Riddick

Two great films before this one was made a few years between The Chronicles of Riddick (2004) and Riddick (2013). Here is where we admit that we constantly get confused with the order of these films and watch The Chronicles of Riddick and Pitch Black in the wrong order. Pitch Black came first and then four years later The Chronicles of Riddick was released.

With Vin Diesel reprising his role as Richard B Riddick for a second time and Karl Urban featuring in a reprise of his role everything is set up for a brilliant action packed film. You never doubt Karl Urban for a second and you never doubt Vin Diesel. This is one fight that you would not like to place a bet on and just because Diesel won the last time around it seems highly unlikely and unbelievable that Urban would constantly lose. So if you are reading this thinking that this film is just a nine year newer version of the film before because I have just taken the time to talk about Urban and Diesel fighting then think again. Urban's role is small, the real guy to watch out for is Matt Nable (Arrow- Ra's Al Ghul). Equally as strong and well built as Karl Urban with the same superiority as Urban but something not quite as calm and collected in his manner.

Matt Nable is a name to watch out for in the future. Sooner rather than later he will be the face of most action films. With Liam Neeson coming towards the end of his 'Taken' days and Keanu Reeves over rated in every sense, Matt Nable is the next guy to take it on because unlike Reeves and Affleck he can show emotion and unlike Willis, he can actually act properly. If this performance is anything to go by (and of course, his performance in Arrow) then he has a bright future ahead of him and hopefully we will be seeing more of him on the blog over the next few years.

Let's face it, if you are going to watch this film it is because you are a fan of Riddick. This is the third in a series so it's not one to start with but the only way that you are going to watch this film is from enjoying the previous two. He's a man of his word our Mr. Riddick and you can take his word that if you liked the previous films then you will like this. You know what to expect and you know what you are getting from the film but this film is more like Pitch Black than it is The Chronicles of Riddick. Most of it is set in the desert and whilst I appreciate having the token women in the team to keep all parties happy the scenery and wow factor that was given from the planet that he was on in the previous film isn't actually here in this film. This film feels something like Firefly crossed with Resident Evil. Moments of class and some great technology and imagination, this film is like what would happen to Star Wars if anyone directly involved with that film had a shred of imagination. Grab some sweets and a blanket and sit down with your coffee knowing what you are about to watch. No surprises, just pure action in a sci-fi way.

The Reader

Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes are the names that the film is sold on. Based on a book by the same name the film is about an older woman who was a member of the Nazi party and responsible for locking a lot of women away in  a church and burning them. It is an emotional film and mostly because the performance from Winslet almost manages to make you supportive of her position.

The biggest issue for me with this film is that it is not okay for any older adult to be having sex with anyone under the age of eighteen. I don't care if they want it. it's not okay. If it wasn't for the fact that she seduces a teenage boy then it would be a really good film but that entire plot line revolving mostly around that really put me off the film.

Having said that, for all the negative things in her character, the moment when she almost convinced me to side with her and when she almost convinced the entire room that it wasn't her fault and that she had no choice was unbelievable. One phrase and she had just won that round without trying, without wanting to clear her name or denying anything. It was an indescribable moment when she did that, everyone had to stop what they were doing and were left speechless- something rare to find in films. She took the award for it and she thoroughly deserved it. Sometimes I feel like she makes a bad choice with a film but actually she made a perfect choice with this film because even though it was an interesting film and I didn't particularly like it she took the character to another level and made it in a league of its own.

 Ralph Fiennes just picks up the pieces and draws the film along nicely. He couldn't save her in the end and by the time we get to see him in real action most of the film is over because the film was mostly done by David Kross (War Horse). Kross won a lot of attention from this film and he was spectacular in his role as young Michael Berg. Seeing him turn into Ralph Fiennes was lovely, sometimes you can just see these things happening and sometimes you can't but this was the former and I do love it when casting is perfect in every sense.

