For All Your Movie Reviewing Needs! This blog will feature film reviews, the occasional personal blog, a tally of the films I see at the cinema and anything else I deem worthy of sharing with YOU, my loyal readers. I have archived my two previous blogs here too so anyone new can catch up with something they might have missed. Thanks for reading!
Until recently I hadn't ever seen a Bourne film. I knew of them sure, but never seen any of them. So when I heard there was a fourth film on it's way I decided it would be a good idea to catch up on what I'd missed so far. I purchased all three previous Bourne films for the bargainous price of £1 each and as some of my friends wanted to refresh their memories I scheduled 'Bourne Nights' for us to watch each of the films.
We watched all three movies in order, ending with The Bourne Ultimatum on Wednesday night prior to watching The Bourne Legacy on Friday. And now that I've seen the new film, I'm not sure watching the previous Bourne's was such a good idea.
See as a stand alone film I think The Bourne Legacy does just fine. It's got action, a nice tight plot, good actors and plenty of well choreographed fights and chases. But as a Bourne film I don't think it really works.
Other than the scenes involving high ranking CIA operatives talking about Jason Bourne, there really isn't anything to make this a Bourne film. Or make it linked in any way. So the hand to hand fights, the chases, the CIA agent who's part of the same programme as Bourne, all that stuff feels like it's been put in there to make the audience feel like they're watching a Bourne film. When in fact they're really watching a film about an CIA agent with a drug problem.
I have heard a lot of people say that the reason The Bourne Legacy doesn't work is because of the lack of Matt Damon. I disagree. I found the Bourne films to be nothing more than an excuse for Matt Damon to fight with people and get into car chases around Europe. If you asked me what the films were about (which someone did the other day), I would struggle to answer you. Not because they're not enjoyable or well made, just because I didn't find them especially memorable.
The Bourne Legacy delivers exactly what the previous films did, lots of senior CIA people trying to stop a rogue agent. Lots of fights and chases. Just a different guy in Jason Bourne's shoes. It wasn't the lack of Jason Bourne that bothered me, it was that this film, which really has nothing to do with the Bourne franchise is trying to be something it's not. The proof here is with the end credits which state that this film has been 'inspired' by the Bourne novels of Robert Ludlum. The previous Bourne films were all based on his books. This one is not. And it shows.
If you liked the Bourne movies and can gloss over the ties that are trying to bind themselves to the Bourne films, you might like this. If you're a serious Damon/Ludlum fan, avoid. There is nothing here for you. 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 24th August 2012
UK Release Date - 13th August 2012
Cast Overview:
Jeremy Renner ~ Aaron Cross/Kenneth James Kitsom
Rachel Weisz ~ Dr Marta Shearing
Edward Norton ~ Eric Byer
Joan Allen ~ Deputy Director Pamela Landy
David Strathairn ~ Noah Vosen
Albert Finney ~ Dr Albert Hirsch
Director ~ Tony Gilroy
Writer(s) ~ Tony Gilroy (Screenplay and Story), Dan Gilroy (Screenplay) and Robert Ludlum (Bourne Series)
I have considered myself a fan of Pixar's films since I first laid eyes on Sully and Boo. Sure I liked A Bugs Life, and hadn't yet discovered the joys of Toy Story, but Monsters Inc was the one that turned me back into a child. And it made me cry like a little baby.
I've gone to see every Pixar film since. I've laughed (mostly at the fun ones like Cars), I've cried some more (at Wall.E) and I've routed for a team of toys on more than one occasion!
So of course, when Brave was announced I couldn't wait to see it. Even though I didn't really know what it was about. Anyone who's seen the trailer will probably be scratching their head as much as I was. Let's just say that the bosses at Pixar have kept their cards very close to their chest on this one.
Brave is the story of a young princess in Scotland who has a very unladylike hobby. She loves nothing more than riding her horse and shooting things with her trusty bow and arrows. So when her mother tells her that three prestigious families are coming to their land to win her hand for their sons, she is more than a little against the idea. The princess Merida runs away as fast as her horse's legs will carry her and soon stumbles upon a witch who promises to solve all her problems. As tends to happen in these type of stories, the spell doesn't go quite to plan and Merida must work with her mother to try and undo what she has done.
I don't want to give too much of Brave's story away as the trailer doesn't at all really. What I will say is that it's not too complex for kids and not so dumb that adults won't appreciate it either. It's not overly sad for a Pixar film (no-where near UP or Wall.E standards) but one little kid in front of me balled his or her eyes out at the end. The animation is stunning as always. From the girl who loved Sully and just wanted to curl up in his beautiful blue fur I can say that the team have really pulled it out of the bag again with Merida's hair. What a stunning mane she has. Just take your time looking at those lushious locks of hers, you won't be disappointed that you did.
