Star Wars: The last Jedi

This is much better than ' The force awakens. Miriam and I could not have made a better version of this movie in our non existent garden. I have to get the disappointments out of the way first so that I can focus on the good bits.

Mark Hamil was disappointing. Luke was rubbish in this film but then again so is Kylo-ren so there is nothing to live up to. Luke does very little and Ray is pathetic  which means that half of the film was a waste of time.

Next criticism is that there was not enough action in this movie and too much complexity. Too much of this movie was split across worlds and it just didn't help me to enjoy the movie at all. I will say it now, it wasn't a bad movie but it wasn't a good one either.

Snoke I just don't understand at all. I don't understand where he came from, why be can use the force or who he is and most of all his death was a huge disappointment and very pathetic. He is no emperor and Ren is no Vader so there was no way that this movie could live up to any of the original trilogy.

Carrie Fischer was actually good. Her character had more to it than the normal  arrogant and stuck up Princess Lea that we have come to know. She should compassion and understood a lot more about herself and was not totally reliant upon the Jedi. She was probably the pick of them in second place and there wasn't much competition for it. Po is probably the only competitor for second place and first place was obviously taken by BB8. Finn didn't have enough involvement in this movie to be competing and everyone else was rubbish.

Domhall Gleeson was strong in his role but he isn't general Tarkoon and as impressive as he is, he won't quite get there but he was the best evil character that there was. The only issue I have is this entire 'Tracking thorough light speed thing. If you can do that then light speed is worthless and does not need to feature in any more movies and it just seemed like a pathetic excuse to have another attempt to go to the enemy and take down the death star or whatever the evil thing is this time. For me it just didn't really fit with Star Wars and seemed to be a filler for a serious lack of ideas.

Of all the bad and rubbish that has come out of this reboot, BB8 is fantastic and should take his place in history next to R2D2. I will remember this character as the best thing about the reboot and only hope that this was the end because Ray is rubbish and hasn't learned to be a Jedi at all.

Happy New Year everyone.

High Rise

This is a British film about a man who has worked his way to the top of his life and wants to be left alone but isn't. This British young man is played by Tom Hiddlestone and this movie was made before he made his name playing the character 'Loki' but it was always going to be difficult to watch this film after seeing him as 'Loki'.

Hiddlestone is Hiddlestone in this film. He is remotely attractive, physically fit, young and he just plays off of it. He was this character before he was 'Loki' but there is very little difference between his performance in this movie and his performance as 'Loki'. This movie is like Wolf of Wall Street meets American Hustle. I found it really boring and completely uninspiring. I found myself longing for a star performance and there wasn't one. There was nothing special about this movie. I spent 50p on it and now it is going back to a charity shop because I will never watch it again and it isn't worth a place in my movie collection.

Even Luke Evans is starting to take on characters that all have a similar personality. He needs to think about what they all have in common and then take on a role that is totally different because otherwise he is going to be like Tom Felton and become not only stereotyped but totally unable to be anything else than his typical character and therefore ruin his career before it has really started.

Murder on the Orient Express

I am a huge lover of Poirot, not just the books but also of David Suchet which made it an agonising choice for me to go and see this film. Kenneth Brannagh is not and will never be as good as David Suchet but he tried to play the character differently, his French accent was acceptable but needs work and his moustache is disgraceful but all in all, once you accept that any new Poirot is unlikely to be better than Suchet then you can move on to attempt to enjoy the film.

I did enjoy it. My one criticism is that Poirot is not as athletic as he was made out to be in this film. The overall portrayal of Poirot was good and fairly accurate but the script writing wasn't anywhere near as good as the scripts written for television. Murder on the Orient Express is the one that David Suchet left to last because it was going to be the strongest test of his role as 'Poirot'. This book in itself is the strongest test of Poirot's character. Nothing about it is easy and nothing becomes clear until Poirot explains it all to you. When reading the book I felt like maybe Poirot had met his match, maybe he didn't solve this one or maybe he caught the wrong person but then once he figured it out (and that took most of the book to do) it made sense and it was an extremely complicated murder. When I watched this film, my companions and I felt that they had explained everything to early. This murder stopped being complicated the moment that he revealed the true name and started asking questions and making obvious assumptions. Branagah's Poirot gave away the missing piece of the puzzle that made it easy for everyone to solve the case. Halfway through the film we all knew and it shouldn't be like that. The book is more complicated, the characters are more complicated and this film didn't really do it justice.

Johnny Depp as Mr. Ratchet was fantastic and the most unlike Johnny Depp I have seen for a while. He wasn't as horrible and disgusting as the previous portrayals of this character have been but he still managed to make it clear that he was going to be murdered without really having to try which made his portrayal almost perfect. Michelle Pfeiffer was also fantastic and I spent most of the film thinking long and hard about who she was. Derek Jacobi cannot change his face so he changed his manner and became a totally different character. Even Daisy Riddley was strong in this movie. Everyone was strong in this movie and if Brannagh had a different moustache and they created a better script than this film would be almost fantastic.

