The Next Three Days

Directed by: Paul Haggis

Released: 19 Nov 2010 USA, 5 Jan 2011 UK

Starring: Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Daniel Stern, Liam Neeson

IMDB page

He said:

This film asks the question 'what are you willing to risk in order to be with the person you love most'. Paul Haggis asks us to suspend our disbelief after the first ten minutes of the film. I think I struggled to enjoy it because of that - at no point did Crowe's character strike me as anything more than that.

That isn't to knock any of the performances in the film. I think all the actors did a fantastic job with the material they were given it just didn't do anything for me. There seem to be quite a few cameo appearances in this film that seem awkwardly wedged in and unnecessary, usually a sign of panic from the production team behind the film.

This is not a typical prison break type of film but as you can see in the trailer there is a couple of pretty impressive chase scenes in an other wise mediocre film. {{{I give 3 out of 5}}}

She said:

I found this film reasonably enjoyable. There was suspense, action, drama and surprisingly a few moments of humour too. There was something however that stopped this film being brilliant and, as James said, I think that we were required to suspend our disbelief just a little too long.

My biggest issue with films like this is that they try and make you believe that a decent person can flick a switch in their head to become a criminal mastermind who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Fortunately this film had some believable elements, which lifted it just above the same old/same old.

I really enjoyed seeing Russell Crowe in his first film since Robin Hood. I think he carried the film well and there was a strong, believable chemistry between him and Elizabeth Banks. The actors often had to portray their feelings without many words which is always a test of an actors ability and I think they passed well.

I have a few other gripes, such as actors such as Jason Beghe (who plays a police detective) who added an interesting element but were underevolved, but overall I like this film and would watch it again. I give this film {{{3 out of 5}}}

They said: The Next Three Days (interestingly the title is not present in the film... in more ways than one) is worth watching but we suggest you wait to rent it. We give it [[[6 out of 10]]]

Question for the comments: Do you prefer prison break films or heist films?

Clash of the Titans [2D] (Directed by Louis Leterrier)

IMDB page

He said:
I think we both walked out of this film pleasantly surprised. I didn't go into the theatre with huge expectations, and that alone might be why I was more impressed than displeased. This is another film that unfortunately felt the need to tack on the 3D effects after the fact. Once again it is unnecessary we enjoyed this film in it's original 2D format and did not at any point feel that we had missed out on any thing.
There are things I could gripe about, as Helen says below, the music felt less of an accompaniment and more of separate character. (think Wayans' Brothers in, well any film they are ever in.)
A nod to the original film with the mechanical owl was a nice touch, though it will mostly go unnoticed by the majority of audiences that haven't seen the original film. I enjoyed this film and wouldn't mind having it on my DVD shelf for a night in need of Epic stories with out journeying into Peter Jackson's Tolkein Universe. I give this film {{{{3.5 out of 5}}}}

She said:

We went into this not expecting great things (mainly due to our cyncical yet still adoring belief in Blockbuster films) but I actually came out pleasently surprised. There were elements of this film that I could pick at - and I will do in just a moment - but overall I enjoyed this film. It was an epic fantasy which I am a sucker for and it really wasn't terrible.

Now for the picky bit. I have two main issues. One is with the music. I felt that it could have added to the epic, grandiose story rather than walk the line of fantasy meets heavy metal. I felt like it did not quite sit right. It was too self concious rather than becoming part of the whole.

My other bone to pick was about the special effects and the reason is similar. The effects were (as you would expect) fantastic. The mythological creatures were great fun but I wanted more from them. I wanted more close ups; details of these magnificant beasts. I also wanted great, epic wide shots rather than fighting for a glimpse of the whole. I think they again were being too self-concious in their teasing of the audience. I like to be teased to a point. Then I want to see the frickin monster properly.

Apart from these things - and some occasional badly directed acting - the film was very good. I would see it again. I give this film a respectable {{{3.5 our of 5}}}

They said:

If you do want to see it, then watch in 2D. You really aren't missing much. If you have little to no knowledge of Greek mythology this will probably be a fascinating watch! We give it {{{7 out of 10}}}