396 replies to this topic

[Call Billy Bob]

Part of it is the way the Jack Torrance character is written.  The descent into madness comes off as much too rapid.

I'm a Shining lover, but I'll agree with King's own criticism in one respect: why do you cast the guy (Nicholson) who's bound to always play a crazy person as the normal guy who ends up crazy? The audience knows what's going to happen even if they've never read the novel.

[S K Y F A L L]

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998) - One of those films I put on  every few months and can't stop watching.

[DaveBond21]

Minions (2015)

 

I took my elder 2 kids to see it. It's obviously for kids but It was good fun and the Queen of England gets a funny action scene.

 

Some jokes for the adults too.

 

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[tdalton]

Terminator Genisys (2015)

 

Before I begin my review of this film, I have a question.  Why is it, when people pay $10.50 to see a film, as I did tonight, do they not watch the movie?  People seem to be paying $10.50 (or more) to talk to their friends, give a running DVD commentary that nobody else asked to hear, play with their cell phones, and do just about anything other than watching the film they supposedly paid to see.  I just don't understand it.  

 

Anyways, I made my first trip to the cinema since Skyfall to see one of my favorites, Arnold Schwarzenegger, back in his most iconic role.  Long story short, I really liked Terminator Genisys, although I have to say that that comes with a few caveats.  

 

First, and foremost, among the many positives are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke.  Schwarzenegger delivers yet again, proving his worth as one of the greatest action stars of all time.  He's easily the film's biggest strength.  That said, Emilia Clarke steps right into the role of Sarah Connor and is terrific.  I actually wouldn't mind a prequel to Genisys where we see her and Arnold preparing for the events of Genisys.  Their on screen chemistry is tremendous.

 

I was also surprised by Jai Courtney.  I still don't think he was a great choice for Kyle Reese, but despite his (well earned) reputation and the negative reviews he's gotten for Terminator Genisys, I came away much more impressed with him than I ever thought I could be.  He plays well enough off of Emilia Clarke to make their budding relationship seem real, but I do think there were better actors out there who could have taken on the part.

 

I would also have to say that I quite liked the story they were telling.  Overall, despite some bumps along the way, I thought the concept they came up with to manage to continue the original storyline while also rebooting and changing everything was rather clever.  I was also pleased that they took one of the concepts McG had for the ending of Terminator Salvation and used it in a very effective way here as the film's big twist.  

 

Now, this leads me to the negatives about the film.  While this isn't the fault of the filmmakers, whoever it was in the marketing department who thought it was a brilliant idea to completely ruin this film's big twist should be fired.  While said twist could have been handled a bit better in the film, it was still done effectively enough so that it would have packed a major punch had everyone not seen it in the trailers.  

 

While I did very much enjoy Terminator Genisys, one can't help but wonder what this film could have been in the hands of a different director.  Alan Taylor's work here is pretty much the definition of workman.  There's nothing inherently wrong with the job he does with the film, but there's no flair to the proceedings either.  This is a very dull film from a visual standpoint, part of which can be blamed on 3D I'm sure, but there's just nothing overly exciting happening in terms of the film's visuals.  

 

It also feels as though all of the pieces that should fit together between all of the different time jumps and memories and whatnot don't all fit together as well as one would have hoped.  While I do feel as though I understood pretty much everything that was going on from a storytelling standpoint, there were moments where they were trying to make certain ideas (such as the "memories" that Kyle was having) fit, but at times, combined with the time jumps, it sometimes felt as though they were trying to bite off a bit more than they could chew.  Still, the writers overall did a pretty good job of piecing everything together considering that, just based on the premise of being a sequel/reboot/retelling, things could have very easily and very quickly fallen off the rails.

 

When it's all said and done with, Terminator Genisys is a film that's much better than a fifth film in an action franchise probably deserves to be.  It's entertaining from the jump (especially the early going with the Arnold vs. Arnold fight) and features some great work from Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke.  I really hope that the studio decides to push forward with the rest of this trilogy, because, if for nothing else, I want to see Clarke and Schwarzenegger together on screen again.  If they don't decide to, I'm glad that Genisys, despite being very much left open for further installments, does have a sense of finality to it that won't have things left too much unanswered should the studio not push forward with more.  Hopefully they do, though.

[DaveBond21]

 

Part of it is the way the Jack Torrance character is written.  The descent into madness comes off as much too rapid.

I'm a Shining lover, but I'll agree with King's own criticism in one respect: why do you cast the guy (Nicholson) who's bound to always play a crazy person as the normal guy who ends up crazy? The audience knows what's going to happen even if they've never read the novel.

 

 

I love Stephen King's work so much but I think it's very difficult to film anything without leaving major themes, plot points and characterization out. So I avoid all movie or TV adaptations. You can't improve on perfection so why try?

 

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[Matt_13]

Saw Ant Man and really enjoyed it. Very funny and also pretty weird, but good natured and fun.

[FlemingBond]

i saw Ant Man last weekend. I thought it was funny and pretty good.

[SecretAgentFan]

ANT-MAN

 

Perfect entertainment, the best Marvel film for me, hands down.  Great cast, amazingly filmed, awesome score and genuinely funny.  I love this movie.

 

 

TERMINATOR: GENISYS

 

I was ready to love this film.  I had binged on the previous four.  I really wanted to be entertained and thrilled.

 

Instead, this fifth entry emerged as the biggest disappointment since "Spiderman 3" for me.

 

Let me list my reasons:

 

- Casting

 

Seldomly, a movie is so miscast as this one.  If you want to resurrect an old franchise and use the known characters, at least try to find people who fit with the descriptions.  

 

Emilia Clarke is too doll-like, a little girl who just does not have the "wallflower growing into a gritty warrior"-look of Linda Hamilton´s Sarah Connor.  Jason Clarke is a character actor who does not have the charisma to be an inspiring, sympathetic leader of the resistance, he is much better at ambivalence and introspective rage.  But from the get-go they saddle him with a scarred face that makes him look sinister bad guy (which he becomes, so there´s no contrast at all).  And Jai Courtney - man, why is he still cast in all these franchise entries (that turn out rotten, hello "Die Hard 5"...)?  And if you want to re-cast Michael Biehn, why use Courtney who looks like a well-fed bodybuilder?  Kyle Reese is a haggard fighter after the nuclear apocalypse, not someone who spends his time chugging protein shakes and getting tanned.

 

And then there is Arnold Schwarzenegger.  The idea to use him in three different time zones, digitally de-aging him, is a good one.  But the de-aging here is not well done at all.  There is something off from the start.  Compare this with the young Michael Douglas in the first sequence of "ANT-MAN": Douglas really looks like 40 again.  Schwarzenegger looks artificial.  

 

But I could have accepted that if they had used Schwarzenegger in his signature role.  Unfortunately, they use him as a joke.  He is called "pops" now, repeats the same unfunny oneliner throughout the film and has no menacing or authoritative quality anymore.  It seems clear that Schwarzenegger only said yes to this because he thought this franchise would finally land him a box office success again.  Wrong again.  It would have been better for him and the film if he had declined and another actor would have taken over.  Also, he isn´t even a main character anymore, only a supporting one who is saddled with lots of dialogue delivering exposition.  Dialogue in general is not Schwarzenegger´s strength.  Bad dialogue makes it even worse.