Rambo First Blood

Stallone is back. The good news is that I am coming up to the end of my film list- I think that I have about 10 films left that were actually on the list and that is good because it means that by the end of the week I should be good to go and can just watch films for fun.

Hopefully this is the last Stallone film on the list for this year because I am actually not his biggest fan. Can't see the hype around him, he's another Schwarzenegger type guy in that he is the same in everything that he does but he is moody, grouchy, grunts a lot and is strong and particularly unattractive so he is ideal for this role. No emotion, no, anything really.

Lovely scenery, great music, shame that it was starring Stallone. A typical eighties action film. Little emotion or quality but some great music and some fantastic acting from the teenager who comes up against him. Stallone can't even look angry and that is a real shame- like seriously? Show something!

The film itself is actually quite boring. They made more than one of these films but it's basically another Die Hard film- hardly any plot and even less acting. A forest, a guy with a gun and a knife and a lot of idiotic police officers and that's the entire plot. Just because the poster will often pop up on movie quiz's it may be one to become familiar with but it's not one that should actually be added to your film list any time soon.

Law Abiding Citizen

Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx star against each other which is always going to be an interesting battle.

We all remember Butler from 300 and even Rock N Rolla, we know that he can pack the punches and that he can also take them. We also know that he is not a man to be messed with so when the films starts in the way that it did there was only going to be one outcome. Don't get me wrong, don't think rule out a surprise triumph from Foxx in the end but for most of the time Butler is always on top. Not that we don't love watching Jamie Foxx put on the suit and play the law man but you're never quite convinced that he is going to come out on top.

Butler is perfect. It's a performance not seen from him ever before. Compassion, aggression, tactician, calculation, everything is in this performance. Never, not once, does he look like a psychopath, does he look out of control in anything that he does. Not a lack of emotion but extreme controlled emotion. It's like the director shut him in a box for a week and told him that he couldn't display any emotion except for when he was fed a steak. Likewise, with Jamie Foxx we get the same kind of feel except when his family is mentioned. Normally I would moan about the lack of emotion and state that the performances were too controlled but they weren't, his was perfect, the things that mattered were clearly seen in his eyes. He can take a punch, he can take the beating but the look says 'Whatever you've got I'll return with interest' and it is a priceless look to be able to deliver. For every display and performance that we saw from Butler, we saw a worthy opponent in Foxx.

A really violent film and I would recommend that anyone who is epileptic, has a heart condition, or suffers from mental health issues should stay clear of this film because it could cause a lot of medical problems. It's a great film in so many ways but it is a really difficult film to watch and understand. Worthy of the nominations? Yes. Necessary for everything shown in the film to be shown? Debatable and personally I wish that some of the things had not been shown but that's just me and there are others who would disagree.

Amour

Entirely in French. If you don't speak French or understand enough French to be comfortable watching a film in French then make sure that you find a version with subtitles. It won the Palme D'or and an academy award for best film in a foreign language. The film also made history with Emanuella Riva being the oldest actor nominated for best actress award.

Romantic drama film focusing on two retired music teachers- one has a stroke and this just takes you through everything that happens after she has a stroke. There's nothing particularly exciting about this film but that's not really the point of this film. Amour, if anyone speaks French will understand that it means 'Love' and that this film is all about love during old age. I've just spent some time in hospital and there was a couple there who really didn't seem like they loved each other, they really gave off the wrong impression, they were nothing like this film and being able to see the exact opposite to what I saw in hospital is brilliant.

Amour is a film for a Sunday afternoon, a film that doesn't necessarily bring you to tears but one that you are able to watch calmly, to focus on and to appreciate. Some things in life are beautiful without you really being able to explain as to why they are and this is one of them. The film is a work of art, explaining about old age and also showing how love can keep everyone going. I think that we would probably all like to think that when we get old and are dying we will have our partner/ other half to look after us when we suffer and need them the most. Maybe this is a film to watch with your family or your partner and it just helps you to appreciate what you have.

