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Captain America: Civil War Film Review

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_1453319820Based on the 2006 Marvel Comics crossover storyline Civil War is perhaps one of most adventurous pieces of comic book fare to be brought to the big screen. Based one year after the last Avengers movie; Age of Ultron and the colossal damages that occurred within all the previous cities the United Nations is preparing to pass the Sokovia Accords; an international governing body to monitor and police the rapidly growing superhuman population. The team is divided; Tony Stark supports oversight because he feels responsible for creating Ultron and for the destruction the android brought to Sokovia, while Rogers is distrustful of any government having control over them and wishes the Avengers to remain free to act of their own accord. When the Winter Solider reappears accused of another assassination Iron Man leads the charge forcing Captain America to choose a side. This leads to Civil War; a war within.

Featuring almost every Avenger (with the exception of Thor and Hulk) in addition to new characters like Spider-Man and returning supporting characters like General Ross this film should perhaps be re-named Avengers 2.5. It seems like this year when it comes to comic book adaptions it is all about the showdown between big superheroes and sprawling cataclysmic battles. No doubt comparisons will be eagerly made between this and the previously released Superman Versus Batman with fanboys clamouring either side to say which one is best. Civil War has been released with far less fanfare than its DC counterpart, but like the good old Captain America quiet confidence is perhaps what makes it so great. I’ll settle the scrap now; in my humble opinion Civil War is a better film.

There are a number of advantages that Civil War has over its Dawn of Justice rival. First is the fact that Marvel has spent numerous movies developing each and every character in the build up to this showdown and most of the characters have had their own films (or significant pieces within) to develop. In the run up to seeing the film, my friends and I were enthusiastically discussing which Marvel films we liked the most; some liked Iron Man, some liked Captain America, some liked Thor. Although film-wise there have been a couple of misses, what is undeniable is that Marvel has been successful in creating movie comic book characters that are semi-independent of each other, films that have their own valid personality and structure. Indeed, you can almost be divided over the movies like you could be the comic books. How that translates into Civil War is that less time needs to be dedicated showing their back stories (parents murdered or motivating tragedies) and secondly we have already come to know the characters as multi-faceted beings through their own movies which makes the ultimate show down far more complex than simply choosing a side. Tony Stark; the narcissistic billionaire but an individual always touched by the plight of the weak and defenceless versus Captain America a soldier who fights for freedom but has increasingly become disillusioned by the corruption he has witnessed. In Civil War the fights are gruelling but not gratuitous, no one wants to hurt each other but they will for what they believe in and ultimately they do.

Sadly, Civil War does suffer from a long build up, yes there is action but like Dawn of Justice it spends a long time getting you to see the story from both sides and introducing you to the new characters. But what a line up it is, in addition to Robert Downey Junior’s incredible Iron Man (let’s face it; there could only ever be one Iron Man) and Chris Evan’s one and only Captain America, we have Chadwick Boseman making his debut as an impressive Black Panther, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man and the all new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland.  I have to say I was a bit worried about the new wall crawler’s debut (I think we are on its third iteration within ten years) but with all honesty I think he was one of the many highlights and what he brought to the film was a much needed comedic boost to alleviate the movie’s more serious themes of lost friendship and broken trust. With Spider-Man a part of this film the credibility was seriously boosted in a way that perhaps only Wolverine could to a Hulk film. Overall then if you are a fan of Marvel, this film will excite and meet many if not all of your expectations. But we warned the ending is not a happy one. Last but not least there are two post credit scenes so stay until the very end.

O.k so my verdict:

Easily a 4 out of 5.

The Hateful Eight – Film Review

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the_hateful_eightRolling in at a mammoth three hours and seven minutes, the aptly titled The Hateful Eight is a film that in many ways will divide audiences. Those that love Quentin Tarantino’s style of film-making; the long build ups, exaggerated sword plays of dialogue and immediate violence, the no expense spared approach to making scenes look and feel authentic will no doubt rejoice here. But for those who were perhaps looking for a quick fix of action seen in examples such as Django Unchained and the Kill Bill series are likely to be disappointed or lack the endurance to see this film through to the end. It follows then that this film can be seen as a blessing and a shame in equal measure.

