Legend

Tom Hardy takes on the role as 'The Kray twins'. One is slightly unhinged and the other is one of the biggest gangsters in the east end. Constantly beating up people who interfere with him, his life is one of sorrow really and at times we forget that.

I don't know much about these legendary twins and I am happier at not knowing the details about them because I can marvel at the performance. Often in these kind of movies there is not much emotion shown past anger but in this movie he got to show off his talent extraordinarily. Sympathy was permitted, almost a tear at times- the performance was outstanding. Tom Hardy does actually look quite a lot like him and can pull off being the gangster and swearing a lot. Since his role as 'Bane' in 'Batman: The Dark Knight Rises' he has carried the physique of someone who is more solid. well built and could knock out anyone or kill a man.

Alongside him with an also outstanding performance was Emily Browning. Her voice narrating was lovely- it gave something extra to the film. Take that away and the film would be a lot less magnificent and appealing. Still relatively young in the world of film and making a name for herself, her east end accent was also remarkable and she should be held in high praise. It takes a lot to be the woman next to man who ended his life with Cancer after being released from prison after 33 years (or there abouts). It could have easily been a performance where she swore a lot and got aggressive but she chose her moments, swore when she needed to and sounded angry but she didn't turn around and hit someone or try to challenge the authority by becoming more violent. She knew who she was and what she was doing. In the end she couldn't take it but she was perfect in the role. The casting for this film was perfect on every level and the soundtrack was a decent selection to go with it.

An educational film, a film that everyone from London should see once so that they understand a part of this countries history but it is not a film that you need to see more than once. The performances are ones that you will never forget and the film is one that you will not forget for a long time.

I raise my glass to this film!

Shoot 'Em Up

The Clive Owen version of 'Taken' or rather- the film that paved the way for 'Taken'. Clive Owen steps in to save the life of a pregnant woman who give birth and is then shot whilst he is killing 50 people to save her.

One has to admire the way in which he takes on 50 people and kills them all. At times there were a few scenes in which you could have thought that some of the stunts or lack of bullets/ wounds that he takes is a little unreal but for the most part everything was just very well thought out and very well managed. At no point did he think 'I'm just gonna go in there and see how many I can kill before I get killed', he thought it out, he planned it out. From the way that every gun was positioned you could see him thinking it out, planning for every move and attack.

No emotion from him apart from the few cries of pains that he gave when various fingers were broken. Even the sex scene had no emotion from him, no love, no lust, it just looked a little boring and like it was too much effort for what it was worth. I know that it is a shooting film but actors do need to show some emotion when filming, otherwise we could have just pulled a random young man off of the streets, given him a gun and put him in front of a camera. Not everyone would be able to pull it off like Clive Owen does but without him there still would have been a film because Paul Giamatti was staring alongside him, being as fabulous and fantastic as ever and also Monica Belucci graced us with her presence and she was sublime. Clive Owen has some great lines at the end of scenes which involve him killing people with vegetables. He delivered them with no emotion and the jury is still out on how they feel about that. Watch it and you will understand why they are unsure.

The soundtrack was fantastic. ACDC, Nirvana, Motorhead, Mottleycrue, Iggy Pop and Greenday. Nothing makes a film more fantastic than a solid soundtrack that speaks volumes and accompanies every scene and movement in the film.

Not the greatest film but a passable film and one to watch when you feel the need to watch something like 'Taken'.

Mockingjay 1

The Hunger Games are back for another installment. I strongly disliked Catching Fire because it appeared to have no real plot. As stated before, I have not actually read the books so I cannot compare them and tell if they are just following the books and that the books don't really have a plot past the first film/ book but I would like to think that for them to be so successful they must have had more of a plot than shown in the 'Catching Fire'.

Following a film with no real plot, just a re-do of the first film they had to continue with developing the plot. Jenifer Lawrence is permitted to actually act in this film, to show emotion and to be a real person. They get it right- don't script her, just let her work with it, let her fight and let her show emotion when it needs to be shown. The ending sets it up for the final installment and states clearly what needs to be done but i'm not entirely convinced that it will be worth watching so it is going on the list for next year so that I have a year to prepare myself for having to watch this stuff again.

The best part of this film was the quote about the worst torture being waiting knowing that there is nothing that we can do. For all the lines and speeches that were written for Phillip Seymour Hoffman's character to feed to the other characters there was not one as good as the quote delivered by the leader of district 13.  The lines were emotional, she was fantastic and everyone stepped up a gear with less focus on Jenifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson and more space to shine. Josh Hutcherson was once again pathetic in this film and his character is pathetic which is a shame but he is probably going to finish the installments as a pathetic character over taken by several other men and obviously not to mention that he will always be out shined by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks (who was fantastic even without her hair) and Liam Hemsworth who is making quite a name for himself whilst living in his brothers shadow.

The next film has a way to jump in order to restore the franchise to where it should be but this was a huge step in the right direction.

