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!
It turns out Cineworld membership has some serious perks. Other than making it incredibly cheap to watch as many movies as I want per month, and giving me discount on food and drinks, they recently introduced a 'secret screening'. For Cineworld Unlimited members only, you could get a ticket to an as-yet-unannounced film which would be revealed on the night of the screening. I hope, from the success of this one, they make this a regular occurrence. Especially as the film they chose to secretly screen - Now You See Me - isn't out here until the start of next month.
The film tells the tale of four magicians who are brought together by an unknown figure and given a fantastical plan to bring those in power, a bank, a millionaire who built his fortune on the misfortune of others and the police force, to their knees. And they achieve this, all by the art of illusion. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco play the Four Horsemen, while Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent are the ones in pursuit.
I had a feeling from the clues that had been given to the secret screening, that we were sitting down to watch World War Z. I would have happily sat through any film, but I could not have been more pleased that we were actually sitting down to this. I am a huge fan of Mark Ruffalo and had been looking forward to this movie for some time. And I have to say that I really enjoyed it.
I love a mystery and this one had me guessing right up until the reveal. The cast are a dream. We know from Zombieland that Eisenberg and Harrelson work well together, but throw in firecracker Fisher and James Franco's charismatic and cute younger brother Dave and you have a team that can't be cracked. Ruffalo's ruffled cop has great chemistry with Interpol detective Laurent and the thesps Freeman and Caine are clearly having a whale of a time. And so the audience does too.
It's well put together, pacy, got a good story and great actors. I really don't see what more you could want? How about locations? Vegas, New Orleans, New York and Paris all look stunning in this movie. It's not going to win any awards but if you want a fun and intriguing night out, you can't really go wrong. 8 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 17th June 2013 UK Release Date - 3rd July 2013 Cast Overview:
Jesse Eisenberg ~ J Daniel Atlas
Mark Ruffalo ~ Dylan Rhodes
Woody Harrelson ~ Merritt McKinney
Isla Fisher ~ Henley Reeves
Dave Franco ~ Jack Wilder
Mélanie Laurent ~ Alma Dray
Morgan Freeman ~ Thaddeus Bradley
Michael Caine ~ Arthur Tressler
Director ~ Louise Leterrier
Writer(s) ~ Ed Solomon (Screenplay), Boaz Yakin (Screenplay and Story), Edward Ricourt (Screenplay and Story)
Many who know me will tell you that I was apprehensive about Man Of Steel for a good long while. I was pleased as punch for Henry Cavill, who I've thought was a bit of a dish since I saw him in The Tudors, but I was nervous about the movie overall. This was not helped when I discovered that the director of the movie was going to be Zack Snyder, who had previously not managed to impress me with 300 or Watchmen. I approached the movie with caution and refused to be excited about it nor anticipating it to be terrible. I was as open minded as I could be going in to see it.
As Man Of Steel is a reboot, the story is somewhat different this time around. As such, I will give you a run down, but I'll try to keep it brief. *Be warned that there are spoilers from here on out* We open on the planet Krypton, and are given insight into the first natural birth the planet has seen in some time; the birth of Kal-El to Jor-El and Lara. The planet is on the verge of collapse, literally, and not wanting all their hard work to go to waste, Jor-El plots to send Kal-El to earth, having embedded a code in his genes that will preserve the Kryptonian race. Meanwhile, power mad General Zod overthrows the council of Krypton, believing he can save the planet. Jor-El manages to complete his mission to send Kal-El to earth, but pays for his disloyalty to Zod with his life. Zod is captured and brought before the remaining council members who imprison him and his team in the Phantom Zone. Back on earth we see a grown Kal-El as he tries to make his way in the world, he flits from place to place under different names, any time he does something heroic and is close to being discovered, he moves on. We also see his life as a boy, being brought up as Clark by Martha and Jonathan Kent in flashbacks. Clark discovers a ship in the ice in the arctic and takes a job with the salvage team so that he can take a closer look, believing it may be from his home planet. Once on board Clark activates a hologram of Jor-El who tells him about his origins. Little does Clark know that when he activates the ships programming, it sends a homing beacon to other Kryptonian vessels and draws them to earth. Meaning that Zod and all those who were imprisoned with him are making their way to earth, with vengeance on their minds.
I will preface what I'm about to say by stating that while I am a fan of Superman: The Movie, I tried really hard not to compare Man Of Steel to that film. Despite the fact that they are both origin stories, they are very different beasts, and tell very different stories of very different men. The only similarities really are the character names.