They have set it up to make another film and make some of the books in to movies and that is okay but there are things that they need to work on. The script writer needs to improve and the accent needs a bit of work. The study of the character of Poirot requires further improvement and you can't make the argument of wanting to play the character differently because you have to be true to the character otherwise you end up like Michael Gambon as Albus Dumbledore- destroying the character entirely. Change other things about the movie, focus on other things that are in the books but don't make the character do a lot of running and hitting people because that's not who the character ever was, you need to be cleverer. Not a bad movie, I expected a lot worse but work to be done.

My Blueberry Nights.

Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Natalie Portman and Norah Jones all star in one of the weirdest and yet most fantastic movies I have ever watched.

This movie was made in 2007 and is filmed in a weird colour filter. It gives the impression of being entirely a memory but then within that, each character also has memories that speed up and slow down. This movie is like 'Begin Again' but before that movie was ever made. Director Kar-Wai Wong made the jump to making a film entirely in English and it really paid off. I don't think that I have ever seen a film of his before but this is a fantastic movie and one of the most 'different' movies that I have ever seen and it wasn't originally on the list because I had never heard of it but it came in to the shop in which I work and I took a chance on it because it was something entirely different.

The reviews stated that this film had 'thin material' but I don't see how that matters at all. The cinematography for this film is fantastic, Jude Law is fantastic and Norah Jones is stunning. The soundtrack is incredible and this film is just amazing. I had to watch the entire movie, I couldn't miss a second of it and it made me feel good. It wasn't intended to make me feel good and it mostly just shows how life goes round in circles, you meet people, you try to make different decisions and you run away from things but in the end, life either gets better or it gets worse. Some of the people you meet leave your life, some stay and some wait for you but that is how life is. You have to look past the material and see it as a film that wasn't trying to be too complicated or too long. It focused on executing the plot that they had to the best of their abilities.

I've asked for a second opinion on this movie because I want to review it better. It has a certain quality to it that I haven't managed to find in any other movie and I would love it if someone else could suggest a film to compare it to.

An no, I haven't forgotten, a huge cry out to Natalie Portman who is always incredible in every movie that she makes. As a gambler who never trusts anyone she is fantastic and she learns something from 'Beth' and 'Beth' learns something from her as well. Even though she wasn't the main star in this movie she did her job really well and played her part almost to perfection. She is one of the best actresses out there who is not aged 70-90.

Dick Tracy

Warren Beatty. Maybe the first time ever on this blog but a pleasure to be experiencing new things and reviewing some of the great movies from every generation. I do have to take this time to announce that sadly I will not be continuing the blog next year as I have a full time job and am studying part time and have found it too difficult to keep watching movies or really do anything with my not so frequent days off. Many things have to give and this is one of then. Any movies that I did not manage to watch this year will be watched and reviewed next year and any films that I see in the cinema or watch randomly will be but there will be nothing frequent.

Dick Tracy is the ultimate cop movie made before the millennium. Even though Clint Eastwood is known for making cop movies such as 'Dirty Harry' he has nothing on this guy. Beatty is faster and doesn't have to pull off the stupid limes that Eastwood uses to try and evoke fear because he is more threatening as a cop through the use of non conventional, or legal methods. What makes a good cop is his ability to use his team and even though the scrip for this movie is obviously better than the script for 'Dirty Harry', Dick Tracy does something that is never done in the Eastwood film, which is, use a small kid that you have taken from the streets as a part of your team. This kid is fantastic. He has an 'Oliver' feel to him because he steals from someone and is chased by Tracy all the way black to his falling down house and his abusive father, who is then beaten up by Dick Tracy for being abusive and Tracy intends to send the kid to an orphanage but the kid saves his life.

Warren Beatty is fantastic. This movie is fantastic and I liked it a lot. It has all the right ingredients. Hopefully it won't ever die out completely.

Sing

The animated children's movie about a singing competition and not the My Chemical Romance song. I have read a few mixed reviews on this movie and I don't understand why because it is a kids movie which means that it doesn't have to have a complicated plot because Children's films have to be simple enough for children to understand and a feel good movie.

Sing is fantastic. Watching all the characters sing and reveal their singing pasts is fantastic. Singing along to the songs that you know and hearing how they work within the scene and plot is a lot of fun. When you come home from work or school and you want to let go of your stress then you can do that, or certainly, I can do that with this film.

Weirdly, when I don't have to look at Matthew Mcconaughey and only have to listen to his voice as a koala I find him much more enjoyable to watch. There is no shame in being a good actor but a terrible actor non-animated movies. Taron Eggerton as a Gorilla is also fantastic and the fact that he reconciles with his dad, who breaks out of prison to reconcile with him and then there is a happy ending just gives it a double feel food factor at the end which really helps you to reflect positively on the film. I do  think that the people who negatively reviewed this film don't really understand  what a children's movie is about. Yes, 'Trolls' and 'Moana' where better movies than this film but they weren't as feel good as this film was and I can't say that their plots were anymore complicated than this movie.

