Having read the book I was a little concerned that Mockingjay Part 1 would struggle to meet the standard of the first 2 movies. It covers the period between the 75th Hunger Games quarter quell of Catching Fire, and the assault on the Capitol in Part 2, as such there is very little in the way of action and fighting.
I needn't have worried, despite the lack of action, Mockingjay Part 1 is an intense psychological thriller, full of propaganda from both the capitol and the rebels, and a fight for power. The District 8 scene in particular was deeply emotional.
Jennifer Lawrence puts in a decent performance, but for me Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket steals every scene she is in.
All in all this is far better than I had feared going in, yes it lacks the action of the games from the other movies, but more than holds its own compared to Hunger Games and Catching fire 9.5/10
Thursday 20 November 2014
Saturday 15 November 2014
The Imitation Game
Benedict Cumberbatch stars as Alan Turing in this biopic of the man who broke Enigma and shortened the second world war.
Turing is a very complex character, and Cumberbatch puts in a masterful performance, doing justice to a man who to modern eyes is a genius and war hero, but who at the time was seen as something of an eccentric. Whilst parts of Turing's story are widely known, there is much in this film that I did not know, and I left the cinema with a much better understanding of the man and what happened to him.
The film jumps between 3 time periods, his school days, his work at Bletchley Park and his arrest for Indecency, but it works this very well and it doesn't feel unnatural in its chronology.
This is a superb biopic with a very intriguing subject, and I highly recommend it 9.5/10
Turing is a very complex character, and Cumberbatch puts in a masterful performance, doing justice to a man who to modern eyes is a genius and war hero, but who at the time was seen as something of an eccentric. Whilst parts of Turing's story are widely known, there is much in this film that I did not know, and I left the cinema with a much better understanding of the man and what happened to him.
The film jumps between 3 time periods, his school days, his work at Bletchley Park and his arrest for Indecency, but it works this very well and it doesn't feel unnatural in its chronology.
This is a superb biopic with a very intriguing subject, and I highly recommend it 9.5/10
Mr Turner
Timothy Spall won the best actor award at this years Canne film festival for his portrayal of the artist J M W Turner in this period biopic, it is undoubtedly a fine acting performance by Spall however his portrayal of Mr Turner is not a man with whom I would choose to spend time, and especially not 2 and a half hours.
The film lacks a cohesive narrative arc, with little sense of the passage of time, and many of the scenes could almost be put in any order as they do not bear any relevance to the scene they precede. By the two hour mark, with Turner now ill, I found myself wishing he would die quickly so that the film would be over.
This film is far to long (refer to previous post regarding length of films, that is code for boring) many of the scenes could be removed and the film would probably make more narrative sense. Whilst Spalls acting may be worthy of an award, the screenwriting is most certainly not 4/10
The film lacks a cohesive narrative arc, with little sense of the passage of time, and many of the scenes could almost be put in any order as they do not bear any relevance to the scene they precede. By the two hour mark, with Turner now ill, I found myself wishing he would die quickly so that the film would be over.
This film is far to long (refer to previous post regarding length of films, that is code for boring) many of the scenes could be removed and the film would probably make more narrative sense. Whilst Spalls acting may be worthy of an award, the screenwriting is most certainly not 4/10
Monday 10 November 2014
Interstellar
Ever since I first heard about Interstellar I was excited, this was one of my most anticipated films of 2014, arguably one of the best directors of our time, Christopher Nolan, directs last years best actor Oscar winner, what's not to like?
Interstellar is a very good film, but given my level of anticipation I was a little disappointed, it lacks that extra something that turns a very good film, into an outstanding one.
Interstellar also proves he point I made I a recent blog post about films being to long, It is nearly 3 hours in length, but I was so engrossed in the storyline that not once did I check my watch, and upon leaving the cinema I was extremely surprised by just how late it was, this is not a "long" film.
For all it's scale and size, this film lacks something, the plotline is ridiculous, especially in the 3rd act, early on in the film, much of the story is believable, however without posting plot spoilers, the final resolution of the movie and explanation of certain key elements leaves behind the realms of believable science, and strays very much toward the Fiction in Science Fiction.
On the whole though this is a very good film, with some great acting performances, and beautiful cinematography, however it's final resolution left me a little underwhelmed 8/10
Interstellar is a very good film, but given my level of anticipation I was a little disappointed, it lacks that extra something that turns a very good film, into an outstanding one.
Interstellar also proves he point I made I a recent blog post about films being to long, It is nearly 3 hours in length, but I was so engrossed in the storyline that not once did I check my watch, and upon leaving the cinema I was extremely surprised by just how late it was, this is not a "long" film.
For all it's scale and size, this film lacks something, the plotline is ridiculous, especially in the 3rd act, early on in the film, much of the story is believable, however without posting plot spoilers, the final resolution of the movie and explanation of certain key elements leaves behind the realms of believable science, and strays very much toward the Fiction in Science Fiction.
On the whole though this is a very good film, with some great acting performances, and beautiful cinematography, however it's final resolution left me a little underwhelmed 8/10
Thursday 23 October 2014
Fury
Brad Pitt stars as a tank commander in this World War II drama set in 1945 as the allies push into Germany and towards the end of the war. It features some superb acting performances, particularly from Shia Labeouf and Logan Lerman, who I am a huge fan of since seeing him in the Perks of being a wallflower, my favourite film of 2012.
Lerman plays a young fresh recruit, with no experience of war, who desperately struggles to take in the enormity of what is happening, and initially is reluctant to kill the enemy, his journey through the film and realisation of the realities of war make this a superb performance.
That said, Fury is not perfect, it suffers a little from a weak plotline in places, particularly in the first half of the film. But as world war II dramas go, this is a particularly good example, especially the final half an hour 8/10
Lerman plays a young fresh recruit, with no experience of war, who desperately struggles to take in the enormity of what is happening, and initially is reluctant to kill the enemy, his journey through the film and realisation of the realities of war make this a superb performance.
That said, Fury is not perfect, it suffers a little from a weak plotline in places, particularly in the first half of the film. But as world war II dramas go, this is a particularly good example, especially the final half an hour 8/10
Saturday 11 October 2014
The Maze Runner
The Maze Runner is the latest young adult fiction to be adapted for the big screen. Ever since the box office success of Harry Potter and Twilight, we now seem to have an endless supply of YA novels being turned into movies, and this is a fairly average example.
It follows Thomas a young man who wakes up with no memory of his past in an elevator, at the top is the glade, an area in the middle of a vast maze with seemingly no way out.
As the film progresses towards it's conclusion, and set-up for the second film, it begins to make a bit of sense, but for the first hour it is very confused. It may help to have had some more information at the outset, and I think that now we know some of what is going on, this will only aid the second movie.
The stand out performance for me is that of Will Poulter who steals the show, but his performance alone does not make up for the wooden acting of others.
I get the feeling the 2nd film will work a bit better 5/10
It follows Thomas a young man who wakes up with no memory of his past in an elevator, at the top is the glade, an area in the middle of a vast maze with seemingly no way out.
As the film progresses towards it's conclusion, and set-up for the second film, it begins to make a bit of sense, but for the first hour it is very confused. It may help to have had some more information at the outset, and I think that now we know some of what is going on, this will only aid the second movie.
The stand out performance for me is that of Will Poulter who steals the show, but his performance alone does not make up for the wooden acting of others.
I get the feeling the 2nd film will work a bit better 5/10
Sunday 5 October 2014
Gone Girl
Gone Girl stars Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike as a married couple, on their 5th Wedding Anniversary he comes home to discover her missing and signs of a struggle in the house, his wife is missing, and he is accused of her Murder.
This is a terrific thriller, featuring a gritty storyline. I think it often helps films adapted from novels when the original novelist also writes the screenplay for the movie. It is surely easier and better for someone to adapt their own work for the screen then to hatchet someone elses novel.
Rosamund Pike is fantastic and steals the show with a mesmerising performance as Amy and I'd surely an early contender in the race for the Best Actress Oscar, Much like Caté Blanchett won last year with an October release.
This is up there with the best films this year 10/10
This is a terrific thriller, featuring a gritty storyline. I think it often helps films adapted from novels when the original novelist also writes the screenplay for the movie. It is surely easier and better for someone to adapt their own work for the screen then to hatchet someone elses novel.
Rosamund Pike is fantastic and steals the show with a mesmerising performance as Amy and I'd surely an early contender in the race for the Best Actress Oscar, Much like Caté Blanchett won last year with an October release.
This is up there with the best films this year 10/10
Friday 3 October 2014
Length of Films - When is a Film to Long?
I watched Boyhood Yesterday, I shall post up a review a bit later, but at nearly 3 hours long, It got me thinking about film Length. All to often on this blog I find myself using the phrase "It is a bit to long" or "It felt a bit to long" What do I actually mean by this? Is 3 hours always to long? Is it just my attention span?
Well, Generally when I use this phrase, what I actually mean is "I was bored" where the film goes off and does something superfluous that really dosen't need to be there. Perhaps it is supposed to be an action film, such as the Recent Liam Neeson film A walk Among The Tombstones, where he spends half the movie in an Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting proving that he is definitely an alcoholic, We got the point the first time!
There are examples of quite lengthy films that did not "feel" too long, The Wolf of Wall Street is a prime example of a 3 hour film that, in my opinion, needs to be that long in order to fit everything in, so my comment regarding length is not a criticque of the running time of a movie, but more about how it uses that running time, and whether I think a movie could be improved by cutting certain sequences in order to a) reduce its length, but more importantly b) keep the movie flowing and reduce my boredom.
Well, Generally when I use this phrase, what I actually mean is "I was bored" where the film goes off and does something superfluous that really dosen't need to be there. Perhaps it is supposed to be an action film, such as the Recent Liam Neeson film A walk Among The Tombstones, where he spends half the movie in an Alcoholics Anonymous Meeting proving that he is definitely an alcoholic, We got the point the first time!
There are examples of quite lengthy films that did not "feel" too long, The Wolf of Wall Street is a prime example of a 3 hour film that, in my opinion, needs to be that long in order to fit everything in, so my comment regarding length is not a criticque of the running time of a movie, but more about how it uses that running time, and whether I think a movie could be improved by cutting certain sequences in order to a) reduce its length, but more importantly b) keep the movie flowing and reduce my boredom.
Saturday 27 September 2014
The Equaliser
The Equaliser stars Denzel Washington on a movie based on the 70's TV series starting Edward Woodward, in which he finds himself going up against the Russian Mafia.
This is perhaps a little to violent for my taste, with some of the killing going seemingly to far in its brutality, the film I think would lose little if it was a little less bloody.
At a little over 2 hours, it also feels a little long, especially early on, some of the set-up and character development could be shortened to bring this under 2 hours, as quite a chunk of the film is before the real action starts.
