Meet Me In St Louis

Judy Garland stars in the Christmas musical 'Meet Me In St Louis'. A nice big family in the American town of St. Louis living a normal life and getting by with the oldest children in their teenage/ young adult phase trying to get over who they fancy but wont go out with.
Then the dad tells them that they are going to move to New York or somewhere much bigger than where they are now so that he can continue to provide for the family which means that they all have to say goodbye to the people that they fancy but not before they have been to the last dance.

It's one of those films which reminds you of the importance of family. When your date can't get his suit cleaned or your date is unavailable you can always rely on your brother and grandfather to take you to the dance. If you really want to go to the dance and don't care about the appearance or what other people will think because you are just there to have a good time then it doesn't matter who you go with and this film shows you that much.

It is a musical, it does have a hit song 'Meet me in St. Louis' which is rather catchy but I can't remember all the words so I just have the chorus part stuck in my head all the time. A lot of old fashioned musicals only really have one hit song in them but they have a simple plot and some great moments and that is what musicals are about, the dancing, the singing and the story in itself, one part is not more important that the other parts.

Hopefully the last Christmas film 'The shop Around the Corner' will feature in a few days, after the wedding has passed and I have time to do important things like read back over my essays and watch more films.

If you are a lover of musicals then you should be watching this one as well. I have a nice collection of musicals but there aren't as many as I would like and there are always so many better than decent old musicals out there to be found.

Trading Places.

Two guys swap places as part of a bet and the result was a more than decent film.

Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd become the victim of a bet made by two brothers. Aykroyd starts off as the well paid young man who has it all- a Harvard education, a fiancee, a butler, the house, the car etc and then the two leading brothers of the firm that he works for. He stumbles in to a man who had just been picked up by the police for impersonating a blind war victim with no legs. Murphy attempts to give the brief case back to Aykroyd who claims that it is an attempted robbery and presses full charges. A bet is a bet so Murphy is released on bail by Dukes and takes the place of Aykroyd, who in turn is imprisoned, looses his fiancee, his job, his life and has to make do with a woman that picks him up.

Turning to criminal activity he ends up almost dying but not before Billy Ray Valentine discovers the bet and saves his life. So let's team up and make those guys pay. In the end they end up bankrupting the Dukes and making enough money for themselves and the others to live quite happily. The moral of the story is don't make a one dollar bet on someone's life. People's lives are worth more than money.

Eddie Murphy normally has something of a slightly irritating presence in films, trying to be funny when comedy is only funny when it is natural, not forced and no actual attempt to be funny. This film isn't as funny as it was made out to be. Don't get me wrong, the idea is a great idea, the concept is fantastic and the film is very, very good but it shouldn't be classed as a comedy- it isn't particularly funny.

Jamie Lee Curtis was probably the pick of the bunch, aiding Aykroyd as a supporting role and just helping the film to run smoothly.  Again, not necessarily a film that I would consider to be a Christmas film.

Gremlins

So first up on the Christmas film front is Gremlins. Watching it I was just trying to ask myself why it was considered a Christmas film when the wonderful Esther pointed out to me that it was set at Christmas and that even though it had very little to do with the idea that we have come to centre Christmas around all you need for a movie is for it to be set at Christmas and that makes it a Christmas film.

If anyone is familiar with the film 'The Santa Clause' then they will understand who I mean when I say that Neal is in Gremlins as once again an egotistical guy who doesn't really understand anything about Christmas. So having got that over and done with let's break down Gremlins. A man steals an animal from a Chinese man and takes it home to give to his son, the rules are simple- no water, no bright lights and don't feed it after midnight. If you spill water on one of these creatures then they multiple and if you feed them after midnight they turn into Gremlins, nasty little creatures that kill for pleasure and are always hungry. So rest assured that all of these things happen throughout the film and then running around on Christmas are hundreds of nasty little Gremlins destroying people and Christmas.

The soundtrack for this film is great, the acting not so much but it is an old film and they aren't as bad as James Stewart. The creature in this film is really cute, not the Gremlin but the actual creature is adorable. You want so much to hug it and hold it because it is also the victim. What Gremlin's doesn't do is teach you a message (except for don't steal) in the way that It's a Wonderful Life does. Often Christmas films have a meaning and a message behind them but this one, in a similar way to Die Hard doesn't have one. It's memorable and that is always good.

Next up will be trading places.