Moneyball.

The way to buy and improve a baseball team for a cheap price. Brad Pitt is the mastermind behind it all, his idea, his contacts and a few friends to locate the best uncovered talents at a cheap price.

Moneyball is a hard one to judge. Most of the film is spent in a room with a board of people discussing the possibilities of improving the baseball team. One of the simplest roles for Brad Pitt- just a guy that has to keep his cool and act like a business man. It can't be that hard right? Nothing spectacular about his performance but we have to remember that he is the conductor, the orchestrator of everything that happens in this movie.

Jonah Hill and Chris Pratt join him in his quest to make the team that wins twenty league games in a row, thus setting a new record and becoming something of a mastermind coup. Jonah Hill is a lot better in this film than he ever was in 21 Jump Street or 22 Jump Street. Those films were too much for him, the first one was fine but the second it was clear to see that he was way past it. In this film, with a suit and a computer he is a lot more effective and a lot more convincing. This is a better role for him and he played it with a lot more conviction than previous roles in previous films.

Chris Pratt was different, less arrogant and convinced me that he could actually act! I have never seen this level of performance from Chris Pratt before. This performance was award worthy just because it was different from his normal same old self.

The talented Mr. Ripley.

Every film on this blog is picked randomly by cover recognition from movie quiz's, suggestion from other people's lists of films or from a random selection of films released in each year that comes up in google. Nothing is read about the film before watching it so there are going to be a few weird films that have you wondering why they have been chosen- just random luck.

The Talented Mr. Ripley. A bit of a hard one to really work out, many plots and sub plots that make things quite difficult to truly understand. Mr. Ripley himself (Matt Damon) is in his own words 'A Nobody', a Piano player that is mistaken for someone that goes to Princeton and is paid to go to Italy and convince Dickie (Jude Law) to come back to the states. This film is all about how Ripley manages to keep conning people, assuming identities and also keep lovers of both genders. Ripley manages to clear himself of multiple murders and almost kills everyone in the entire film. 

Matt Damon takes on the task of playing the weird, somewhat Gatsby like character that is Tom Ripley and he is a very convincing sneaky and conflicted character. Nothing in him suggests that he is a cold blooded killer but then often killers are made to be killers by an accident and nothing more. When he killed he looked like he could quite easily do it, when he was preparing to kill the delivery of the lines made you shiver and want to run away, you feared for Gwyeneth Paltrow and she was cowering too- she wasn't convinced by him and she was the only one that was on the right track- she saw him for what he really was.

Cate Blanchett was tasked with the job of being the fiancee to Ripley. Her somewhat cold and hard to read face makes her perfect for a role like this. Did she ever truly love him? We think so and you are supposed to think so. Was she entirely convinced by his performance? We'll never know but when he dumped her that should have shown her clearly what he was.

Jack Davenport and Phillip Seymour Hoffman took on the assisting roles. I have so much respect for the both of them that it seems pointless to waste time saying things that have already been said. One thing that neither Jude Law nor Jack Davenport will ever manage to do is hide their very British accents but that doesn't matter too much. A friend, a stubborn child, a suspicious man, it didn't matter what they were doing in this film because they were all united in death, deceived by the very talented Mr. Ripley.

People don't like this film- is it because they don't like the topic or because they don't like the acting in it? As far as my eyes can see there is nothing wrong with the acting from the cast of well known names so it must be the topic and I can understand why it may not become your favourite film but in my book it was a good film. Not one that I need to watch again for a few years but one that I would watch again.

It's a wonderful life

This film should be named 'It's a Wonderful Life... in the end, so keep watching'. Most of this film is depressing but if you know anyone that is a depressant and is borderline suicidal then show them this film because even though you will have to watch it with them to make sure that they get to the end, in the end it will make them feel better and think twice about killing themselves. I stress the 'in the end' because the film is quite depressing throughout until the very end and could make you more suicidal than you were already so make sure that you stay with the person watching the film.

Let's focus on one of the greatest films and the Christmas tradition of Dinozzo in NCIS. This film is a classic, a category that does not exist on netflix and is in a league of its own. I have never watched a film that can make you so depressed and yet so happy. There are so many films that are very depressing and several films that make you really happy (normally called Romantic Comedies) but very few that can do both to you in the way that this film does.

James Stewart takes the lead, he was a big thing around the time that this film was made but we are not sure why. This week I am spending each night watching a film with my Sister and her Husband and we get to make lots of comments about the actors and various others things. Our comment for this film was 'Why is James Stewart allowed to be in films?' A just question. Once you have seen him in something else you will realise that he can't act, his slurring is normal, he always appears drunk except when he is angry. The other common mistake is that he is paired against really attractive women and that doesn't work for him. I can see the attraction but there were better looking guys out there. Another question that we were asking was 'Why is George Bailley considered to be a great character?' At the end of the film we started to see why but there wasn't enough to make us consider him to be put in the 'Atticus Finch' pile of greatest characters ever.