That said, It is a very good story and a fine performance from Denzel Washington, I much preferred this to Liam Neeson's latest offering last week 7/10
This is perhaps a little to violent for my taste, with some of the killing going seemingly to far in its brutality, the film I think would lose little if it was a little less bloody.
At a little over 2 hours, it also feels a little long, especially early on, some of the set-up and character development could be shortened to bring this under 2 hours, as quite a chunk of the film is before the real action starts.
That said, It is a very good story and a fine performance from Denzel Washington, I much preferred this to Liam Neeson's latest offering last week 7/10
Tuesday 23 September 2014
What We Did On Our Holiday
Out on Friday, What we did on our holiday is a comedy about bring up kids when Parents are divorcing.
The Parents played by David Tennant and Rosamund Pike, travel to Scotland for his Fathers birthday party whilst trying to keep up the pretence that their marriage is still intact.
Anyone with young kids I'm sure will find this brilliantly funny, particularly the kids are fantastic, and with Billy Connelly playing the Grandfather with lots of wisdom this works on just about every level.
As well as being hilarious throughout, it is also a fantastic advert for the highlands, with beautiful scenery 9/10
The Parents played by David Tennant and Rosamund Pike, travel to Scotland for his Fathers birthday party whilst trying to keep up the pretence that their marriage is still intact.
Anyone with young kids I'm sure will find this brilliantly funny, particularly the kids are fantastic, and with Billy Connelly playing the Grandfather with lots of wisdom this works on just about every level.
As well as being hilarious throughout, it is also a fantastic advert for the highlands, with beautiful scenery 9/10
Monday 22 September 2014
A Walk Among The Tombstones
Liam Neeson plays an Ex-Cop turned private Detective in a Thriller reminiscent of Taken. With Taken being such a success, and Taken 3 currently in production, Neeson is in danger of being typecast as the Ex Cop/FBI/Air Marshall.
This film suffers for all the comparison to Taken and Non Stop, mainly because it is not as good as either. The pace is very slow initially, only picking up towards the end, concentrating far to much on Character development to the detriment of plot development. How many AA meetings does he need to go to for us to understand he is an alcoholic?
If you really want to see Liam Neeson chasing and killing gangsters, watch Taken 5/10
This film suffers for all the comparison to Taken and Non Stop, mainly because it is not as good as either. The pace is very slow initially, only picking up towards the end, concentrating far to much on Character development to the detriment of plot development. How many AA meetings does he need to go to for us to understand he is an alcoholic?
If you really want to see Liam Neeson chasing and killing gangsters, watch Taken 5/10
Friday 19 September 2014
Magic in the Moonlight
Set in 1928, Woody Allen's latest movie sees Colin Firth as a Magician who is asked to help prove that a spiritual medium is a fake, however the more he watches her the more he begins to question whether she could be real.
For fans of the 20's period, this might be a good watch, with lots of period detail, clothing etc, however I am not a huge fan of period films, and this was not enough to keep my interest. Despite only being a little over the 90 minute mark this seemed to plod along at quite a pedestrian pace, until it's final act. The conclusion of the movie is very good, unfortunately the final 10/15 minutes does not make up for the previous 75.
Both Woody Allen and Colin Firth have done much better movies than this fairly recently, so this is a little underwhelming 6/10
For fans of the 20's period, this might be a good watch, with lots of period detail, clothing etc, however I am not a huge fan of period films, and this was not enough to keep my interest. Despite only being a little over the 90 minute mark this seemed to plod along at quite a pedestrian pace, until it's final act. The conclusion of the movie is very good, unfortunately the final 10/15 minutes does not make up for the previous 75.
Both Woody Allen and Colin Firth have done much better movies than this fairly recently, so this is a little underwhelming 6/10
The Giver
Quite often 2 very similar films are released close together, for example Deep Impact and Armageddon, or last years Olympus has Fallen and White House Down.
The latest teen fiction novel to be turned into a movie, The Giver is a story of a fenced in society where emotions are removed, and everyone is told how to live and what their jobs will be. Sound Familiar? There are so many similarities to Divergent, one of favorite films of this year, even down to the choosing ceremony. The problem this film has is that it is nowhere near as good as it's predecessor and with the much anticipated Hunger Games third film out soon, this is just not in the same league.
The story and concept are interesting, and the acting is passable, had this not had such movies to judge it against I might have enjoyed it more, but the standard is high, and this fails to live up to it 6/10
The latest teen fiction novel to be turned into a movie, The Giver is a story of a fenced in society where emotions are removed, and everyone is told how to live and what their jobs will be. Sound Familiar? There are so many similarities to Divergent, one of favorite films of this year, even down to the choosing ceremony. The problem this film has is that it is nowhere near as good as it's predecessor and with the much anticipated Hunger Games third film out soon, this is just not in the same league.
The story and concept are interesting, and the acting is passable, had this not had such movies to judge it against I might have enjoyed it more, but the standard is high, and this fails to live up to it 6/10
Chef
Chef was originally released back in June, however due to my local Cineworld not showing it, I missed it first time around. I have now to catch up with it on a Take Two Thursday screening.
It stars Jon Favreau as Carl Casper a former high flying Chef who is stuck in a rut cooking someone else's food. When he loses his job, he is forced to take on a food truck on a road trip across America.
In my review of the hundred foot journey I said not to go in on an empty stomach, and this is very similar, showcasing some really great American street food that left me hungry.
While the storyline is, perhaps, a little cliché, with the family man getting to spend time with his kid. This is a very pleasant feel good film, with a fantastic soundtrack of Jazz Music that had me foot tapping most of the way through, and a thoroughly enjoyable 2 hours. 9/10
It stars Jon Favreau as Carl Casper a former high flying Chef who is stuck in a rut cooking someone else's food. When he loses his job, he is forced to take on a food truck on a road trip across America.
In my review of the hundred foot journey I said not to go in on an empty stomach, and this is very similar, showcasing some really great American street food that left me hungry.
While the storyline is, perhaps, a little cliché, with the family man getting to spend time with his kid. This is a very pleasant feel good film, with a fantastic soundtrack of Jazz Music that had me foot tapping most of the way through, and a thoroughly enjoyable 2 hours. 9/10
Friday 12 September 2014
A Most Wanted Man
Based on a John Le Carre novel, A Most Wanted Man is one of the final films made by Phillip Seymour Hoffman before his death. Unfortunately it is not one of his most memorable.
It is in essence a spy film (I would have used the word thriller except it lacks any real thrills) It opens up with a couple of sentences about how Hamburg was where 9/11 was plotted, but then lacks any real sense that what they are doing is preventing terrorism. It has a very distinct lack of terrorist threat. I'm not saying it needs to be a cliché last minute save the world, but there is absolutely no sense that anyone they are spying on is actually plotting anything.
The storyline line is weak and lacks any sense of momentum, Seymour Hoffman's half attempt at a German Accent is pretty poor, and on the whole this is 2 hours that I would like back 3/10
It is in essence a spy film (I would have used the word thriller except it lacks any real thrills) It opens up with a couple of sentences about how Hamburg was where 9/11 was plotted, but then lacks any real sense that what they are doing is preventing terrorism. It has a very distinct lack of terrorist threat. I'm not saying it needs to be a cliché last minute save the world, but there is absolutely no sense that anyone they are spying on is actually plotting anything.
The storyline line is weak and lacks any sense of momentum, Seymour Hoffman's half attempt at a German Accent is pretty poor, and on the whole this is 2 hours that I would like back 3/10
Sunday 7 September 2014
Pride
It is not very often that a movie can take you from the edge of tears one moment, to smiling and laughing the next. Pride is a shining example of how to take an audience and get them emotionally involved in the highs and lows of the Characters.
Based on real events during the miners strike of 1984, it tells the story of a group of Lesbians and Gay Men who decided to fundraise in order to help the miners. It is a tale of Cultures Coliding, prejudices broken, friendships formed and society enriched. It stands as a testament to how far LGBT rights have come in 30 years, and how much more there is to do.
This is a rare gem of a movie, superbly written, well acted and emotionally engaging. This should not be seen as a Homosexual movie, everyone should see this film regardless if your sexual orientation, a masterpiece 10/10
Based on real events during the miners strike of 1984, it tells the story of a group of Lesbians and Gay Men who decided to fundraise in order to help the miners. It is a tale of Cultures Coliding, prejudices broken, friendships formed and society enriched. It stands as a testament to how far LGBT rights have come in 30 years, and how much more there is to do.
This is a rare gem of a movie, superbly written, well acted and emotionally engaging. This should not be seen as a Homosexual movie, everyone should see this film regardless if your sexual orientation, a masterpiece 10/10
Saturday 6 September 2014
The 100 Foot Journey
The 100 Journey is not a film to watch on an empty stomach, there are scenes that may be best described as food porn.
As for the film itself, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Helen Mirren puts in a wonderful performance as Madame Mallory in a tale of cultures colliding. The storyline moves along at a pace that keeps the viewer interested and I found myself caring for these characters.
The opening sequence introducing the Indian Characters at the immigration counter sets up the film really well, I particularly enjoyed the joke about qualifications. Whilst this is not primarily a comedy, it has some fun light hearted moments.
This is one of the best films currently in the cinema, if you are deciding what to watch this week, consider this first 9.5/10
As for the film itself, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Helen Mirren puts in a wonderful performance as Madame Mallory in a tale of cultures colliding. The storyline moves along at a pace that keeps the viewer interested and I found myself caring for these characters.
The opening sequence introducing the Indian Characters at the immigration counter sets up the film really well, I particularly enjoyed the joke about qualifications. Whilst this is not primarily a comedy, it has some fun light hearted moments.
This is one of the best films currently in the cinema, if you are deciding what to watch this week, consider this first 9.5/10
The Boxtrolls
With the postponement of Pixar's The Good Dinosaur it has been a poor summer for Kids Movies, with little of quality on offer. It is, perhaps, a shame therefore that The Boxtrolls was not released a month earlier, as I think it could have done well in the Summer Holidays.
It tells the story of Boxtrolls, inventive and misunderstood creatures that live in cardboard boxes and survive by using things Humans throw away. As family movies go, this is a decent example of good storytelling, with lots of moral lessons embedded within it.
Whilst maybe not being the best animated feature film, it is certainly better than anything else released this summer, and should keep the kids entertained 7/10
It tells the story of Boxtrolls, inventive and misunderstood creatures that live in cardboard boxes and survive by using things Humans throw away. As family movies go, this is a decent example of good storytelling, with lots of moral lessons embedded within it.
Whilst maybe not being the best animated feature film, it is certainly better than anything else released this summer, and should keep the kids entertained 7/10
Friday 5 September 2014
Before I go to Sleep
The Amnesiac movie is not new, and variations of this type of film have been done many times before, this particular version sees Nicole Kidman recording her daily thoughts in a video diary in order to try and remember who attacked her and caused the injuries relating to her memory loss.
