Legend is a gangster biopic set in the 1960's.
It tells the story of Ronnie Kray (Tom Hardy) and Reggie Kray (Tom Hardy), the notorious gangster twins who ruled London at their peak.
This film is difficult to write about without spoiling anything. But I'm going to try. The follows Reggie Kray as he attempt to balance his brother and his relationship with Frances Shea (Emily Browning).
The three primary parts, Ronnie, Reggie and Frances, were all wonderfully portrayed. Each and every character movement and tick help build up a nice trio of individuals. In many regards, this is a testament to Tom Hardy's acting skill as he manages to play two characters and make them feel like individuals.
There were many secondary characters who appeared in this, most notably Leslie Payne (David Thewlis) and Edward Smith (Taron Egerton). These characters managed to fill their roles well. My complaint is that there was far less focus on Leonard "Nipper" Read than I was hoping for.
Regarding the story, it felt like a slice of life. The gangster activity, while still present, was pushed into the background in favour of the relationship story at times. While this may not be everyones cup of tea, I enjoyed it as it allowed the characters to have room to breathe.
The three characters play off well against each other, with the triangle fitting very well.
For those people who are worried about the lack of violence, it exists, and at times is brutal. Tom Hardy manages to make both characters acts of violence appear unique, adding to the illusion of the pair of twins.
Technically, I was astounded. The ability to get twins to fit so naturally in the world is a testament to modern day cgi, especially in one scene. It is also a testament to Brian Helgelands direction. The film style was very modern, with a soundtrack from the sixties.
The soundtrack reflected the movie quite well, enabling the audience to empathise with the characters at times. It also cleverly repeated songs, which helped the audience remember previous events which add depth to the moment on screen.
This is an enjoyable film and one for international audiences to watch for the technical film making. It is a well done biopic that may have limited appeal, solely due to the locality of the original story.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Three
Recommendation: See this film, if you live in the UK or enjoy the technical aspects of film making.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Wednesday 9 September 2015
Sunday 23 August 2015
Trainwreck (2015)
Trainwreck is a gender reversed rom-com.
This movie tells the tale of Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer), a thirty something journalist. This is until she meets Aaron Connors (Bill Hader). The film follows their time as a couple.
Amy is an interesting character as she embodies the man in the relationship. The aspects of her personality are enforced by the people that surround her. There is her sister Kim (Brie Larson), her best friend Nikki (Vanessa Bayer) and her father Gordon (Colin Quinn). On the other hand, Dr. Aaron Conners, who represents the female in the relationship is supported by LeBron James (himself).
Regarding characterisation, only Amy, Aaron and LeBron were presented as fully fledged characters. The remainder of the characters are one dimensional, which is disappointing considering how well developed the two leads, and LeBron.
There are many notable celebrity cameos and short parts, most of which did not adda anything to the movie. The most notable is John Cena as Steven, who plays a person that Amy dates. Unfortunately, this dilutes from time that could be spent on developing side characters.
There are a lot of laughs in this movie, most of which are deserved. These laughs come from the majority of the cast and their interactions with both Amy and Aaron.
The strength of this film is that character interactions seem natural, with all actors fully embracing their roles. The strongest interaction by far was between our lead couple, with their obvious chemistry being the highlight of the film.
While this movie runs on rom-com tropes, they feel refreshing due to the gender reversal that this film adopts. It adds another level of understanding with both leads feeling fully developed as opposed to solely one of them.
To further this point, it feels like there is a coming of age story hidden within the movie. This is a nice touch as both character go through their coming of age stories later on in life. It is a great way of showing that people grow up at different times in their life.
For me, the major negative was the ending sequence. For a movie that focused on small moments and character interaction, the ending sequence was too big. It felt completely unnatural, and only there to tick a box. It drops the films potential to be considered a great.
Trainwreck is a rom-com that had the potential to be great, if not for the final sequence.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Three
Recommendation: This film is an enjoyable watch, on Netflix. Unless it is rereleased on Valentines Day.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
This movie tells the tale of Amy Townsend (Amy Schumer), a thirty something journalist. This is until she meets Aaron Connors (Bill Hader). The film follows their time as a couple.
Amy is an interesting character as she embodies the man in the relationship. The aspects of her personality are enforced by the people that surround her. There is her sister Kim (Brie Larson), her best friend Nikki (Vanessa Bayer) and her father Gordon (Colin Quinn). On the other hand, Dr. Aaron Conners, who represents the female in the relationship is supported by LeBron James (himself).
Regarding characterisation, only Amy, Aaron and LeBron were presented as fully fledged characters. The remainder of the characters are one dimensional, which is disappointing considering how well developed the two leads, and LeBron.
There are many notable celebrity cameos and short parts, most of which did not adda anything to the movie. The most notable is John Cena as Steven, who plays a person that Amy dates. Unfortunately, this dilutes from time that could be spent on developing side characters.
There are a lot of laughs in this movie, most of which are deserved. These laughs come from the majority of the cast and their interactions with both Amy and Aaron.
The strength of this film is that character interactions seem natural, with all actors fully embracing their roles. The strongest interaction by far was between our lead couple, with their obvious chemistry being the highlight of the film.
While this movie runs on rom-com tropes, they feel refreshing due to the gender reversal that this film adopts. It adds another level of understanding with both leads feeling fully developed as opposed to solely one of them.
To further this point, it feels like there is a coming of age story hidden within the movie. This is a nice touch as both character go through their coming of age stories later on in life. It is a great way of showing that people grow up at different times in their life.
For me, the major negative was the ending sequence. For a movie that focused on small moments and character interaction, the ending sequence was too big. It felt completely unnatural, and only there to tick a box. It drops the films potential to be considered a great.
Trainwreck is a rom-com that had the potential to be great, if not for the final sequence.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Three
Recommendation: This film is an enjoyable watch, on Netflix. Unless it is rereleased on Valentines Day.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Sunday 16 August 2015
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a lighthearted spy movie set in the 1960's.
In a way, this is an origin of our team. The team consists of Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill), an opportunistic kleptomaniac, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), an russian spy with anger management issues, and Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander), an expert German mechanic.
As a general warning, this film contains no major plot twists, which makes discussing the content of the movie difficult. From what I can say about the film, it doesn't need plot twists, in fact the lack seems to fit the movie better.
For all intensive purposes, this film is a throwback to simpler times, where the clothes were brighter, the allegiances were simpler, and computers didn't take up the entirety of peoples lives.
All actors play their parts well, with the only flaw being that at times Henry Cavill sounded like a sixties radio presenter. The villain for this piece, Victoria Vinciguerra, is well portrayed, but under developed.
This films banter is brilliant, with each character feeling individual solely based on dialogue. The jokes were witty and the relationships felt right, especially as natural is the last thing anyone could say about this film. In all fairness, I feel that character relationships are Guy Ritchies forte as a director.
This film provides moments of laughter, which made is a far more amusing romp in the sixties. Although, a couple of the jokes were repeated too many times.
Some of the shots could be mistaken for those from the sixties. The long zooms help set the scene well for the movie, as well as show how impressive some of the choreography is regarding certain stunts. What also impresses me is the lack of shake-cam action scenes. In fact, a lot of modern tropes seem to have been abandoned for older styled shots. This film is a great example of how something as simple as lighting can affect the entire way a scene appears.
Now to move onto the action. The lack of shaky cam helped a lot, as well as the sixties based shots. The most impressive parts for me were when the violence was implied, as it lead to far more creative scenes. When it wasn't implied, the action was serviceable, with each character playing to their own strengths.
All in all, I found this film to be enjoyable, the throwback elements make it a worthwhile view. It was sassy and witty.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a fun film that harkens back to the days when summer movies were simpler affairs. I wish more summer films were like this.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Three
Recommendation: Watch if you want to have an enjoyable time at the cinema.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
In a way, this is an origin of our team. The team consists of Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill), an opportunistic kleptomaniac, Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer), an russian spy with anger management issues, and Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander), an expert German mechanic.
As a general warning, this film contains no major plot twists, which makes discussing the content of the movie difficult. From what I can say about the film, it doesn't need plot twists, in fact the lack seems to fit the movie better.
For all intensive purposes, this film is a throwback to simpler times, where the clothes were brighter, the allegiances were simpler, and computers didn't take up the entirety of peoples lives.
