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.

The Manchurian Candidate

You have to stick with this film. At the start it is seriously confusing because I had no idea about this plot and I got super confused by everything but I did get there in the end. It seems weird and at times a little confusing if you know nothing about the film but stay with it and everything will be okay.

Denzel Washington and Liev Schreiber star as two men who are, well, I don't really want to say 'brain washed' but they are ex army, with one guy having bad dreams and the other being a war hero and on the path to Vice President. They both served and Washington was the captain of the unit that they served in but something happened and they went missing for a few days when they were serving. Two men in their unit were killed and the others survived but one guy was also having bad dreams, came up with a conspiracy theory and then convinced Ben (Washington) of this theory. So this film is about Ben attempting to discover the truth about what happened.

Also in a supporting role is Meryl Streep. She has a very obvious and yet still secretive role in this film. We all knew that she had it in her to play that character but she hasn't quite managed to display it in any previous roles. The ending is great but slightly unexpected. She is brilliant and she is something different in this film. Hearing her voice as much as we do also opens up other option for her career.

I kinda wish that I had seen it sooner because it gave me a chance to see a different side of Denzel Washington. The serious, silent side that was obvious in 'man on fire', or 'inside man', was expected but this was different. This wasn't even the drunken and slightly angry character that I witnessed during 'fences', instead, this character was totally different and worth watching.

Son of Rambow

A comedy about Rambo. Some kids making their own film based on Rambo but I actually think that their film is a lot better than Rambo.

You may recognise the face of Ed Westwick, (the slightly questionable older brother) who made his name from the tv series Gossip Girl. Or even the face of Will Poulter (The voyage of the Dawn Treddor) but most of these faces you are unlikely to recognise, I certainly didn't.

What is written on the case is that this is a comedy, that it is hilarious but I actually didn't find it that funny until the end, when I got to see the entire film that they had made. I expected it to be more comical that it was and it was a bit of a let down for me because it didn't absorb my attention and make me laugh a lot. I felt like this was all false advertising but that doesn't make it a bad film.

Ed Westwick took on a different character and because he was one of the few of the gossip girl cast who can actually act it is a little disappointing that he hasn't had more roles. He is versatile, he could be the next Johnny Depp but no one will know because he hasn't had a real chance to show his versatility. Depp had to use all channels available to him to even get a role, let alone get to make more than one film and Westwick needs to find a way to get some more screen time because Harrison Ford is past it and Ryan Gosling is actually a terrible actor so there isn't much competition out there  between people who are young and can act, as most young  or even older actors can't actually act. There are many roles for him if he can find them.

Considering that I didn't like Rambo much, I think that I prefer this film over the Stallone film of Rambo. Most of us will be able to remember what it was like to be a child and obsessed with a film (for me it was Harry Potter). We play gsmed all the time in the playground and the park and our garden, anywhere and we all wish that we were in the film. These kids did what we all wished that we could have done and made a film and for that reason I like this film and rate it highly.

Tootsie

This is the film that inspired the very funny, Robin Williams movie 'Mrs. Doubtfire'. Instead of Robin Williams it is Dustin Hoffman and he doesn't do as many voices as Williams but he does cross dress to get work because no one will employ him as an actor and a man because he argues with every director he has ever worked with.

Dustin Hoffman is a seriously underrated actor. For a while now he has been playing supporting roles instead of the lead but when he was younger he was the selling name and he hasn't lost any of his talent through age. Young Dustin Hoffman is the man that young people can look at and find attractive. There is a lot more to this film than the plot that 'The Graduate' had, which is the film that he is really known for.

This film is entirely about him. Not about the soundtrack or about Bill Murray (who is a fantastic character in this film), just about Dustin Hoffman. Bill Murray is probably playing the best character of his career in this film. He has had some great roles but single handedly permitting Michael Dorsey, aka Dorothy Michaels, to stash his female outfit and handle ignoring his girlfriend because he has fallen in love with this actress that he works with. Dorothy is the strong female character that every woman from that era wanted to be, needed to be and couldn't be at that time. It's hilarious and wonderful and everything that a true comedy is. You watch it and you see what he does, how he gets in to character and it is funny without it even really trying to be funny. That kind of commitment is refreshing to see.