I did enjoy this film though. It had a bit of everything in it and it is a classic but I wouldn't make it my tradition of watching it at Christmas. One for the collection and one for the hall of flame because of its ability to draw out emotions but only for that reason.

See you all tomorrow!

Begin Again.

Often sceptical about a film that requires Keira Knightley to sing but pleasantly surprised by this film. James Corden proved that he could sing in the film 'Into the woods'. He was fantastic in this film and he can really pull off being a singer songwriter.
This film is not about uncovering a hidden talent (even though it is supposed to be) because even though Knightley has kept it a secret that she can sing, she has a voice but it is not a truly fantastic voice. The way that she writes is good enough, they have written songs for her voice, songs with potential that then reach the heights as the movie develops. I was very unsure of this film until I watched it and then I started loving it. A film with a plot and a set list of great music makes it a really good piece of work.


just to cap it off, Mark Ruffalo dies what I would do with music, hears the way to make it better. His character would be nothing if he wasn't a homeless mess- predictable but just fantastic in every way. Sometimes the people that have lost the most are the people that make the best music and the best artwork as it gives sentiment and value to everything that you do and you have a point to prove.


nice cameo from Adam Levine, couldn't mistake him anywhere. Likewise for Cee Lo Green. All of this was great, much better than I ever thought that it could be.    

The Green Hornet

This film is terrible. We were aware that it was shocking according to public opinion before watching it but as movies are based on each individual liking abd there is always something that makes each person like something.


Seth Rogan is starring in this film and that kinda says a lot about the film. I can't stand the sight f him anymore. His character was an arrogant imbocile who treated everyone like rubbish and thought that he was better Tha the useless jerk that he was in the film. We spent the entire film hating him and waiting for the side kick who actually had skill, talent and courage to dump the jerk and make his own way in the world. The film was predictable from the first second that it started. The occasional funny moments weren't enough to make it enjoyable but saying all that, no matter how rubbish a film is, unless it is porn you should always try to watch to the end so that is what we did.
don't waste your time watching this film, it isn't worth it in any way.

Blow (The film- not about sex).

Seen many of this type of film on the blog- Donnie Brasco, Goodfellas, Scarface and even Casino. Blow is in that category but does not have the common denominator of Al Pacino or De Niro, this time it is led by Johnny Depp.

Mr. Depp has spent a while away from the blog. There will be many more films of his on the blog as his career is vast and once you find an actor that you like you tend to watch as much as possible with them in to reinforce your reasons for liking them.
The blonde hair does not work for him. Depp has never really been a natural blonde and with his dark eyebrows and slightly tanned skin his hair is always going to look fake. The hair also leaves a lot of view for his face and in this case it doesn't work too well for him. Sometimes the hair helps and sometimes it hinders, in this case the latter because the face does not do enough to convince anyone.
Was it a different performance from him? The jury is out. At times it looked like there was a new character but then at times it just looked like every other Depp performance. As this was one of his earlier films we can say that this performance set the bar and that bar was raised higher after every new film for ten years.

This film is almost entirely just about Depp. His wife (Penelope Cruz) and his daughter are the only other characters worth mentioning and the wife confused me greatly. The performance was good but the character is weird. Either stick by the guy or don't but don't get him arrested for no reason, he's already been there and done that one several times so let him take a break- especially when he is trying to turn it all around.

The daughter was fantastic at the end. The transformation from cute little kid to horrible brat was immediate and fantastic. The beautiful performance that reminds you just how horrible children can be.

Star Trek Beyond.

In the UK this film was released today (22nd July). With the Marvel universe spinning around combining their entire universe into each film that they make and trying to accommodate equality and everything else that the world throws at them the fans of Star Trek got to enjoy another great film that already had all of that (without the Marvel Universe) in one film and not in many, with no character changes.

Chris Pine is a little chubbier and therefore when going up against Idris Elba it looks a little unbelievable but that is film for you. Karl Urban is getting older but so are we all, age doesn't effect your ability to act and to continue in a role.

A separate film to the ones before it and that is how Star Trek is going to be. None of the films rely on the others to keep them going, they only follow on in having the same characters doing the same kind of things, nothing more and nothing less. This is a great way to have a film, it doesn't mean that you have to have seen the previous film to understand the new one and it doesn't leave you sighing about how you have to wait another year at least before the next film is released. Star Trek is showing the world how to be a successful film franchise whilst creating consistently creating good stand alone films. Doesn't matter what happened in the last film because the next film bears no relevance to it.
Was it as good as 'In to darkness'? Yes. It would be hard for a new Star Trek film to beat the standards set by the previous film because they fundementally all have the same running order in terms of plot. You know what to expect from the film and it doesn't disappoint.