A pig singing Katy Perry and a Gorilla singing John Legend is entertainment for anyone. Reece Witherspoon can sing and she is fantastic. She alone could be a reason for watching the movie. J just appreciate it for what it is, a feel good, animated, children's movie, with stars such as Reece Witherspoon and Scarlett Johansen, that did very well at the box office. Expecting too much from a film can cause you to suffer severe disappointment and failing to appreciate the intended audience can also do the same thing.

They are making a sequel and even though I can't quite see it doing particularly well, it just might do so.

3:10 to Yuma

Russel Crowe, Alan Tudyk and Christian Bale all in the same film. The quote on the front claims that it is the best Western since 'Unforgiven' and I have to agree with it simply because of the character of Russel Crowe.

When I see the names on paper and then think about Crowe lining up on the opposite side of the field to Bale I will back Bale every time but Crowe was the star for a reason. His character, along with 'The Hand of God' (his pistol) was a strong and yet, at times a compassionate character. He didn't kill if he didn't have to but he also was never held to ransom. He knew how to value life, what was worth fighting for and he tried his hardest not to kill a person with a good heart but at the end of the day, he was a cowboy leader and he had a job and a reputation to uphold.

He is calm and you always feel like he is playing everyone until the end of the film when he turns on his own man, gets revenge for the death of Christian Bale's character and then willingly gets in a cell on the 3:10 to Yuma train. Normally these movies are boring and lacking a real plot but this film wasn't. This film was so planned out that you couldn't predict what was coming and that made it even more enjoyable.

Logan Lerman also manages to hold his own in a film where he could have gone completely unnoticed. He wasn't a standout performer but he was solid and played the part well. Being diverse is something that we need to see more of from Lerman and watching him take on a supporting role is a lot better than seeing him take center stage. Being the focus point and the guy that all the girls love just doesn't work out for him. He was great in 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' but that is because even though he was the lead, he was sharing his screen time with Emma Watson and Ezra Miller, who were both fantastic in that movie.

Ben Foster as Charlie was incredible. I have never seen someone murder in such an emotionless way. This character has no conscience and there was no pain or emotion when he pulled out his pistol and went around killing people. He had brains but it didn't occur to him that his boss had had a change of heart and had partnered up with Christian Bale. He doesn't realise that for killing Bale's character he is going to be killed until he sees the look in Crowe's eyes.

There is something magical about this film. If I ever want to watch a Western this is going to be the top of the list.

Thor: Ragnarock

Thor: The Dark World was terrible. When I heard that they were making another 'Thor' film I responded to it about as well as I responded to the third 'Captain America' film, which was not well at all because I thought that the second 'Captain America' film was dreadful and that the third film was just as bad. Having said that, the second 'Iron Man' film was awful but the third was so much better so I still had hope that this film would follow the 'Iron Man' path rather than the 'Captain America' path and I am glad that I did have this hope because this film was possibly even better than the first film.

This film has a plot, humour and not the same repeated idea of trusting Loki and then being betrayed by him. Following on quite nicely from the end of 'Age of Ultron' and as you have probably seen from the adverts, Thor, in his quest to save his father and protect Azgard, finds himself on a planet, fighting as a gladiator against 'The Hulk'. Typically, he can't spend the entire film just fighting so there is a lot more thought that goes in to how he is going to save Azgard from the sister that he didn't know that he had. It does seem like it is always a family affair in this franchise but I actually liked the way that this film went. They have taken Thor from a different realm and planet and moved him to link up more and more with 'The Avengers' on Earth which makes more sense if he is going to keep featuring in other movies.

Cate Blanchett taking on the role of the goddess of death. When I watched 'Doctor Strange' I thought for a long time that it was Cate Blanchett and not Tilda Swinton and when I realised that it wasn't her I was asking everyone why it wasn't her because it seemed like a role that she would have been ideal for but now it makes a lot more sense. She can't be the villain or slightly questionable woman in every marvel movie because no one would believe her and this was probably a better choice of role for her. She was fantastic and really helped to move the film along because she showed the darker side to Odin, which was true but also why she was doing what she did and it made sense instead of being the rambling of a crazy person.

The cameo of Anthony Hopkins was decent. I am glad that he went in this film because he finally helped Thor to realise his full potential. This is the God of Lightning and yet he seems pathetic without his hammer until he realises that he can control the lighting and is more powerful than his hammer. The time has come for Thor to stop relying on Odin to fix his problems and likewise, the time has come for Loki to realise that he can't do much that he hasn't already done many times.