Never underestimate a film made in the 80's.

Rebecca

This film was brought to my attention years ago when I was doing A-level literature and studying ' The Bloody Chamber' because of its weird similarity to Rebeca.

This is a Hitchcock movie, one of his first and one that stars Lawrence Olivier. Made or released in 1940, black and white, which is Hitchcock's preferred way of filming and personally, I think that black and white complements the music that always emphasises the suspense of a Hitchcock film. Black and white is the way that he should have gone with for all his films. It helps to make things more scary and harder to predict.

Olivier is much  better than James Stewart because he can actually act and isn't just himself in every film that he has ever been in. Unfortunately for Hitchcock all of his real stars become bigger or make decisions that impact their career and life. Olivier went on to make many other movies and didn't want to keep selling Hitchcock movies, Grace Kelly got married, became Princess of Monaco and wasn't permitted to continue with her acting career and Julie Andrews really made her name from singing and after damaging her voice made the odd appearance and turned to writing children's books and doing voice acting for the Despicable me series of films.

There is more to this film than the similarities towards this famous mistreatment of women. This film is an adaptation of a novel and the novel sold very well. I haven't read the novel but I do know that this film is a strong film. With Olivier holding the lead and giving off probably the most convincing performance in a Hitchock movie (although Carry Grant is close) any woman taking on a new role and trying to make a name for themselves can relax and just play their part because they know that next to one of the all time greats they can play off him.

Tragedy strikes at the end but there is a sense that none of the characters were really wrong or bad. We all think that because this plot is similar to the marquis de sade that Max De Winter (Olivier) is going to miss treat his wife but he's not what we are expecting and that makes for a nice surprise. The ending is always exciting and as someone who owns at least ten Hitchcock films I am very excited to watch the rest of them.

Trolls

This film was one of the Kid's films of the year because of the song 'can't stop the feeling' which earnt Justin Timberlake a lot of hype and nominations for awards.

Anna Kendrick has really made a name for herself. She started out as Scott Pilgrim's sister (at least in my filmography she did) and then moved on to singing in musicals. She has style, sass, attitude and is considered by many to be gorgeous but even more than that, she has serious talent and a great voice. Admittedly this film is a little harder to judge her talent because she is a pink animated character singing, hugging and playing the ukulele.

'Trolls' is aimed at young children and tries to teach the idea that happiness can always be found and status doesn't mean anything. It's a good idea to be teaching to children as it will probably help a little in reducing teenage depression but there is no evidence to suggest such a thing, so please don't take my word for it. Justin Timberlake looks good as a blue animated troll. He makes odd decisions in relation to his film career, some are good decisions and some are stupid decisions which can only end in disaster. This guy has made his name on singing and dancing. That is what he is good at and he can go on making money like that forever because he is Justin Timberlake. Films are a bonus for him so I wish that he would make more good choices like this film. He got to take on the complex character who tried to steal the show, which is a new development for him and a new character for him. It suited him.

Not as good as 'Moanna' but possibly better music (in my opinion). The only other kids film on my blog list this year is 'Sing' and that is the kids film that I am most excited about.

The Hitman's Bodyguard.

This film is genius. This is as good as Kingsman, if not better.

Ryan Reynolds has started to be in films in which the character that he plays also has a serious inability to stop talking. He looks good as a bodyguard, well dressed, well shaven and driving nice cars. If it weren't for the constant talking it is one of the many careers that you could see him moving in to when he stops getting the good characters cast his way. Always slightly arrogant but you can overlook it because it always come back to haunt him and makes him stupid. His character has that heroic feel that you knew it was going to have but there are moments when you see the caring and compassionate side to him.

Unfortunately, no matter how good he is, he just isn't comparable to Samuel L Jackson. This guy has all the language from 'Pulp Fiction', the attitude from 'XXX' and the skills from 'Star Wars'. In short- they told him to be badass and he went for it. This guy owns this film. It's not about Ryan Reynolds, its about Samuel L Jackson and even though it is supposed to be about Reynolds' character Michael, it really is about Darius Kincaid. This film has the feel of any James Bond film but with the comedy to go with it. Watching Jackson in the speed boat was similar to watching Roger Moore in a speed boat during 'The Man With The Golden Gun'. Everything that you remember an action film being- this is it.

