My Soul To Take Movie Review 162

My Soul To Take is the latest offering from horror maestro, Wes Craven. It stars Max Thieriot, John Magaro and Emily Meade.

The opening to this movie shows a man called Abel who is a bit of a psycho and schizophrenic too. He is worried because he has killed people and his alter ego is The Riverton Ripper. He calls his doctor about it and tells him because he is afraid that he will kill his wife. It's too late. His alter ego has murdered his wife who was pregnant. The baby is still alive.His daughter, Leah sees him and he goes to kill her when a cop shoots him and stops him. Abel makes a few attempts to kill everyone, but he finally stopped when an ambulance with him inside it crashes. The cop survives and so does the paramedic Abel tried to kill. They don't find Abel, though...

Cut to sixteen years later.The local kids from Riverton are celebrating 'Ripper Day'.Seven local kids were born on the night that Abel was supposedly killed. They share their birthday with his demise and they each take a turn to 'kill' him. They have a guy dress up like him and the chosen kid has to kill him and banish him.This year it is the job of Bug(Max Thieriot). He is too scared to do it and the cops come and tell the kids to disperse. The ambulance which was in the accident years ago is a shrine to the kids. Why nobody took it away is  beyond me! The kids think that The Riverton Ripper is coming back. On his way home, one of the kids is killed and we see that the Riverton Ripper has come back for revenge!

This begins the Ripper's rampage through the town. He is determined to kill all of the kids who were born the same night.The same cop from the beginning is on the case. Bug, meanwhile, is losing the plot and there are some really pointless scenes in this movie which could have been taken out altogether. Bug's sister is Leah(Meade)- yes, she is the daughter of Abel who was taken in by her aunt. She and Bug are the children of the Ripper. Bug was the baby left in his dead mother's womb in the beginning. Bug finds out all about this and he is disturbed. Leah tells Bug that their dad, Abel, will be coming back to kill them. Bug is faced with the Ripper as he tries to finish the job he tried to do 16 years ago. This movie has a silly ending which I hated. I won't spoil it for you..

Now, I was really looking forward to this movie. I saw the trailer and it looked as if it had a lot of promise. I was wrong. I was very disappointed with this. It was like Dawson's Creek mixed in with some slasher scenes. It is teen crap and I am really surprised that this comes from Craven. I watched it with an open mind, but half way through, I was just really getting irritated with the silly teens running around and some of the dialogue was just plain stupid. If he wanted to appeal to the teens, then fine, but this movie is lame. I hate to say it because I am a fan of Wes Craven, but this was very poor. It gets a 3/10, just because there were a couple of good scenes, but they did not save this movie.

127 Hours Movie Review 161

127 Hours is a true story directed by Danny Boyle who is well known for movies such as Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire. It stars James Franco.

Franco played real life mountain climber Aron Ralston who gets his arm pinned by a boulder in Robbers Roost in Utah in 2003. He wrote a book on his experience called 'Between A Rock And A Hard Place' which I have reviewed here. He comes across as a bit cocky and over confident which is why he didn't think to tell anybody where he was going that fateful day. Franco plays him very well and we see that he is a real thrill seeker. He is good looking, personable and very confident of himself and what he is doing. He thinks that this climb will be no problem and he drives out there, then cycles to the spot, leaving his bike a good distance away from where he was climbing. He tells nobody where he is and what he is doing. He happens to meet two girls and he chats to them and shows them a hidden cave, then they head on their way.

So, as everyone knows what is going to happen, it is no surprise when he falls and gets his arm pinned under a huge boulder. You really think that he has his arm pinned- the movie is real to life and you experience what the character experiences. We see that he has a limited amount of water and food. He has no shelter and he only has a pen knife with him and a torch. He does have some rope and a video camera. The movie focuses on his attempts to get out of there as he begins to hallucinate and get weaker. Then, of course, at the end of the movie, he has to cut off his own arm or face certain death. That scene is gory, but it is worth watching it just to imagine what Ralston went through.All in all, he was stuck for 127 hours..The movie ends with him escaping and we get a glimpse of the real Aron Ralston with his family.

This film is well made and well directed. Franco does a great job as Ralston and I know that the movie has been nominated for an Oscar in many catagories. Franco should get one for this performance .The whole movie is very similar to the book which I read and enjoyed. Ralston was not a very nice guy before all this happened, but I think that he showed determination and guts to get himself out of that situation. Many people would have given up and just died. It is a story of human endurance and the sheer determination of a person to get out of a very tight spot. I really liked it and I would recommend it to anyone. Read the book too if you get a chance. It is a great read!

127 Hours- 9/10

Ricky Gervais At The Golden Globes 2011

This is the video of the best bits of  Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes this year. He made some great jokes and shocked some of the Hollywood elite.I thought that his jokes were hilarious and he really let loose on them. It is good to  make fun of some of those people who take themselves way too seriously!!! We at Jigsaws Lair are huge Ricky Gervais fans and we thought that it was a great performance by the funny man! Of course, you get the serious people thinking that they are too good to laugh at his jokes, but we definately did! We hope that he will get to host them again, but you know the serious, stuck up types who have no sense of humour will stop that from happening!!He was the only entertaining person at the Golden Globes and the only reason to watch them......Enjoy the video anyway!!

