Star Wars The Force Awakens

The trailers for 'Force Awakens' have been doing the rounds since Easter, and as much as I liked them, I remember back in the 90's feeling positive when the I first saw the pod race trailer for 'The Phantom Menace'. Star Wars fans will openly admit that nothing quite prepared them for the sense of crushing dissapointment when the opening credits rolled, and Lucas started talking about taxes, galactic politics, and the rest is history.

The other two prequels had their moments, but with cringe worthy scripts, way too much cgi, and some very poor casting choices, none of them even came close to matching the cinematic presence of the original trilogy back in the 70's and 80's.

After feeling so massively let down, I went to see 'Force Awakens' with an 'expect the worst, but hope for best' approach. As good as the trailers were, they looked like a retread of the best bits from Lucas's originals. Although this what fans would like, I wanted the same emotional resonance, but a new story accompanying it. I thought the film warranted Star City's Gold Class, so I paid £18 to see it with unlimited free popcorn and a reclining leather chair. Was it worth the entrance fee? Hell yes, and them some more.

You know your in safe hands the moments the opening credits roll and there ain't a single mention of politics or any sort of interplanetary tax rebate. The Empire is no more, but in it's place is the First Order. They have the same ambitions as the Empire, but the resistance are as always, out to stop them. Its meat and potatoes Star Wars plot, and the sense of relief you get the moment you see Abrams has gone back to basics is overwhelming.

So why does it work? What makes it so much better than the prequels?

I never thought Hayden Christiansen was up to much, and a very bad choice for such a pivotal role as the guy who became Darth Vader. In contrast, Daisy Ridley's Rey is a triumph of the highest order. She clearly put her heart and soul into the role, and makes the character her own. Ridley is supported by John Boyeger's Finn, who as well as giving an excellent peformance, provides the audience with the comic relief that was so painfully lacking from the prequels.

By the way, incase you're wondering about BB-8,  it's the new R2-D2, hands down. I never thought I'd say a magnetic ball could also provide the audience with comic relief but it does.

'Force Awakens' works because it ticks all the right Star Wars boxes, and provides the fans with everything they want from a new Star Wars at the same time giving them characters that can carry the weight of the franchise forward. The older generation will be very happy to see Han Solo, Leia, and Chewacca back on the silver screen together in sets reminiscent of the original, and the quality of the performances from two leads reassures us that JJ Abrams has taken us in the right direction. Supported by John William's epic score, it's hard to believe the same guy who gave us 'The Empire Strikes back' also gave us 'The Phantom Menace'.

Putting my film critics hat on, there's a couple of things I must draw attention to because it comes with the territory. I personally felt Kylo Ren had nowhere near the stage presence Prowse's Darth Vader had in any of the originals. Perhaps it's intentional, or perhaps it's because he's such and iconic villian, the boots were just too big to fill. Also, if you wanted to nit pick you could say they've clearly rehashed classic scenes from the originals and put them all in one film. Endor, Hoth, the Death Star. Tatooine, the final scene in 'Empire', the Cantina scene. They're all in there.

It makes you wonder where Abrams can go if he directs the next one

As a stand alone entity though, 'The Force Awakens' is everything you could possibly hope for as a Star Wars fan. It show how utterly shit the prequels were. The characters Abrams introduces leaves you wanting more.

A solid five stars. Easily. Go pay the money and see it.

Legend, guest reviewed by Cara Clarke

Year : 2015

Genre: Biopic 

I've always found the Krays interesting, but to be honest knew relatively little about them. I’ve never seen any other film about the Krays, so I went into this one with no expectations or pre-defined ideas. It’s not very often I watch films rated 18, but I was keen to give this one a go… 

The narrator is Frances, Reggie’s wife, and parts of the story are told from her point of view. She is the first and last voice you hear. The film charts their relationship from the happy days of courting through to the decline of their marriage leading to Frances’ eventual suicide. The emphasis on a relationship, rather than the work of The Firm, ‘softens’ the film somewhat and prevents it from being overly violent and graphic. There are only a handful of violent scenes, but still enough to shock. (I’m thinking of Jack ‘the hat’ Mcvitie’s death here.) 