The Road

From what the plot says this film is simply about a man (Viggo Mortensen- A History of Violence, The Lord of The Rings) defending his son on a dangerous journey. The posters make it look like 'The Revenant', which was a shocking film and has already been reviewed on this blog so let us hope that because Viggo Mortensen is actually a much better actor than Leonardo DiCaprio (in our opinion) that this film will be nothing like 'The Revenant' and will be something better and different.

First up, we do like to see Mortensen looking homeless again. Unfortunately he is one of those men who looks better when unclean. When washed and clean he is not particularly attractive. The narration is not suited to a voice like his. The music behind it was brilliant and he did his best with it and in a way there probably wasn't anyone else to narrate the opening but it didn't really work for him, for the roughness in his voice. No man should ever show his child how to kill himself with a gun and no man should ever try and make their child kill them and then kill themselves.

Flashbacks help to make the story less boring. Within the first 15 minutes he is showing his son how to kill himself and someone else- that kinda tells you that the film is over. The only way to make the film better is to have some flashbacks so that those who went to the cinema to see it didn't feel like they had wasted their money on being charged for a full film and only receiving fifteen minutes of it. Talk about a way to make a really messed up film- the guy ends up shooting his own son! Whoever came up with this script needs help!

The feel of this film is '28 Days Later' crossed with 'The Revenant'. In short, there aren't many people and it is quite boring. Another thing is that if you are like me and find the religious references boring and start making associations to 'Noah' and other somewhat not particularly interesting films like that then you are going to find this film boring. Nothing much especially shows any real quality in it. Acting is par, script is par- the music is good but the plot is super boring. I wouldn't recommend watching it unless you really have a burning desire to, it's not one that you would take a chance on, it doesn't make for a great night in, it just makes for a good film to fall asleep in front of.

I realise that I am something like 4 days behind- apologies for that- interesting times over here. That does mean that tomorrow I will try and review two film and on Sunday three. I do have a week of holiday so there is time to review films more frequently to make up for the missed days- just bear with me.

Zodiac

A lot of Mark Ruffalo recently. I didn't know that he had been in so many films but hey, let's embrace it because he's brilliant in everything that we have seen him in so far.

Sort of a psychological thriller... not really sure but i'll explain and you can decide. Zodiac is an unsolved case of multiple murders spread throughout the years. 25,000 suspects and they narrowed it down to one guy but the handwriting didn't match and people retired/ got fired/ drank too much and the case started to slip away. Mark Ruffalo never gave up and neither did Jake Gyllenhaal but in the end the suspect actually died before they could arrest him. Needless to say that the murders stopped so all evidence would suggest that it was him but an arrest was never officially made.

Ruffalo is, as stated before, brilliant. He plays a cop like it's his day job. He plays any character like it's his day job, it's effortless and just sublime. You don't realise that you are watching a film (unless you are watching it in a refrigerator like I am) when you watch his character. Next to him Robert Downey Jr is perfectly himself. This guy isn't particularly known for his versatility, with him so far managing about three roles in his entire film history- that being Sherlock Holmes, Iron Man and his character from Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Nevertheless, three is more than Gyllenhaal has managed so we shouldn't complain too much. You know it's him, he's wacky and eccentric and all in all really quite entertaining to watch but at the end of the day he is nothing more than Robert Downey Jr turning up in a costume and delivering some lines.
Next to Gyllenhaal he looks like one of the best actors on the planet. What do we have to do to get some emotion from this guy? Seriously! This guy has not been a good actor since he was in Donnie Darko and that was years ago. I wanted so much for him to show some emotion and not be another Ben Affleck because the world already has one of those and does not need another one but he didn't, not when he was scared, not when he was excited- it was all the same and it was boring and unconvincing. The film is actually really good but you almost have to filter him out so that you can enjoy the film because he is slowly eating away at your soul. I can't spend my life not watching films just because he is in them!

Having said all that- the film is good and I didn't realise that it was actually a case in America so I learnt something new today.

Until tomorrow- over and out!

A Good Year.

