The Not So Magnificent Seven

After such a good start to October I somehow managed to while away the rest of the month without seeing another film, and even worse, without making use of my trusty Cineworld Card.

Desperately trying to catch up with what I'd missed, and make use of my card, I somehow managed to cram 7 films into 3 days.

I'm not going to say a great deal on all of them but I thought a brief run down of my thoughts was required.

We shall start with the first film I saw - The Hate U Give



Incredibly important film about the current Black Lives Matter movement in the US, and the frequency with which unarmed black men are being killed by white police officers. This isn't based on a true story but it could so easily be based on any number of accounts of exactly the same situation as what happens in this film.

A strong central performance from Amanda Stenberg makes this film stand out from the crowd. It's both eye opening and incredibly moving in parts. Definitely worth a watch if it's still on near you. 7/10

Film 2 was the rather lacklustre Venom. 

Disappointingly neither Tom Hardy or Riz Ahmed are at their best here. And is it just me or is Michelle Williams acting actually getting worse (and is she becoming more breathy sounding) with each passing year? The effects are kinda ropey in places, and ultimately it leaves you wondering ‘did this film need to be made’? The end credits glimpse at the new Animated Spider-Man feature film looks great though it has to be said. 5/10

The third film I saw was Bohemian Rhapsody. I have a LOT to say about this one so it’s getting a separate review. Keep your eyes peeled for that!

Film four was the overlong and incredibly boring First Man. 

If Ryan Gosling can’t make your lead character interesting and charismatic then I think your film has problems. If this film is genuinely based on truth then I’m sorry to say that Neil Armstrong is a very dull man. The director needed reining in on the running time of this beast, and I think other characters should have been given more of a chance to shine. We know he gets to the moon so why did it take so damn long to show it?

This is by no means a bad film. The acting is top notch and I can certainly see Oscar nominations rocketing towards this one, but it's incredibly long and tediously, and just boring, and therefore I can only give it 4/10.

The fifth film I saw was the first of a horror triple bill - Slaughterhouse Rulez.

I will admit that from the trailer I was fully expecting this to be a slight step up from a Goosebumps type movie but it fell somewhere between that and a real gore fest. I enjoyed it, even if the acting isn’t always top notch, it was a fun ride and a perfect post Halloween movie. 6/10

The penultimate movie of the triple (and indeed the not-always-so-magnificent 7) was Goosebumps 2. 

I know I saw the last Goosebumps movie but I’ll be honest, I don’t remember much about it. This one was loads of fun. The possessed dummy was just the right amount of creepy for a kids film, and considering this definitely WAS made for kids (it’s a PG cert) I thought it was more engaging than Slaughterhouse. I found myself enjoying it a lot more and just generally having a blast. Definitely recommend for those with kids looking for a spooky film this autumn. 7/10

Finally that leads me to him. He came home. And what a bloody and fitting end to the Halloween franchise this is (providing the powers that be don’t decide to make another one).



Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode from the original 1978 Halloween (that's right kids, that's before even I was born) returns for this sequel which effectively erases every Halloween movie that has followed in the last 40 years (including Halloween 2, H20 and Resurrection which all also featured Curtis as Laurie Strode). Forget those movies exist because this is the definitive sequel. Strode has spent the last 40 years dealing with PTSD over what happened on that fateful Halloween night, and my god has she got her Sarah Conner on.

Strode has always known the day would come when Michael Myers would again escape the mental facility that houses him, and she has prepared for the day when she would once again face him.

I won't give any spoilers away but I will say that for fans of the original this is an absolute must see. I will admit that I am nowhere near as hardcore horror as I used to be and I was scared to see this on my own, which is why I waited to see it until someone could come with me. But it's not wall to wall horror as some would have you believe.

Sure there are jump scares, and to bring the franchise bang up to date there are some scenes that are truly gruesome and horrific, but this is a Halloween movie, would you really expect anything less? Curtis and co act their socks off. It's great to see so many strong women in this movie, rather than them just being the screaming victim all the time, and for a woman in her 60s, Jamie Lee Curtis is as bad ass as they come.