I had reservations about one actor taking on dual roles. I thought I would spend the whole time trying to spot differences in how Tom Hardy portrayed the two brothers, and that’s exactly what I did do. He plays them well, with enough distinctions for you to almost forget it’s one actor. Yet, at times, I thought he played up to the gangster image a bit too much. His portrayal of Ronnie, in particular his crazy-eyed stare, was almost a cartoonish interpretation of a typical East End gangster. But then again, perhaps that is how they actually conducted themselves. Who am I to quibble with the Krays? 

I imagine a lot was omitted from this film, it covers only a snippet of their lives. After watching the film I turned to Wikipedia to see research them and recognised a fair few scenes from the film as being taken from real life. I would have liked a few more ‘gangster’ scenes and less ‘husband and wife’ scenes. Because of this I felt the film left me wanting more. I want to watch documentaries on them. I want to watch the 1990 Krays film starring the twins from Spandau Ballet. I want to read Ronnie and Reggie’s autobiographies. They have a very interesting story and I doubt this will be the last time it is depicted on film. 

A good, but hardly brilliant 4 out of 5 stars. 

Antman

Year: 2015

Genre: Superhero 

The last Marvel studios movie I saw at the cinema was 2015's 'Avengers Age of Ultron'. I posted a review on here, and commented on how although it was still an ok film, there was way too much Michael Bay influence, the characters had no depth, and it was nothing we hadn't seen a million times before. I was honestly getting bored with Marvel churning out the same stuff year in year out, and if the truth be known, was beginning to think they were a one trick pony. 

Then along came Ant Man. 

Directed by relative unknown Peyton Reed, who's biggest film to date was Jim Carrey's 'Yes Man', 'Ant Man' takes Marvel in a completely different direction to the Avengers and places rom-com actor Paul Rudd in the lead role of one of it's lesser known superheros. You wouldn't be the first person to be completely oblivious to his existence prior to the movie's announcement, but don't let that stop you. 'Ant Man' is definitely one of the better films the Marvel behemoth has made. 

The plot is relatively simple, and it makes a refreshing change to see a single superhero in their own movie again after the last 'Avengers' and 'X-Men' movies introduced so many new characters they became way too over complicated for their own good. Rudd plays Scott Lang, a former burglar who's just been released from jail and is trying to scrape the money together to pay his ex wife child support so he can have contact with his kids. All seems lost until he crosses paths with Michael Douglas and Evangeline Lilly. Douglas plays Hank Pym, the former CEO of a company that developed a suit that can 'reduce the distance' between atoms, and henceforth shrink people down to the size of an ant. Rudd's character begrudglingly takes on the role of Ant Man, and naturally, is given the small task by Pym of saving the world. 

Casting Rudd as the protagonist was a stroke of genius by the producers because for the first time since Sam Rami's 2002 incarnation of 'Spiderman', the lead role is given to a beta male who the majority of males in the audience will be able to relate to. Antman has no super powers per se, he isn't a multi billionaire like Tony Stark, he isn't a God like Thor, and he hasn't got an adamantium exoskeleton like Wolverine. Rudd plays Lang much the same as he would do in any other movie, a normal guy with normal problems. Being ever popular with the female section of the audience due to his extensive romantic comedy back catalogue, he nails it as Antman and will be a popular choice. 

The supporting cast do a great job with the roles they are given, with the exception of Evangeline Lilly. Douglas is on form as the under appreciated, super intelligent inventor. Michael Pena provides some genuinely funny laugh out loud moments (that some say are the highlight of the film) but Lily is as flat as a pancake. Her character is overly mechanical, wooden, and she wears a VERY obvious wig throughout the movie. To top things off, there is absolutely zero chemisty between her and Rudd, and you leave the film wondering how she got past the screen test for the character. 

Perhaps it was just me, but I also felt that Corey Stoll hammed up role of the villian Darren Cross so much, that he almost became a 'he's behind you' / 'mwah hah hah hah' pantomine character, and it became very difficult to find his character threatening with that in the back of your mind. 