Shot in Ultra Panavision 70 which is apparently super widescreen, a long, and I mean long intro follows a horse and carriage through what must be a the bleakest snow storm. Yes, it is almost ten minutes before we actually get any dialogue. Only Tarantino could do that and not break a sweat. But when people do start speaking its then that you appreciate the depth and texture that he places within his characters.

John Ruth (Kurt Russell) is a bounty hunter carrying his charge Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) to a town called Red Rock. He never fails to bring his quarry in alive rather than dead so that they can be hanged by the state. Before long he is joined by Major Marquis Warren (played by an incredibly on form Samuel L Jackson) who after some convincing is permitted to share the stagecoach to Red Rock. They are soon after joined by Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins); allegedly Red Rock’s new sheriff, who makes it clear that in return for riding on the stage-coach he’ll ensure that justice will be done on arrival.

The worsening storm forces them to break their journey at Minnie’s; an isolated shop that they intend to use as a stop-over point and it’s here that four more faces join the crowd, potentially all eager for a share of the bounty that is on Daisy Domergue’s head. They are Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern), an old Confederate general, Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), a taciturn cattle-hand, Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), a flamboyant hangman, and Bob (Demián Bichir), the shop’s temporary Mexican caretaker. Minnie herself however is nowhere to be seen. This sets the scene for a set-up where no one can be trusted and anything can happen.

It’s here where the dialogue goes into overdrive and Tarantino really goes to work building and creating tension. However, it has to be said that it is a shame that it is such a slow build up; a growing crescendo which perhaps would have fared better if the characters had redeeming qualities. The reality is I found I could find little empathy with any one of the characters, they all had behaviours which I found distasteful, but perhaps that is the whole point. The second act plays out almost like an Agatha Christie novel; largely a quest to find out who is behind it all. The characters try and suss each other out. Flashbacks occur; who was where and when this or that happened and people try to talk their way out of being in the guilty frame.

What embellishes this is the fine cast. Very rarely do you find films where every actor shines. The only one I can think of right now where that occurred recently was in The Wolf of Wall Street and again it was because the director was very credible so the cast gave it their all. Here it is the same. They all implicitly trust Quentin so they hit their roles with vigour, the end result is stunning, at times riveting and in so many ways simply wonderful.

Personally, I am not a fan of long films. My friends were divided in equal measure between loving and hating this film. However, it has to be said from Tarantino this film seems intimate, like a personal project he really deliberated, stressed over, savoured and desired to share with his fans. The end result is something only he could realistically pull off at such quality and regardless of whether you love it or hate it you have to admit it’s a fine piece of work.

Mad Max: Fury Road {Film Review}

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At one point, I was a little worried about this particular movie. Not only is it another entry of Mad Max, not only has it been 30 years since the last one but also being written, produced and directed by George Miller. If we learned anything, directors returning to movie series that put them on the map in the first place usually end up with underwhelming results (George Lucas with Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Steven Spielberg with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and Ridley Scott with Prometheus). Remember how the trailers would look spectacular and too good to be true but eventually being huge letdowns? However, that trend has now been broken because George Miller has made an insane action masterpiece!

The movie is a reboot of the series, with Tom Hardy replacing Mel Gibson as our troubled hero Max Rockatansky. Rather than start from the very beginning in typical reboot fashion, it already establishes Max’s wife and child were killed and he’s been surviving this mad_max_fury_road_ver13_xlgchaotic post-apocalyptic world. He gets captured early on by the War Boys, a pale skinned gang led by Immorton Joe (played by only returning Mad Max cast member, Hugh Keays-Byrne). He is in charge of a kingdom known as the Citadel, as he controls the people and major water supply. Though Furiosa (Charlize Theron) has her own agenda; taking Joe’s five brides away and taking them to the green place. This results Joe giving chase and Max (and the audience) along with the wild ride. That’s pretty much it from there; a roller-coaster ride that barely slows down. The world of Fury Road is wildly creative with the production and costume design. It all feels Max has been transported to Dante’s Inferno, as there’s even an intense escape sequence before the main title shows up. Miller never gives any exposition to who or what is going on on-screen.