Karl Urban has all of the best lines but the star of the film and not because of his acting is Simon Pegg. Simon Pegg co-wrote the film and then continued his reprisal as Montgomery Scott. His role is a fantastic addition to the films and was the difference between the first and second films being good and even better. Star Trek holds a lot of promise and everyone should go and see Star Trek Beyond.

District 13 U

Another freerunning film. It has been a while since the discovery of this incredible freerunning french film. Since then a few other films with free running in have featured on the blog and I had forgotten that no film, not even Ninja Assassin could trump this film for freerunning.

District 13 Ultimatum has no wires, no stunt doubles, just the two main guys running and fighting- if they fall and die, they die and there would be no film. Some of the stunts were incredible- jumping out of a window that in England would have been considered at least 4 stories high to land on the roof of a car, roll and the get up like nothing had happened. The bruises landing probably would have killed me if I had tried to do it but for those guys they are used to it. Yes- there were almost definitely crash mats underneath the window but even so, I would be winded if I had to do that but I'm not as fit and agile as those guys.

What to expect from this film? The same thing found in the first film. Similar plot, same characters and why would you change a winning formula? With a film like this you watch it to admire the action. You can guess the plot but they did the right thing and stopped after making the second film because something as predictable as this solely relies on the stunts and fight scenes to keep it in demand. The audience is very specific. This film is a real action film- we saw promises of what freerunning could do in the made up scenes at the beginning of Casino Royal with Sebastien Foucan but it didn't really reach the heights that it was expected to until Parkour became a popular thing. Turns out that with the father of freerunning being french, freerunning is popular in France and so if you can handle watching a film in french and using subtitles you can just enjoy what an true action film is.

Better than the first film simply because when you know what to expect they have to raise their game to impress you and this film managed it from the moment that the film kicked off.

On this blog we try to have films from all genres. This may not have been something that interested you and I can't guarantee that every night there will be something that does interest you- I can't please everyone that stumbles across this blog but by watching different types of films I hope that somewhere along the line someone will stumble on a film that interested them and will watch new films.

Analyze This.

The world's favorite mafia mob is back. Robert De Niro seems to be the chosen man to take on all such roles and he does so with great pleasure.

Released in 1995, starring Lisa Kudrow as the future wife of Billy Crystal (the shrink) this film is about how a therapist manages to help and save the life of a mafia don. To analyse this film properly one should not focus on Robert De Niro, who is the god of gangster films, rather focus on Billy Crystal who is making his debut on the blog. Playing a similar role to one that I have seen Robin Williams take on in the film 'Good Will Hunting' one would expect the same kind of calm and yet at the same time impatient character that we saw from Williams. In the therapy room this is not the case.  We get a lot of what he might want to say to a client but doesn't actually say it. This makes him immediately different from Williams and make it his own character. I believe that of these films 'Good Will Hunting' was made first and so it is a safe bet to assume that the character was based on the original therapist in 'Good Will Hunting'. Now that we have established this we can move on.

Billy Crystal- where to start. Solid performance from him. Emotion at all the right times whilst still keeping some client confidentiality. I am not entirely sure that he would be able to tell his fiancee (Lisa Kudrow) the name of his clients but let us forget that because this is a film for us to enjoy so we shall let it slide. The best moment of the film was probably when the man 'killed himself' by attempting to shoot De Niro and ending up being thrown out of a seven story window, disrupting the wedding of the therapist who then goes running into his clients room to complain about how he didn't manage to get married because he ran away from the wedding to complain about the death of a person who left a note saying 'I am killing myself, signed the guy who killed himself'.

Nice to see Lisa Kudrow in something that wasn't her role as Phoebe Buffet in the TV series 'Friends' or a cheesy romantic comedy which isn't worth watching. The role was perfect for her- a little whiney but nonetheless very good and very supportive.

The Illusionist.

If you are like me and first watched 'The Prestige' then you could be forgiven for being doubtful over this film, thinking that it would just be a film trying to be like it (or rather 'The Prestige' being like 'The Illusionist') and not managing to be as good as 'The Prestige', however, you would be a  much wiser person to watch both and then decide for yourself. A similar feel yet they should not be compared to each other.

If you look at the stellar cast of Ed Norton (Hulk, Fight Club, American History X), Rufus Sewell (A Knights Tale, The Tourist), Paul Giamatti (Donnie Brasco, My Best Friends wedding, The Truman Show) and Jessica Biel (The A-Team, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) then you will know that you are in for a treat. Set in Vienna, the beautiful scenery of Vienna is shown and enjoyed in the entire film.

Ed Norton one feels must steal the show with his performance of Eisenheim, the illusionist. A master plan has been cooked and is delivered to perfection. What this man has, what the performance has is swagger, emotion and yet sublime passion and intelligence. You can watch the entire film and then only put the pieces together at the end when the inspector (Paul Giamatti) is doing so as well. Once you see all the pieces you understand the film but you do have to keep watching- never take your eyes off of it because you don't know what you will miss. 