Riddley Scott and Russel Crowe once again team up. For those of you who do not understand the references there Russel Crowe and Riddley Scott teamed up for Gladiator and Robin Hood. It is common knowledge that once actors and directors have teamed up to make one successful movie they are more likely to team up again. Actors have their favourite directors, as proven by Johnny Depp and Tim Burton. Same goes for Russel Crowe and Riddley Scott.

This is about the man who had it all. The man who could play the stock market, play all the other players and play most of the world but he could not play his dead uncle. So simple- your uncle dies so sell his massive estate and go back to work earning lots of money and generally being considered to be a total 'prick'. Russel Crowe with his typical 'British' accent that sounds not really anything like a 'British' accent that any normal person would have. It is entertaining to watch people that aren't actually from London try and do a London accent based on 'The Queens English'. Only the Queen and a few other people actually talk like that (Rupert Everett) and most stockbrokers don't talk like that at all. Nevertheless, accent aside, he is very good at being a total 'prick'. There isn't much to his role, just be upper class and up yourself- oh, and occasionally shag a woman who looks at you twice.

Freddie Highmore plays the somewhat emotionless young Maximilian. It's the same performance from him, he's not a particularly great person for showing any emotion. I've seen so many films with him in and hoped that somewhere along the line he would learn how to express emotion but it is so rare that he actually manages to do it that we just can't understand why he was constantly cast in films. You can see him turning in to the guy that Russel Crowe was- you can see him turning in to the emotionless guy who never expresses any emotion.

Albert Finney- nice to see him in something else that wasn't a bad attempt at playing Poirot. He was very impressive and much better than anything else that I had seen him in before. Rafe Spall, nice to see him in something else and nice to be able to compare him. Choice of costume was a little disgusting but one will assume that it was not actually his choice and let him off for wearing suits that contain pink in them.

'A Good Year' is a pleasant film. When you are bored or just want to relax in the evening then this is the type of film that you could watch. It's not a wine drinking film or a family film but it's nice to be able to watch a film for the sake of watching a film sometimes.

Constantine

Keanu Reeves in a similar role to one played by Nicolas Cage in the film 'City of Angels' but this time with greater conviction as undertaking the role of John Constantine, the man chosen to perform the exorcists, the man who can go in to hell to see if souls are there or not, a man who has not made it into heaven and is not an angel. This role works better for him because fighting demons and exorcising them works better than trying to convince the world that he is an angel.

The first real point to be made about this film is that the soundtrack is fantastic. There is very much an 'Eminem' feel to it (anyone who is familiar with the song 'Loose Yourself' will understand but the tune played on the guitar really does work well for the film. If the film was shot in 'Film Noir' style then it would not be out of place next to 'Sin City'. No real music throughout the film but just those chords and it is the simplest and most perfect theme (alongside the Jaws theme) to have been created for a film.

What does Keanu Reeves have the Nicolas Cage doesn't? Emotion, Not loads of it, hardly any (if we are being honest) but just enough to be serious and sort of mysterious. Reeves isn't trying to be the hero who falls in love, he is trying to beat up demons and exorcise them so in this case serious works well for him. A better film choice is probably what it comes down to. He actually has the measure of the film really well and if he is that guy who is always going to be the serious guy who has to die, be strong and never fall in love then so be it, at least he understands that his career is always going to be like that.

Cate Blanchett. Can't be mistaken for any other woman in the world, it's something to do with her bone structure but there is no way that you can mistake her for anyone else in the world. As the angel Gabriel she is stunning. The plot works well for her and she is actually perfectly suited to the role. Not a massive star in the film but she is brilliant. Imagine her with wings and then watch the film to see how close your imagination was to the actual character.

This film is actually really good and you don't have to be a catholic to enjoy it. The exorcisms are more realistic than what you have seen in 'The Exorcism' and the religion is more accurate. It's a film that anyone can watch.