As a huge fan of the original I honestly can't recommend Halloween highly enough to fellow fans. See it before it finishes in cinemas. 9/10

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation London Location Hunt

What do Jeremy Renner fans do when not watching their hero? Well, they re-enact parts of his films in their actual real life locations, and they lunge of course...

Anyone who read my Geek La Chic articles back in April will already know that I am not only a huge Jeremy Renner fan, but I have also met a great many of my best and most treasured friends through his fandom. What an amazing bunch of people he has as his fans. I hope he realises.

After we collectively went to see Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation in July (review here) we decided that our next outing should be to hunt down some of the London locations used in the shoot of the movie.

One of my Renner friends Sammy actually tweeted the director Chris McQuarrie to find out which train station they filmed in towards the end of the movie. He returned her tweet telling her it wasn't actually a station, and if we found it he'd send her a poster. Sadly we didn't manage to find the building with the red tiles but we did find a whole bunch of other locations and did what any discerning fanwoman would do, we took pictures of each other re-enacting moments from the movie. If that doesn't earn us all posters then I don't know what will.

Our first location was actually one of the first parts of the movie (after the plane take off), when Agent Hunt goes to get his mission in a London Record Shop...

Next up we found the theater that Agent Hunt stood in front of to take a phone call from the IMF.

Suze was our Agent Hunt stand in for this shot as she was the only one who would brave going into the stinky London telephone box.

Our next mission was to find the "station" in the movie. We had been informed this was King's Cross but it seems now that most of this scene was shot somewhere else. Back to the drawing board. In the mean time Ims did get this shot of me pretending to be the smirky Agent Brandt, my newspaper in hand and lean perfected.

Ims also photographed me as Benji and Luther in the same part of the film.

We were pooped after our day out in London and called it a day after this so that we could re-fuel, sleep and prepare ourselves for mission day 2.

Our first location on day 2 was a lane passing the Royal Courts of Justice, down which Ethan Hunt and Ilsa Faust flee while escaping from Soloman Lane. Here I captured Ims and Suze re-enacting the scene beautifully.

Next we headed to Middle Temple to look for the arches where Ilsa and Vinter have a particularly atmospheric knife fight. In the process we found the steps where Ethan Hunt runs down in the dark, gets into the building and jumps out of the window on the right to fell his opponent. We were all inordinately pleased to find that the shrub is real.

The arches where Ims and Suze re-enacted the knife fight using Biro's.

Whilst heading to our next location (and getting lost within Middle Temple) we discovered another two locations we hadn't even been looking for, the first one was outside Middle Temple Hall. Here I re-enact Ilsa running. She's much fitter than I obviously.

The second was this tunnel where our hero and heroine of the hour are being chased by the bad guys! Here I think Suze is being all of the characters in the scene simultaneously. :)

Our next planned location was The Tower of London/Tower Bridge, the dockside of which was used in the very tense scene where Agent Hunt meets with Ilsa and her hostage Benji.

We also assumed that the building Soloman Lane looks out of was one of these across from Tower Bridge.

 

Our final location was St John Street, looking towards Smithfield Market. The spot where Agent Brandt "betrays" his colleagues in a classic red phone box, which unfortunately was a prop. Hence I, as Brandt, made the call in the street instead.

After making the fateful telephone call where he effectively sold out his friends, Agent Brandt trudges despondently down the street.

We also found the location of this warehouse scene, although could not go inside to take a picture.

We ended our day with a signature Renner Lunge (Patent Pending I'm sure) to ease out any aches from all that walking around London.

I hope you enjoyed the tour, and maybe we've helped you to source some locations you might have been looking for. If anyone reading this does happen to know where the King's Cross scenes were filmed (somewhere with a main hall that's very big, and in London) please do get in touch. 

Massive thank you to Ims, Suze and Sammy for the use of their photos and helpful information. Screenshots courtesy of Google Images and Paramount Pictures. 

Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

http://www.missionimpossible.com/

Anyone who knows me will not be surprised to learn that I went to see the latest Mission Impossible movie. But keep reading, because the outcome of the review might actually surprise you.