Paul Giamatti so almost stole the show. The heroic, loyal and yet somewhat overlooked and underrated contributions made by his character were worthy of an award in themselves. This wasn't a supporting role, it was as much a leading role as it was of a supporting role. Ever present and ever unfaltering when you thought that he lacked the nerve to do the boldest thing he stood up and did it. Together they were a perfect team ,with a common enemy in Rufus Sewell (well he's in a film, he had to be the baddy). If it hadn't have been for his weird eyes that give him away I would not have known that it was Rufus Sewell playing the role of the Crown Prince. The arrogance was there but not as much as we have seen in a few of his other displays. This character had a darker side to him but also was not the villain that he was made out to be. What he does need to be credited for though is a performance that brought the best out of the rest of the cast, they responded to him and united against him.

The question that we all must ask ourselves after seeing the end of the film is- how did he manage that?

Pearl Harbor.

To quote the creators of Team America 'I miss you more than Michael Bay missed the mark when he made Pearl Harbor'. Growing up with this song helps to prepare you for some of the tortures that await you in life. The link to the song is below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsPrQgTO0HU

Pearl Harbor- the film that most people will acknowledge as being terrible, yet there are those sacred few that actually think that it contributed something to the film world (they liked it). A three hour long film staring Ben Afleck? Even when he was younger and somewhat attractive that should never have been on the cards. What people see in him is a little hard for me to understand- he never had the charisma to be a solid leading man or hero in a film. A film that long needs to be packed with more than just action. Romance needs to be top notch and it wasn't, plot needs to revolve around more than just your leading Lad and Lady.

To pick apart the flaws in this film would take more time than anyone should actually be prepared to admit that they have. If you liked this film then I am sorry that you have stumbled across this post. The only decent film that I have seen Ben Afleck perform well in to-date is Daredevil. Maybe it was something about his accent in this film or just the fact that I saw nothing that really moved me but I do feel that the best he ever performed was when he was playing a character that couldn't see anything and so the emotions and portrayal of the character had to be done differently. That was a challenge, one that he rose too but actually it said a lot about it- he should have made his living being in films about disabilities because when he has to do something more than look good and fall in love with a beautiful woman he can act, when he doesn't, he can't.

Kate Beckinsale has a better career than displayed in this film. It's not that she was bad, she was probably the pick of the bunch but this film being what it was is probably one that she would prefer to pretend didn't happen. I am waiting for someone to comment with 'Van Helsing?' but I actually really liked that film. Hugh Jackman was brilliant and the transformations were epic so please don't bother with that. Underworld is a fantastic launch to reignite her career- she has a lot going for her at the moment. She didn't rise to the same fame that Ben Afleck did from this film (at least not enough to get mentioned in the song) and that has worked well for her.

Everything about Pearl Harbor seemed distant and almost unreal. Films based on something this historical are supposed to be emotional but also relate-able and I couldn't relate to this film, it didn't bring me to tears or even really spark any emotion in me and that is a shame.

Ghostbusters (2016)

The most important thing here is that this film is not for people who are 'Boring, Serious and Ugly' (Legally Blond). If you do not consider yourself any of the above then you can continue reading the post.

Many questions have been asked about this film since it became known that the cast was heavily female instead of the male cast we remember including Dan Akroyd and Bill Murray. It's not a feminist approach, it is merely making the point that women can be top scientists as well. It almost works better because people were generally less likely to believe women raging on about the paranormal (ghosts) and publishing books about it.

Comical from start to finish but natural comedy. You could laugh at it because you appreciated it, you didn't have to think too much about the joke but you instantly understood it. It wasn't Crass or what sometimes we would call male humour and it wasn't out and out trying to be funny- the humour was slotted in at the right times to make it pleasant and very enjoyable Any film that has this quote 'I believe that God always knows what he is doing but I do think that he was drunk when he made her personality' is going to be funny but in a good way. The modern spin on it helped to make it a new film instead of an attempt to remake a good film. The same plot with the same characters but they really went out of their way to change as much as possible to make it a new film. If you are going to remake something then you need to strip it down to its core, keep the core as it was and then build your own layers on top of the working core that everyone loved and admired.

A stunning, serious performance from Melissa McCarthy was surprising. As stated about Keira Knightly yesterday, Melissa McCarthy is finally letting her career develop naturally and blossom. She is another late bloomer. Moving on from trying to be funny and only appearing in films where she is supposed to play off being fat and funny she has started to take on some serious roles and this was perfect for her. The humour was easy to play on but the seriousness of he in her belief of ghosts was fantastic. The way that she bounced off of Kristen Wiig was admirable. To start with the character was a little childish but then she grew up and they were both allowed to play off of each other excellently. None of them were standout performers and that made it a very balanced film.

Chris Hemsworth was the comical value in the film. The stupidity was played well, not overdone but stupid in a believable way that just made you laugh at times. Nice to see him playing a less serious and 'hench' role. Don't get me wrong, he is not the kind of guy that would do well with making romantic comedies but he can play a part in less action based serious films.
Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones made up the rest of the cast, with the later playing typically on some racial stereotypes. The entire squad was perfect. With a supporting feature from Charles Dance one has to accept that this film is not the original and is simply something for families to enjoy that isn't animated.
The Fallout Boy version of the theme blaring out was fantastic. I am a huge fan of them and have been listening to their theme for a few weeks now. I loved that they kept the original Halloween version throughout the film as well.

Vantage Point.

Denis Quaid and Forest Whitaker are some of the stars in this film.
Plot- simple. The president dies and there are eight possible suspects with the perfect view. The film goes back in time to look at the events and view from the point of view and vantage point of each suspect so as to get a better idea of what happened and who did it.

A moving, heroic performance from Forest Whitaker. The man with the camera sees everything and at the same time risks his life to save a child. Denis Quaid is the hero of the film- he is supposed to be the hero that kills the bad guys and saves the day, except that he can't save the day but he can kill some of the bad guys. When he gets in the car you know that he is going to kill the guy he is after, you almost start shaking then and there. He doesn't save the life of the child but he does kill a lot of people and do his job.

Quaid is fantastic but this film was about Forest Whitaker. It wasn't about the man that manages to do his job and attempt to save the life of the president, it was about the man that ran in to the road, picked up the child and avoided the on rushing ambulance that was arriving faster than a south-west train. The moment that he says 'i'm fine' whilst fighting to hold back the tears of shock from what he is just done he stole the film, the awards (not that it won any) and everyone's praise.

The film itself was fantastic. A great build up to the ending which was a huge climax and then a fantastic but slightly predictable ending.

Anna Karenina.

A host of stars lead the line and a chance for Keira Knightley to make her name as a leading lady. This is a matter of opinion and can divide people that may stumble across the post but for me she has never done well as a leading lady until I saw this film.

Many years ago Matthew McFaden and Keira Knightley starred in Pride and Prejudice. McFaden was the better of the two as his portrayal of Darcy was accurate and similar to the impression that I received from reading the Jane Austin novel countless times over. Keira Knightley was a young woman struggling to establish herself as a leading lady- a little too much fame too soon and not enough time to mature properly. Now she has done just that. Her career stumbled a little but she has picked it up beautifully and this performance tops off a few remarkable performances. Success at an early age but a career peak at almost thirty- I don't have an issue with when it happens so long as it does happen and talent is displayed.

Jude Law was the pick of the bunch. A humble husband and father- more like the father from Pride and Prejudice. A character played with solidarity and solace- a man devoted to his wife and a man of honour, a man who will not hear from other people of his wife's dishonest misdoings. A man who forgives his cheating wife when he fears that death is going to take her and then continues to try and make her happy even though he cannot. The portrayal is fantastic. Never letting his emotions get the better of him and always understanding the importance of every decision he makes, Jude Law shows a completely unseen side of him with this character. It takes great skill to remain almost emotionless when the desire is there to make the character weaker and much more emotional. Stunning performance from him.

One that I wasn't sure of was Domhnall Glesson. I couldn't make up my mind about him. The character was just of one that wasn't ever truly sure about anything.Whilst the character was played well, it wasn't a character that displayed true talent. The character was more of one that someone takes on in their first film when they are making their debut and are slightly unsure about exactly how they should perform once the nerves kick in. He has done better roles than this one but this served as a platform for making him noticed in the world.

The Choreography in the ball scene was sublime- I could not take my eyes off of it. The movement was flawless but it was more than that- it seemed easy, like everyone should be able to learn this very long and complicated yet elegant dance routine to be danced at all balls (because we all go to so many). Just those few minutes made the film so much better than it was already shaping up to be.

Majestic in every way.

Jobs

If you hadn't already worked it out from the name- this film is a biography about Steve Jobs.  As far as I can work out this guy was even more of an asshole that Mark Zuckerberg and needed a good punch in the face when he was younger. Determination and (probable) autism are often enough to get the most intelligent entrepreneurs to the point of being a millionaire but this guy was a twat to everyone.

Ashton Kutcher was a very realistic Steve Jobs in this film. He looked similar and as far as all reports go played him very accurately. I haven't seen anything else that he is done so I can't compare his performance but I would guess that he is not generally like this and so I can claim it to be a good performance from him. The only real way of telling is to watch the 2015 film 'Steve Jobs' staring Michael Fassbender and compare the portrayals of the main characters.

Dermot Mulroney returns to films a good decade after he last made a film. Instead of playing the good looking, starring guy in a romantic comedy he has decided to take on a serious role in a biographical film and this means that he is challenging himself. It is still Dermot Mulroney, you can tell him instantly fro the way that he looks and talks  but he is fantastic in his role as the main investor and believer in Steve Jobs. He constantly helps Steve because no matter how great Jobs is, one man cannot change the world on his own- everybody needs a friend, even if they are only in it for the money.

