Coming To Cinema This Week.

Exodus: Gods And Kings; The defiant leader Moses rises up against the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses, setting 600,000 slaves on a monumental journey of escape from Egypt and its terrifying cycle of deadly plagues.

IMDB: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 28%

Annie: A foster kid, who lives with her mean foster mom, sees her life change when business tycoon and New York mayoral candidate Will Stacks makes a thinly-veiled campaign move and takes her in.

IMDB: 4.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 29%

Unbroken: After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.

IMDB: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%

Big Eyes: A drama about the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane, her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband, who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.

IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%

Top five Christmas Films.

Seeing as it will only be five more sleeps till the fat guy comes down the stairs and delivers your gifts, I thought it would be rather stupid of me not to get festive. And just like stores around the world exploit the season to its fullest. So here is my top five Christmas films, all subjective and totally my own opinion.

Number Five: Elf.

How could anyone's favourite Christmas film list not contain this iconic Will Ferrel's iconic character Buddy? Well mine nearly didn't. Yes, I had arrived late to the Elf hype, being only last year when I finally watched the film, however that does not mean that this hilarious comedy does deserve a place in my top five. 

Ferrel is certainly the tour de force behind this picture, and with Favreau's jolly direction, the jingle is certainly felt throughout this caper. Buddy is a masterful creation: the perfect blend of child-like innocence and sheer insanity. 

Simply put if you have not watched Elf yet do not make the mistake I made, you certainly won't be short of laughs. 

Number Four: A Nightmare Before Christmas.

Many may consider this an odd choice for a festive film, especially seeing as the majority of the narrative we are in a setting called Halloween Town. But, who cares, this is a terrifically beautiful and intelligent movie that really unearths the true meaning of the Holidays from an outsiders prospective. 

Tim Burton, although not directing, is really the brains behind the success of A Nightmare Before Christmas. This is a film that really does exceed with its visuals. The stop motion animation has a beauty of its own, and when you combine that with the disjointed, as well as disturbed, images conjured up by Burton and Co the results are wonderful. 

Jack Skeleton is desperately trying to seek out something new, and perhaps the most resonating scene is when The Pumpkin King himself wonders into Christmas Town for the first time. The music, along with, as per usual, the tremendous visuals, are just captivating and speak to the meaning of Christmas as a time of enjoyment and curiosity.     

Number Three: How The Grinch Stole Christmas.

This is my personal favourite comedy that is always watched by me and my family around Christmas. This Jim Carey lead unrelenting train of insanity is the archetypal example of what a Christmas comedy should be. 

For anyone who has lived under a rock for god knows how long, How The Grinch Stole Christmas is the story of the completely anti-festive Grinch, a creature plagued by the festivities of Who-Ville. Acting upon impulse, and with his trusty companion Max the dog, he decides that the Whos do not deserve a Christmas this year. 

I am a diehard Jim Carey fan, and this performance is not for those who despise his overly exaggerated  brand of acting. However, for people like me this is just gold dust. The quick line, obscene voices and maddening movements are just hilarious to behold. Oh and there is a wonderful moral, but I think we should thank Dr Suess for that one, not Carey. 

Number Two: Die Hard. 

Christmas would not be Christmas if John McClane was just having a nice turkey dinner with the family. Instead, to ensure the tidings stay glad we need him to battling some euro trash thieves. Firing a Machine gun. And well just hailing some of the most memorable insults in cinema history. 

The original Die Hard is a cinematic icon, and a feature that propelled Bruce Willis firmly into the public conciousness. The action and story has been so good it has been spoofed on many occasions, you need look no further than a shrine of admiration than Paul Blart Mall Cop. As well as Willis, audiences are also treated to the wonderfully articulate, all be it with a odd accent, Alan Rickman as the big bad Hans Gruber.

Vaguely based around the season of good will to all men, Die Hard can be seen as teaching us many morals that we should value. I'm just kidding, although there are many scenes throughout the picture that mimic the frantic nature of Christmas eve at any shopping centre. Willis is superb, and the blend of action and laugh hits the mark so perfectly. A must see this holiday season. 

Number One: Love Actually.

Ok call me a soppy git, but Richard Curtis' Love Actually is my all time favourite Christmas film. In many ways it's a good job I put Die Hard in at number two, just to ensure a good deal of manliness before we dive deep into the world of Rom-com awesomeness. Starring an all star cast of British talent which includes Liam Neelson (woo more Manliness), Keira Knightly, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and of course Bill Nigh. 