 

Which brings me to...

 

- The dialogue

 

It is so bad that it isn´t even funny.  It either consists of huge chunks of exposition or information that is unnecessary because the visuals already show enough.  Also, the dialogue is extremely stale, lacks any humour and even gets touchy-feely when it should be sparse and haunting.  The scenes between Reese and Sarah are examples of tone-deaf fan-fiction that falls flat in the most embarassing way.

 

- The plot

 

I was all for rebooting and using different time zones.  I was intrigued by John Connor being turned into a villain.  

 

But this film does not do anything new with these ideas at all.  It´s a replay of the familiar chase sequences, with newer terminator models inexplicably loosing every fight with the older model.  

 

Nothing else.

 

And the consequences of John Connor, as the "future" child of Sarah and Reese, turning into a villain, basically another terminator are alluded to but abandoned quickly.  Connor becomes just the next terminator-model that survives everything, although being torched and torn apart, appearing perfectly whole again in the next expositional scene.  What it means that the future of mankind now is a machine is an intriguing idea - but the filmmakers do not care to use this.  Instead it´s just about setting up the next action sequence.

 

And then... the ending.  Instead of giving us at least the pathos of a little bit of loss, the idea that some sacrifice had to be made - it reverses the fate of one character in the most unbelievable way.  It becomes a tacked on happy ending that is so baffling that one has to wonder whether the producers were in a stranglehold to deliver mass consumption-fast food and destroy every interesting idea they had at the start.

 

 

I won´t say that the film isn´t competently made in a technical way (apart from the de-aging).  Everything is shot and built in a routine-like way, delivering constant action.  But in a strange way, the film has become the same thing the John Connor-character in this story has turned into: a machine drunk on hybris with every ounce of soul drained off.

 

Consequently, it is everything the original two Terminator-films are not, even the two sequels have managed to avoid.

 

This film may remind one of "Terminator".  But it has more in common with run-of-the-mill video schlock.

 

 

One final note: Either James Cameron has lost his marbles by praising this garbage - or he was blackmailed with money or pity for his friend Arnold.  Either way, it did not work.

[dtuba]

SOUTHPAW (2015)

 

Predictable riches-to-rags tale of a boxer down on his luck. The excellent cast (Jake Gyllenhall, Forest Whitaker, and Rachel McAdams) makes it worth watching.

[DaveBond21]

FLASH GORDON (1980)

 

Hilarious, over the top stuff. I loved this as a kid.

 

Of course now it's very cheesy with terrible special effects but it is great fun and is best described now as an sci-fi comedy. Great soundtrack by Queen. Also this movie features Timothy Dalton and Brian Blessed so there is lots of fun to be had.

 

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[thecasinoroyale]

'Terminator Genisys' (2015)

I am a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and love his films, even the bad ones at times, because it’s my duty. However, with all good things, it’s clear when they have fun out of steam. His recent comeback, post 2013, has been luke-warm but with a few enjoyable outings like ‘The Last Stand’ and ‘Maggie’, all low budget, under the radar films. Returning as his iconic character in the 5th entry in the 30 year+ running franchise, the Terminator is back and this proved to me that, sadly, Schwarzenegger isn’t the Terminator we loved from the previous 3 movies and is now running on empty in a role fuelled by nostalgic love in a franchise, I think, should be terminated.

Like it or not, ‘Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines’ is still the 3rd canon entry in the franchise. We can’t just ignore it, just like ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine’ forms part of the X-Men series. Films before or after may make it easier to forget, but it’s still there and plays a part in the overall story. ‘Terminator Salvation’ also took a jump forward in the timeline – all 4 films play with the same story in different ways. ‘Terminator Genisys’ follows suit and effectively reboots the franchise while keeping everything we knew in place but allows us to start over again. But, to be honest, I don’t care anymore about the story. I’ve seen an ending I’m happy with, and with 3 films trying to pad it out, I don’t need to see anymore.

How many times have I seen human and machine work together to try and stop Judgement Day, and ultimately fail because of something beyond their control? They failed in ‘T2’, failed in ‘T3’, had already failed in ‘T4’ and effectively fail in ‘T5’. With each film the plots get more complicated, more dependent on various timelines and loopholes and twists, but why? I assume if they make a sequel to this, they will fight again and fail in some way. The story is worn out, and this film even spends half its run time toying with the fact it’s an alternate version of the original 1984 film. That is entertaining enough, again half from nostalgia and seeing new elements introduced, after that it turns into a generic action-film. The Genisys of the title is an app, keeping in touch with modern technology, insinuating that operating systems we use on our tablets, phones and computers is the new way Skynet will take over the machines and bring down humanity. It’s a neat little twist, but just covers up the same old ‘computers will reign supreme’ message we’ve seen before.

Emilia Clarke and Jai Courtney could have been worse; neither hold a candle the fragile, strong-minded and very human interpretations from Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn respectively, and come across as your average tough-talking, buff, gun-toting heroes who try to act emotionally torn in places but give us nothing we’ve not seen before. Everyone else is pretty much window dressing to move the story forward – a T-1000 is nothing new and police officers are just one big cliché. Even Jason Clarke as our…*counts*…5th John Connor is very average. He gets more dramatic and generic as the film goes on, but I enjoyed his early scenes seeing him as the humane Resistance Leader we are never really given much of in these films, unless you count the war-torn Christian Bale version. The future war we see here is teasingly short, and one of the best nods to the James Cameron era, but again it’s not focused on – we are focusing on recycling an old story again with the help of one Arnold Schwarzenegger; the anchor of the dwindling franchise.

This isn’t the Terminator I remember. I know he’s older, and it’s acknowledged here, but at times I felt I was just watching CGI Arnold or body doubles take his place in a majority of scenes. Every fight scene he seemed to be in had to be bigger and more destructive than the previous – why do we need to see these machines smashing everything from cars to walls? Why can’t we have some restrained but brutal fights like the T-800 v T-1000 in ‘Terminator 2’ – the CGI is applied in every fight, and it reduces Schwarzenegger to a video game character. I feel all he did, acting wise, is drive vehicles, walk around rooms and pull apart props to show his strength. There was nothing about him that made me feel this was the Terminator akin to his previous portrayals. It’s a love letter to the character written in disappearing ink.

The dire attempt to make him “family friendly” was lost to me. I don’t want to see a Terminator programmed to give parental one-liners, silly gurning faces and other traits – I want a Terminator devoid of this like James Cameron gave us. Our ‘Genisys’ T-800 doesn’t come over as haunting, deadly or imposing. Schwarzenegger does little here in person, and CGI takes over for some ridiculous defiance of physics and logic. The only part I enjoyed was his opening introduction, battling his doppelgänger in 1984. Again, was that due to nostalgia? Possibly. But he had that spark in him that was lost as the film went on. As he is getting older but his T-800 still needs to be near invincible and fears no danger, I fear CGI will be used more and more to substitute Arnie when he is doing anything other than sitting down or walking and talking.

Director Alan Taylor and Paramount are clearly holding on to the past, as Schwarzenegger is marketed in most posters wearing his iconic black leathers and sunglasses. They don’t even make an appearance here to settle our fan-boy love for the character – he’s more casual here than ever, looking less like a Terminator and more like a run-down fisherman on a day off with strange dyed hair and a few cut and paste facial wounds.

