I'd like to post about films I am seeing currently, and I'd like to find out what you think about films on current release - not a competition, but still fun, I think.

So! Yesterday I went to see The Book of Eli. It was cheesey and I loved it, although the cannibalism sequences: human fleash served up cooked like a roast on a plate, mean I can't face meat for the time being. Very cheesily profound and gritty, kind of like Mad Max with a Hollywood budget and a moral, schmaltzy message - it made me want to write a book. I believe it's a total rip off of The Road, which I haven't seen, but that's never stopped a movie being any good IMO.

Yeah this is a super idea! I'll be back later, after I've finished reading and making notes on cognitive interviewing (yawn...) with some of my film reviews. Eska, I've seen The Road and the book of Eli and I'll compare and contrast. Await my reviews and expert analyses with baited breath...

I saw Seraphine recently which was beautifully shot and very moving (about the artist Seraphine de Senlis), not the happiest movie but a refreshing take on the glamourised notion of the genius/madman relationship and a great portrait of life in rural France during that era.

On the other hand, a few months back I saw another film called Valhalla Rising; truly the most obtuse, bizarre and unenjoyable piece of cinema I've seen in a while. Grim in every sense.

I wanted to go to the cinema tonight but the only thing that's on is a 4 hour marathon of a Japanese film about up-skirt pornography. The husband was unsurprisingly keen......... ;-)

I haven't been to the cinema in aaages! its quite pricy now I feel. When I do go, I am not realy 'allowed' to see anything good - well I'm allowed but there will be lots of fidgeting and finger drumming next to me from bored hubby - he did this all the way through harry potter (yes, that is my definition of good - not arty films!) I think the last film I saw was Rambo 4? :$

www.apple.com/trailers if thinking of looking for any of the trailers ... or just tired of Youtube ha ha!

The Red Baron looks good and might be good with the 3D treatment.

Any opinions/views on "Brothers"?

I saw Daybreakers and Nowhere Boy last week. Both good, I thought, although Daybreakers came out tops for me. It has some really beautifully composed shots, is smoothly made and acted, and I like that the vampire story was given a genuinely interesting twist. It gave me just enough of a fright too, in a few different ways. Nowhere Boy was a good, interesting story, but I think it's best treated as largely fiction - some brilliant acting in that from Kristen Scott Thomas, that girl from Shameless and the lead. Great choice for Paul McCartney too. The sequence in which John Lennon's mum dies is brilliant, particularly in terms of sund and editing.

Last year my new years resolution was to go to the cinema at least once a month for the year (as I never used to go but always said I wanted to go more) I've decided to keep it up for 2010. Recent films I've seen are Avater (good effects, but the plot was weaker than a cup of tea you forgot to put a tea bag in!) and Daybreakers, which I really liked, though there were a few holes in the plot it held my interest, right up to the end I was wondering how they were going to end it. Might go for Book of Eli or the road for Feb, leaning towards the Road I think.

Doo doo, doo, d'd'doo, doo doo, do, d'd'd'doooo! Welcome to Film Review 2010 with Peasucker. And reviewed tonight we have The Road and The Book of Eli. First up The Road.

Depressing, depressing, depressing. The story of the love between a father and his boy in a post-apocalyptic world. Very atmospheric with 'beautiful' scenic shots, it features cannibals and the last can of Coke on Earth. I picked a tonne of holes in the plot and thought it dragged a little. There is much speculation between people with too much time on their hands (moi!) over exactly what caused the apocalypse. I reckon it was natural disaster because if it was nuclear then they would have died of radiation sickness - plus there is still ash that falls from the sky - even many years after the original event. There are a couple of gratuitous nudity moments that sadly feature The Man and not Charlize Theron (I'm not being a perve here, I just think it should have been more realistic) - she dies about a 3rd into the movie. She just says, "Like yahh, I so can't deal with this any more. See ya! Sure wouldn't wanna be ya!" and walks off into the night. It does actually remain quite faithful to Cormac McCathy's book.

Now the Book of Eli. Hmmm, where the hell did Denzel Washington learn his kung fu from? The Book of Eli could be classed as a Christian movie on acid and steroids, with a dollop of Spaghetti Western thrown in to the mix. It is essentially about Jesus 2.0 who dies in order to save us from our sins - again! Carrying on with the seemingly current obsession of Hollywood with the Apocalypse (2012, The Road, 28 Months Later), Denzel is a man on a mission to preach the word of God to mankind. Armed with a Machette and the last remaining copy of the bible, he wreaks holy havoc on anyone who gets in his way. There's not much to the plot, other than a few sweeping dramatic shots and Denzel looking cool and walking in slow motion occasionally, as he makes his way from A to, well, B. As with most films that feature powerful men on a mission, a 'silly' woman complicates matters for him and he ends up getting shot. But she's a quick learner and becomes a good 'un in the end by carrying on with his mission, in the guise of Jesus 3.0.