Moon

A little confusing at first and I have to admit that for the entire film I was slightly confused by it. At first glance it appears to be similar to 'The Martian' but the more that you get into it the more you realise that it is not at all. It's about clones and how the cost of preserving and maintaining clones of one astronaut is cheaper than that of sending a new astronaut to the space station every three years.

With a small cast and a small budget one has to admire what Duncan Jones has done with this film. Same Rockwell takes on the task of being all the 'Sams. Watching him playing a dying character on screen at the same time as a young, fresh Sam who could probably beat up anyone in his path is very entertaining and not because it was funny, it wasn't, more because there is great skill to be admired there. The overall film isn't particularly entertaining, it doesn't have the terrible music like 'The Martian' did but it did have a fantastic scene of trying to dance to Katrina and The Waves 'Walking on Sunshine' which we have to admit is a bit of a personal favourite on the blog.

The plot is to help the younger Sam to escape in the rescue pod that comes to kill them off. Older Sam realises that he doesn't have much time left and that he probably can't make it to earth so they plan it all out and he launches the rescue pod which takes younger clone Sam back to earth for him to reveal what has been going on. There isn't much around that and there aren't many magical moments or moments when you thought that it was a standout moment for the performer or scrip writer. Easy to follow but all in all quite boring.
The film did well at box office and got good reviews but it isn't an underrated film and it certainly isn't one that is worth watching time and time again. Seen it, don't regret it but don't particularly need to watch it again.

Notorious

If anyone bothers to scroll down to the bottom of this blog and check the list they will see that there is a film called 'Notorious Man' on this blog. Anyone that is really familiar with films or google will soon realise that there is no such film and I was clearly having a mental moment when I couldn't read properly. This film is the one that should have been on the list and no it is not the Alfred Hitchcock film (that may or may not feature on the blog later).

Notorious is about the rapper Notorious B.I.G (Christopher Wallace). Released in 2009 as a biographical drama, the film starts off with a school boy being told by a teacher that he is going to grow up and become a garbage man because he skips school a lot. The boy then does the maths and works out that a garbage man gets paid $4000 more than a teacher and has that wonderful moment of the child showing up the teacher, which even though I am a teacher, I have to admit that I do enjoy seeing.

The man who died at 24... What to say about him that people don't already know? I didn't even know who this guy was so I learnt a lot from this film with the most important thing being that we can't change others, we can only change ourselves. The film is great, the music isn't entirely my cup of tea but I do appreciate most genre's of music and Rap is a valid and even mostly decent if not entertaining form of music at times. A form of speech and expression, Rap brought people together and was a slightly easier way of connecting with people than what had been around before.

I don't know any of the actors and I don't know who Notorious B.I.G actually was but I do know one of his songs from the scene in 'Ten Things I Hate About You' when Cat is drunk and table dancers at Bogey's party. This and the quote up above are the two things that I have taken away from this film. Nevertheless, it is a good film and a very educational film. 

Good Morning Vietnam.

One of the most hilarious war films I have ever seen. Robin Williams is pure class, his voices, his face, everything about him makes you laugh and to cap it all off his jokes are actually funny and his accents are better than decent.

This is a war film that has earned its place on the blog. Distracting from the Vietnam war there is a radio DJ who makes everyone laugh. He owns the radio and most of Vietnam by the time he has finished and has a fantastic taste in music to go with his comedy. Alongside Forest Whitacker (The Butler) this guy seems at times to be unstoppable and for the simple reason that he is making everyone laugh. Those that don't like him can't get him off the air because when they do they get thousands of complaints from the soldiers who have lost their entertainment. This guy, even though he is just playing himself is constantly reminding us what the world lost when he died. There will never be anyone quite like him, who can do the voices with the face and be generally funny with every comment made. It's more than comedy, it's entertainment.