All actors play their parts well, with the only flaw being that at times Henry Cavill sounded like a sixties radio presenter. The villain for this piece, Victoria Vinciguerra, is well portrayed, but under developed.
This films banter is brilliant, with each character feeling individual solely based on dialogue. The jokes were witty and the relationships felt right, especially as natural is the last thing anyone could say about this film. In all fairness, I feel that character relationships are Guy Ritchies forte as a director.
This film provides moments of laughter, which made is a far more amusing romp in the sixties. Although, a couple of the jokes were repeated too many times.
Some of the shots could be mistaken for those from the sixties. The long zooms help set the scene well for the movie, as well as show how impressive some of the choreography is regarding certain stunts. What also impresses me is the lack of shake-cam action scenes. In fact, a lot of modern tropes seem to have been abandoned for older styled shots. This film is a great example of how something as simple as lighting can affect the entire way a scene appears.
Now to move onto the action. The lack of shaky cam helped a lot, as well as the sixties based shots. The most impressive parts for me were when the violence was implied, as it lead to far more creative scenes. When it wasn't implied, the action was serviceable, with each character playing to their own strengths.
All in all, I found this film to be enjoyable, the throwback elements make it a worthwhile view. It was sassy and witty.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a fun film that harkens back to the days when summer movies were simpler affairs. I wish more summer films were like this.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Three
Recommendation: Watch if you want to have an enjoyable time at the cinema.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Monday 10 August 2015
Fantastic Four (2015)
Fantastic Four is a superhero film with some horror elements.
Fantastic Four is an origin story for the titular team of heroes: Reed Richards (Miles Teller), Sue Storm (Kate Mara), Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) and Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell).
For the opening act, this casts works alongside Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey) and Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell).
In all actuality, this was not a bad movie. The characters were well realised, and the psychological impact on the characters just discovering who they are was interesting.
This film shines when it focuses on the character relationships and darker aspects. Seeing as this is an origin movie, it is nice to see hints at how all of the relationships will develop over time. These relationships help provide genuine feelings of family, with hints of friendship.
At times, Fantastic Four felt uneven. In an essence, there was a good film here, but it was buried amongst moments of pure cheese.
The cinematography in this movie managed to demonstrate competency, especially with the darker parts. However, the majority of the film didn't pop. I know the word "pop" is not a useful or usual word, but it's the only way to describe a film where the visuals didn't stand out at all times.
The funny thing is that there are two moments in this movie which stand out, unfortunately those two moments are surrounded by blah. This detracts from what is a good film on the inside.
Fantastic Four is a good movie to see, producing a different take on the ever more saturated superhero genre. The only thing that is disappointing is that there was so much more potential that is missed out on.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Three
Recommendation: It's worth a watch on Netflix.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Fantastic Four is an origin story for the titular team of heroes: Reed Richards (Miles Teller), Sue Storm (Kate Mara), Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan) and Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell).
For the opening act, this casts works alongside Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey) and Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell).
In all actuality, this was not a bad movie. The characters were well realised, and the psychological impact on the characters just discovering who they are was interesting.
This film shines when it focuses on the character relationships and darker aspects. Seeing as this is an origin movie, it is nice to see hints at how all of the relationships will develop over time. These relationships help provide genuine feelings of family, with hints of friendship.
At times, Fantastic Four felt uneven. In an essence, there was a good film here, but it was buried amongst moments of pure cheese.
The cinematography in this movie managed to demonstrate competency, especially with the darker parts. However, the majority of the film didn't pop. I know the word "pop" is not a useful or usual word, but it's the only way to describe a film where the visuals didn't stand out at all times.
The funny thing is that there are two moments in this movie which stand out, unfortunately those two moments are surrounded by blah. This detracts from what is a good film on the inside.
Fantastic Four is a good movie to see, producing a different take on the ever more saturated superhero genre. The only thing that is disappointing is that there was so much more potential that is missed out on.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Three
Recommendation: It's worth a watch on Netflix.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Saturday 25 July 2015
Southpaw (2015)
Warning: Before the review begins, I would like to admit that I love boxing movies. If you feel that this will skew the review, please stop reading.
Southpaw is enjoyable to watch. While unfocused it is elevated by the actors performances.
Southpaw tells the story of Billy "The Great" Hope (Played by Jake Gyllenhaal), an undefeated prize fighter and his life post the death of his wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams). It primarily focuses on his boxing career and his relationship with his daughter Leila (Oona Laurence).
In many ways this is a by the books boxing movie. By that I mean it is about breaking someone down and then building them back up. This film manages to achieve this goal well.
The boxing is choreographed well, feeling authentic despite a couple of times when it was apparent punches were pulled. This could be thanks to Victor Ortiz, who utilised his boxing skills to aid director Antoine Fuqua with choreography.
The performances are what made this movie rise above the average boxing movie.
As this movie focuses of Gyllenhaals Billy Hope, it is great that such a talented actor took on the role. He fully embraced the role, which made following his less than articulate character very easy. I felt every emotion that Hope was feeling.
The secondary characters also fill their roles will. Rachel McAdams has a great chemistry with Jake Gyllenhaal. When Oona Laurences Leila is added to the mix, it feels like watching a loving family.
Hopes support team is more of a mixed bag. Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker) is a well played character who does a great job of shaping Hope into the fighter he is at the end of the film. He also has good support from his friend Mikey (Dominic Colon).
Weak characters were also presents, especially Jordan Mains (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson). While I was not the biggest fan of his character, I can see how much better Jacksons performance is compared to his previous work. Another weak role was Miguel "Magic" Escobar (Miguel Gomez), however that is because he need more time to be developed on screen.
There are not plot twists in this movie, which serves it well due to a lack of overcrowding. Antoine Fuquas direction manages to hit all of the beats well, however there are some secondary stories that could have been left out to make a tighter movie.
The cinematography was good, but it wasn't special.
Southpaw is a true boxing movie, which I personally believe is a great thing.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero
Recommendation: This is a must watch for boxing movie fans. For the remainder of audiences, it is a movie that while enjoyable in cinemas, could just be bought on Blu-Ray.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Southpaw is enjoyable to watch. While unfocused it is elevated by the actors performances.
Southpaw tells the story of Billy "The Great" Hope (Played by Jake Gyllenhaal), an undefeated prize fighter and his life post the death of his wife Maureen (Rachel McAdams). It primarily focuses on his boxing career and his relationship with his daughter Leila (Oona Laurence).
In many ways this is a by the books boxing movie. By that I mean it is about breaking someone down and then building them back up. This film manages to achieve this goal well.
The boxing is choreographed well, feeling authentic despite a couple of times when it was apparent punches were pulled. This could be thanks to Victor Ortiz, who utilised his boxing skills to aid director Antoine Fuqua with choreography.
The performances are what made this movie rise above the average boxing movie.
As this movie focuses of Gyllenhaals Billy Hope, it is great that such a talented actor took on the role. He fully embraced the role, which made following his less than articulate character very easy. I felt every emotion that Hope was feeling.
The secondary characters also fill their roles will. Rachel McAdams has a great chemistry with Jake Gyllenhaal. When Oona Laurences Leila is added to the mix, it feels like watching a loving family.
Hopes support team is more of a mixed bag. Tick Willis (Forest Whitaker) is a well played character who does a great job of shaping Hope into the fighter he is at the end of the film. He also has good support from his friend Mikey (Dominic Colon).
Weak characters were also presents, especially Jordan Mains (Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson). While I was not the biggest fan of his character, I can see how much better Jacksons performance is compared to his previous work. Another weak role was Miguel "Magic" Escobar (Miguel Gomez), however that is because he need more time to be developed on screen.
There are not plot twists in this movie, which serves it well due to a lack of overcrowding. Antoine Fuquas direction manages to hit all of the beats well, however there are some secondary stories that could have been left out to make a tighter movie.
The cinematography was good, but it wasn't special.
Southpaw is a true boxing movie, which I personally believe is a great thing.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero
Recommendation: This is a must watch for boxing movie fans. For the remainder of audiences, it is a movie that while enjoyable in cinemas, could just be bought on Blu-Ray.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Sunday 19 July 2015
Ant-Man (2015)
Ant-Man is a Marvel movie baed on the adventures of Scott Lang and Hank Pym.
Ant-Man tells the tale of Scott Lang (played by Paul Rudd), an ex-con hired to Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lily), who uses the Ant-Man suit to steal stuff from Darren Cross (Corey Stoll).