Tom Hardy is a great replacement, bringing the Max we all have grown familiar but also bringing his own interpretation that doesn’t result being an imitation. He’s almost like a wild animal, just making his way through and looking out for himself. Though even he is not so far from being insane as everyone else. He often has hallucinations of his family, mostly from a little girl. Keays-Byrne is impressively threatening as Immorton Joe. Fuelled by pursuing his belongings as if he’d lose everything (including his sanity) if they ever get far from his grasp. The inventive ventilator collar adds to his bonkers costume design, including a see-through body armour. Though the ones who steal the spot-light are the women, including Theron’s Furiosa. They are far from the damsels in distress or completely written as being illogical (I’m looking at you Anastasia Steele and Bella Swan!) It’s also saying something that most of the women in this movie are the sane ones. The brides may not be warriors but they will do the damn hardest to actually do something to prevent from anything bad happening. Everyone is aiming for something, whether it’s simply to survive, gain back something or even head somewhere better. Even Nux (Nicholas Hoult) is given a bit of an arc, something he slowly but eventually realises his full potential. The movie may be an action movie on its surface but it has a bit of humanity in its core and also heart on its sleeve.

As said before, the movie is completely bonkers but it is beautifully bat-shit insane! It’s one of those situations where I would describe something from the film and it will give you an idea what kind of ride you’ll be going on. For example; there’s one character where he wears a red onsie but is standing on a bunch of towering sound-speakers and plays an electric guitar. . . . that also acts as a flamethrower. Even character names will also give you an idea what you’re walking into, such as The People Eater and The Bullet Farmer. John Seale even came out of retirement to help shoot this movie. His experience on shooting in desert settings in The English Patient may have been useful but he brings it to a whole new level. The action sequences are easy to follow but shot in a way that’s more intense and satisfying to watch than any action movie nowadays. You actually get worried when our heroes are close to death’s door (unlike Fast & Furious series where lead characters can survive anything, even ramming to an oncoming car).

Overall: 30 years waiting for the return of Mad Max and it was worth it! George Miller finally unleashes his crazy vision and never holds back. The cast is excellent and the action is breath-taking! Easily one of the best movies of the year and going to be hard to top this from being movie of the summer. J.J. Abrams, don’t let us down with The Force Awakens!

5 out of 5!

Avengers: Age of Ultron {Film Review}

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One of the most anticipated movies of the summer has finally hit cinemas and anticipation would be an understatement. After the release of both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy last year, both fans and general audiences were expecting this 11th entry in Marvel Cinematic Universe to top everything off.

After the events of The Winter Soldier, The Avengers (consists of Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)) pursue the last HYDRA commander, Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Thomas Kretschmann). However, they also come across Strucker’s experiments with the twins, Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) (changed from being mutants and Magneto’s children to experiments, due to 20th Century Fox owning rights to X-Men). Stark starts thinking about retiring from being Iron Man and starts creating, along with Banner, a new set of A.I. drones to tackle future threats (even extraterrestrial). Thus Ultron (James Spader) is born but doesn’t pan out as expected. Like a new child, he quickly takes action by having one primary goal; human extinction.

avengers_age_of_ultron_ver11_xlgThe movie doesn’t waste any time setting things up (if you haven’t been following the events from previous movies, good luck) and we’re straight into our first big action set-piece. It may feel a little rushed at times but it all flows seamlessly together. The whole MCU is already established at this point, though the few scenes where it takes a break from the action is one of the highlights. The entire cast fits into their characters like a glove, fully adjusting to their roles that we’ve been following since 2008. It completely shows their camaraderie as working in a team, as what made The Avengers such a treat to watch. Their witty banter and emotional connection are probably one of the most compelling moments in this movie (especially a running gag with Rogers and the team). We’re even given more back-story to Barton and Romanoff, which fleshed out their characters in a huge way than before. Both Maximoff twins are a welcome addition, giving Avengers an extra challenge to tackle. Wanda uses her hypnosis to bring out the team’s fears, thus adding a human layer to their characterisation.There are a few additional characters put into the mix (Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue to name one of many and antagonist for future Black Panther film) and may feel a little much to take all in but you tend to go along with the ride. Though it’s James Spader who steals the spot-light and he’s the most charismatic and intimidating villain since Loki. His introduction is undeniably gripping and quite spine-chilling with his speech towards the Avengers. He observes the world with childlike perception, slowly growing incredibly intellectual but also persistent on bringing total destruction on a global scale.

