Thursday 20 November 2014

Top 20 Festive Films for Christmas!

As it's 'the most wonderful time of the year' and December is fast approaching, it just wouldn't be right not to watch a few festive films that we love. So in honour of the Christmas tradition, I have put a list of super festive films together that are guaranteed to get you in the holiday spirit! So get some mince pies, cozy up and get watching! 

20) Santa Clause 2 - 2002 
In this feel good Disney film, Scott Calvin (Tim Allen) has been keeping up well with being Santa Clause and all, for ten years now. However it could all come to a sudden end if he doesn't find Mrs Clause!










19) Deck the Halls - 2006
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1A2uWWF1ZU

Two extremely competitive neighbors (Matthew Brodwick and Danny DeVito) begin an unexpected rivalry, after one of them decorates their house with thousands of Christmas lights, making it so bright, that you can even see it from space. A great family film with some really good laughs.









18) Bad Santa - 2003
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQvaoRScND4

On Christmas Eve a miserable conman (Billy Bob Thornton) and his partner in crime, pose as Santa and his Little Helper, in order to rob department stores. But trouble emerges when the security boss finds out and they become unlikely friends with a troubled boy.








17) Scrooged - 1988
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J11NIQJdO5Q

A cynical and self centered TV executive (Bill Murray) becomes haunted on Christmas Eve, by three spirits who are there to teach him a very valuable lesson. It's a matter of life and death!









16) Jingle All the Way - 1996
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zyEr8YX1cnY

When a work a holic father (Arnold Schwarzenegger) realizes he needs to pay more attention to his son, he goes on a last minute quest to buy him the most wanted present of the year; Turbo man. But its not as easy as he expected, when he run into a crazy post man seeking the same thing.







15) The Holiday - 2006
Trailer:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0p8Su3bdHc
        
      In this romantic Christmas flick, two women (Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet) with guy problems decide to switch homes in each others countries, where they both meet complete strangers (Jude Law and Jack Black) in the local area, and fall in love.








14) Christmas with the Kranks - 2004
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frNRluzraJU

For Luther and Nora, (Tim Allen and Jamie Curtis) it's the first Christmas with out their daughter who is away in a different county, causing them to make the decision to skip Christmas all together, causing an uproar in the neighborhood, especially as their daughter unexpectedly decides to come home last minute. 








13) Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer the Movie - 1998
Trailer: Not Available.

         This animated kids film follows a young reindeer who is born an outcast due to his unusual red nose. But when an evil women called Stormella threatens to put Santa out of business, it give Rudolf the chance to rise from zero to hero!









12) How the Grinch Stole Christmas - 2000
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pl12cnQxAaU

Inside a snowflake exists a small community called Whoville and in it lives the Christmas-loving Whos. However high in the mountains lives a nasty Grinch (Jim Carey) who hates any kind of happiness, especially Christmas. So in order to put the Who's happiness to stand still, he begins on a cunning plan to steal Christmas.







11) Home Alone 2: Lost in New York - 1992
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIRoNlPZeqk

One year after young Kevin was left home alone, where he had to defeat two bumbling burglars, he somehow finds himself in a very similar situation, but this time in New York City!










10) The Polar Express - 2004
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8_GUrqe5tc

On the night of Christmas Eve a boy confused to where ever not Santa is really real, boards a mysterious, yet magical train heading towards the North Pole and the home of Santa Clause.










9) Arthur Christmas - 2011
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tk-WZSqIGQ

On Christmas night at the North Pole, Santa's youngest son looks to use his fathers high-tech operation to complete an urgent mission, in this festive animated film guaranteed to make you giggle.








8) Nativity - 2009
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkpWxX_K3Y4


This is a hilarious British film that follows a primary school in a small town, as they prepare to hit the big Hollywood stage with their school nativity play, which is led by a heart-broken teacher (Martin Freeman) who supposedly knows what his doing and a foolish man who is a lot more helpful than what he seems.







7) National Lampoons Christmas Vacation - 1989
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBTTipJX-h4

The Griswold family's plans for a big tradition family Christmas predictably turns into a disaster when things never seem to run smoothly for the family, especially with Clark's (Chevy Chase) bad luck.