My friends and I recently underwent a mission of our own, to watch all four previous Mission Impossible movies on the run up to the release of the new one. You might think that this was a relatively easy task but trying to factor in four busy people's schedules, summer holidays and other commitments made it rather taxing. We fit the first movie in no problem. I even baked us an MI Pie.

Movies 2 and 3 we did as a double bill, and in the end I watched Ghost Protocol with one of my group of friends after seeing Rogue Nation. I'd never seen MI2 before and I have to say that it's my least favourite of the franchise. But we're not here to discuss MI2, or MI3, or even Ghost Protocol. But if you do want to know what I thought of that movie you can read the review here. It was prior to me joining the Renner fandom so any bias towards him was purely coincidental.

Rogue Nation pretty much carries on from where Ghost Protocol left off, as if you recall, at the end of Ghost Protocol Ethan (Tom Cruise) is listening to his next mission parameters which include infiltrating a shadow organisation known as the syndicate. Initial jaw dropping plane stunt aside (which is merely the opening gambit), that's what Ethan is trying to do in this movie. All whilst the future of the IMF hangs in the balance. Brandt (Jeremy Renner) goes up against Huntley (Alec Baldwin) of the CIA to try and keep the IMF in place, but when Ethan's mission is shut down his old team of Brandt, Benji (Simon Pegg) and Luther (Ving Rhames) must try and assist Ethan without being disavowed themselves. Throw in a new baddie played by Sean Harris, and a woman who has questionable loyalty (Rebecca Ferguson) and you have a twisty turny plot that never lets up. 

Then there are the stunts. Mission Impossible movies have upped the anti on stunts since the first movie when Ethan Hunt gets thrown off a helicopter in the channel tunnel onto a moving train. MI 2 saw Ethan dangling from Dead Horse Point in Utah, MI 3 saw him jumping from buildings in Shanghai and of course who could forget the Burj Khalifa scene from MI GP? Rogue Nation has quite a few death defying stunts for Cruise to tackle. The first being the plane sequence, the second the underwater sequence and the third is the spectacular bike chase. Similar to MI 2 but still impressive to see that it actually was Cruise doing his own riding, without helmet and even flinching at one point when his knee came perilously close to the tarmac. 

As a Renner fan though I was disappointed that his character didn't have more to do. In his first outing in Ghost Protocol we saw him as an analyst and also a kick ass field agent, doing his own err, well, lunges. This time out he had a lot less to do which was a shame. Having said that, I think my favourite sequence from the new movie was one that didn't actually feature agent Brandt at all, and that was the opera scene. I loved everything about it, all of the backstage snooping, the fights, the music, everything. And if you aren't humming Nessun Dorma for days after then I don't know how you managed that.

The only downside for me was that Rogue Nation was a little too complex a storyline, and I admit that I didn't really understand it fully until the second viewing. The story did feel a little rushed but then when you have to move your release date forward by 5 months, that's going to happen. But it doesn't detract from an otherwise entertaining film. It was also nice to see a lot of the London locations used for this one.

As far as the franchise goes, my brother summed it up well when he said that 3, 4, and 5 are a great series of movies altogether. I'd agree with that, but 4 is still my favourite. 8 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 30th July 2015

UK Release Date - 30th July 2015

Cast Overview:

Tom Cruise ~ Ethan Hunt

Jeremy Renner ~ William Brandt

Simon Pegg ~ Benji Dunn

Rebecca Ferguson ~ Ilsa Faust

Ving Rhames ~ Luther Stickell

Sean Harris ~ Solomon Kane

Tom Hollander ~ Prime Minister

Alec Baldwin ~ Alan Huntley

Director ~ Christopher McQuarrie

Writer(s) ~ Christopher McQuarrie and Drew Pierce

Based on television series "Mission: Impossible" by Bruce Geller

The Cornetto Trilogy - Shaun Of The Dead - Hot Fuzz - The World's End

http://www.focusfeatures.com/shaun_of_the_dead

As a long time fan of Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, and Hot Fuzz, I was incredibly excited about the prospect of another collaboration between Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and writer/director Edgar Wright. So when my best friend informed me that Worthing Theatre would be showing The Cornetto Trilogy, in full, on my birthday weekend, with a free Cornetto to accompany each film, well I just had to go along. Especially as I'd not seen Shaun Of The Dead on the big screen, and had yet to see The World's End. So we started the day with Shaun and a Strawberry Cornetto (it's red for the blood see)...