Both Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddlestone were fantastic in this film but you expect them to be because this is their film. Mark Ruffalo almost stole the show as 'Hulk'. His character was entertaining and also very composed throughout the entire movie. There is a worry about 'Banna' constantly changing in to 'The Hulk' and they highlighted it, which mainly suggests that we are going to see more of 'Banna' and less of 'Hulk' in future movies because otherwise he wont be with Nat.

My personal favourite was 'Skurge' played by Karl Urban. He was entertaining and somewhat reminded me of the character of 'Alfred' in 'The Hobbit' series but at the end he gets his dying wish and dies a hero and one that may be remembered. Heimdall (Idris Elba) was much better in this film and teaming up with Thor was a sight to see. Theresa Tompson (Creed, Grey's Anatomy, Veronica Mars) was also fantastic. I hope that she does a lot more with her career than she has already done because her character was as entertaining as it was strong and brave. They are going the right way with women in films now. They can do more than just look pretty. This is an exciting time where men and women can be as entertaining and strong as each other in terms of character and we can start to see a lot more equality in the division of characters. I'm not saying that all historically male characters should become women but when you write in a character, it can be strong and a woman.

This was a really enjoyable film and worth the wait (the soundtrack is also fantastic). It helps to make a bit more excited for 'Black Panther' and 'Infinity War'.

Jurassic Park 2

I struggled with the previous review because I am not a big fan of Dinosaurs. These films are classics so they should be on any film list, which is why they are on mine, even though I really don't like Dinosaurs.

The first film was all about Richard Attenborough (for me anyway). This film features him less and i more about the common and frequent stupidity of America, as such is a popular theme to display in movies. The same guy who suffered on the lost Island 4 years prior now how to return because a small team have already been sent over to the Island and he cares about the woman who has been sent. Of course, when InGen soldiers come to storm the Island they threaten the Dinosaurs who were quite peaceful until the invasion but when you pick on something bigger than you, you are, as every child knows, likely to loose.

This time around they decide that it would be a really good idea to take a T-Rex back to America and let it storm San Diego. The film is old, it's 20 years old and you can see it in the quality of film. It's Spielberg and so the film is always going to be good, the quality, for the time in which the film was made is always going to be good but it is starting to get a little dated. We have to appreciate it for what it is and that does help people who are afraid of Dinosaurs because it looks like the Dinosaurs are robotic, which makes them less scary (and me very happy).

As of the end of this film I can't find a reason to make another film. It's another chaotic situation in America using non-human life forms, the film world of America should be used to it by now. After the first film we all wanted to see how things would develop but what are they really going to do in the next film? Storm the Island again fight with Dinosaurs again? There are five of these films and I feel like they may be turning in to another 'Die Hard' or 'Mission Impossible' series where the first one or two films are good and then the rest are just remakes of the previous films. I hope not because I like Spielberg and Richard Attenborough. I enjoyed this film more than the first film.

The Smurfs

Little Blue Men running around the streets of New York City. This film was released before 'Trolls' and because of that I need to judge this film as something that probably contributed to the plot and inspiration for 'Trolls' and not the other way around.

There was a period of time when they weren't managing to make decent kids films and then they started with 'Megamind' and 'Despicable Me' along with 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' and a few others. 'The Smurfs' is a nice, happy film without any singing and the adult character who was played by a guy who is really popular thanks to his role in 'How I Met Your Mother' (Neil Patrick Harris). Neil is a really attractive guy and his character in the tv sitcom was one of the better characters in the series which meant that he had a really good audience of teenagers and young adults who would watch this film because he stars in it.

What is good about this film is that it isn't cheesy. For an adult to watch it of their own accord it needs to be enjoyable. It isn't as enjoyable as 'Despicable Me' but then most kids films aren't because those films are genius. For small kids it will be easy to get emotionally involved in this film, especially towards the end of the movie because there are moments where if you are still new to the world of films then you may not be expecting the Smurfs to win. Of course, as adults we all know what will happen and we aren't ever worried about the outcome because we know that every Smurf will get back to Smurf village again and that the evil wizard will be dealt with to a varying degree in this movie.

Probably my favourite scene in this movie was when the Smurfs were being taught how to play guitar hero to Aerosmith's 'Walk This Way', which is a fantastic song. When a movie has Aerosmith in the soundtrack it is destined to be a good movie. If the plot is rubbish it doesn't matter because I will pay attention to the scene that has good music accompanying it.

No one in this movie should be ashamed of this movie. This is a good step in developing their careers and it was good to see Jayma Mays (Glee) do something other than Glee. She was a stronger character in this movie and she could have a good career if she wishes to progress in movies.

Pacific Rim

Giant fighting machines fighting against other, bigger fighting machines... sound familiar? Real Steel, Iron Man and Avengers are a few movies that instantly spring to mind when I was watching this film.