Credit must be given to the special effects team for conveying a real sense of scale during the sequences where Rudd wears the Antman suit. They are the highlights of the film, and the CGI is used to it's full potential to give a genuinely convincing feel of how small the character is in relation to the outside world around him. The only problem I had during these sequences (even though they remain true to the original comic) are when Rudd is surrounded by swarms of ants helping him along the way. I understand that's how it was done, and the fanboys would have kicked off had they done it any differently. I just felt that there were unnecessary, and the film would have been a better one had it been Rudd in the Antman suit against the world. 

A small gripe though, in what is a great addition to the Marvel universe, and a return to form after the overly complicated Age of Ultron. As a general rule of thumb when superhero movies are concerned, the origins stories are the best, and 'Antman' is no exception. 

4 stars. 

Terminator Genisys (and Silk Route Dudley)

The rules have been reset

Year: 2015

Genre: Action

*contains spoilers*

When I first saw the trailer for this on line, they showed a grey haired, wrinkled Arnie jumping out of a helicopter shouting 'I'll be back'. I remember at the time sitting there thinking that Arnie looked WAY to old to play the character, and this film had unintentional ridiculous parody written all over it. As a completest, I was willing to suspend disbelief and throw caution to the wind (in the absence of anything else to watch to be honest) and we eventually caught up with this movie two weeks after release last night.

Since his political career ended in 2011, Schwarzenegger's films have all been disappointing, and there was no reason to suggest that 'Genisys' would be any different. I walked into the Dudley Showcase after somewhat over indulging on Chinese buffet (more of that later) expecting the worst, but really, really hoping for something a bit better. My main concern was the overly complicated plot, which I had read about on several websites prior to watching the film. Time travel is a theme central to the plot of the 'Terminator' franchise, and it can be done well, or made ridiculously complicated. Here goes....

The film opens in 2029, JUST prior to 'bad' Arnie being sent back to 1984 in the first movie. We are given a brief explanation as to why this happens, then Kyle Reese (played by relatively unknown plastic actor Jai Courtney) goes back to 1984, cue the plot of the first Terminator. Follow me so far?

Once in 1984, writers Laeta Kalogridis and Patrick Lussier literally throw the plot line of the Terminator franchise out of the window and start again. We are immediately introduced to Emilia Clarke's already half-Rambo and way too young looking Sarah Connor, instantly disregarding a core plot line of the original whereby in 1984 Linda Hamilton was a naive cafe waitress. Somehow (and this was a major annoyance for me) a T-1000 model is chasing after Kyle Reese in this time line, and to top it all off, a grey haired (but convincing) T-800 Arnie is ALREADY there, waiting for an impressively CGI rendered young Schwarzenegger from the original.

Have I lost you yet?

Clarke, Courtney and Schwarzenegger then go forward in time to 2017, in an attempt to prevent the launch of 'Genisys', a mobile app that transcends all platforms and is ultimately the beta version of what eventually becomes Skynet. In this time line however, John Connor (played by even more yawn inducing Jason Clarke) is the bad guy, sent back from 2027 by Matt Smith (yep, you read that right, Dr Who) to stop them from taking down the Genisys servers.

It's no exaggeration to say this this film completely and utterly disregards the continuity of the first two films (even the third), and that was my biggest bugbear. Audiences fresh to the franchise will have no problem with it, because as a stand alone plot, it just about works, and makes sense. When you try and tie it together with the original though, or Cameron's infinitely superior 'Judgement Day', it just makes no sense whatsoever. There are plot holes a plenty, characters are given a completely new persona, and you can't help but think they they should have kept the time line constant. Instead, audiences get a muddled, 'Back to the Future II' type storyline that leaves you scratching your head instead of sitting back and enjoying the spectacle like you should be.

Thankfully, Schwarzenegger saves 'Genisys' from being a complete and utter turkey. He is great in the role that he was ultimately born to play, and provides some much needed comedic moments that distract from the confusing plot and wooden acting by the other two leads. If there's one thing that's remained constant throughout these films, it's him, and audiences will be satisfied with the performance he gives. The 'flesh that ages' over a metal exoskeleton does work, even though I never thought I would get on board with it, and it is Schwarzenegger's performance that is the most memorable thing about the movie.