Love Actually is a perfect Christmas film, that blends comedy with charm so effortlessly that you can't help but be won over by it. The direction is seamless transitioning, as well as interweaving, story after story without any confusion or sense of boredom. 

In addition to this, we also have Bill Nigh; Anyone who does not appreciate Bill Nigh as an actor watch Love Actually. His character of Billy Mack is just hilarious. From the song, I Feel It In My Fingers, to his general rock n roll antics, Nigh is just addictive and hilarious at the same time. As well as this, Love Actually does generate a nice warming feeling that would grow the Grinch's heart to 700x normal size. 

Trailer Tuesday: Inside Out

Pixar have been rather hit and miss as of late, with new endeavours like Turbo, and sequels like Cars 2, failing to capture the magic that initially made the company a household name to begin with. All be it those aforementioned films do  amass some fan-base, but it is safe to admit that Turbo does not meet the tremendously high standard set by iconic picture like The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and in my case Ratatouille, love that film. However, Pixar seem to be getting many things right, if the trailer for 2015's Inside Out is anything to go by.

The whole concept of portraying emotion has never been so literally portrayed before. And I for one think it looks awesome. Everything seems on point here, the comedy, the visuals and a already established family relationship. It seems everything is again running at Pixar's optimum capacity, and as I'm a movie fan I can't help but feel delighted at the chance of potentially seeing a brand new, as well as iconic, Pixar film once again.

In many instances throughout this trailer, I could not contain my child-like giggling. The notion of a control panel full of the stereotypically dad emotions, threatening, in a 'Red-October-esque' fashion, to bring the foot down is just genius level comedy that appeals to so many demographics. I also could not help laughing at the Brazilian helicopter pilot gag.

Overall, I think its safe to assume people of the internet that I have nothing but praise for our first glimpse of Inside Out, and I literally can't wait to see more. Especially seeing as the plot seems to have some emotional weight to it, alongside the brilliant originality displayed here.

Batman: Tim Burton's Original Interpretation That Made Comic Book Films Cool.

Cast your minds back to a time in which comic books had a stigma attached to them, and not the popular kind that is attached to Marvel and DC fan boys these years. If you asked many people Iron Man would probably cause shrugs of shoulders, and if Batman was mentioned many would have nervous flashbacks to camp Adam West doing what may have resembled a jig... who knows. However, this mysterious world was about to be turned up side down by one man, and that is Tim Burton. Grossing just over $400 million worldwide, Batman released in 1989 represented the unmasking of the gritty and darker side of the comic book world to the mass population.

The narrative centres around the Dark Knight's (portrayed by Michael Keaton) mysterious fight on crime which becomes all the more relevant with the rise of the homicidal Joker (Jack Nicholson). The plot structure was certainly the foundation of the modern comic book flick, however Burton terrifically provides the audience with something that has only been matched on a few occasions by the genre.

The plot is very well organised to provide more intrigue and suspicion around Batman, more so than the Joker. Events such as the murder of the Wayne's ( something that has been told so many times it is somewhat 21st century gospel) are set aside to establish a more clear origin for Nicholson's show stealing character, a story arc which owes greatly to The Killing Joke storyline. This contradicts the conventional fleshed out Hero narrative, to provide us with the rather straightforward (rather being the focal word seeing as it is of course the Joker) villain and presenting us a unconventionally complex hero. For instance, Bruce Wayne does not appear until a considerable amount of time has been spent establishing the Batman mythos and set the foundations for the transformation of Jack Napier into  the crown prince of crime.

Its with the Joker that our focus now turns and Nicholson, it can be argued, was born for this role. Although I much prefer the Heath Ledger role, I can see why many still see Nicholson as the iconic portrayal of The Joker. He is psychotic as well as being so charismatic; insane and yet so likeable. The moment that sticks out as one of the notable Nicholson  moments is his use of the electric handshake. In many ways that scene had summed up what The Joker was all about in the comics. And in many ways contradicted every slapstick portray of the beloved villain prior. Also, it has to be noted that Keaton is great in his role, although slightly overshadowed he is very much the ideal fit for a reclusive billionaire. That reminds me can't wait to see Birdman... stupid Uk opening times.

The main star however, as we almost always say with classics, is the director and Tim Burton really excelled himself with his interpretation of Gotham, and the Batman universe. From the stylisation of the city scape to the design of the costumes everything is crafted with intrinsic care and Burton design, and it perfectly suites the character after which the film is named.