Buried Movie Review 160

 Buried is a Spanish thriller starring Ryan Reynolds. It is directed by Rodrigo Cortes.

Paul Conroy(Reynolds) is a truck driver who is working in Iraq. He wakes up to find himself in a wooden box, buried underground. He has a lighter and he lights it up and sees where he is. He shouts and begins to panic at first when he realises what  has happened. He tries to open the box, but fails.Suddenly, a phone rings. There is a cell phone in the box with him. He calls the cops and other people, but they don't seem able to help him. In fact, they seem to be asking him stupid questions and it seems very unrealistic to me. I thought that the FBI or other agencies would take everything seriously, but in this movie, they don't seem too bothered. We find out that Paul was driving in a convoy when he was attacked. Some of his friends were killed and he just remembers being knocked out and waking up in the box. Paul rings his job but there is just an answering machine. He finds the number that called him in the beginning and it is the kidnapper. He wants money by 9 PM or Paul is dead.

He calls the State Department but they are useless too. They know his name and what is happening. They give him a number to ring. He gets through to a guy called Dan Brenner and he helps in hostage situations. He tries to calm him down. The kidnapper calls Paul and tells him to make a video. He wants money too. Paul finds a glow stick, a torch and a knife in the box. He calls Dan and tells him what the kidnapper said. Dan tells him not to make the video but when Paul receives a video of some woman they have held hostage, he makes it. Then there is snake in the box with him at one stage and he has to chase it away. He calls his wife and they chat. His time is running out and he keeps in contact with Dan who tells him that they are getting closer all the time. Will they reach him in time????

This movie was interesting, but I thought that it was a little far fetched. Firstly, Paul had a phone with reception, he could get through to the US from Iraq with no interference or anything. He had a torch, a glow stick, a knife etc. I know that the kidnappers did that for a reason, but I just thought that the story was a little unrealistic. When Paul calls the different agencies, they ask him stupid questions and sound inept, which irritated me. In reality, I would think that they would just shoot Paul or behead him and video it themselves. That is just my opinion. I liked the movie, though and Reynolds did a very good job of acting with nothing but himself and a wooden box.  I did not like the ending at all, but that's my opinion....If you have seen this movie, let me know what you thought of the ending and the points I made above....This gets a 7/10.

Two:Thirteen Movie Review 159

 Two:Thirteen  is a horror movie directed by Charles Adelman and starring Mark Thompson and Mark Pellegrino.

The movie begins with a woman being tortured.The killer puts a mask on his victims and kills them. There are no prints left at the scene. A cop, Russell Spivey(Thompson) is on the case. He is a lonely detective who  has some demons. The cops set up a task force when  a victim's husband received an email saying 'I Miss You' . The detective looks into it. We find out that the Spivey is attending a therapist and he has been traumatised by something that happened in his childhood.This guy, John Tyler(Pellengrino) gets another email from his wife. Meanwhile, the killer is murdering more victims.

Spivey tries to connect the murders and it looks as if it is a serial killer. The killer always leaves a limb behind.

The killer begins using Tyler to communicate with the cops. The detective seems to be cracking up under the stress of the case.He has a thing about masks and he finds it all too much. He delves into the case. He has a pal, Amanda(Teri Polo) and the killer is after her now.  He tries to kill her, but Spivey saves her and the killer is caught. The ending just doesn't seem to make any sense.....If you watch it, then see what you think. I was not very impressed with this...It gets a 4/10.

Unstoppable Movie Review 158

 Unstoppable in a new movie starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. It is directed by Tony Scott who also directed the remake of The Taking of Pelham 123 and Man on Fire both of which starred Washington!

So, this movie is pretty straightforward. There is no brain required here! Pine plays Will, a newbie at the freight train game and he is getting teased by all of the veterans , led by Frank(Washington). Will is pretty clever, though and he just wants a chance to prove himself. Some idiot lets a train get out of control and then he jumps off of it and cannot get back on, leaving the train running by itself along the line. It is very dangerous as there are chemicals on board and the train will be passing though towns. The bosses try and get someone onto the train, but they fail. Meanwhile, Will and Frank are put together for Will's first time as conductor. They take off, totally unaware of the train that is heading their way.

Frank is contacted and they find out about the runaway train. They are told to get out of the way of the train, but Frank decides that he is going to try and stop it. Will helps him and they get to know each other. They find out about each others lives as they drive along in the train and Frank realises that Will is not an idiot,  he is a smart young man. Will discovers that he is replacing Frank in his job and he feels terrible about it. Frank is being let go. They work together and they eventually stop the train. They are hailed as heroes and Frank is offered his old job back and everything is fine.

This film is pure action and not much else. It is entertaining and fast paced, so  if you are into action movies, you will love this offering. I liked it, but found it a little shallow and the ending was a little too perfect for me. But, it is worth watching if you have an hour and a half to spare! This gets a 6/10.