Guillermo Del Torro. Hellboy. Loved it. Hellboy 2. Liked it a lot. Pans Labyrinth. Loved it. Blade 2. Enjoyed it a lot. Screenplay for 'The Hobbit' trilogy? Hell yes! He isn't a Spielberg, his IMDB credits don't make you scroll down multiple times. This time it is different. Each of his previous films dabbles with an idea loosely based on history and a fictional, science fiction/ fantasy solution to the problem. I say that this film is different because I felt that it is probably his worst film to date.

For me the name 'Guillermo Del Torro' is equivalent to a very good movie that is either based on a graphic novel or has a strong sense of Historical relevance with a solution that has been hidden from us. Essentially what I am trying to say is that the solutions and heroes that feature in his films could actually be possible. Maybe not the heroes in this film but previously, the idea of secret agents that possess weird and slightly abnormal abilities is becoming more and more possible. The idea of people teaming up in giant suits and protecting us from alien creatures that are bigger than these heroes in giant suits does not, yet, seem realistic. This film is the least 'Del Torro' movie that I have watched and that is probably the reason why I will not be adding it to my collection and re-watching it.

It seemed scripted from start to finish. In this world it is very difficult to create an original screenplay. Every idea that you have is loosely, or not so loosely, based upon a story that you heard or a film that you watched, a book that you read etc. There is almost nothing original about any film, song, book or play anymore. The problem with this film is that- if it had been the first of this type of movie that I had seen I would be thinking that it was a fantastic film., however, it wasn't and I don't because the other films that I listed at the start of the movie were so much better. 'Pacific Rim' has potential but not enough for a series. The action was good but the filler in between was, at times, lacking. When there weren't giant monsters to fight there wasn't really anything to capture your attention and keep you interested. The movies flows but it felt short and this is never a good thing. This is a fairly recent movie (by recent /I mean with the last 10-15 years) and that signals the two hour mark (which in a boring film can feel way too long) and this just seemed to fly though the movie without really taking that much needed pause.

I can't say much about the leads. The acting wasn't bad, it wasn't particularly great either and Idris Elba was not good in his role. This guy is great with anger and not so great with anything else. When he isn't angry he turns in to an emotionless robot. The hair cut and the moustache did not work for him either. This wasn't a good fit for him and he in turn needs to look at his character here and work out how to draw things from it. Even when he was supposed to be emotional in a controlled way the look wasn't there, the eyes that normally accompany were missing. He can do better.

I haven't even heard of Charlie Hunnam which is saying a lot because even if I don't recognise the name I can normally associate the face with a movie. I couldn't. Judging from his performance in this movie I can see why I don't know his name. It's not one that I am likely to remember. If I were playing his character I would be more stubborn and more emotional than he was. He was destined to be the hero and at times he acted like it but he acted too much like a soldier and not enough like a guy who considers himself responsible for his brothers death. This character did not exist. In a movie, for the audience to be unable to connect to the character is a sign of a bad movie. Sometimes, if the character is poorly written then you as the actor need to take more responsibility for the character, like Johnny Depp and Captain Jack Sparrow. They hated the way that he played the role but the rest of the world loved it. Be brave- even good directors can be wrong.

Rocky 2

This is when the famous 'Gotta Fly Now' by Bill Conti starts to feature in the movies. Stallone looks a few years older but nothing about the film has changed.

Rocky 2 is a repeat of Rocky 1. He has moved on with his life, married the girl and is having a child. He agreed to a rematch with Apollo Creed immediately after winning the first fight but nothing really motivates him for most of the film because everyone knows his name. He does eventually start to work out and train for his rematch but throughout the film he never really looks like he will win it, except that he is Rocky so he is destined to win it so that the films can continue.

I have probably more criticisms than likes about this film. I felt like this film was just a filler for another movie. Certainly this film has not helped to develop Stallone's non existent ability to act or his barely recognisable speech. He's not bad on the directing part but I really struggled to make out anything that he was saying and he wasn't particularly great at showing emotion either. There are a lot of people out there who like him for these movies and maybe they see other things that I don't but I can't see why he made so many of these films as the star.

My next criticism is that the sequences are slow that even I would be able to beat him in a fight. He doesn't block, he stands there and lets someone else hit him. In today's world and even in the time that this film was made that was criminal. He's no longer an amateur, Rocky Ballboa is a household name and everyone pays to watch this fight. They pay to watch him get beaten to shreds by a guy who actually trained and at times looks to be a really good boxer but even Apollo Creed could have beaten Rocky because he also stood there and let Rocky hit him for most of the scene. Watching this film was disappointing in so many ways and I can imagine that I would have been disappointed if I were watching it on release day as well. Rocky and Rocky 2 have a similar to the Sean Connery 'James Bond' movies but without the comedy. The fight scenes were ridiculous in those movies as well but there was a comical element to it that was lacking in this film.

Kinda still want to watch all the other Rocky films just to see if the standards raise at any point.