6) Gremlins - 1984
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-14d51QTVjo

A boy breaks three rather important rules concerning his new pet, that was bought by his father from an unusual antique store. Its not long before a violent and mischievous horde of monsters are unleashed upon the town.









5) Home Alone - 1990
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CK2Btk6Ybm0

In this well known family favorite, a eight-year-old boy is left behind when his family flies off to France for Christmas. It's all fun and games at first when Kevin has to defend his home from a pair rubbish burglars, but when things turn serious he begins to regret what he wished for in the first place.








4) Elf - 2003
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW9wRNqQ_P8

After innocently causing havoc on the elf community due to his overly large size, Buddy (Will Farrell) who is a man raised as an elf in the North Pole is sent to America to seek his true identity.










3) Miracle on 34th Street - 1994
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiypbCFV7Ao

An adorable six-years-old girl discovers that dreams do come true if you genuinely believe, despite her mothers efforts to tell her the ''secret''. 











2) Love Actually - 2003
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdzH6a-XEGM

Love actually in all its galore and hilarity follows the lives of eight very different couples, all dealing with there strenuous love lives in there own unique ways. All set during the frantic month before Christmas in London.  









1) It's a Wonderful Life - 1946
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewe4lg8zTYA

In this Christmas classic, an angel helps a passionate, frustrated business man in despair by showing him what life would be like if he didn't exist.

These are my favorite Christmas films, what are yours? 

Sunday 5 October 2014

Top 20 Horror Films to Watch For Halloween.

Halloween is nearly here! making it the perfect time to talk about horror films, but of course watch them! After doing some research from both the internet and people's opinion, I have managed to put together a mixed list of the most spine-chilling, seat-jumping, blood-thirsty and brain-eating horror films. Enjoy! Note: This list is not in order. Or is it? Mwahahaha...

#1 Women in Black - 2012
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lReemWmO5o

Plot: Daniel Radcliffe plays a young lawyer, father and husband still grieving over his beloved wife's death. He decides to do one last work assignment, travelling to a remote village and staying over night at an isolated, haunted manor, where he discovers a vengeful ghost of a dead women who is terrorizing the locals, especially the children.

Why you should watch this: For starters, Radcliffe has proved he can be diverse, and not just play a wizard. So get Harry Potter out your head before you watch this film! If you like films that make you jump, then this is perfect, as it never fails to do so. Also some of the child deaths might make you cringe. Maybe it's just me but when a horror involves children, it's so much worse!

#2 Shaun of the Dead - 2004
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMitSKT-u_k

Plot: An every day average joe named Shaun (Simon Pegg) decides to turn his boring life around. His plan is to win his ex-girlfriend back and restore his relationship with his mother, while dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living. Accompanying him on this journey is hilarious best mate Ed (Nick Frost) and a few others, including his ex-girlfriend. Together they decide to take refuge in the local pub.

Why you should watch this: Nick Frost and Simon Pegg are a great duo, as they bring you continuous laughs through out the entire film. Even though it's a comedy, it still has all the conventions of a horror, including some gruesome deaths and some rather unusual, yet gory zombie killing methods!

#3 The Hills Have Eyes - 2006
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O76m3kpgPTQ

Plot: A perfect american family are on their summer vacation, however they unexpectedly become stranded in a dessert and get stalked by a group of psychotic freaks who live there.

Why you should watch this: Well if your looking for a film that will make you look away because the gruesomeness is just too much, then this is definitely it. This is the kind of film where the characters get killed off one by one and trust me the murders and the weird people who commit them are seriously disturbing. So if you enjoy this one, definitely check out the sequel. Because it's even more gross!




#4 Rec - 2007
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGJ_jPKOj1c

Plot: A television reporter and a camera man follow emergency workers into a dark apartment building and are quickly locked inside, with no way of getting out. They soon realize they're trapped inside with something terrifying which carries an unknown disease, having the potential to infect them all.

Why you should watch this: This is certainly one of the best horrors I have ever seen, the fact that it's shot using a hand held camera adds to the scariness, because you feel like your in there with them. It is a super creepy film; the infected people are strangely realistic, which makes it worse. A great film to watch in complete darkness with your mates!


#5 - Scary Movie Collection - 2000-2006
Trailers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dktIVAfjzY

Plot: Scary movie is a American comedy film series, which mainly specialize in parodying horror films such as Saw, The Grudge, Sixth Sense, ect. Therefore the film mainly re-reenact scenes from selected film, but in their own comedic way.