J.K. Simmons is fantastic as well. Another change of character for him. Not quite as horrible as his character in the 2015 film 'Whiplash' and nowhere near the character of the dad that he plays in the film 'Juno', somewhere getting closer to 'Whiplash' but not there yet. He is the man in real power and he shows authority and ruthlessness when he needs to be and he is perfect for a business man. The display was stunning. I didn't laugh and I didn't want to hit him, he got his character spot on- he showed Jobs that there is always a bigger fish who pulls the strings.

This biographical film was as good as 'The Social Network'.
 

Spy.

'Here I am world, I'm hideous but it's all I have'. This is becoming my motto because Spy made me laugh harder than I have laughed since finishing Vicious series 2.

The opening sequence gave a clear intention- we are going to rip off James Bond. Jude Law trying to be American and Blonde- didn't really work for him but it made a clear statement; anything that Daniel Craig can do Jude Law can also do. I guess what was perfect about it was that you could see everything coming before it had happened. You knew that if Melissa McCarthy was told to not go near someone then she was either going to end up killing them accidentally or spending the entire film with them lying her way through anything that came near her.

The Gilmore Girls star made her name by being the best character in a series that featured far too much talking and complaining about nothing, yet the world loved it. She then went on to make a few weird chickflick films such as 'Bridesmaids', always looking to play the comical character but at the same time being cast as a serious character. Spy had no intention of casting her as a dead serious character. Taking on the spoof role of Moneypenny and accompanied by Miranda Hart (who strangely was not completely annoying) they just made everyone laugh constantly. Joined by a rough speaking Jason Statham who made up most of his lines, especially the parts about being poisoned with more than 100 poisons at the same time, having his left arm torn off and reattaching it with his right arm whilst in the field and several other things that he just made up on the spot. A team effort made it constantly hilarious.

Never at any point were they playing for the laughs. The script was natural and the characters just played off of each other and nothing more than that. Everything actually seemed like someone woke up one day, thought about ripping off James Bond, called up those guys and just filmed the first meeting.

Spy is actually a great film and was made even better by the return of one Esther (the co-founder of the blog) for a rare guest appearance on her blog!

Ninja Assassin.

One that has been missed off the list for a few years now. I own it on Blue Ray and it is an 18 so finding time when no one is around and also when I don't have a burning desire to use the playstation for something else has been hard- this has been the first chance and I have taken it.

Ninja Assassin is quite obviously, as stated in the title, about a Ninja who is used as an Assassin. As always in the family there is always one who doesn't quite agree with their upbringing or teaching and they rebel. This one manages to destroy the entire family by the end of the film. No one really believes in Ninja's until they start digging to find some evidence of them and then they are quickly silenced or discredited. A successful way of keeping an organisation secret and keeping control of a great power.

The moves are fantastic. We come to expect a certain level of class from martial arts films, we want everything to look spectacular and fancy, we want weapons to be waved and people to die. This film gives us all of that whilst showing how pathetic guns are against true speed, skill and stamina. The Bane quote from Batman: The Dark Knight Rises- 'the shadows betray you because they belong to me' is very fitting for this film. Half of the time is spent trying to work out where they are actually standing or hanging. Once you have worked that out you can start to adjust your eyes a little better to the sequences going on before you. Every kill was in real time until the final blow which had a very Scott Pilgrim 'KO' feel to it but then instantly it went back into real time for the next opponent and the next kill. There wasn't any deep breathing build ups to fights and no ten minutes to kill one person- everything was real.

This film is unique. Like Sin City it is Neo-Noir but completely different. Probably closer to the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy in terms of style and filming but it is still unlike anything that I have ever seen. It can be placed in the martial arts category but I have yet to see anything quite like it. It is separate from the other martial arts films that I have seen and it doesn't fit into the free running style of film or a film like Dredd. I want to create a separate category for it but everyone deserves to have friends- no one deserves to be standing alone.

The Prince and the Showgirl.

Rhys- this may be a little more down your street. Marilyn Monroe is back again (mostly because I want to appreciate her properly by watching a lot of her films). I can't seem to successfully find 'The Fireball' which is either a Marilyn Monroe film or an Elizabeth Taylor film. I am trying very hard to watch some older films because the new list mostly has films which were released in the last ten years or so.

The set is nicer for this film but there was less music in it. More of a role for her than just the performing monkey of a dumb blond which should make everyone happy. When watching Monroe there is a slight Grace Kelly feel to it. Grace Kelly had more of a spine tingling feel to her when you watched her act- I wouldn't go as far as saying that she had 'real talent' because that would imply that Monroe can't act and that isn't true at all- there is just a difference- Monroe made the first step but so far I have yet to see that she made the step to the next level of serious talent that we should all watch out for. Nonetheless she was a huge hit and a fashion and sex statement.