On the Waterfront

Marlon Brando in a black and white movie. It's about union violence and corruption but other than that I have no real idea what is going on in this movie. This movie is boring.

I found it a hard film to follow. The preacher was the best character, he was strong and determined but with all the focus on Brando, I really felt like Brando didn't live up to the expectation that people like me, who grew up with his name as legend, have come to put on him. Behind him was a character that had everything his character didn't and I didn't see enough from Brando to convince me that he was worth being in this film. When the movie is in black and white you don't even need to cast someone based on looks because as long as they look relatively okay then it doesn't matter. You can't really determine their beauty in these movies.

The message from this movie is clear; no matter how hard it may be, you can't stay quiet over corruption and violence. This movie also covers the ongoing issues that are still apparent in the world today which is that sometimes if you speak up then it is difficult to come to work everyday and see the faces of people that who you know are doing things wrong. At this period in time it was a necessary topic because there was a lot of it going around and it really needed to be dealt with but they could have made it so much better than they did. Some black and white movies I have found almost impossible to look away from but this wasn't one of them.

As far as my recommendation goes, don't add it to your list. There are better Marlon Brando movies and there are better black and white movies.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Kingsman was one of the best films that had been created a few years ago. It took 'The Secret Service' to another level and limits don't seem to exist for these guys. There should be insane violence but they cover it up with weird explosions of fireworks to make it look more colourful.

This movie is just another level that we weren't expecting. Teaming up with Americans and taking that which is typically British and combining it with that which we consider to be typically American makes for a fantastic movie. Psychopaths and a few other things made it a little harder for me to watch and enjoy but I still enjoyed it. You've all seen the adverts so I can talk about Colin Firth and how fantastic he is. Mark Strong really stole the show. His singing and the music in this film is just insane. 

Kingsman: The Golden Circle leads the way for the series to continue but with a few different people and a different turn. The next film is going to be genius. The tools and gadgets just get cooler in each film. I have to mention that I loved the country version of 'Word Up' by Korn. I was sitting there in the Imax mouthing along to the song and just loving the scene that it was accompanying.
this film is all about Mark Strong. Everyone can watch and enjoy this film. Channing Tatum is going to make a fine Kingsman but it will be interesting to see how they rebuild the organisation. Now that Channing Tatum has stopped being cast as a romantic hero he is doing a lot better in films. He wasn't bad in 21 and 22 jump street but he cannot pass for being a sixteen or even 22 year old and it is good that everyone has started to accept it.even Halle Berry is good in this movie. This is the way that she should go. Her career is better when she is not the center of attention in a movie.
love this film and everything about Kingsman.

Underworld Blood Wars

The fifth and currently last instalment of the trilogy. During a previous year I watched all four films and reviewed them and I had to admit that it was someone else who drew my attention to this film as it had managed to escape my attention.

Kate Beckinsale is back on her quest to kill werewolves. This is a familiar story but in the previous film she abandoned her vampire clan for this werewolf called Michael and she had a child with him. That child is now sought out by the werewolves, who are lead by a man named Marius. As always, our leading lady cannot handle the entire film by herself so in walks Theo James to help her out. This guys eyes are full of integrity and strength. He looks like her is going to stay by her side and persevere and he is strong and silent, prepared to do what he needs to do for the greater good and that is needed.

So it's the same kind of plot as in all the previous films and it almost has a similar feel to Blade about it except that this is Kate Beckinsale and she is running from everybody and not hunting anyone this time, until the end. This is a typical science-fiction film and you know what to expect with it. She killed Victor in the previous movie and ended her war with her people but this time she has to fight for something bigger than herself and she is a skilled warrior. This role has always played to her strengths and the darkness and almost Gothic feel that accompanies this film works well for her. She's not in it for the looks, she's in it because she is the perfect choice for this character. There is hunger and determination in her eyes every time that she wields a weapon in this film. There is calculation and understanding. This is the perfect chance to see a more 'human' side to her and she doesn't go too over the top with it. She is very much supported by Theo James, who is once again the strong, determined and controlled type of character but this time he has a character who isn't totally dependent on him. He takes the war by the scruff of the neck and does what he thinks is right, he doesn't ask and he makes his own decisions.

Underworld will always be good. Until Kate's character reaches the point of having been shot so many times in a fight sequence, or beaten so many times that it seems a little unrealistic, they could keep going with these films. Stars are drawn to them and get to play a perfect character for them. In the previous films we had Bill Nighy and in this movie we had Charles Dance, Tobias Menzies (Game of Thrones, Casino Royale), Lara Pulver (Sherlock, Spooks, Edge of Tomorrow) and several other familiar faces. Everyone wants to have a dark character who gets a bit of action in this trilogy.

I love these movies. I can always make time for them and will happily watch them over and over again. For me these movies are the next level for 'Van Helsing', which is the movie that I watched over and over again as a teenager because I loved the Gothic (film noir) feel to it. Blood wars is just as good as any other Underworld movie.