This is a fast paced thriller and full of plot twists, however it suffers from a distinct lack of suspense as the plot twists are so obviously set-up that when the facts were finally revealed it only confirmed what I had already worked out for myself. For me a good twist needs to come from left field and not be so obvious as to be unsurprising.
This is worth a watch, Kidman puts in a decent performance, but it is largely forgettable and goes firmly in the average bracket 6/10
This is a fast paced thriller and full of plot twists, however it suffers from a distinct lack of suspense as the plot twists are so obviously set-up that when the facts were finally revealed it only confirmed what I had already worked out for myself. For me a good twist needs to come from left field and not be so obvious as to be unsurprising.
This is worth a watch, Kidman puts in a decent performance, but it is largely forgettable and goes firmly in the average bracket 6/10
Wednesday 3 September 2014
Sex Tape
I know I have probably said this before but I really should stop judging films based on their trailer. In my review of Lets Be Cops the other day I stated that I didn't think Sex Tape would improve the quality of what has been a poor Summer. I was wrong.
This is one of the surprises of the year, and the hardest I have laughed for quite some time. Regular readers of my blog will know that I am a big fan of realistic observational comedy, and this film has it in spades. Given Jennifer Lawrence's issues with the Cloud in the last few days, the timing of this film could not have been much better, and that adds to the fun of it.
Obviously given the subject matter this is quite crude in places and maybe not to everyones tastes, it contains a lot of swearing and sex, that said, you know what you are expecting just from the title.
This is easily the best comedy the year so far 9/10
This is one of the surprises of the year, and the hardest I have laughed for quite some time. Regular readers of my blog will know that I am a big fan of realistic observational comedy, and this film has it in spades. Given Jennifer Lawrence's issues with the Cloud in the last few days, the timing of this film could not have been much better, and that adds to the fun of it.
Obviously given the subject matter this is quite crude in places and maybe not to everyones tastes, it contains a lot of swearing and sex, that said, you know what you are expecting just from the title.
This is easily the best comedy the year so far 9/10
Monday 1 September 2014
Lets Be Cops
It's been a poor Summer for the Movie fan, there has been very little of quality and Lets be Cops is a prime example.
There are several occasions during this movie where you know that things just would not happen like that, especially early on.
The only redeeming feature of this film is the final resolution, which means I left the Cinema with a smile, but the previous 90 minutes are so poor that an uplifting ending is not enough, I had given up with it long before.
Next up is Sex Tape, out on Wednesday, I don't hold out much hope that the quality is going to get much better 3/10
There are several occasions during this movie where you know that things just would not happen like that, especially early on.
The only redeeming feature of this film is the final resolution, which means I left the Cinema with a smile, but the previous 90 minutes are so poor that an uplifting ending is not enough, I had given up with it long before.
Next up is Sex Tape, out on Wednesday, I don't hold out much hope that the quality is going to get much better 3/10
Saturday 30 August 2014
Sin City 2: A Dame To Kill For
I just didn't get it, I know it's based on a graphic novel, but that doesn't mean the film needs to look like one. The strange mix of black and white and colour and live action with annimation just doesn't work for me. It only served to take the edge off of much of the violence as it doesn't seem real. Which may actually be a good thing because this film is so casual with it's violence and death that I wonder if the BBFC would pass it in full live action colour.
The Storyline is laughable, and the acting is wooden with lines so cheesy and delivered with no emotion whatsoever.
A good film should show the audience what it wants them to know, the constant exposition via voiceover is really annoying.
All in all I just didn't get it, easily one of the worst films of the year for me 1/10
The Storyline is laughable, and the acting is wooden with lines so cheesy and delivered with no emotion whatsoever.
A good film should show the audience what it wants them to know, the constant exposition via voiceover is really annoying.
All in all I just didn't get it, easily one of the worst films of the year for me 1/10
I'm Back
Apologies for disappearing for a few months, I have still been at the cinema regularly, but commitments and lack of reliable internet access means I didn't get to update this blog. All that is resolved now, so back to posting my reviews, starting with Sin City 2...
Friday 25 April 2014
Transcendence
Transcendence is a film with a very interesting concept, What would happen if you could upload a persons Electrical Brain Activity into a computer? Can a computer become self aware, and capable of thinking for itself?
This is a film that makes you think about the digital age, and how far technology could progress, with a super intelligent computer connected to the Internet able to research and put together all of the pieces, how quickly it could find answers to things we have been searching for.
The Film is beautifully shot, but I wouldn't expect anything else, as this is the directorial debut of Wally Phister, who has been Christopher Nolan's Cinematographer for many movies, however my issues with it are with the end of the story. For me it wanders a little into the realm of being unbelievable, there are certain decisions that Characters make, that I do not believe would be made in reality. As it is set in the very near future, it feels very current, so does not have the same liberty with facts and laws of physics as maybe something set in an alternative universe or distopian future.
That said, this film certainly made me think, sit up and take note and deals with some very complex issues, an enjoyable film so long as you don't ask to many questions of its plot 7/10
This is a film that makes you think about the digital age, and how far technology could progress, with a super intelligent computer connected to the Internet able to research and put together all of the pieces, how quickly it could find answers to things we have been searching for.
The Film is beautifully shot, but I wouldn't expect anything else, as this is the directorial debut of Wally Phister, who has been Christopher Nolan's Cinematographer for many movies, however my issues with it are with the end of the story. For me it wanders a little into the realm of being unbelievable, there are certain decisions that Characters make, that I do not believe would be made in reality. As it is set in the very near future, it feels very current, so does not have the same liberty with facts and laws of physics as maybe something set in an alternative universe or distopian future.
That said, this film certainly made me think, sit up and take note and deals with some very complex issues, an enjoyable film so long as you don't ask to many questions of its plot 7/10
The Amazing Spiderman 2
When I reviewed The Amazing Spiderman in 2012 I found myself asking why we needed this reboot so son after the last series of spiderman movies, having now seen the second part, I still have the same question.
There is no doubt that visually, with advances in technology in the last decade, this is a much better looking series of films than the Toby Maguire version, but in terms of screenplay, storyline and acting, I still prefer the Sam Rami 2004 Spiderman 2.
The film felt overly long, it spent far to much time dealing with the on/off relationship between Peter & Gwen to the point of becoming nauseous, and the whole storyline of Peter find out the truth about his father. The film makers seem to have forgotten that this is supposed to be a superhero movie. Then in order to rectify this, they throw in 2 different elements with Electro and Green Goblin, the whole thing could easily lose half an hour an be improved.
Visually this is very good, the CGI is excellent, but once again I come back to my central question, Why do we need the Amazing Spiderman, when less than a decade ago Toby Maguire did a decent, perhaps better, job. 6/10
There is no doubt that visually, with advances in technology in the last decade, this is a much better looking series of films than the Toby Maguire version, but in terms of screenplay, storyline and acting, I still prefer the Sam Rami 2004 Spiderman 2.
The film felt overly long, it spent far to much time dealing with the on/off relationship between Peter & Gwen to the point of becoming nauseous, and the whole storyline of Peter find out the truth about his father. The film makers seem to have forgotten that this is supposed to be a superhero movie. Then in order to rectify this, they throw in 2 different elements with Electro and Green Goblin, the whole thing could easily lose half an hour an be improved.
Visually this is very good, the CGI is excellent, but once again I come back to my central question, Why do we need the Amazing Spiderman, when less than a decade ago Toby Maguire did a decent, perhaps better, job. 6/10
Thursday 10 April 2014
Noah
Darren Aronofsky directs Russell Crowe as Noah in this adaptation of the biblical Noah story, having heard an interview with the director prior to watching this film, I knew it did not rigidly follow the biblical text, however it is not just a few minor details that are different, the screenplay/plot vary massively from the biblical story.
For the purposes of this review, I will attempt to put aside the fact that it is wildly inaccurate, and attempt to judge this purely as a piece of film making, and in that sense it is not a bad movie. It is perhaps a little to long, with 30 minutes to go I was looking at the time on my watch, which is an indication that I had lost interest at that point, the story plods along at quite a pedestrian pace at times, and I think this would benefit from losing 15 minutes here and there to bring it down to 2 hours or less.
I was also not sure about the use of the Watchers, Aronofsky has clearly seen this as a fantasy film, and as lost the sense of it's setting, and turned it into the bible meets Transformers.
On the plus side, Crowe does a decent job as Noah, and Emma Watson adds to my growing appreciation of her talent. despite the flaws with the plot, the film is very well shot, and the landscapes pre and post flood are beautiful.
As a piece of cinematography, this is a very good film, but it is hard to ignore it faults in terms of screenplay and storyline 6/10
For the purposes of this review, I will attempt to put aside the fact that it is wildly inaccurate, and attempt to judge this purely as a piece of film making, and in that sense it is not a bad movie. It is perhaps a little to long, with 30 minutes to go I was looking at the time on my watch, which is an indication that I had lost interest at that point, the story plods along at quite a pedestrian pace at times, and I think this would benefit from losing 15 minutes here and there to bring it down to 2 hours or less.
I was also not sure about the use of the Watchers, Aronofsky has clearly seen this as a fantasy film, and as lost the sense of it's setting, and turned it into the bible meets Transformers.
On the plus side, Crowe does a decent job as Noah, and Emma Watson adds to my growing appreciation of her talent. despite the flaws with the plot, the film is very well shot, and the landscapes pre and post flood are beautiful.
As a piece of cinematography, this is a very good film, but it is hard to ignore it faults in terms of screenplay and storyline 6/10
Tuesday 8 April 2014
Divergent
Based on a Novel by Veronica Roth, Divergent is the latest Teenage Book sensation to be turned into a film. In the post Twilight universe, it bears striking similarities to The Hunger Games, with a strong female lead as the heroine, fighting against governments and oppressors to discover her own identity.
Despite not necessarily being the target market, I enjoyed Divergent immensely. It is set in a world where society is segregated into groups based upon their abilities, when children come of age they must decide which group to join. Beatrice (later know only as Tris) does not conform to one of these groups, and has character traits from several (this is know as divergent) in order for the society to function Divergents are a threat, and are often killed.
Whilst Shailene Woodley is not Jennifer Lawrence, and Tris is not Katniss Everdeen, I found Tris to be a very interesting character, battling with her own sense of identity and belonging, in a world where the head of the intellectuals (Played by Kate Winslett) tells her that Human Nature is a bad thing, and will ruin society.
I was very pleased that Victoria Roth avoids the Cliche love triangle often seen in other films of this genre. Twilight, The Hunger Games and The Mortal Instruments have done it all before and its getting a bit nauseating, so only having the one love interest for our female lead is a refreshing change, and allows more time for plot development, rather than dealing with complex relationships.
