Exactly 12 months the to date, I was sat in Bolton Cineworld ready to embark on a new journey. Mr Abrahms had taken the Lucas mantle and retold a familiar story for a new generation, and he had done exactly what needed to be done. Due to the success of The Force Awakens, a new hope was given to Star Wars and the future of the franchise.
Even with all this, I still sat with a Phantom Menace fear for this new direction. Another prequel in the universe, but this time with no focus on the Skywalker lineage, this time we look at one line from the opening crawl of the 1977 film that started all this....
Gareth Edwards at the directorial helm was a concern due to his (in my opinion) failed approach to the established Godzilla franchise recently, and so much of the planned future films in the Star Wars universe rests on the shoulders of this first endeavor.
Rogue 1 is a slow starter but considering it is introducing a whole new crew, whole new worlds and setting the scene for future events it does have a lot to cover. The start of New Hope take a long while to actually get going, but it is because we are so attuned to the farm boy and the princess that seasoned fans just watches without concern.
This is film that I can highly recommend, but do not want to review much further than this. The final 40 minutes is a fantastic war film set in the Star Wars Universe that had me glued to the screen with no sure outcome every moment is tense.
My only damming thoughts to the film are the Uncanny Valley is somewhere that I think should have been avoided on two definitive occasions and there is a question on rapidly diminishing skill sets that I will have to discuss in person with you rather than spoil everything on here.
I have not been completely destroyed by a films opening gambit since Disney's "Up" gave me a super sweet introduction and then took it all away in the most harrowing way. Arrival'a first scene nearly had me a blubbering wreck in minutes and it keeps that same theme going through the whole film.
I don't want to give anything away about this film, and think that if you have any interest in watching this then I would suggest avoiding all potential spoilers out there on the interwebs
After the arrival of huge monolithic pods in 12 non-strategic locations around the globe, language specialist Amy Adams is called upon to try and communicate with the inhabitants and try and understand their intentions. Joined by Jeremy Renner it is a race against time to solve the riddles before governments decide the right course of action.
It is a discover as the characters discover type of film, the audience has to follow and evolve with the protagonists learning as each letter unfolds. It is interesting to see, in the current world climate, how countries band and work together (or not) in the race to be the first to crack the conundrums.
As soon as I left the cinema, i raced hope to give my sleeping baby daughter a kiss. This was definitely not an easy watch but a film worthy of veiwing
I was not really a Doctor Strange fan in the comic book form and early 90's Spider-man Cartoons, but that being said, Iron man and Thor were not high up there too and they are doing ok at the moment. I just found the good doctor to have far too many powers that were always "just what the doctor ordered". I like my heroes with flaws, one main power, potentially corruptible. Superman is one of those characters that I will never truly like, because he is anti-everything I have just mentioned.
I went to watch Doctor Strange with an open mind because recently my predisposed thoughts on some characters had been instantly dismissed (Ant-Man/Cap America Civil War (Black Panther))
After a serious car accident the only person suitable to recover the hands of the greatest surgeon known to man was in fact the person involved in that accident. After they are repaired to a sub par standard Doctor Stephen Strange goes to find a more mystical solution in the hills of Nepal.
He is given insight into a magical realm of existence, which is protected by Sanctums around the globe, a mirror world which battles can ensue without human casualties an a whole hoist of mystical gubbings and gimmicks. Being the world greatest mind, Strange soon becomes a sorcerer supreme and ready to defend against a corrupted magician, Kaecillius.
Whilst being visually stunning, there is not much more on offer in Marvels newest adventure, it feels very similar to the Thor side of things. Far too mystical and not really grounded. It is with these super powers that you begin to question the whole Marvel Universe, all previous encounters could have been resolved in seconds if Dr Strange would have been there. I feel that this is Marvel's weakest entry into the Cinematic Universe, but that may be down to recently seeing Civil War
The Seven Samuari is a film still pending to be watched in my IMDB Top 250 films, and one that I am saving for a long, rainy day. The remake of the 60's was a fan favourite of my granddads and one that I saw a few years ago and based on the caliber of the cast list, it is always one I wanted to return to on a nostalgic base as well.
When the remake of the remake was announced I has a little trepidation, how do you replace Bronson, McQueen, Vaughn, Coburn, Wallace? Who could do this justice? Well of course you cast the ever infallible Denzel Washinton, the lovable Chris Pratt, the amazing D'Onofrio to name a few.
I was thoroughly entertained from the word go, Denzel played the main part excellently and Pratt as his support was just divine. The stand out for me was D'Onofrio. I was not expecting the monstrous grizzly bear of a man to have the voice that was emitted, just perfect.
Some great gun fights and exciting sieges make the Magnificent 7 (2016) a very entertaining couple of hours
I have a little secret passion for westerns, one that I didn't realise I had until watching this remake (of a remake), I came home with an urge to watch Young Guns, The Good The Bad & the Ugly, Back to the Future Part II, ok, so I may not have the best choice of western but it is still a great genre, Without it we would not have the Wilhelm Scream!
I am a horror film fan, but over the last few years I am repeatedly let down time and time again, only for a few fleeting gems to give me hope once more. Each time Igo to watch a "Purge" film I am instantly reminded as soon as the Micheal Bay "Platinum Dunes" logo appears on screen, these films are terrible.
Each year, the Purge is a 12 hour period in which all crime, including murder is permitted. There are no repercussions for your actions and no police interference. The rich hide behind fortresses and the poor are left to either defend what is theirs or claim something on this fateful night. This year may be the last as a new candidate up for election hopes to end the Purge as she once was a victim to it's malevolence. Thankfully, and coincidentally, her chief bodyguard is a previous purger who was stuck out all night a few years ago (in the previous film).
