scotsmurphy Reviews

Coherence (2013)

Multiverse mystery masterpiece

[10/10 · 15 March 2015]

Coherence is a low budget film, which is set in one night, in one location.

The story revolves around a dinner party which eight friends attend on the night the' Millers Comet' will pass by earth, with strange occurrences seemingly linked to the passing of the Comet.

Everything begins rather nicely, albeit rather subdued, as we follow each couple arriving at the house, but what may seem like simple exposition actually gives you clues toward unravelling the mystery that is to come.

Every actor in the movie performs really well, a lot of improvisation was used in this movie as there was no script, each actor would be given notes each day.

I love this kind of movie making, where story line and acting make the back bone of the movie rather than massive budgets.

It is a movie that will need to be watched on more than one occasion if you really want to get to the bottom of it, it is definitely a puzzle to be solved and will get your grey matter working.

I couldn't recommend this movie more highly, excellent subject, deep story line, good acting, unsettling, and one which actually makes you think and want to talk about the movie even days after watching it.

This Is the End (2013)

Down right Idiotic, hilarious, stoner movie.

[7/10 · 23 March 2014]

This is the End A film brought to you by Seth Rogen James Franco and the pineapple express guys.

This is an interesting movie, without knowing anything about it I viewed it late one Saturday night, in the perfect frame of mind so to speak, completely by chance.

But let me tell you, it was one of the most enjoyable ,idiotic, hilarious comedy horror movies i have watched since Pineapple Express, probably.

Now I should be quick to warn! this movie is not for everyone, some say it is crude, and its references to weed and drugs are blatant, but alas thats why I like it!, its a trashy, goofy, stupid stoner movie, with some of the funniest, geekiest immature dialogue since Pinapple Expess hit the screen.

Now there is a story line to go with all the drugs and debauchery, and of course its the End of Time, the Apocalypse ladies and gentlemen, all mankind is being judged!, and we get to spend it at James Franco's house with his stoned out, dumb as f%&k actor friends.

Now this movie is not a family movie, its made by guys, for guys, and the best way to watch this movie is with red eyes, it has a target audience, who it will resonate with, and i am absolutely certain this will become a cult classic, it has all the ingredient's needed.

To sum up my feeling toward this movie, I was genuinely surprised by it, it felt different, and it took me a while to decide if the whole parody of themselves was going to be detrimental to the movie. It was not, if anything it enhanced it.

Now highbrow intellectual stuff this is not, god help the poor sod who comes into this movie thinking he will be intellectually challenged.

If i had to compare to this to another movie I would say Simon Peggs Shaun of the Dead, with who it shares many similarities, the apocalypse setting, the over the top comedy, the 'bromance', and often campy dialogue are a few of the things in common.

The bottom line is this. IT is a stoner movie, and is best viewed accordingly to get the full enjoyment. Now this is not a prerequisite, it has good actors with a decent story line and you will get a laugh.

7/10

The Hangover Part II (2011)

It's happened again

[7/10 · 14 October 2012]

The Hangover 2 The hangover part two see's the "wolf pack" , Phil, Stu, Doug, and Alan head to Thailand for Stu's wedding, and with Stu finally finding true love and dealing with a less than impressed father in law he is determined to be on his best behaviour .

However after reluctantly inviting Alan to the wedding ,and Phil's determination to get a bachelor party, the quiet bonfire on the beach soon turns out to be the catalyst for a wild night in Bangkok.

Let me take the time to mention a crucial character in the proceedings who drives the whole story ,Teddy ,Teddy is Stu's brides little brother he is sixteen years old and a child prodigy "the hands of a brilliant musician and one day surgeon " his Father announces after Teddy's Chelo performance ,not surprising then that Teddy should go on to lose one of his fingers while out with the Wolf Pack .

The second Hangover also gets it spot on reintroducing Mr Chow from the first movie, his persona fitting well with a sleazy drug fuelled night in Bangkok and he gets some of the biggest laughs of the movie.

Now for a quick word about the actors ,all the main protagonists Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis ,Justin Bartha, have settled into there characters well and are likable believable and just fun to watch ,the supporting cast again was excellent and really makes the movie seem full of life .

Yes Hangover Two was a cutout of the first movie ,but that is no bad thing, the movie looked great,the locations looked great , the soundtrack was excellent, its laugh out loud funny ,i will however say that if you like your comedy more refined its probably not for you.

We have all had those mornings of waking up to "what the hell happened last night! where the hell am i" probably not to the extent of The Hangover ,but that is where the movie is rooted ,its about some blokes who partied a little too hard and had to pay the consequences the next day.

So long gay boys

.

Little Fockers (2010)

Was nice to see the gang again

[6/10 · 23 December 2010]

Little Fockers is the third outing of the dysfunctional family dynamics of the Fockers and the Byrnes .

We know by now the premise of the movies, Greg (Ben Stiller) trying his hardest to live up to his father in law Jack's (Robert Deniro) high standards ,well the same rule applies in 'Little Fockers' except with a slight twist ,with Jacks failing health Greg is next in line to fill Jacks shoes so to speak and become the 'GodFocker' ,the man of the house ,ready and willing to take care of the family.

But ,with slight financial problems and Gregs habit for getting himself into uncompromising positions ,it is only a matter of time until Jack is again suspect of his son in law and his plans for his beloved daughter Pam.

The calibre of Actor on show is astounding and i would have to say in my own opinion there star quality carries the movie ,the story line is weak and seem a little unstructured ,it all feels a little rushed.