Writer/director Joss Whedon may excel on delivering wisecracks here and there but doesn’t fall short of the spectacle and there’s plenty of that on display! The creative fight combos between the heroes (mainly from Captain America and Thor) shows their ability to work as a team. The Hulkbuster vs Hulk scene was incredibly entertaining to watch, yet follows Man of Steel’s complete utter city destruction (may not be on the same scale but comes close). The design of Ultron is pretty much a Terminator pumped with steroids but given a face similar to Michael Bay’s Transformers movies. Given a lot to deliver expressions from the face with Spader also providing motion-capture performance. Although Quicksilver was the scene-stealer from X-Men: Days of Future Past, this portrayal of Quicksilver is just as creative and does convey his intense speed through-out the movie. Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman’s score gets you pumped for rooting our heroes but also delivering the right emotional notes during such scenes with our characters.

Overall; one of the best entries in the series. It somewhat surpasses the sequel on expanding the MCU series but also fleshing out our protagonist’s and making it worth investing from beginning to end. Joss Whedon makes his last outing with Marvel a bang and has given us a fantastic villain with Ultron. Next up, Ant-Man.

5 out of 5

p.s. Stay for a mid-credits scene, though you probably were ready to do that anyways.

Sleeping Dogs Film Review

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sleepingdogsfilmreview

London. Eve spends her days caring for her almost vegetative fiance Tommy while struggling to make ends meet. Tommy’s only hope of recovery is a radical new treatment, but it’s expensive. Running out of time, Eve turns to Tommy’s old friends for help. Little does she know that journeying into Tommy’s murky past will unravel a chain of deception that will prove the ultimate test of her devotion.

This film was shot as a collaborative project by a crew of two and a core cast of five for a production budget of £100. It went on to be nominated for a BiFA.

Floris Ramaekers co-wrote, directed, was DOP, camera operator and editor. Pretty impressive stuff. Now for the film…

Dark and heavy, the film is beautifully shot and looks far more expensive than it is. I cannot tell this is a low budget, scaled back production. The acting is great. While some of the characters are not exactly likeable, each is well-written and the actors do an excellent job. Special mention to veteran British actor Jon Campling who has been in so many great films he has probably lost count himself. He is a star who is destined for great things. Liberty Mills is also amazing in the title role.

Sleeping Dogs is an entertaining, gritty British film in the way only Brits can do. It is no surprise it has received nominations. I loved it and was incredibly impressed at what was achieved. I hope this team of cast and crew make another film as this one really is excellent.

Go and see it.

Imitation Game Film Review

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iimitationgameCast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Mark Strong

I was very excited about seeing this film. The cracking of the enigma code is one of Britain’s greatest accomplishments, saving millions of lives and ending a war. Alan Turing is one of the most underrated and greatest Britons that ever lived. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Cumberbatch does an excellent job of portraying the man who essentially invented the computer. He could have just done another Sherlock-type performance but his performance is astounding, believable and as good as expected from an actor who is fast becoming one of our true greats. It is just subtle enough. The script is great, the entire film just works very well. Strong performances are given from the rest of the cast too and Keira Knightley’s performance gives Joan Clarke, a woman who did great work and contributed to history when too many were never given the chance, the credit she deserves.