This is a run of the mill, nothing new, nothing interesting, mishmash of a film. With a running-manesque cyber terrorism group hoping to stop the poor being obliterated, unlikely gang of heroes for hire and Frank Grillo being gruff and butch throughout.
This is also a film that gave away pretty much everything in the trailer, so what little surprises it thought it had were already hinted at in the 2:27 version of the film (more entertaining than the full length version)
Hopefully, this franchise is now done and dusted, but more than likely we will be continuing to be disappointed each year
When three unlikable characters break into a blind veteran's home under the pretense that he is hiding some serious amounts of money, you have an idea of what to expect.
Don't Breathe was not what I expected!
From the director of the Evil Dead remake/relaunch (which I was seriously impressed with recently) I should have been expecting much darker than I had originally thought. Each character in the film has a darker underside that only becomes evident as the film progresses. There were moments of real tension where I found myself also holding my breath just in case. There are a couple of plot twists to shift your love of the main characters and my most hated trope of the jump scare was put to good effect and rarely used.
This is one of the rare horror films at the moment that actually does what it intends, is more focused on its characters rather than fancy effects and no story. 4 people trapped in a house together does not give much hope of enough content to fill 90 ,mins, but Don't Breathe packs the run time to the max. I am definitely looking forward to Fede Alverez's next outings
I was one of those people lucky enough to see The Blair Witch Project when the hype was at it's highest. When social media was in it's infancy and it was inconclusive as to if the footage was actually real. This 1999 film sparked a revolutionary change to the cinematic horror experience, one that has been copied and spoofed so many times but very rarely recaptured.
Re watching the film years later, it does not hold the same gravitas as original viewing, but there are certain points that still send shivers up my spine. I have always been a fan of unseen horror. Your own mind will always conjure the most horrific personal haunt better than any hollywood director could ever muster, and The Blair Witch Project never discloses that antagonist, this is left solely to the imagination of the viewer.
In 2016, The Blair Witch remake/reboot/sequel (yes, I am ignoring The Book Of Shadows) completely ignored all that made the original special and just got lost in it's own legacy.
The characters were far less likable than the original cast, if that is even possible! The suspense is thrown straight out of the window when Mrs Blair turns up within minutes of entering Black Hills and the CG effects, ones that would not have even been considered based on the originals viewing just look terrible.
This just goes back to the argument of limitations, with such a small budget and limited capabilities, the Blair Witch Project achieved so much more than this multi million dollar collaboration.
A complete let down that tarnishes the first outing
I don't know anyone who does not hold some affection for Pixar's "Finding Nemo". Colourful, exciting, funny and the introduction to the great character of Dory. Dory won so many peoples hearts back in 2003 with her love of life nature yet struggling with short term memory loss.
13 years later, and pretty much out of nowhere comes the sequel, Finding Dory.
Based a year on from the original, Nemo is now found and Dory has remained with the titular clown fish and his father, Marlin, although she seems to be having memories of her own family. This leads Dory to search out her lost lineage and embark on multiple adventures with new friends whilst Nemo and Marlin chase after her.
There is very little new to add to the mix with Finding Dory, it is still very colourful and full of laughs just not as many or that original. Whilst I thoroughly enjoyed our watery outing, it didn't fill me with the joy and wonder of the first expedition across the big blue.
Hank the septopus (an octopus with 7 legs) is a great addition to the cast and the three sea lions (especially Gerald) are a little treat, but it is the titular character that had the problems for me. Dory's repetitious behaviour and spoken lines just started to wear thin by the end of the film. In short doses in the original she was a great addition to the cast, but to hold pretty much the whole film on her own, it seemed to really slow down in parts. I know this film is mainly aimed at a younger generation, but as the original was release over a decade ago, the older, nostalgic cinema goer is also adding to the ticket sales.
I know I should not be expecting great things from this as Pixars run of sequels is not that great (excluding Toy Story 2) with Cars 2 and Monsters University, but Pixar is Pixar and the bar is set so high with them by their own doing.
Never get out of bed, never go to the window, never look behind the curtain...and that is where our story begins.....
Roald Dahl has always been a favourite author of mine, from an early age I remember my "granddad" George reading about his marvellous medicine, hearing about The Champion of the World and the tales of a Fantastic Mr Fox. I recently purchased a collection of all his works that I could read to my daughter and look forward to the days that we can read these stories together and hopefully she will have the same experiences.
The BFG always reminds me of George, he almost looks like him.
I felt awash with emotion and joy when the "Runt" first appeared on screen and hearing the immortal gobblefunked speech of the giant just brought back so many fond memories, but to counteract this, there was Sophie. I know child actors are a thing to take with a pinch of salt, but we really have been blessed in some recent films and TV shows (take the Netflix Original series "Stranger Times" for an example), Sophie was OK in parts, but the just downright awful in others. Even to the point were it took me right out of the nostalgic moment.
This is a nitpick but one that did not deter from the thoroughly enjoyable experience.
The BFG is wonderfully portrayed by Mark Rylance and the Giants of Giant Land have great personalities that really stand out from each other. It has been a while since I have read the original story, but it all came back to me and as I recall the film encapsulates it very well.
Some of the CGI is a little ropey when it comes down to the interactions between Sophie and the BFG, mainly when she is sat in his hand, but the characters models are just divine.
Possibly a little too scary to start with for younger children, but all this is resolved in the first few minutes and they will be soon laughing at all the whizzpopping
I saw the trailer for Nerve during one of my recent visits and it had no impact on me whatsoever. I liked the premise, but my interest had dissipated by the next trailer in the list. Then a few days later I caught some of the reviews and was intrigued. How can this run of the mill, uninteresting trailer bring forth a film that my go to critics are praising, this sparked my inner film buff and the ticket bought soon after.
