JenEvans1 Reviews

An Awkward Sexual Adventure (2012)

Better than it sounds!

[8/10 · 12 April 2013]

The plot summary on IMDb describes this as a quest for sexual experience, with strip clubs, sensual massage parlours, cross-dressing and S & M.

Now if all this sounds a bit exotic to you, don't be alarmed, 'cause it is really just a comedy romance, and a very good one at that! (although I must admit that my husband, not a fan of my romcoms, elected to watch this with me haha) Basically its the same old story of nice guy taken for granted by selfish girlfriend who meets stripper with heart of gold and as you might have guessed it all ends delightfully. The nice guy (Jonas Chernick) was not much of a catch in my opinion - he chased after his ex girlfriend with annoying eagerness even to the point of leaving the stripper manacled and helpless - not very promising boyfriend material!. (And for the life of me I didn't really understand why he had to dress up in womens clothes, - or for that matter why he enjoyed it so much??!!) Still, everyone to their own taste ...

His selfish girlfriend Sarah Manninen) was entertaining and bitchy to the max - go Sarah! I enjoyed her performance. And the stripper (Emily Hampshire)turned out to be just a home body at heart, and a dab hand at home baking - Yes its true!!

Id recommend this - despite the fact that it was very predictable it was also funny, and really enjoyable to watch. Im giving it an 8.

The Brass Teapot (2012)

Surprisingly good

[8/10 · 18 March 2013]

I read the plot for this one and thought that it sounded a bit lame. But it was, in fact surprisingly good! It was certainly original - even though we could guess what would happen at times, when it did happen it was much more entertaining than expected.

The stars, Juno Temple and Michael Angarono were a great combination. But the plot didn't rely solely on its central characters to provide the fun - there were a couple of great sub-plots in there - the sister and her husband were an excellent addition to the storyline, as were their snooty friends.

I thought that the inventive ways in which the characters tortured themselves was hilarious, for me the only danger seemed to be that at some point the plot would get too dark and lose its sense of humour. But I'm glad to say that it didn't'. Im scoring this an 8 because I really did enjoy it all the way to the end!

The Watch (I) (2012)

It was OK

[5/10 · 20 December 2012]

Not exactly a terrible movie. I have seen a lot worse. I mean, its not Men in Black (although it would obviously like to be and does try hard) That said, Ben Stiller gives his normal funny-guy-caught-up-in-some-weird-trouble performance which is OK, but will never rival Something About Mary (Although he would obviously like it to and yes, he does try hard)

Vince Vaughn was OK. Richard Ayoade was OK. Jonah Hill was OK.

And the plot? That's OK, too. Very predictable but watchable. To be honest, the whole thing was just mediocre. Seen it all before and much better versions than this one.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you need to kill some time. OK?

The Tall Man (2012)

Loved it

[8/10 · 1 August 2012]

I thought this was a great film. There were so many twists that it kept me engrossed from beginning to end.

I had read the other reviews so I realised it was not a horror (and it's not)it is more of a psychological thriller, but since I personally prefer suspense type films anyway it was a plus for me! The acting was superb, the characters all believable and as the twists kept coming it just got better and better.

If you want to see a good, entertaining thriller with lots of suspense then this is definitely one for you. If you want blood and lots of gore then don't bother.

As for me, I loved it.

Café (II) (2011)

Why did I bother?

[4/10 · 27 July 2012]

Was expecting this to be something a little different, and it was.But not necessarily in a good way. The characters in this were all quite interesting so I stayed with it even though I was not really taken with the plot (what there was of it). To be honest, the whole thing was more like a play than a movie and, like many a play, it focused on lots of characters so there was no real depth to any of them.

The idea of all of them being parts of a computer program invented by a young girl was interesting but sadly it was never believable. And I am sorry to say that the ending was dire. First we had JLH dead, then we had the 'Oh its OK now, none of it has happened and lets all forget about it' scenario. I felt cheated by this.