Friday the 13th Part 3 Movie Review

 Friday the 13th Part 3 is the next in line for review. I have been revisiting these old horror sequels and they are all very entertaining! The last movie saw Jason returning to terrorize some teens. This movie is not much different but that's the fun!This was the first of the movies to feature Jason's trademark hockey mask and it was in 3D.

 The movie begins with Jason escaping death once again. He gets some clothes and kills some people on his way. He makes his way to a place called Higgins Haven and hides there.Chris(Dana Kimmell)is a girl who was attacked by a maniac in the woods near Crystal Lake 2 years ago and she and her pals are heading to Higgins Haven too. They are in the car on the way when they find an old man in the middle of the road. He is a crazy guy called Abe and  he warns them about going to Higgins Haven, but they ignore his warning. Chris is determined not to give up.

Jason is hiding in the barn at Higgins Haven and he is just waiting....Chris and her six pals arrive at Higgins Haven and they are unaware that Jason is so close to them.A couple of the youngsters are at the store when they run into some rough bikers who follow them back and wait to attack them.But, guess what? Jason gets them instead! Chris and her pal head off leaving the others there and they all get killed in gruesome ways! Chris and her pal arrive back and find them all dead. Chris is the only one left at the end of the movie. She and Jason face off and she manages to kill him(but we know that he won't be really dead!)..Jason is quiet for the moment, but I have a feeling that he will be back for the next movie!!!!!! I liked this film. It was fun and that is what you want!

Red Hill Movie Review 157

Red Hill is a 2010 Australian thriller directed by Patrick Hughes and starring Ryan Kwanten.

Shane Cooper(Kwanten) is a young cop who relocates to Red Hill with his pregnant wife,Alice(Claire van der Boom). His boss is Old Bill(Steve Bisley), a hardened old guy who knows the town inside out. Shane starts his first day and Bill lays down the law. He tells Shane how things work and Shane realises that nothing happens without his knowledge. The day is quiet enough until news comes that a convict called Jimmy Conway(Tommy Lewis) has escaped from prison and is headed to Red Hill to get revenge on the people who put him in prison. Old Bill knows that he will be top of the list.

The local cops begin to spread out and try and find Jimmy. Shane is left on his own with a gun and he is parked on the road into town. He runs into Jimmy and he loses his nerve. Jimmy enters the town and he begins to kill all of the men who put him in prison one by one. Shane is on his tail though and he tries to stop the commanding man who has no mercy on his victims.Jimmy captures Shane but he doesn't kill him. He just takes him somewhere and leaves him there. Jimmy heads back into town and continues on his mission but Shane manages to make it back to town too.

Shane digs into what happened between Jimmy and the locals and he discovers that Jimmy was set up by Old Bill and the others and that they killed his wife and child. Shane is horrified and he wants to bring Old Bill in. Bill finds out that he knows the truth and he handcuffs him to keep him from interfering in his business. Shane manages to escape and he heads after Old Bill. He finds him with Jimmy and Bill tries to get his pals to shoot Jimmy but Shane stops them. He tells Bill he knows what he did to Jimmy. Jimmy shoots Bill and the cops shoot Jimmy, leaving Shane to watch....

This movie was entertaining. It is filmed like a Western and it has that feel about it. I enjoyed it and I thought that Kwanten was good as the lead. It is worth a look and I am giving it 6/10

Hells Kitchen Season 8 Finale!

So after all this time, we are down to two chefs- Russell and Nona. I don't particularly like either one of them, but Russell is an ass, so I was backing Nona. Some of the other chefs came back to help them in their final task.

The two chefs congratulate each other and then they work on their own menus with the sous chefs. They both have to come up with some great food. Nona and Russell go off in a helicopter around L.A. with Chef Ramsay. They have a last challenge to cook some dishes and they will be judged by chefs. Russell wins the final challenge.The two finalists get to pick people for their teams. Russell chooses Sabrina,Gillian, Vinnie and Rob. Nona has Trevor, Gail, Melissa and Boris. Vinnie seems very pissed at Russell and he doesn't want to help him to win. Russell knows this and he is worried that Vinnie is going to screw him. Nona is worried about Boris. He is very slow.

Service begins and Russell is barking orders at his team. They don't respond well. Vinnie is dragging his feet and he seems disinterested. Trev is messing up the salads and Nona has a word with him. Sabrina is taking matters into her own hands and screwing Russell. He shouts at her and he tries to motivate her. Nona is pissed at Boris who can't get his times right. He is serving raw fish. Russell is trying to do too much too fast and he is rushing everyone. He is messing it all up.Food  starts coming back uncooked. Melissa goes to pieces in Nona's kitchen. Russell is getting mad at Rob.  He starts arguing with him in the kitchen and it looks terrible. Chef Ramsay sees that and is not impressed.

Both teams work hard and the food is served. Russell expects to win and he says so. He thinks that he is the best.....Unfortunately for him, he is not the chef he thinks he is and Nona is announced as Season 8 winner(watch the video) !! Russell sulks and he makes threats once again. He deserved to lose and I am glad that he did.... So that is another season of Hell's Kitchen over with!