Watching this film is so easy. Allow Robin Williams to do what he does best and just watch as everyone else can do nothing but laugh. We all know that he is brilliant and we know what to expect from him but that doesn't stop us from being in a way completely unprepared for every line that he delivers. Yes there is a plot and it gets a little more complicated and in a way takes you by surprise just because you were so immersed by what Williams was doing and saying that you can almost forget to keep following the rest of the plot. He is the type of character that is needed in every war. Most commanding officers don't like funny guys because they play pranks at the wrong time and get themselves and others killed but if you can give them a radio and let others enjoy their humour from a distance without necessarily endangering their lives then you have a win scenario.

Nothing is going to be straight forward with him in the cast, we know that, we expect it and we know that to an extent he has never been good with authority. In every film that I have seen him actually physically feature in he has always had a problem with authority, he will push it and push it until everyone hates him and wants to hurt him and either he gets what he wants or he gets sent away by someone with higher authority who doesn't like him and is going to do something about it. What his character does, even after ignoring all the warnings is that he says what he feels needs to be said. Yes, his job is to make people laugh but he also says everything that needs to be said and the problem is that people will miss him if he is taken away from the radio so he really holds all the power. I like a character like that, it reminds me of me- not good with authority and clearly aware of how to manipulate the situation.

Definitely one for the collection. Anything with Robin Williams in is worth keeping but this is another one that is worth it because of how good it is, how funny it is and not just because it has that name to sell it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwSra5p8MDw

G.I Joe: The Retaliation.

Classic blog style means that I have watched the second film without actually watching the first film. Surely there can't be much that I have missed from the first film right?

Your standard action film featuring military operatives from a special division with top quality equipment and 'The Rock'. More than enough action to go around so find someone to share it with and just enjoy it. I am now realising just how hard it is to write a review about a sequel to a film that I haven't seen if that film is not part of the 'Die Hard' or 'Mission Impossible' franchises. If I was trying to sell these films to you based on the one that I saw instead of the first film that was made then I would have to think about what this film had that would suggest that the first film was also very good.

The first thing is that as I have just proved, you don't need to have seen the first one to be able to follow this film so the plot is not dependent on the first film. The next thing to consider is the cast and how appropriate they were to their characters. When you see Dwayne Johnson getting beaten up it is unbelievable. Yes, there are people that are going to be able to lay a fist on him or a sword but it is unlikely that they are going to be able to kill him in a film or even beat him up to a significant level so seeing him in a position of authority and generally winning his fights without really getting hurt was realistic. We have to assume that casting director makes their choice for a reason so choosing to cast a wrestler as a pathetic character who constantly gets beaten up is never going to be convincing because no matter how good the acting is, their reputation proceeds them. Seeing Channing Tatum in the military is very believable, in fact, it is a wonder why he didn't chose that as a career instead of acting because he would probably be better at it than he is at acting. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate him or even particularly dislike him but the way he talks and appears all the time suggests thug or military and nothing else. Therefore it was excellent casting to continue him in this film.
The third thing is that this film isn't out and out action. They don't just beat up for the sake of it, they have a plot and it's almost like Batman met Transformers and someone took the best parts from the Christopher Nolan Batman Begins and the best part of Transformers one and mashed them up to create a movie whilst shooting small amounts of film with other characters to make a movie. If you like either of those films (or both) then you can't really go wrong with G.I Joe. Neither of those films mentioned above are out and out action, they are both pleasantly enjoyable with action to complement them so they become enjoyable.

The best character is probably Jonathan Price. I don't want to go in to too much detail because it would spoil the film but there are only a few people out there who can do what he do with so much conviction. It was a perfect cast. He was sublime in the role, I can't think of anyone else that I would want to play that role- authority and heartless nature combined with the exact opposite- exactly what was needed and so nice to see it without having to get used to typical Tom Cruise Mission Impossible mask. It's not just him, the entire cast. The kid who points a gun at the president and then says to the bodyguard 'You're not doing a very good job of protecting him if you are letting guns be pointed at him' is fantastic. Yes it was a toy gun but he has got a point.

Just watch it. Even if it isn't something that is normally your cup of tea either take a chance on the first film or take a chance on this one, sit down with a friend or someone and take the evening off, watch the film and let me know what you thought of it.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children.