I'm alright Jack

I promised that there would be a Peter Sellers film. This has been a little delayed and I apologise for that. On this blog we have realised that the older style of films, films that aren't necessarily silent or in black and white sometimes attract more people than the new releases. If you stumble across this blog because you want a movie recommendation or you want to learn a bit about films then reading one on a film that features Lawrence Olivier, Alec Guinness, Peter Sellers, Judi Dench or Maggie Smith are good ones to start with as they are world famous British actors who are considered to be 'greats'.

Until now the only Sellers films has been the Pink Panther series and that only shows the comical side to Peter Sellers instead of the full genius. To show how much of a genius he is the man is also joined by Richard Attenborough, who is deceased but had a fantastic life in film and will always be the man that I watch on Christmas Eve playing the role of Kris Kringle. It feels so good to have watched him in something else when he was younger. Now on to the film.

This film is a little weird. It starts off in a garden with a man in a suit and everyone else not wearing anything. I still haven't really worked out the significance of it except that at the start of the film he refuses to go near the naked women and at the end of the film, even though he runs away from the naked women he is in fact, naked himself. This guy manages to screw up almost every job opportunity that he has. He manages to lose his hat in a sweet factory and for it to come out looking like a large cake, he manages to seriously irritate the advertising and product company in the finance department and he manages to frustrate the construction team by driving a lifting machine badly and yet when it comes to sacking him the construction crew can't quite bring themselves to make that decision. This film is, according to Wikipedia 'a satire on British industrial life' and is a sequel to the film 'Private's Progress', which unfortunately was not included in my Peter Sellers box set because he did not feature in the film. However, he did win a BAFTA for best actor in this picture so there is a silver lining in every cloud.

I guess that this film is about the fall of one man from a slightly smug, complacent man to a hardworking man who realises that he is not above anyone else and has to work hard in order to gain anything in his life. At the start of the film he sees himself as above the naked people and he finds it to weird to be around them but by the end he has joined them and accepted this life for his own. I spent the entire movie looking out for Peter Sellers and I guess looking out for Inspector Cleuso but instead I found the same moustache but a much more hard working accent to go with a face which could have passed for being Peter Sellers. This man is naturally funny but this role wasn't intended to be as funny or as stupid and it worked really well for him. It's a comedy but I didn't find it funny at all. Maybe I wasn't paying enough attention to it but something about it just didn't draw me in as much as 'The Pink Panther' series did.

Take nothing away from the acting. Watching these guys when they are young and at their prime, doing something that the British did really well is priceless. This is a way to spend an evening and Richard Attenborough and Peter Sellers were both fantastic in this movie. There were moments when I could have laughed if I had been in the right mood for it but if you do watch it in a good mood and devote your attention to it then you are very likely to enjoy it. If you are like me and have little knowledge of British comedy and some of the greats then watch this film to receive a better education.

Olympus has fallen

The sequel to this film, 'London has fallen' was released about two years ago. I got the wrong end of the stick with this film and thought that it might have something to do with mythology but I was wrong and it is just another Die Hard type of film about a terror attack on the White House.

Aaron Eckhart as the President and Gerard Butler as an ex secret service man who is trusted with the operation of saving the life of the president and his son. Morgan Freeman as the acting president whilst all this is going on. When you read those names you think that in an action film these guys cant go wrong and you would be correct to assume so. It's been a while since Eckhart featured on this blog and it has been a while since he starred in a movie.

Give Butler a gun and let him go for it. It's another great film that is well thought out. This guy knows everything about the White House, every secret corridor and every back way. It makes sense that he can work his way around, get in to the White House, kill the terrorists, rescue the son, prevent the secretary from being shot and make it out of the White House with the President still alive.

I loved the child in this movie. Eckhart plays the controlled character who half attempts to save the lives of his coworkers but understands that there are more important things such as keeping a world safe. The control is something that we have often seen from this guy but the child playing Connor (Finley Jacobsen) is fantastic. This is by far the best thing that he has done and even though he wasn't a solid feature in this movie he held the line, he didn't complain, he didn't panic and he was the type of child that any parent would want in a situation like that. He could have been the next Bruce Wayne and probably should have been considered for the role in 'Gotham'.

This is one of the better action movies that they have made within the last four years. It wasn't comical and it was trying to be serious but not science fiction. There was a plot, they stuck to it and they worked to everyone's strengths. Watching something like this helps to convince me that they can make good action films, with a plot and a strong cast that don't need the comedy.

GI Blues

Elvis. I promised a coworker that I would watch more Elvis films months ago- something closer to six months ago and have finally obtained a box set of his films and started to watch them.