Combine this with the bombastic, loud and CGI-enhanced action sequences that are total nonsense and simply mirror previous films (the freeway chases and police headquarters assault), with a very generic soundtrack by Lorne Balfe that has nothing about it that even signals a Terminator sci-fi film, bar a few of those signature Brad Fiedel beats, this is trying to market the Terminator story to a new generation brought up on CGI blockbusters that take themselves too seriously but drown you in action so you don’t think too hard.

Our new actors are taking on roles they will never nail down, and the studio is wrapping things up in making a simple story too complicated and clever. How many new Terminators are we going to have that are devoid of the practical effects of the T-800 to become nothing but tacky CGI creations. And, sadly, the anchor to the series, Arnold Schwarzengger, hasn’t got it anymore. This is all starting to ruin the ground-breaking James Cameron films and turning the franchise into something embarrassing and confused as to where it wants to go. All the films since ‘Terminator 2’ are coming across as botched efforts to take the series somewhere new.

This is one T-800, and franchise, that needs to be, quite simply, terminated.

[DaveBond21]

Groundhog Day (1993)

 

A classic. I actually laughed out loud 6 times even though I've seen it 6 or 7 times.

 

It's a great film - highly recommended.

[Safari Suit]

Blackhat

Not reaching the heights of Michael Mann's 20th Century masterworks, nor his underrated Public Enemies, this still deserved more than the critical shrug it received on its release. The usual Mann style, themes (crime, redemption, morality, mortality) and a few bravado set-pieces make this well worth a look for his devotees, others may find it less rewarding. Hemsworth does well in the lead role, but there probably would have been better choices. Probably played better in cinemas too; still despite all, I'm certainly glad I saw it.

[DaveBond21]

Rear Window (1954)

 

Confined to his New York apartment with a broken leg, professional photographer LB Jeffries spends his time looking out of the rear window observing his neighbours. He begins to suspect that a man across the courtyard may have murdered his wife. But is he seeing all of the story from his vantage point?

 

Classic Hitchcock with unusual camera angles and wonderful sense of paranoia – ahead of its time.

 

 

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[DaveBond21]

My Fellow Americans (1996)

 

Saw this for the first time and enjoyed it.

 

1. Ex-presidents Kramer (Jack Lemmon) and Douglas (James Garner) have hated each other for years. But when the current administration of President Haney (Dan Aykroyd) -- Kramer's former vice president -- tries blaming a string of kickbacks from a defense contractor on the two former presidents, they band together. With Haney's goons trying to kill them, they set out across the country to try and clear their reputations. In the process, they see a side of America they never knew before.

    

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[Red Barchetta]

Watched 'Once Upon a Time in Mexico' a few nights back- I always love this movie when I see it!

[DaveBond21]

The Conversation (1974)

 

A classic movie.

 

Surveillance expert Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) is hired by a mysterious client's brusque aide (Harrison Ford) to tail a young couple. Tracking the pair through San Francisco's Union Square, Caul and his associate Stan (John Cazale) manage to record a cryptic conversation between them. Tormented by memories of a previous case that ended badly, Caul becomes obsessed with the resulting tape, trying to determine if the couple are in danger.

[SecretAgentFan]

THE AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON

 

Hmm.

 

Critics called it incomprehensible, a convoluted mess.  Fans voiced their disapproval.  Reports on clashing egos during production surfaced.  Director Joss Whedon does not want to return.

 

Audiences worldwide still made it a smash - but, hey, they did the same with all "Transformer"-movies.  Ugh.

 

I like the Marvel films.  Some I even love.  The second "Captain America" pic is brilliant, IMO. "Guardians of the Galaxy" was my favorite so far.  And I immensely enjoyed "Ant-Man".

 

The first "Avengers" - well, I loved Whedon´s dialogue, injecting lightness and fun in huge doses.  The actual story was, IMO, pretty wobbly, never really overcoming the "another attack on New York by disposable villains"-idea, with the biggest chunk of the film getting the "Avengers" together.  But it seems that the film came at the exact right moment since its box office was Trump-like huge.

 

The second "Avengers" movie - coming after so many other Marvel films that a backlash was inevitable - is IMO a giant improvement.  

 

It towers over its predecessor in every way.  The story is so much stronger, interesting and dynamic.  The characters are more vibrant and layered.  The action sequences are more inventive and captivating.  And despite its 140 minutes running time I was constantly entertained by the flow of the narrative, with Whedon providing his characteristic snappy, poignant dialogue and intimate scenes within the spectacle, taking the time for quiet moments which other directors would never try.

 

To serve every character in an ever growing ensemble with distinct moments is one of the most difficult feats a writer and director can master - but Whedon does so, with no visible strain at all.  

 

And James Spader voicing the main villain with his typical scene-chewing delivery, turning menace into delicious fun, is another key asset of this enterprise.

 

For me, "Age of Ultron" has shot to the top of the Marvel films in an instant.  It´s one of those absolute movie pleasures that will remain in my top ten of the year and my personal classics library.

[x007AceOfSpades]

Sicario - 2015 - 5/5 - Directed by Denis Villeneuve - starring Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro

Sicario is by far the years most dark and haunting film. Denis Villeneuve knows how to capture more perfectly and keep audiences engaged from the first frame until the credits. It's more than just a typical action thriller, there's a lot more going on thanks to a great script by Taylor Sheridan and confident directing from Villeneuve. Sicario never give your heart a chance to slow down.

 

FBI Agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt) is recruited by DOD operator Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to join his task force in taking down a drug lord. The task force is joined by a mysterious man known as Alejandro (Benicio del Toro). As the mission continues, new discoveries are made and secrets come to life, as Kate questions the mission and those involved as a much bigger and darker picture is involved.

 

It's easy to say that Emily Blunt's character isn't really much use to the plot, but she's extremely vital. Her character is the usual good cop/agent who wants to do the right thing. However as we're kept in the dark throughout the mission, so is she. We can't help but connect to her as the mission goes on and darker things came to light. We're just as shocked as she is when she finds out the true nature of the mission and those involved. She's our audience surrogate, but written with precision and played ever so wonderful by Emily Blunt. However wonderful Blunt, Benicio del Toro steals the show. There's not a whole lot of backstory into his character, only glimmers into his past that made him the man he is now. If I had to compare Alejandro to another character it would definitely be Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem in No Country for Old Men.) He doesn't speak much, he's calm, cool, collected. There's a shroud of mystique to his character that we're drawn to. Benicio is so outstanding in this, I'd say it's probably his role and acting since Steven Soderbergh's Traffic Those final ten to fifteen minutes with him are riveting.

 

Roger Deakins and Denis Villeneuve's second collaboration, and already these two are rapidly becoming my favorite Director/DP duo. Deakins has long been renowned for his sensational work, and Sicario is no different. The opening shot builds tension quickly and those aerial shots (while beautiful) that are combine with Johann Johannsson's score are truly some scary stuff. The lighting is very good too. But the one thing I love what Deakins did was his usage of thermal and night vision optics in the climax. We've seen it before in films, but the way Deakins utilized it was just striking.

 

There is never a moment where the film is anything but intense. Like I said, Denis Villeneuve captures mood perfectly as he takes you on a dark descent into some truly terrifying places. Villeneuve shows the gritty, horrific nature that is the war on drugs & the cartels and the truths about governments, staying on that fine line of realism and never sugar coating. The end result is some of the finest work in a film, I've seen this year. It gripped me from start to finish and had me on the edge of my seat.

 

It's hard to truly go into greater depths without giving away a lot of the narrative, since quite a few people still haven't seen it (but it goes into wide release this week!), and there's a few things that I'm trying to process still (Enemy still has me in this state).

From Sheridan's brilliant writing to Villeneuve's relentless direction, Sicario is 2015's finest to offer. It's moody, tense, atmospheric, and unforgiving. Those involved in the making of this film, take a bow.

 

The Green Inferno - 2015 - 2/5 - Directed by Eli Roth - starring Lorenza Izzo and Ariel Levy

Going into Eli Roth's latest film, The Green Inferno I was expecting a violent, gory cannibal film that would also manage to be pretty good too. I guess I sort of got that, but as the credits rolled, I found myself more conflicted. Part of my wants to like it, like I did with Roth's previous films, the other part is me telling myself it's Roth trying to shoehorn commentary on media and activism and tame cannibal film. I guess I'll settle for the middle.

 

College student Justine (Lorenza Izzo) finds herself drawn to an activism group on campus, led by Alejandro (Ariel Levy) whose goal is to bring awareness of logging companies who destroy the rainforests in South America that are the land of ancient native tribes and kill them. The group travels to Peru and successfully stops the crews from further destroying the land, but on their way back, their plane experiences engine trouble and they crash land in the rainforest. Once they come to their senses, they group is captured by one of the ancient tribes who are revealed to be vicious cannibals after killing one of their friends.

 

Spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!

Let me start off by saying that this film isn't completely gross, gory, sick, etc. All those people on social media saying that are wussies, because this film was quite tame for me honestly. The only gruesome part is when the first person is killed by the tribe, Jonas (Aaron Burns). How? By having his eyes gouged out, tongue cut out, limbs dismembered and head severed. Afterwards we have someone slashing their own throat (spoilers, sorry) someone being eaten alive by cannibals with munchies, for which you can't completely see, and finally someone being well, abused, by ants. I'd argue in fact that Roth's previous films are more gory and violent than this.

 

The entire first half hour is some of the worst in cinema this year, as dialogue and actions are absolutely horrid. Most of the bad acting and dialogue comes from Sky Ferreira, who should just stick to singing. Other than that, Justine's choice to join in on the activist movement is questionable. While she takes the topic of genital mutilation to women in ancient tribes serious, her reasons to join and take a stand simply because Daddy is an attorney for the United Nations and because why not? While everyone is doing it because it's what they believe in and they've devoted their time and life too, Justine just seems like she's there for the ride. And ultimately, I could give a damn about her character.

 

But at the same time, there's a lot of people in this world today who call themselves activists and do f*** all about it. Roth does show this well by having them stop the logging company from further work and saving the natives only to have their plane crash and be held captive by very people they worked towards saving. Ohhh, the irony. That leads me to the natives. Boy are they savage, and you can't blame them, considering these young college students they picked up are dressed like logging crews too, trespassing their territory. But if this angle Roth was going with, he sure made it sympathize with the natives and instead made it clear their evil flesh-eating people. Can't sympathize with them, and you can't give a damn about the college students. Fun!

 

At this point I'm rooting for the credits to roll and wondering why am I sitting here, I could leave at minute since I used a movie pass and didn't spend cash on this. Instead I stay seated and continue to watch Roth fall WAY short of gore and commentary.

If there's anything good about this, it's that it's visually pleasing, and perhaps Roth's best film in that aspect. But now that I've been able to transfer my thoughts into words in this review, I've come to conclusion that I'm going with the latter claim in my opening paragraph. Eli Roth isn't a master of horror, but I still enjoy his films. The Green Inferno is just a big backwards step for him. There's no middling ground here.

 

I could've gone home and watched Cabin Fever instead.

 

Magic Mike XXL - 2015 - 4/5 - Directed by Gregory Jacobs - starring Channing Tatum and Joe Manganiello

I decided to give Magic Mike XXL a chance. I didn't particularly care for the first film. It's well shot & edited by Steven Soderbergh, but the script never clicked with me, and of what could've been a mildly fun film, was a let down by a script I found problematic. MMXXL is an improvement over the first film in the good ways. It's more fun, and less dreadful like Soderbergh's first film. This is pretty much a road film. Dealing with life, relationships & love, and friendship. Oh and MALE STRIPPING.

 

"Magic" Mike Lane has left his life of male stripping and finally pursued his dream of owning a business that specializes in home furniture. He receives a call from old friend, Tarzan (Kevin Nash) who tells him that Dallas (Matthew McConaughey in the first film) is dead. When Mike meets up with his friends he finds out it was all a lie and that Dallas took off to Macau. The Kings of Tampa, "Big Dick" Richie, Ken, Tito, and MC, Tobias (Joe Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, and Gabriel Iglesias, respectively) are planning on going on a road trip down to Myrtle Beach, Florida to a stripping convention for last dance and call it a career.

 

I found the Male stripping scenes in the first film to be a little entertaining, but I actually really liked them this time around. Each strip dance is different than last and their much colorful and vibrant too. Steven Soderbergh's work as cinematographer and editor on this film is better (in my opinion) than the last. Gregory Jacobs' direction is clear on this film, his goal is to a make a film that his just enjoyable and ultimately about having fun. This is what I wanted the first film to be, but it's what the sequel is, and to me, that's better. Even Reid Carolin's script is better than the first, focusing on the positives and improving what didn't work in his script for the first film.

 

The cast are great, really great, with Joe Manganiello being favorite character in this film. But the entire cast all have their moments to shine, and not just in strip dancing. I strangely found these guys to be relatable, something I couldn't do in the first film. Sure, Channing Tatum is front and center and the focus is largely on him, it's everyone's film. Everyone is having a good time, despite having their own small slew of problems (Kevin Nash's comment hit hard with me). They only have one thing they plan on achieving, Pleasing women, and of course they achieve it. It's everyone having a blast. Ending their careers on a high note.

 

MMXXL does have some pacing problems in the middle section of the film, and could've used trimming, but the rest breezes on by in playful fashion. It never stops being entertaining, and it's enjoyable for both men & women and aims to entertain or rather please it's audience. I will admit, I was pleased by this film, especially since the first film didn't. I pretty much knew I really liked this film when Joe Manganiello was dancing in a gas station and ripping a bag of Cheetos open to Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way". Never laughed as hard as that scene made me.

 

MMXXL is much more rounded out and fleshed out than the last in my opinion. Everything is better and it really succeeds in going bigger for better. It's a visual treat and a road trip film. It's easy to why someone may not like this because it's more straightforward on the idea of the dancing/stripping compared to the darker and serious tone in the first film, but I can't stop saying how much more enjoyable this sequel is. A sequel done right, and one of the summer's best.

 

Fantastic Four - 2015 - 0/5 - Directed by Josh Trank - starring Miles Teller and Michael B. Jordan.

Good god, what an absolute mess Fantastic Four is. This film was made for the clear reason of keeping the rights at Twentieth Century Fox so they wouldn't revert to Marvel/Disney. However, maybe they should've reverted or to be more frank, Fox should just hand them over right now. It's clear that only Marvel/Disney would make a Fantastic Four that completely honors the original characters and material as created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.

 

The first two thirds of the film is the best, or so everyone says. It does introduce us to the characters and sets up everything that follows, but boy is a bore. It's subject to uninteresting dialogue, lack of chemistry, and humor that falls flat. Of course this whole time it's all about working on the "Quantum Gate" to travel to a parallel dimension that is "Planet Zero". All the lead up to the parallel dimension travel is awfully slow and once they group is on "Planet Zero" we're only there for a brief few minutes on a green screen world, but it's where we get those small glimpses of those David Cronenberg, body horror-esque moments director, Josh Trank talked about.

 

The body horror that was talked about and promised by Trank is dropped in favoring of jumping ahead to a "1 Year Later" title card. After that, it's pretty much showing the group coming to accept, or rather already accepting their powers in little vignettes of the four. From then on out our villain, Victor Von Doom returns to Earth from "Planet Zero" and his endgame is to destroy humanity, and final, rushed battle ensues. So what the hell happened? It's seems to be that between the first two thirds of the film and the "1 Year Later" title card, A LOT happened. Not too long ago on a few message boards, including someone who claimed to have worked for the special effects company, OTOY (who worked on this film) and talked about the big changes to the script and several drafts and how a lot of stuff was changed & how The Thing was inconsistent in size due to Trank. There were talks about both Matthew Vaughn and Simon Kinberg being involved in reshoots. It's believed it went through reshoots because Trank's film all over the place and very uneven, and went through reshoots. Hell, even the 3D conversion was canceled because of the reshoots and going quite over budget.

 

The finished product is Fox taking over an already trainwreck of a film and trying to salvage what they can (also, rumors of Trank being locked out of the editing room). The final film definitely has Fox's touch on it and it's definitely not good. It's bad, really bad. It's disjointed and uneven and obviously that several people had their hands in this punch bowl. Especially if it seems that Trank went off and made Chronicle 2, since there were talks of him making the film set in the same universe. Who knows those, I can't help but to think a lot of the rumors are true. Especially some of stuff that the OTOY employee talked about regarding the script, are in the film.

 

If there's any positives, and there's very few -- Reg E. Cathey is very good as Franklin Storm and is consistent throughout as a sort of father figure to all. Toby Kebbell, who's not in this enough, is convincing enough as Victor Von Doom, but doesn't get enough time or proper writing to really shine as the villain, which is shame, because Dr. Doom is a brilliant villain in the comics. And lastly, the score from Marco Beltrami & Philip Glass is way too good for this type of film. Everyone else is just sort of there working with what they have. Especially Kate Mara, who after the "1 Year Later" jump pretty much brings nothing to the table thanks to the writing.

 

So, who's to blame? Twentieth Century Fox? Josh Trank? Simon Kinberg?

 

All. Fox's only intention of doing this reboot was a simple rights grab. They had already lost the rights of Daredevil to Marvel/Disney, and the latter studio(s) came out with the smash hit of a television series on Netflix. Fox didn't really care what happened, just as long as they create a film to hold on to the rights. Josh Trank did a great job on Chronicle (also, big credit to Max Landis for that screenplay). I think Trank had a rather good idea on where to take the team, particularly with the body horror aspects. But With all the talks about Trank's on-set behaviors & the rumors & problems that have plagues the set seem all to real.

 

Fox got what they deserved from a rights grab. If the studio put the same amount of dedication into as they do for their X-Men Franchise, things could've been different. Who knows, we may have received an actually good Fantastic Four film (despite the tired grim & dark tone). Fox instead put no effort into this, and this Fantastic Four which has gone through multiple rewrites (pre-production and through), reshoots blew up in their face because of what they did insert into a final film, is not good. They went into damage control trying to salvage and it because they weren't impressed by Trank's "Vision".

 

If Fox wasn't impressed by Trank, why'd they hire him in the first place? Because of Chronicle? Maybe they should've hired someone else, someone they trusted and ensured their rights grab film with, instead of a filmmaker who had a $12million film that was a sleeper hit and give him the keys to a major property. Maybe if Trank's initial cut of the film and his original screenplay with Kinberg was good, maybe this could have been something, but it wasn't. Simon Kinberg deserves the heat too because his script (along with the co-writers) is frankly, crap and loaded with exposition.

 

Of what there is of Josh Trank's film, which is the first two thirds, it isn't good. It may not be as awful as what follows, but it's a big bore and wastes screen time on an origin. Fox's damage control and Kinberg's writing is just the cherry on top. Fantastic Four was DOOMED (sorry) from the beginning. It's bad when the original film that was directed by Tim Story from a decade ago, was much more pleasing and more courteous to the material than this film.

 

It may seem like I'm running around in circles stating the same issue(s), but I'm amazed that this film saw the light of day because of how bad it is. This film pretty much killed the Fantastic Four. At this point, Fox needs to hand over the rights to Marvel/Disney (and for free too, they don't deserve a single penny of money), because at least Marvel/Disney would deliver a film.

 

As for a possible Director's Cut that would be Josh Trank's film that some people want to see, it won't happen. It was never fully completed and it would require spending millions to finish, something Fox definitely isn't doing.

 

The Gift - 2015 - 4/5 - Directed by Joel Edgerton - starring Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall.

The Gift is definitely one of the better summer films this year (despite not being a blockbuster at all). Joel Edgerton's directorial debut is a exceptionally made, taking conventional tropes, and cliches in the genre and does something a bit different. What could have been just another generic psychological thriller, turns to be every bit of surprising. Joel Edgerton nailed it.

 

Simon and Robyn Callen (Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall, respectively) move from Chicago to Los Angeles after Simon gets a new job. One day, they run into Gordon "Gordo" Moseley (Joel Edgerton), an old classmate of Simon's from high school. Gordo begins leaving the couple gifts and dropping in for visits. This makes Simon uncomfortable and he breaks off the friendship. As time goes by, Robyn feels as if there's more to it between Simon and Gordo and starts looking into a secret that connects the two.

 

Throughout the film, we're not entirely sure about Gordo. He does appear socially awkward, but there's a shroud of mystery to him. We don't know much about him, his life, his work, other than that he was a classmate of Simon's. As the film progresses, we get little peaks into him, and Gordo feels less and less like this frail, awkward man, and more of a cold methodical man as the ending comes closer. I've always liked Joel Edgerton in just about anything I've seen him in, but this has to be his best work yet. He captures the character and the emotions almost too perfectly, making you feel sad for him one second, then unnerved the other. Rebecca Hall has the most screen time present, and she serves as the films overall emotional foundation. Jason Bateman needs to do less comedies and more dramas and thrillers. There's still a few moments in there where it does appear like he's still playing himself, but honestly, he was perfect to play Simon.

 

I liked how as the film kept progressing, and more kept unfolding, that it didn't seem as if it would get predictable either. It was full of surprises in the story development department. We were lead to believe that Gordo is in the wrong, but then everything gets flipped on it's head once this secret comes out. I was also more impressed on how Edgerton was keen on letting things play out for themselves rather rush everything.

 

Joel Edgerton certainly succeeds as an actor, but even more as writer & director, creating one of the years finest thrillers, something that is a must-see. It's every bit of surprising, and I definitely look forward to seeing Edgerton write & direct again.

[bill007]

SPY - 2015 Spoof film with Melissa McCarthy.  Jason Statham stole the show.  Had me in stitches.  Extra points for this film being a great tongue-in-cheek take on the Bond-esque world, much as the 1967 Casino Royale must have been when it was released.

[SecretAgentFan]

With the year coming soon to a close I managed to watch two films on blu ray that I missed in the cinema.

 

LOVE & MERCY

 

Paul Dano and John Cusack play Brian Wilson at two stages in his life, right before his descent intro drugs and in the aftermath of it, being manipulated and overdrugged by his doctor (Paul Giamatti).

 

This daring conceit of having two actors who don´t look alike at all playing the same character works brilliantly.  The whole movie is a wonderful, touching and finally even uplifting insight into the mind of a creative genius.

 

Highly recommended!

 

 

 

THE GIFT

 

Actor Joel Edgerton´s directing debut is one of the best thrillers in ages, featuring him in a supporting role and giving Jason Bateman the opportunity to show what a fantastic and fearless actor he is.  Rebecca Hall also is magnificent.  The cinematography, the editing and the score perfectly serve a tightly written thriller that constantly surprises and raises the tension without resorting to the cheap thrills of modern cinema.

 

A joy from beginning to end.  One of the best films of the year, criminally underseen.  In a perfect world, Jason Bateman would get all the acting awards for this extremely difficult role which probably most name actors would have shied away from because... well... see the movie.

[seawolfnyy]

In the Heart of the Sea. It was alright, but nothing memorable.

[thecasinoroyale]

'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens' (2015)

 

*NO SPOILERS*

This 2015 American sci-fi fantasy is directed, co-produced, and co-written by J. J. Abrams. This is a continuation of the established saga and the 1st of the New Trilogy (VII, VIII & IX). It stars Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson and Gwendoline Christie, with Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill.

30 years after the fall of the Galactic Empire, the Republic is thriving once more. However, from the ashes of the Empire comes the First Order, led by Supreme Commander Snoke (Serkis). To counter the growing threat, a Republic-backed Resistance fights back under the leadership of General Leia Organa (Fisher).

Desperate to find her brother Luke Skywalker (Hamill), the last of the Jedi, Leia sends pilot Poe Dameron (Isaac) to the planet Jakku to follow a trail that may lead to Luke. But First Order troops led by Dark Side follower Kylo Ren (Driver) and General Hux (Gleeson) are also on the hunt.

With the help of rogue Stormtrooper Finn (Boyega), scavenger Rey (Ridley) and war heroes Han Solo (Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), new and old faces come together to help the Resistance stay one step ahead of the First Order in finding Luke, whilst battling demons of their own and facing haunting truths from the past that will change their destinies forever…

It’s clear after watching this that JJ Abrams was the right man to take us back to the galaxy far, far away for new and old fans. Bridging stories that began both in 1977 and 1999, this is the 7th installment and follows on from ‘Return Of The Jedi’ and it’s the film we’ve been waiting for ever since. It’s also clear that JJ when directing the Star Trek reboot films didn’t quite “get” the franchise, because here he clearly DOES “get” Star Wars and you couldn’t have a better director, writer and producer to launch this new trilogy.

It’s evident from the start this is made with nothing but admiration for George Lucas’ creation and what has gone on before. While it most certainly isn’t a ‘soft-remake’ or ‘homage’ to the original, like Bryan Singer did with ‘Superman Returns’, this acknowledges everything that has gone on before while also creating solid foundations for the unknown future we are going to journey into to build on.

Thankfully there isn’t a trade negotiation, senate meeting or pod-race in sight. No strained narrative or complex stories running at the same time. This is a classic story of good vs evil from the off – we are thrust into events following some 30 years after the fall of the Empire and we aren’t given much breathing space from the iconic title crawl before we witness the might of the new bad guys in full force and the rousing bravery of our heroes. Just as it should be. We have a new trio of heroes to invest in – John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac. Each character has a past, a present and future we are given clues to and invited to share in their journey. They are very likeable, very well crafted and very entertaining as they quip, shoot, fly and run in and out of danger.

While Boyega’s Finn may be a little too excitable at times, it works for his character, eager to make a difference and we really see his arc from nervous Stormtrooper to Resistance hero. Daisy Ridley is nothing but sweet as Rey, a real ballsy female lead who gives as good as she gets and a welcome return to form for female screen heroes who don’t need to wear little or use their sexuality in anyway. She has the most interesting journey and is going to be a very memorable character for all the right reasons. Rey is a wonderful character and I found Ridley nothing short of brilliant in her scenes, conveying so much varied emotion and wit when needed. Oscar Isaac has the most fun for sure; an established pilot and character already in the thick of it when we see him, but one who has dashing good lucks, a daring-do attitude and can fly an X-Wing better than most. These three represent everything Star Wars is about - believing you can be someone great, no matter your circumstances.

But with every hero introduced, we need a memorable villain to follow from Darth Vader. Even Darth Maul and his disposable appearance in ‘The Phantom Menace’ wasn’t enough to carry on through the prequel trilogy and we were given CGI cyborgs and lightsaber wielding pensioners with CGI body-doubles. Forget all that now. Domhnall Gleeson echoes the iron jawed ruthlessness of Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin; a man fuelled by one duty – to eradicate the enemy. He is self-assured, confident and commands his legions of Stormtroopers with a haunting efficiency of how the Nazi rallies were carried out. Gwendoline Christie is Captain Phasma, a female Stormtrooper in a chrome suit who isn’t fazed by carrying out her brutal orders. She doesn’t get the screentime she deserves sadly, and I hope we see her return to expand on her efficiency. And Adam Driver is Kylo Ren. A Sith? No. A twisted Dark Sider who is more haunting without the mask than with. With an unstable, fiery lightsaber that is as unstable and fiery as his temper, Ren is on a mission both for himself and the First Order and he doesn’t need gimmicks to sell him. He genuinely is a visibly imposing villain but very layered to be far more interesting than anything we’ve seen before, even giving Vader a run for his money.

And let’s not forget the welcome return of original cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels. They slip into the worn and weary shoes of the characters we last saw 32 years ago and have aged naturally, which makes even more sense in the narrative. Ford has that world-weary charisma he never loses as Han Solo. Fisher is commanding but still tender as Leia Organa. Peter Mayhew still makes you cheer as Wookiee Chewbacca, and Anthony Daniels forces a smile as loveable C-3PO. And Mark Hamill…well, you can discover his well-kept secret appearance for yourself. They will make you smile, cry and laugh with the heroes you’ve grown up with and heard so much about if you’re a new fan. The new generation refer to these characters in the film as “myth” and “legends” – and they are, both in the film and in reality, and so we welcome them back with open arms to remind us we are still in the galaxy we loved as children and continue to do so today.

The star of this show however? BB-8. While 3PO and R2 do what they do best (albeit very briefly), BB-8 made me giddy. The droid comes alive due to a remarkable design, and you can almost understand what it is trying to convey. This droid is going to be a huge factor in making the film fun, and sharing a moment with Finn in the Millennium Falcon is nothing short of genius. How you feel for BB-8 makes you question your sanity – you shouldn’t love robotics this much!

As you can see, my praise runs high for the cast and characters, but it also runs high for the crew who have created a world so real and vibrant it’s hard not to feel involved in the drama and action, all without shaky cam. Real sets, real practical effects and real stunts take over from CGI. When CGI is used, it’s for the spaceships and Starfighters and space voyages and expansive planets which is as it should be – it’s used to enhance, never to replace. I counted only 2, possibly 3 CGI characters who even then were really well rendered. And remember a certain rumour about a certain James Bond actor featuring in the film as an un-credited Stormtrooper? Listen out. Because it’s true. All of it.

This is a journey the top dogs at LucasFilm and Disney want us to invest in with our hearts, not just our wallets, and with the real actors, real costumes, sets and props, we can. Stormtroopers have never been such a welcome return after flat CGI clones. Star ships have never looked better inside and the galaxy has never alive with a number of brilliant set pieces on this rollercoaster journey of emotions; both nostalgically and narratively. With John Williams returning to create another rousing soundtrack, be it devoid of any signature themes this time except the iconic opening, there is music from the past mixed with new themes to blend two generations together. It's exciting, tender and muted in all the right places.

The first hour eases you in, establishes the story and lets the new characters open up before pushing the throttle for the classic Star Wars narrative plot-points; dogfights, prison breaks, shoot-outs, daring escapes and lightsaber battles. And I can safely say the lightsaber duels here, thankfully not overused, actually outshine the prequels over-choreographed ballet numbers. It’s a more primitive, brutal and desperate style of fighting like we saw with Luke and Darth Vader. There’s no grace or CGI jumps and flips and powers; it’s just good and evil battling to stay alive and out-do the others, and it’s nail biting stuff and shot superbly. The action is also akin to the things we mimicked with toys as a child, and even now with computer games; Resistance v Stormtrooper shoot outs in dangerous battle zone, X-Wings v TIE Fighters above a snowy planet, and hero v villain lightsaber fights. It’s the stuff of our childhood and our current love for this galaxy.

I’ll have to stop. I could go on for ages singing the praises. Are there faults? Of course – no film is perfect, but the faults are so small it’s not even worth commenting on because you forget about them seconds later. This is damn good fun, and done so well. With a sprinkle of adventure from ‘A New Hope’, a smattering of tone from ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and a helping of fun from ‘Return Of The Jedi’, this creates something very familiar, but something so different. In a decade full of films that rely on dark, gritty and muted tones and themes, and forces violence and sexual content down our throat we are now nearly numb to it, ‘The Force Awakens’ shows how much a film can rely on nothing but the story and content itself and nothing more to be rich in colour, exciting, vibrant, funny and emotional, dramatic and tender without being a pastiche of the films it follows or trying to be something it’s not. It’s a welcome relief for fans of film, sci-fi and escapism in general. It deserves the praise and the hype for the effort put into giving us something we’ve been waiting for.

I left the cinema with my head spinning, for all sorts of reasons. And I cannot WAIT for 2017 to continue a story that is clearly now in the right hands. As Mark Hamill said regarding the film: “Everything’s changed, but nothing’s changed.”

[tdalton]

THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (2015)

Terrible.  Had to turn it off after a while because I just couldn't watch anymore. 

 

 

JURASSIC WORLD (2015)

What a massive disappointment.  As a fan of all three of the original Jurassic Park films, I was looking forward to this one.  This is seriously one of the most limp summer blockbusters I can remember seeing in some time.  It unfolds in the most predictable fashion and, in the moments where it does defy your expectations, it does so by coming up so short of them that you hate the film even more.  And what a terrible ending.  It's like they got to the ending and remembered that they hadn't met their T-Rex quota for the film. 

[Professor Pi]

'Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens' (2015)

 

*NO SPOILERS*

This 2015 American sci-fi fantasy is directed, co-produced, and co-written by J. J. Abrams. This is a continuation of the established saga and the 1st of the New Trilogy (VII, VIII & IX). It stars Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson and Gwendoline Christie, with Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill.

30 years after the fall of the Galactic Empire, the Republic is thriving once more. However, from the ashes of the Empire comes the First Order, led by Supreme Commander Snoke (Serkis). To counter the growing threat, a Republic-backed Resistance fights back under the leadership of General Leia Organa (Fisher).

Desperate to find her brother Luke Skywalker (Hamill), the last of the Jedi, Leia sends pilot Poe Dameron (Isaac) to the planet Jakku to follow a trail that may lead to Luke. But First Order troops led by Dark Side follower Kylo Ren (Driver) and General Hux (Gleeson) are also on the hunt.

With the help of rogue Stormtrooper Finn (Boyega), scavenger Rey (Ridley) and war heroes Han Solo (Ford) and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew), new and old faces come together to help the Resistance stay one step ahead of the First Order in finding Luke, whilst battling demons of their own and facing haunting truths from the past that will change their destinies forever…

It’s clear after watching this that JJ Abrams was the right man to take us back to the galaxy far, far away for new and old fans. Bridging stories that began both in 1977 and 1999, this is the 7th installment and follows on from ‘Return Of The Jedi’ and it’s the film we’ve been waiting for ever since. It’s also clear that JJ when directing the Star Trek reboot films didn’t quite “get” the franchise, because here he clearly DOES “get” Star Wars and you couldn’t have a better director, writer and producer to launch this new trilogy.

It’s evident from the start this is made with nothing but admiration for George Lucas’ creation and what has gone on before. While it most certainly isn’t a ‘soft-remake’ or ‘homage’ to the original, like Bryan Singer did with ‘Superman Returns’, this acknowledges everything that has gone on before while also creating solid foundations for the unknown future we are going to journey into to build on.

Thankfully there isn’t a trade negotiation, senate meeting or pod-race in sight. No strained narrative or complex stories running at the same time. This is a classic story of good vs evil from the off – we are thrust into events following some 30 years after the fall of the Empire and we aren’t given much breathing space from the iconic title crawl before we witness the might of the new bad guys in full force and the rousing bravery of our heroes. Just as it should be. We have a new trio of heroes to invest in – John Boyega, Daisy Ridley and Oscar Isaac. Each character has a past, a present and future we are given clues to and invited to share in their journey. They are very likeable, very well crafted and very entertaining as they quip, shoot, fly and run in and out of danger.

While Boyega’s Finn may be a little too excitable at times, it works for his character, eager to make a difference and we really see his arc from nervous Stormtrooper to Resistance hero. Daisy Ridley is nothing but sweet as Rey, a real ballsy female lead who gives as good as she gets and a welcome return to form for female screen heroes who don’t need to wear little or use their sexuality in anyway. She has the most interesting journey and is going to be a very memorable character for all the right reasons. Rey is a wonderful character and I found Ridley nothing short of brilliant in her scenes, conveying so much varied emotion and wit when needed. Oscar Isaac has the most fun for sure; an established pilot and character already in the thick of it when we see him, but one who has dashing good lucks, a daring-do attitude and can fly an X-Wing better than most. These three represent everything Star Wars is about - believing you can be someone great, no matter your circumstances.

But with every hero introduced, we need a memorable villain to follow from Darth Vader. Even Darth Maul and his disposable appearance in ‘The Phantom Menace’ wasn’t enough to carry on through the prequel trilogy and we were given CGI cyborgs and lightsaber wielding pensioners with CGI body-doubles. Forget all that now. Domhnall Gleeson echoes the iron jawed ruthlessness of Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin; a man fuelled by one duty – to eradicate the enemy. He is self-assured, confident and commands his legions of Stormtroopers with a haunting efficiency of how the Nazi rallies were carried out. Gwendoline Christie is Captain Phasma, a female Stormtrooper in a chrome suit who isn’t fazed by carrying out her brutal orders. She doesn’t get the screentime she deserves sadly, and I hope we see her return to expand on her efficiency. And Adam Driver is Kylo Ren. A Sith? No. A twisted Dark Sider who is more haunting without the mask than with. With an unstable, fiery lightsaber that is as unstable and fiery as his temper, Ren is on a mission both for himself and the First Order and he doesn’t need gimmicks to sell him. He genuinely is a visibly imposing villain but very layered to be far more interesting than anything we’ve seen before, even giving Vader a run for his money.

And let’s not forget the welcome return of original cast members Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Peter Mayhew and Anthony Daniels. They slip into the worn and weary shoes of the characters we last saw 32 years ago and have aged naturally, which makes even more sense in the narrative. Ford has that world-weary charisma he never loses as Han Solo. Fisher is commanding but still tender as Leia Organa. Peter Mayhew still makes you cheer as Wookiee Chewbacca, and Anthony Daniels forces a smile as loveable C-3PO. And Mark Hamill…well, you can discover his well-kept secret appearance for yourself. They will make you smile, cry and laugh with the heroes you’ve grown up with and heard so much about if you’re a new fan. The new generation refer to these characters in the film as “myth” and “legends” – and they are, both in the film and in reality, and so we welcome them back with open arms to remind us we are still in the galaxy we loved as children and continue to do so today.

The star of this show however? BB-8. While 3PO and R2 do what they do best (albeit very briefly), BB-8 made me giddy. The droid comes alive due to a remarkable design, and you can almost understand what it is trying to convey. This droid is going to be a huge factor in making the film fun, and sharing a moment with Finn in the Millennium Falcon is nothing short of genius. How you feel for BB-8 makes you question your sanity – you shouldn’t love robotics this much!

As you can see, my praise runs high for the cast and characters, but it also runs high for the crew who have created a world so real and vibrant it’s hard not to feel involved in the drama and action, all without shaky cam. Real sets, real practical effects and real stunts take over from CGI. When CGI is used, it’s for the spaceships and Starfighters and space voyages and expansive planets which is as it should be – it’s used to enhance, never to replace. I counted only 2, possibly 3 CGI characters who even then were really well rendered. And remember a certain rumour about a certain James Bond actor featuring in the film as an un-credited Stormtrooper? Listen out. Because it’s true. All of it.

This is a journey the top dogs at LucasFilm and Disney want us to invest in with our hearts, not just our wallets, and with the real actors, real costumes, sets and props, we can. Stormtroopers have never been such a welcome return after flat CGI clones. Star ships have never looked better inside and the galaxy has never alive with a number of brilliant set pieces on this rollercoaster journey of emotions; both nostalgically and narratively. With John Williams returning to create another rousing soundtrack, be it devoid of any signature themes this time except the iconic opening, there is music from the past mixed with new themes to blend two generations together. It's exciting, tender and muted in all the right places.

The first hour eases you in, establishes the story and lets the new characters open up before pushing the throttle for the classic Star Wars narrative plot-points; dogfights, prison breaks, shoot-outs, daring escapes and lightsaber battles. And I can safely say the lightsaber duels here, thankfully not overused, actually outshine the prequels over-choreographed ballet numbers. It’s a more primitive, brutal and desperate style of fighting like we saw with Luke and Darth Vader. There’s no grace or CGI jumps and flips and powers; it’s just good and evil battling to stay alive and out-do the others, and it’s nail biting stuff and shot superbly. The action is also akin to the things we mimicked with toys as a child, and even now with computer games; Resistance v Stormtrooper shoot outs in dangerous battle zone, X-Wings v TIE Fighters above a snowy planet, and hero v villain lightsaber fights. It’s the stuff of our childhood and our current love for this galaxy.

I’ll have to stop. I could go on for ages singing the praises. Are there faults? Of course – no film is perfect, but the faults are so small it’s not even worth commenting on because you forget about them seconds later. This is damn good fun, and done so well. With a sprinkle of adventure from ‘A New Hope’, a smattering of tone from ‘The Empire Strikes Back’ and a helping of fun from ‘Return Of The Jedi’, this creates something very familiar, but something so different. In a decade full of films that rely on dark, gritty and muted tones and themes, and forces violence and sexual content down our throat we are now nearly numb to it, ‘The Force Awakens’ shows how much a film can rely on nothing but the story and content itself and nothing more to be rich in colour, exciting, vibrant, funny and emotional, dramatic and tender without being a pastiche of the films it follows or trying to be something it’s not. It’s a welcome relief for fans of film, sci-fi and escapism in general. It deserves the praise and the hype for the effort put into giving us something we’ve been waiting for.

I left the cinema with my head spinning, for all sorts of reasons. And I cannot WAIT for 2017 to continue a story that is clearly now in the right hands. As Mark Hamill said regarding the film: “Everything’s changed, but nothing’s changed.”

 

NIce review, tcr.  I second everything you say here.  I doubt the 'professional' critics reviews are as well written as yours (I have been avoiding them, as the best way to enjoy this movie is to know nothing about it going in.)  This is the first Star Wars movie in ten years, but the one we've been hoping for for three decades.

[Tarl_Cabot]

Star Wars VII the force awakens.

 

I give it a B-. It's got it's charms but JJ Abrahams continues to be mediocre. The movie looks too often like TV and there's a real shortage of action and excitement. I like the villain. The saber duel was excellent. But I expect this film won't play well in repeated viewings unlike the SW4-6 films do.

 

Before 2015 my 3 most anticipated films were 1. Spectre 2. Fury Road 3. Star Wars 7 and after seeing all three I think they rank in that order exactly but with a huge gulf in quality between Spectre, Mad Max Fury Road and SW7.

[seawolfnyy]

The Force Awakens. While not perfect, it does what it has to: make people forget about the prequels.

[SecretAgentFan]

INSIDE OUT

 

One of Pixar´s best films, right up there with, um, UP.  Also, a nice way to make kids aware of psychological processes.  Adults, too.

[MrKidd]

While not necessarily seen today, since I last posted...

Inside Out
Meh - usual Pixar emotional manipulation. Overrated. Full disclosure - left halfway through.

Jurassic world
Switched off halfway through - pedestrian

Star Wars - the new one
Not a Star Wars fan but enjoyed this one. Remember seeing John Boyega in Attack the Block. Knew he'd be a big star - very charming.

Good dinosaur and the Peanuts movie
Good for young kids especially the Peanuts movie. BTW, I do like some of the Pixar movies (above comment none withstanding). That said I cannot bear their shorts. Awful awful awful. Sentimental blackmail the lot of them.

More significantly (for me at least) I've 'discovered' Myster Science Theater 3000. Anyone else know these? Happy to share episodes I've enjoyed and willing to learn more....

[MrKidd]

Hateful Eight
Not one of his very best so I can only rate it as absolutely amazing. 3 hours of talk and I never once felt bored. My favorite director by far.