It would be unfair to recommend this film purely based on the quality of one performance though, as several other aspects of it are lacking other than the plot. Robert Patrick's liquid metal Terminator was done nearly 25 years ago now. Back then, it was cutting edge CGI, but now it's nothing you haven't seen a million times before. You would have thought the writers could have come up with something a bit more menacing given 25 years to think about it, and it's usage as a recurring special effect feels lazy and unimaginative. The action set pieces are also instantly forgettable in much the same vein, especially when you have the like of Vin Diesel's 'Fast and the Furious' franchise setting such a high bar to compete with.

Would I recommend this film? For the Schwarzenegger completest, yes. For the rest of us, Arnie is back in the role we all know and love him in, alas he is easily the best thing about a mediocre movie that has limp characters we don't really care for, sub-par special effects, and actions sequences that pale into insignificance when compared to those in Cameron's 'Judgement Day'.

A disappointing, but hardly surprising two stars.

Before I sign off, I just wanted to mention the Silk Route restaurant we went to prior to watching the film. From Wikipedia:

'Silk Route is an ancient network of trade and cultural transmission routes that were central to cultural interaction through regions of the Asian continent connecting the West and East by merchants, pilgrims, monks, soldiers, nomads, and urban dwellers from China and India to the Mediterranean Sea during various periods of time'

As you would expect, the two main cuisines on offer are Indian and Chinese. There's a bit of UK food for those with weaker pallets, and some puddings for those of you can't finish off a meal without a spike of insulin.

Food quality is very good, and the variation is there, which is a bonus. Service is excellent, your old plate is always whipped away before you get back to your table with the next one, and the staff are friendly. Location-wise, it's only by Dudley port, so not a million miles away from those of us who live in West Brom. We got it on Groupon, but I'm not entirely sure if the offer is still up.

A highly recommended four stars (would have been five if there were more prawn dishes on offer.

Jurassic World

Year: 2015 

Genre: Summer Blockbuster

'Corporate felt genetic modification would up the 'wow' factor'

It's a somewhat sobering thought when you consider the original Jurassic Park was released over twenty years ago back in the early 1990's. Computer generated imagery was relatively new at the time and had only really been seen in the the 'Terminator' sequel a couple of years previous. By putting dinosaurs on the big screen, Spielberg became the first on record to effectively utilise it to place photo realistic CG creatures in front of nineties cinema audiences.

The original spawned two sequels that were both instantly forgettable and hugely inferior to their predecessor. In 2002, a fourth instalment of the franchise was announced that was originally slated for a 2005 release. Ten years later, several re writes of the script, multiple changes in the production team, and 'Jurassic World' is released to cinema audiences. 

The majority of you will already be familiar with the plot. Richard Attenborough's vision in the original for an all singing, all dancing real life dinosaur theme park has been in business for several years, but business is flagging. The share holders decide that it needs a new star attraction to boost revenue, and create a genetically modified 'super' dinosaur. As luck would have it, the imaginatively titled 'Indominus Rex' escapes, and operations manager Bryce Dallas Howard is instructed to use the skills and experience of velociraptor trainer Chris Pratt to take it down and kill it.

So how does the movie compare to the now iconic original?

There's been a lot of water under the bridge since early nineties cinema. Audiences are familiar to computer generated imagery, almost to the point of saturation. It's no longer the spectacle it was back when the original was released, and herein lies the problem. How do you meet modern audience expectations when the original broke the mould, and set an almost unsurpassable 'wow factor'.

The answer is ultimately, you can't. All that director Colin Trevorrow could do (and has done) is make everything bigger, louder, faster, and just crank up the spectacle as far as modern CGI techniques allow him to. There's giant crocodile-like Mosasaur in an unbelievably deep man made aquatic feature. There's a huge pterodactyl cage. The Indominus Rex is bigger (and louder) than the centre piece T-Rex of the original. This time round, instead of a relatively small cast and in enclosed set pieces, the whole of Isla Nublar is open to thousands of swarming crowds. Everything about 'Jurassic World' is more, more, more.