Overal, It is clear that Tim Burton's paved the way for Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, as well as Marvel's cinematic universe. Although the Superman films had sort of established comic book characters as in the popular culture, Batman cemented that there was more, to the assortment of heroes available ,than campy underwear on the outside of tights. For the first time we were shown the dark gritty material that allows comic book films to be as popular as they are today.

My rating: 8/10
IMDB: 7.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes:  72%
Did You Know?:  Before the Joker enters the Gotham City Cathedral with Vicki, he requests over the walkie-talkie for "transportation for two" to arrive in ten minutes. Between entering the cathedral and the arrival of the Joker's helicopter, the action inside the cathedral unfolds in real time.

Trailer Tuesday: Cinderella. (The Other Side Of Rob Stark)

I must admit this trailer, despite its obvious visual appeal, seemed to gain a bit of a sigh from me. This is by way no real negative, it is just after the stellar success of this years Maleficent I was imagining something more original rather that the well known classic we are presented with here. 

Me and my girlfriend went to watch Maleficent this year and we thoroughly enjoyed the film, especially for its new interpretation on a classic that we both (well one of us) knew so well. However, this trailer provides no hook here that would entice me, a person who is not a Disney princess fanatic, to come watch this film. 

Despite this though it does like this is going to be a solid adaptation of the classic take, with the cast all looking as though they are pulling their weight in terms of performances. Lilly James seems to be embodying the role of Cinderella well and she certainly fits the mould of what is stereotypically expected, so all is fine there. As well as this Kate Blanchett fits in nicely as the evil step-mother, and her role seems more menacing and integral. And check out Rob Stark (Richard Madden) looking all cleaned up. Perhaps, the best casting seen throughout this trailer is Helena Bonham Carter as The Fairy Godmother, the quirky nature she can bring to this picture will certainly be one of its biggest assets.  

Overall, this was just a safe trailer for what is looking a fairly safe movie. Sadly there is nothing new here... And with the success of Maleficent I was hoping that we would be witnessing something more new to be honest. 

Coming To Cinemas This Week.

The Penguins Of Madagascar: Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private join forces with undercover organization The North Wind to stop the villainous Dr. Octavius Brine from destroying the world as we know it.

IMDB: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%

St Vincent: A young boy whose parents have just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic war veteran who lives next door.

IMDB: 7.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 74%

The Grandmaster: The story of martial-arts master Ip Man, the man who trained Bruce Lee.

IMDB: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%

The Pyramid: An archaeological team attempts to unlock the secrets of a lost pyramid only to find themselves hunted by an insidious creature.

IMDB: N/A
Rotten Tomatoes N/A

Men, Women & Children: A group of high school teenagers and their parents attempt to navigate the many ways the Internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.

IMDB: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 31%

Black Sea: In order to make good with his former employers, a submarine captain takes a job with a shadowy backer to search the depths of the Black Sea for a submarine rumored to be loaded with gold.

IMDB: N/A
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer Review

Today has been perhaps been the most anticlimactic day of my life. Living in the Uk, which is a long way from the select theatres in the US, the time at which the most anticipated trailer probably of all time was released was a mystery.  In lesson at college I was consistently checking Itunes, Youtube and Twitter just on the off chance that I may catch a glimpse of this trailer. Consistently mislead, and presented with numerous (and quiet hilarious) spoof trailers my anticipation never faltered only grew.

So much so that when the trailer finally dropped, whilst on my paper round (yes I still have one of those), I was more disappointed than blown away. This feeling quickly gave way and I am still awe consumed by the spectacle of Millennium Falcon flying recklessly along the dunes of what I presume is Tatooine. However, it just goes to show how the media is able to drum up so much hype that everyone expects more that what is provided. In this instance then I can't help but feel a little let down, not because this looks bad (this really is the polar opposite), but because I still feel like I want more.

I love how they foregrounded the new talent that they are bringing to the franchise, and I believe that Oscar Isaac, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and who I presume is Adam Driver (being all sith) will be wonderful additions to the story. However, this is where my main gripe with this trailer came from, WHERE IS THE RETURNING CAST?? In what is going to be one of the greatest nostalgia trips of all time no one thought to include a shot of Han Solo or Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia, no one? The film does debut in over a years times, meaning that there is plenty of time for more of the original cast, but just a back of the head would suffice.