Why you should watch this: Although these films won't make your stomach turn like other horror films will, but instead there make you laugh, due to the dark humor through out. However the humor is not for everyone as some jokes are rather crude. Personally my favorites, which I think are the funniest are number 2 and 3 However you might think differently. I really wouldn't bother watching number 5, purely because it was rubbish!


#6 - Evil Dead - 2013
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clEXNgH6Oj8

Plot: In the fourth installment of the Evil Dead franchise, a group of five young-adult  friends head to a remote cabin, where the discovery of a book of the dead, leads them to unwittingly summon demons living in the near by woods. The evil presence possesses them until only one is left to fight for survival.

Why you should watch this: Even though this film isn't amazingly terrifying as what you might think it is. Instead it is impressively intense and gory. The blood is plentiful and your probably be putting your hands over your eyes to avoid seeing the murderous chaos happening on screen!



#7 - Mirrors - 2008
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O92QxxgeCO8

Plot: An ex alcoholic, police officer  gets hired to work the night watch for a old department store which was destroyed in a fire many years ago. On his very first shift, he notices the mirrors are impeccably clean and begins to become obsessed. It's not long before he realizes that him and his family are being targeted by an evil force that are using mirrors as a gateway into their life.

Why you should watch this: This is more of a supernatural horror, making it slightly different to the others, especially as it has an unexpected twist which I'll let you find out for yourself! It has some chilling concepts and some vivid imagery that overall makes it a rather scary experience. As for the gore fans, there's definitely some scenes that will meet your expectations!

#8 - The Saw Series - 2004 - 2009 
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKPy5RWuqNA


Plot: The franchise revolves around the well known character Jigsaw. He was introduced briefly in the first film and was developed in more details in the following films. Rather than killing his victims outright, Jigsaw prefers to trap them in situations that he calls tests or games. to test their will to live through physical or psychological torture.

Why you should watch this: If your a fan o Hostel of just torture films in general, then your love this because it's full of it! With out putting you off, although all the films are fairly similar, it doesn't really matter, because what makes this good are the extremely twisted and imaginative traps, which are featured through out the entire collection. Not for the faint hearted!

#9 - Final Destination 5 - 2011
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvioZFVD98A


Plot: After a shock suspension-bridge collapse, many people were tragically killed. However not everyone who was suppose to die, did.. A group of supposedly lucky survivors soon realize that they can not cheat death as one by one they begin to be picked off in the most uncanny and horrific way.

Why you should watch this: Personally I found this film utterly terrifying, you may not feel the same but I can assure you that you will be watching your back and become seriously paranoid for the next several days. The film has a few added twists that really heighten the tension and the deaths are all gruesomely freaky 'accidents' which make you believe that it could actually happen.  Finally, if you get the chance to watch it in 3D, do it!

#10 - The Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning - 2006
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gYGzJDt8HQ


Plot: On one last road trip before they're sent to serve in Vietnam, two brothers and their girlfriends get into a car accident. Their situation becomes worse when they get picked up by the local sheriff and took to a remote household where a young deformed cannibal chainsaw-wielding killer is being nurtured by  his family of equally psychopathic killers. The teens soon find themselves at the beginning of a terrifying experience.

Why you should watch this: Every single killing in this is just brutal, the chainsaw brings serious gore to the screen, as well as other different killing methods, such as cutting throats, running people over and sticking people on hooks to bleed out. If this gave you the scare, then watch the original version that is equally good.

#11 - Cabin in the Woods - 2012
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJUIgf7lsCY

Plot: Five friends go on, what they think is a perfect summer break, at a secluded cabin in the woods, where they get more than what they bargained for. When the cellar door flings open, they of course go down to investigate and when one of them reads from an old book, they awaken something from in the woods. Together they must discover the truth behind the cabin, as they are all under observation.

Why you should watch this: This is not like your usual horror film, despite having lots of horror film cliches. This is because it seems to poke fun at the horror genre which is why it has so many cliches and references to many other cult horror films. But what makes this so entertaining is that even though it makes you laugh it still makes you look away in fear, both the comedy and horror aspects are on point! With a twist!