And a big cheer for Uncle Tantra, who suggested that the guy in the corner was writing the script for this. I could go along with this if the guy had looked even more brain dead.

Still, I did watch it and I didn't hate it (much) until the end. So I'm giving this one four for effort (and believe me that's generous).

Detention (2011)

Tries too hard

[2/10 · 19 July 2012]

Sorry but this movie is just a waste of time. It tries very hard to be cool and quirky but sadly it ends up just being really annoying.

Some folks have compared this to the Scream movies - What an insult to the Scream movies!! (which by the way I adore) Now THERE is an example of funny, quirky, etc.

The plot of this one (what there was of it) was difficult to follow, kept jumping about and left me feeling very irritated. Personally, I didn't find it at all funny - it tried too hard and ended up failing on all levels.

I didn't care about any of the characters but was only too glad to see the back of them as they each met their ends at the hands of the laughable 'villain'. My only regret is that he didn't get them all.

Wish I hadn't bothered.

Sleeping Beauty (2011)

Possibly the worst film I have ever seen.

[1/10 · 28 January 2012]

Yes, this IS the worst film I have ever seen! Pretentious, indescribably boring and completely without rhyme or reason.

I have read the other reviews, and I understand that there is supposed to be a lot of symbolism in this film, but honestly, when there is so much that you just cannot follow the story then is it worth watching it?

I stuck with it until the end in the vain hope that someone in it would do something I could figure out but - nope, no such luck.... Okay, I admit it! I just DIDN'T UNDERSTAND IT!!! Could it be that I'm simply stupid? Or could it be that I fell asleep half way through? (No,honestly I didn't but I wish I had!) Or could it be that this film is a complete waste of space? Believe what you will. I may not be Brain of Britain but I do love a good film and this was NOT one. End of.

Panic Button (2011)

What a disaster.

[13 November 2011]

This film is dreadful.

It looks like it has been put together by a couple of ten year olds who cannot have spent more than half of their (combined) pocket money.

The whole thing - apart from a few minutes at the beginning - takes place on a plane (and a very small one at that) and to say it is a cheap and and nasty effort is if anything generous. None of the characters were likable, I didn't care in the slightest what happened to them and the only reason I watched it all was that I just couldn't believe it wouldn't improve. (But actually I wished I hadn't watched it as the ending was so lame I could have cried).

Honestly, the whole thing has been done many times before and much - very much believe me! - better. Why waste your time?

Trespass (2011)

Entjertaining

[18 October 2011]

This is the kind of film you should choose when you just want to relax and be entertained. It's not an epic but then - come on lets be honest - Nick Cage's films seldom are. However, they are nearly always enjoyable and even though I can never take him too seriously because of his southern drawl (he never really manages to convince that he is desperate or afraid, does he?) this one is still very watchable.

Accent aside, he gives a good solid performance. (Nicole Kidman, on the other hand, turns in a surprisingly weak one.) The plot is pretty standard, very predictable, but I for one enjoyed it right up to the end so in my opinion it delivered.

Tucker and Dale vs Evil (2010)

Amazingly Funny!

[9/10 · 18 May 2011]

I LOVED this film. I really did! This has to be one of the funniest films I have seen in ages - well, the first 45 minutes of it, anyway. After that, although the film was still great, the humour became a little darker as the plot {???!!} took shape. I've got to admit that by this time I had absolutely no idea where this was going or how it could all end....

However, I wasn't disappointed with the ending - as is so often the case with these sort of films. All too often, with a film like this, we are left hanging at the end with most of it unexplained. But here all the strings of the plot were drawn together neatly and I'm pleased to say that there were no questions left unanswered.

Tyler Labine and Alan Tudyk were amazing and even though I'd never even heard of either of them before this I am now a fan.