This movie delivers exactly what is expected of a Marvel summer blockbuster. It was an enjoyable, no-brainer, movie.
The movie was presented in the usual fantastical world, competently brought to life by Peyton Reed. The characters are slightly larger than life, which is a Marvel staple. It also introduces interesting characters, such as Luis (Michael Pena) to provide the obligatory Marvel comic relief.
The highlight of this movie was the character interactions. The plot was very straight forward, with plot twists essentially non existent. Conversations seemed fun, although not entirely natural. The character highlights for me were Douglas Hank Pym and Penas Luis. Michael Pena to me personally is an underrated actor, who could carry a film on his own, something that he demonstrated by stealing every scene he was in.
However, despite the four memorable characters who interacted well, a lot of the other characters were ultimately forgettable. The most disappointing forgettable character was Stolls Darren Cross. Marvel needs to learn how to create memorable villains.
The bombastic action can lead to entertaining scenes. It is also where the influence of the original director (Edgar Wright) is most noticeable. The scenes are creative and really help demonstrate why Ant-Man could be an interesting character.
This film also contains some obvious fan service, but Ant-Man manages to stand on its own two feet as a stand alone movie.
The film at times seems disjointed, but due to the production history (Reed only became the director a couple of weeks before shooting) this is more a victim or circumstance than bad direction.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Two
Recommendation:This is an enjoyable summer movie, see it for an enjoyable time.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Saturday 11 July 2015
Ted 2 (2015)
Ted 2 is a comedy about a talking bear (Voiced by Seth MacFarlane) and his best friend John (Mark Wahlberg).
Ted 2 tells the story of Teds attempt to legally be deemed as human after the US government ruins his life. He is aided by his thunder buddy John and Sam L. Jackson, a young lawyer portrayed by Amanda Seyfried.
The main story was alright, but in a comedy the journey matters more than the story. The journey easily delivered the more enjoyable part, and it was very enjoyable.
The cinematography is alright, but pretty standard fair, sprinkled with some great quick cuts for that extra laugh. There were, however, musical numbers that overstayed their welcome.
Seth MacFarlane uses this film to demonstrate his voice acting ability, being able to make the character of Ted seem as if he was alive. Mark Wahlberg also does a great job of returning to the role of John. Amanda Seyfried seems to come into her own in this role and was a pleasure to watch.
The real star power however, comes in the celebrity cameos. Each actor fully takes on their character in the cameo and it enhances what is already a very funny film.
This movie had me laughing out loud in the cinema, probably annoying the person sitting next to me. To me, this is a sign of a very funny movie.
Ted 2 demonstrates how lude, crude and rude comedy can still make a hilarious movie when effort is put into it.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero
Recommendation: See this film for a good laugh.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Ted 2 tells the story of Teds attempt to legally be deemed as human after the US government ruins his life. He is aided by his thunder buddy John and Sam L. Jackson, a young lawyer portrayed by Amanda Seyfried.
The main story was alright, but in a comedy the journey matters more than the story. The journey easily delivered the more enjoyable part, and it was very enjoyable.
The cinematography is alright, but pretty standard fair, sprinkled with some great quick cuts for that extra laugh. There were, however, musical numbers that overstayed their welcome.
Seth MacFarlane uses this film to demonstrate his voice acting ability, being able to make the character of Ted seem as if he was alive. Mark Wahlberg also does a great job of returning to the role of John. Amanda Seyfried seems to come into her own in this role and was a pleasure to watch.
The real star power however, comes in the celebrity cameos. Each actor fully takes on their character in the cameo and it enhances what is already a very funny film.
This movie had me laughing out loud in the cinema, probably annoying the person sitting next to me. To me, this is a sign of a very funny movie.
Ted 2 demonstrates how lude, crude and rude comedy can still make a hilarious movie when effort is put into it.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero
Recommendation: See this film for a good laugh.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Sunday 5 July 2015
Teminator Genisys (2015)
Terminator Genisys is a film based around time travel. It is also a film that didn't need to be made.
Arnold Schwarznegger returns to the role of the T-800 in this action movie set in the past, the near future and the far future. As in Terminator 2, the T-800 is sent to protect Sarah Connor, now portrayed by Emilia Clarke. Also sent to protect Sarah Connor is Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), sent by Sarah's son John Connor (Jason Clarke).
This film I found difficult to enjoy. The simple reason is that it did not share the same tone as the original two Terminator movies. The tension has been replaced by a more jokey version that kills tension whenever it is employed.
My big issue with this new approach is based on the fact that Terminator Genisys is rates 12A (PG-13) in the US. For a franchise usually rates 15 (R), this means that a lot of the grit of the original movies has been replaced with more child friendly content.
The action in this movie was very much by the books. Once the setting was known, the character actions during the fights ended up being predictable. It unfortunately meant that there was no point in this film where the audience would be sitting on the edge of their seats. For a film based on suspense and action, this is not a great sign.
Regarding the acting, at least the actors try. My issue is that while the entire cast is talented, this film didn't leave much room for them to demonstrate it. Matt Smith came closest in his role as a computer program, but otherwise the characters ended up being two dimensional. This is largely due to bad writing, relying on nostalgia to carry the movie as opposed to writing a good script.
Dayo Okeniyi and J.K. Simmons were wasted in their roles as Danny Dyson and O'Brien respectively. Their roles were created as plot devices to help characters get from point A to point B with a little character development as possible. Theses roles could have, or should have, been played by lesser known actors as an introductory role.
The twist in the story was ruined in the trailers. There is nothing more to say about that. It means that what was a potentially good twist has been ruined while trying to entice people to watch the film. A lot of the steam of the movie is lost after that reveal.
It is a weird moment when the villain is correct, but somehow this is the second film this summer where I feel like I have been rooting for the wrong side. The primary reason for this is that the our group of heroes are dumb. They are physically capable, but seem to lack the ability to think.
Terminator Genisys relies on nostalgia to work, it takes what was known and twists it in the worst possible way.
The biggest crime that Terminator Genisys has committed is that it wasn't great and it wasn't terrible, it was just boring.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Twenty
Recommendation: Watch the original Terminator and Terminator 2.
Arnold Schwarznegger returns to the role of the T-800 in this action movie set in the past, the near future and the far future. As in Terminator 2, the T-800 is sent to protect Sarah Connor, now portrayed by Emilia Clarke. Also sent to protect Sarah Connor is Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney), sent by Sarah's son John Connor (Jason Clarke).
This film I found difficult to enjoy. The simple reason is that it did not share the same tone as the original two Terminator movies. The tension has been replaced by a more jokey version that kills tension whenever it is employed.
My big issue with this new approach is based on the fact that Terminator Genisys is rates 12A (PG-13) in the US. For a franchise usually rates 15 (R), this means that a lot of the grit of the original movies has been replaced with more child friendly content.
The action in this movie was very much by the books. Once the setting was known, the character actions during the fights ended up being predictable. It unfortunately meant that there was no point in this film where the audience would be sitting on the edge of their seats. For a film based on suspense and action, this is not a great sign.
Regarding the acting, at least the actors try. My issue is that while the entire cast is talented, this film didn't leave much room for them to demonstrate it. Matt Smith came closest in his role as a computer program, but otherwise the characters ended up being two dimensional. This is largely due to bad writing, relying on nostalgia to carry the movie as opposed to writing a good script.
Dayo Okeniyi and J.K. Simmons were wasted in their roles as Danny Dyson and O'Brien respectively. Their roles were created as plot devices to help characters get from point A to point B with a little character development as possible. Theses roles could have, or should have, been played by lesser known actors as an introductory role.
The twist in the story was ruined in the trailers. There is nothing more to say about that. It means that what was a potentially good twist has been ruined while trying to entice people to watch the film. A lot of the steam of the movie is lost after that reveal.
It is a weird moment when the villain is correct, but somehow this is the second film this summer where I feel like I have been rooting for the wrong side. The primary reason for this is that the our group of heroes are dumb. They are physically capable, but seem to lack the ability to think.
Terminator Genisys relies on nostalgia to work, it takes what was known and twists it in the worst possible way.
The biggest crime that Terminator Genisys has committed is that it wasn't great and it wasn't terrible, it was just boring.
Recommendation: Watch the original Terminator and Terminator 2.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
Tuesday 23 June 2015
Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010)
Batman: Under the Red Hood is an animated movie within the world of Batman.
For a short movie, there is a lot of depth.
