Safety Not Guaranteed, Grabbers and More!

Time travel and bloodsucking aliens are going up against Jack Reacher in cinemas from Boxing Day. Thanks to the folks at Den of Geek, I got to see both of these films in a double bill on Tuesday 18th December. They are both getting limited releases from Boxing Day and are up against the little big man himself Tom Cruise. So if you don't fancy seeing everyone's favourite stuntman/Scientologist doing his thing in cinemas, then I can highly recommend giving either Safety Not Guaranteed or Grabbers a go.

Safety Not Guaranteed is directed by newcomer Colin Trevorrow and stars Mark Duplass as a guy who thinks he can time travel.  I have written my review of Safety Not Guaranteed for Static Mass Emporium and you can read it here. 'It may not be a film that breaks new ground for the future but it certainly has enough new to make it sufficiently different to anything you have seen in the past.'

Grabbers is a great bit of Irish fun with the locals on a secluded island finding they have to get drunk to survive an alien invasion. It's really funny, has a great cast and very impressive special effects. I wrote my review of Grabbers for Static Mass Emporium and you can read it here. 'Balancing action, horror and comedy and even squeezing in a sweet romance and love triangle, this is a low budget blockbuster with something for everyone and a real crowd pleasing vibe.'

So don't be disheartened if you don't want to see The Hobbit or the other short guy (perhaps with hairy feet... I don't know ask Katie Holmes), there are other options this festive season. It's probably a bit late but if you aren't ready to let go of the Christmas spirit, you could always read my review of It's a Wonderful Life at Filmoria which I had never seen before this Christmas Eve.

Berberian Sound Studio is also out on DVD from Monday and I reviewed it for Filmoria here. And finally if you haven't seen Life of Pi, it's still in cinemas and I reviewed it for Static Mass Emporium here calling it 'heartfelt and compelling'.

Have you seen any of these? What did you think?

Life of Pi Review @ Static Mass

My review for Ang Lee's magical Life of Pi has been published over at Static Mass Emporium and you can read it here.

I have to say I didn't expect to like this that much but, like its protagonist, I was swept away. The book sounded a little too weird for me. I had somehow got it into my head that Pi was trapped on a boat with a talking tiger. Fortunately though Pi is indeed stuck with only a Bengal tiger for company, said tiger does not actually speak. Instead he is a completely believable composite of a range of special effects that you cannot (and if you were in Pi's shoes, would not dare) take your eyes off.

A boy lost at sea for over 200 days could potentially be boring but thanks to a magnificent performance from a newcomer, some incredible effects work and some of the most stunning cinematography of the year, Life of Pi is an absolute must see on the big screen. Those who haven't been won over by 3D may want to give this a try, though until I see a 2D version, I'm not sure how essential it is.

I should stop my rambling and encourage you to head over to my review at Static Mass Emporium. The film is in UK cinemas December 20th 2012 and is set to make jaws hit floors I can promise you. But don't think it's all about stunning visuals as there is plenty of heart too. It left me with a rather uncomfortable lump in my throat by the end.

Here's a snippet from my review:

'Life Of Pi has taken eleven years to get from page to screen but is absolutely worth the wait. Ang Lee has created an unbelievably cinematic treatment of the novel. Though the film itself takes its time getting to the heart of the story, the cinematography is spellbinding, the score is stirring and newcomer Suraj Sharma gives a heartfelt and compelling performance as hero Pi.'

Have you seen it? What did you think?