And for those of you who (like me!!) hate gory horror I can truthfully say that all though it WAS gory, it was so incredibly funny that the horror didn't matter at all. Suffice to say that my 'scary cushion' (for over my eyes) was not used once! So all in all a great night's entertainment and definitely one to watch with friends.

The Resident (2011)

Gave me the creeps

[8/10 · 5 March 2011]

Girl takes apartment going cheaply, goes out jogging, has flirtation with the landlord, gets the creepy feeling that she is being watched - all this reminded me so much of Sharon Stones part in 'Sliver'. However, whilst in 'Sliver' we were never quite sure who was doing the creeping, in this case it soon becomes obvious that Jeffrey Dean Morgan aka Max aka the landlord, is the sicko - and what a sicko he is !!! Although at first he had reminded me of George Cloooney so I kinda fancied him, soon my flesh was crawling and when he lay under her bed and did that finger-sucking thingy I was totally revolted. And no, the fact that we knew that he was the villain didn't detract from the film because we could then watch him charming(???) Juliet (Hilary Swank)and loathe him even more... bliss! Of course, if you wanted to be picky, you could point out that when Juliet gets the blood results from the hospital, she is a bit of a thicko to go back to his house. She was even more of a thicko not to have finished him off when she got the upper hand - but then again if heroines did that sort of thing we wouldn't be half as scared behind our cushions the end of these kind of films, now would we? I'm giving it 8 points because I really enjoyed being creeped out.

Sanctum (2011)

Marvellous

[9/10 · 26 February 2011]

A wonderful film. I had read a couple of reviews on IMDb and decided that it did not sound very good, but how wrong they were! I really don't know much about photography, directors, producers (or even many of the actors) so I always just base my reviews on whether or not I was entertained by the film and this time - three cheers! - I was! It was exciting - The cave scenes gave a claustrophobic feel to it and a couple of times I felt quite panicky myself! The photography was stunning enough to take my breath away. The plot was good enough to hold me enthralled right to the end. (Of course, it was not a particularly original plot but then again very few are and considering the numbers of films being churned out every day we can't be surprised if most of them use and re-use plots.) But this one was very well done. I felt sympathetic to the characters so I did want to know how it all turned out and although bits of it were predictable, it all made perfect sense (another plus for me!). To sum up, here's a film that I watched from start to finish and I enjoyed every bit of it.

Travellers (2011)

Poor

[4/10 · 23 February 2011]

Sorry, but this film is awful. I really did want to like it. After all, its British, has motorbikes in it and even Charley Boorman - with so much going for it, its a real pity that it was so dire....

I gave it one point for Charley, one for the bikes and two for the surprise bit in the story -no, I didn't see it coming, so it does rate a couple of points for that.

But overall the plot was non-existent, the acting was dreadful and neither Charley nor the bikes were in it after the first five minutes anyway. (Actually, I wonder why Charley Boorman was in it - what on earth was he thinking about? Maybe they should have hired him as one of the bikers?)

The fighting scene was OK but not really my cup of tea.

All things considered, I must say I agree with 'Silly Sausage' on this one.

Never Let Me Go (2010)

Disappointing

[4/10 · 13 January 2011]

To be honest, I'm not too sure about this one. I was intrigued by it, I wanted to know where it was going, and it did keep me interested enough to watch until the end.

Keira Knightley as Ruth was a surprising choice, yet her under-stated performance was convincing.

The huge injustice that this film described seemed all the more terrible because of the compliance of its victims, but although the cast as a whole played their parts well the lack of any real storyline meant they hadn't got much to work with. I felt that so much more could have been done with the subject, instead we were treated to a sort of documentary of their lives.

By the end of the film I was feeling disappointed - I suppose I was expecting a little bit more than it delivered.

Abandoned (2010 Video)

Can it get any worse?

[1/10 · 4 January 2011]

A total waste of space. Dean Cain has been in some awful films since his Superman days but this has got to be the worst so far! (Apart from that one with the dragon, and that was so bad it was kind of good).