Overall, this trailer was pretty safe in my eyes feeding of expectation more so than delivering any real talking points that will fuel discussion. Although the effects look stunning and the camera work tracking the Millennium Falcon was awesome I can't help but feel that the trailer did not fulfill expectations. But my life I still cannot wait for this film, and I understand that a teaser is just a teaser, but compared with the Age Of Ultron trailer I think The Force Awakens was not as insightful or revealing as the former, which may be a good thing Who Know? Oh and is that a Cumberbatch I heard?? Maybe the darkside is recruiting...

 

The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part One Review (No Spoilers)

Arguably this years most highly anticipated film is good, but nothing has really caught fire for me. Mockingjay Part One picks up directly after last years beloved and highly acclaimed Catching Fire, where Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), now within District 13, is convinced by President Coin (Julianne Moore) to become the inspiration of revolution against The Capitol.

I am a big fan of the Hunger Game franchise, and although I haven't read Suzanne Collins' novels, the movies have became a important part of my life as a whole. Since the first picture me and my lovely girlfriend have waited in high anticipation to see the next instalment in the franchise, and Mockingjay was no exception. Catching Fire for me had set the bar so high, and whereas Mockingjay isn't a bad picture, this sequel seems to have lost the tremendous momentum that its predecessor had gained.

The title suggests the main cause for this problem, with the infamous 'Part One' lingering over this picture like a bad smell. Maybe I am being a bit harsh, but I think that due to splitting a book that has a Wikipedia summary  that is 8 paragraphs long into two films is somewhat detrimental to the film as an experience. In some ways it provokes a sense of a cash grab more so than what is right for this individual film. For instance, there are scenes that feel a bit repetitive and rather than focus on the wider world the films seems a bit niche, almost like they did not have enough source material to play with surrounding the events of this film.

However, note how I don't say that the choice for a two part conclusion is not bad for the overall story of the film. In my opinion, although hurting Mockingjay Part One as a stand alone picture, the split will only have a superbly positive effect on the concluding instalment due next year. Francis Lawrence, along with screenwriters Peter Craig and Danny Strong, has created impressive set up that will only enrich Part Two. The character development here is quite enticing and will only raise the stakes of the second instalment because of how invested we now are in the characters and story.

Jennifer Lawrence again hits a home run with the role she has made her own over the past three years. Lawrence is tremendous at balancing the complexity of the reluctant hero, a trait that elevates the character of Katnis to a more compelling role. But for me the stand out performances, perhaps on the same level as Lawrence, are Donald Sutherland, as President Snow, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, as Heavensbee.

Firstly,  Sutherland as President Snow is such a terrific villain for this franchise. As dictators come he seems to have the despicable blend of Stalin and the addictive compelling nature of Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Bastards, and what comes across on screen is a wonderfully complex villain that will stand the test of time in my eyes. Sutherland's masterful mix of composure and menace is a stroke of genius, perfect casting in every sense of the word and Mockingjay Part One displays the brilliance of his role tremendously.

Also, Hoffman in the role of Heavensbee is really the heart, soul and emotion of the film. In a role that will sadly be his last, it is certainly a performance that demonstrates the brilliance that Hoffman brought as an actor to film in general. There is one scene in which his reaction are so believable and moving that one can't help but be placed in the heat of the moment. I do wonder how much of the second film the actor, who tragically overdosed this year after a long struggle with drugs, had filmed, as his presence will be evidently missed in the next instalment.

Obviously we also have the introduction of Jullianne Moore as President Coin, a role which was for me okay but nothing more. She fits the role well, but her performance is somewhat passive and easily swamped by the surrounding roles, however I am curious to see where her role progresses to in the next film.

The use of imagery here is also a brilliant trait that the film possess, and perhaps why it has been so controversial in some nations. The symbols of rebellion, along with the images of mass desperation and uprising, are quite breathe tacking and thought provoking to say the least. It is therefore no surprise that Mockingjay Part One has been banned in nations such as China and Thailand. Although this can be seen that the picture is doing its job in terms of challenging authoritarian regimes these bans will only hinder the films financial success, especially due to the mass market that is the Chinese movie going audience now not being able to contribute to the films box office numbers. Because of this many people have stated that Mockingjay will now not be able to over take Transformers 4: Age Of Extinction as the highest grossing film of 2014. Hopefully this will not cause Lionsgate Studios to turn down the activist nature of their most beloved project for the final, and perhaps most vital, instalment.