The Plot is great, there is clearly a well written book as source material here, and I am looking forward to watching Insurgent and Allegiant in the years to come. 9.5/10
Despite not necessarily being the target market, I enjoyed Divergent immensely. It is set in a world where society is segregated into groups based upon their abilities, when children come of age they must decide which group to join. Beatrice (later know only as Tris) does not conform to one of these groups, and has character traits from several (this is know as divergent) in order for the society to function Divergents are a threat, and are often killed.
Whilst Shailene Woodley is not Jennifer Lawrence, and Tris is not Katniss Everdeen, I found Tris to be a very interesting character, battling with her own sense of identity and belonging, in a world where the head of the intellectuals (Played by Kate Winslett) tells her that Human Nature is a bad thing, and will ruin society.
I was very pleased that Victoria Roth avoids the Cliche love triangle often seen in other films of this genre. Twilight, The Hunger Games and The Mortal Instruments have done it all before and its getting a bit nauseating, so only having the one love interest for our female lead is a refreshing change, and allows more time for plot development, rather than dealing with complex relationships.
The Plot is great, there is clearly a well written book as source material here, and I am looking forward to watching Insurgent and Allegiant in the years to come. 9.5/10
Tuesday 1 April 2014
The Raid 2
The Raid 2 picks up shortly after the original film, This time Rama goes into prison undercover in order to infiltrate the gangs of Jakata, and expose police corruption.
I guess the first thing to say, is that this is an extremely violent film, it's marshal arts are very brutal in places, if you have seen the original riad film then you will know what to expect. It is also not in English, so following the subtitles can be a little difficult in places, especially in a couple of scenes where they are talking quickly.
My main issues with this film though are not the subtitles or the violence, but for me the cinematography makes this is very difficult film to follow, the whole thing is extremely dark, I felt like I wanted someone to turn up the brightless level so I could actually see what was going on, even in situations where the chracters were outside during the day, the brightness level is to low.
The camera work during the fight scenes was a problem for me, the action is pretty full on, but it is shot with hand held cameras and there is an awful lot of camera movement, which at some points made if very difficult to follow what was going on. Another issue is the choreography of the fight scenes being totally unrealistic, on several occasions one person ends up fighting a large number of opponents, however it felt like the opponents were playing a tag team, where they would come one at a time, and the others would stand back and watch until someone got incapacitated or killed and then the next would attack, taking out 10 people one at a time is much easier than 10 at one, in reality surely all 10 would attack and overwhelm the one.
add all of that with the fact that it was a late night showing and I was tired, and I quickly lost the will to see this trhrough to the end, at nearly 2 and a half hours long, this could also do with being a lot shorter 4/10
I guess the first thing to say, is that this is an extremely violent film, it's marshal arts are very brutal in places, if you have seen the original riad film then you will know what to expect. It is also not in English, so following the subtitles can be a little difficult in places, especially in a couple of scenes where they are talking quickly.
My main issues with this film though are not the subtitles or the violence, but for me the cinematography makes this is very difficult film to follow, the whole thing is extremely dark, I felt like I wanted someone to turn up the brightless level so I could actually see what was going on, even in situations where the chracters were outside during the day, the brightness level is to low.
The camera work during the fight scenes was a problem for me, the action is pretty full on, but it is shot with hand held cameras and there is an awful lot of camera movement, which at some points made if very difficult to follow what was going on. Another issue is the choreography of the fight scenes being totally unrealistic, on several occasions one person ends up fighting a large number of opponents, however it felt like the opponents were playing a tag team, where they would come one at a time, and the others would stand back and watch until someone got incapacitated or killed and then the next would attack, taking out 10 people one at a time is much easier than 10 at one, in reality surely all 10 would attack and overwhelm the one.
add all of that with the fact that it was a late night showing and I was tired, and I quickly lost the will to see this trhrough to the end, at nearly 2 and a half hours long, this could also do with being a lot shorter 4/10
Monday 31 March 2014
Rio 2
Rio 2 continues from Rio, now happily married with 3 Kids Blue is content with his life in Rio, but when Linda and Tulio discover a flock of Blue Macaws in the amazon, Blue and Jewel set off to discover they are not the only pair left.
In terms of story this is nothing new, the story is a fairly classic one of a misfit who doesn't belong, but actually I enjoyed this immensely, the characterisation is good, especially of Blue as he goes about finding his place in this new world, the songs are good, and the jokes work quite well. My only real issue is the character of Pedro played by Will.i.am, in the first film he was almost a peripheral character, but by bringing him more into the 2nd movie it needed a bit of character, rather than Will.i.am just playing a parody of himself.
On the whole though this is a very enjoyable film, maybe more so than the original, and certainly much more fun for the Kids than he Muppets 7/10
In terms of story this is nothing new, the story is a fairly classic one of a misfit who doesn't belong, but actually I enjoyed this immensely, the characterisation is good, especially of Blue as he goes about finding his place in this new world, the songs are good, and the jokes work quite well. My only real issue is the character of Pedro played by Will.i.am, in the first film he was almost a peripheral character, but by bringing him more into the 2nd movie it needed a bit of character, rather than Will.i.am just playing a parody of himself.
On the whole though this is a very enjoyable film, maybe more so than the original, and certainly much more fun for the Kids than he Muppets 7/10
Saturday 29 March 2014
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
The Latest Marvel Avengers Movie sees Captain America getting used to the realities of modern life, The original The First Avenger Movie, which was primarily a World War II film, with plenty of American Patriotism, this is a much darker film and post Edward Snowden, looks at issues of surveillance and how much government agencies know about people.
For me there is too much action and not enough character development, some of the action sequences are just over the top, and the Winter Soldier is not really explored enough.
That said, fans of the Marvel Franchise will really enjoy this one, I found it much more interesting than the original, it just needed a bit less shooting and fighting and a bit more characterisation 7/10
For me there is too much action and not enough character development, some of the action sequences are just over the top, and the Winter Soldier is not really explored enough.
That said, fans of the Marvel Franchise will really enjoy this one, I found it much more interesting than the original, it just needed a bit less shooting and fighting and a bit more characterisation 7/10
Monday 24 March 2014
Muppets Most Wanted
I won't profess to being the biggest fan of the Muppets, I went into this with an open mind but this for me was extremely disappointing. The Basic plot is that Constantine, The Worlds Most Dangerous Frog has escaped from a Russian Gulag, and replaces Kermit in order to steal the Crown Jewels.
The Plot is extremely contrived, and mos of the jokes are very unfunny. I know it's a Muppet movie and therefore not supposed to be a serious film, but for me the Russian and French Character stereotyping went beyond poking fun and wandered into the realm of being offensive.
The Only positive I can find with this film is that the Monsters University Short before the main feature is very funny, I your Kids Enjoyed Monsters University then this is a bit of a bonus, unfortunately that 5 minute short, is far better, and has more laughs, than the following 90 minute movie.
If you want to entertain your Kids Next Weekend, take them to a preview of Rio 2, and don't bother with the Muppets 2/10
The Plot is extremely contrived, and mos of the jokes are very unfunny. I know it's a Muppet movie and therefore not supposed to be a serious film, but for me the Russian and French Character stereotyping went beyond poking fun and wandered into the realm of being offensive.
The Only positive I can find with this film is that the Monsters University Short before the main feature is very funny, I your Kids Enjoyed Monsters University then this is a bit of a bonus, unfortunately that 5 minute short, is far better, and has more laughs, than the following 90 minute movie.
If you want to entertain your Kids Next Weekend, take them to a preview of Rio 2, and don't bother with the Muppets 2/10
Saturday 22 March 2014
A Long Way Down
Based on a Novel by Nick Hornby, A Long Way Down stars Pierce Brosnan, Imogen Poots, Aaron Paul and Toni Colette as 4 people who all decide to commit suicide on New Years eve by throwing themselves off the top of a tall tower block, upon meeting each other at the top they make a pact to stay alive at least until Valentines Day.
For the 2nd time in a week, Imogen Poots and Aaron Paul end up as an odd couple throen together by circumstances, but I think i preferred Need for Speed, in terns of their chemistry together. Toni Collette does a great Job as Maureen, a Mother of a severely disabled child, who thinks that her Son would be better cared for if she were dead.
I have not read the book, although a couple of people who have seem to suggest that the book is a lot more dark that the film, the book explores depression and the reasons why they were on the roof much more than the film, which struggles a little with tone, and almost becomes to much like a fun, humourous comedy. Although it is not hilariously laugh out loud funny, there are moments that make me chuckle, and its not without a certain sense of satisfaction, but I think fundamentally it misses the point of Hornby's Source Material. The Daytime TV scene with Rosamund Pike playing a TV presenter determined to get to the real truth perhaps gets somewhere close to exploring these issues, but then oulls back a little. As I said I have not read the book, so I might read it and report back.
On The whole thou, as a standalone film without having read the source material, it's passable, fun in places and the performance from Toni Collette is great, but it is missing something 6/10
For the 2nd time in a week, Imogen Poots and Aaron Paul end up as an odd couple throen together by circumstances, but I think i preferred Need for Speed, in terns of their chemistry together. Toni Collette does a great Job as Maureen, a Mother of a severely disabled child, who thinks that her Son would be better cared for if she were dead.
I have not read the book, although a couple of people who have seem to suggest that the book is a lot more dark that the film, the book explores depression and the reasons why they were on the roof much more than the film, which struggles a little with tone, and almost becomes to much like a fun, humourous comedy. Although it is not hilariously laugh out loud funny, there are moments that make me chuckle, and its not without a certain sense of satisfaction, but I think fundamentally it misses the point of Hornby's Source Material. The Daytime TV scene with Rosamund Pike playing a TV presenter determined to get to the real truth perhaps gets somewhere close to exploring these issues, but then oulls back a little. As I said I have not read the book, so I might read it and report back.
On The whole thou, as a standalone film without having read the source material, it's passable, fun in places and the performance from Toni Collette is great, but it is missing something 6/10
Labor Day
Labor Day, stars Kate Winslett as a single Mother with depression who barely leaves her house, and Josh Brolin as an escaped convict, who effectively Kidnaps her and her son in order to find lay low in her house for a while, through the course of the movie, he proves not to be dangerous and becomes the Father/Husband Figure that was missing from their lives.
It features strong performances from Winslett and Brolin, Winslett especially puts in a great performance, proving once more what a great actress she is, however the storyline does lack something, believability. The basic story line is all well and good, but it relies on characters actions that I just wouldn't expect if it were a real world situation, especially in the epilogue at the end, Henry's choice of Occupation is just ridiculous.
I read a review from Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian who was quite scathing and gave it 1 star, whilst I didn't think it was as bad as all that, I do kind of see where he is coming from, the film does lack a sense of humour and is far to serious for it's own good, its only saving grace is the acting performances from the leads 5/10
It features strong performances from Winslett and Brolin, Winslett especially puts in a great performance, proving once more what a great actress she is, however the storyline does lack something, believability. The basic story line is all well and good, but it relies on characters actions that I just wouldn't expect if it were a real world situation, especially in the epilogue at the end, Henry's choice of Occupation is just ridiculous.