The film was predictable, boring and completely trite. This particular plot has already been done to death and even the 'twist' at the end - which we had all seen coming since the first five minutes - yawn, yawn - was nothing new.

I can forgive an unoriginal plot, sometimes I even like the familiar old ones. And I am quite fond of Dean Cain. But, honestly, the acting was sooooooo bad!! Don't bother.

The Search for Santa Paws (2010 Video)

Kids will love it

[8/10 · 30 November 2010]

Watched this with our grandchildren aged eight and four and they were absolutely enthralled! I can understand why the other reviewer criticised it, if you compare it to the Santa Clause ones, then it certainly falls short but then most Christmas films would, wouldn't they?. Just because a film is not the best one in a category doesn't mean that its a failure. This one certainly isn't! Don't forget you are dealing with children here and they have not seen the hundreds of Christmas films that we adults have. I would guess that they are not watching to see whether the dog's voices are in sync with their mouths, either.... My grandchildren loved it. I won't hear a word against it. Nuff said?

Catfish (2010)

A complete waste of time.

[1/10 · 11 November 2010]

I was intrigued by what I read here on this site about this film.

I had expected some sort of surprise or shock at the end and in this I was disappointed. There IS no surprise, no shock, nothing that would be of interest to anyone with half a brain..... I mean, I realised what was happening in the first TEN minutes of the film, and I am not normally so intuitive, believe me! I really cannot believe that the 'revelation' came as a shock or even a mild surprise to anyone!! It was all so LAME....!! I truly regret that I wasted my time sitting through it. It was not even interesting. It was just one big nothing from start to finish! What a complete waste of time!

Frozen (I) (2010)

Entertaining

[8/10 · 12 September 2010]

I really enjoyed this film. It was tense, exciting but not horrific. I'm not a fan of the blood and gore type of films so this one suited me fine.

I'll admit I did spend the first thirty minutes thinking there must be more to the story - the plot seemed so simple and I was expecting other elements to be introduced to pad it out but to be honest there's just no need for any complicating sub-plots. What there was was a satisfyingly gripping story which kept us entertained throughout. (And yes, I did have to hide my face behind a cushion for some of it).

As to how believable the plot is - Well, I suppose that like us, most folks watching this film will have their own theories about how they could've escaped long before the characters on screen - I mean, the obvious question is why didn't they use scarves to lower themselves down or something?. And why on earth didn't that girl keep her hand in her pocket and her hood up?

But - hey, its good fun and very watchable so don't knock it. Enjoy!

Burning Bright (2010)

What an entertaining film!!

[8/10 · 21 August 2010]

Really great little film. It is a very simple concept - young woman and child running from man eating tiger - and the twist is that this time they are inside a house which has been boarded up. It may sound unbelievable, but if you can manage to suspend disbelief it really is well worth a watch. There is, in fact, a reason for the house being boarded up and there is also a reason for the tiger being there so its actually not as daft as it sounds.

I must admit that we spent most of the film yelling for her to watch out and close the doors behind her (elementary, really) but despite its faults this film managed to keep us on the edge of our seats and I would happily recommend it.

Naked Fear (2007)

An entertaining hour or so.

[6/10 · 2 August 2010]

Spoilers in this one.

Quite a decent film if you are not feeling too picky.

Im not too certain that if I were in the heroines position - ie hunted by some maniac with a crossbow in the middle of no-where I would be running around with one arm over my boobs and the other hand shielding my modesty..... I don't think, either, that I would keep shouting 'Won't someone help me?' at the top of my voice when said maniac was nearby. This woman obviously never played hide and seek when she was little.

All in all, though, this may not have been of the most original films I have ever seen but it was entertaining and not quite as stupid as I had expected. I've seen a lot worse! If you have nothing better to do, this is worth a watch. Enjoy.

The Eclipse (2009)

Complete waste of time!