Whilst I watched this film, myself and the rest of the audience were engaged and laughed many times. But the overwhelming feeling at the end was of injustice. The injustice of homosexuality ever being illegal, the injustice of one of our greatest, who helped stop a war and saved tens of millions of lives. is hard to take. Forced to take pills that chemically castrated him. Turing ended his life when he was only 41 after being forced to take these pills or face prison. His ‘crime’ was his sexuality and being caught with a young man. No one helped him or stopped the appalling behaviour. It wasn’t until 2013 that he was posthumously pardoned by Queen Elizabeth II. This film is a must watch. It tells an essential part of our history, but it also says far too much about the brutality of injustice and hate.

Based on the real life story of Alan Turing, who is credited with cracking the German Enigma code, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team at Britain’s top-secret code-breaking centre, Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II. Turing, whose contributions and genius significantly shortened the war, saving thousands of lives, was the eventual victim of an unenlightened British Establishment, but his work and legacy live on.

The Imitation Game is out now. 

 

Interstellar {Film Review}

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*WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

Christopher Nolan films aren’t just films; they’re events. Although he completed his Batman trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises, Interstellar has been treated like it is the next great blockbuster (as much in the same league we’re anticipating the next DC/Marvel movie). Even continuing his trend to deliver trailers and TV spots that reveal little details about the plot.
The movie revolves around Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) who was once a pilot, now farmer in a Dust Bowl type future. The Earth is running out of food, even down to the last food resource; corn. He is also a widowed father of two children (as with the majority of Christopher Nolan’s films, main protagonist’s wife/love interest either has died or won’t last very long) but yet still has a craving for exploration (even learning that teachers at his children’s schools have new editions of books saying the moon landings were fake). He eventually comes across his old mentor, Prof. Brand (Michael Caine) and his daughter Amelia Brand (Anne Hathaway). They reveal the Earth is dying, so they have been building a space shuttle and needs Cooper to be the pilot. Their mission; to go through a wormhole that will lead to a different galaxy and find a habitable planet.

 

The movie is probably the most ambitious movie Christopher Nolan has made in his career. He continues to deliver a science fiction movie with challenging ideas and concepts about space travel (as he did with the concepts of dreams in Inception). Though this was originally intended to be directed by Steven Spielberg (based on a script by Chris Nolan’s brother, Jonathan Nolan) and this movie clearly shows Spielberg’s trademark about family (especially focusing on a father character like Jaws and Munich). Nolan has been known to focus more on the ideas than the characters interstellar_ver5_xlgthemselves, and you can clearly see that struggle to try balance the two. Though it does work for the most part and it’s all down to McConaughey being cast as the lead. He has certainly been having a huge career change and this film is no exception. If Mud, Dallas Buyers Club and True Detective proved anything, it is that he can be just as involving as he is likeable in his rom-com days. His craving to venture to the unknown is pretty much anyone’s curiosity and makes his motivation to help his family (and the human race) somewhat relatable. Even McConaughey delivers an incredibly emotional performance in one particular scene as he’s watching video messages of his children growing older. If Gravity showed that working in space is no fun and games, Interstellar shows us that space travel is not all that fun as Star Trek likes to make us believe (or wants us to). Especially dealing with relativity; every hour they spend, 7 years have passed on Earth (similar to The Forever War). The stand-out performance has to be character of Murph, played brilliantly by Mackenzie Foy and Jessica Chastain. She is the emotional core of the movie and drives the narrative forward.

 

The visual effects in this movie is absolutely mind-blowing. The use of both miniatures and CGI both seamlessly mix together. Nolan has been known to do everything real as possible and uses that effect in great use here. Pushing the envelope to make the cinematic experience as immersive the medium can deliver. Even creating inventive and charismatic robots as TARS and CASE (more friendly version of HAL 9000, if you will). The beautiful and stark cinematography by Hoyte van Hoytema (Let the Right One In, Tinker Tailor Solider Spy and Her) brings the alien but familiar planets to life. Though using different contrast of colours, using grey and blue for space travel scenes and using browns with scenes set on Earth. Hans Zimmer’s score rings back to 2001: A Space Odyssey (a movie Nolan has said he used as the biggest influence, as well as Star Wars and Alien on the production design), extending the huge scope of the movie and also creating genuine tension.