I read a review from Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian who was quite scathing and gave it 1 star, whilst I didn't think it was as bad as all that, I do kind of see where he is coming from, the film does lack a sense of humour and is far to serious for it's own good, its only saving grace is the acting performances from the leads 5/10
Under The Skin
I had not seen any trailers or read any reviews of Under The Skin, so I didn't really know what to expect from it, but it will live long in the memory as one of the most bizarre films of 2014.
It is difficult to sum up the plot, as the film lacks any sense of a narrative arc, particularly in the first half of the film, many of the scenes could almost be put in any order, and it would not alter the dynamic of the film. Based in Glasgow, and later in the Scottish Countryside It Stars Scarlet Johansson as a woman who seems to be going round picking up men to kill them. (I didn't pick up on the Character having a name, but IMDB tells me she is called Laura)
This is a deeply unsettling film, the opening pre-title sequence is designed to be extremely unnerving, and does its job very effectively, by the time the live action started I was already wondering exactly what I had got myself into, in fact quite early on in my screening at least 2 people walked out. The use of plain backgrounds is also very interesting, just one or two characters (Usually Naked) on a completely white or completely black screen adds to the sense of this being very unusual.
I can' say that I enjoyed watching it, but then I get the sense that it is not a film to be "enjoyed" in that sense, it does what it sets out to do, leave you feeling extremely uneasy, and does it very effectively. However for me it lacks an awful lot of sense. There is little in the way of narrative storyline or plot development, Although the twist on the end explains some of the elements (Although I had seen it coming, if you think carefully about the opening scene it was quite obvious) the film left me with a whole load of questions that went unanswered, such as "Who is the man on the Motorbike?"
This is a very difficult film to rate, on the one hand the lack of a story that makes sense really put me off, but on the other hand the film achieves exactly I believe the film maker set out to do. this is not one for the feint hearted, it is deeply unsettling and contains lots of nudity 7/10
It is difficult to sum up the plot, as the film lacks any sense of a narrative arc, particularly in the first half of the film, many of the scenes could almost be put in any order, and it would not alter the dynamic of the film. Based in Glasgow, and later in the Scottish Countryside It Stars Scarlet Johansson as a woman who seems to be going round picking up men to kill them. (I didn't pick up on the Character having a name, but IMDB tells me she is called Laura)
This is a deeply unsettling film, the opening pre-title sequence is designed to be extremely unnerving, and does its job very effectively, by the time the live action started I was already wondering exactly what I had got myself into, in fact quite early on in my screening at least 2 people walked out. The use of plain backgrounds is also very interesting, just one or two characters (Usually Naked) on a completely white or completely black screen adds to the sense of this being very unusual.
I can' say that I enjoyed watching it, but then I get the sense that it is not a film to be "enjoyed" in that sense, it does what it sets out to do, leave you feeling extremely uneasy, and does it very effectively. However for me it lacks an awful lot of sense. There is little in the way of narrative storyline or plot development, Although the twist on the end explains some of the elements (Although I had seen it coming, if you think carefully about the opening scene it was quite obvious) the film left me with a whole load of questions that went unanswered, such as "Who is the man on the Motorbike?"
This is a very difficult film to rate, on the one hand the lack of a story that makes sense really put me off, but on the other hand the film achieves exactly I believe the film maker set out to do. this is not one for the feint hearted, it is deeply unsettling and contains lots of nudity 7/10
Tuesday 18 March 2014
Need For Speed
Computer Games do not make good movies, they are very different genres, and there have been many an awful film made that started life on a Playstation, Xbox or PC. Couple that with the fact that Need for Speed is a film about illegal road racing, something that has been done 7 times before by the Fast & Furious franchise, and this has all the ingredients to be a bit of a stinker. However I was pleasently surprised. It had a reasonably decent storyline and at times was incredibly fun.
This is not a film without problems however, At over two hours the film is far to long, especially the initial set-up and back story, the "two years later" is, I would estimate, a quarter of the way through the movie. Last week I criticised 300 Rise of an Empire for the amount of narrated back story, this goes totaly the other way, spending half an hour scene setting and introducing characters to show you the motivations of the character later in the movie, this could have been done in half the time.
On the plus side, Aaron Paul & Imogen Poots put in decent performances, and the scene with Finn (Rami Malek) quitting his job is hilarious.
There is little that hasn't been done before, and it could do with 30 minutes being taken off it's run time, particuarly early on, but I was suprised by how much I enjoyed this 7/10
This is not a film without problems however, At over two hours the film is far to long, especially the initial set-up and back story, the "two years later" is, I would estimate, a quarter of the way through the movie. Last week I criticised 300 Rise of an Empire for the amount of narrated back story, this goes totaly the other way, spending half an hour scene setting and introducing characters to show you the motivations of the character later in the movie, this could have been done in half the time.
On the plus side, Aaron Paul & Imogen Poots put in decent performances, and the scene with Finn (Rami Malek) quitting his job is hilarious.
There is little that hasn't been done before, and it could do with 30 minutes being taken off it's run time, particuarly early on, but I was suprised by how much I enjoyed this 7/10
Tuesday 11 March 2014
Escape from Planet Earth
Escape from Planet Earth is an annimated feature, Starring Brendan Fraser as Scorch Supernova an alien from the planet Baab, when a distress call is received from Planet Earth he embarks on a rescue mission, but gets captured by the US army, His Brother Gary (Rob Corddry) Then sets out to rescue him.
As annimations go, this is not bad, but it is instantly forgettable, there is little here that holds the audience beyond when they walk out of the cinema. It as a few decent jokes, but if you want to entertain your kids, there ae better annimated features out there than this 5/10
As annimations go, this is not bad, but it is instantly forgettable, there is little here that holds the audience beyond when they walk out of the cinema. It as a few decent jokes, but if you want to entertain your kids, there ae better annimated features out there than this 5/10
Saturday 8 March 2014
300: Rise of an Empire
The Sequel to 300, this follows Themistokles an Athenian warrior as he defends Greece against Persian agression from King Xerxes and his Mistress Artemisia.
This is a film with a number of issues, firstly the huge amount of storytelling narration, particularly early on I was beginning to wonder if I was watching a film, or listening to an audio book, for me the art of a good film is that the camera and the screenplay does a lot of the work and although I don't mind a litle bit of scene setting through exposition and narration, this film has far to much of it.
My Other main concern with this film is how bloodthirsty it is. Given the previous film, I understood it would be quite bloody going in, but for me it is far to bloodthirsty to the point of being gratuitous.
That said, the performances are good, especially from Eva Green as Artemisia, who really steals the show from under Sullivan Stapleton's Themistokles, and the storyline is good, it keeps the interest well and moves along at quite a pace, so never giving you a moment to become bored by it.
Once ou get past the narration and into the movie itself, this is a half decent film, just a little to much blood for my liking 6/10
This is a film with a number of issues, firstly the huge amount of storytelling narration, particularly early on I was beginning to wonder if I was watching a film, or listening to an audio book, for me the art of a good film is that the camera and the screenplay does a lot of the work and although I don't mind a litle bit of scene setting through exposition and narration, this film has far to much of it.
My Other main concern with this film is how bloodthirsty it is. Given the previous film, I understood it would be quite bloody going in, but for me it is far to bloodthirsty to the point of being gratuitous.
That said, the performances are good, especially from Eva Green as Artemisia, who really steals the show from under Sullivan Stapleton's Themistokles, and the storyline is good, it keeps the interest well and moves along at quite a pace, so never giving you a moment to become bored by it.
Once ou get past the narration and into the movie itself, this is a half decent film, just a little to much blood for my liking 6/10
The Grand Budapest Hotel
You know what to expect from a Wes Anderson Film, and this is one of his best. The Grand Budapest hotel tells the story of concierge Gustave H played by Ralph Fiennes, and his lobby boy Zero. It is a wonderful performance from Fienne, M. Gustave does everything at 100mph and his body language and tone are superb.
The story is very funny in places, especially the jailbreak sequence is hilarious, with some great one liners from Fiennes.
The film is set in 3 different time periods, with the author of a book, telling the story of how he met the owner of the Grand Budpapest Hotel, who in turn tells the story of how he came to aquire it. The problem is that with each change of time period Anderson decided to change the screen ratio to that used in the period concerned. The 1930's story is told in a narrow square screen, whereas the narration from the 1980's is shown in widescreen, this means that the film never fully fills the cinema screen, and the constant change of ratio gets extremely annoying after a while.
This is perhaps Anderson at his best, very funny and sharp, well directed, thou i'm not sure how it will play on tv given the constant change of ratio 7/10
Tuesday 4 March 2014
Ride Along
Ride Along stars Kevin Hart and Ice Cube in an unlikely cop buddy movie, When James (Ice Cube) takes Ben on a "Ride Along" in order for him to prove he is worthy to marry his sister.
There are many problems with this film, the biggest of all is that it's just not funny, the best jokes are all in the trailer, and when you have seen the trailer 10 or more times as I have, you know the lines that are coming, and it lessens their impact.
The storyline/screenplay kind of works, it keeps the story moving along, although one of the major plot points is telegraphed fairly early on, I like twists to be a surprise, rather than being hinted at all the way through. Ice Cube does a fairly good job, unfortuneately the same can't be said for Kevin Hart, who overacts it imo.
I think it falls into the bad rather than awful category, but not one that will live long in the memory. 4/10
There are many problems with this film, the biggest of all is that it's just not funny, the best jokes are all in the trailer, and when you have seen the trailer 10 or more times as I have, you know the lines that are coming, and it lessens their impact.
The storyline/screenplay kind of works, it keeps the story moving along, although one of the major plot points is telegraphed fairly early on, I like twists to be a surprise, rather than being hinted at all the way through. Ice Cube does a fairly good job, unfortuneately the same can't be said for Kevin Hart, who overacts it imo.
I think it falls into the bad rather than awful category, but not one that will live long in the memory. 4/10
Saturday 1 March 2014
Non Stop
Non Stop is set almost exclusively on a plane, it stars Liam Neeson as US Air Marshall Bill Marks, midway accross the Atlantic he receives a message saying that a passenger will die every 20 Minutes unless $150 Million is transferred to a bank account.
This is one of those action movies that requires leaving your brain at the door and just enjoying it for what it is, if you think to hard and ask to many questions the flimsey and very contrived plot quickly falls apart. The films sets itself up as a bit of a whodunnit but I had guessed very early on.
That said, the pace of the film, and the action keep the attention well, Neeson puts in a decent performance as he tries to work out who he can trust.