A truly stunning film. Saw the adverts, knew instantly that I wanted to see it as soon as it came out in Cinemas but unfortunately had a prior engagement to see something on the day that it came out so now two days later have suffered the torture of small children for hours to enjoy this film.

We had a joke going that all the people who didn't pass the exam for Xavier's gifted school got a part in this film. The talents of these children are done in a different way to those films and it doesn't try to be something that it isn't- this is better than X-men, it doesn't have all the crap that comes with being part of the X-Men franchise.

Terence Stamp is fantastic. One of the best things about this film is that it is so simple. His peculiarity isn't obvious or overdone, it allows the film to flow nicely and allows for a slight twist at the end. We know that the bad guy will find a way of coming after the good guy and will get there in the end but the combination of powers in the fight at the end is something that X-Men never managed to do. He doesn't have a huge part in it but it is the most crucial part. Eva Green is sublime. She has chosen her career very carefully. Making her name through Casino Royale and then preserving her name by not featuring in stupid rubbish films she has become something to be admired. Her performance was well, there was no one else who could or should have been cast for this role. She pulls off the weird with the wonderful and controlling to perfection. Sizing up to Samuel L Jackson and owning him is not something that we can all do.

Rupert Everett and Alison Janney were slightly expected as characters. No one would believe that Alison Janney could be a psychiatrist because we all remember her powerful advise from Juno of 'Honey that's because doctor's are sadists who like to play God and watch lesser people scream'. Credit them for trying but it just wasn't really possible. Rupert Everett was always going to be how he was but being a bird watcher was something stunning. Chris O'Dowd was remarkably exactly like how I imagine him being as a father and I have to say that it's not something that I hope will ever happen- it's not a particularly encouraging performance of fatherhood.

Just watch the film- don't think about watching it just do it. Everything should stop until you have seen this film and if you are lucky you may be able to avoid watching the film surrounded by annoying little children. Everyone loves a bit of Tim Burton and he isn't even being particularly weird in this film, the film is representative of the book and he hasn't tried to inflict his personality on it too much.

Spotlight

If you haven't already seen the disclaimer about this film from the post earlier today then make sure that you read this part first. This film is about the uncovering of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in Boston by a newspaper. This film was not selected to victimise or have a go at any Catholics, it is a film about an important topic that is not Okay but if you don't want to watch it then don't. On this blog and now I am speaking for myself, I pick films of all kinds, political, horror, thriller, romance, comedy, action, sci-fi, fantasy, children's films, classics, silent movies, musicals etc and I wont shy away from a film because of it's sensitive topic, instead I will just skip over anything of a disturbing nature that I don't like to watch. You don't watch any sex or abuse in this film, it's just the reporters trying to uncover the truth.

Now that's done, let's move on to the actual film. Mark Ruffalo (Begin Again, Now You See Me, The Avengers Assemble), Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada, Gambit), Michael Keaton (Birdman, Batman), Rachel McAdams (Sherlock Holmes, Midnight In Paris), Liev Schreiber (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), John Slattery (Captain America: Civil War) and Brian D'Arcy James (SMASH) lead the line as reporters for 'The Globe' as a team called Spotlight. What they uncover is what everyone knew and they end up saying as much- everyone knew about it but no one did anything because they were priests. The church had a lot of power and covered up everything but in the end the reporters and the law managed to uncover the cases of at least 87 priests abusing people in America. Yes the topic is unpleasant but no one deserves to be abused and if they are then they shouldn't have to bury it- people kill themselves over this kind of thing.