Similarly stunning were the landscapes and the sky. Just gorgeous backgrounds on this film that really make it worth seeing in 2D. Yes you read that right. The 3D makes it darker so don't pay the extra for this film as it's really not required. The colours come to life in 2D so don't make the wrong choice by opting for 3D.
It's not Pixar's best but it's stunning to look at and the voice work as ever is superb. 7.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 19th August 2012
UK Release Date - 13th August 2012
Cast Overview:
(If you don't like knowing who the voices are DONT SCROLL DOWN! ;0)
Kelly MacDonald ~ Merida
Billy Connolly ~ Fergus
Emma Thompson ~ Elinor
Julie Walters ~ The Witch
Robbie Coltrane ~ Lord Dingwall
Kevin McKidd ~ Lord MacGuffin/Young MacGuffin
Craig Ferguson ~ Lord MacIntosh
Director(s) ~ Mark Andrews, Brenda Chapman and Steve Purcell (co-director)
Writer(s) ~ Brenda Chapman (Story), Mark Andrews, Steve Purcell, Brenda Chapman and Irene Mecchi (Screenplay)
"The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me." Christopher Nolan following the Aurora shooting.
I felt the need to acknowledge that statement because I share Christopher Nolan's sentiments. The movie theatre is my home too, heck it's likely to be the home of most of the people who read my blog. I feel safe there. It's a place I can go to on my own and not feel self conscious, and it's also a place I go to with friends and family. The thought that someone could be so cruel as to pick on people in a darkened theatre, when the only thing they did was go to see a movie, is horrific to me. I hope the people of Aurora find the strength to put this behind them.
I can't help but think that the tragedy surrounding The Dark Knight Rises is one of the reasons I struggled to write a review for the film. I actually saw the movie way back on the 22nd July but had no time to sit down and pen a review for it as it was my pre-birthday weekend. I then went to visit family for my birthday and since then have been back home and then back up north due to a bereavement. It seems all things were conspiring against me actually telling the world what I thought of the finale to Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy.
To refresh my memory of the film I went to see it again this weekend.
For those uninitiated, the first of Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy was Batman Begins. Whilst I have seen (and in fact own) it, I must confess that I'm not a huge fan of the first film. And as such I don't really remember that much of it. So I hope I get this right! *Spoilers Abound* In Batman Begins Bruce Wayne travels the world and receives combat (no pun intended) training in Asia from The League Of Shadows. When he returns to Gotham he puts his alter ego to the test against the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy). In The Dark Knight, Batman faced two villains, The Joker (Heath Ledger) and Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart) and in the process he loses the woman he loves and is incorrectly accused of district attorney Harvey Dent's murder.
The Dark Knight Rises is set 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne has become a recluse and Batman has not been seen or heard of since he fled the scene of Harvey Dent's murder. A different kind of masked man is threatening to disturb the peace that has been built on a lie. A battle scarred and broken spirited Bruce must bring Batman back to face his most challenging enemy yet.
After not really loving Batman Begins I went into The Dark Knight with a lot of hope. I was a big Heath Ledger fan and I wanted the film to do him proud. And in some respects I think it did. But it still wasn't as good as I'd hoped. Everyone raved about The Dark Knight but I feel it was mostly for the wrong reasons. Because of Heath's death I think people were afraid to say that it was a less than perfect film. I'm not saying it's not well written, stylishly directed and brilliantly acted, it is. But it still has it's problems too.
So going in to The Dark Knight Rises I was sceptical. Doubly so when the Aurora shooting happened because again I feared that this would be a less than perfect film that everyone heaped praise on for the wrong reasons. I am happy to say that the film surprised me in that respect and that I was proved wrong.
The Dark Knight Rises is a wonderful note to end on. Christian Bale has never portrayed Bruce Wayne better than he does in this final installment. As a broken man - both physically and mentally - Bale plays Bruce as real as a comic book character can be. He is of course supported by one of the finest casts you could ask for - Gary Oldman, Matthew Modine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Morgan Freeman. And what would a Batman movie be without a couple of stunning beauties on Bruce Wayne's arm? Marion Cotillard and Anne Hathaway both do a great job in their respective roles.
You will notice I left out a very important cog in this movie machine. Sir Michael Caine. He reduced me to tears on more than one occassion. Give the geezer another blinkin' Oscar, he deserves it. I love him as Alfred and here he gives it his all. What a performance.