Fame

Another musical like dancing film staring Irene Cara. Fame has that one song that people learn (being the main tune) and spends time focusing on the performing arts. In many ways it is similar to Flashdance, with the focus on the performing arts school, one could even see fame as the sequel to Flashdance. Even though that doesn't entirely make sense because the character is clearly older in Flashdance, having spent the film dancing and trying to work up the courage to audition for a dancing school in Fame they actually all get in to performing arts school and spend four years there learning to dance, sing/ play music or act.

Fame highlights what can happen when you get famous, the bad things about being famous- people only wanting you to be in films if you take your clothes off or letting the pressure get to you, hurting everyone, doing things that you don't like and in the end ruining your career. It's a dated film and for the most part there aren't any standout performers in it- Irene Cara is Irene Cara-singer/dancer/performer and that's that. She wasn't the sole main character in this film so there was a lot less focus on her.

The standout scene, the scene you will remember from watching this film is the Fame scene, where the music is blaring out of the taxi and everyone is dancing. The music is good, the song is great and the dancing is great but that's mostly all that you will remember from this movie. Remember the tune and the name and just watch that scene.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (BBC production)

We watched and reviewed the newer version of this film on a previous blog so thought it would be a nice break from musicals and Christmas films to watch an old movie with some of the greats.

Alec Guinness, Richard Harris, Joss Ackland, these are the names that star in this series. It's not a film as such because it is split into three episodes but each one allows you to grasp the main idea that is within the book. These episodes do not convey all the colour that the book and the newer film do, there are things from this production which are missing but it is a lot closer to the book (which I am currently reading) than the newer film.

Alec Guinness is a fantastic George Smiley. They sold this series on his name (and the name of some others) so it seems right that he takes on the main character and that he reprises his role in 'Smiley's People', which we hope to watch later on in December and review. From the voice there is no mistaking him and this role is a lot calmer, leaving room for others to come in and help build on the atmosphere. What I like about this film is that it is almost entirely different to the film that I first watched.

I want to say a low budget film but it's not because of the cast. It is just very much an old bbc production. If you've seen a few of them then you will know what I mean by that statement.

I would recommend this to everyone who has seen the remake, it's just nice to have something to compare.

The Town

The last film officially on the blog that actually has been released this year or prior to this year. Things like Star Wars are actually going to end up being on next years blog. I have been waiting for a long time to watch this film because it has Ben Affleck in it and I didn't want too many rants about how terrible he is at playing anyone other than himself too close together.

The Town is all about a bank robbery but not your conventional one. In this town armed robbery is common but what isn't common is that they let a woman go. They threatened her but normally in a robbery if someone can recognise you or has seen too much then you wouldn't let them go. Yes, Affleck's character spends the film secretly tailing her, keeping an eye on her and getting to know her without mentioning that he is the mastermind behind the armed robbery. Typically a romance is formed, which is kind of irritating because this film stars Jeremy Renner who is a far better actor than Affleck and much more attractive.

Affleck wrote this film and directed it along with staring in it but obviously has not learnt much from his long career in film because this film is still really shocking. I tried, we tried but he just ruins films. Blake Lively in this film was not a good choice. Her character is incredibly similar to the one that made her famous (Serena- Gossip Girl) and quite a serious let down. We all want to see her do more with her career than play the seductive and somewhat slutty character that made her.

For the sake of everyone I have kept this short. I will spend more time in the cinema and I have about five Christmas films coming up so hopefully that should keep me occupied.

A United Kingdom

A nice historical education for someone as young as I am. Sitting in the cinema with people who were old enough to be my grandparents and listening to the comments that they made about remembering Churchill being elected into parliament made me realise just how little I knew about all this and how much I had to learn.

A United Kingdom, starring David Oyelowo (Spooks, Jack Reacher) and Rosamund Pike (Pride and Prejudice, Die Another Day), is all about Botswana becoming a republic, discovering that there were diamonds in the soil and how the British government were so afraid of South Africa during Apartheid that they did many irresponsible things and made many lies and broken promises. As said earlier, my historical knowledge of this event comes solely from the film, I have no real understanding of history at this time so I don't know if he was the first man of importance to marry someone of a different ethnicity to him but the film certainly made it out like it was something new and certainly a very big deal.