Sadly, this extra style does not equate to extra substance. The CGI and animatronics honestly haven't really changed much since the 1993 original. The dinosaurs don't look 20 years more convincing than they did in 'Park' mainly because they already looked fairly good to begin. That's not to say they look fake, they just don't look any more real than they did before. The two leads do a relatively good job with the scripts that they are given; in particular Chris Pratt, who is rapidly becoming the new Harrison Ford. I was glad to see Dallas Howard's overly confident operations manager gain a bit of humanity in the latter half of the movie, and the chemistry between them is believable (but only just).

One thing to note. This is a LOT grizzlier than any of it's three prequels. In line with Trevorrow's philosophy that more is better, the body count has been stepped up ten fold. There was a couple next to me who's noticeably agitated child was clearly scared during the films darker moments. It just about scrapes it's 12A certificate. Cara wanted made me delay publishing this review until she could write a footnote.

As far as spectacle goes, it does the job. Substance wise, it could have been better.

3.5 stars.

Footnote.

Before i go any further, I should point out that I refuse to watch anything which makes me scared or overly upset. I am the wimpiest person on the planet. When I was a youngster, Scooby Doo Seaweed Monsters, and the 'Poirot' theme tune scared me. The opening credits of 'Tales of the unexpected' were petrifying. You get the general idea. Fast forward to my thirties and not much has changed in that respect.

I thought it would be just like the Jurassic Park series - a family film about a few dinosaurs escaping their pens. But no. No, no, no, no, no. The aim of the new theme park is to 'scare and shock' and that is exactly what the film set out to do too. And, with a viewer as wimpy as me, it succeeded. It's like Jurassic Park has grown up. Although not particularly gory, the film contained roughly a zillion deaths. It was relentless. The fear of being caught and killed was ever-present and I found it distressing. It was loud and fast and without escape. People were dropping like flies so much that at times it felt like a disaster movie. It wasn't a bad or rubbish film, I didn't hate it; it's just a bit strong for sensitive souls who like films about pretty flowers, unicorn glitter and rainbow dust.

Mark pointed out that because I refuse to watch anything remotely scary, I have no tolerance level for it. (Like a teetotal person getting drunk on one drink.) Never a truer word said.

Spy. Guest reviewed Cara Clarke :)

Year: 2015

Genre : Action / Comedy

Editors preface 

Sometimes it's nice to take a back seat and let other folk do the dirty work. I actively encourage those amongst you who feel they have the talent, to guest review on my blog any films they get to see before I do. Here's Cara's angle on 'Spy', which we caught at Dudley Showcase last night. 

Dunk 

I’ll start at the beginning with the opening sequence and credits. The start of the film follows Jude Law’s character, a suave British spy much like James Bond. ‘Spy’ is a comedy film and during the opening scenes I became concerned it would be nothing more than a spoof of the Bond films. The credits succeeded in strengthening this impression with a big theme tune running alongside the typically abstract, Bond-esque shapes floating across the screen. When the main body of the film began I was relieved to see it was a comedic espionage film in its own right. Phew!

Melissa McCarthy plays desk-bound intelligence officer Susan Cooper; she is to Spy’s Jude Law what Chloe is to Jack in the brilliant series 24. Being office-based, McCarthy’s identity is unknown to the ‘baddies’, so she is sent into the field as an active agent. I won’t drop any plot spoilers, but as expected, in the end everything works out fine and dandy. 

McCarthy has the lead role with a likeable character. Her facial expressions are amusing, she plays the more tender scenes honestly, and her action sequences are believable. She is a good actress and I’ll follow her career with interest. However, it is Jason Statham who steals the show. He plays an old-school spy and - surprisingly - handles a comedy performance well. In essence, his role is a parody of Statham’s tough guy image and pokes fun at himself. Miranda Hart pops up throughout the film as McCarthy’s goofy buddy. I am a big fan of Hart, but here I felt she was the weak link in the chain. Her character wasn’t integral to the plot and didn’t generate as many laughs as the others. Also, I felt slightly distracted watching her – my eyes were constantly drawn to her hair. Her thin, whispy locks have suddenly become luscious and thick. A wig, I wonder? The new hairstyle is probably part of the same game plan as her recent weight loss – a makeover to help crack America.