The film itself was a lot better than I thought that it would be. I had prepared myself for the worst but it didn't come. Go in to knowing the topic, it might make you feel a little uncomfortable or it may not at all. What is good about this film is that the reporters aren't particularly unsympathetic. Sometimes reporters will do anything for a story or will ask questions that aren't particularly thoughtful but not with this film, this film was well thought out and sensitive. The only people who were upset by the reporters where the people who had tried to cover it up. Yes the topic can be uncomfortable but that can't always be helped, the truth hurts and it is important to try and uncover it but there has to be a limit and it was dealt with very well. What this film also managed to avoid doing was becoming opinionated or one sided. Ultimately this was a discovery into the truth and they were aware that there had been a few cases but at no point in the film was there any sort of hatred towards the church or even the priests mentioned (who I believe were all made up). You have to tell a film like this from a neutral pair of eyes without trying to get too involved in everything and it did just that.

Spotlight was released last year so it did give a little space between the massive scandals that dominated the news for at least half a year and the film coming out. Everything was handled delicately and I am a little unsure as to why a film wasn't made earlier, it wasn't that the world didn't know earlier, they did but it wasn't until someone finally decided to go public with it that it suddenly became acceptable to make a film about it- we all knew that there was something going on and a film may have helped it to all come out a lot earlier than it did but they must have their reasons for it.

I don't want to bring in a personal opinion about the topic of the film, instead I want to talk about the performance. Look at the cast, a lot of well known names there for all different types of characters and reasons but it takes a lot to play a reporter well. Reporters are often portrayed somewhat fairly accurately in a similar way to the portrayal of Russel Crowe in 'State of Play'. This was not the same portrayal. this was about knowing where the line was, fighting for everything by using the law but keeping the trust of your sources. They showed a completely different side to reporters who just managed to change almost everyone's opinions of reporters a little. A massive well done to them and to this film. I wont need to watch it again but I am glad that I have watched it.

Joy

A slightly 'newer' film, released within the last year or two and staring a blog favourite Jenifer Lawrence (The Hunger Games, Silver Lining Playbooks). It'a tough world, most of us shared those feelings, beliefs and experiences when dealt a stack of extremely rubbish cards and almost all of us have watched a film showing how tough life can be. Erin Brokovitch and Brassed Off are the two that automatically spring to mind but there are many out there. Joy is another one, showing more than just how tough it can be when you split up with your husband, imagine trying to make a life for yourself when your parents split up years ago, your dad has just been dumped by his latest love and so has come to stay, your ex husband is living in your basement singing in a night club but hardly providing any income and your mother also lives with you- oh and not to mention that you have a few children and a half sister who you don't really like.

That is what the character Joy (Jenifer Lawrence) has to deal with everyday. It looks to be okay when she gets an idea for a mop after cutting her palms open when mopping up some broken glass until her family actually show how rubbish they can be with money and the business and she discovers that she is being done for fraud. It all looks like too much for her to handle but she is an incredibly strong women, does what she needs to do, uncovers the fraud, gets her money back and sells a lot of her product before turning it into a huge business.

As one would expect, where there is Jenifer Lawrence there is also Bradley Cooper but he is a smaller supporting character appearing towards the end of the movie. With support also coming from Robert De Niro and Edgar Ramirez (The Bourne Ultimatum, Vantage Point) the film is well supported and actually very well cast. From the moment the narration starts you know that it is going to be a good film, better than a good film, a great film. There is something about the way that the line was written that makes it almost magical. Everything that Brokovitch had, that Brassed Off had, the pain, the struggle, the determination, the happier ending is all here in this film. It's all here, so stopping putting it off and just watch the film.

Next up will be a film called 'Spotlight' and it's about abuse in the Roman Catholic church in America. The film is incredibly blunt and to the point, they aren't really trying to hide anything so if you are a catholic or if you don't want to watch it then don't. We all know what was going on and we have probably all seen it on the news. It was necessary to make a film about it, the world makes films about all scandals and it was necessary for the truth to come out. I feel it is important to say that on this blog we were raised and some of us are still Catholic. The inclusion of this film is not an attack of the Catholic church by us, we aren't selective about films, we take all kinds of films on this blog even if they are of a unpleasant nature. We apologise to anyone that will take offence from this film being included but I wont back down on it's inclusion.