What everyone has in this film is emotion. Seeing the change between a nation who would not accept this woman as their queen to a nation that would let the same woman build a well with them is fantastic. Yes, she had a child whilst she was out there and that may have helped to change things but even so, the transformation was short, much shorter than I was expecting. How many times have I written posts on films which star actors who are incapable of showing any kind of emotion? I love it when I can see actors cry and fight together and not fighting with guns and weapons, fighting with clever words and songs. These films are films that every single person in the world should go and see. Every single person should be educated on this matter but should also admire the quality of the film. A United Kingdom will probably miss out on all the awards because it is not a blockbuster hit but it is a film that everyone should go and see, either to help them remember their past or to learn something about the history of the world.

Little Shop of Horrors.

Solid opening tune and another musical like Rocky Horror Picture Show with some fantastic music. How this musical escaped me and I have been torturing myself with the likes of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and Carousel instead of listening to memorable tunes and watching a genius-ly simple plot is way beyond me. I will blame my friends for this most serious crime against musical watchers.

I didn't know anyone in this cast so at least this review wont be focused solely on one person. Let's start with the technology. This film was made in 1986, it screams out that it was made in the eighties as the plant looks like it was made out of paper mashe. The fact is that this film is clearly a low budget film, with the setting of only a shop, a street and a dentist the money clearly wasn't spent on location and extravagant plot so it must have been spent on the music- which is what we like to see in musicals.

With your typical somewhat nerdy, unpopular protagonist motivated to try and impressive the beautiful blond who is in a relationship with a bad man in comes the plant and the way to make Seymour (Rick Moranis) famous and gain the attention of Audrey (Ellen Greene). A small and somewhat unusual plant turns out to be a man eating plant (voiced by Levi Stubbs) and is demanding blood. Who shall they feed to him first? With guest appearances from Bill Murray (Ghostbusters), Steve Martin (Bow finger) and John Candy (Cool Runnings, Planes, trains and automobiles, JFK) this film has a solid foundation underneath it.

Try not to be too critical of the film. Rick Moranis was exceptional at playing the somewhat pained and emotional young man but not so great at doing anything else. With Ellen Green taking on the role of 'dumb blonde' so convincingly she could have really made us think that she wasn't acting. It wasn't the most exceptional display and it didn't have the stellar performances from the lead characters that Rocky Horror did but instead it has some fantastic music and is really easy to enjoy. It may take time for you to go near plants or dentists again after watching this film but it is well worth the watch!

A Street Cat Named Bob

A film that I feel will not get the attention and credit it deserves thanks to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them. The thing is, A street cat named Bob is based on a true story- the book was released in 2012 so even though it didn't go down in history and wasn't the story of the news making the headlines it is a good story, as good as Fantastic Beasts and it is true, we should appreciate what James Bowen went through.

Luke Treadway took on the role of James Bowen and was fantastic. Even though he didn't have the same hair colour he still played the part very well. It's not so much about him, his character is the same, he never looks clean but he also doesn't get particularly animated, except for when he was going clean. It's all about the cat. 

The feel, the struggle, the buzz that you got whilst watching the film is why everyone should go and see it. This film is not a 'feel good' film but it one that speaks to a lot of people. We've all seen 'junkies' and we've all wanted to help them but mostly at times we can't. Seeing the way that his father rejects him and he has to lie to this woman who he really likes is painful but in the end everything is alright- the struggle is worth it and seeing the lengths he goes through to keep the cat safe is really moving. Go and watch it.

Fantastic beasts and where to find them.

Released today in the UK. You can imagine the build up and hype to it because it is another wizarding film, another part of the 'Harry Potter' franchise because any Potter nerd will tell you that this is the text book that they use in their care of magical creatures lessons throughout the entire franchise.

I don't want to give away too much about the film because I do advise you all to go and see it. It is NOT a Harry Potter film and is actually not what you are expecting at all. Yes, the twist was what I was expecting but there was quite a lot which I couldn't have picked up from the trailers. Most of the plot can be put together from watching the trailers but there was a different type of magic and my fear of them reaching the non-verbal stage of magic where they don't bother to actually say any spells at all was not necessary because they keep all the spells that we learnt from the previous magical films.


Eddie Redmayne took the lead and carried on the idea of British actors taking main roles in this franchise. With the film set in New York we had to make way for some American actors to enter the setup as well but they did it with style. What this film had that made it noticeably different from the previous magical films was no unnecessary extra action (like Dragons ruining the castle just because they can) and it had just the right amount of animation (which even though it is getting better is still not quite at the level that it needs to be- how is it that J.K.Rowling is about 5 years behind everyone else in terms of animation??).

