Author Archives: Owun Birkett

Elysium {Film Review}

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I have always admired and been inspired by South African filmmaker Neill Blomkamp. He immigrated to Canada at the age of 18 and graduated with 3D Animation and Visual Effects program from Vancouver Film School in 1998. He became a 3D animator on various TV shows such as Stargate SG-1 and Smallville. Then he started creating short films in his home country, starting with Tetra Vaal in 2004, Alive in Joburg in 2005 and Adicolor Yellow in 2006. Blomkamp was hired to make a film adaptation of Halo with Peter Jackson but the project fell apart due to financial disagreements. So Jackson decided to give Blomkamp an opportunity many filmmakers would dream of; he was given $30 million to come up with any film project he wanted to make. That film turned out to be 2009’s sleeper hit, District 9. The film received rave reviews from critics and was nominated for 4 Oscars including Best Picture and 7 BAFTA nominations including Best Film and Best Director to Blomkamp. Now Blomkamp gives us first original sci-fi feature film, Elysium.

 

The story is set in 2154 Los Angeles, where the city is over-populated, health care is scarce and vast majority of the population are Mexican immigrants. Meanwhile, the wealthy live on an orbital space station called Elysium. There the air is fresh, served by obedient androids and robots and free of disease, poverty and war. They also have Med-Pods, a medical device where it can cure many diseases such as cancer. Max De Costa (Matt Damon) an orphan who has left his life of crime to work at a factory run by Armadyne Corporation who is owned by a billionaire CEO John Carlyle (William Fichtner). One day, Max gets himself into an accident at the factory by being exposed to radiation and only has 5 days to live. Max now sets his eyes at Elysium and plans to get himself cured. This raises awareness of Elysium Secretary of Defense, Jessica Delacourt (Jodie Foster), and she hires a sleeper agent named Kruger (Sharlto Copley).

 

Elysium

The film is magnificent in scope and ambition. Blomkamp continues to bring social themes on class, immigration and even health care to his sci-fi blockbusters. It really is admirable that he decides to give the movie a lot more meat than what it really is on the surface. It was one of the main aspects I admired and adored with District 9, the themes of xenophobia social segregation (mainly inspired by Blomkamp’s experiences of the apartheid era in Cape Town). Subtlety isn’t the director’s specialty but the themes are approached head on and therefore make them relevant to current events that are not too fictional in its setting in the future. We see Max being the only Anglo-American citizen in Los Angeles, where the city itself has no identity or has since been long forgotten.

 

Matt Damon as Max portrays him as an everyday man and thus makes him a compelling lead. He has ambitions that are not too far from our own and makes us rooting for his success. When he is placed in a life threatening situation; he acts within a heartbeat, no matter how difficult the task may be. Jodie Foster’s Jessica Delacourt isn’t much fleshed compared to Max and only serves as a plot device to make the story go forward. Her accent is a little muddled, wasn’t too sure if she’s trying to be American or English or both? Also, the ADR work is poor at times (seems her voice was changed during post-productions for reasons that are not so clear). Though Sharlto Copley is the scene stealer of this movie as Kruger! He couldn’t be any different from his character in District 9; he is brutal but utterly entertaining to watch. He is absolutely relishing his job as a gun-for-hire and he will do anything to get the job done. It is quite refreshing to have a South African villain rather than being English, American or European in general. The rest of the cast do decent jobs in their roles; Alice Braga as Frey brings the heart to the story but like Foster’s character, isn’t fleshed out and comes off being the damsel-in-distress. The only downside of the movie is it’s slightly predictable where the movie is going but it doesn’t detract the quality of the movie as a whole.

Blomkamp is known to create photorealistic visuals and he continues that look in this film. It is absolutely gorgeous and richly detailed. Inspired by works of Syd Mead, concept artist who worked on designs for Blade Runner and Aliens. The film never once felt too futuristic, it all felt everything worked with a purpose and it didn’t need much to suspend your disbelief. The space station of Elysium does remind me of similar looking space station in Halo video game series but also had a mix of 2001: A Space Odyssey flavour to it. The visual effects for the cyborg robots looked stunning, every frame and pixel looked immaculate. The action sequences are intense but do have a sense the director likes to blow people up (a lot!). Though the director doesn’t shy away from the violence, every ounce of blood that is spilled is counted for and makes you feel every impact that is made. There’s even a scene where a character is put on a machine and it drew me in with fascination but also finding it very gruesome (will bring the meaning of reconstructive surgery).

