The CK's Not-So-Secret Santa Review Swap: A Two Tickets For... Video Review of "Trainspotting" (1996)

Andrew: Hello readers! It's been a little while since Sarah and I have done a video review, and when our friend Nick at The Cinematic Katzenjammer invited us to take part in his Not-So-Secret Santa Review Swap (In July), we figured it was a perfect opportunity to make another one!

The basic idea is that we gave Nick a movie that we want someone else to review and he gave us a random one from a fellow blogger taking part in the blogathon. We can't really say which film we gave out, but be assured that it was one of our favorite films that we wanted someone else to watch and review. The film we were given was Trainspotting, Danny Boyle's 1996 film about heroin addicts in Scotland starring Ewan McGregor. So to check out our take on the film we were assigned, watch the video after the jump! (And don't hesitate to leave any comments after you do!)

Fee Fi Fo Fum, Bryan Singer's Latest Is Just Ho Hum: Our Review of "Jack the Giant Slayer" (2013)

Directed By: Bryan Singer (X-Men) 

Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Bill Nighy, Ian McShane

Rating: PG-13 for intense scenes of fantasy action violence, some frightening images and brief language

Run Time: 1 hour, 54 minutes

Synopsis: Young Jack (Hoult) takes some "magic beans" from a friar one day, but accidentally lets one get wet, causing an enormous beanstalk to sprout all the way to the land above the clouds where giants roam. Alas, a runaway princess was sheltering away from the rain in his house when it happens, forcing Jack to join the King's Elite Guard in a rescue attempt, and stop the king's adviser from using the giants to usurp the throne. 

REVIEW

Andrew: Hello readers! Earlier this week Sarah and I saw the new fantasy-filled action film for the whole family, Jack the Giant Slayer, starring Nicholas Hoult (Warm Bodies), Ewan McGregor (The Impossible), Stanley Tucci (The Hunger Games), Bill Nighy (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and relative newcomer Eleanor Tomlinson.

Sarah: It's a pretty big cast!

A: A big cast for a big tent-pole film, and most notably this is the latest directorial effort from Bryan Singer, of X-Men and The Usual Suspects fame. We've seen the trailers and the promotions for this movie for a while now and to be honest, it didn't really look that good to me.

S: No, I would agree with you somewhat. It seemed more fun to me, more of a no-brainer action flick than anything else. This didn't look like one where you would be forced as an audience to think very much. I don't think the trailers did a very good job promoting what the movie was going to be like.