So to wrap it up ,i am a personal fan of the 'Meet the Parents' movies,i have enjoyed the characters and the laughs they bring, but the second movie {meet the Fockers} never quite lived up to the first movie and third movie doesn't live up to either ,it is an average film made slightly better by the sheer calibre of the Actor on screen .

6/10

The Simpsons: Who Shot Mr. Burns? Part One (1995) Season 6, Episode 25

I cant possibly solve this mystery ,can you?

[10/10 · 24 September 2010]

Who shot Mr Burns ? Who shot Mr Burns is the Simpson's team at their brilliant and dynamic best ,it opens on a lovely summer morn with Principal Skinner walking into the school only to find 'superdude' dead, the schools pet hamster,on handing it to Grounds keeper Willie to have him buried he stumbles onto an Oil well making the school the richest custodian in all of Springfield. But the excellently evil Mr Burns, who steals the show, wont have any of it he taps the well and steals the Schools oil.

As the episode moves along more and more Springfield citizens gain a motive to kill Mr Burns with each of them losing something due to Mr Burns tapping the Oil well, or in Homers case Mr Burns can never remember his name. Or with Bart his best friend Santa's little helper has his legs broken inadvertently by Burns .

It all comes to a crescendo at the town meeting, which Burns crashes and reveals his fiendish plan ,to block out the sun and have Springfield glowing in 'Burns brand electricity all day long' .The Springfield citizens are horrified, but Mr Burns armed with a gun walks off and that is where the mystery takes hold we find Mr Burns shot laying over the town clock dial, with seemingly everyone present and everyone a suspect, we hear the memorable line from Dr Hibert 'i cant possibly solve this mystery, can you' ?

Jennifer's Body (2009)

Creepy story, compentent acting ,well worth the rental.

[6/10 · 2 March 2010]

Jennifers body revolves around three main characters, Needy 'the girl from mama mia', her bf ,and Jennifer ,Megan Fox's character.

The film Opens with the Needy's characters in a mental institution and the movie retraces its steps to why and how needy ended up there ,its a pretty shocking and crazy set of events that lead her toward a mental breakdown .

I hadnt heard of this movie until i rented it one Friday ,there were decent actors in it and i enjoy my Horror movies so why not give it go and plus Megan Fox on the box cover looking mighty fine had a little something to do with it .From reading previous reviews and stateing the obvious ,this is not everyones cup of tea ,but to be fair to Megan Fox she does a good job i cant see how she could of played the character any different or any better, and Needy 'Amanada Seyfrieds' role is spot on also ,watch out for JK Simmons as the school teacher puts in a great little roll ,all in all i fairly enjoyed the movie it was paced well it was creepy it is your classic Friday night Horror ,it has blood ,it has scares ,it has at least one genuinely very creepy moment when Jennifer turns up at Needys house after there night out at the Bar .

I think the people who know they like this kind of movie will seek it out and enjoy it, it will be in a lot of DVD collections im sure as the years go by ,i would like to add that i did not know that Diablo Cody wrote this as i did not see the movie Juno ,i could tell that was not to my liking despite the Oscar .

So bottom line ,if your looking for a tight nice looking horror movie for the weekend Jennifers Body hits the mark 6.5 out of 10

Come and See (1985)

I haven't seen a movie like this before or since

[10/10 · 2 November 2009]

Well well well

My dad bought this movie and after reading the back i was intrigued to say the least . When finally getting the opportunity to sit and watch it, I was pretty much left reeling for the whole movie ,it is a war movie like no other ,it looks real, it feels real and is harrowing to the point that it will scare you, I could recount many scenes, that for me were just so strange, abstract and not least powerful.

I was so impressed by this piece of cinema that I had to show my brother, who really could not believe his eyes and ears, it is a masterpiece which towers over anything and everything that has came out of Hollywood, incidentally I was curious as to what my girlfriend would think of it, and with her being an American and more akin to movies like 'P.S I love you' was curious to her reaction.

Unsurprisingly we got 25 minuets into the movie, after viewing the harrowing shocking scene of the dead villagers stacked up like dead cattle at the side of the house ,with the camera panning back as the two kids/partisans flee is just shocking to the core, and then to top it off, it is followed by one of the most uncomfortable and disturbing scene that i have viewed in a long time of the boy and the girl making there way through the quagmire .Needless to say it was not of her liking i found her with tears of discomfort in her eyes and I was hastily told to turn it off, but for a movie to have that power and effect on its viewer is something very very rare nowadays ,it startled and shocked me to the core, others it brought tears of discomfort .

If you like cinema if you like provocative art and you can handle an emotional ride that is not comforting and with no George Clooney smile to make you feel warm n fuzzy inside, then get this movie, turn off the lights, put the volume up and get ready for a piece of cinema that is truly unique.

Cold Prey (2006)

Slasher in the Snow

[6/10 · 2 November 2009]

Cold prey was not to bad I was interested to see how the norweigens done it ,and they done it well there was some genuine scares and at least a good effort was made into the movie having a good story line with a twist to the end.

The jist of the movie goes like this A group snowboarders take a holiday to the Jotunheimen mountains ,low and behold one of the five friends has an accident ,and the nearest shelter is an old abandoned lodge ,with a storm closing in they take shelter...with very dire consequences .This movie received some decent praise and i thought it done its job well .If you like your horrors and slashers and don't mind subtitles check it out its above the recent Hollywood standard anyway.

I think it might surprise a few