Inkheart

Cast
Brendan Fraser
Andy Serkis
Eliza Bennett
Paul Bettany
Helen Mirren
Sienna Guillory
Jim Broadbent
Rafi Gavron
Jennifer Connelly
Screenwriter
David Lindsay-Abaire
Director
Iain Softley
Running Time
106 mins

Mo (Fraser) can summon characters from books by reading aloud. He is nagged by Dustfinger (Bettany), a fictional character who wants to go home, and hunted by Capricorn (Serkis), who wants to exploit Mo and his similarly-talented daughter Meggie (Bennett) to evil ends. [Empire]

It was alright.

Tom Brooks’ list of the top ten films of 2008

Ten
Cadillac Records. A tribute to America’s R&B legends, with Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters and Beyonce Knowles as Etta James, just two names in a powerful ensemble cast. Heartfelt, genuine and enjoyable.

Nine
Wall-E. Another excellent Pixar animation telling the story of an endearing robot. A romantic fantasy that makes some intelligent points about our consumerist culture.

Eight
Man On Wire. James Marsh’s documentary on Philip Petit and his high wire World Trade Center act. Well structured, with skilful reconstructions.

Seven
The Visitor. Written and directed by Tom McCarthy, this is a story of human relationships that deals with, among other things, immigration policy and the transcendent power of music.

Six
Wendy and Lucy. A portrait of American poverty with a knock-out performance from Michelle Williams as a young drifter strongly bonded to her dog.

Five
Waltz With Bashir. A highly original animation in which Tel Aviv filmmaker Ari Folman attempts to find out what happened to him as a young soldier during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon.

Four
Revolutionary Road. A young couple struggle to lead authentic lives as their marriage falls apart in suffocating 1950’s suburban America. Well acted by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, and well directed by Winslet’s husband Sam Mendes.

Three
The Wrestler. Mickey Rourke in what’s being called his comeback film, directed by Darren Aronofsky. The gritty story of a man trying to bring his life together who won’t give up on having one final smackdown.

Two
Milk. Sean Penn gives a masterful performance leading a strong ensemble to tell the story of the charismatic American gay rights activist Harvey Milk. Directed by Gus Van Sant.

One
Slumdog Millionaire. Danny Boyle’s wondrous celebration of underdog triumph and the enduring power of love in a vibrant Mumbai.

[Talking Movies]

Twilight

Cast
Kristen Stewart
Robert Pattinson
Ashley Greene
Peter Facinelli
Elizabeth Reaser
Jackson Rathbone
Nikki Reed
Kellan Lutz
Taylor Lautner
Screenwriters
Melissa Rosenberg
Mark Lord
Director
Catherine Hardwicke
Running Time
122 minutes

Bella Swan has always been a little bit different, never caring about fitting in with the trendy girls at her Phoenix high school. When her mother re-marries and sends Bella to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she doesn't expect much of anything to change. Then she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen, a boy unlike any she's ever met. Edward is a vampire, but he doesn't have fangs and his family is unique in that they choose not to drink human blood. Intelligent and witty, Edward sees straight into Bella's soul. Soon, they are swept up in a passionate, thrilling and unorthodox romance. To Edward, Bella is what he has waited 90 years for - a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. But what will Edward & Bella do when a clan of new vampires comes to town and threaten to disrupt their way of life? (Summit Entertainment)

It's not really like a horror or action movie but more an indie drama. The setting is magnificent, tree covered mountains half shrouded in fog. It takes its time slowly building the story and introducing a lot of supporting human characters although having done that not a lot is done with them and after a certain point they vanish but I guess you needed them just to create that sense of place. The three predatory Vampires sub-plot seems contrived, sort of bolted on, it would have been more interesting to have the murders committed by one of the Vampire family. It was much better than I thought it would be, I was somewhat reluctant to see it although say Empire gives it 4 stars. In a way I justified it that adding to its revenue would if however slight increase the chances of a Buffy movie. The climatic fight was done really well, the special effects especially the destruction to the wooden floor were impressive. The wire work where the characters were jumping was a little obvious generally. Moving on a wire you travel in straight lines where as jumping you would follow a curved trajectory so that stood out. The speeded up running kind of worked, maybe 90% worked and 10% was Benny Hill but they always seemed to cut away before it got too bad. I haven't read the books so it's difficult to say really that another film could be that different if that's all there is to it, I don't see where it could go from here.