It is easy to enjoy this film, never are you on the edge of your seat and it has a dark feel to it but because there is not a large amount of action and it is more about the beasts, admiring their beauty and the little bits of comedy that are actually in the film it is much easier to just pleasantly enjoy it in the cinema next to you without jumping up and down or shouting at the screen.

The ending of the film left no opening for another film but with the rumour of five films being made I can see how that would possible after watching this film. The lack of action may have been down to it actually being a textbook and a lack of realistic material (although that never stops anyone in film business) or it may have been down to their being another 4 films scheduled, assuming that this film does well in the box office. However, due to the huge play on the character of Grindelwald there has to be more films, there has to be more into his character, his turn from friend of Dumbledore (albeit when they were younger and more foolish) to feared wizard and the ideal enemy, example for Voldemort.

Just make sure to go and see it. It is difficult to review without spoiling it and as it has only just made it to the UK I don't want to spoil it. I thought that Redmayne was impressive but it would be good to see if his character can development and give him a chance to prove himself, his character was very trapped inside one emotion throughout this film.

Arrival

Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker are the names boasted on the cover. A story about an alien invasion, haven't we heard it all before? Why is this film different? Simple, because it's not really about an alien invasion. Instead of just opening fire on everything and everyone the world's military organisations stop to think about it, try to communicate with them and get translators in to help them with all of this.

It felt quite a short film. moving nicely along but without too much action to be noted. It's a sci-fi film, not an action film and most of the film is spent either inside the army base in Montana or in the Alien pod teaching them how to understand human speech and teaching themselves how to work out what the alien writing language is. The twist to the film that I didn't see coming and sort of imagine that no one saw coming was spectacular. You think that you are watching a film about something so obvious but when you finally discover why the aliens are here it is something of a shock (in a nice way).

You're almost there, the finish line is in sight and you are just waiting for the expected ending. No cheesy lines or romcom like feel to it until that awful ending line- they just couldn't resist it. I don't know of anyone who would approach a woman that they have no previous relationship with other than a working relationship for about 2-3 months who would hug someone after saving the world and say 'Do you wanna make a baby?' That is just a terrible line and they had done so well to avoid any sort of predictable yet mushy, vomit inducing relationship that seemed like an obvious plot. They had managed to create this idea that men and women can work together even on something as important as saving the world without sleeping together or getting married but then they ruined it searching for that happy ending.

Not everything does have a happy ending so not every film should have a happy ending. It is okay to show the pains of the world and saving the world and the day can be enough of a happy ending. Take nothing away from Amy Adams, in the clips of her being a mother she was entirely convincing and quite surprising. Having seen her in 'Sunshine Cleaning' it was hard to imagine her as a mother or really as someone who could be in a decent, stable relationship with anyone but a decade has passed since that film, she has become Lois Lane and has become more mature and more of a strong maternal figure than expected. Emphasis on the 'strong' because her character is strong, not crying out for help, she can carry the weight of the world until her death without falling down and calling for Strider all the time.

Great film, very memorable but not a film to be watched on loop.

Ghostbusters 2

I have been putting this one off because of the recently released film which seems to sort of mash the two films together whilst adding a few bits of its own but it was either this or a Ben Affleck film so it had to be this one.

I may now have to go and watch the first film to freshly remind myself of what happened because I am starting to blur it with the other film that was released in July in the UK. This film was a lot harder to follow because I don't really remember the end of the first film. I thought that it ended with them up on top of some huge building and they saved the day. Now in this film they have stopped being 'The Ghostbusters', are doing children's parties and are separated. When they come back together they are hated, mocked and even though they are needed a certain two people are afraid of them and wont call them until they really have to.

Bill Murray is arrogant, this film is about Dan Aykroyd, his control, how he pulls the team together. There wasn't enough in this film to make it as good as the first film. There wasn't really anything in it accept a few ghosts, a plot to take over New York and a small amount of action for the guys in suits at the end. I still prefer the newest film, it has more action and more logic along with more comedy and more quality but we can't or shouldn't take anything away from the original film. This film was not great but there are far worse sequels out there than this one.

It was good to hear the old theme tune, see the car driving around and see the old team back together. There should be a Ghostbusters film where they actually embrace the Ghostbusters and just let them work. If people believe in ghosts then there is always going to be a need for people to help them to settle their fears and demons and these guys (or women) manage that so just make a film that is a little different and stop trying to run the same plot over and over.

