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.
Sunday, 23 August 2015
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.
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