That being said, I didn't feel like the changes made to the story, or to the characters, were to the benefit of this film, or the Superman franchise overall. When Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman they wanted him to be an immigrant, as they were, an outsider. I believe that the reason they gave him human parents was to allow them to instill in him a sense of humanity, of what's right and wrong, good and bad and so on. The audience can't connect to a superhuman alien, but they sure as hell can connect to a boy from Kansas, who's been brought up well and wants to believe in the goodness of people, who grows up to work in the big, bad city and falls in love with a girl who's out of his league. We can connect to that because on some level we've all been Clark, we've all experienced the things he has. The problem here is that we don't ever really meet adult Clark, we see childhood Clark and teenage Clark in flashbacks, but as an adult we meet the drifter with no name who happens to have super strength and can do weird lazer things with his eyes. We don't get to know the human Clark before we get the alter ego, and more importantly neither does Lois. She meets drifter Clark and immediately is presented with his super powers. At no point in this movie does she not know who he really is. And I just couldn't get on board with that.
The other thing I had massive issues with were the fight scenes at the end of the movie. There were way too many of them and they're all really similar, so you just feel like you're watching one gigantic fight, which gets boring and repetitive. Of the majority of reviews I have read, everyone seems to think the fight scenes are good because there was no action in the last film (Superman Returns - a film I happened to think was not all that bad). But what everyone seems to be forgetting is that Clark is supposed to be a peaceful person, he's been brought up to use diplomacy, not his strength. He's not the guy who beats the crap out of everyone with no regard to the fallout. And fallout there is. There is so much destruction caused by the fights, and Clark, Kal-El, whatever you want to call him, doesn't seem to care. So in turn, the audience doesn't really care.
And what was with all the metallic shape shifting stuff? I felt like I was watching The Matrix, not Superman. Oh and then Morpheus appeared... It was just all wrong.
The one thing I did like were the flashback scenes. I thought Kevin Costner and Diane Lane were well cast as Jonathan and Martha Kent and that those scenes added much needed weight. But those scenes felt so disjointed because we only saw them in flashbacks. I wish it had been better. Cavill, Adams, Crowe, even Michael Shannon, who I didn't know until recently and who I've now seen in three films in as many weeks, were all decent. I just wish it had been a movie more deserving of them. I think if I'd never seen a Superman movie and knew nothing about the story, I'd have thought it was passable. But I have and I do and as such, it just wasn't for me. 4 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 15th June 2013
UK Release Date - 12th June 2013
Cast Overview:
Henry Cavill ~ Clark Kent/Kal-El
Amy Adams ~ Lois Lane
Diane Lane ~ Martha Kent
Kevin Costner ~ Jonathan Kent
Russell Crowe ~ Jor-El
Ayelet Zurer ~ Lara Lor-Van
Michael Shannon ~ General Zod
Antje Traue ~ Faora-Ul
Harry Lennix ~ General Swanwick
Richard Schiff ~ Dr Emil Hamilton
Christopher Meloni ~ Colonel Nathan Hardy
Laurence Fishburne ~ Perry White
Director ~ Zack Snyder
Writer(s) ~ David S Goyer (Screenplay and Story), Christopher Nolan (Story), Jerry Siegel (Superman Created By) and Joe Shuster (Superman Created By)
I only became aware of Behind The Candelabra just before it's release, when during the press tour for the film, Michael Douglas openly admitted that Matt Damon has the softest lips he's ever kissed. That was one of the milder subject matters Mr Douglas touched upon in his many interviews; but of course, some of the more risque topics ensure that the film, and it's stars, are talked about. And when you're promoting a film like this, the more risque the topic the better.
The film tells the tale of entertainer and rather good piano player Liberace (Michael Douglas). A man who managed to hide not only his sexuality but also his string of male lovers, and the AIDS that eventually killed him, from his adoring - and mostly female - fans. The story is set between 1977 and 1987 and focuses on the relationship Liberace (Lee to his friends) had with Scott (Matt Damon). We follow the couple from their initial courtship, through to some unnecessary and at times comical surgery for each of them, drug addiction, Lee's insatiable need for promiscuity and their inevitable break up.
The film is very well acted, I honestly could not fault the performances from Douglas or Damon, and the supporting cast is a veritable dream, from Rob Lowe and Dan Aykroyd to Scott Bakula. But what bothered me was how much Behind The Candelabra has been marketed as a comedy, and it's really not. It tackles some seriously dark subjects, and a lot of the film Lee and Scott are fighting more than they're loving. As such, it's not as enjoyable as it appears from the trailer. There are laughs to be had but they're definitely few and far between.