Did You Hear About The Morgans?

Critics rated this film very badly. Often critics are actually correct, with the rare times that they are wrong about a film which I have liked or enjoyed. This however, was not the case. A film with Sarah Jessica Parker and Hugh Grant almost creams 'Get Away' before you have even taken the disk out of the case. Sometimes you should take notice of that and spare yourself the trouble but if I did that then there wouldn't be a blog!

What can I say? This is the woman who starred in Sex And The City, which I haven't seen and who made a huge name for herself in about 2008/9 so with all that hype I would have expected a little more from her than what was given. She was not the worst thing about the film- Hugh Grant was equally as awful. There was a time when playing the pompous character (otherwise known as himself) was exactly what he needed to do but this isn't the case anymore. We have all seen the multiple films in which he just plays himself and we do not need to see another film with him starring as himself, we would like to see a film in which he actually acts. This film is cheesy and predictable.

When they kiss, it's ugly and it takes such a long time that it seems ridiculous. I have no idea why they thought that this would be a good idea. Making a film like this was never going to be a good idea. Also, having sex in someone else's house whilst they live there is just a bit disrespectful and dishonourable. The stupid blonde is not something that amuses anyone anymore and it didn't amuse anyone in 2009. Trying to find something good about this film just simply comes down to Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen. They held everything together, they pulled all the strings and provided the comedy factor as well, without them this film would have been so rubbish that you would never have got past the opening clips of Hugh Grants talking on the phone.

If you haven't seen it, you don't need to.

Zero Dark Thirty

Another film into taking down a known terrorist suspect. I'm thinking of films like 'A Bridge of Spies' and 'Eye In The Sky' that would fit into the same category as this. I remember Zero Dark Thirty being released in the UK, I remember not knowing anything about it but it winning awards at the Oscars.

Agencies attempting to bring down Bin Laden, the film was released after Bin Laden was actually murdered. You can google it or IMDB it to get the synopsis and doing so would be better than me trying to accurately explain what is going on in this film. All that you need to know is that the undercover operations show just how difficult it was to gain any information on some of these targets. Not only is it incredibly dangerous but it is harder than one of the Mission Impossible films.

With Edgar Ramirez featuring in the most recent post (- The Girl On The Train) I couldn't not notice him and mention him in this film. Different role but nice to see where he emerged from. Not a main man in this film but always playing the supporting role with care and quality. Likewise, Mark Strong just slipped in and out of a few scenes to keep the movie rolling along. The names staring are names that I don't recognise but it says a lot if you have stars like Mark Strong only featuring in smaller supporting roles. Through all of this I could not take my eyes off of Jessica Chastain (The Martian, The Help). Her hair colour, if nothing else makes her memorable but I will remember her character, the woman who wouldn't back down, who was shot at repeatedly in a car but still wouldn't give up her fight. I know that there are risks that you take when you become an agent and that being shot at is part of the job but there are some things that you don't have to do and actively pursuing someone who is a known terrorist, who can't be found and who is going to come after you is something that you don't have to do. Her courage is unquestionable and I don't know if the character was true or not but the character in the film is incredible.

Watch it with your full concentration. A topic that is educational and needed. Don't shy away from it because the filming and the acting is very good. Yes, it's a film about taking down one man but it was a significant even in modern history, it wasn't a war film and it was both interesting and full of action.

The Girl on The Train.

A thriller and the first thriller that I have seen in cinema since seeing The Woman In Black many years ago.

This wasn't the same type of thriller. People have been put off going to see this film because it is classified as a thriller, yes, it is psychological and very well done but it is not scary in any way. This film just focuses on something real, a topic that we don't often see in films and it should be praised for that.

Emily Blunt looked like a transformed woman. At times I questioned if it really was her or not but underneath when you stop and think about it the answer is yes- it is her all the way. From the adverts you think that she is crazy, you are lead to believe something completely different and I love that about it. Cutting it up in the way that they did makes you think something completely different from what you actually see. I don't want to spoil the film, I don't want to give anything away but it is not what you expect, not what you think that you know. At times you can work out what is going to happen next but just when you think that you have worked it out you start to realise just how wrong you have gone somewhere along the line.

With a cast like this, one where you watch it and see faces from the past and faces that you can't put the name to you know that something big is coming your way. Luke Evans (The Hobbit 2+3) is one of the two recognisable faces that I struggled to put a name to, with the other being (rather ironically) his wife in this film- Haley Bennett (Music and Lyrics, The Equalizer, The Magnificent Seven), who looks a lot like Jenifer Lawrence but isn't. Both of them were brilliant, controlled but everything that was expected of them.