 

Overall: another hit from director Neill Blomkamp. Doesn’t quite deliver up to the same level as District 9 but it’s another fascinating sci-fi/action movie that may cause some discussions (or debates). Incredibly exciting, beautiful visuals and the actors deliver great performances. Favourite movie of the summer. Highly recommended!

 

4 out of 5

Man of Steel {Film Review}

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*WARNING – MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!*

 

This week is Warner Bros./DC Comics turn to bring up the heat for summer blockbuster season. It has been seven years since we had Superman on our screens with Superman Returns and the results were incredibly underwhelming (considering we had Batman Begins the year before, which was a critical and financial success). So a reboot was green-lit and Zack Snyder takes the helm to deliver Superman with watchful eyes from Christopher Nolan (serving as co-writer and producer). The end result is not as soaring as one would hope but flies rather valiantly.

 

Superman’s origin story remains the same; Kal-El (Henry Cavill) is one of the last remaining beings from the planet Krypton. Both his parents, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer), sent him off on a spacecraft as the planet was becoming unstable and would soon lead to its imminent destruction. His spacecraft crash lands in Smallville, Kansas and is raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Coster and Diane Lane). Though the interesting aspect that writers David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan decided to focus on this Superman movie is asking; how would we react to a super-being? Would we welcome it with open arms or would we feel threatened? It’s certainly interesting to the fact none of the previous

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movie iterations even remotely decided to focus on that aspect. Although the story can feel a bit too cold for a Superman film and comes to no surprise it mostly has Chris Nolan’s stamp all over it. It was understandable for his Dark Knight trilogy to contain such a grim tone and featuring such dark themes. Superman really is a Moses story through and through but really delves into his alien heritage. There are amusing one-liners here and there but the cinematography all felt bleak with shades of blue and grey (with exception of scenes in Krypton).

 

Henry Cavill dons the suit really well, and he also brings the character quite a bit of charm but also some weight to the character. He brings such emotions as isolation and frustration, trying to blend in but there’s always a reminder that he will never be one of them. Although one scene that I felt was too forced on the religious symbolism is when he confesses to a priest in a church (whilst sitting in-front of a window with Jesus on it, subtle movie!) and he tells Kal-El to take a leap of faith. Amy Adams makes Lois Lane an active character this time round, rather than just solely being the damsel-in-distress that has Superman saving often. The chemistry between Superman and Lois is a bit weak but hopefully will expand in future sequels. Both Kevin Costner and Diane Lane play their characters really well, though there’s not much to work on as Jonathan is along with the many motivational parent/guardians to our heroes (Aunt May in Spider-Man and Alfred in Batman). Though the spot-light is Michael Shannon as General Zod, a great character actor but he completely chews the scenery and yet makes him quite intimidating which brings the fun to this film. You really believe this is a man motivated and dedicated to his genetic upbringing as a military leader.

 

As expected from Zack Snyder, he really delivers the spectacle and makes you believe a man can fly again! You feel the ferocity when Superman is flying for the first time, the sense of wonder from Superman’s reaction on roaring through the clouds. We finally get to see super-beings beat the living daylights out of each other. The scale and action sequences is spectacular, raising the bar to the extreme on what Superman has to handle. Zod’s soldiers really do put up a fight and you feel every blow they make is a devastating one! Though it does concern me that Zack Snyder causes this much destruction more on looking cool than taking into consideration the death toll would be extremely high (not to mention the amount of damage and lasting impact would leave upon Metropolis’s citizens). I was genuinely enthralled by WETA Digital’s creation of Krypton, clearly the filmmakers made sure they distanced themselves from Richard Donner’s Krypton. You feel that everything had a purpose and the planet felt alive with its inhabitants (I especially liked the silver projections when Lara is giving birth and Jor-El is giving Kal-El a history lesson about Krypton). Hans Zimmer’s score really captures the awe and wonder of Superman but also the menacing threat from the villains. There’s a lot to live up to than being under the shadow of John Williams’ iconic theme tune but Zimmer completely makes it his own.

 

Overall; a great stab on the Superman icon and really succeeds to make its own than trying to be a copy with what has been already established. Henry Cavill and Amy Adams play their respective characters faithfully and supported by a terrific cast. I really am looking forward to seeing more of this Superman series.

 

4 out 5

Star Trek Into Darkness {Film Review}

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WARNING! Unlike most of my past reviews I have written, there will be spoilers in order to fully explain my thoughts on the film. So if you have not yet seen the film, I suggest you go out and do so (unless you REALLY want to know).