Check your brain at the door, and just enjoy the ride, just don't ask too many questions 6/10
This is one of those action movies that requires leaving your brain at the door and just enjoying it for what it is, if you think to hard and ask to many questions the flimsey and very contrived plot quickly falls apart. The films sets itself up as a bit of a whodunnit but I had guessed very early on.
That said, the pace of the film, and the action keep the attention well, Neeson puts in a decent performance as he tries to work out who he can trust.
Check your brain at the door, and just enjoy the ride, just don't ask too many questions 6/10
Thursday 27 February 2014
The Book Thief
I have heard a lot about how great the original book is upon which this film is based, however a great book and a decent screenplay does not guarantee a great film.
This is a film with a number of problems, firstly it needs to decide if it is in English or German as it seems to flit between the two, sometimes in the same sentence. Secondly the German accents are an issue although some are a lot better than others.
The story plods along at a very pedestrian pace, there are huge chunks of the film where there appears to be very little happening, I'm also not sure that the narration works, a book narrated by Death probably works a whole lot better than a film.
On the positive side the acting performances are very good, especially from Sophie Nelisse as Liesel, and Geoffrey Rush as her Foster Dad.
On the whole thou this was a little disappointing 5/10
This is a film with a number of problems, firstly it needs to decide if it is in English or German as it seems to flit between the two, sometimes in the same sentence. Secondly the German accents are an issue although some are a lot better than others.
The story plods along at a very pedestrian pace, there are huge chunks of the film where there appears to be very little happening, I'm also not sure that the narration works, a book narrated by Death probably works a whole lot better than a film.
On the positive side the acting performances are very good, especially from Sophie Nelisse as Liesel, and Geoffrey Rush as her Foster Dad.
On the whole thou this was a little disappointing 5/10
Sunday 23 February 2014
A New York Winters Tale
I really should stop reading reviews until I have been to see a film, having read quite a lot of pretty negative comments about A New York Winters Tale, I really didn't think it would be much good, but actually it's not as bad as those reviews made me think.
Starring Colin Farrell it tells the story of Peter Lake a thief in 1916 New York who falls in love with a dying girl. In a world full of Angels, Demons and Miracles he believes it is his destiny to save her, but perhaps not all is as it seems.
It is not a film without fault, Russell Crowe's Irish accent is terrible and it does get terribly confusing at times, but it is ultimately satisfying. The best thing in this film is Will Smith as Lucifer, who manages to steal the show despite only having limited screen time.
Confusing, with a couple of very strange plot points, but a story about love and miracles that is not as awful as it sounds 6/10
Starring Colin Farrell it tells the story of Peter Lake a thief in 1916 New York who falls in love with a dying girl. In a world full of Angels, Demons and Miracles he believes it is his destiny to save her, but perhaps not all is as it seems.
It is not a film without fault, Russell Crowe's Irish accent is terrible and it does get terribly confusing at times, but it is ultimately satisfying. The best thing in this film is Will Smith as Lucifer, who manages to steal the show despite only having limited screen time.
Confusing, with a couple of very strange plot points, but a story about love and miracles that is not as awful as it sounds 6/10
Sunday 16 February 2014
Her
Set in the near future, Her stars Joachim Phoenix as Theodore, a man who is in the middle of getting divorced. He purchases a new intelligent operating system, and finds himself falling in love with "Her"
For me this is a great concept, with Siri becoming more intelligent, it is not beyond the possibility for future operating systems to think for themselves. However although I like the concept, I didn't find myself enjoying the execution. For me the film loses it's way in the balance between love and sex, I can understand someone falling in love with an intelligent OS, but when the OS is having/faking an orgasm then it loses credibility. There is also an early scene involving a dead cat and some unnecessary full frontal nudity, which just annoyed me.
It also loses the plot a bit in the ending, I don't want to post spoilers, but if all the Siri's in the world decided to do what Samantha and the other OS' decide to do, Apple would be out of business very quickly.
This is perhaps the most disappointing film of 2014 so far, based on the trailer I was looking forward to this, as the concept looked really interesting. Unfortunately the reality didn't deliver for me 3/10
For me this is a great concept, with Siri becoming more intelligent, it is not beyond the possibility for future operating systems to think for themselves. However although I like the concept, I didn't find myself enjoying the execution. For me the film loses it's way in the balance between love and sex, I can understand someone falling in love with an intelligent OS, but when the OS is having/faking an orgasm then it loses credibility. There is also an early scene involving a dead cat and some unnecessary full frontal nudity, which just annoyed me.
It also loses the plot a bit in the ending, I don't want to post spoilers, but if all the Siri's in the world decided to do what Samantha and the other OS' decide to do, Apple would be out of business very quickly.
This is perhaps the most disappointing film of 2014 so far, based on the trailer I was looking forward to this, as the concept looked really interesting. Unfortunately the reality didn't deliver for me 3/10
The Monuments Men
Directed by and Starring George Clooney, The Monuments Men tells the true story of a group of art lovers who join World War II in order to stop the Nazis destroying much of the cultural history of Europe by stealing books, paintings and statues etc.
This is, perhaps, one of the lesser well known stories of the war, and I can understand why Clooney wanted to make this film, however I found it to be slightly misjudged. It is trying to do two very different things, and in the end does neither very well. It's almost as if the film wants to be a comedy caper movie, with lots of jokes that work quite well, but then 2 minutes later it wants to be a serious war movie and is reminding you of the horrors of the holocaust. It seems to flit between these two differing stances.
The film asks a very interesting question regarding whether this mission was ill judged, and was it worth the lives of those who died in order to protect art. The problem is that the film asks this question repeatedly until you are sick of it. The film then ends with another question, for which the existance if this film is the answer.
A story worth telling, and a film that deserves to be made, but unfortunately I'm not sure that Clooney has done it justice 5/10
This is, perhaps, one of the lesser well known stories of the war, and I can understand why Clooney wanted to make this film, however I found it to be slightly misjudged. It is trying to do two very different things, and in the end does neither very well. It's almost as if the film wants to be a comedy caper movie, with lots of jokes that work quite well, but then 2 minutes later it wants to be a serious war movie and is reminding you of the horrors of the holocaust. It seems to flit between these two differing stances.
The film asks a very interesting question regarding whether this mission was ill judged, and was it worth the lives of those who died in order to protect art. The problem is that the film asks this question repeatedly until you are sick of it. The film then ends with another question, for which the existance if this film is the answer.
A story worth telling, and a film that deserves to be made, but unfortunately I'm not sure that Clooney has done it justice 5/10
Saturday 15 February 2014
Cuban Fury
Cuban Fury Stars Nick Frost as Bruce, a 40 something overweight loner, in his teenage years he used to a Salsa Dancer until he got bullied and gave it up. When he discovers that his new female boss is a Salsa Dancer he has to put aside his childhood traumas and rediscover his dancing in order to win the girl.
This is a very funny comedy, whist at the same time having a lot of heart, Nick Frost's performance is superb, apparently he learnt all of the dance moves, and aside from one particularly difficult step, all the footwork is his.
Being a movie about Salsa Dancing, the Latin music of the soundtrack just made me want to get up and dance, and join Bruce on the dancefloor.
My only real issue with this film is the Chris O Dowd Character, I think his character is overplayed, and goes to far beyond being unlikeable and an arsehole, and almost becomes a parody, his performance could be toned down a little and not lose the essence of his character.
On the whole though this is funny and quirky, and the soundtrack left me uplifted and wanting to break out my dancing shoes 7.5/10
This is a very funny comedy, whist at the same time having a lot of heart, Nick Frost's performance is superb, apparently he learnt all of the dance moves, and aside from one particularly difficult step, all the footwork is his.
Being a movie about Salsa Dancing, the Latin music of the soundtrack just made me want to get up and dance, and join Bruce on the dancefloor.
My only real issue with this film is the Chris O Dowd Character, I think his character is overplayed, and goes to far beyond being unlikeable and an arsehole, and almost becomes a parody, his performance could be toned down a little and not lose the essence of his character.
On the whole though this is funny and quirky, and the soundtrack left me uplifted and wanting to break out my dancing shoes 7.5/10
Sunday 9 February 2014
The Lego Movie
The ultimate piece of product placement sees a movie made entirely of Lego. Other than one scene, the movie is made entirely from Lego, using mixture of stop animation and CGI.
The story follows Emmett, and ordinary construction worker, who discovers he is "the special one" the only man who can stop the evil professor from destroying the Lego universe by using a weapon known as the Kragle.
Although this film is a U, i wouldn't say that its a kids movie. Yes there is lots for the children to enjoy, but an awful lot of the funniest jokes in this film are so subtle that a lot of adults might miss them. With a lot of Lego Jokes and send ups of an awful lot of cliché storylines this is the sort of film that needs multiple viewings in order to fully appreciate its hidden depths. That said, this lacks straight laughs, and finding hidden meanings and jokes at every turn can become a bit tiresome, in fact the best straight joke that can be enjoyed just be being very funny is the last one just as the credits role.
Entertaining for Kids, fun for Adults, but jokes so subtle you have to think an awful lot, and no huge laughs 6/10
The story follows Emmett, and ordinary construction worker, who discovers he is "the special one" the only man who can stop the evil professor from destroying the Lego universe by using a weapon known as the Kragle.
Although this film is a U, i wouldn't say that its a kids movie. Yes there is lots for the children to enjoy, but an awful lot of the funniest jokes in this film are so subtle that a lot of adults might miss them. With a lot of Lego Jokes and send ups of an awful lot of cliché storylines this is the sort of film that needs multiple viewings in order to fully appreciate its hidden depths. That said, this lacks straight laughs, and finding hidden meanings and jokes at every turn can become a bit tiresome, in fact the best straight joke that can be enjoyed just be being very funny is the last one just as the credits role.
Entertaining for Kids, fun for Adults, but jokes so subtle you have to think an awful lot, and no huge laughs 6/10
Saturday 8 February 2014
Robocop
I went into Robocop with a little trepidation, I am a big fan of the original 1987 film, and didn't think it needed a remake, having read Peter Bradshaw's 1 star review in the Guardian I was concerned that this would make a dogs breakfast of what was a perfectly good movie, however I was pleasantly surprised, and don't agree with Peter's assessment of it.
Is it as good as the original? No, but it is much better than I feared.
This is perhaps a bit more of an action movie than the original, however a lot of the satirical undertone remains, particularly in the opening, pretitle sequence and the performance of Samuel L Jackson as Pat Novak a TV presenter with an agenda.
The action is very well shot, and looks great, although at one point I did feel a little queesy with the amount of shoulder cam footage and lateral movement of the camera.
Did it need a remake? I'm still not convinced, but whilst this is not a patch on the original, it is a 12A and will introduce a new generation to a wonderful movie 7/10
Is it as good as the original? No, but it is much better than I feared.
This is perhaps a bit more of an action movie than the original, however a lot of the satirical undertone remains, particularly in the opening, pretitle sequence and the performance of Samuel L Jackson as Pat Novak a TV presenter with an agenda.