The film is certainly flamboyant and the filmmakers are not shy at stripping away the facade, eager to show what life in Liberace's shadow was like for Scott. But in this day and age neither is it especially shocking, so what the audience experiences is a somewhat interesting but mostly mild account of the life of a man who lived a lie.
If you're interested in Liberace's life and seeing what hid behind the candelabra that was presented to the public, or if you're a fan of well acted, true life drama then this is definitely for you. If you're looking for light hearted laughs then maybe see something else. 5.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 9th June 2013
UK Release Date - 7th June 2013
Cast Overview:
Michael Douglas ~ Liberace
Matt Damon ~ Scott Thorson
Dan Aykroyd ~ Seymour Heller
Rob Lowe ~ Dr Jack Startz
Debbie Reynolds ~ Frances Liberace
Scott Bakula ~ Bob Black
Tom Papa ~ Ray Arnett
Paul Reiser ~ Mr Felder
Director ~ Steven Soderbergh
Writer(s) ~ Richard LaGravenese (Screenplay), Scott Thorson (Book) and Alex Thorleifson (Book)
I was intrigued by the trailer for The Purge but had little intention of ever seeing it. That was until I offered to take a friend for a drink for his Birthday. Which lead to a further offer of seeing a Birthday movie together. I'm a sucker for Birthday movies, and being that it was his Birthday, I let him choose the movie and lo, he picked The Purge.
I was expecting a mild horror but what I got from The Purge was actually a thriller, and not an all that bad one. The film, set in 2022, opens on the Sandin family preparing to lock down their property for the annual purge; a night when there is no law and everything is a free for all, murder, looting, anything goes. Those who don't want to be a part of the purge lock themselves away in their homes, and place blue flowers outside their residence to allow those taking part to know that while they respect their right to purge, they would ask to be left alone. Once the purge has begun, the daughter of the family, Zoe (Adelaide Kane), discovers her boyfriend Henry (Tony Oller) has snuck into their house before the lockdown, with the intention of confronting her father James (Ethan Hawke) about his disapproval of their relationship. Meanwhile, the family's son Charlie (Max Burkholder), notices a situation outside on the security cameras, and opens the door to a wounded man. Little does he know that this man had been targeted for destruction by those purging. And now that the man has taken refuge in the family's home, they are now on the purger's hit list.
The Purge has an interesting, and certainly original premise, even if it's not all that well executed. It's played for scares from the off and does have a few jumpy moments, but is overall quite tame if you're a hardened horror fan such as I am. The story moves along at a good pace and builds good tension as it goes. But it's twists are all very obvious if, like me, you know what to expect from a movie like this. There was only one real surprise for me and that's when a character died that I wasn't expecting. But all of the other twists at the end I saw coming a mile off.
The other thing that bothered me throughout was the complete lack of chemistry between Hawke and Lena Headey who plays his wife. They've got two kids and yet you never feel any love lost between them, which is kinda essential to the story later on. So on the one hand, The Purge was better than I was expecting, but on the other hand it still didn't quite make the grade. 5.5 out of 10.
After the hideous car crash that was The Hangover Part II, I really wasn't looking forward to Part III. And in fact I had intended not to see it, especially if it was going to be nothing more than a rehash of the first film, again. But I'd been enjoying the sun all afternoon at a Barbeque on the beach and decided on a bit of a whim to join my friends when they suggested seeing it after our coals had cooled.
The first thing to point out about The Hangover Part III is that there is no hangover. At least not in any scene prior to the credits rolling. The main focus of this third installment in the Hangover trilogy is yet another kidnapping of Doug (Justin Bartha), but this time it's when the guys are all sober. Doug's kidnapper Marshall (John Goodman) is seeking the Wolfpack's old friend Mr Chow (Ken Jeong), who has stolen a considerable amount of money from him. Marshall has been monitoring communications between Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and the illusive Mr Chow and decides to take Doug as insurance for the gang bringing Chow to Marshall. If they manage it they'll get Doug back in one piece. If not, well...
I must admit that The Hangover Part III was actually much more enjoyable than Part II. Although the Doug kidnapping was basically the same story as The Hangover, it did have a lot more originality than Part II did and was a lot funnier as a result. Bradley Cooper was definitely the film's saving grace yet again as not only did he look stunning (sorry about the blatant sexism there but he's hot) but he's without doubt the better actor of the three leads.