Brief synopsis of SOTD: The first ever RomZomCom (as my brother pointed out) and an inspiration that lead the way for films like Zombieland and Warm Bodies to name but a few. Shaun of the Dead tells the story of a man in his late 20s who needs to get his act together. Stuck in a dead end job (geddit?), still living with housemates, and a best friend who thinks farts are funny (we all know someone like Ed don't we?). Everything starts to really fall apart for Shaun though when his girlfriend dumps him. Oh yeah, and then a zombie apocalypse happens. Shaun must think fast and finally get his arse in gear if he's going to save his girl. 

As I was a fan of Spaced when it first aired I honestly couldn't tell you how I missed Shaun at the cinema when it was first released, but what I can tell you is that it was an absolute joy to watch on the big screen. I love that SOTD is just so daft in places, and so endlessly quotable. I think my favourite is "Ooh he's got an arm off." 

It's ground breaking, funny, touching and, in my opinion, one of the best british films ever made. How's that for a slice of fried gold?! 9 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 28th July 2013

UK Release Date - 9th April 2004

Cast Overview:

Simon Pegg ~ Shaun

Nick Frost ~ Ed

Kate Ashfield ~ Liz

Lucy Davis ~ Dianne

Dylan Moran ~ David

Peter Serafinowicz ~ Pete

Rafe Spall ~ Noel

Bill Nighy ~ Philip

Penelope Wilton ~ Barbara

Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson) ~ Yvonne

Martin Freeman ~ Declan

Reece Shearsmith ~ Mark

Tamsin Greig ~ Maggie

Julia Deakin ~ Yvonne's Mum

Matt Lucas ~ Cousin Tom

Director ~ Edgar Wright

Writer(s) ~ Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright

http://www.focusfeatures.com/hot_fuzz

Next up was Hot Fuzz, a film I had seen on the big screen before, but if you're going to commit to a trilogy you can't leave out the filling in the sandwich! And this was of course accompanied by a Vanilla Cornetto - the packaging is blue see, like the boys in blue...

Brief synopsis of HF: London PC Nicholas Angel is good at his job. A little too good. He's making the rest of his colleagues look bad. So they ship him off to sleepy Sandford, a village in Gloucestershire with the lowest murder rate in the country. The most action he'll see there is chasing down a missing swan. That is until a series of 'accidents' starts to plague the village, and Nicholas uncovers a plot to keep the Village of the Year award in Sandford at all costs!

Hot Fuzz upped the ante from Shaun of the Dead considerably. There was a much bigger cast, more locations, and action sequences that will blow your socks off (not literally). But in some respects I do feel like the film suffers for this. It's over long and feels like there are one too many endings. Just when you think it's finished, someone else makes a last ditch attempt to be the bad guy. Having said that, it's still immensely enjoyable and whenever it's on the TV I will always watch it. HF is also filled with the quotable lines and homages to other movies, much like Shaun and Spaced were. The added bonus for me with Hot Fuzz is that Nick Frost finally got to play a lovable character. Danny is such a sweetie and his scenes with Pegg's Nicholas Angel are a delight. 