#12 - Inbred - 2012
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lvUCAHRa6I

Plot: Four young offenders and their care workers visit the remote Yorkshire village of Mortlake, which prides on keeping itself to itself. A minor incident with the locals rapidly escalates into a blood-soaked, deliriously warped nightmare.

Why you should watch this: I doubt many people have heard of this one, but I decided to include it because its the perfect film to give you a scare as it's just strictly warped. Even though this film is low budget it still manages to pull off great goriness, probably making you feel a bit squeamish. The kills in this are brutal, psychotic and super graphic. Overall it's just a really strange messed up film, but good! It might make you want to stay away from any small villages for a while.

#13 - F. (The Expelled) - 2010
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q71ibercHM

Plot: In this British film a group of teachers doing after hours work, joined by some students in detention must defend themselves from a mysterious gang of murderous hooded kids, when their school comes under siege, later in the evening.

Why you should watch this: This film will most likely give you the chills. In fact it is rated R for it's disturbing violent content, terror, grisly images and language. Most horrors have some kind of creature such as a zombie or a human that is disfigured. Where as in this one, the terror is just some hooded kids but because you never see their faces due to them being blacked out, it makes it ten times more frightful. Any Student like myself will never again want to stay later at school/college after watching this!

#14 - The Possession - 2012 
Trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gBeG31fX40

Plot: A young girl buys a antique box at a yard sale, unaware that inside the collectible lives a malicious ancient spirit. When the father realizes that his daughter has not been acting herself, he decides to team up with his ex-wife to find a way to end the curse upon their child.

Why you should watch this: Special effects are great! Everything that happens comes across as really realistic, even the demons hand coming out the girls mouth (shown in picture) is very believable, creating a seriously spooky/creepy atmosphere, both off and on screen. As for gore, you won't be seeing much in this film. However the insane tension and slight jumpiness makes it very gripping.


#15 - Stake Land - 2010
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNC2HwAaWWE


Plot: Martin was a normal teenage boy before the the country collapse in an empty pit of economic and political disaster. A vampire epidemic has swept across what is left of the nations abandoned towns and cities. It's up to Mister, a  death dealing, rouge vampire hunter, to get Martin safely North to Canada, New Eden.

Why you should watch this: Stake Land has some very captivating characters that you soon sympathise with, a great script and story line, plenty of  hard core bloody action, the worst kind of zombie-like vampires; there fast, intelligent, powerful and just don't die! and something more substantial to make it better than an average zombie/vampire flick.


#16 - A Nightmare on Elm Street - 2010
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuYoEtEI_go


Plot: Death stalks the dreams of several young adults to claim it's revenge on the killing of Freddy Kruger. Being chased by this finger-bladed demon, awakens old memories and denials of a past of a wrongly punished man. This hellish vision of a dream-like state turns death into a nightmare reality because when he kills someone in their dream it results in their real life death in reality.

Why you should watch this: This film will give you the chills, making the hair on your arms stick up, due to the extremely eerie atmosphere and tension. It has strong bloody violence and plenty of creepy scenes. After watching this Freddy Kruger will  be stuck in the back of your mind and you probably won't want to sleep for a few days! Those who are prone to nightmares, be careful!

#17 - Scream 4 - 2011
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJCS9jtlysM


Plot: Sidney Prescott returns to her home time on her last book tour stop. But when she arrives everything is not all, reuniting with Gale and Dewey as The Ghost Face Killer lurks mysteriously in the town. when Sidney's cousins life is threatened and her friends are being picked off one by one, Sidney, Gale and Dewey need to figure out who's reinventing the deadly game before it becomes too late.

Why you should watch this: Personally I think Scream is a fun film to watch, as well as a frightening film. Our terror in this certain horror flick is The Ghost Face Killer who uses a knife to stab to death his victims and what makes him so frightening is the fact that his literally just a normal (well slightly psychopathic) guy wearing a mask and a long black drape. suggesting anyone could become a infamous serial killer overnight, now that's a scary thought. After watching this you will never want to look someone in the eye wearing one of these masks. In fact for a short period these masks were banned because too many creeps got encouraged to kill people wearing the mask. Spooky!