With a film like this it is not about the words, it's about the psychology. The way that Blunt is so convincing in her role, the way that her character changes and you can see every change. When she is angry she really looks it, you could believe that she could kill someone out of anger. That I admire in her, it's not about looking like you are wanting to hit someone, there is more to anger than just clenching your fists- being able to show anger when the camera only shows your face is a true skill. Watch this film if only to admire her when she is angry and the skill that she truly possesses. Everyone in this film was like Emily Blunt, they were able to hide or convey everything through facial expressions only.

One of the best psychological thrillers out there. The adverts show little of what the film truly is.

Kung Fu Panda 3

After learning the well kept secret that he was adopted in the last film this film is all about the panda training, finding his dad and becoming a panda.

I think that many of us were wondering how they were going to make a third film. Kung Fu Panda films are genius and really quite silly (in a good way) but I certainly felt like this film may lack a story at certain points. It didn't- it was brilliant in every sense but it did seem like a filler (if anyone is familiar with anime) for the next big plot in the story line.

Having now watched the entire film instead of reviewing as I go along (to save time) I can now reflect on the entire film and how it was more comical than the other films but still a very good film. Kung Fu Panda is going to be something that has the potential to be consistently good. The first one was still the best and there isn't necessarily an obvious way for a fourth film to be made but I would go and see the fourth film if it were to be made because these films have been very enjoyable. We all need that film which helps us to feel like a child without being ridiculously cheesy and for me this is the film which does that.

The most touching moment came from when all the panda's put their chi together to help Po out when he is losing a battle. We all love seeing him with his father and his adopted goose father but there is nothing nicer than seeing panda's roll around and helping each other out. We all knew that one day he would get back to his panda village.

Comedy line 'Even master Chicken is going in and he's a chicken!'. There were probably better lines than that but each to their own and nothing makes me laugh more than that line. Not that we don't enjoy watching the panda dance around with the all important staff and becoming a ninja but I am a Dustin Hoffman fan 'till I die and I wanted to see more of him in this film. Yes, there was development in his character and some great development that is key for the story but he should have featured much more in this film than he did. Monkey was pointless and useless in this film so I am questioning as to why his character was even included in this film and overall we would expect a little more than what we saw from each of the masters but I guess that we can't have everything and the script writers did not write it just to please me (would be nice if they had!).

I hope that you enjoyed this film as much as I did and if you haven't seen it then you should definitely set aside a few hours to watch this film and to just enjoy it. Don't expect too much from it, it is after all, one of the best animated films made within the last five years.

Doctor Strange!

Excited about this review!

First things first, we watched it because we are Marvel lovers and Benedict Cumberbatch lovers but we weren't expecting him to play a character that in some way we hadn't seen before because Benedict Cumberbatch is a bit like Robert Downey Jr, he only (so far) plays characters that have a huge ego, are evil or are greedy. Doctor Strange definitely falls into the first category but also a little into the third category as well.

What Doctor Strange has is an awesome cape, Chiwetel Eijofor to kick him in the face every now and then, Tilda Swinton to remind him that no matter how intelligent  he is there is always someone who can kick his ass and Rachel McAdams to remind him that every man needs a partner by their side to help them out. It's a team effort- not about one man and his quest for glory, one team and their quest to turn the arrogant prick into something useful in order to fulfil their quest.

Lots of imagination, lots of reference to martial arts, fire bending and few other fantasy things that we have seen from anime or other types of films and references to the avengers multiple times. I have never read the Doctor Strange comics and I didn't know anything about Doctor Strange but Marvel do have a way of combining their universe and making films that now link with all their other films. Yes, they haven't quite linked up the X-Men and the Avengers yet but they will get there and with the customary scene at the end linking together Thor and Doctor Strange they have continued their universe very successfully.

Benedict Cumberbatch is perfect for the part of Doctor Strange, his swagger and arrogance and yet somewhere underneath it all we aren't surprised because he comes across as an intelligent man. Tilda Swinton is fantastic and even more so because she constantly holds her own against many men and women. The death was inevitable but she died in honour and she was not at all overpowered or pathetic at any point. For ages I thought that she was Cate Blanchett because of her voice but then when I saw the credits I realised that it was Tilda Swinton.