There is sentiment in this film and for once they don't focus on the CIA, instead, choosing to go with Interpol instead so as to make all agencies look bad and not just continuously go for the same people. The sentiment comes from Darius Kincaid (Samuel L Jackson) and what he would do for his wife. His wife is strong, controls her audience and teaches you a few things about how to interrogate someone. There are things that you would do for someone that you love. They may be crazy things but you would still do them- as shown in this film. Even Meatloaf couldn't have dreamt up some of these things.

www.ninjabookbox.com

Morgan

Last year on the blog we reviewed a film called 'ex-machina'. A film about robots, experiments and tricking the system. I mention it now because 'Morgan has a similar feel to that film.

What you get from this film is a strong woman, or rather, two strong women and a system that involves programming humans to turn them in to controllable  weapons. Previous films such 'Aeon Flux' and 'Equilibrium, to name a few, have touched upon this subject and the idea that you can develop a human who is controlled and therefore can become the perfect warrior. Morgan takes it a step further and actually shows all the flaws with this idea. The cast are incredible and the lack of emotion displayed by the leads are incredible. Being able to kill without emotion is scary but very hard for anyone to pull off on screen because we are human and compassion and other similar feelings are part of being human. This display is incredible and even though I have probably said it before, thinking back to 'Hitman' when the lead was emotionless and fantastic, this team are taking it all to a different level. 

Morgan has a twist, a set up for a sequel and any sequel made, if kept to the level of this film would be phenomenal. There are times when we j

Sympothised with the character of Morgan and actually wanted her to hurt the person yelling at her because shouting doesn't help anything. Ask any teacher and they will tell you that shouting doesn't make any child more willing to do what you are asking them to do. Kindness and appealing to a child, showing that you are human and getting on a level that they can appreciate is the best way that you can  reach a human and I felt like script writers are still missing a trick because they create these characters who provoke violent reactions and then try to convince the audience that the character didn't deserve what was coming. It is a stereotype of a doctor involved in this type of case that they shout a lot and don't care whereas casting someone as a character who actually believes that what they are doing is helping and will make things better appeals far better to our human nature.

Morgan is like 'The hunger games' crossed with 'Hitman' and a few other films. Morgan is the next step to this idea of human perfection. Every script writers wanting to write something in this field need to watch this film and capture the same characterisation.

Fantastic film.

Beverly Hills Cop

Eddie Murphy is still sort of a new addition to this blog. He's been known as Donkey since Shrek was released but as he is known as a comedian and I don't find him funny I have been really reluctant to let him feature on this blog because of that but 'Trading Places' was a very good film so he has earnt his slot on this blog.

Beverly Hills. Where to begin? I see a lot familiar faces in this film. 'Neil' from 'The Santa Claus' and 'Clifford' from 'Some Kind Of Wonderful' are two cops who team up with Eddie Murphy. One doesn't trust him or like him and the other eats all the food that is offered to him and attempts to have his back. There's comedy in this film but it comes down the same police story I have seen many times. A police officer is disgraced and put on vacation and uses it to get at a criminal in Beverly Hills.

This film is good enough. It's dated and I am struggling to imagine what the real attraction of it would have been because no one in this film was convincing and the only conclusion I can reach is that this film is the basis for 'Rush Hour' but that doesn't help much because I found Chris Tucker so irritating that I didn't enjoy that film. I didn't find it funny and I found everything to be unrealistic but this is a personal opinion. All of them have done better things with their careers and it hasn't stopped anyone in this film carrying on with their careers which is very good. Beverly Hills Cop is the foundation for many other film ideas but it didn't quite come off this time around. Needless to say that I will not be reviewing the sequels.

Jungle Book

No, this is not the Disney animated film because I grew up with that film. This film is the live action movie that made it to cinema last year and kick-started the live action movie fling that is going on with all the Disney movies at the moment.