#18 - Drag Me to Hell
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUZTybLlWKI

Plot: Drag me to hell focuses on a loan officer trying to impress her boss, so she decides to evict an old women from her home, thinking it would make her look good. But soon after she find herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try and ave her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point.

Why you should watch this: This film is relentlessly scary and the use of horrible bile, blood, bugs and maggots create some rather disturbing and grotesque scenes. Sam Rami the director will make you really feel for this young women who all this is happening to because she's very sweet, yet everything that is going on around her is definitely not!

#19 - Case 39 - 2009
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ok-5lWGBQr8


Plot: This film is centered around an idealistic social worker who saves a poor abused 10 year old little girl from her supposedly horrible cold-hearted parents only to discover that the girl is not as innocent as she thinks and the situation is more dangerous than she ever expected.

Why you should watch this: Case 39 has such a great twist to, making the narrative very intriguing and tense to watch. Some scenes could be seen as quite disturbing and violent, especially some of the child abuse bits. In general, a extremely gripping horror film from the very first scene to the last.




#20 - The Skeleton Key - 2005
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tihW0Uik4WE


Plot: A young hospice nurse us hired to care for the unwell husband of an elderly women in the couples home, a foreboding and decrepit mansion. Intrigued by the couple and their mysterious and secretive ways Caroline explores the house using a skeleton key to unlock all the doors. However the deadly and terrifying secret she unlocks in the attic would have been better left forgotten.

Why you should watch this: This is a creepy horror/thriller full of really effective and spooky eerie scenes, making you ask numerous question right from the start. Not to worry though because all questions are answered and the ending is great. Also there are some genuinely scary and jumpy moments with a few twists that should take you completely by surprise!


Friday 25 July 2014

Films that have terrible endings

Okay, so I know the ending of a film is one of the hardest things to get right, but there is nothing that annoys me more than watching a great film, then getting let down at the last minute! Even worse; sitting through a terrible film, only to hope for an amazing ending, but no, the ending is terrible too. Here are a few films that do exactly that...

Man on  a Ledge

    

Why the ending is terrible: Firstly the entire film revolves around 'Nick' the main character who is trying to prove that he is not a thief. Yet he steals the diamond which his being accused of stealing, that he didn't actually steal in the first place. If that makes any sense. 

Secondly to finally prove his innocence he makes the decision to jump off the top of a 20 story building, yes, that is VERY high, onto a big blobby thing which the likely hood of him jumping on target was near to impossible, anyway he does. Some may see it as a miracle. I choose to see it as darn right ridiculous. 

When he lands, he runs over to the guy who framed him, gives him a smack, takes the supposedly real diamond out of his pocket and holds it up to the police who immediately jump to their conclusion by arresting the guy, without taking into any consideration that the diamond in Nicks hand might actually be fake. Which it is, because Nick has hidden the real one somewhere else.

To top things off when Nick eventually steals the real diamond, he gives it to his dad to look after, assuming that his dad is a semi intelligent guy, when he clearly isn't because the first thing he does is place the diamond in his pocket. yes that's right, he puts a 40 MILLION POUND DIAMOND IN HIS BLOODY POCKET!! REALLY!?

Titanic


Why the ending is terrible: For those who have watched this film you will know it's absolutely brilliant! However the ending has some serious flaws. One being Jacks freezing cold death. He died because there just wasn't enough room for him on that piece of wood. Well I say B***S***!! And this photo I found on the internet does a pretty good job of explaining why...


The other flaw is basically Rose. You would of thought after all that suffering those poor people had to go through, she would of felt just a tiny bit bad. Obviously not, because at the end she chucks her 'priceless' diamond into the ocean, when she could of donated it to charity in remembrance of all those lower class people who lost their lives due to the fact that higher class people like Rose were apparently more important. Pfft, rich people. Even worse she tells Jack she'll 'never let go' as she lets go of his frozen corpse... wow, shes mean.

Signs


Why the ending is terrible: Aliens are pretty cool right, so its only fair that something pretty cool can defeat them, well not in this film! Because their weakness is water, are you kidding me!? The only reason why Mel Gibsons character even finds this out is because some guy says 'they don't like water'. C'mon, could M. Night Shyamalan (the writer/director) really not think of anything more adventurous? So Graham (Mel Gibson) manages to defeat the aliens by literally, chucking glasses of water over them.