Under the Red Hood tells the story of Red Hood (Voiced by Jensen Ackles) and his encounters with Batman (Bruce Greenwood).
The film opens with an incredible sequence that manages to demonstrate the ability animation has to portray violence and danger without having to explicitly show it. This is something that I wish more movies would do. This sequence also managed to allow for an emotional punch that is best vocalised without words.
As the movie shifts from the past to the present day, we are greeted with an exposition filled five minutes, which begins to drag the movie down. However, that is the only section filled with awkward exposition, which was very fortunate.
As the main story progresses, the Red Hood story becomes more and more intertwined with that of the now deceased Jason Todd, a former Robin. This therefore makes Batmans journey all the more emotional as he is driven towards a final confrontation with the masked man.
This arc of the Batman saga manages to create a vulnerable hero as he dwells on his failures. The character of the Red Hood manages to exemplify the limits the Batman has put upon himself by crossing the line and killing criminals. This makes for an interesting, and deep character study. It also poses the question of whether Batman is actually affective.
Along the journey, Batman is joined by Nightwing (Neil Patrick Harris), a character primarily placed for comic relief. He is also a nice way of juxtaposing two parts of Batman, his greatest success and his greatest failure. As ever, Alfred (Jin Piddock) is there to faithfully provide Batman with a voice of reason, while Ra's Al Ghul (Jason Isaacs) appears to piece together a puzzle for the detective.
For the Red Hood and his story of vengeance, he is pitted against both Black Mask (Wade Williams) and Joker (John DiMaggio). While Black Mask was a character that featured more, he was a means to an end, both for the audience and for Red Hood. With Joker however, there was eery feeling of how personal his vendetta is with all of the characters.
To say that all characters were portrayed well is an understatement. It feels as if the focus on voice acting has allowed some of the actors, especially Jensen Ackles, to deliver some of their best performances. It is a testament that all of the characters feel unique and alive in a world where stereotypes and over the top characterisations should have been prevalent.
Regarding the movement and direction, this film felt as if you could be watching a live action film. The characters movement was based on real human movement, despite some creative license with pain thresholds. The camera angles showed a dedication to detail.
One thing that I enjoyed above all else with this film is that it is one of the most human superhero films that I have seen. The focus is on the characters as opposed to ver the top action.
The themes of this movie are very mature, with bloody violence and references to death. While this did not kill my enjoyment of the film, it is not a family movie.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Three
Recommendation: Feel free to watch it but avoid showing to young children.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
If you have any suggestions for films to review, or would like me to review your film, please let me know.
For a short movie, there is a lot of depth.
Under the Red Hood tells the story of Red Hood (Voiced by Jensen Ackles) and his encounters with Batman (Bruce Greenwood).
The film opens with an incredible sequence that manages to demonstrate the ability animation has to portray violence and danger without having to explicitly show it. This is something that I wish more movies would do. This sequence also managed to allow for an emotional punch that is best vocalised without words.
As the movie shifts from the past to the present day, we are greeted with an exposition filled five minutes, which begins to drag the movie down. However, that is the only section filled with awkward exposition, which was very fortunate.
As the main story progresses, the Red Hood story becomes more and more intertwined with that of the now deceased Jason Todd, a former Robin. This therefore makes Batmans journey all the more emotional as he is driven towards a final confrontation with the masked man.
This arc of the Batman saga manages to create a vulnerable hero as he dwells on his failures. The character of the Red Hood manages to exemplify the limits the Batman has put upon himself by crossing the line and killing criminals. This makes for an interesting, and deep character study. It also poses the question of whether Batman is actually affective.
Along the journey, Batman is joined by Nightwing (Neil Patrick Harris), a character primarily placed for comic relief. He is also a nice way of juxtaposing two parts of Batman, his greatest success and his greatest failure. As ever, Alfred (Jin Piddock) is there to faithfully provide Batman with a voice of reason, while Ra's Al Ghul (Jason Isaacs) appears to piece together a puzzle for the detective.
For the Red Hood and his story of vengeance, he is pitted against both Black Mask (Wade Williams) and Joker (John DiMaggio). While Black Mask was a character that featured more, he was a means to an end, both for the audience and for Red Hood. With Joker however, there was eery feeling of how personal his vendetta is with all of the characters.
To say that all characters were portrayed well is an understatement. It feels as if the focus on voice acting has allowed some of the actors, especially Jensen Ackles, to deliver some of their best performances. It is a testament that all of the characters feel unique and alive in a world where stereotypes and over the top characterisations should have been prevalent.
Regarding the movement and direction, this film felt as if you could be watching a live action film. The characters movement was based on real human movement, despite some creative license with pain thresholds. The camera angles showed a dedication to detail.
One thing that I enjoyed above all else with this film is that it is one of the most human superhero films that I have seen. The focus is on the characters as opposed to ver the top action.
The themes of this movie are very mature, with bloody violence and references to death. While this did not kill my enjoyment of the film, it is not a family movie.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Three
Recommendation: Feel free to watch it but avoid showing to young children.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
If you have any suggestions for films to review, or would like me to review your film, please let me know.
Wednesday 17 June 2015
Sense8 (2015)
Sense8 is a show that explores the connections between eight people who are psychically connected, for lack of a better description.
While high concept Sci Fi is difficult to follow, but every so often it is worth it.
Sense8 follows Lito (Miguel Angel Silvestre), Sun Bak (Doona Bae), Capheus (Aml Ameen), Nomi Marks (Jamie Clayton), Kala Dandekar (Tina Desai), Riley (Tuppence Middleton), Wolfgang (Max Reimelt) and Will Gorski (Brian J. Smith) as they discover their connection to each other.
The overarching group story is peppered with each of the characters individual stories. Each of these stories helps to develop both the character who the story focuses on as well as the world. I feel like I should attempt to review each of the stories individually. However, in the interest of time, I will restrain myself.
The highlight of the individual stories in my opinion is Litos as it builds a world of interesting and exciting characters. The low point of the individual stories is Wills. I feel that the reason for his individual story not clicking is that his character was designed for the overarching narrative.
The characters vary from interesting and fun (Lito and his story) to dull (Will). However, each of the characters feel like individuals, a sign of great writing. This sense of character even extends to the supporting characters, they are vibrant and help to build a lived in world.
Finally there is the villain, Mr. Whispers (Terrence Mann). Whispers is a very good, enigmatic villain. Throughout the series we learn very little about him, bar his methods and his first name. This makes for a great villain. One who we know to be afraid of without having that pesky humanity to make us feel sympathy for him.
His opposition is Jonas Maliki (Naveen Andrews), a man with a chequered pass who is atoning for his sins. This character plays a vital role, helping to kick off proceedings for this show.
Despite there being action in this series, it is not something that needs to be focused on. This is primarily a Sci Fi character drama, peppered with touching moments, some of which are karaoke based. This series is difficult to pin down as it covers such an array of genres.
For what was advertised as an action show, I found a far more riveting show instead. I recommend that people watch this show.
Number of Episodes: 12
Recommendation: Watch it.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other shows you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
While high concept Sci Fi is difficult to follow, but every so often it is worth it.
Sense8 follows Lito (Miguel Angel Silvestre), Sun Bak (Doona Bae), Capheus (Aml Ameen), Nomi Marks (Jamie Clayton), Kala Dandekar (Tina Desai), Riley (Tuppence Middleton), Wolfgang (Max Reimelt) and Will Gorski (Brian J. Smith) as they discover their connection to each other.
The overarching group story is peppered with each of the characters individual stories. Each of these stories helps to develop both the character who the story focuses on as well as the world. I feel like I should attempt to review each of the stories individually. However, in the interest of time, I will restrain myself.
The highlight of the individual stories in my opinion is Litos as it builds a world of interesting and exciting characters. The low point of the individual stories is Wills. I feel that the reason for his individual story not clicking is that his character was designed for the overarching narrative.
The characters vary from interesting and fun (Lito and his story) to dull (Will). However, each of the characters feel like individuals, a sign of great writing. This sense of character even extends to the supporting characters, they are vibrant and help to build a lived in world.
Finally there is the villain, Mr. Whispers (Terrence Mann). Whispers is a very good, enigmatic villain. Throughout the series we learn very little about him, bar his methods and his first name. This makes for a great villain. One who we know to be afraid of without having that pesky humanity to make us feel sympathy for him.