If you're looking for a comedy that you don't need to get too invested in then The Hangover Part III is definitely for you. I just hope Todd Phillips decides to leave the trilogy on a relatively high note and not make any more. 7 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 2nd June 2013
UK Release Date - 24th May 2013
Cast Overview:
Bradley Cooper ~ Phil
Ed Helms ~ Stu
Zach Galifianakis ~ Alan
Justin Bartha ~ Doug
Ken Jeong ~ Mr Chow
John Goodman ~ Marshall
Melissa McCarthy ~ Cassie
Heather Graham ~ Jade
Mike Epps ~ Black Doug
Director ~ Todd Phillips
Writer(s) ~ Todd Phillips, Craig Mazin, Jon Lucas (characters) and Scott Moore (characters)
Mud was one of those films that seems to come out of nowhere but generates a lot of buzz on it's arrival. It was the buzz, rather than the stars, that made me want to see it. That and the occasional comparison to one of my favourite coming of age movies, Stand By Me. Unfortunately, due to my recent disinterest in going to the cinema - following Iron Man 3 and Star Trek there just didn't seem to be anything good out - I missed Mud when it was showing at my local multiplex, but thankfully I managed to catch it at my local independent cinema before it finished.
In the film we follow two pre-teen boys, Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) as they go looking for a boat that they believe has been abandoned on a deserted island. When they arrive on the island they find what they were looking for, along with something they never expected, a man named Mud (Matthew McConaughey) living in the boat. Mud tells the boys that he's a wanted man who must take refuge on the island until the woman he loves comes for him. He makes a deal with the boys that if they help him fix the boat up and feed him, they can have his pistol in return. And so begins a journey for the boys which will teach them about love, hope, faith, and what it means to keep a promise.
When I went to see Mud I hadn't seen any trailers for it, and as such, I only had the handful of reviews I'd read, and a recommendation from a friend to go off. It was not what I was expecting at all, but it was so much better than I'd expected. The two boys, Tye Sheridan in particular, give such mesmerising performances. And while it's nice that Matthew McConaughey is doing some serious acting for once, it's certainly nothing more than we already know he's capable of from films such as A Time To Kill and his recent film The Paperboy. The boys are so good that McConaughey's performance barely registers. And he's good too. Damn good. But Sheridan and Lofland really are the ones to watch. It felt like Witherspoon was only there because they needed another name and because, like McConaughey, it was about time she did a serious film rather than another rom-com, as that's all she seems to have made in the last 10 years. Her performance was good but nothing to write home about.
The film is tense, it's gritty, it shows a side of American family life that most people who watch nothing but Hollywood blockbusters will have never seen before, it's well acted and most of all, it keeps you hooked until the credits are rolling. The cinematography is stunning and the story moves at an even pace throughout. If you can still catch it at a cinema near you then I highly recommend that you do, but if not, be sure to add it to your LoveFilm list. 9 out of 10.
There are some films that you know about ages before they come out. You read up on them, you might even look at set photos and eagerly anticipate their arrival. Others seemingly come out of nowhere and surprise you. Then there are films like this. Which you wonder how you didn't see coming but then when you've seen it you can kind of see why...
Having never read The Great Gatsby or having seen any of the previous adaptations, I didn't know what to expect, other than what I knew of the story; set in the 1920s and a somewhat tragic love story. And of course there was what I knew of the cast and director. The combination of all these things meant that I had what I don't believe were unrealistic expectations that this film had potential.
For those like me who don't know, the film is narrated by Nick (Tobey Maguire), who is recounting the time he spent with his cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom (Joel Edgerton), on Long Island and in New York City in the summer of 1922. He moves into a modest home across the bay from Daisy, his house dwarfed by the massive estate next door owned by a man named Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). A man who throws lavish parties every weekend but whom nobody has ever met. Nick gets invited to one of Gatsby's parties and eventually meets the ellusive man and gets to know him. Once Gatsby trusts Nick he lets him in on a secret; he is Daisy's long lost love, returned from the war with the intention of winning her back. Of course Daisy is now married, a fact Gatsby is well aware of, but his love for Daisy is so consuming he is willing to do anything to get her back. Consequently, a lot of people, some intentionally, and some caught in the cross-fire, get hurt. But will it all be worth it in the end?
The problem with the story, and I don't know if this is with the story in general or just this telling of it, is that you don't really care enough about any of the characters to feel invested in what happens to them. The film is also really long, which doesn't help the cause as you put all of this time in and don't really feel any reward for your efforts.