Anyway, what Aliens  even come to a planet that is 80% water, when their weakness is water... To say I was expecting a better ending would be an understatement. 

The Machinist 


Why the ending is terrible: It was all a dream. enough said.

If you have any films that you think deserve a mention, let me know and I shall add them to the post!

Monday 4 November 2013

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa - Review.

If you are even just slightly human, then this comedy by director Jeff Tremaine should definitely make you cringe at some of it's unbelievable jaw dropping scenes that will most likely question your own morals and make you think 'should I be laughing at that?', but not to worry because you will burst out with laughter anyway, due to the pure hilarity created by the sheer brilliant performances of Johnny Knoxville and Jackson Nicoll. 

In this Jackass series spin off, Johnny Knoxville's signature character, eighty-six year old Irving Zisman, who is an extremely wrinkly, scraggy, impertinent and outrageously inappropriate elderly man that has some how landed his very own film. When his problem ridden junkie daughter suddenly appears to ask for a favor he is forced to travel across America on an unlikely journey with his somewhat supposedly innocent, chubby eight year old grandson Billy (Jackson Nicoll) who needs to be united with his hopeless money grabbing, estranged father. At first Irving finds Billy an annoying chore, but he soon realises the fun they could have together.

Check out the trailer... (For those using mobile phones, the video may not show, so instead just click the link)


Irving Zisman will take you along for the ride on possibly the best hidden camera road trip ever captured on camera. Despite it not following in the exact footsteps of the other Jackass installments, and instead being a more narrative driven prankster film, it still manages to make you fall victim to the exhilarating hilarity of the pranks Billy and Irving play on the unsuspecting public. 
Although Irving doesn't seem like the most likely candidate to look after a kid, what with using Billy to 'talk dirty' to women that his in to and getting him drunk for the first time, he still manages to teach Billy some life lessons and experiences that certainly nobody else could pull off quite like how he has. Along the way Irving will introduce young Billy to new people, places and situations which will make you question the meaning of 'babysitting'. The two will come face to face with some very unhappy beauty pageant contestants as well as their equally unhappy mothers, some African-American male strippers at a Ladies Night,  funeral home mourners, hairy biker patrons and hundreds of unfortunate and completely real citizens, with real reactions, however put in some seriously unreal situations, making it definitely one to watch and be ready for a few surprises! 

Make it rain, that's all I'm saying. 
(Don't worry, watch the film and you'll understand!)

Rated 15 for it's strong crude and sexual content throughout, language some graphic nudity and brief drug use.

Sunday 13 October 2013

Movie Money Madness.

When we watch a film, all we see is what's happening on the screen, very few of us think about what goes on behind the scenes and what takes places to make it happen. A great film, and even a bad film doesn't get released after just a few months of work, it can take years, in fact ten years in James Camerons case with Avatar. This is because making a film takes huge amounts of effort and preparation, but ultimately what makes it happen is money. However as we know, nothing in this world is free, and the film industry is definitely no exception to this. Therefore this post is all about ridiculous pay checks, huge budgets and just money down the drain...

Complete destruction in Casino Royale - 2006

This action-packed thriller by Martin Campbell and starring Daniel Craig had a budget of £110 million. And no wonder. Because in one single afternoon, three Aston Martin's were destroyed in result of perfecting the car roll sequence. But wait, there's more... Each car is valued at £220,000!! Now look at that beautiful car in the picture to the left and picture it being destroyed three times for a five minute clip. Now this may just be me being tight, but what a waste!

                    That's what I call a hungry cast in The Hobbit, An Unexpected Journey - 2012

For this film, Peter Jackson, the director had a huge budget of £414 million and I'm glad he spent that money wisely. As during the making of The Hobbit, he managed to spend £1.1 million on food! Obviously. Also £281,000 on coffee. That's a lot of hyperactive dwarfs!
A man of few words in Terminator 2: Judgement Day - 1991

In the second film of the Terminator series, our Terminator is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some may call him an action hero and some people like myself will call him an awful actor, which is why this next figure annoys me so much. Because Arny managed to rake in a salary of £12 million. But more annoyingly, he only spoke 700 words in the entire film! That means roughly £16,000 per word! So 'Hasta la vista baby' got him £64,000. That's just not fair.