[1/10 · 5 July 2010]

This is possibly the worst film that I have ever seen! I only watched it because with a 6.6 rating, I thought it might have something to recommend it. How wrong I was! The acting was wooden, the plot could have been written by a four year old and I have to admit that I didn't even understand what was going on for most of the film. (Although I did drop off to sleep once so that may have been my own fault...) Honestly, I kept on watching because I thought that maybe something would happen (but nothing did!). It was dire, it was dreadful, it was an appalling waste of time and if anyone out there is unsure whether or not to see it my advice is don't even think about it.

Timer (2009)

Loved it !!

[8/10 · 30 June 2010]

What an original film! As far as rom-coms go this one is far better than most, it was entertaining, funny and thought provoking.

The idea of being able to recognise 'the one' is intriguing and the plot plays with this concept cleverly yet without ever taking itself too seriously. The characters were likable, (and Dan, played by Desmond Harrington is definitely easy on the eye, girls mmm!!) Mikey was sweet too (a very believable and entertaining performance from John P Amedon).

Without giving anything away, it was a great story and I liked the ending too.

All in all a great film for a girly night.

And whats wrong with that?

Shutter Island (2010)

What a waste of time!

[1/10 · 31 March 2010]

There are so many reviews already that I hesitated before deciding to give yet another one, but here it is anyway, one more for the 'this movie was utter crap' brigade.

AND IT WAS! It tried so hard to be clever, yet it hit you over the head with its stupid 'hints' and 'clues' when we had already guessed the guy was mad anyway (as were we for watching this pile of drivel) L de C spent the whole film with a painfully bewildered expression on his face (or was he just trying to figure out ways to get his name off the credits?) The acting was wooden sometimes, over the top others. What more can I say?? Please please do not waste your time.

From Paris with Love (2010)

Fast paced fantastic action from the gorgeous John Travolta

[8/10 · 31 March 2010]

Wow I really loved John Travolta in this. It's so many years since Grease and he's changed his style (and looks!) so much but I don't think I've ever seen him in a film that I didn't enjoy.

In this very violent film he shows yet another side of his talent. He takes a tough, brutal character and plays it a little tongue in cheek, so we still end up liking his character and wanting to see more.

Basically, Wax (John T) is on the trail of terrorists, aided and abetted by a partner who has absolutely no idea what is going on. The fight scenes are terrific, John Travolta's moves actually reminded me a bit of the old Steven Segal karate scenes, (although he could never pretend to fight as well as Steven Segal, he now comes across as quite believable in these scenes). I enjoyed the relationship between him and Rhys Meyers (who, although a bit wimpy, does his best to keep up with JT).

I could see this as a TV series although they would obviously have to cut out so much of the shooting and fighting that there would be no point in doing it anyway!! And yes, the film is, as others before me have commented, totally unbelievable but I honestly don't see the problem with that! When I watch a film I want to be entertained, not bored.

For any John Travolta fans this is a must see, and even those of you who don't love him (IS there anyone out there who doesn't - surely no females anyway?!!) it is a very entertaining, fast paced thriller and I recommend it to you all.

The Escapist (2008)

Absolutely Brilliant!

[10/10 · 18 June 2009]

This has to be one of the best films I have ever seen! And the surprising thing is, it is not one that I would have wanted to see normally.

I tend to like either science fiction, romance, comedies, etc and hardly ever watch prison escape or crime films. I think they're more of a 'man' thing? Anyway, my husband wanted to see this one so I thought I'd show willing, but honestly, I've got to admit, it just blew me away. It was fantastic! I won't go into the plot, suffice to say that it was gripping enough so that after the first few minutes I was totally engrossed. The acting was superb, the characters so vivid and couldn't wait to see how it would all end.

And I wasn't disappointed! I honestly never saw that twist at the end coming, I was genuinely shocked. What a great film! If you haven't seen it you absolutely must!