The action is very well shot, and looks great, although at one point I did feel a little queesy with the amount of shoulder cam footage and lateral movement of the camera.
Did it need a remake? I'm still not convinced, but whilst this is not a patch on the original, it is a 12A and will introduce a new generation to a wonderful movie 7/10
Thursday 6 February 2014
Lone Survivor
Lone Survivor tells the true story of an operation gone wrong in Afganistan, when a forward reconnaissance group are discovered spying on a Taliban general.
My biggest issue with the film is that the title is a rather massive spoiler, 4 men go out, the title tells you the rest.
Mark Wahlberg once again proves what a diverse actor he is, and puts in a really good performance as Marcus, the leader of the squad. The story is well told, and the middle gun fight is really well shot (no pun intended)
If you like war movies, then this is really worth a watch 8 5/10
My biggest issue with the film is that the title is a rather massive spoiler, 4 men go out, the title tells you the rest.
Mark Wahlberg once again proves what a diverse actor he is, and puts in a really good performance as Marcus, the leader of the squad. The story is well told, and the middle gun fight is really well shot (no pun intended)
If you like war movies, then this is really worth a watch 8 5/10
Tuesday 4 February 2014
Dallas Buyers Club
Dallas Buyers Club stars Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodruff, an electrician and Rodeo cowboy who is told he has HIV and 30 Days to live. He then sets about a battle with the authorities to get the drugs that he and fellow sufferers require to keep them alive.
This film is up for several Oscars, including Best Actor for McConaughey and Best Supporting Actor for Jerard Leto. It is a superb performance by both, Leto especially as transvestite Rayon, I would be extremely surprised if he doesn't win.
The screenplay is well written, the light hearted joke moments alongside its serious subject matter make this a very accessible film, especially the supermarket scene.
Whilst I don't think this will be a serious contender for the best film Oscar, this is definitely a must see film 9/10
This film is up for several Oscars, including Best Actor for McConaughey and Best Supporting Actor for Jerard Leto. It is a superb performance by both, Leto especially as transvestite Rayon, I would be extremely surprised if he doesn't win.
The screenplay is well written, the light hearted joke moments alongside its serious subject matter make this a very accessible film, especially the supermarket scene.
Whilst I don't think this will be a serious contender for the best film Oscar, this is definitely a must see film 9/10
Monday 3 February 2014
Mr Peabody & Sherman
Mr Peabody & Sherman is an animated feature about a highly intelligent dog, who adopts a human boy. When Sherman gets bullied at school, Mr Peabody invites his bully over for dinner, and Sherman shows her the time machine.
I found the storyline of this film to be very contrived, and the jokes to be very corny, with a lot of really poor puns. This might be quite amusing for small children, but there is little to keep the adults amused.
The film feels very patronising, and almost talks down to it's audience in places, some of the best "kids" movies do not treat their audience as kids 3/10
I found the storyline of this film to be very contrived, and the jokes to be very corny, with a lot of really poor puns. This might be quite amusing for small children, but there is little to keep the adults amused.
The film feels very patronising, and almost talks down to it's audience in places, some of the best "kids" movies do not treat their audience as kids 3/10
Sunday 2 February 2014
Inside Llewyn Davis
Inside Llewyn Davis is the latest film from the Coen Brothers, following a 1960'sbfolk singer trying to eek out a living. Llewyn is portrayed as a bit of a hopeless case, homeless, and sleeping on various friends sofas, he goes from one crisis to another.
I have read reviews saying this could be "the film of the year" or "The best Coen Brothers Movie ever" but actually I struggled to penetrate it. Perhaps I just lacked a bit of empathy for Llewyn, and maybe others will enjoy it more than I did, I can see where those that really enjoyed this are coming from, but maybe it's just not the film for me 6/10
I have read reviews saying this could be "the film of the year" or "The best Coen Brothers Movie ever" but actually I struggled to penetrate it. Perhaps I just lacked a bit of empathy for Llewyn, and maybe others will enjoy it more than I did, I can see where those that really enjoyed this are coming from, but maybe it's just not the film for me 6/10
Saturday 1 February 2014
That Awkward Moment
That Awkward Moment Stars Zac Efron, Michael B Jordan and Miles Teller as 3 Guys, who pledge to remain single together following the break up of Michael B Jordan's marriage. It is supposed to be a different take on the traditional rom com, however, while there is plenty if "Rom" this film is far to light on the "com" with most of the jokes either about toilet habits, or penis gags.
The storyline, such as it is, is interesting, but nothing surprising as it follows the "will they, won't they" format to the letter.
On the plus side, it moves quickly, and is quite short, so holds the attention well throughout, and I never found myself bored wiry it, but it needs a whole load more decent jokes to make it even halfway funny 4/10
The storyline, such as it is, is interesting, but nothing surprising as it follows the "will they, won't they" format to the letter.
On the plus side, it moves quickly, and is quite short, so holds the attention well throughout, and I never found myself bored wiry it, but it needs a whole load more decent jokes to make it even halfway funny 4/10
Friday 31 January 2014
August: Osage County
August: Osage County is a difficult film to sum up, it follows a disfunctional family from Osage County Oklahoma, after the Father dies, the relatives gather for the funeral, and their relationships are tested to breaking point.
This is a very difficult film to follow, I found it difficult to penetrate the surface, there are so many characters all with their own individual problems, that there is almost to much going on. Violet, played by Meryl Steep is so over the top initially that it almost becomes a bit of a Characerture, I found it very hard to get into.
The plot such as it is, is basically one argument after another and very little in the way of narrative story, in the rests between arguments, all they do is complain about how hot it is.
On the plus side, I can appreciate why Streep and Julia Roberts have been nominated for Oscars, these are difficult characters to play, and they play them very well, but good performances alone are not enough, and this film is let down badly by the screenplay 4/10
This is a very difficult film to follow, I found it difficult to penetrate the surface, there are so many characters all with their own individual problems, that there is almost to much going on. Violet, played by Meryl Steep is so over the top initially that it almost becomes a bit of a Characerture, I found it very hard to get into.
The plot such as it is, is basically one argument after another and very little in the way of narrative story, in the rests between arguments, all they do is complain about how hot it is.
On the plus side, I can appreciate why Streep and Julia Roberts have been nominated for Oscars, these are difficult characters to play, and they play them very well, but good performances alone are not enough, and this film is let down badly by the screenplay 4/10
Tuesday 28 January 2014
Grudge Match
Grudge Match stars Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Nero as two aging boxers, who beat each other once, but the decider got cancelled after Razor (Stallone) quit boxing. 30 years later and the "Grudge Match" is finally arranged.
I must admit that I didn't think this film would be any good, the concept of Rocky vs Raging Bull might be interesting, bit given the age of the actors involved this falls firmly in the "Geriaction" category.
I was, however, pleasantly surprised, there is a lot more in the film than just the boxing match, however a lot of the jokes fall flat, and the best laughs in the film come from an 8 year old boy, who has far better comedy timing than the adult actors.
It's a little bit clunky, and unlikely to find a large audience, but despite being on the surface a film about two OAP's in a boxing match, it has more depth than that, and in the end is halfway decent 7/10
I must admit that I didn't think this film would be any good, the concept of Rocky vs Raging Bull might be interesting, bit given the age of the actors involved this falls firmly in the "Geriaction" category.
I was, however, pleasantly surprised, there is a lot more in the film than just the boxing match, however a lot of the jokes fall flat, and the best laughs in the film come from an 8 year old boy, who has far better comedy timing than the adult actors.
It's a little bit clunky, and unlikely to find a large audience, but despite being on the surface a film about two OAP's in a boxing match, it has more depth than that, and in the end is halfway decent 7/10
Saturday 25 January 2014
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit
Shadow Recruit is an origin story of CIA analyst Jack Ryan, based on the character created by Tom Clancy. This is the first Jack Ryan film not to be based on a Clancy novel.
Chris Pine becomes the 4th person to play Ryan on Film, following on from Alec Baldwin (The Hunt for Red October) Harrison Ford (Patriot Games/Clear & Present Danger) and Ben Affleck (The Sum of all Fears)
Despite this being an prequal/Origin film, it is a very modern setting, taking place in 2013 Wall Street.
The main leads do a decent job, Pine is up there with the best of the previous Jack Ryan incarnations, Knightly does a good job as his Girlfriend and Kevin Costner is superb as his CIA boss.
This is a decent film, you know what to expect from this type of movie and it doesn't disappoint in that regard, however it follows a fairly predictable and safe format, there is very little here that hasn't been done before and with nothing to surprising. I was perhaps, hoping for something a bit more risky, new and refreshing. 8/10
Chris Pine becomes the 4th person to play Ryan on Film, following on from Alec Baldwin (The Hunt for Red October) Harrison Ford (Patriot Games/Clear & Present Danger) and Ben Affleck (The Sum of all Fears)
Despite this being an prequal/Origin film, it is a very modern setting, taking place in 2013 Wall Street.
The main leads do a decent job, Pine is up there with the best of the previous Jack Ryan incarnations, Knightly does a good job as his Girlfriend and Kevin Costner is superb as his CIA boss.
This is a decent film, you know what to expect from this type of movie and it doesn't disappoint in that regard, however it follows a fairly predictable and safe format, there is very little here that hasn't been done before and with nothing to surprising. I was perhaps, hoping for something a bit more risky, new and refreshing. 8/10
Monday 20 January 2014
The Wolf of Wall Street
The Wolf Of Wall Street stars Leonardo Di Caprio as Jordan Belfort, an out of control Wall Street stockbroker. It tells a story of endless parties, sex and drug addiction.
Going into this film I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did, at 3 hours long I thought it might feel like a long slog, but actually I was so engaged in the film that I didn't notice the time, and this felt an awful lot shorter than lots of films that run for 30 minutes less than it. That is down in no small part to the performance of Leonardo Di Caprio who is superb, and Jonah hill, of whom I have not been a massive fan in the past, Is also brilliant.
This is not a film for everybody, there is a lot of nudity, sex, cocaine use and strong language, however all of this is necessary in order to effectively show just how out of control things got, despite it's 3 hour run time I was never bored, definitely worth a watch 9/10
Going into this film I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did, at 3 hours long I thought it might feel like a long slog, but actually I was so engaged in the film that I didn't notice the time, and this felt an awful lot shorter than lots of films that run for 30 minutes less than it. That is down in no small part to the performance of Leonardo Di Caprio who is superb, and Jonah hill, of whom I have not been a massive fan in the past, Is also brilliant.
This is not a film for everybody, there is a lot of nudity, sex, cocaine use and strong language, however all of this is necessary in order to effectively show just how out of control things got, despite it's 3 hour run time I was never bored, definitely worth a watch 9/10
Saturday 18 January 2014
The Railway Man
The Railway Man tells the true story of Eric Lomax, a second world war POW who was captured by the Japanese following the allied surrender at Singapore and put to work on the Burma railway. It stars Colin Firth as the older Eric Lomax in the 1989's and Jeremy Irvine as the younger Lomax in WWII, alongside Nicole Kidman as Eric's wife Patti.