With technology and online celebrity becoming vastly beyond it's means, the crux of Nerve seems very plausible and likely. Participants either choose to be a "Watcher" or a "Player" in an online truth or dare game without the truth element. Watchers film players and throw increasingly tense dares their way. The more risque the dare, the higher the price and and if you fail or bail you lose everything. How far would a regular girl go before enough is enough?
We spend the majority of the film with Vee, a shy girl who due to the loss of her brother a couple of years earlier does not seem to be getting the most out of her life, purely existing. The good thing is, Vee is actually a character that is likable. In most tween fiction films, the main protaganist is someone I cannot stand and therefore the consequences do not hold any threat because I just don't care. Recent examples are Bella (Twilight), Catniss (Hunger Games) and due to this I avoided such films as The Maze Runner series or Divergent franchise. With Vee being a likable and endearing character, it makes all the difference.
With only a short run time, Nerve starts pretty quickly and is over with before you start to pick holes. There are some enjoyable moments that make the journey to number 1 a much more engaging route. The ending for me was a little flat and unfortunately predictable, I liked were it was going and then it took the easy way out, but I am sure this is the way the book it is based on ended so little extra they could do there.
The side characters are there to add a little extra tension to the running, but they are far too generic to care about. Thankfully, after the opening scenes we spend little time with them. Dave Franco as Ian is well played, a "Player" that Vee gets attached to with something hidden in his history.
Easily something I could watch again when it eventually appears on some streaming service and one I can recommend with a cold beer, glass of wine and a duvet
I saw the YouTube sensation that is "Lights Out" a couple of years ago, thankfully in a well lit office early in the day. That 3 minute short was truly terrifying. Created on a very, very tiny budget but managing to capture the fears of a lonely woman going to bed with little noises freaking her out until the climatic finale. It had a massive impact on me and one that still lasts to this day. Prior to the release of this film, it would be one that I would always recommend a watch to for any horror aficionado.
I have put the video here for anyone that is interested....
When I saw the trailer for this, just after the new Blair Witch trailer....really?....I thought, "surely 3 minutes was enough to convey the message of the film, can it be dragged out to a 80 minute movie?"
I was almost expecting the film to start with the original, like Pixar always have a short animation at the start of their films, I was wondering if this would be the same, unfortunately not. This would have proven that 3 minutes and little to no budget can achieve pretty much the same as dragging it out for another 77 minutes.
Now don't get me wrong, there are some genuine scary moments that really flare up the goosebumps in the extended version and thankfully it never seems to slow down for the whole run time unlike recent horror films, but there is not much you can do with this which is why the short works so well.
The fact that Diana can appear literally anywhere in the shadows is a haunting notion, nowhere is safe whilst always being nerving and ominous, and with the character being physically there instead of a CGI cartoon character the added tension was noted.
As far as a horror movie, Lights Out is enjoyable, scary in parts and with decent pace, but I still feel that the 4 minute version achieves a lot more than this big budget version. I hope this is not a new venture for James Wan scouring youtube channels for his next ideas.
Is there any real differentiation between a Jason Statham film since Snatch? I hadn't seen the original "The Mechanic" and noticed that it was on Netflix, so a couple of days before I thought I would catch up on the next Stath-franchise. I then received a new thread called, "Because you watched The Mechanic", these films were...Transporter, Transporter 3, Hummingbird, War, Safe, Blitz, Wild Card. All these films have the same premise, Mr Statham has really been type cast since his initial role as Frank Martin, The Driver.
The Mechanic, although a fun 90 minutes, was nothing new and original but still something that easily whiles away the early hours whilst feeding a baby (this was how I watched it anyway), so my expectations were pretty low for Arthur Bishop's next outing. Unfortunately, I hadn't lowered them enough for the disaster that I was about to see.
It seems there were two separate films at work here, two generic Jason Statham action romps just merged them into one mishmash of a film. The plot was incoherent, the run time of the film (although short) seemed to drag as nothing really happened on screen that engaged, even Statham seemed very bored with it all. Jessica Alba, as lovely as she is, seemed to be there for no real reason at all and for most of it, I don't think she was. The bad guy was so 80's Bond villain-esque that it just seemed so generic.
In my review of Jason Bourne, I commented that the original films changed the dynamic of the Action/Adventure film and subsequently the for next 10 years the genre seemed to take a formulaic route. It seems that Jason Statham films have become stuck in a rut, but that rut is somewhere still in the late 90's.
I know that until we see a return to form of Turkish or Bacon from Mr Statham, I will resort to late night feed entertainment from Mr Generic rather than a visit to the cinema.
When The Bourne Identity was released to the world it was a genre changing film. Similar to The Matrix, Rocky, Raiders of the Lost Ark and countless others throughout history, the film revisited a repetitious genre and gave it the boost it needed. The sequels, Supremacy and Ultimatum only strengthened the hold that Jason Bourne had on the Action/Thriller genre.
Films like Taken and The Daniel Craig Bond Series were heavily influenced by Paul Greengrass and his film styles. Several others tried to adopt this style and failed miserably (included in this list is The Bourne Legacy)
So 14 years after the first film was released, Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass (who previously said there would never be another Bourne) decided to make another Bourne film. Excited by the team up, I was looking forward to a genre re-defining product, Giving the genre another well boosted kick to launch the next series of copy cat films.
I think Mr Greengrass went down the route that my Dad takes with DIY, "If it's not broken, then why try fix it". Admittedly, this is a reasonable stance to take, The Bourne films work, and they work well. Some say that each of the original trilogy films just get better and better with each outing. The action is intensified, the chase scenes are exhilarating and the constant cat and mouse feel is superb....but it has all been done before.