Cast discussion aside, the film itself is actually pretty funny. The script is witty and the story moves along at a brisk pace. I laughed out loud several times, as did everyone in the auditorium. It is directed by Paul Feig who also directed McCarthy in ‘Bridesmaids’ a few years ago. Having seen both films I could see similar themes: the female lead, the type of humour and the constant dropping of F-bombs. Despite these similarities, unlike ‘Bridesmaids’, ‘Spy’ is definitely not a chick flick. At times the plot seems a little convoluted as the multiple layers of undercover double agents become almost absurd. It’s worth remembering that this isn’t a film you watch for the plot, you watch it for the jokes, and in this respect it does not disappoint. I’d happily visit the cinema to watch a sequel of this.

3.5 stars out of 5.

Mad Max, Fury Road

Year : 2015

Genre : Action 

Let’s throw this out there first of all. If you like your films quiet, contemplative, and profound, then ‘Fury Road’ is definitely not the film for you.

 I can openly admit to never seeing any of the Mel Gibson originals back in the 80’s, so I came to Fury Road with a blank slate. Set in a barren post apocalyptic Australia, Tom Hardy from ‘The Dark Knight Rises’, and soon to open biopic of the Krays, ‘Legend’ plays Max Rockatansky. Whilst on the run from the War Boys (a group of bald scavengers riddled with radiation sickness led by Hugh Keays Byne), Hardy’s Max joins forces with Charlize Theron, also on the run from the War Boys convoy. She is trying to smuggle a small group of concubines back to her place of birth. Together they must outrun the War Boys, or destroy the convoy. Whichever comes first.

 Strip everything away and at its core, ‘Fury Road’ is a two hour car chase. There are several things about it though, that raise its bar well above the baseline that it so easily could have ended up being. Modern audiences are used to breathtaking CGI. It is no longer the spectacle that is was ten years ago. Depth of character, and to be more specific, characters that audiences actually care about are what separate modern Summer blockbusters apart from one another. It is in this aspect, that ‘Fury Road’ succeeds. We already know that Charlize Theron can hold her own on the big screen after seeing her play female serial killer Aileen Wuornos in 2003’s ‘Monster’. Her Ripley-esque Imperator Furiosa heroine is given just as much screen time as Hardy himself and if anything, becomes the protagonist of the film after it’s half way point. It makes a refreshing change to see a strong female lead alongside an equally strong male, and Theron is one of the few Hollywood actresses who has the big stage gravitas to carry off the part.

 The chase scenes between the War Boys and Hardy / Theron are the bread and butter of this film though, and Australian writer / director George Miller’s radial camerawork is exceptional during these parts. If there ever was a movie that truly deserved the ‘rollercoaster ride’ label, it would be this one. Accompanied by a booming soundtrack, they are very much reminiscent of Spielberg’s camera work in the Indiana Jones movies. You probably won’t see much better this year.

 So is there anything to find fault with? Well yes. The first fifteen minutes of the film is are a bit non descriptive, as audiences are thrown in head first with very little explanation as to why Max is where he is, or how he came to be. Some might say that Hardy’s character is a bit too melancholic for his own good, and needed a couple of comedic moments to balance the scales.

 Also, the casting of Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. Why?! Have the producers never seen a Michael Bay film? It was just too much of a contrast to Theron’s Furiosa, and felt unrealistic given the film post nuclear war backdrop.

 A little bit more plot explaining the background, and this would have been a five.

 Four stars.

Fast & Furious 7

Year : 2015

Genre: Action 

Most of you will have seen this by now, but I only caught up with it last night on a trip to Dudley Showcase. For those that haven't seen it yet, here goes...

The Fast and the Furious movies are a strange breed. They started out on an epic high, then Vin Diesel left the franchise to work on his Riddick character and boycotted the sequel. They then got progressively worse, he gave up on Riddick, came back, and they gradually got better over time. I honestly can't think of a franchise that has behaved the same way at the box office. If you can think of something, post in the comments below.

