willcundallreview

The Bridge is a documentary film that is thought provoking but also at the same time slightly morbid. It centres around of course the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and all of the suicides that take place there every year, it also alongside that shows how the deaths of certain people who jumped have affected the families and friends of their loved one's. The people behind this I feel do not want to make it look so much like "Why didn't you stop them from jumping?" (the crew placed cameras around the bridge filming all suicides that were witnessed) but somehow and especially with the last suicide we see, you do feel that.

Eric Steel is the man behind this all and although it never feels quite like some horrible documentary that doesn't respect the dead, it can at times as mentioned feel just a little like we are just watching people die (which we are). One thing I think this does get right is the way in which it really captures the emotion the families are going through and never just focuses constantly on the death of someone; it is pretty depressing at times but some of the reactions of the family are one's of acceptance, they have accepted the fact that their loved one wanted to die and although I can't say are at peace, they understand why it happened.

It's not a watch I can really recommend on an interesting level, to be fair it does fill time a lot with random shots of the fog on the bridge and just of random little things, nice to see yes but really just all time filler. I feel if the documentary had brought up points about the safety of the bridge and why no things up to that point had been done to stop people from jumping then this would have had a bit more depth but in the end it feels just a little disjointed and although thought provoking, never brings a point up. It could be said also though that the whole thing brings the point up which is true but also it fails to address that the jumping's are preventable and that people have put work in trying to get it to happen one day soon in the near future.

Really overall the film is one that is watchable and although many may watch this in a way that shocks them, it fast becomes the norm in this to see a little splash far off in the bay which is really not a good thing at all. I will say though that I think people should watch this, it not only goes to serve as a piece that makes you think about things but also shows that life really can be that tough on some so that what some people think is well unthinkable, it is a thing that can happen and does happen, The Golden Gate Bridge is just one of those places where it happens.

Now this is how you do a summer blockbuster, the Avengers is a movie that not only throws you full blown special effects action and laughter, but actually a little emotion too and that makes all the difference. The story see's well the Avengers Assemble, bad things are coming toward the security of the globe and so S.H.I.E.L.D gather together superheroes and the like to come to try and come to the rescue. It may not sound like the best film through my explanation but believe me this is pretty epic as movies like this go, the film only goes to show that superhero movies can be great and that special effects don't always ruin a movie every time.

Joss Whedon directs this and writes this and hey does he do a good job, not only does he make it thrilling and fast, he also manages to let the movie never take itself completely seriously, the jokes here and there and fantastic. Whedon also manages as mentioned to create a film that has these impossible things on show and yet they don't just look stupid, I felt at first glance that this would look too over the top in the Sci-fi department but really they actually work very well all the gadgets etc. The action quota is thoroughly taken care of as well and yet again the fighting scenes have a little tinge of humour in there making this movie a whole host of things.

Of course with such a big film comes a big cast and this movie throws stars at you left right and centre including such names as Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson. To any person who has seen Marvel movies beforehand then you will know a lot of the cast, this movie is of course many other movies meeting on the same path. As the acting goes it is hard to really spot who stands out above the rest, everyone does a good job and no one lets the team down, I particularly liked Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man as he just breathes a lot of humour into this. I was never overly sure on the role of S.H.I.E.L.D in this and some of the cast who are in the organisation don't get the best lines exactly, Whedon does though manage to get Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) to be pretty cool at times.

I think the special effects here are pretty nice, I mean come on the film's budget is huge but it's the way in which it looks that makes it feel different to other big blockbusters. Not only do we have movies coming together as one but we also see a film that uses effects on a huge scale and then also although having to use them a hell of a lot, still the movies does not suffer so badly. Films will never look quite right using effects but the Avengers goes a long way in making a movie that is huge on them and yet does not make it look ugly or something to condone as bad.

All in all the film is great, and I mean it, great fun, great acting and just some great thrills to be had. Marvel do seem to pump out movies everywhere and I am glad that the Avengers has not been lost in the massive whirlpool that is Marvel movies, it stands out because it's so big and epic and is definitely a memorable one. I would say this is one for the fans but I have no idea in truth, although I will say that I don't think many people can find a whole host of problems with this, it's a film that has been cared for and made in a way that is not just a little escapism and that is it, it's something you can watch again.

D.O.A is a 1950's film noir all about a man who has been poisoned and we see him then trying to find out who did it and why. It's a film that could almost feel like something from Hitchcock but no it comes from Rudolph Maté a most of the time cinematographer who had directed also though in the previous few years to this. Maté manages to create a story that is interesting but not really in my opinion one that is a classic, different yes but it feels the whole gimmick overrides this to make it look and feel like it should be a classic. Nevertheless this movie is not boring at all, with a decent running time as well it whizzes by quite nicely and the whole plot wraps itself up in just over 80 minutes.

It stars Edmond O'Brien as Frank Bigelow the man who has been poisoned, he has no idea why because he has no obvious enemies and he doesn't even know where he was poisoned. Pamela Britton, William Ching and Luther Adler join O'Brien in the cast and most do a good job but I couldn't help feel the acting is just a little bit too shaky. I just felt at certain points when the script throws up some quite dramatic part, the actors kind of go a bit over the top with what they've got, no one fails in this film but it is only some scenes are ruined by none believable acting though.

Rudolph Maté uses the script from Russell Rouse and Clarence Greene to make a very fast yet efficient film, it never gets too bogged down in its own story and although it can open up too many avenues of investigation, it still comes to a conclusion that makes sense. Maté works well with the cast at his disposal and also uses his skills with the camera to make this feel even faster then it really is, some scenes look great though even if the camera is moving about extremely fast. I also liked the bad people or person(could be either,no spoilers) in this, of course I will not claim who they are so I do not ruin for possible readers of this but although they are not superbly evil, they definitely have a ruthless streak waiting to come out.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys well film noir, I still don't think many will find this near being a masterpiece although I am sure some will enjoy it massively more than I did. I must say though I did pretty much enjoy this myself though, I never quite felt wrapped up in this mystery, you know edge of your seat kind of stuff but I did at least want to see what happened next and who was responsible and that makes this a pretty decent film from my view. Whether Maté was a better director or cinematographer well that is for those who have seen all his work to decide, he certainly manages to tell a story here and make it come across as more than just your average tale of mystery or a whodunit, he makes it OK and that is all that is needed. And so overall as said I felt it to be pretty good but not completely well, good, a movie that maybe is not the absolute best but certainly one I would tell people to go and watch.