 

Amongst the many sequels 2013 provides; we now have Star Trek Into Darkness, sequel to J.J. Abrams’ 2009 Star Trek. The first film was fun but also stayed faithful to the spirit that Gene Roddenberry created back in 1966. Not only did it please the core fan-base but also encouraged to bring new fans to the series. Rather being a straight prequel to the Original Series, they’ve cleverly decided to create a scenario that involves the villain coming from the future and alternating the timeline. Therefore making it rather unpredictable whether Kirk and his crew will come across old characters and having the same outcome.

The film begins in the middle of a mission on a planet inhabited by a tribe and Kirk (Chris Pine) and co. are there to stop a volcano erupting. Though Spock’s (Zachary Quinto) life is in jeopardy and Kirk violates the Prime Directive to save his life. Meanwhile, London gets attacked when a bomb goes off (quite daring seeing the film is released after the tragic Boston Marathon bombings in April) and the prime suspect is former Starfleet agent John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch). Kirk’s mission is to find Harrison and bring him to justice. Though the crew later find out they’re in much deeper water they anticipated and reveals there’s a lot more to Harrison than what we just see.

The entire cast of the Enterprise crew are back and are just as you expect them to be. It really does continue to Star Trek tradition of camaraderie, the sense of relying on each to get the job done and acts like they’re a family. Though the bromance between Kirk and Spock causes some genuine amusement, especially Kirk having to deal with Spock’s vulcan personality. Zoë Saldana continues to make Uhura a strong character, being conflicted on dealing with Spock’s inability to feel. Alice Eve plays Dr. Carol Marcus, a science officer who boards the Enterprise upon learning about Kirk’s mission. The character was featured in The Wrath of Khan, which only sets up for one conclusion to be Kirk’s love interest. That particular purpose is mainly the problem, she really doesn’t do a lot apart from being partially naked. The rest of the crew provides support and comedy relief through-out the film. Though nothing seems to have been progressed since the first film; Kirk is still having issues on living up to his father and being responsible for his actions. Spock is apparently still learning on being human, thus making the scene where he beats Kirk to a pulp when Kirk mentions about his mother pointless because we have to see him go through feeling angry again.

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The biggest addition is Benedict Cumberbatch, who is actually revealed to be Khan (as in Khan Noonien Singh, played previously by Ricardo Montalbán in an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan). Khan’s story-line is very similar that was established in previous incarnations, a superhuman from the Eugenics War has been awakened from being cryogenically frozen 300 years ago. Though this character reveal has been the worst kept secret I can remember, as it had been rumoured Khan would eventually turn up (even IMDb listed Cumberbatch to be rumoured as Khan). Unlike previous worst kept secret character reveals (one recent secret pops into my mind is Naomie Harris as Miss Moneypenny in Skyfall), this character reveal twist doesn’t really serve any purpose than just for fan service. Cumberbatch really does make the character intimidating (more than Eric Bana’s Nero in the first film) but it’s just a waste of talent when he’s playing a character that adds nothing to the movie apart from being the latest addition of bad guy in a trench coat. This is incredibly disappointing from J.J. Abrams and screenwriter’s direction with this sequel, as they could’ve easily created something new rather than rehash scenes from previous movies (huge example being Kirk’s and Spock’s places have been switched from Wrath of Khan; Kirk sacrifices himself to fix the ship and Spock gets to shout “KHAN!!!” for no reason than the filmmakers to say “hey, it happened in the previous movie!”) The whole movie left very few surprises as we’re just going through what we’ve already seen before and done better in other movies (i.e. having the villain surrender himself, get locked up and somehow use this tactic to his advantage like The Dark Knight, Marvel’s The Avengers and Skyfall). Though one would argue being an alternative timeline, events and actions still could happen in the same way but switching characters or situations.

The spectacle in this film is top notch, the visual effects provided by ILM continues to provide stellar action sequences. They all create this sense of awe when the Enterprise come across strange worlds in different galaxies. The final climactic fight between Spock and Khan is fun to watch but isn’t breathtaking as you would expect a final showdown. Michael Giacchino’s score is excellent, even if not too subtle for some parts (Khan’s introduction needs no explanation). The production design all makes the layout of the Enterprise seem vast and plausible on how it all works. However, J.J. Abrams’ trademark lens flare returns and this is where it will divide audiences. For the most part, it gives Abrams’ films a sense of filmmaking identity (we’re already suspecting Star Wars Episode VII to contain his signature lens flares) but they do distract you from concentrating on what’s happening in the film. Not a major flaw but depends how you feel about the idea of lens flares occurring through-out the entire 133 minutes.