Tobey Maguire is a good actor but his character is boring. Making him the narrator just slows the proceedings down even more. And I don't really think the film would have lost a great deal by just letting events unfold without a narrator. His character is so dull, I had to look up his name as I genuinely couldn't remember it. That's how little an impact he had on me.
DiCaprio is charasmatic as Gatsby but he looks too young to be believable as a survivor of the war who then went on to have adventures at sea, make a fortune and get a reputation for himself as an extravagant millionaire. He only really gets to shine when cracks start to appear in Gatsby's facade. Mulligan and Edgerton are both good but are both woefully underused. Mulligan's contribution to the film being to look pretty in her 20s clothes and appear torn between two lovers, while Edgerton is merely supposed to look like the baddie of the hour (complete with moustache) so that the audience wants Daisy to end up with Gatsby. I for one always find that decision can be more heartbreaking when both men are decent and honorable, rather than having to choose between a cheat and a madman.
The film was too long for my liking and the characters not likable enough to warrant me sitting there for that length of time. A very dull and disappointing 5 out of 10.
The 2009 Star Trek reboot opened with a spectacular sequence which changed the Trek universe completely. Not only by giving the franchise a fresh cast and using the latest technology to take us into the twenty third century, but also by changing events that take place prior to Captain James T Kirk's birth. Events that changed the entire future of the Trek movies, and which moved me more than any Trek film that had gone before.
I must confess that I'd never been a fan of the original series, or the original movies. I became a trekkie around the age of 12 when I developed a crush on Wil Wheaton (see here for the full scoop on that) and started watching Star Trek The Next Generation. And that's also where my interest piqued, as I never got into watching Deep Space Nine or Voyager. But there was something about J.J. Abrams reboot that made me want to see it, namely my affection for Simon Pegg who'd landed the role of Scotty, but it was more than that. And after seeing the film and loving it, I was amongst the millions of born again Trekkies who couldn't wait for the next installment.
Warp 4 years into the future and here we are with Star Trek Into Darkness, a sequel to Star Trek, which changed history, so will it follow any of the story arcs of the previous Star Trek sequel - Star Trek The Wrath of Khan? *There may be spoilers ahead...* We re-join the Captain and crew of the USS Enterprise as they attempt to save an indigenous race from extinction, from a volcano that is about to erupt on their home planet. Kirk (Chris Pine) and McCoy (Karl Urban) create a diversion that allows Spock (Zachary Quinto) to freeze the volcano's lava, before it can erupt and destroy the race's sacred temple. Unfortunately, the crew are unable to make their departure from the planet without being seen, which violates the prime directive of Starfleet. This leads Kirk to get stripped of his rank and sent back to the Academy. Or at least that's what we're intended to see. *What follows is all in the trailer so no real spoilers from here on out* What actually happens is that the baddie of the hour, John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch), hell bent on destroying Starfleet, blows up the commanding officer's meeting, just as they were discussing what to do about him. Kirk finally steps up to the plate over what happened and asks to be put in command of a secret mission to take Harrison down. Will Kirk do the right thing? Or will his emotions get the better of him. And will Spock ever allow his Vulcan side drop long enough for his human emotions to shine through?
Well to find out you will have to see the film as I'm not giving that away! Those who are familiar with the story line from Wrath Of Khan will definitely see the similarities, and will either enjoy these nods or will hate them. I myself enjoyed them, but then I'm not precious about the original films so I can't speak for everyone. I thought the story moved at a good pace, and the action set pieces, as with the previous film, were outstanding. There were also some nice surprises, even if you are familiar with Wrath Of Khan, so if you're a fan of the original films don't write Into Darkness off before you see it. Another successful Trek and I for one can't wait for the third installment. I just hope J.J.'s not too busy with Star Wars to take the helm for the third time. As I suspect, if he hands over to someone who'll use less lense flare than he would, it'll be a different experience entirely. 8 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 9th May 2013
UK Release Date - 9th May 2013
Cast Overview:
Chris Pine ~ Kirk
Zachary Quinto ~ Spock
Zoe Saldana ~ Uhura
Karl Urban ~ Bones
Simon Pegg ~ Scotty
John Cho ~ Sulu
Anton Yelchin ~ Chekov
Bruce Greenwood ~ Pike
Peter Weller ~ Marcus
Alice Eve ~ Carol
Benedict Cumberbatch ~ John Harrison
Noel Clarke ~ Thomas Harewood
Director ~ J.J. Abrams
Writer(s) ~ Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof
Based on the Television series Star Trek by Gene Roddenberry