Prior to watching this film, I was unfamiliar with the Eric Lomax story, I have picked up bits listening to some of the discussion around this film, so kind of knew where it was heading, but this story really surprised me. In a similar way to 12 years a slave, this tells a true story that involves the mistreatment of one group of human beings by another, as such there are a couple of scenes that are difficult viewing, especially the waterboarding scene.
You might expect Colin Firth to steal this film, however his performance is somewhat understated, Jeremy Irvine plays the younger Lomax extremely well, but for me the stand out performance in this film is from Nicole Kidman, who plays it perfectly with steely determination in her eyes as she battles her Husbands demons.
For me this had almost as much impact as 12 years and perhaps rightly so, it may not be troubling the oscars, but I found this to be a difficult tale well told. If you have seen 12 years a slave and are wondering what to see next, you could do a lot worse than to add this is your would like to see list. 9.5/10
Prior to watching this film, I was unfamiliar with the Eric Lomax story, I have picked up bits listening to some of the discussion around this film, so kind of knew where it was heading, but this story really surprised me. In a similar way to 12 years a slave, this tells a true story that involves the mistreatment of one group of human beings by another, as such there are a couple of scenes that are difficult viewing, especially the waterboarding scene.
You might expect Colin Firth to steal this film, however his performance is somewhat understated, Jeremy Irvine plays the younger Lomax extremely well, but for me the stand out performance in this film is from Nicole Kidman, who plays it perfectly with steely determination in her eyes as she battles her Husbands demons.
For me this had almost as much impact as 12 years and perhaps rightly so, it may not be troubling the oscars, but I found this to be a difficult tale well told. If you have seen 12 years a slave and are wondering what to see next, you could do a lot worse than to add this is your would like to see list. 9.5/10
Last Vegas
Last Vegas stars Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, Robert De Nero and Kevin Klein as 4 friends, who now approaching 70 head to Vegas for a bachelor party.
This is quite a fun film, the 4 main stars are clearly relaxing and taking it easy, and as such it is fairly unremarkable, the jokes are hit and miss, but the film was ruined slightly by the fact that many of the best jokes are in the trailer.
If you want something fun and lighthearted, that won't make you think to much, rather than the emotionally draining 12 Years Slave, then this is worth a watch 8/10
This is quite a fun film, the 4 main stars are clearly relaxing and taking it easy, and as such it is fairly unremarkable, the jokes are hit and miss, but the film was ruined slightly by the fact that many of the best jokes are in the trailer.
If you want something fun and lighthearted, that won't make you think to much, rather than the emotionally draining 12 Years Slave, then this is worth a watch 8/10
Sunday 12 January 2014
Delivery Man
Delivery Man stars Vince Vaughn as David Wozniak, a delivery driver for his families meat business, who 20 years earlier donated sperm to a fertility clinic, and now discovers that he is the father of 533 children, a large number of whom now want to know who he is.
This is quite a heartwarming film, with plenty to say about fatherhood, however it is ostensibly supposed to be a comedy, whilst it is quite a fun film, the laughs are very much lacking. For me it failed the basic 6 laugh test. It is not a bad film, I didn't come out wanted my 100 minutes back, but I'm just not sure it is quite what the film-maker set out to achieve.
Fun and heartwarming, with something to say in a world where a lot of fathers are absent, it works on that level. Worth seeing if the brutal reality of 12 years a slave doesn't fit your mood. You may leave with a smile, just don't expect to many laughs along the way 7/10
This is quite a heartwarming film, with plenty to say about fatherhood, however it is ostensibly supposed to be a comedy, whilst it is quite a fun film, the laughs are very much lacking. For me it failed the basic 6 laugh test. It is not a bad film, I didn't come out wanted my 100 minutes back, but I'm just not sure it is quite what the film-maker set out to achieve.
Fun and heartwarming, with something to say in a world where a lot of fathers are absent, it works on that level. Worth seeing if the brutal reality of 12 years a slave doesn't fit your mood. You may leave with a smile, just don't expect to many laughs along the way 7/10
Wednesday 8 January 2014
12 Years A Slave
12 Years A Slave tells the true story of Soloman Northup, a Black Free Man in 1840's New York who is kidnapped and sold into slavery.
It deals with some very difficult themes, and as such this is not an easy watch, it contains some fairly graphic scenes of slaves being beaten and tortured. Regular readers of my blog will know I don't like gratuitous violence and blood, but in this film it is a part of the reality of life as a slave, and as such it is entirely justified, and the film would be lacking something without it.
I think Steve McQueen has done an excellent job here, although for me the film did drag a little, as the storyline seems to plod along at quite a pedestrian pace. I was also a little confused by the choice of opening scene before the titles, sometimes films start with the end, then explain how we got to that point, this film seems to have picked a random scene from about halfway through.
My real issue with this film is the advertising, the likes of Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch and Paul Giamatti barely feature for more than about 10 minutes each, yet they were the names on the posters and trailers, even Alfie Woddard who is on the screen for a total of about 2 minutes got a mention in the trailer, yet there are non star names who feature a whole lot more who barely get a mention. I appreciate that it is star names that sell a film, but it just seemed to be out of perspective.
This is an excellent film, with a wonderful lead performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor, and has quite rightly been nominated for several Golden Globes and Baftas, and no doubt will feature heavily in the Oscar Nominations in what is going to be a very competitive year 9/10
It deals with some very difficult themes, and as such this is not an easy watch, it contains some fairly graphic scenes of slaves being beaten and tortured. Regular readers of my blog will know I don't like gratuitous violence and blood, but in this film it is a part of the reality of life as a slave, and as such it is entirely justified, and the film would be lacking something without it.
I think Steve McQueen has done an excellent job here, although for me the film did drag a little, as the storyline seems to plod along at quite a pedestrian pace. I was also a little confused by the choice of opening scene before the titles, sometimes films start with the end, then explain how we got to that point, this film seems to have picked a random scene from about halfway through.
My real issue with this film is the advertising, the likes of Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch and Paul Giamatti barely feature for more than about 10 minutes each, yet they were the names on the posters and trailers, even Alfie Woddard who is on the screen for a total of about 2 minutes got a mention in the trailer, yet there are non star names who feature a whole lot more who barely get a mention. I appreciate that it is star names that sell a film, but it just seemed to be out of perspective.
This is an excellent film, with a wonderful lead performance by Chiwetel Ejiofor, and has quite rightly been nominated for several Golden Globes and Baftas, and no doubt will feature heavily in the Oscar Nominations in what is going to be a very competitive year 9/10
Friday 3 January 2014
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
I tried to judge this solely on its artistic merit rather than letting the death of Mandela affect my judgement of the film. .
Idris Elba puts in a fine performance, his South African accent is very good, however this film is not without flaws. Idris Elba looks as much like Mandela as Naomi Watts looks like Diana. That said it is not such a huge issue in this film, as once I got over the lack of likeness I did go with it, which is a testament to the film.
If anything this film tries to do to much, covering over 50 years in a little under 2 and a half hours means it does move quickly and doesn't have time to linger on any particular event.
It would be very easy to make this film and try and make it fit the modern Statesman view of Nelson Mandela. I like the fact that it does not shy away from his early life and the terrorism for which he was responsible. Showing the Man warts and all.
This film stands as a great obituary to the former South African President. 8/10
Idris Elba puts in a fine performance, his South African accent is very good, however this film is not without flaws. Idris Elba looks as much like Mandela as Naomi Watts looks like Diana. That said it is not such a huge issue in this film, as once I got over the lack of likeness I did go with it, which is a testament to the film.
If anything this film tries to do to much, covering over 50 years in a little under 2 and a half hours means it does move quickly and doesn't have time to linger on any particular event.
It would be very easy to make this film and try and make it fit the modern Statesman view of Nelson Mandela. I like the fact that it does not shy away from his early life and the terrorism for which he was responsible. Showing the Man warts and all.
This film stands as a great obituary to the former South African President. 8/10
Thursday 2 January 2014
American Hustle
The last time David O'Russell directed Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence was the Brilliant Silver Linings Playbook, one of the best films of 2012. So I went into American Hustle with high hopes. Unfortunately my expectations were not met.
The basic idea behind this film, is that everybody deceives someone in order to survive, even if that is only themselves. The film follows a very elaborate series of cons and seems to lose its way. The story plods very slowly, and the over two hours felt more like four, by the two thirds mark I was getting desperate for the film to end, which is a shame, as the final half hour is probably the best of the film, but by that point I had lost all interest.
The characters although they have plenty of depth, have nothing likeable about them, which means I didn't really care what happened to them, and have no emotional involvement with them whatsoever. It's on a par with The counsellor, one of the worst films of 2013 where I couldn't care less about what happens to the lead characters.
That said the acting performances are pretty decent, especially from Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner, but quality acting alone does not make make a good film.
A disappointing start to the year 4/10
The basic idea behind this film, is that everybody deceives someone in order to survive, even if that is only themselves. The film follows a very elaborate series of cons and seems to lose its way. The story plods very slowly, and the over two hours felt more like four, by the two thirds mark I was getting desperate for the film to end, which is a shame, as the final half hour is probably the best of the film, but by that point I had lost all interest.
The characters although they have plenty of depth, have nothing likeable about them, which means I didn't really care what happened to them, and have no emotional involvement with them whatsoever. It's on a par with The counsellor, one of the worst films of 2013 where I couldn't care less about what happens to the lead characters.
That said the acting performances are pretty decent, especially from Jennifer Lawrence and Jeremy Renner, but quality acting alone does not make make a good film.
A disappointing start to the year 4/10
Wednesday 1 January 2014
47 Ronin
47 Ronin is based on a true story/legend set in ancient Japan. A Ronin is a Samurai who has no master, When the master is betrayed 47 of his Samuarai set about avenging his death.
The basic storyline of this film in an interesting one, and not a story I have particularly come across before, however the problem with this movie is the amount of explanation needed in order to understand the cultural relevance of various things, there are long sequences in this film where the narrative arc loses momentum in order to explain something. This means the film is a bit of a slog to sit through, whilst the action sequences and fight scenes are very well choreographed and shot, there is not enough to hold the interest between them, so you end up switching off. 5/10
The basic storyline of this film in an interesting one, and not a story I have particularly come across before, however the problem with this movie is the amount of explanation needed in order to understand the cultural relevance of various things, there are long sequences in this film where the narrative arc loses momentum in order to explain something. This means the film is a bit of a slog to sit through, whilst the action sequences and fight scenes are very well choreographed and shot, there is not enough to hold the interest between them, so you end up switching off. 5/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)