened beforehand.
I really enjoyed “The Decent” when it first came out and so was excited yet skeptical on the sequel in which I was about to watch. Firstly the beginning of the film throws the ending of the first film out of the window as the ending suggested that Sarah was stuck in the Cave forever. So after my reluctant acceptance of the ending I watched on. Throughout the film more rushed and non-believable stories became apparent and it just seemed as though the stories were made up just so the film made sense. The action however was as good as it gets. It was very similar to the first film and in some ways was scarier. Overall I did enjoy the frights, but it just didn’t feel like a justified sequel to a great film. More thought and effort for the storyline was needed in my opinion.
Word Count: 246
Peer Reviewer: Catharine Laverty
Film Review 5/12/09 – Paranormal Activity
“Paranormal Activity” (2009), is a film directed by Oren Peli. The film is set entirely on a handheld camera, like that of “The Blair Witch Project” and features no music too, so that the experience is as realistic as possible. Kate & Micah are the 2 main characters who are living together in a house. They have been experiencing strange noises in the night and decide to film while they sleep using a tripod. Micah (Micah Sloat) decides to try and work out everything himself, even after a ghost specialist tells him not to play with the demons.
A lot of hype had been covering this film before I went to see it, so I was looking forward to watching it. As an avid horror fan, I know what to expect in films that deal with demons and ghosts, however, I was every bit surprised to experience what I did. The suspense is so intense as the night scenes are dead quiet and there is only so much you can see because of the lighting. AS the film progresses on the activity gets far worse and the night scenes become so much more uncomfortable. The acting and whole layout of how everything pans out is incredibly convincing. There were many times I sat with my hands over my eyes wanting to see what happens but not jumping out embarrassing myself. All in all I was hooked right from the beginning and will confidently say “It is now my favourite horror”