This film bragged some of the biggest names in film world today such as Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba and Christopher Walken and yet it wasn't talked about in the same way that 'Beauty and the Beast' was. Maybe that is because the later is a magical film for any girl or woman whereas 'The Jungle Book' doesn't have that magic and it never did- it never had the 'Tale as Old as Time' dancing sequence in a fantastic dress that makes every girl want to be a woman and have that moment. Before I actually move on to the names and their performances as live action characters I will look at the scenery. A kid walking through a, well, I don't want to say jungle but river, lake or part of Africa are probably inaccurate as well. The stream running, the rocks, the flowers, there is something special in that scene but I needed more of it to really capture my attention.

As a musician the first thing that I am going to do is complain about the reduction of songs in this film. There are a few songs in this film but not as many as there were in the original film and you should never remake a Disney film and remove the music from it. I liked the music that was in the original film and even if I hadn't liked it there needs to be a constant musical presence in a film like this and there wasn't enough of one to restore the joy that was given in the original film. They remade this film from a Disney film so we are always going to compare it with the original film. So to anyone out there just about to tell me that I can't compare these films then be quiet because I can.

The feedback that I received from this film (from my sister) was that she was disappointed with the casting in that Idris Elba with his east London accent couldn't quite pull off being an evil character but I could hardly notice it and it didn't bother me because Evil doesn't have an accent but we have come to stereotype it over the years with an English accent or a gangster accent. It's not about where you are from, it's about who you are.

Bill Murray surprised me. His voice surprised me when he was singing and I really couldn't recognise his voice without actually seeing him and not a bear. Taking the time and allowing this film to go back to being any other film and to be considered 'old' has allowed me to forget who was in it and watch the film as a film, see what I see, recognise what I see and hear and not know and judge who was in it to start with. I thought that Bill Murray was finished. I thought that his cameo in Ghostbusters was signalling the end of his career because he actually was never that good to start with but he isn't- not based on this performance.

The Jungle Book is not as good as the live action 'Beauty and the Beast' and I haven't seen the live action 'Tarzan' so I can't yet include that one but they are going in the right direction. They are going in the right direction and there have definitely been worse films made in recent years without the live action but it is needed and it does help to bring the Disney movie to life more for the adults who don't want to spend all their time watching Disney animated movies because they feel like they should have moved past that point. Stop stereotyping and just allow yourself to focus on what is in front of you. This remake stays close to the original and does its best.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay part 2

The final part! Three years and four films before I could write this review. I remember writing that the second film was like the first film and almost made the first film seem pointless because everything that they had worked for, everything that they had achieved was ignored when they had another hunger games. Then the third film was all about getting Peta back after he was captured during the second hunger games and the fourth film was about what the first film was really about- taking down Snow- oh and did I mention... ANOTHER hunger games?!

I have enjoyed these films because Katniss is a strong character but unlike in the 'Divergent' series, which is all about 'Tris', who is pathetic and totally dependent on 'Four', 'Katniss' (Jenifer Lawrence) is strong and not reliant on anyone. You think that she is but she completely fools everyone at the end of the fourth film. Just remember that I haven't read the books so I had no idea what was coming. Now that I have seen the films I will at some point, attempt to read the books.

The music is fantastic in this series and I can't help but love the stand off between Katniss and the character portrayed by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He watches everything (sounds a little weird) and understands her better than she does but she hasn't actually truly understood just how well everyone around her knows her. The only reason it has taken this long for them to capture Snow is because he knows everything about her. He knows how to get to the people close to her, how to motivate her and how to make things work. She hasn't understood this about herself and she still doesn't by the end of the film.