Chiwetel was just fantastic. He wasn't the enemy but he does have an issue with being in sequels, he is always in films where he either dies or walks out so as to avoid being in another film. His character was different and the one who will probably be missed the most in the next film. I am looking forward to another film being made and seeing how Doctor Strange is going to become as powerful as Tilda Swinton was.

Just watch the film! Watch the adverts, get excited- the visuals are fantastic and the cape is something special so just go with it and watch it many times over and over until it stops showing at the cinema near you!

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Anticipated and eagerly awaited by myself and a few others since watching the first film. I haven't read the books but I know someone who has and she loved the first film.

Tom Cruise is almost perfect in the role- he's not 6'4 but apart from that he is fantastic and the Jack Reacher that can be imagined from the books. Now I am told that this film is like the twentieth book in the series and not book two which is a little sad but I guess that as proven by James Bond you can't actually really afford to make twenty films of books that have been written in a series successfully as Tom Cruise will not continue being in his 40's forever.

No Jai Courtney this time and no real relevance to the first film except that if you have watched it then you will be familiar with his style of fighting and you will know exactly what to expect from Cruise and from the film. Cobie Smulders is the leading woman in this case and she is slightly better than Rosamund Pike in terms of her character but then again they are completely different in every way. Her character was strong enough but at times I felt like she was being beaten a little too easily for a Major in the army. I know that she is a woman but she could be stronger if they had wanted her to be. There will always be characters like Reacher who are supposed to be stronger than everyone else but when she is just fighting henchmen of the main villain then she should have a license to be stronger but that isn't really a criticism of Cobie Smulders, that is a criticism of the director and crew who decided to make the character weaker than she should be.

What you can enjoy about Jack Reacher is the knowledge that no matter how often the enemy thinks that they have him, they don't. It's that simple and it makes it nice and easy to watch the film, you're never worried and even if you are supposed to think that he is dead part of you just doubts it, not hopes, knows that there is no chance of that. James Bond never died, not matter how many times they tried to kill him he never actually died and that is going to be the same thing with Reacher- one day, in a few novels time when the author has decided to call it a day he will either pick a fight that he can't win because he is physically too old or he will die of old age.

They have tried to spice it up and the woman playing 'Samantha' just grew on you more and more. Danika Yarosh is a name to look out for- she is one for the future if she continues to make good choices about her career because she has got talent in abundance.

This film is worth watching and worth acquiring as soon as you can because it is one that you will watch over and over again when the time is right. It's the right kind of action to fit most moods.

Warcraft

This is the film that was released earlier this year and has just been released on DVD in the UK.
If you are looking for a review or a post about world of warcraft films or other films with parts of this name in the title then please go elsewhere.

Dominic Cooper is the only name that I recognised from this starting lineup and often that doesn't matter but in this case, for this film it probably says a lot about the film. Normally the online scores from other websites or ratings from reviewers can serve as a good indication for a film, yes that doesn't necessarily mean that you will dislike a film that they disliked but it can serve as a good indicator. I knew from the opening sequence of this film with CGI that looked a little half-assed and runescape esq that it had the potential to be better than it was going to be. Just to throw this out now, I am not a Warcraft fan- never really stumbled across it or took the time to get in to it but I am not a hater. I can follow the plot for this film and work with it.

So speaking of the plot I found myself asking the ever dreaded question 'why?' throughout this film. A fight between Orcs and other races has been seen in movies before so what is it that is going to make you feel particularly compelled to go and see this film more than just for example sitting down and watching The Lord of The Rings (which I love)?  I guess that in all films I look for something that is original and whilst I am aware that it is practically impossible to have a completely original idea and even harder to make an original film if there is nothing in your film that is different and new then why are you making it? Avatar was Pochahontas in blue with ground-breaking new technology, There was nothing original about the plot but the way that they filmed it was completely new. Is there anything new about Warcraft? No.

When I was watching it at times I felt that frustration that I often get from watching Once Upon A Time. The plot shouldn't have been similar but it was and that's bad because there is already more than enough Once Upon A Time and we DON'T need anymore in this world.

Apart from all those criticisms I have a fantastic ability to enjoy most films and I actually did enjoy watching this film, I just didn't really see anything that was spectacular in it and by this point in the year and with so few films left I really want things that are going to make me either rave on about them in a good way or in a bad way and this film did neither.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.

Finally reached the last one. Good to know that I wont have to waste anymore time watching these films and obviously Tom Cruise knows it because the start of the film is about him being beaten by his repetitive system.