I forgot that Elvis could act as well as sing. I had forgotten that they were free to actually make movies in which there were strong characteristics and a steady plot. It was refreshing. I particularly liked the scene with the baby because it showed how sometimes, a young man in the army will only know the code that he was given and will not have a clue about dealing with babies or young children.

This time he's in the army. It works out well for him but instead of being on the front he is instead making bets over women and naturally, being the gentlemen who wins more than a bet. What I like the most about him in this film is that he is a gentlemen, he is attractive but he isn't playing on it. He has honour and respect but he works for it. He's in Germany and he takes the bet to raise the money that he needs for it which is to have one night alone with a German dancer but instead he does the honourable thing and calls the bet off because he actually falls in love with her. This is the 50's. Show dancing has just become a big thing and this girl is a fantastic dancer in a bar that feels a bit more like 'Ric's' from 'Casablanca', in that there seems to be dancing, music and various other things taking place. Like all Elvis films, you watch it for the music and for Elvis. The plot could be rubbish and you would still watch it because it has him in it.

If you don't like Elvis then there is no point in watching this film and if you do then you need to look no further for a movie to watch this evening. It's not difficult to follow or keep up with and it's not something that requires a huge amount of concentration, it just needs you to pay attention and appreciate the singing and the actual movie. The director could have created a rubbish plot which just revolved around Elvis singing and dancing for a living (after all, they managed it very well with Fred Astaire) and we would still love it but they haven't because they have tried to give everyone a reason to go and see it. Just over an hour and a half, in this day and age it is shorter than the normal length for a film so it is hardly spoiling and evening. There is something wonderful about watching Elvis on the screen and for those of us who didn't get the pleasure of seeing it when it was released we will have to settle with DVDs.

The Philadelphia Story

This movie was remade with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Grace Kelly. Louis Armstrong and his band narrated the remake and they turned it in to a musical, my favourite musical, 'High Society'. This black and white movie starred Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn and James Stewart so it's just replacing stars of one type with stars of another.

I've said many times that I am not a fan of James Stewart and certainly I feel that Frank Sinatra played this role a lot better than James Stewart does but the original character of 'Mike Connors' has more of a story to him. Apart from that, there is hardly any difference to the story. Instead of Spy Magazine attempting to release an article on Seth Lord they are instead attempting to publish pictures of Tracy Lord and C K Dexter Haven on their honey moon two years ago which neither Haven nor Lord want. Tracy has a fictional brother called Julius, who doesn't actually feature and that is the difference, minus the songs.

Some of the moments that I found to be funny in the musical just weren't funny. Stewart didn't change his voice enough to make it funny or the characters just didn't make it work. I never really felt like the characters were in love with each other but I did feel like Cary Grant as C K was a good choice. You can compare him to Bing Crosby and they are similar in character and the way that they play the role of the jealous lover. In some respects I felt like there was less to this film because there wasn't the on going theory of the musicians being in the house or the other houses that were available to them.

It's a great principle and another classic film of how some people can afford to live and how the lives of certain classes can be more difficult and more entertaining than the lives of our own but at the end we all want our privacy and our freedom. The musical is better and having Louis Armstrong in a film will always make it better but this is a film that anyone should watch before watching 'High Society'.

Logan

This is the start of a few days of frequent film watching. The Philadelphia story, Olympus has fallen, an Elvis film and a Peter Sellers film are on the way so keep watching this space and sorry for the delay.

Logan was released in cinemas in early March. It is supposed to signify the end of Wolverine in his own movies because Hugh Jackman can no longer keep up the physique needed for this role. I wasn't sure about this film when I saw the adverts. He looks old, he looks weary and one of the features that has become well known of Wolverine is that he is ageless, his mutation makes it look like he doesn't age so seeing him look like this was hard for me. I missed it because of complications and I was in Austria for a part of March. When I got back to London 'Logan' was on a limited screening.

What can we say about Jackman's bow from the somewhat iconic character that has become associated with him? There is a lot more emotion to this Logan than we have ever seen before. This film shows exactly why he is an avenger rather than an x-man. It seems fitting that he shows more inner emotion in this film, more care and more concern than he has ever done before when the end is drawing close.
Dafne Keen is a name to watch out for. She has an 'Abigail Breslin' feel to her. The way that she plays this role, talking in Spanish, attacking well trained men, suggests that she could become the next child that everyone wants in their films.
The return of Patrick Stewart is very much appreciated. Not that James McAvoy didn't do a good job but he was never going to be 'Charles Xavier' when Patrick Stewart was already playing that role. If they had done it differently and started with a young 'Xavier' then we would probably be saying that McAvoy will be most people's preferred 'Charles' but they didn't so he isn't.

Richard E Grant is making a rare return to film, instead of TV. There are cameos or actors you may recognise for the odd film in this film but apart from the two I have already mentioned there is no one who carries one hell of a filmoraphy, unlike what we normally expect with a marvel film.
They have done well with this film but it did need to be the end of this chapter.