Not as good as Shaun for me, but only because they tried to outdo themselves and reached a little too far. 8.5 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 28th July 2013
UK Release Date - 14th February 2007

Cast Overview:
Simon Pegg ~ Sergeant Nicholas Angel
Nick Frost ~ PC Danny Butterman
Timothy Dalton ~ Simon Skinner
Jim Broadbent ~ Inspector Frank Butterman
Paddy Considine ~ DS Andy Wainwright
Rafe Spall ~ DC Andy Cartwright
Kevin Eldon ~ Sergeant Tony Fisher
Karl Johnson ~ PC Bob Walker
Olivia Colman ~ PC Doris Thatcher
Martin Freeman ~ Met sergeant
Bill Nighy ~ Met Chief Inspector
Billie Whitelaw ~ Joyce Cooper
Peter Wight ~ Roy Porter
Julia Deakin ~ Mary Porter
Bill Bailey ~ Sergeant Turner
Paul Freeman ~ Rev Philip Shooter
Edward Woodward ~ Tom Weaver
Anne Reid ~ Leslie Tiller
Adam Buxton ~ Tim Messenger
David Threlfall ~ Martin Blower
Lucy Punch ~ Eve Draper
David Bradley ~ Arthur Webley

Director ~ Edgar Wright
Writer(s) ~ Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright

http://www.focusfeatures.com/the_worlds_end/

The last film of the day, and one I hadn't yet seen, was The World's End. The final film in the Pegg, Frost, Wright trilogy, known as The Cornetto Trilogy because in each film there is mention of a Cornetto, and each film has a theme that matches the colour of one of our best known Ice Cream treats. This time we had a mint one. I wonder what that could pertain to?

Brief synopsis of TWE: Gary, Andy, Oliver, Steven and Peter are childhood friends who have all gone their separate ways. Andy, Oliver, Steven and Peter all now have steady jobs and have made something of themselves, either professionally or personally. But alcoholic Gary is still living in the past. He decides that before he faces up to reality he wants to recapture his youth by having one last pub crawl with his school mates, using a route they once planned to conquer but never quite got to the end of. It takes in 12 pubs, one pint in each, and the final watering hole is called The World's End. The question is, will they make it that far?

Let me start by saying that The World's End was not what I was expecting. I had seen the trailer, and I had just watched the previous two films in the Cornetto trilogy. So you'd think I would be pretty well prepared for what was to come. But while the film had many of the same attributes as Shaun and Fuzz, most of the cast having appeared in Fuzz, and a lot having appeared in both films. The foreshadowing that appears in the previous films is also present (in Shaun they talked about having a Bloody Mary in the morning and ending up with shots at the bar - everything mentioned happens, just not in the way they thought. And then in Fuzz Danny asks Nicholas if he's ever fired a gun whilst jumping through the air etc and then they end up doing those things later on in the movie. Here the foreshadowing is in the name of each pub. Look out for it.) but it's a very different beast to the previous two films. Whilst Shaun was all about the lack of responsibility you feel in your twenties, and Fuzz was all about finding that responsibility thrust upon you in your thirties, End is all about the mid-life crisis of your forties. As such, it's quite the sombre wake up call for those of us who haven't yet made it that far in our lives. And as the previous two films were so lighthearted, it was not what I was expecting from this movie. 

The performances are top notch, especially from Pegg and Frost, who really put everything into showing how a friendship between two people can be the best thing that happens to one, and the worst thing that happens to the other. But how, despite their differences, they still mean the world to each other. The supporting cast is not only a shining example of British talent but also of the loyalty and love between the team who have brought these three movies to the screen. So many of the same people worked on all three films and it's nice to see that kind of dedication in an industry that is normally so fickle. 

Not the best of the three but certainly worth a watch if you're a fan of the other two. Just don't expect as many laughs. 7 out of 10. 

Viewing Date - 28th July 2013
UK Release Dates - 19th July 2013

Cast Overview:
Simon Pegg ~ Gary King
Nick Frost ~ Andy Knightley
Martin Freeman ~ Oliver Chamberlain
Paddy Considine ~ Steven Prince
Eddie Marsan ~ Peter Page
Rosamund Pike ~ Sam Chamberlain
Pierce Brosnan ~ Guy Shephard
David Bradley ~ Basil
Michael Smiley ~ Reverend Green
Julia Deakin ~ B&B Landlady
Rafe Spall ~ Young Man
Bill Nighy ~ The Network

Director ~ Edgar Wright
Writer(s) ~ Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright