Get on up.

The James Brown musical. Nice to see Aloe Blacc in the film, even if it did make me spend a lot of time staring at him, trying to work out who he was before finally giving in and letting myself use IMDB.

I didn't know anything about James Brown before watching this film and I didn't even know many of his songs but now I know a lot more. This film has a similar feel to Dream Girls and Ray and that is because the main character is really arrogant and can't see past himself. I would have been amazed by his behaviour at times had I not already seen it whilst watching Ray and Dream Girls. The guy had one hell of a voice that really screamed out at you but no singer is anything without the people behind them playing the music for them. Most singers don't write their own music, yet they used to waltz around the stage as if they were the best thing on earth because they had the talent and charisma to front the band instead of being a better than decent musician playing behind and making the music that makes the singer great.

What can I say about the film? I love these kind of films, films with the music in that allow someone to get inside the person and play a character. I love the characters that come out. You can get really bored by reading articles about these guys but after watching the film you get to see so much of their personality, who they are when they perform, who they are in the studio, who they are at home and even who they were before they were famous. Soul music really is something that you need a talent for because fronting a soul band requires you to dance as well as having the voice to lead the line.

So what actually made this film fantastic? All the cast need a massive shout. Chadwick Boseman really needs a massive shout for his portrayal of James Brown. Sometimes the hardest challenge you can have as an actor is playing a character that is a complete asshole. The performance was near perfect and I am so happy that I can write about it instead of getting upset by it.

Get Carter (Stallone)

Stallone is back for a much better film than Rocky and possibly even better than the expendables.

Get Carter came onto my radar with a high reputation from a family member. Get Carter stars not just Stallone but also Michael Caine (who I am a die hard fan of) and Mickey Rourke. Most of the cast had been in other films that I had seen before and this made me very happy. I like that even though the selling point was Stallone there were others that helped to carry the film.

There was no grunting, no hitting first and then asking questions later. This time he asked questions first and then hit afterwards. I want to give him all the credit but because of the writing of the film and the nature of Michael Caine's character means that I can't. His character was so fantastic, so well developed and so sublime that he really did steal the show from Stallone and from Mickey Rourke. I was worried about this film because of the way that those guys grunt more than actually deliver lines but for every grunt or hard to hear line that they produced Michael Caine and the others delivered three of four of quality to make it all okay. Considering that Michael Caine was the main man when the film was originally made his character was even more fantastic.

It's a typical Stallone style film- Something goes wrong- in this film it is his brother being murdered- and then he goes and kills everyone until he finds out why his brother was murdered and then he kills the murderer as well. It wouldn't be a Stallone film if he didn't get to hit people and shoot them and it is back to him doing what he does best which is intimidating and killing people. I actually really enjoyed Get Carter and it has a great soundtrack to go with it which helps to make everything a lot better. I wont give an in-depth analysis of this film because the plot is easy to follow and the film is easy to watch. If you are a Stallone fan and haven't watched the film then you should. If you aren't a fan then you probably shouldn't bother trying to watch a film that you wont enjoy.

I will watch the original later on in the year and post about it to determine who i believe to be better in the role of Jack Carter- Michael Caine or Sylvester Stallone.

Roman Holiday

I like to keep things changing on the blog by watching things of different genre's so as to avoid the boredom of having only action posts appearing one after the other. I know that I haven't yet done a silent movie but I have a Buster Keaton one that I want to watch so it will feature within the next two weeks.

I've taken a trip back towards the beauty of old films and have turned back to Audrey Hepburn, this time alongside Gregory Peck for the film 'Roman Holiday'.

My admiration for Audrey Hepburn just grows and grows every time that I see one of her films. To an extent she plays the same characters but like Colin Firth, she is exceptionally good at playing similar characters. I found her character of royalty a treasure to behold and I was very satisfied with her performance. There were some crazy moments in the film that made me laugh and there were some other moments when I almost wanted to bury my head in my hands. None of it was bad but the naivety of some of the characters was at times too much to bear.

Gregory Peck was calm and composed. At times he was so calm that it was hard to think that he was anything but a fictional character because all the excitement was controlled, almost boxed away somewhere. The character was fantastic and something of a treasure. A guy that ends up with royalty staying in his apartment hardly shows any excitement or emotion about it- a reporter who's financial situation very much depends on getting a story from this woman and yet he doesn't write it down and doesn't publish it.

The scenes of Rome were lovely and even though it was a black and white film the sight of Rome was captured perfectly from the motorbike scene. I was very pleased with this film and so relieved to be able to say that I have seen Roman Holiday.

The Ring.

Firstly I have to apologise for the lack of horror genre films on the blog this year. I am not a fan of horror films and don't actively try and find them so I a just working my way through the ones that I know an I have successfully done so. There are a few more to go on the blog but after that then I will be completely out of horror suggestions.

It wasn't until I read the plot synopsis from Wikipedia that I managed to actually work out what had happened in the film. The film leaves everything open for a second film, in fact; it doesn't actually end as such, it more just blacks out and leaves you wondering what is going to happen next when the credits come up. This is a remake of the Japanese film 'Ring' based on the book in Japan.

This film did really well in cinema and Gore Verbinksi and his crew won several awards with this film. Deservedly so because it was actually a very good film with a good plot, not much character development but time and clear planning for further events to take place. The score was done by Hans Zimmer and therefore I do not need to say anything more about the score.

Even though this film was released in 2002 it seemed like it was made ages ago. The effects seemed somewhat seriously outdated and it was only 14 years ago that it was released and was scaring people left, right and center. Naomi Watts was sublime as the leading woman and the support behind her from the other characters was fantastic. She didn't have to do all the work herself, her son carried a lot of it and although i don't know if this is true, it would be understandable to think that the character of Henry from Once Upon A Time was based upon the character of Aidan. Horror is never going to be my cup of tea and so it will always be hard for me to write long posts about it but this film was much better than Black Swan or Saw.

Kiss of the Dragon

It's been a while since I watched a martial arts film so I've decided that the first of a few films today will be Kiss of the Dragon and then I can change to horror or something else.

The first thing that I noticed is that Jet Li is left handed. Whilst this has no impact on the plot it makes me very happy.
Now on to the real stuff. What makes this film different is that it uses modern methods. A corrupt police officer is nothing new to a story line but this film is clearly what paved the way for Rush Hour but Rush Hour is far worse than this film. Kiss of the Dragon is the rock for all modern martial arts films, using guns and all methods of fighting. The stunts are amazing and the fighting is incredible. Everything that could be seen in Ip Man and Ip Man 2 can also be seen in this film and as a fan of martial arts films it pleases me greatly to be able to see the influence and work of other greats in these films.

Not all the credit goes to Jet Li, some of it goes to Bridget Fonda as well who was superb as the supporting and yet leading lady. Playing the role of a women that talks far too much she looks amazing in her role as a hooker and is fantastic as an assistant and double agent to both sides. There were times when her excessive talking irritated me but there were some really great moments as well when i was really impressed with her.

The fight scene at the end was fantastic. Watch Jet Li take on like 100 cops and some students and just kick their ass every time. The twin characters that could only fight with their legs were a bit of a let down. I hate it when people can't fight a fair fight one on one and need the support of others because it makes them really weak and then watching them only fight with kicks was equally as disappointing, they were probably the worst characters in the film.

The Railway Man.

Colin Firth comes back to the blog in another equally moving film. The last time he featured was Gambit but that was more for Alan Rickman than Colin Firth. The Last film staring him that I watched because of him was 'A Single Man' and it was incredibly moving. The Railway Man is just as moving, maybe not quite as moving as Schindlers List but it is pushing for second place on the list of war related movies.

The Railway Man is about a man who was a prisoner of war and struggles with Post Traumatic Stress Dissorder. All that he is interested in is trains (Autsim?) and for a long time his life is only filled up by trains. Then he meets a woman (Nicole Kidman) and marries her. She was a nurse and she wants to help him but he wont talk about what happened so she gets most of the facts from a friend of Eric's that was also a prisoner of war with him.

The film becomes so moving in the last fifteen minutes when Eric goes and finds his tormentor from the war and talks to him. Overcoming the nightmares and the voices/ flashbacks is the hardest thing in the world to do. The way that Colin Firth does it is a true display of art and talent. The anger can clearly be seen in the eyes but the compassion that eventually comes out is genius. It is clear to see that this is a man who is angered by what was done to him but is not angered enough repeat the actions done to him on his tormentor.

All credit must be given to Hiroyuki Sanada, his empathy and emotion whilst opposite Colin Firth enables Colin Firth to display the emotion in a way that is both something to be admired and something to be feared. A moving film isn't created by just one person and it certainly took at least three people and the extra help from Stellan Skarsgard.

This is another film that should have won awards but it was probably beaten out by other fantastic films released in 2013.

22 Jump Street.

The first one was fantastic. Jump Street was a series that originally started Johnny Depp so we can expect many more of these films.

Did Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill ever look like they could pass for being in high school? No but somehow they managed to make a really good film out of not being able to pass for their undercover roles, so why stop there?

Now they go to college and it is certainly a place that you would never expect to find Channing Tatum. The good thing about this film is that they didn't try to pretend that were of college age, instead they just get on with the story and make a decent film out of it. Tatum ended up playing American Football and actually passed for being very good at it. He could have earned a sports scholarship somewhere but he could never really pass for being in a psychology class or the likes because I know from experience that Psychology is intense and requires a lot more brain power than people think.

There were those moments when they gave themselves away within the first few days of college and you wanted to bury your head in your hands but apart from that it was fairly well done. There are some things that you know that they just can't pull off and them going to medical school- 23 Jump Street - is just never going to happen. Some people just aren't able to come across as being intelligent and rather unfortunately for them, only really smart people go to medical school.

It was a good film and not a play for laughs kind of film either so hopefully the next one will be just as good.

Easter Parade

Fred Astaire and Judy Garland star in this somewhat pointless and slightly boring dance film.

No need to go over the plot- he's well off and she's poor, he's a dancer and he teachers how to dance. Judy Garland can sing and she could play the piano but in her piano scene her fingers are so obviously not playing what you are hearing that it is ridiculous. If she can't play the piano that well then why make it look she is attempting to play?

The one funny part of this film was Judy Garland walking down the street and pulling a fish like face, or rather more appropriately a tuba face to make Gentlemen turn around and look at her. The scene is hilarious and one that will never stop being funny but it is the only truly wonderful thing about that film. The dances are okay but even the tap dancing isn't in time with the music and there aren't enough steps for the music going on. I know that people loved Fred Astaire but he has made better films and the better actors play different roles. The only role that I have seen him take on where he wasn't a dancer was his role as a photographer in Funny Face and even then he was an upper class man.

There are better films of his that should be watched instead of this one.

Gambit.

Having had an Alan Rickman marathon last weekend I knew that I had to watch possibly the only film of his left on my challenge for this year.
When I thought of Gambit I thought of the character played by Dominic Monoghan in the really awful X-Men Origins: Wolverine film. I got excited because I thought that it was a marvel superhero film that I had missed but it turns out that it was a film staring Alan Rickman, Cameron Diaz, Colin Firth, Tom Courtenay and Stanley Tucci. I am none the wiser of what Gambit actually means and I will have to look it up because it can really relate to a superhero that can control lights and an art dealer and expert.

Alan Rickman was superb in his role. Somewhat reminiscent of his character in Sense and Sensibility, which in itself was very similar to Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. Superiority, respect, (mostly) fair treatment of the ladies and some general dislike towards men he considers to be of lesser status than himself.

The way that this film unfolds is a confusing and in some ways, mess of a film. A story that doesn't actually come together until the end, it starts off by showing you what you think is the plot to the story and then that was only a proposal and it doesn't actually happen like that and by the end you are either left very confused by it all or left thinking that it was very cleverly done. I thought that it was very clever. I didn't think that the character of Colin Firth was actually capable of some of the measures that he took in the film. I was also very impressed with performance from Cameron Diaz. I have come to associate her with a specific role and that is one that is normally very annoying. This character was very different, one that was both unsure and yet very confident at the same time which was intriguing.

This film is one of a kind. This film is how Mortdecai should have gone but Mortdecai just lacked, well, everything really.

A Royal Night Out.

I missed this one when it came out. I wasn't of the right generation to really understand what the film was really about until I had seen it but now that I have my British history has been greatly improved.

Rupert Everett was superb as King George. Seeing Colin Firth turn into him was actually relatively easy. You would think that because the King's Speech and A Royal Night Out were not made as follow ons from each other and weren't really intended to have very much in common with the other that you wouldn't be able to see Colin Firth looking like Rupert Everett but you kind of can.

Rupert Everett has the right voice for the part of a king but he doesn't over use it. In this film we see a more authoritative figure than we had seen from Colin Firth but I liked it like that. Emily Watson is a completely different wife to Helena Bonham-Carter and it allowed the king's character to become more of a leader than we had seen before. Although Emily Watson was controlling and very strict she had times when she was simply just the woman by the side of the King.

The filming took place in Hull and the bus scene was just fantastic. It was possibly the hardest thing that they had to film and it was done perfectly. Everything about it gave it a feel of Central London, Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Nothing was over-complicated and nothing was only half done. Everything was done to the highest standard and that includes to upper class British accent from the American lady staring as Princess Elizabeth.

Die Hard 2

I thought that I had seen some of this one before but it is so hard to tell when all you see is a few minutes of Bruce Willis running around shooting at people and swearing at Christmas.

Was this as good as the first one? No. I am a huge fan of Alan Rickman and just feel that he edged it as the villain over William Saddler. I can't talk about the budget of these films or the special effects because they were minimal. Die Hard really is one of those action films that does everything convincingly. In the fights nothing was overdone, I wasn't watching it whilst rolling my eyes and mentioning how this scene was so obviously done by the stunt double or was sped up etc I was just watching it and appreciating how easy it is to make a good film by just sticking to the simple things and trying to make things realistic instead of getting carried away by what we can do with technology.

I have another 3 Die Hard films to go so alongside the Mission Impossible films they should make for good watching and serve as a good comparison against each other.

Die Hard is a typical action film with the same kind of feel as The Fast And The Furious. Each film has a similar plot and is set around Christmas. Once you know that you know what to expect from each film and it helps to not raise the bar too high. Take it for what it is- A cop film about one man practically saving the day.