As the showgirl, Monroe looked slightly more 'healthy'. You can be sexy without being a stick and nothing makes that statement than her as the showgirl. Kate Winslet is a great example of carrying on this idea that you don't have to be a size zero to be incredibly sexy and make the world swoon at your feet. The Spanish subtitles which I had no choice about were a fantastic addition to Marilyn Monroe.

Assisted beautifully by Lawrence Olivier as 'The Regent', a magnificent film was being brewed for q special occasion and the audience that got to watch it in cinema or the equivalent are super privileged. What I would give to have been able to have an experience like that- to watch Monroe in a new film... it would be wonderful. You can't miss Olivier. Hearing the accent and thinking immediately of Alec Guinness you just can't mistake Lawrence Olivier and the quality British acting.

A different film, a slightly different role. Equally as enjoyable.

The Bourne Ultimatum.

Now that the Bourne franchise is expanding even further than the original three films that were made within a few years of each other I felt that it was time to watch the third film and maybe even the fourth to prepare for the new installment: 'Jason Bourne' that is coming to cinemas in the UK very soon.

Jason Bourne, the ultimate weapon, the guy that can take down a handful of opponents without even breaking a sweat. Bourne or Liam Neeson? I'm not really sure but I would love to find out your opinion!
There were moments of De Ja Vu, like when he is talking to Pamela Landey on the phone roughly at 1 hr 15 mins. At that point you would be forgiven for having to double check that you had actually chosen the right film and that you weren't watching Supremacy instead of Ultimatum. Every Bourne film is similar, like every James Bond they contain a lot of action and killing people, meeting up with people, being chased and escaping multiple times. Roughly you know the script and we have to remember that these are films based on the Robert Ludlum books. Ludlum keeps writing more which allows Hollywood to keep making more and for Matt Damon to keep going as Bourne. Damon has kept up his physique so he can easily return to the role at any point.

This film builds up as the ending of the trilogy, Bourne discovers who he was, who he is and most importantly he can now remember everything about himself. The directors and script writers did not write this film with another one in mind so whoever took charge of legacy will need to be very clever about how they approach the film. The character of Bourne will change- will they turn him into a 'Magneto' character that keeps having their loved ones killed off or will they simply use him as a man who now knows fully who he is but doesn't care? He has beaten everyone, CIA, NSA and most other foreign agencies, people thought he was dead and now they may just have to give up and let him go. The problem with creating the perfect soldier is that if they are non-complient, can you actually kill them? There will come a point when you make something that you can't control if it doesn't want to be controlled.

'This is where it started for me, this is where it ends'. The words came out of his mouth so really we should honour that statement. As far as it goes for Bourne finishing what he started in the first film- this is the end.

Excited for the next film. So many questions!!

Saturday evening with The Hangover.

For most of us our hangover should be wearing off a little by the evening but my hangover was the film and not the type we get from drinking too much. A film full of humour, playing to make people laugh. Normally these tend to be overdone, could this film break the mold?

Most people that have seen this film would probably say that it did break the mold, it didn't try too hard and that it was funny, funny enough to justify the making of a second film. The plot is simple- a bachelor party involving 4 guys, the one that is getting married, one that is married, one who seems to be weird in every way and one that is in a completely unhealthy relationship. Looking at them all lined up you just knew that everything was going to wrong. There were no surprises to this film, it was just hard to predict which stupid things were actually going to happen.

A tiger stolen from Mike Tyson, a stolen police car, the groom on the roof, drugs miss- sold as ecstassy, was anything going to go right? Normally with a film like this, a film that is designed to continually go wrong, to get more complicatedly wrong, I would bury my head in my hands within the first twenty minutes, sigh a lot and probably stop watching it out of boredom but I didn't do that with this film. Why? I honestly don't know the answer to this film. I guess it didn't appear that it was trying it's hardest to make you laugh. I didn't laugh at all through it so that probably helped. At times i did wonder why they couldn't just do something right and get on with going to the wedding but then this was the way that the writers wanted it, it wasn't necessary what I wanted but we can't please everyone in the world and we have to respect the difference of opinion.

Bradley Cooper has become very much himself. On paper it looked like he was taking on a different role but the performance was very similar to the one of Edward in Limitless. It was an attempt at being different but equally an attempt at just being himself. What I liked about it was that it was an attempt and not a solid performance of just turning up and saying 'hi, I'm Bradley Cooper and that is all you are going to get'.

The sun claimed that it was brilliant. I am not sure that I would agree with that. It was good but it wasn't hilarious or so fantastic that I raved about it to all my family. It was just one of those films that I watched, wrote a post about and worked its way back onto my film stand to join the other 300 films. It's not a standout film in the collection. There is work to be done and that is good. Better to see the work in progress than to see something that needs nothing doing to it- if that had been the case then the second one would have been rubbish beyond imagine.