 

If there were one or two nitpicks to have with this movie, it has to do with the pacing. At times, the 3 hour long duration wasn’t noticeable. Though dealing with two story-lines at once felt a bit jumbled at times, yet Nolan was able to accomplish this with three to four scenarios at once seamlessly in Inception. Also, some of the character motivations seem a bit unfocused or rather force fed to us. Nolan’s dialogue, while very well written, seems to be a bit too analytical about its themes and ideas. The scientific theories is all very interesting but could’ve been condensed down. Some of the characters were also hard to be involved with and mainly because they were underwritten (like character of Tom, who gets overshadowed by Murph). Also, the ending will most likely split opinions. Without giving too much away; it basically leaves you to interpretation and suggestion (just like Memento and Inception). How you will feel about that is entirely up to you.

 

Overall; Inception is still the best Christopher Nolan sci-fi movie but this still stands as an exceptional film of the genre. It does reach to great heights and delivers the spectacle. The cast deliver great performances, especially from Foy and Chastain. It just doesn’t quite reach its grasp.

 

4 out of 5

Gone Girl {Film Review}

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This particular movie was built on the marketing that you had to see this movie (or read the book) to understand why you had to go see it yourself. The trailers were reminiscent to when Alfred Hitchcock gave away little to nothing about the plot, only snippets here and there. Our curiosity only grew and grew from movie posters designed as ‘Missing Person’ posters and word of mouth. David Fincher had our curiosity and now has our attention. That is the power Fincher has used to full use and the film itself doesn’t disappoint.

 

The movie is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Gillian Flynn (who also wrote the screenplay). The story revolves around Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), who one morning on his wedding anniversary finds his wife Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) missing. The police investigate the crime scene, finding no evidence to suspect a kidnapping. Eventually, everyone starts pointing fingers at

gone_girl_ver2_xlgNick, from police, neighbours and even talk show hosts. Though as the story progresses, we cut back to diary entries from Amy herself. Giving two completely different perspectives and asking ourselves; who is telling the truth?

 

This movie is the definition of edge-on-your-seat. Fincher is the master of mystery/thriller filmmaking (as evidenced in Se7en, The Game and Zodiac). His eye to detail is so immaculate, with the production design to the bleak but beautiful cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth. Every clue is never left unnoticed. The score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross is discomforting but also hypnotic (as Fincher said when giving direction for the score “Think about the really terrible music you hear in massage parlors. The way that it artificially tries to make you feel like everything’s OK. And then imagine that sound starting to curdle and unravel.“). That direction to the music is certainly what is felt through-out the entire duration of the movie. The more we find out Nick and Amy’s marriage, the more we realise it is not what we perceived from the start. This movie satarises the media, forcing us to rethink how we look at the stories that are laid in front of us. Even when answers are not met or answered, we’re so eager to accuse anyone to have some sort of resolution (just like Robert Graysmith in Zodiac). Even when one talk show host (played by Missi Pyle) flat out accuses Nick to not only be Amy’s killer but also accuses him to have a incestuous relationship with his sister.

 

Ben Affleck is continuing to mature as an actor. Fincher cast him the part as Nick Dunne because Affleck himself has been through hell in the eyes of the media and public. You can certainly see the weight that has been brought down on his shoulders. The supporting cast members were equally terrific, especially the surprise performance from Tyler Perry (probably given the most hilarious line in the entire movie, and one that summarises the Dunne’s; “You two are the most fucked up people I’ve ever met and I deal with fucked up people for a living.“) Though the stand-out performance has to be Rosamund Pike as Amy Dunne. She is unbelievably outstanding and one I would vote to get a Best Actress nomination. As mentioned earlier, talking more about her role would reveal a lot of the twists. Suffice to say, it is a performance everyone will be talking about the rest of the year (especially the ending may make couples feel uncomfortable or at least awkward).

 

Overall; David Fincher delivers an intense, no holds barred thriller. It is expertly crafted from everyone in the production. Stellar performances and award-worthy performance from Rosamund Pike. Easily one of the best movies of this year and highly recommended.

4 out of 5