Each of these characters reach the end of their development. Peta remains as useless as he was to start with and when at first he seemed cool, now he just seems like a less attractive, less useful version of 'Four'. Elizabeth is the one to watch. Her hair is fantastic and it never stops being fantastic. When I see her in 'Pitch Perfect 2' I often think that she only took on the role of director so that she could give herself a hair budget and let's face it- if you could do that, why wouldn't you? If you are a fan of 'The Hunger Games' then each of these films have a reason to watch them and are quite good even if they are infuriating at the plot going round in circles for a while. I understand that they stayed quite close to the books and that the second book was written to be as irritating as the film makes it out to be so I will give it the benefit of the doubt because the next two films, which admittedly would make the book read very well, are very good when you think of them as one book, one plot and leading straight and intentionally into the other without any break. Don't forget that Mockingjay was made into two films to get more of the book, or more action time in to the movies and that they really are just one very long but quite good film.

I can say that I am glad to have finished this series.

Last Action Hero

It has been a while since Schwarzenegger featured on this blog and to quote his famous saying 'I'll be back' and we made sure of it.

Arnold seems to be taking the piss out of himself in this film by going for the same lines and the same stunts that the kid has seen before, meaning that we have seen before because we see it in every movie he has ever been in. I don't like spelling his name so he is going to be known as Arnold on this blog and nothing else. Arnold is partnered up with a kid who manages to have a magic ticket (no, not a golden one) that takes him through the old movie screen and in to Jack Slater 4, becoming Last Action Hero.

The kid is exceptionally irritating. I know that we all think that Jake Lloyd is the most irritating kid to feature on screen but this kid gives him a good run for his money. If you can ignore the kid and just focus on Charles Dance with his ginger hair and spectacular glass eyes, along with Ian McKellen playing death then you have a film worth watching. I think that we all know that Arnie would take down Charles Dance in a fight but I feel like Charles Dance would be a sniper and Arnie wouldn't actually know how to fire a gun- his strong point is with his hands.

The stunts in this film were something that I liked. The idea behind this film is favourable and admittedly, is a bit of a fall back for anyone now writing a film plot after having a mental block for a while but that doesn't matter too much. When you play to your strengths you are likely to create a film that appeals to certain sections of the world and this guy is still favourable because a lot of people are his fans and are action fans. The car chase is a little weird because in today's world we can see that he would have been dead if the shooters had actually aimed. It has to look realistic and then it has to not be  too close for us to worry about Arnold and for the time that this movie  was made it looked good and made it very enjoyable. You can probably imagine being a kid, sitting on the edge of your seat and watching a film like this, the action, the suspense and then being totally in suspense with the action of this film and what is going to happen.

You've got classic lines in this film. Everything that you could love about an action film or about Arnold is in this film. Last action hero really shows what it is like to be a policeman and what it is like to go through a divorce. You're not popular, except to all the people that you put behind bars and your family leave you when other people start leaving their card and gunmen to kill you. Divorce, empty house and not much going there- isn't a life that I want to have.

Much better than I was expecting it to be.

Resident Evil: Extinction

More vampires and more killing. We're halfway there in this series but I have not, as of yet, acquired the other half of the series to watch so they will have to patiently wait their turn on the blog list but I am sure that they will feature sporadically over the next few months.

Resident Evil have managed to make five films out of the same story but I have to accept that it was first a game and that it probably had more plot than has been shown in the films. If we think back to the second film, she makes it to the center of the base after the population of the city have been exposed to the virus which turns them in to Zombies and then she destroys that base but is permitted to escape by the Doctor who is responsible for making her the way that she is. In this film she is going after the doctor (Ian Glenn) who himself becomes infected with the virus and turns in to a horrible monster so as to create the epic confrontation at the end of the film between the heroine and the villain.

Extinction leaves it open for the fourth film and from what I remember of the fourth film that is just a lot of her killing a lot of people/ zombies. Extinction focuses on her enemy and her sole purpose of getting to him and destroying him but at the end she awakes all the other attempted clones of her and decides to team up with them to take down the organisation responsible for making her the way that she is.

What can I say about this film? Milla Jovovich is sexy and fantastic with a gun. Everything that I said about her in the previous film review is true for this film. She can kill someone using only one foot and that is terrifying but what is even more terrifying is that she is the female equivalent of Christian Bale in 'Equilibrium', less emotional, more controlled and generally better than everyone else. Her team are losing battles and members until she decides to team up with them again and take on everyone single handedly. The film is exactly what I was expecting and longing for after watching the first two films.