His opposition is Jonas Maliki (Naveen Andrews), a man with a chequered pass who is atoning for his sins. This character plays a vital role, helping to kick off proceedings for this show.
Despite there being action in this series, it is not something that needs to be focused on. This is primarily a Sci Fi character drama, peppered with touching moments, some of which are karaoke based. This series is difficult to pin down as it covers such an array of genres.
For what was advertised as an action show, I found a far more riveting show instead. I recommend that people watch this show.
Number of Episodes: 12
Recommendation: Watch it.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other shows you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Monday 25 May 2015
Tommorowland (2015)
Tomorrowland is a Science Fantasy movie set in the present day.
I saw this film yesterday in a cinema in Singapore with a friend.
George Clooney and Britt Robertson star in Tomorrowland as Frank Walker and Casey Newton respectively. Frank (Clooney) is a boy genius, while Newton (Robertson) plays a dreamer who loves space. They are assigned the task of saving the world by Athena, played by Raffey Cassidy. I feel like this sums up the characters to a tee as most character depth is replaced by one liners etc.
They must travel to Tomorrowland, run by David Nix (Hugh Laurie) a world filled with the potential for the future. When they complete their task, they may be able to save our reality.
My heart sank when the movie started as the ending was given away within one minute. Unfortunately, this kills the momentum and impact that the rest of the movie could have had. It also means that while the movie while the movie has enjoyable moments, it was never exciting.
This movie also acts as a travel advertisement aimed at getting children to annoy their parent. The first third of this movie included an advert for Disneyland. While the second third includes an advert for the Eiffel Tower.
There are moments in this movie when Physics are thrown out of the window. This is alright in most movies, however this one is a science based movie. Even though it is science fantasy, there are certain elements that should be scientifically based.
When Nix is introduced for the second time in this movie, his role is obvious. When he explains his motivation, I find myself agreeing with his logic. I feel that for a movie such as this, this shouldn't be the case. There is something wrong when you feel that the protagonists journey is vague.
The performances were lacklustre from the entire cast, who made it obvious that this was a paycheque movie. The momentum is killed from the get go and unfortunately most of the characters are a deep as a paddling pool.
While I did not enjoy this movie, I have to note that Tomorrowland is not a movie aimed at adults in any way.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Seven
Recommendation: Have your kids watch it while you do whatever else you want to do.
I saw this film yesterday in a cinema in Singapore with a friend.
George Clooney and Britt Robertson star in Tomorrowland as Frank Walker and Casey Newton respectively. Frank (Clooney) is a boy genius, while Newton (Robertson) plays a dreamer who loves space. They are assigned the task of saving the world by Athena, played by Raffey Cassidy. I feel like this sums up the characters to a tee as most character depth is replaced by one liners etc.
They must travel to Tomorrowland, run by David Nix (Hugh Laurie) a world filled with the potential for the future. When they complete their task, they may be able to save our reality.
My heart sank when the movie started as the ending was given away within one minute. Unfortunately, this kills the momentum and impact that the rest of the movie could have had. It also means that while the movie while the movie has enjoyable moments, it was never exciting.
This movie also acts as a travel advertisement aimed at getting children to annoy their parent. The first third of this movie included an advert for Disneyland. While the second third includes an advert for the Eiffel Tower.
There are moments in this movie when Physics are thrown out of the window. This is alright in most movies, however this one is a science based movie. Even though it is science fantasy, there are certain elements that should be scientifically based.
When Nix is introduced for the second time in this movie, his role is obvious. When he explains his motivation, I find myself agreeing with his logic. I feel that for a movie such as this, this shouldn't be the case. There is something wrong when you feel that the protagonists journey is vague.
The performances were lacklustre from the entire cast, who made it obvious that this was a paycheque movie. The momentum is killed from the get go and unfortunately most of the characters are a deep as a paddling pool.
While I did not enjoy this movie, I have to note that Tomorrowland is not a movie aimed at adults in any way.
Recommendation: Have your kids watch it while you do whatever else you want to do.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
Sunday 17 May 2015
Mad Max 4: Fury Road (2015)
Mad Max: Fury Road is an action movie set in post apocalyptic Australia.
To pre-empt this review, I saw the movie in 3-D IMAX.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero
Recommendation: Watch it. IMAX is better.
To pre-empt this review, I saw the movie in 3-D IMAX.
Tom Hardy takes up the mantle of Max Rockatansky, a man silenced by his madness and solitude. He meets Imperatore Furiosa (Charlize Theron) and a group of women, played by Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Abbey Lee, Riley Keogh and Courtney Eaton. They are joined by War Boy Nux, portrayed by Nicholas Hoult.
This movie is great. The performances all around had a great understanding of their characters. Max is the lens through which the audience sees the world. A man who is unwillingly thrust into helping Furiosa and the women. This is the Max from the previous movies. Quiet, with a tough exterior and a softened interior.
Charlize Theron is the stand out character in this movie. Her character holds the primary protagonist role alongside Max. Her story is the one that drives the movie. The impressive thing about this movie is that she could match Max in any way. Max and Furiosa compliment each other well, one compensating for the others flaws. This helps make the film great.
Nux is the character who evolves the most in the movie. His transformation serves as a nice way of demonstrating the change in one of the movie.
Regarding the group of women, they all have their role to fill, and evolve over the course of the movie. Zoe Kravitz and Rosie Huntington-Whitely stand out regarding their performances.
Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) is a hulking, almost god like villain who has a silent power over all characters. It is incredible how menacing the character can appear, given his lack of dialogue. His power and reputation was built well by other characters. He is a flawed character, but that makes him more relatable.
Regarding the story, it is well done. It takes what is the equivalent of a long car chase and turns it into an evolving story. Where most directors would have solely has car chases, this film uses the chase to forge the characters into who they are by the end of the movie. It is a testament to cinema that something like this can still occurring a summer movie.
The story has layers and allows every character to have human moments and human motivations. It allows the audience to feel a moment of empathy for every character, no exceptions.
The action in this movie is non stop and creative. You can feel every flame and explosion. The vehicles, expanding on the characters and helping to highlight the post apocalyptic destruction. The universe is best shown through the action as the vehicles show how crazy the world has become.
This is a world that I am happy to see return. It is showing how the wasteland has evolved into tribes over time. Each tribe has their own style.
This movie is a great movie to watch. Tom Hardy is an actor that I am happy to see bring back the character of Max Rockatansky. This is a must watch film, which has so far been my summer movie of the year.
This movie is great. The performances all around had a great understanding of their characters. Max is the lens through which the audience sees the world. A man who is unwillingly thrust into helping Furiosa and the women. This is the Max from the previous movies. Quiet, with a tough exterior and a softened interior.
Charlize Theron is the stand out character in this movie. Her character holds the primary protagonist role alongside Max. Her story is the one that drives the movie. The impressive thing about this movie is that she could match Max in any way. Max and Furiosa compliment each other well, one compensating for the others flaws. This helps make the film great.
Nux is the character who evolves the most in the movie. His transformation serves as a nice way of demonstrating the change in one of the movie.
Regarding the group of women, they all have their role to fill, and evolve over the course of the movie. Zoe Kravitz and Rosie Huntington-Whitely stand out regarding their performances.
Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) is a hulking, almost god like villain who has a silent power over all characters. It is incredible how menacing the character can appear, given his lack of dialogue. His power and reputation was built well by other characters. He is a flawed character, but that makes him more relatable.
Regarding the story, it is well done. It takes what is the equivalent of a long car chase and turns it into an evolving story. Where most directors would have solely has car chases, this film uses the chase to forge the characters into who they are by the end of the movie. It is a testament to cinema that something like this can still occurring a summer movie.
The story has layers and allows every character to have human moments and human motivations. It allows the audience to feel a moment of empathy for every character, no exceptions.
The action in this movie is non stop and creative. You can feel every flame and explosion. The vehicles, expanding on the characters and helping to highlight the post apocalyptic destruction. The universe is best shown through the action as the vehicles show how crazy the world has become.
This is a world that I am happy to see return. It is showing how the wasteland has evolved into tribes over time. Each tribe has their own style.
This movie is a great movie to watch. Tom Hardy is an actor that I am happy to see bring back the character of Max Rockatansky. This is a must watch film, which has so far been my summer movie of the year.