Overall, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One is a perfectly fine movie. I never once was bored by it, but in many ways I was never blown away by it either. This is by far the most different picture of the franchise, being more political thriller rather than action film. This is by no means a negative as the focus on propaganda is intriguing. The problem with Mockingjay Part One is that ultimately the picture is destined to be filler, a starter before the main course. This is what devalues the film as a individual picture which, at the moment, is the only way we can judge Mockingjay Part One. However, I cannot wait to see the conclusion and perhaps that was really the only goal that this film set out to achieve, so yes role on twenty fifteen.

My Rating: 7/10
Imdb: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Did You Know?: According to Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence would purposely eat foods with garlic or tuna fish before any kissing scenes between the two.

Trailer Tuesday: Jurassic World (Is Open).

It had seemed that Jurassic World, much like its rumoured lead dinosaur, had gone invisible. Nothing had been released surrounding the project, other than the (in my opinion) brilliant casting of Chris Pratt as the leading man. So when the Jurassic World website launched online, featuring a countdown to what was Thanksgiving, not much speculation was raised other than 'oh we maybe getting a trailer'. However, when news broke yesterday that a certain other film was going to release a trailer this Friday, the internet lost its mind! Thus I feel the reason we are witnessing the early premiere is a result of panic selling, getting out in front of the competition to ensure that this feature does not get swiftly forgotten.

However, did Jurassic World have to panic. By the look of this trailer... Hell No! Of course Star Wars would dominate the weekend, but my life this trailer could stand against pretty much anything that could be offered. I love this trailer and I can safely say that my ticket is already sold. And Chris Pratt now holds the title of the most consistently brilliantly trailers appeared in of twenty fourteen.

The iconic shot of the doors to the park opening and in this instance revealing a fully functioning theme park is just a mouth watering concept. This trailer is terrific in its use of sweeping shots to convey the various features available at the park, for example those gyrospehere look awesome and a concept that is seemingly viable. As well as this, Jurrasic World is now incorporating aspects of Sea World, hopefully they learnt their lesson from Blackfish. But those shots of the dinosaur, which I don't know the name of as I was somewhat not interested in dinos at school, emerging out the water to eat the shark was brilliant, fully capturing the expectations of a modern day theme park.

The single most impressive aspect of this trailer though was its refinement. It would have been easy for the creators behind this trailer to just throw dino after dino at us, with no real sense of class or dignity. Instead, they allowed this trailer to end with a sense of mystery, rather than spoil the picture by giving us the entire film in just under three minutes. As a result, I'm completely eager to see what this mystery creature is that will doubtlessly escape and terrorise the parks population and compelled to see this picture in June 2016.

Also, isn't amazing to see Chris Pratt look like like the real deal in this role. It is amazing to think that prior this years Summer movie blockbuster Pratt, especially to me in the United Kingdom, was a relatively unknown actor. A nobody in may peoples eyes. Wow, look how much Marvel can do for you. He seems to be settled in nicely here a young Harrison Ford in many ways, but only time will tell whether he has the Movie muscle, as opposed to the actual muscle, to carry this film.

Overall, be it too low an expectations, or the result of many terrible sequels, Jurassic World prior this trailer was picture that I felt was just going to be a meh addition to franchise that had out lived itself. However, after viewing less than 3 mins of footage I can safely say that this does not seem to be the case. Everything surrounding the Jurassic World film seems to be as alive or full of energy as the dinosaurs roaming the park. So far a must see for me.

Coming To Cinema This Week.

November 28th

Horrible Bosses 2: Dale, Kurt and Nick decide to start their own business but things don't go as planned because of a slick investor, prompting the trio to pull off a harebrained and misguided kidnapping scheme.

IMDB: 6.5/10
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

Paddington: A young English boy befriends a talking bear he finds at a London train station. A live-action feature based on the series of popular children's books by Michael Bond.

IMDB: N/A
Rotten Tomatoes: N/a

I Am Ali: Unprecedented access to Muhammad Ali's personal archive of "audio journals" as well as interviews and testimonials from his inner circle of family and friends are used to tell the legend's life story.

IMDB: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 42%

Dr Cabbie: An Indian doctor emigrates to Canada in the hope of starting a new life, but bureaucracy confines him to life as a taxi driver. When he cannot suppress his desire to practice medicine, he begins illegally treating patients from his cab.

IMDB: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A

Monsters: Dark Continent: Ten years on from the events of Monsters, and the 'Infected Zones' have now spread worldwide. In the Middle East a new insurgency has begun. At the same time there has also been a proliferation of Monsters in that region. The Army decide to draft in more numbers to help deal with this insurgency.

IMDB: 5.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes:N/a