Jason Bourne is a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable film. A worthy successor to the Bourne helm, and I left the cinema happy that I had witnessed this rip ride tour of Europe and America with Mr Damon and his almost mute anti-hero. Alicia Vikander is superb (although her accent falters throughout) and it is always a delight to see Julia Stiles in any film
I was in similar thoughts to Jeremy from CinemaSins last year, and although I am happy that Jason Bourne was made, I think it is either time to leave the franchise as strong as it is or do something genre defining again in the future
Even after the DC Universe defining flop that was BvS:DoJ, I still had high hopes for The Suicide Squad. Knowing DC's current "show all and everything" tactic in their continuous bombardment of trailers and TV spots I also decided that one trailer was enough and avoided everything the was subsequently released, I wanted to enjoy the film without knowing every plot point prior.
This was definitely the right approach for me. Unfortunately, the reviews of the film were harder to ignore. Negative critical reviews bombarded the interwebs and the berating of the DC franchise continued. Always in competition with the brighter and more enjoyable Marvel Expended Universe, DC has a tall order ahead of them.
The Suicide Squads teams up a rogue gallery of villains from the DC universe, each with restrictive explosives embedded in their necks to avoid any insubordinate behaviour. They must embark on a rescue mission and protect a city from annihilation against their will but using all their "meta-human" strengths and acquired skills. Among the group are fan favourites, Harley Quinn, Dead Shot, Killer Croc and Captain Boomerang (ok, so the last one may not be a massive favourite).
This is more the Anti-Hero Movie were the good guys are not that good and the bad guys are really bad. Margo Robbie is perfectly matched to Harleen Quinzell and perfectly embodies the role, Will Smith as DeadShot is basically Will Smith with all his usual charm and the supporting cast each have their moments. The big let down for me was Jared Leto as The Joker, there was a lot of hype around his embodiment of the Clown Prince but the film could have achieved more without him. Admittedly, he was enjoyable to watch, but it felt like his scenes where shoehorned in just to raise a little interest to the film, they felt superfluous to the actual narrative. A little cameo (there are a couple in the film already - no spoilers) would have sufficed.
It was great to see a full cinema on the opening night with almost all showings with limited availability. It goes to show that the interest in the film, and not having a massive name on the title card, was there from the start.
Suicide Squad is a thoroughly entertaining, leave your brain at the door, film. Some enjoyable characters (although the big bads were far from menacing...or interesting) and some great interactions with the bigger named actors.
A truly brilliant film where the main premise focuses on the terrorising of a small group by a formidable shark. When the budget for the film cannot afford to spend too much time with the watery menace then the main goal is to create tension, atmosphere and build the characters into some of cinema's greatest. Some scenes create a feeling of absolute isolation that it feels you are sat completely on your own listening to the tide, creaks and groans, waiting for the inevitable moment that the monstrous teeth will rise again from the shallow depths and fill us once more full of dread. I think this films shows a true masterclass in character development and it will always hold a place in my personal top ten of films.
Enough about Jaws, The Shallows features Blake Lively as a surfer returning to her mum's isolated Mexican beach to ride the waves in her honour. Whilst there a shark decides that she looks quite tasty and has a nibble on her leg. Thankfully there is a low tide which reveals a previously submerged rocky surface. Too far to swim to shore and with no other dry land available, she must try to survive, bleeding one her rocky solace whilst the black eyed predator circles waiting for the tide to rise once more.
Whilst occasionally enjoyable, The Shallows tries to focus on Blake's character, but she does not have that much to offer and as we spend 90% of the film with her, talking to herself and her newly adopted, shark-mauled, seagull, Steven (yes, he is named Steven Seagull...oh how I laughed!) the film seems to lack any development.
The shark in question is menacing enough, but the final scene is more ridiculous than anything from Jaws II, III, or even IV and this took away any previous malevolence that the predator had before. The seemingly tactical and persistent omnipresence that the toothed behemoth held for the majority of the film is whisked away for a few closing moments. Personally, I think this film would have ended better without the Hollywood influence.
A Saturday night film with popcorn and treats, but then again, why not just watch Jaws!?
Having always been a fan of the supernatural, when I heard that the next James Wan horror film would be set in the London town of Enfield focusing around the much publicized Enfield Project, I was a little excited. Having recently spent an evening locked in a spooky establishment with poltergeist activity prevalent throughout the evening, anything that is due to send chills up my spine is always welcome.
I was happy with the first installment of the franchise, albeit the scarier moments were with the Annabelle side plot, but then the spin off film of the demonic doll was nowhere near as entertaining. Knowing more of the Enfield Project mainly down to my own personal interest, I was keen to know how the film would approach the undetermined amount of hoaxing and subsequent admissions to pranks from the young children to satisfy the active minds of the reporting teams.
I was not let down. Reports of furniture moving were supported by police witnesses which is portrayed at the start, everything else was down to subjecture and the camera helps with this by always being just off centre to events. There are a few overly fabricated and special effects heavy sections that took me out of the moment, but then I was dragged back in moments later with some creepy off screen movements. It has a feel of The Exorcist, dealing with similar context, being of a similar era, but even down to the atmosphere created by the Friedkin film.
The film should have ended where the investigation ended, but that would not have been a Hollywood ending, we needed something bigger, louder and more flashy which was a real down point, but I am used to the fact that the horror genre is terrible at closing a film. This is something that we now just have to accept, a horror film with a good ending is a real rarity.
To top my experience off perfectly, a few days later I was on a work field trip. Meeting a couple of clients at our head office on a couple of days out of our Manchester Office. The location of our meetings was no other than Enfield itself, Green Street only a matter of minutes away from the boardroom. It felt completely fitting that I should don the running trainers and pay a visit to Mr Bill Wilkins and say "hello". I was amazed and the mundane looking building, no one seemed ot be knowledgeable of the goings-on of this house, it was just another house on another street. School children ran by without a care, I think I was looking for more of an ominous feel, but what I got was a sense of the mundane.
If you put The Rock into any film it seems to bring it up a few notches, well most films, Hercules was pretty far down the notch ladder to start with! But Kevin Hart is a little of a fad for me, his recent escapades with Ice Cube in the Ride Along films were far from entertaining. It feels like he is the same person in all his character portrayals, and they all feel a little 90's.
That being said, throw Mr Johnson into the mix and he suddenly become mildly more entertaining.
Central Intelligence is a 90's style buddy cop movie, nothing new, nothing adventurous, nothing out of the ordinary. You will have seen this film 100 times before, the back and forth comedy has been done before, the plot has been done many many times before and the twist and turns are highly expected, but you know what, I enjoyed this outing thoroughly. Now it is not one I would recommend parting with hard earned cash for, especially with the price of a cinema ticket now, but one that when it comes to Netflix or other streaming services that it is added to the queue of things to watch with beer in hand.
The banter between our two main protagonists is superb, a lot of it feels improvised between the two but that makes it more natural rather than scripted. The adoption of the 90's style outtakes at the end emphasise this thought as well.
The is a nice little threat of ambiguity of The Rock's allegiance that has you questioning character choices and some nice little stunts thrown in for good measure. A few laughs along the way and a good back story to each character.
Nothing new, nothing original but highly entertaining. Can we please have the Rock in more films please?
In 1996, Mr Roland Emmerich came into the lime light with the blockbuster smash, "Independence Day". Aliens from far of reaches of space enter our atmosphere and decide to eviscerate monumental building and cities before trying to reduce the population of our planet to a count of 0. This was followed with similar films such as 2012, The Day After Tomorrow, and Godzilla, each having the same set pieces of destruction and planetary threat (although Godzilla was basically New York but still big on the destruction of famous landmarks).
I was never really a fan of Independence Day, I felt it was lacking in something, long and convoluted, and more of a special effects promotion rather than a decent film. The only saving grace was Captain Hiller, the charisma of Will Smith made the difference. So 20 years later, when the sequel was announced I was hoping for his return. Instead we get his son, who, as he was only young when his father passed, one can only assume the wit, humour and finesse was not something that had be prevalent in the relationship. This kid has the charisma of a wet turnip, and a sultry one at that.
So removing the one saving grace and replacing it with a soul sucking counterpart is not a good start for me. Throw in massive amounts of faceless destruction and big bashing CG/Green screen action and I am getting distracted by the thoughts of the day ahead and jobs that I need to do at home pretty quickly.
Thor's younger brother is entertaining in parts, and the reprising roles of Jeff Goldblum, Brett Spiner and Bill Pullman and nostalgically entertaining, but I could have really done without the return of Julius Levinson (Goldblum's Father)
The story is pretty much the same (non-evident) and the effects are as big and brash as ever. The finale felt more like a video game boss battle with flashing weak spots and using the hive mind plot is always a cheap cop out.
I have since heard that a third installment is already planned for this franchise, which when you think that the second film took 20 years to finally get a script the team thought was worthwhile, at least a third script is being rushed through to capitalise on the current market.
The year of the versus starts with our two favourite heroes of the Marvel franchises. The guys that started the whole thing off (if you ignore the Hulk attempts). The wit and banter of the brains in the suit against the charm and strength of the man behind the shield.
There is no other way of me saying this other than Civil War is the best of the Marvel films to date, in fact, it is the best Super Hero genre film in my opinion as well. With more Avengers than The Avengers and introductions of new characters such as Black Panther and of course everyone's favourite neighbourhood spider, I was entertained from start to glorious finish.
Engaging story line with reasons to flip-flop to either side of the argument, I struggled to choose an over all winning side as both parties had feasible pro's and con's. Throw in the collection of awesome side characters whose choices are questionable as well and the inevitable showdown is just delightful
When I saw the original trailer, I was impressed with the airport clips, what I was not expecting was the scale of this showdown. A good 20 minutes of a visual spectacular, colourful, engaging, hilarious and threatening, just excellent in execution.
It didn't seem to slow down for the full duration and I wanted to know so much more about the new characters, thankfully I will not have to wait much longer for these films, and I am really excited about them. The Marvel Franchise is really strong at the moment (with exceptions of a few hiccups), and the future of the product is really promising with the introduction of the new crowd. With trepidation towards another webslinging outing and another origin story, it looks like Spidy is in the right hands now, but only time will tell.
Very entertaining, exciting and enjoyable, this is a must for comic book film fans and pretty much anyone else. Go and enjoy
Having just returned from my London trip to Star Wars
Celebration, I thought it would only be fitting to step into enemy
territory. Being a film fan (as I am
sure you can no fully appreciate), my love of everything film regardless of
genre, franchise or finance, I am not a die-hard Star Wars fan who thinks that
everything Federation is sub-par. Take
the prequels, they are terrible films in my opinion (Revenge of the Sith being
as close to reasonable as the whole prequel trilogy can muster) and films like
Wrath of Khan, Nemesis and First Contact definitely put the Star Wars films to
shame.
The recent “alternate dimension” versions from Bad Robot
have been a little uninspired for me though, yes they look amazing and they are
well acted, but they always leave me feeling a little under-satisfied.
Choosing to watch just the newest part of a special trilogy screening at
Cineworld Leigh, primarily because there is a 5 hour parking restriction on
their car park which has stung me in the past for double cinema trips and also
because I was happy to miss the first part of the new triumvirate. I had watched Into Darkness at home on Netflix a few hours earlier and just after midnight the title card
appeared for the next installment of Kirk's journey, this time directed by the Fast and Furious Justin Lin
One thing I did notice was the lack of audience
members. Not comparing apples and
oranges, but both Wars and Trek are common rivals for each other. The midnight screening of The Force Awakens
was buzzing, when the Logo hit the screen there was a raucous cheer, with
Beyond there were 30 people sporadically gathered and the atmosphere was far
from electric. Possibly because they had
sat for 5 hours already in the company of Kirk and his colleagues.
ST:Beyond was slow and cold again for me, the high amount of
exposition and bad guy monologues felt very 70’s in style, it felt like nothing
had moved forward with the films in the last 30 years. I agree that The Force Awakens is the exact
same story as the original New Hope, but it had moved on in years. Another distracting factor was Scotty, he is
Simon Pegg doing a hybrid Scottish accent, it was distracting and hard to view
him as anyone else. Bones, Ahura, Spock,
Kirk and the rest of the crew all seemed to put the effort in, but nothing
really felt epic or grand just mediocre.
The finale was a left over set piece from Guardians of the
Galaxy, a b-roll if you may. It seemed
very obvious to me that the production team had watched Guardians and thought
“how cool would that be with the Enterprise?”, lackluster is my opinion.
Not as bad as “The Voyage Home”, but far from the top tier
When Bryan Singer retook the helm and blessed us with Days
of Future Past, especially with wonderful scene with Quicksilver and the guards
I was a happy man again. Then came the
announcement that Apocalypse would be the big bad for the next installment of the
reboot franchise and I was even happier.
The universe had been reset so well and the new cast were nailing it.
Xmen Apocalypse didn’t live up to those expectations, not
that it is a bad film, far from it, but when the bar is set so high from the last
encounter this just felt far too bitty, scatty and almost like, dare I say it,
it felt like I was watching Mortal Kombat Annihilation (but done well). Far too many characters with far too much
story to tell left me feeling unfulfilled.
When an age old god, the original mutant, is awoken from his
slumber he gathers his four horsemen and looks to wipe out humanity and start
again. There are only a few who can
stand in his way, those with xtra powers, the XMen. Led by Mystique (the wonderful Jennifer Lawrence),
the band of young and rising familiars must use all their efforts to stop the
Apocalypse.
With far too many plot points working in conjunction with
each other, I felt that the film was really scatty and lacking. The Quicksilver
scene was pretty much the
same with nothing new, he just turned up in the nick of time, did his thing,
had a bit of fun on the way, but it was nothing new. The four horsemen were really lacking in
oomph and just reminded me of the side characters from the aforementioned
Annihilation. (Phsylock didn’t help my
analogy by doing a Kitana Cosplay). It
looks wonderful, but again, there were some scenes that really looked like a
high end computer game not a big budget blockbuster.
I personally think that there is too much crammed in to the
mix and not enough time spent with the right people. Apocalypse is an interesting bad guy, but his
henchmen pointless (three of them there to distract), the good guys are only
given moments to shine. I am wondering
if an extended cut of the film will be released soon which will be about 4
hours long but not be as scatty and bitty.
Don’t get me wrong though – this is a fun and enjoyable,
even the it knowingly acknowledges this after an in film cinema trip to watch
“Return of the Jedi”. Jean Grey
comments, “the third film in a franchise is always the worst”. With the characters offering a meta-reference
to the quality of the film, it does not fill me full of confidence.
My friend, Roshtakular, said this was his most favourite
Comic Book film to date, I am yet to get his opinion…maybe I could convince him
to share his thoughts.
As the title sequence started for the next installment of the
Michael Bay toy hording franchise, my expectations were low, not Batman vs
Superman low, as I was expecting some colour and cheap laughs. Being a fan of the 90’s cartoon series and
knowing that we would be blessed with Beebop, Rocksteady and Krang, I could not
help but feel a little nostalgic. Then
the action started, and I remember the utter disappointment of the monstrous
looking abominations and their unlikable personalities.
An absolute mess of a film that what it lacked in thought,
direction and originality it more than made up for in product placement,
continuity issues and miss steps.
Now I know the intended audience for this is children/teens,
but that is not an excuse just to think, “It is fine!”, but that is what it
feels like. “Let’s just put in some
explosions and everything will be fine!”
Megan Fox is better utilised this time, by not using her as
much. At the latter of the film I
noticed that her prestigious posterior was covered with jumper tied at the
waist, so it looks like Michael Bay’s overly obsessed mind had listened to
previous comments. There is a scene at
the start were she changes into a school girl outfit for no reason, but I could
not help but think….where did her trousers go and why was she wearing knee high
socks in the first place?
Stephen Amell is fun as Casey Jones, but I could not get
Oliver Queen out of my head as he is basically playing a similar
character. I think better casting would
have benefited the role more, even though he did a good job with what he was
given.
The four brothers go through the same transitions of not
working together as one unit, to learning that without teamwork they cannot
fulfill their destiny, to the big CG final confrontation that was the plot
points of the last venture and also the rubber outfit versions of the late 90’s
TMNT:OOTS is a mindless, absolutely average, mishmash
adventure that brings nothing new to the table.
One that if it was on one lazy Sunday afternoon, you could watch five
minutes and then return to Songs of Praise for more enjoyment!
Nice little touch to finish with the original (slightly
tweaked) theme tune, I was whistling it all the way home….ahhhh nostalgia!
Only a couple of days out of the cinema after watching The
Darkness and I have completely forgotten about the film. I am sure there was an EE advert in the
middle of it, but nothing much else
I think it was about a boy who found some stones that
brought forward ancient demons from the darkness who terrorised a suburban
family consisting of Rhonda Mitra, Kevin Bacon, and two forgettable kids.
Jump scares that failed on multiple occasions, not just
because they were jump scares, but because they were so predictable and routine
that not even the anticipation of a scare did anything
What has happened to the horror genre now, no thought is
going into them and continuous drivel is being released. Kevin Bacon was simply cashing a cheque with
this film after doing a couple of years of EE and cinema adverts. I have referred to the video before, but
Jeremy from Cinema Sins has given the only solution to solving the current
drudge of horror films, and that is to simply stop making them for at least 10
years. Everyone loves a good scare and I
see more people in the cinema for a scary film than other genres (excluding
Marvel and DC behemoths), but cinema goers must be leaving unsatisfied with the
ongoing quick cash grabs.
So, The Darkness, is a completely forgettable, dull and
uninteresting entrant into the already bulging with mediocraty genre of
horror…one to be missed
"Look for those bare necessities, those simple bare necessities!"
When I heard that Disney, during their recent campaign of
re-inventing all their classics into live action, were intending on updating
The Jungle Book, I became worried. The
Jungle Book holds a dear place in my heart, Baloo, King Louie, Bagheera and
Mowgli are friends for life, Sheer Kahn is one of the greatest bad guys of my
childhood, and don’t even get me started on the soundtrack – still in my
playlist to this day!
As a recent trailer was shown in the cinema whilst preparing
for the disappointment of BvSDoJ and I was taken in immediately. The lush landscapes, the visuals, the
animals, all looked stunning and seemed to flow naturally. I was sold!
The new adaptation is pretty much as animated as the
original, just done with computer generated imagery instead of the hand drawn
style of the 50’s and it looks lovely.
Mowgli is the only real thing on screen and this child’s acting is
pretty impressive when compared to the woodenness of Hayden Christian and his
green screen masterclass. The animals are
voiced expertly by such talents as Idris Elba, Bill Murray, Christopher Walken
and Scarlett Johansson adding a little flair to each but incorporating the
persona of the original. Baloo was my
concern on entering the cinema, he has always been a favourite of mine, but Murray
just nails it, knowing that the Bare Necessities will never be match, he only
part sings it and in a similar style to his “Shelter from the Storm” scene in
St Vincent.
King Louie’s King of the Swingers seems more forced than
anything else and could have just been spoken lines rather than a song that didn’t
seem to fit but also did not come anywhere close to the original scene.
Shere Khan though is a real presence to behold, perfectly
played by Idris Elba, but also visually petrifying. With little kids in the audience, I know the original
Shere Khan was not too kid friendly, there are some scenes that are too
intense. Chasing Mowgli through tall
grass with the only intention of killing him with no remorse (not even for
food, but for pleasure and revenge) it a potential nightmare inducing
moment.
My only issue with the new-fangled version is the lack of….the
bare necessities. It lacks the heart and
soul of the original, the love of the characters is not there, it is very enjoyable
but at the same time forgettable.
I am interested where the live action routes will take us,
maybe Aladdin, the Lion King or even The Fox and the Hound
One of my favourite scenes in cinematic history revolves around 3 isolated men, surrounded by vast nothingness yet with a pending threat, discussing scars, Mary Ellen Moffat and the Indianapolis. The film was the quintessential summer blockbuster that, whilst in the midst of a big old shark, comes a scene of character building masterclass.
Back in 2008, in the height of found footage films, Cloverfield had a marketing campaign that rivalled the Blair Witch. The film was a reasonable watch but not one I have not returned to. Fast forward to 2015 and a secret Bad Robot Production project was unveiled on the back of a small indie film called Star Wars Force Awakens. JJ Abrams production company had been working on a film that put three strangers in an isolated environment with pending disaster and heightening paranoia. It was only late in the production time line that a Cloverfield title was given.
After being involved in a car crash, Michelle wakes to find her leg in supports, a drip in her arm and shackled to a pipe. Her saviour is a conspiracy mad John Goodman who is convinced that a nuclear attack had been pending so built a fully functioning bunker. Seeing Michelle in trouble and knowing of the looming attack he takes her back to his fortitude. Also in this shelter is Emmet, a contractor who help with the initial build.
With only John Goodman’s word that the surface is uninhabitable and they are in the best place, Michelle and Emmet eventually settle, but only to have questions raised about the integrity of Goodman’s background and intentions. Are they warranted? Are they being paranoid? What has actually happened above?
I thoroughly enjoyed Cloverfield Lane and was engrossed through most of the film. The tension is only increased due to the surroundings that encapsulate. John Goodman is just superb, his breathing is a character in itself. I found myself shifting in the seat in some scenes wondering if his temper would come to the forefront.
For me, the whole focus of the film should have been the subterranean setting, anything above ground is superficial and unnecessary unless the intention was to make a whole film about it. Sort of connected to the original Cloverfield but not really, the viewer already has an idea of what may be going on above….but is it in the same universe is the question. As with most horror/thriller films the ending is the lasting memory, nail it and you’re a talking point for years to come, fail it and the same applies but for the wrong reasons. Cloverfield Lane for me failed in the last 10 minutes, but the prevailing character focused, intense, claustrophobic 1hour 30minutes more than make up for it.
I was shocked to see two families bring small children into this film, I understand that it is a PG13 rated film, but there are some real intense and violent scenes that I struggled with. How a 6 year old would cope I do not know, and one really needs to question ones film choices when bringing small children. If this is a film you really want to see but have children, then my advice is get a babysitter for a couple of hours
Horror movies…a genre that has really struggled in the last
couple of years.
I grew up loving a good horror film, one that made you
suffer at night as a child, one that as I grew up I still remembered how I felt
whilst watching for the first time, but these are becoming few and far
between. The one thing the horror genre
really struggles with is a decent ending….99% of all the horror films I have
watched recently, I would have been better leaving with 10 minutes to go as the
final few minutes ruin the fairly decent previous 90. That being said, there were also a couple I
could have done with leaving 10 minutes into the film (looking at you “It
Follows”)
I am still a fan of the genre, even with it’s over use of
annoying jump scare, obvious plot holes and terrible acting, but I am slowly
becoming less interested. Dear Jeremy
(youtube) makes a fantastic point about the whole horror genre, but one that
will never be taken seriously
The Boy has a creepy, dark premise. An American nanny is hired by an aging couple
who live in a remote stately home to look after their son whilst they go on
holiday. Upon meeting their son, Brahms,
she is shocked to find that he is actually a porcelain doll with a strict set
of 10 rules that must be adhered to. So,
with obvious thoughts passing to the recent Annabelle, or earlier days of
Child’s Play, one would expect a murderous spree of a tiny mannequin. This is where The Boy stands out. Is the doll actually possessed? Alive? Or are
the sudden relocations and slight head movements down to an external
source?
I was taken in by the surroundings and dark sub plot (the
reasons behind why the parents are transfixed by a porcelain son, yet fully
aware that what it actually is). The
location feels remote, yet also comfortable.
There are a couple of moments that really brought tingles like Brahms
sitting up on the bed with the list of rules yet the night before he had been
tucked into bed.
Then, the final 10 minutes happened
Low budget and fun, The Boy is fun enough but nothing stand
out and something that will not be remembered by the time you get home from the
cinema.
Now, before I start this, let me get one thing across. I thoroughly enjoy a comic book film, I enjoy Marvel and DC and have no real affiliation to either. Batman is one of my favourite characters and I often state that “I am Batman” and I can prove this as we have never been seen in the same room together. I have read graphic novels such as The Killing Joke, Death in the Family and Hush, I love the Arkham games which have recently further instilled my Batman fandom. I also must confess, although I have watched the original Donner films several times, the character of Superman is a little dull for me. A man impervious to pretty much anything except shiny green crystals (although it does not have a massive effect), perfect nature and not much personality does not really hold much threat. The recent re-incarnation of Man of Steal had some very interesting and enjoyable moments, but then transitioned into a dull and lackluster third act of boshing through building for 40 mins with little regard for anything or anyone else.
My expectations for BvS:DOJ had been reduced to the lowest level with the release of trailer upon trailer giving away key plot points and pivotal moments. I had no qualms against BatFleck unlike most of the internet enraged by Warner Brothers casting choice for the Dark Knight, similar issues were raised back in 1989 and I think Michael Keaton did a great job with what he had. So with gutter level expectations and hopes, BvS:DOJ could either meet or exceed….
There are some entertaining moments, but unfortunately in a 3 hour fiasco, moments are tear drops in an ocean of filler. The whole film feels like a trailer for things yet to come. When your whole film has no real story to conclude but introduces so many new threads it leaves you feeling unfulfilled, yes, the film is called Batman V Superman and both titular characters do have a versus, yes the film is subtitled Dawn of Justice leading to the start of the Justice League, but if I wanted to watch trailers for the upcoming titles let me do that outside of a film, not watching someone watch YouTube on a computer for 10 minutes!
The moments of grandeur mainly involve our beloved Bat with an Arkham style fight scene (in the trailer) or the car chase through the streets of Metropolis (in the trailer), but they are few and far between. Lois Lane is a constant damsel in distress, Wonder Woman (in the trailer) is completely irrelevant to the plot and Doomsday (in the trailer) as a final big boss which the Bat and Supes have to team up to destroy (in the trailer) harks back to the final 40 minutes of Man of Steal….uninvolving, hard to follow, over the top CGI and with little consequence. Although in this final battle we are constantly reminded by news broadcast or exposition that each area of the battle in completely bereft of any human presence.
This film is the launching platform for the DCU and in answer to the well-established MCU. It feels incomplete, it feels as though in 10 years when the franchise reaches its conclusion we will be able to come back to BvS:DOJ and understand the open plot points. Terminator Genysis comes to mind with its Sarah Connor plot points and the new Skynet, these were left open ended at the end of the film as part of the trilogy…but the trilogy has now been cancelled and this film will always be incomplete (and terrible). BvS:DoJ (although inevitably the franchise will continue) is absolutely incomplete. I know Marvel are doing this as well, but their franchise is established, however the films stand on their own as well. BvS:DoJ cannot stand alone, it needs the conclusions to be complete which we will have to wait a decade for.
I am actually looking forward to the upcoming Suicide Squad which is all part of the DCU, however, after learning from the mistakes of BvS:DoJ’s advertising campaign I have subsequently avoided all trailers and marketing for fear of having insight into major key plot points. Maybe this is the way forward for all DCU properties? As I said at the start, I am a fan and will continue to watch the universe expand, but my interest may dwindle if they continue to be unfinished properties.
I enjoy a good Coen Brothers film, I remember watching “Raising Arizona” one Sunday evening with my brother not really understanding what was happening but laughing at John Goodman and the surprisingly enjoyable Nick Cage (before he went completely mad). Fargo remains one of my favourite films and Big Lebowski is just superb, again, John Goodman shining throughout.
When I heard of Hail, Caesar! I was interested in the premise, but the trailers just didn’t sell it to me, but with the Unlimited Card at my finger tips and a spare evening I ventured to my local World of Cine.
A mishmash of sketches with various celebrity cameos and the main plot revolving around a kidnapped George Clooney and Josh Brolin’s quest to get him back, Hail, Caesar! Was a hard film to describe and sit comfortably through. The audience started at an eager 30 and was whittled down to around 5 by the midpoint. There seemed to be very little connection with the multiple cameo sections to the actual drive of the film, with them removed the running time would have been reduced by a good hour but the film would have been without substance. I can say that although it was completely disjointed, I did in fact enjoy the experience.
Channing Tatums’ dance routine in a very camp sailor collaboration was enjoyable, Ralph Fiennes is an absolute delight and fast becoming one of my favourite actors (was not a fan a few years ago, but he is really shining through with current roles – Grand Budapest Hotel).
Defintely not one of the Coen’s highlights, and definitely not one for the paying cinema goer, but as an addition to the film list it was an different watch.