Recommendation: Watch it. IMAX is better.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
Wednesday 13 May 2015
Mad Max 3: Beyond the Thunderdome (1985)
Mad Max 3 is an Australian movie set in a post apocalyptic future.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Six
Recommendation: Watch only if you want the full Mad Max experience, or want to attempt to watch the experiment.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
I find this movie difficult to review as I am unsure what I think about it after this viewing. The reason for this is that this movie feels like two movies being squashed into one. Each half of the film could be very interesting by itself, but together there is something not quite right.
The first half of this movie involves Max (Mel Gibson) going to Barter Town to track his stolen stuff. There he meets Aunty Entity (Tina Turner), who asks him to take out Master/Blaster (Angelo Rossitto/Paul Larsson).
This half of the movie tells an interesting tale about the rebuilding of civilisation. Very basic rules are in place, but it is still a little bit savage. Aunty attempts to rule with a iron fist, but the civil conflict with Master Blaster stands in her way. The building of tension was very good. The ending of that part is full of tension.
The second half is about the first generation post apocalypse. It tells the story of children searching for Tomorrow Morrow Land. Max is rescued by a group of children who believe that he can fly them to safety. He tries to convince them that he is not the saviour.
This tale is the weaker of the two, most of that could also be due to the fact that it relies heavily on child actors. From most movies that I have seen, children are a weak part of most movies, partially due to an inability to fully control their emotions. Either way, they made the film seem weaker.
Mel Gibsons portrayal of Max Rockatansky is as good as ever. He is joined again by Bruce Spence, this time portraying Jedidiah the Pilot, a new character despite the similarities.
The biggest problems of the series start when the two storylines collide. These are two storylines that didn't really fit together. It seemed as if they were jammed together in order to have the traditional vehicle based action scenes of the previous two instalments.
It also seems like it was the only reason to have the seemingly invincible Ironbar Bassey (Angry Anderson). Here is a character I am unable to understand at all. He is a fierce warrior, but there was no motivation for his action bar the fact that he is Auntys henchman. I say he is invincible, because he didn't die despite being beaten and blown up.
The action scene is ruined by it. What could have been very good is ruined by the lack of risk brought about by Bassey's lack of death.
Mad Max 3 is a decent set of two movies, ruined by the attempt to mash theses storylines together.
The first half of this movie involves Max (Mel Gibson) going to Barter Town to track his stolen stuff. There he meets Aunty Entity (Tina Turner), who asks him to take out Master/Blaster (Angelo Rossitto/Paul Larsson).
This half of the movie tells an interesting tale about the rebuilding of civilisation. Very basic rules are in place, but it is still a little bit savage. Aunty attempts to rule with a iron fist, but the civil conflict with Master Blaster stands in her way. The building of tension was very good. The ending of that part is full of tension.
The second half is about the first generation post apocalypse. It tells the story of children searching for Tomorrow Morrow Land. Max is rescued by a group of children who believe that he can fly them to safety. He tries to convince them that he is not the saviour.
This tale is the weaker of the two, most of that could also be due to the fact that it relies heavily on child actors. From most movies that I have seen, children are a weak part of most movies, partially due to an inability to fully control their emotions. Either way, they made the film seem weaker.
Mel Gibsons portrayal of Max Rockatansky is as good as ever. He is joined again by Bruce Spence, this time portraying Jedidiah the Pilot, a new character despite the similarities.
The biggest problems of the series start when the two storylines collide. These are two storylines that didn't really fit together. It seemed as if they were jammed together in order to have the traditional vehicle based action scenes of the previous two instalments.
It also seems like it was the only reason to have the seemingly invincible Ironbar Bassey (Angry Anderson). Here is a character I am unable to understand at all. He is a fierce warrior, but there was no motivation for his action bar the fact that he is Auntys henchman. I say he is invincible, because he didn't die despite being beaten and blown up.
The action scene is ruined by it. What could have been very good is ruined by the lack of risk brought about by Bassey's lack of death.
Mad Max 3 is a decent set of two movies, ruined by the attempt to mash theses storylines together.
Recommendation: Watch only if you want the full Mad Max experience, or want to attempt to watch the experiment.
Monday 11 May 2015
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Mad Max 2 is an Australian movie set in a post apocalyptic future.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero
Recommendation: Watch it if you have the opportunity.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
This movie delves deeper into George Millers post apocalyptic world by introducing the audience to the wasteland. The Wasteland is a barren land that was only teased in the original Mad Max.
The introduction to the movie does something important by both showing and telling the audience the history of the world of Max. It serves that audience well as it means that nobody has to have seem the original Mad Max to understand the film.
Mel Gibson returns to the role of Max Rockatansky, this time hardened by a long life on the road. All in all, this is my favourite portrayal of Max so far as it seems to be the most iconic. This Max is fundamentally selfish. Everything he does is for his own benefit.
In this instalment he is joined by the Gyro Captain, very well played by Bruce Spence as well as a group of gas hoarders. The most notable of these hoarders is "Feral Boy", superbly portrayed by Emil Minty.
Opposing these hoarders are a gang lead by the Humungus (Kjell Nilsson), a gang whose actions make them fierce and rabid. The actions of this gang make the audience fear them as they are unpredictable, despite "The Humungus's" control and order over them. A prime example of this is with Wez (Vernon Wells), the attack dog of the gang, who runs purely on emotion.
While the film clearly tries to state who the good guys are, as well as the bad guys, I tend to disagree. This situation, like most in this world, is a case of moral ambiguity. Our protagonist only gets involved with a side because he wanted something. It adds an extra dimension about how you and your loved one would survive in a similar situation.
Millers characters jump off the screen as they seem so surreal. It is easy to get lost with theses characters at times. The one thing which both the actors and crew need to be acknowledged for is how characters are unable to say much, but their actions tell a thousand words, each of which expands the scope of the movie.
The cinematography of the movie is beautiful. It shows how much focus Miller has to every detail of the universe that he is building. This is highlighted in the vehicle based action. Every turn is made to intensify the action. This is how to do car stunts and I am not sure that I have seen any of this quality since this movie was released.
Mad Max 2: Road Warrior is a fantastic movie that builds, and significantly improves on the original.
The introduction to the movie does something important by both showing and telling the audience the history of the world of Max. It serves that audience well as it means that nobody has to have seem the original Mad Max to understand the film.
Mel Gibson returns to the role of Max Rockatansky, this time hardened by a long life on the road. All in all, this is my favourite portrayal of Max so far as it seems to be the most iconic. This Max is fundamentally selfish. Everything he does is for his own benefit.
In this instalment he is joined by the Gyro Captain, very well played by Bruce Spence as well as a group of gas hoarders. The most notable of these hoarders is "Feral Boy", superbly portrayed by Emil Minty.
Opposing these hoarders are a gang lead by the Humungus (Kjell Nilsson), a gang whose actions make them fierce and rabid. The actions of this gang make the audience fear them as they are unpredictable, despite "The Humungus's" control and order over them. A prime example of this is with Wez (Vernon Wells), the attack dog of the gang, who runs purely on emotion.
While the film clearly tries to state who the good guys are, as well as the bad guys, I tend to disagree. This situation, like most in this world, is a case of moral ambiguity. Our protagonist only gets involved with a side because he wanted something. It adds an extra dimension about how you and your loved one would survive in a similar situation.
Millers characters jump off the screen as they seem so surreal. It is easy to get lost with theses characters at times. The one thing which both the actors and crew need to be acknowledged for is how characters are unable to say much, but their actions tell a thousand words, each of which expands the scope of the movie.
The cinematography of the movie is beautiful. It shows how much focus Miller has to every detail of the universe that he is building. This is highlighted in the vehicle based action. Every turn is made to intensify the action. This is how to do car stunts and I am not sure that I have seen any of this quality since this movie was released.
Mad Max 2: Road Warrior is a fantastic movie that builds, and significantly improves on the original.
Recommendation: Watch it if you have the opportunity.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
Sunday 10 May 2015
Spooks: The Greater Good (2015)
Spooks it a tense spy thriller which delivers on everything fans of the series expect.
Spooks: The Greater Good tells the story of Will Holloway (portrayed by Kit Harrington), a former MI-5 agent, who is sent in search of Harry Pearce (Peter Firth), a spymaster who recently disappeared after a bungled operation. This is the minimum I can say about the movie without spoiling anything, however I still feel like it is too much.
For anyone who expects an action packed spy movie, please think again. This film is all about the cat and mouse games as everyone attempts to work out who is allied with whom. To me, it gives what is possibly one of the most realistic portrayals of being a spy that I can imagine on screen.