Well, that's all for now folks...

Doo doo, doo, d'd'doo, doo doo, do, d'd'd'doooo!

Love the theme music

I must say Wally, that was much better than Jonathan, oh dear I can't see the autocue, Ross. Here are my responses:

'Now the Book of Eli. Hmmm, where the hell did Denzel Washington learn his kung fu from?' Who cares? It looks great and it's all make believe anyhow, his charcter, as you say, is Christ-like, and thus has similar magical powers...

'The Book of Eli could be classed as a Christian movie on acid and steroids, with a dollop of Spaghetti Western thrown in to the mix.' Sounds crazily great, but I'd add Mad Max to that list, making it even better in my eyes.

Got to go to bed and resist John Carpenter's The Fog whichhas just started on telly, been ridiculously tired today.

You've made me think twice about seeing The Road

Doo doo, doo, d'd'doo, doo doo, do, d'd'd'doooo! Welcome to Film Review 2010 with Peasucker, or Willy as some have very creatively and affectionately named me (how the hell do we go from Walminski-pea-sucker to Willy, btw - tut, tut?). And tonight we review Peter Jackson's latest offering, The Lovely Bones, and Pumpkinhead. First up, The Lovely Bones...

Essentially a chick flick borne of chick lit, The Lovely Bones is the story of how a young, innocent and naive teenage girl is murdered by a seemingly innocent neighbour (with a very dark past) and then must battle in purgatory between her need for revenge and urge to move on into heaven and release her family from the torment of her disappearance. The film features all the hallmarks of a Peter Jackson film: very expensive special effects - and that's it. Curiously, however, too me it felt like watching an ITV 1 Drama Premier - all shine and pervasive sense of pointless melodrama. The characters are not adequately developed, and as such it is not possible to identify with or feel sympathy or empathy with any of them. Unfortunately my ability to critique this film is somewhat marred by the fact that no-way in hell would I ever be seen buying the book it is based on from WH Smiths. It does feature actors of Hollywood actors of note, including Susan Sarandon (whom I hate, since she's a stinking, green tea-drinking, spiritualist feminist).

Pumpkinhead...1980s gory horror at it's most efficient, with a pleasing twist of Southern Americana gothic. In keeping with the theme of dead kids and vengeance, Pumpkinhead tells the story of a young boy who is murdered by city kids, and his father's need for vengeance. Angry, apoplectic, infused with rage (and all the other adjectives you can think of to describe someone who is really mad at someone else), the boy's father visits a witch to summon a demon to slay all those involved in his boys death. From there no further description is necessary other than the label of teen slasher movie. This film has an awful lot of strong points including impressive special effects for a B-movie, excellent cinematography and quite good character developments for the first ten minutes. However, his son's uncanny likeness to the Milkybar Kid did ruin it for me a little. For instance, by making me laugh at inopportune, such as when he is killed.

Well, that's all for now folks. Stay tuned...i.e. it's someone else's turn to do a review now.

Doo doo, doo, d'd'doo, doo doo, do, d'd'd'doooo!

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Up in the Air's quite good, a familiar tale of commitment phobe turned faithful lover/partner, but this time there is a twist which it's probably best I don't tell you about. Not earth shattering or ground breaking, but some very well composed shots. It's one of those designed to be heart warming films of the kind James Stewart or Cary Grant used to be in, but, like Clooney, it just doesn't quite make that league. I think Clooney's career is set up to imitate that kind of movie star - especially Cary Grant - but he never shines that bright, he's pleasant enough to watch, but withut the uber pizzaz factor and spark of Grant.

hi eska! hi everyone
has anybody seen AVATAR? :-)

my 60+ year old parents rang me last week to say that they had seen avatar - I haven't seen it yet, they are more trendy than me :-(

I was thinking of the cinema tonight, but I don't know that I can face the chav-tastic epicentre that is a Vue cinema. I want to cosy down in my usual arthouse one but they haven't got anything I'm all that keen to see tonight. Anyone got a current recommendation that makes the Vue experience worth the pain?

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Hi Satchi, no I haven't seen avatar, although I'd like to. Screenings of it never coincide with my cinema visits: I go on my chill out day and take the chance approach to my viewings, like people did before tv. I'm going to make a special effort to see tom ford's a single man and nine - I couldn't miss those.

Teek it's funny you should say you find vues uncomfortable, I hate going to see films in arty cinemas, at least ones that are local to me. They make me feel tense and as if i have to be clever about it all rather than just enjoy the experience; I also tend to bump into people i've worked with, or am working with, which is something I really don't want to do when relaxing. My current fave cinema is a medium sized vue in chav central!