Over priced ridiculousness in Tenacious D, Pick of Destiny - 2006 

In this Rock-Comedy, the makers, Kyle Gas & Jack Black certainly didn't hold back when spending a bit of cash. In one short scene the camera pans across the famous Hollywood sign for only a few seconds, costing them £37,000. They show another short clip of  old school rock star Pete Townshend, power sliding. To get this clip they had to ring up an ask the man himself. Allegedly he said 'of course, but it will cost you £150,000' So that's what they paid. These little things don't come cheap!

                         Every body loves an underdog  in The Shawshank Redemption - 1994

In 1994, the film Shawshank Redemption was released. Those who have watched it will probably say it's one of the best films they have ever seen. So how come it done so bad at the box office? This film cost 18 million to make, and only just about scraped a profit, as hardly anyone went to see it. Yet nearly two decades later, the film that barely managed to pay for itself, is ranked No.1 on the IMDb's Top 250 Films of All Time list. Turning their tiny profit, into a not so tiny profit!

Loosing money in Run For Your Wife - 2012

Most people from Britain know that Danny Dyer always plays a tough, violent character in the usual gangster flicks. But  recently the actor decided to change things up and go for a comedy role in this extremely  sh*t film called 'Run For Your Wife' I doubt you have heard of it. This may have been Dyer's worst ever decision. As the film made an immense £747 at the box office! Yes I'm being sarcastic. £747 is beyond embarrassing, especially as the film cost £2.5 million to make. Which means that, at this rate, it would have to show for another 3,347 weeks to break even. Which is about 65 years. Awkwaaard.



Ever wondered how much actors really get paid? Well don't wonder. Because trust me, you don't want to know!... Warning: The figures you're about to read below are truly ridiculous and might make you want to cry. 

In order for actors to make a serious fortune, they must demand more than just a single salary. They also need to make sure that they get a small percentage in the films revenue. For example, if Brad Pitt does a movie, he may want 10% of the film's revenue on top of his £20 million salary. That would mean he would get 10% of the movie gross revenue. So if his movie goes on to earn £100 million, Brad Pitt is entitles to an additional £10 million (10% of £100 million). This is partially why some of the actors below get insane paychecks! I shall now present Hollywood's highest paid actors...

Tom Cruise - The 50 year old actor gets on average about £15 million per film that he stars in as a main character. His highest paying role so far has been Agent Ethan Hunt in the Mission Impossible franchise, as he raked in a total of £216 million from it. Cruise made £52 million off the first film, £56m off the second, £56m off the third and £52m off the fourth. Resulting in the largest cumulative paycheck any actor has ever received for a single part.

Keanu Reeves - In The Matrix trilogy, Reeves earned a total of £193 million. For the first film he was paid a salary of £7.4 million with a percentage of 10%. The Matrix eventually made £340 million worldwide, so he bagged a total payment of £40 million. The second one earned him £93 million and finally he received £60 million for the third one. The £93m that Keanu earned from the second film, The Matrix: Reloaded, is the largest paycheck ever received for a single film. And to think Will Smith turned the part down!


Johnny Depp - Depp's totally improvised portrayal of the highly praised character, Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean , definitely paid off! Literally. As the 4 part series earned him a total of £137 million. He made £15m for the first, £44m for the second, £37m for the third and £41m for the fourth. There has also been rumors of Depp returning for a future fifth installment and that he has negotiated a deal that could be worth £70 million, which will include a cute of merchandise, DVD sales and the box office earning. That's a lot of cash for one guy!

Tom Hanks - When Hanks realised that the production of Forrest Gump was going extremely over budget, he wisely handed over half his £7 million pay check, so that shooting could continue without any half measures, in exchange of a 10% share in the overall revenue. Smart guy. Because his £7 million pay day turned into a £52 million payday on top of a Best Actor Academy Award. That's what I call a good result.


Jaden Smith - Finally, Jaden Smith is our highest paid child actor, despite his dad Will and Jada having an enormous fortune, he has chose not to slob around but to  follow in his parents foot steps and make his own fortune, being already worth £6 million at just the age of 15. Back in 2010 Jaden played the role of Dre Parker in The Karate Kid, earning him a total of £2.2 million, making him the highest paid actor for a single film. That's a lot of money for a 12 year old!