*Contains Spoilers*
I was recently lucky enough to see Batman Live and I was over the moon to discover that Christopher Nolan lead his Catwoman down the same path as the stage show creators by having her be a cat burglar rather than a super human woman created by cats (wtf?). And not only that but she was eventually on Batman's side, fighting with him. I really loved that about the show as it put a new twist on the Batman/Catwoman relationship (new in today's culture - not new in the comics obviously) and I was so happy that they went the same way for the film too. I also liked that Catwoman's 'ears' were her goggles when perched on her head. So simple but so brilliant.
Those who have yet to see the film will be relieved to know that for the most part Bane is completely audible. I had very little problems hearing him. Any parts that aren't clear are understood by the next person's dialogue or by actions taken, so fear not.
One of my favourite scenes in the movie has to be the scene in the football stadium with the only sound being that of a young boy singing the American national anthem. Such a beautiful voice and yet you know destruction is looming.
I saw one of the twists coming a mile off - involving Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character - but not the one involving Marion Cotillard's character. And I know some who haven't seen any of the twists coming at all. So I think the writers/director have done well to keep them under wraps and keep their agendas hidden until the last possible moment. The one thing I won't spoil is the end but I will just say that it's bloody brilliant.
*End of Spoilers*
In conclusion, whatever you thought of the two previous Batman movies, go and see this last installment. And if you haven't seen the two previous Batman movies, go and rent them and then go see this one while it's still in theatres. 9.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 22nd July 2012
UK Release Date - 20th July 2012
Cast Overview:
Christian Bale ~ Bruce Wayne/Batman
Gary Oldman ~ Commissioner Jim Gordon
Tom Hardy ~ Bane
Joseph Gordon-Levitt ~ Officer John Blake
Anne Hathaway ~ Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Marion Cotillard ~ Miranda Tate
Morgan Freeman ~ Lucius Fox
Michael Caine ~ Alfred Pennyworth
Matthew Modine ~ Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley
Director ~ Christopher Nolan
Writer(s) ~ Christopher Nolan (Screenplay and Story), Jonathan Nolan (Screenplay), David S Goyer (Story) and Bob Kane (Batman Characters)
As Day 4 was exclusively taken up seeing movie locations here are some movie related photos from Day 4 that you won't find in that blog...
Columbia University featured in the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 and in Ghostbusters.
Here's Mary Jane in the first Spidey standing outside Columbia University. You can see the steps and columns behind her.
And here's the same location as seen in Ghostbusters.
Continuing the Ghostbusters theme we also took in Dana Barrett's apartment building.
We then stopped by the American Museum of Natural History to see Teddy Roosevelt and Sacajawea from Night At The Museum.
Going back the Ghostbusters theme we stopped by the Lincoln Centre fountains - also featured in Sweet Home Alabama. Here's D posing in front of the fountains.
And here they are in Ghostbusters.
Continuing the Ghostbusters theme some more we stopped at Columbus Circle.
And here it is in the film.
After a long day of walking we stopped at FAO Schwarts so I could have a play on the BIG piano, so called because it's big...
And because it was in the Tom Hanks movie Big!
On our way back to our hotel we stumbled across this very spooky looking church - St Patrick's Cathedral - which featured in Gremlins 2.
And to finish off our day we paid a visit to Times Square which has featured in many films, amongst them Gremlins 2, Spider-Man and King Kong.
I was recently contacted by the film preview company See Film First to attend an event in London's Empire Cinema which included a screenwriting workshop, Q&A with a panel of filmmakers and a secret screening of an as yet unreleased film.
The day was amazing and the film turned out to be documentary/true story The Imposter. The film is a mixture of documentary interviews, archive footage and filmed scenes which fill in the gaps. The story is of a young Frenchman who convinces an entire family in Texas that he is their missing 16 year old child.
It sounds like it couldn't possibly be true but that is what draws you in to The Imposter and holds you there. How could an entire family be convinced that a French man, not a boy but a 20 something from another country, be their missing son and sibling?
The film reveals a startling conclusion to this question but I won't spoil it for you, as the joy of the movie for me was in the unravelling of the story. I've never been a fan of documentaries and as such I freely admit that I breathed a sigh of anticipated boredom when the organisers announced that we'd be watching one. I'd already said to my cinema buddy that if the movie wasn't something either of us wanted to see we could go. But we were so intrigued by the premise that we stayed and I'm so glad that we did. We were clapping along with rest of the packed theatre at the end and were treated to a further Q&A with director Bart Layton as the credits rolled.
If you wouldn't normally see a documentary movie I urge you to give this one a go as it's not all documentary footage (although most of the documentary interview footage is hilarious), it also has some acted out scenes to explain the story in more detail. It's a good way to ease you into a documentary and once you've let The Imposter in, it'll grab hold of you and take you on it's crazy ride.
An unexpected treat and one which I can't recommend highly enough. 8 out of 10.