Everything about this movie is presented in a matter of fact way, including the fights. The action was not the prettiest, or the best choreographed, but it gave the sense of real people, who have some training, fighting.
This movie is not about Kit Harringtons character, but rather a case study of Harry Pearce, portrayed by Peter Firth. Firth steps back into his role from the TV series and it fits him like a glove. The cold persona has only become icier with time. It makes me want to watch all of his moves intently. As a fan of the tv shows, it felt like putting on a pair of slippers and returning to a forgotten, yet comfortable, routine.
The twists and turns that this movie provides make this a movie where one is genuinely unable to predict what would happen next. Telling the story through the eyes of Kit Harrington's Will Holloway is a clever move as it only helps further the legend of Harry Pearce. This move also allows the viewer to learn about the inner working of the service from an outsiders perspective, making it easier to digest for newcomers to this particular world.
Regarding fan service, this movie had a ton of it, but it remained subtle. Most of the service was fortunately used to help either advance the plot or better develop characters.
The cinematography in this movie was a massive homage to scenery. Every panoramic appears to be a love affair with the area being filmed.
This film is a perfect example of how to transfer a TV show to film in a way that satisfies both fans of the series and newcomers alike.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero
Recommendation: If the lack of action bores you, this film may not be for you. A must if you are a fan of the Spooks TV show.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Saturday 2 May 2015
Mad Max (1979)
With two weeks before Mad Max Fury Foad (2015) is released, I have decided to review the original trilogy of movies in honour of it. So let's rev our engines and begin.
Mad Max is an Australian movie set in the near future.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero
Recommendation: Give a watch before watching the other Mad Max movies.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
Mad Max is an Australian movie set in the near future.
Mel Gibson plays the titular Max, an officer (bronze) with the MFD who drives one of their interceptors. Max has a loving wife and child. He is seeking to retire from his job in order to live the quiet life with them.
To solely base this review on the character of Max would be unfair as in its hearts, Mad Max is an ensemble piece. It takes the characters that surround Max and uses them to highlight the different facets of his life. Goose, his partner in the MFD, represents Max's desire to be a cop, while his wife Jessie represents his happiness and stability.
I am going to post a spoiler here, as the movie came out in 1979. As he loses each of these characters, he loses what they represent to him.
The villains in the piece, the motorcycle gang names the Acolytes are delightfully kooky, each member manages to have their own personality. The highlights of this gang for me are the faithful second Bubba Zanetti and the charismatic leader Toecutter.
Toecutters charisma oozes off the screen. It is difficult not to be enamoured by his natural persuasiveness.
Regarding the story, it is a typical police fair, someone who wants to get out but keeps getting dragged back in.
The story is heightened by the setting and incredible cinematography. It nailed its characters in such a way that the world feels lived in. You can feel the breaking of society at its hinges. This feeling makes Mad Max feel like an origin story. The creation of a legend.
This feeling is only highlighted when the V8 is introduced. It is set as the potential final final vehicle.
For an origin, this is one of the greatest origin that I have watched in a while. The story is simple, but the purpose of that is to help build the world and the characters.
This is a great origin story for hero. Something to definitely watch.
Recommendation: Give a watch before watching the other Mad Max movies.
All feedback is welcome, have a great day.
Thursday 23 April 2015
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Age of Ultron continues the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It tells the story of the original Avengers battling Ultron, an AI designed by Tony Stark. That is where spoilers end.
The cast in this movie all serve their roles well, although that should not be a surprise considering how they have all had multiple movies to perfect them. The one surprise for me was that the most developed character in this movie ended up being Hawkeye, played well by Jeremy Renner.
His character performed such a turnaround between movies that it was as if they brought him back to the drawing board and decided to start again. He provided a great everyman look at the team from the inside.
As I said before, the other characters served their purposes, fulfilling their professed roles. Paul Bettany as an actor was surprisingly good in his role which was expanded from his previous entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He brought a warmth to his character that was unforeseen.
As for the newcomers, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, their characters appeared one dimensional.
James Spader as a villain was memorable, but far too cartoony as Ultron. At times it felt like he should be twirling a robotic moustache as his voice chewed the scenery with his impeccable pronunciation. His character remained cartoony until the end. I feel like Ultron could have better served one of their television offerings where they can allow more time for Ultron and Spader to evolve the character.
The story for this film ended up being relatively predictable, but I suppose that if you have a summer tentpole movie, it is very hard to get away with taking risks. The only surprises that came were minor character moment, some that worked (Hawkeye) and others that didn't (Banner and Black Widow).
None of these points take away from the fun of the movie. However, there were two things that seriously bothered me.
The first point is that I never felt a sense of danger in this movie. It could be Marvel fatigue due to their knack for bringing characters back to life, or that too many moments took you out of the movie. It was chockablock with one liners and in jokes, that moments of tension felt like a quick reprieve as the audience prepares itself for the next one.
The second thing I am afraid is a cardinal sin. This film is unable to stand on its own. It expects people to have seen movies with these characters beforehand to understand what is going on. There are so many cameos and references that first timers now require an encyclopedia, or wiki, to get them all.
It also seeks to set up the next phase of movies. This means that alongside the references, they leave a lot of dangling strings to entice the viewer to watch the next lot of movies. This leaves little room for plot and character growth, as well as little space for the uninitiated to enter into the world.
This point makes my skin crawl. Movies should be able to stand on their own. A couple of strings are fine, but this has so many interconnected parts that it stifles the production of a good stand alone movie.
Despite my two major concerns, this film was fun. There is something I can't put my finger on that made it enjoyable. Maybe it is because I am not a newcomer, I don't know. But this was a fun movie to watch. It managed to hit something that can't be explained.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Four
Recommendation: See this film if you are previously acquainted with the Marvel cinematic universe.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Wednesday 22 April 2015
Mortal Kombat X (2015)
Mortal Kombat X is a fighting game produced by Netherealm studios. It features a story mode, single player towers as well as online competitive gameplay.
The story itself is good for a video game story. It continues the story from MK9 (2011) and introduces the audience to a new generation of fighters, preparing to take the reigns from their predecessors. The fact that half of the characters we followed in the story were new ones helped ease the changing of the guard. What also helped was that the new characters weren't just created to be a light version of the character, but were instead created to feel unique, despite their heritage.
The single player towers include Klassic, Endless, Survivor and Test Your Might. They provide an adequate challenge for people seeking a quick, single player tournament. The character difficulties can be altered and there are more than enough options to keep you entertained for hours.
Living towers also help kill time as they constantly change. One changes every hour, one a day and the premier tower changes approximately every week or two. This keeps the challenges fresh and allows players to test out DLC characters before buying them (Premier Towers).
Multiplayer and online is where the bread and butter of this game lies. Despite some server issues (factions stopped working again today), this game lives and dies on the addictive competitive matches online and at home. No matter what option you pick, you will find yourself craving that one more fight or rematch. I would recommend finding someone to play with in two player competition as I personally see no better sight than the look on someones face when you perform a fatality on their character.
Fatalities are back as per usual varying between black humour and completely sick, but I wouldn't expect there to be anything different regarding that. They are joined this time around by returning brutalities and faction kills. Brutalities are quick fatalities (not cinematic) that can be performed if a certain number of criteria are met. Faction kills are kills that you gain from the faction you are a member of.
Concept art, fatalities brutalities etc can also be unlocked in the Krypt. This time, the crypt has numerous puzzles to solve in order to gain access to everything available.
This edition, Netherealm Studios has added a factions points based game. When you start the game, you decide upon a faction and everything that you do in game contributes to your factions points. At the end of the week, the team with the most points wins, unlocking either a new skin or a new faction kills.
On the down side. Easy fatalities have been introduced as well as the ability to skip fights.
Easy fatalities are button prompts for your character to perform a fatality. This, in my opinion, defeats the purpose of fatalities as they were a demonstration of how well you knew your character and their move set. Luckily easy fatalities, as well as fight skip tokens, are limited in number.
All in all, this has been the most solid version of Mortal Kombat that I have played in a while and it keeps dragging me in for more.
Recommendation: If fighting games are your thing, prepare to lose hours.
This game was reviewed on Xbox One.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other upcoming games you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other upcoming games you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Sunday 19 April 2015
The Voices (2015)
The Voices is an darkly hilarious tale of a psychopath. It is an brilliant showcase for Ryan Reynolds.