"Fast 7" plays out in a very similar vein to the last three films of the franchise. The street racing theme that was central to the plot of the three movies is put on the back burner, and replaced with an "Ocean's Eleven" esque heist storyline that has far wider audience appeal. The plot (if you can call it that) focuses on Diesel's Dominic Toretto character and his crew being pursued around the globe by a very angry Jason Stathan out to avenge the death of his brother in "Fast 6". In conjunction, they are tasked with obtaining an object that allows public surveillance on a global scale by a unbelievably haggered looking Kurt Russel. Trust me, his jowls give Ian McKellen's a run for their money.

I'll be honest, the script and dialogue go off the naffness scale and then some. We're not in George Lucas territory here, or anywhere near as bad as the recent "Fifty Shades", but it's noticably worse than in previous films. Hollywood one liners rapildly become the rule rather than than the exception, and Vin Diesel should be made aware that it's not something he can pull off along the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. Less of it, please.

It's not the script and, nor the quality of the acting that draws audiences to the Fast franchise though. The CGI and stuntwork are, as ever, breathtaking. The movies push the boundries further with every installment, and set the standard for what audiences come to expect from a moden day action movie. "Fast 7" also reminds the audience about it's roots, and without wanting to give away any spoilers, has an exceptional chase sequence very reminiscent of the first move. It does make you wonder however, how they can raise the bar should they make another one.

Aside from the poor script (which lets be honest, most of the target audience won't care about), Gal Gadot is sorely missed as eye candy for the males, and I felt the closing act in Los Angeles didn't have the same dramatic effect as the plane taking off set piece  in "Fast 6". Many people will disagree though, no doubt.

Nit picking aside, "Fast 7" does what it says on the tin. It maintains the high standard of stuntwork set by the previous three movies, and  gives the audience what they expect from the franchise. Roll on the next one in New York (spoiler alert)

A satisfying 4 stars.

It Follows

Year: 2015

Genre: Horror

Where do I start? 

One of the biggest problems with modern horror is that we've seen it all before. The same films are churned out year in year out, and the once great genre is in a state of stagnation. Audiences are sick of haunted houses, torture porn has (thank god) died a death, and the iconic antiheroes of the 80's are all but distant memory.

And then a film like this happens. 

The premise is simplicity of the highest order. Something is following you. You don't quite know what that thing is, but wherever you go, it is following you. It can take the form of someone you know, or it can be a complete stranger. It will follow you forever, until it kills you, and then it will go after the last person you slept with. Sleep with someone else? It will follow them, kill them, and then continue to follow you. 

On paper I agree, it sounds fairly generic slasher/ghost movie gumpf. What makes 'It Follows' stand head and shoulders above the rest, is the way it executes such a simple idea. 

Relatively unknown director David Robert Mitchell is evidently a fan of the genre. Everything you could possibly hope for is in there. A street that is almost a carbon copy of Carpenter's Haddonfield in 1978's 'Halloween', an almost Manfredinian score, and at it's core, a big salute to the slasher movie's of the 80's where ultimately, having sex meant instant death. I could spend all day listing the various cap off references this film has, but this isn't an exercise in A level film studies. 

Above everything else, this does what horror films are supposed to do, and that is scare. As a hardnened horror fan, it's been a long time since I sat through something that I could honestly say put me in a state of agitation. It's not a 'make you jump' movie, it's not gory, nobody gets tortured, and there are no zombies or masked serial killers running round chopping people up with chainsaws. It isn't, and doesn't need to do any of those, because on an artistic level, it is the perfect example of what a horror film should be. 

If I could award this six stars, I would. A full five star horror. Go see it, just don't expect to sleep on the night you get home 

 

50 Shades of Grey. A blokes perspective.

Year: 2015

Genre: Erotica 

Not having read any of the original novels, I came to this film without any prior knowledge whasoever of the plot. All I knew was that they involved a certain 'Mr Grey', and that 'Mr Grey' was a man who's between the sheets activities had women the world over talking about him, and men the world over keen to know his modus operandi. Fast forward to Valentines Day 2015, and I became one of the many blokes dragged to to the cinema kicking and screaming to watch Focus Features big screen adaption of '50 Shades of Grey'. I was expecting to be bored to death by a mediocre snooze fest marketed at women, that was selling tickets based purely on the hype surrounding the book and little or nothing to do with artistic merit. So what of my opinion now I have seen it?