The first thing that I have to write is that his mission Vinyl is destructing in five seconds and yet he has time to watch his secretary be shot in the head whilst trying to punch his way out of the glass box he is in? That was the longest five seconds I have ever seen! Within the first ten minutes the criticisms are already falling thick and fast- doesn't bear well for the rest of the film. The impossible stunts and the clearly overpowering enemies that Tom Cruise is up against says a lot about the film. He is out of his league and he knows it yet they make impossible stunts to give him a chance- he's past playing this character- younger men would beat the hell out of him, he's never been the 'Jack Reacher' character that people try to make him out to be, he's not got the physicality for it and it is time for him to stop.

I am trying to look past all the criticisms that could be made of this film and focus on the good bits like the Vienna Opera- the scenery, the music, the dress code- it was all lovely. Now we are in 2015 (or 2016) and we can show great scenery, filmed in quality with something that makes it fantastic. If the rest of the film were to be absolute crap the film would still just about pull through for the opera scene. Watching the realistic scene of attempting to assassinate the chancellor of Austria is worth it because it is actually realistic.

If you can't enjoy that then you can enjoy Simon Pegg telling Tom Cruise where to get off. He's more than the techy, he's a field agent with serious cyber skills who is more than capable of beating up most enemies. It would be good to bet against Tom Cruise in a fight but I am still not sure that Simon Pegg could it but it would be nice if they were to fight in this film. You can also enjoy Pegg creating impossible tasks for Cruise to perform and then the look of bewilderment on Cruise's face when he realises that holding his breath for three minutes whilst physically exerting himself to the highest extremes was impossible.  Finally, five films on and he has realised that the things that they do in these films are so impossible that no one believes that his character can actually do that stuff.

Ethan Hunt is a character like James Bond- one of the worst spies around because everyone, in any agency around the world knows who they are and what they look like. No stupid masks this time which have become a norm for these films but it wouldn't matter because everyone is as used to them as they are to actually seeing Tom Cruise's face. He can't pull off going undercover because he is too well known and a mask is expected so people prepare for that. This wouldn't be a M.I film if they didn't at least try to do the stupid things so we get to enjoy watching Cruise fail in his attempt, or as always, unrealistically not fail in his attempt and pull off the physically impossible. We've stuck with these films this far so we might as well keep going- he was so close and we were so close to getting really bored.

When he fails there is always a somewhat relatively attractive woman to help him out and save him from certain death. A waste of time but it wouldn't be a M.I film if the beautiful woman didn't get a chance to take off her clothes and make love to him- like in all James Bond films. The double crosser that she is, is the reason as to why Jeremy Renner and a few others are still in the film and being paid. Nothing will be quite as good as M.I 1 but they had to try. If you are a fan you will watch all of these films but if you are not then don't bother yourself with the hassle- like with Die Hard you have seen it all before.

Almost Famous

Great soundtrack, all about the guys with the guitar and the blues licks in a similar style to ACDC.

What is it about a film clearly made in the eighties or nineties that can make you feel so good whilst acknowledging that it is a very dated film? The way that the scene changes are done tell you that it was filmed in the eighties or nineties because the typing is similar to Ten Things I Hate About You. Everything about it looks like a film from the nineties, yet the music suggests more of the eighties so currently I am unsure of the time period and will have to check this later.

Kate Hudson (Glee, Kung Fu Panda 3), Frances McDormand (Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day), Zoey Deschanel (Yes Man, Elf, New Girl) and Billy Crudup lead the line. I don't recognise any of the male names in this film but most of the women have gone on to make a name for themselves. This film was the starting point for most of these names. Everyone has to start somewhere and for a lot of the cast this was their starting point, they gained fame from this film and went on to make a career for themselves.

Kate Hudson, where to start? The woman who was engaged to Matt Bellamy (Muse), has a son with Bellamy and has often made the mistake of staring in a few rubbish romcoms because she is very attractive. In this film she looks like a young Drew Barrymore. This film made it on to the list because of the poster that kept appearing on the movie quiz and I kept getting it wrong because I was mistaking her for Drew Barrymore. She doesn't really regret anything in her career and that is a good way to go but we will spend no further time talking about things in her life which aren't related to this film. Hudson won a golden globe for this film and she is fantastic in it- change the name to I am famous because she has become so since making this film.

Great feel to the film, great scenes and definitely worth checking it out.

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.