The movie tells the story of Jerry, your everyday employee at a bathtub factory, who happens get worldly advice from his talking dog and cat. This premise may not be for everyone, but it is a fantastic study into the internal working of its leading man.
Hidden beneath this quirky backdrop is a sad story about a little boy who has a disconnect with the real world. He is aided by a court appointed psychiatrist.
Ryan Reynolds fully embraces this role, taking on all of the quirks and nuances of his character with a certain aplomb which took me a little off guard. His outsider presence is truly a bright light in this movie.
The other highlights and bright post were the dog and the cat. The cat purring evil intent out of its Scottish laced tongue, while the dogs loyalty and honesty is made astute thanks to the incredible tone of voice. Credit must be given to Reynold again for producing such wondrous voices for both Bosco (Dog) and Mr. Whiskers (Cat)
Gemma Arterton and Anna Kendrick put on good performances as both of his love interests. They are both able to fit their characters well. Unfortunately, like a lot of the other characters in this movie, they are quickly sidelined to make was for what was ultimately Reynolds show.
The cinematography in this movie appears to be pedestrian for a quirky comedy until it isn't. When the viewpoint shifts and reality is shown, the viewer can be left disturbed. It says something when a movie takes you through the mental health of your protagonist. It leaves you with a lot of food for thought.
This is a movie that at made me laugh inside, before feeling sick to my stomach. In that regard, it has served its purpose better than any horror movie of the last few years.
Where "Still Alice" should be lauded for solely following the one character, "The Voices" should have taken more time to better develop the supporting cast. As much of a fan of Ryan Reynolds performance as I am, this film deserves to flesh out the characters for Arterton and Kendrick.
The Voices is a great demonstration on how to create a movie with an interesting premise. It is also a good showcase for Ryan Reynolds.
Number of times I looked at my watch: One
Recommendation: See this film, but not necessarily at the cinema.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Monday 13 April 2015
Daredevil (2015)
Warning: There will be no spoilers in this review.
Daredevil is where Marvel draws a line in the sand. The movies and network tv are aimed at an all ages crowd, while the online content is not. Online is where the darker stories can be told. There is no better opening statement for this than Daredevil on Netflix.
The quality of the show should not have come as a surprise given Netflix track record, but it did. Maybe it is because the television and movie branding was growing stale in my opinion, but that is besides the point.
Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio manage to completely embody their roles as Matt Murdoch and Wilson Fisk respectively. Their characters becoming more and more three dimensional as they both on their path to hell. The good intentions that this road to hell is paved with is wonderfully littered with a superb supporting cast, providing each of the two lead characters, Fisk and Murdoch, with their own pair of friends as well as a support team each.
The path of their stories is what makes it stand out. No matter how similar the characters paths are, they are on the opposite ends of said spectrum. When one is on top, the other is at the bottom. This duality makes the show more compelling as it acts as an invisible link, causing an unknown anticipation for when they face off.
The action also reflects this, the characters have opposite fighting styles which causes each of them to be unbeatable. The action is also fantastically shot. Cameras pan and change, but never in a way that confuses the audience. It seems brutal as it is shot, but that adds to the tone of the show.
The city is my only complaint. I know that it is an odd complaint, but I was hoping that the city would feel alive and not like a group of set pieces. Sure, there are locations which have personality, but they merely reflect the characters who inhabit them. It is one thing that I hope will improve next season, build a better Hell's Kitchen.
Otherwise, the show was bringing with life and had a range of characters that I was not expecting. I am anticipating the next Marvel/Netflix show.
Number of Episodes: 13
Recommendation: Binge Watch.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other shows you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
P.S. Later this week expect a movie review of "The Voices" starring Ryan Reynolds
Sunday 5 April 2015
Still Alice (2015)
Still Alice is an emotional journey with an exceptional performance from its entire cast.
Still Alice tells the story of a linguistics professor hit with early onset Alzheimers. The films leads you into this by highlighting minor issues. This allows room for the audience to realise something is wrong, without knowing whether or not it is serious.
The cinematography helps with this feeling as every time the character of Alice is losing a part of herself, the surroundings blur. It gives the audience a glimpse into what occurs
The role of Alice is deftly performed by Julianne Moore. Her performance range is well explored as her character devolves over time. She is well supported by Alec Baldwin who does a stellar job as her burdened husband. The cast is rounded out with wonderful performances from Kristen Stewart, Hunter Parish, Kate Bosworth and Shane Macrae as her children and their partner (Macrae).
At one point in this movie my eyes were welling with tears. The mental anguish that the character hit a nerve.
This story is so well done and following the one character alone added to the impact on the audience. Even though the film solely follows the one character, the other characters are given space to grow on the side as opposed to solely being reactionary.
This film is an excellent example of how to take a sensitive subject and make a touching movie which can begin a conversation.
Number of times I looked at my watch: Zero
Recommendation: See this film.
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
Have a great day. Looking forward to your feedback.
Sunday 29 March 2015
Hercules (2014)
Hercules is an average movie that is the definition of a brainless summer movie.
Hercules tries to blur the line between myth and reality. In the beginning, it shows the tales of Hercules as told by the narrator, a thoroughly different character to the one who has been revealed to be telling the story. This already jars the tone of the movie, especially considering the character revealed to be the narrator has a voice that is more suited for the role of narrator.
The jarring tone remains as people are unable to determine how much of the story actually involves gods and how much are the lies they tell themselves. This makes the film stand out is that it seeks the more realistic reasoning for the myths, for example the Hydra ends up being a group of people in serpent shaped masks as opposed to a multi headed serpent. This in and of itself makes for a refreshing takes on ancient Greek mythology.
Dwayne Johnson serves as an appropriate lead, his physical presence as close to that of Hercules as possible. He and the rest of the cast however suffer from a curious affliction. Their physical motions seem to accurately convey what they should be feeling, bar a couple of motions. Oddly enough though, there is no power in their words.
I fear that the problem may have been in the scripting, as it seemed unnatural. The words that come out of the characters mouths are written in such a way that it is hard to believe that the Greeks would use those words.
Rufus Sewell, John Hurt and Joseph Fiennes are the only three who appear able to pull off such bland dialogue as they make up for it by chewing the scenery. Rufus Sewell was a particular highlight of mine. His character was that of the stable friend. Despite the predictability of his arc, he maintains a quiet presence which I personally find appealing, despite the lack of times that his characters jokes lands.
Action wise, the film has managed to determine the different styles in which each character fights, which is refreshing as it gives each character their own personality on the battlefield. It is a nice contrast to the bland action of many modern movies.
Story wise, this film is predictable in every which way, other than replacing the trials with more earthly substitutes. This is not meant to be a criticism, but there is the feeling that more could be done with this movie. It feels like a wasted opportunity. It turns what could have been an interesting and amusing concept into a movie where the end is known after ten minutes.
Number of Times I looked at my watch: 8
Recommendation: Watch on Netflix if you want a brainless experience.
I hope you enjoyed the review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
I look forward to feedback.
Monday 23 March 2015
The Gunman (2015)
The Gunman is a mediocre movie whose stars have all seen better days in far superior films.
The movie is reminiscent of "Taken" solely with regards to an old operative being drawn back into action for reasons. While the overly long set up pre modern day (2014) was meant to make you care about the characters, it seemed to solely foreshadow what would happen in the future. Part of the problem could be the trailer or over abundance of movies in the genre in all fairness.
Sean Penn has the physical build to play our hero, but there is an overall feeling that his performance, as well as the rest of the casts, have played this movie as by the numbers as possible.
The most criminal part of this is how Javier Bardem is wasted in his role. Scenes with him in them only highlighted the potential for this film to have broken the mould and become something more than it was. The same goes for Idris Elba, who played a role so small that it was apparent that he was cast solely so his name could appear in the opening credits.
Regarding the fight scenes and choreography, this film passes. The film has enough physical presence to pass as an action movie, fulfilling the quota for explosions without wowing the audience. I jumped once at a solitary gunshot within the movie, not out of excitement, but due to the fact it was unexpected.
This film manages to achieve its goals without wowing the audience in any way. It is a nice time at the cinema if you check your brain at the door.
Number of time I looked at my watch: 5
Recommendation: See if bored
I hope you enjoyed this review, please let me know what other movies you would like me to review.
All feedback is welcome. Have a great day!
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