The plot is simple and relatively easy to pick up if you've never read the book. Anastasia Steele (an adequate performance from Dakota Johnson) is sucked into the whips, sticks and chains world of Christian Grey. A man who on the surface is almost identical to Richard Gere's Edward Lewis character in 1990's 'Pretty Woman'. A billionaire by the age of 27, Grey is played by big screen newcomer Jamie Dornan, who plays a character that feels uncannily the same in his sexual tastes as the one he played in BBC2's serial killer show 'The Fall'. He is an actor clearly chosen for his eye candy factor when the females in the audience were being considered. Anastasia has to sign a contract to become Grey's sexually submissive partner, and the rest of the film focuses on the emotional struggle between her attraction towards him, and his reluctance to open up emotionally to her.

Make no mistake, this film is by no means as pornographic as the media hype surrounding the novels would have led you believe. In total (and someone somewhere has counted) there are around eleven minutes in total of sex scenes, and none of them are in anyway graphic for the contemporary cinemagoer. Was this a let down? Not really, no. I think that hardcore pornographic content wouldn't be appropriate for the big screen, and there are other avenues you can go down should you wish to pursue it. Female director Sam Taylor-Johnson clearly made sure that during the more saucier moments, the balance between male and female nudity was both equal, and at a level that the females in the audience would find unoffensive.

Once you know that the sex scenes are played down, is it as painstakingly boring as you expect it to be without them? Well to be honest, no it isn't. That's not to say it's good, by any stretch of the imagination, it's just easier to sit through than you expect it to be. The chemistry between the two leads works very well, which is obviously intergral to the film's success. Supporting actors and set pieces do a decent enough job to bring the film above the level of the generic 'cash in on the success of the book' movie. There's just one thing that drags the film right down to gutter level, and it is very, very hard to escape from.

The script is an utterly diabolical, and that is no exaggeration. Star Wars fans will be familiar with Lucas's inability to write a good script that translates easily to celluloid. Think of how cringeworthy some of the dialogue was in the prequels, and '50 Shades' quite honestly takes it to a whole new level. There were some scenes where I honestly thought the two leads looked embarrased at the things they were given to say. Cara told me that this was also a problem with the original novel, and I have read several reviews online that have said author E.L James insisted her original text was used in the screenplay. Sadly, this lets the film down on a monumental scale, and it's a real shame, because otherwise, it's not half as bad as it could have been.

A surprisingly ok 2 stars, which would have been 2.5 were it not for the script.

Ex_Machina

Year: 2015

Genre: Science Fiction

It's been a while since my last review on here. Mainly because as I have previously mentioned on Facebook, since late Summer last year there has been a glut of poor quality films released at the cinema. Also, I tend not to review DVD releases because people have already seen them. Entrance fees are pretty high these days at the cinema so it takes a pretty good release to get me back into the reviewers chair. 

Written and directed by Alex Garland, who's other films include '28 Days Later', and 2012's 'Dredd', 'Ex_Machina' takes Dominic Gleeson from 'About Time' to the mountain hideaway of internet entreprenteur / megolmaniac Oscar Isaac. Once there, he is told he is to take the Turing Test, to test a machines ability to exhibit intelligent behaviour equivalent to, or indistinguishable from that of a human. The machine in this case is a cyborg female called Ava, created by Isaac's character Nathan, and played flawlessly by Swedish newcomer Alicia Vikander. 

Forget the clunkyness of the Terminator, or the cyberpunk style of Veerhoven's 87 'Robocop', Vikander's cyborg is very much inspired by the work of Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama. Beautifully simplistic, her performance seamlessly blurs the lines between human and artificial life. The character really is an Academy Award worthy triumph of special effects and cgi. 

The further Glesson gets into the Turing test, the more the audience is left asking if Ava's artificial intelligence software is developing, or if she simply programmed to respond to male stimuli. This happens in parallel with Issac's character seemingly becoming more and more cunning in anticipation of his experiments conclusion. 

Sci fi fans will rejoice at 'Ex_Machina'. With a score reminiscent of Kubricks '2001 Space Odessey', and glorious set locations, it is a definite five out of five stars. 

You'd be a fool to miss it.