Overall; a slight disappointment of a sequel, though the cast make it all sell and the production value is excellent. Despite certain plot and character twists that didn’t serve any purpose, I had a rollicking good time and that’s better than nothing.

3 out of 5

 

Iron Man 3 {Film Review}

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This movie couldn’t have any more weight on its shoulders. Not only would it start of blockbuster season of 2013 but will have to follow from The Avengers. That’s a huge task to tackle but Marvel hired Shane Black, writer/director of action films such as Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout and his directorial debut Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. Black seems more of a natural filmmaker than Jon Favreau (if you have seen Bang Bang, you will know that Black and Downey Jr. are a match made perfect). This film is essentially what you’d expect from an Iron Man movie and that entirely depends whether you see it as a good thing or bad thing.

 

Robert Downey Jr. continues to bring such charisma to Tony Stark, he really does make this movie work in terms on rooting for the protagonist. Stark is dealing with a personal issue; since his near death experience in The Avengers, he’s been having post traumatic stress (reference to our feelings after 9/11, even Stark says “hasn’t been the same since New York”). It’s an interesting factor that weighs on Tony Stark’s shoulders, almost identical to his alcoholism in the comics (which I thought it would lead up to it). Though the tone and the way they treat Tony’s PTS is very bi-polar; they bring it up like this will affect him and bring him down, but it then it gets treated as a comedy later in the film and doesn’t really get resolved or goes nowhere. Gwenyth Paltrow finally gets to do something useful as Pepper Potts, she’s essentially the sensible one out of the cast (whether you see that as a positive as a female character or a joy kill for Tony Stark). The rest of the characters are serviceable, Don Cheadle is basically Tony Stark’s Murtaugh (which Shane Black writes brilliantly with Stark and Rhodes) but Rebecca Hall’s character feels more of a plot device than a supporting character. There is not much I can say before ruining the surprise twist but if you have seen the film, you know what I’m talking about. I won’t say much about it but I will say I did not see it coming and I thought it was an interesting twist that was refreshing (though I won’t be surprised that a lot comic book/Iron Man fans will feel the character has been treated in a disrespectful way).

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The film does contain great set-pieces, especially with the mid-air rescue with Iron Man and Air Force One crew. The final climactic battle scene with the Iron Man suits is really fun to watch and really interesting to see the different type of Iron Man suits Stark had created. Though it’s almost interesting to see what Pacific Rim will be able to deliver in terms of men in iron suits. I was very impressed how much Marvel Studios allowed to have Tony out of his suit for the majority of the running time (same as I was impressed with The Dark Knight Rises on having Bruce Wayne not wear the Bat-suit a lot). It actually showed Tony still being the genius he is on being able to do what he does best without the suit (as Obediah Stane said in Iron Man to scientist having trouble replicating one of Tony Stark’s creations; “TONY STARK WAS ABLE TO BUILD THIS IN A CAVE WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!”).

 

Although the film doesn’t really soar to the skies as it really just goes on autopilot for the most part. The villains in the Iron Man movies haven’t really been memorable and the villain’s motive in this movie is just being power hungry. Granted Tony Stark finally is given a worthy adversary that isn’t another man in an iron suit (a huge disappointment in Iron Man 2 and a waste of Mickey Rourke’s talent). It doesn’t detract the quality of the movie but there are plenty of other comic book movies that you can compare and they don’t add anything new or interesting to separate itself from the others. Another thing that makes the movie fall apart (almost) is Tony Stark’s thinking has gone backwards after The Avengers; he decides to respond to The Mandarin’s video threats by threatening him and also giving out his home address. Though he is still surprised when The Mandarin does respond by sending attack helicopters to destroy his home and doesn’t have any back-up plan (something you’d think Tony would have been prepared for, as Jarvis mentioned that he has been awake for 72 hours).

 

Overall; a fun sequel to Iron Man and a good start to 2013 blockbuster season. Light-years better than Iron Man 2 but still think Joss Whedon did a better job on writing Tony Stark/Iron Man in The Avengers. Robert Downey Jr. does what he does best and the rest of the cast are having fun with their roles. Shane Black does deliver wit but also the spectacle. It’s a shame it’s just a decent blockbuster than a great one. Your turn Man of Steel!

 

3 out of 5

 

p.s. Stay after the closing credits (but you already knew that, right?)

 

Evil Dead {Film Review}

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It is a tough task on taking a cult favourite series and basically updating it to a modern setting. Though that usually causes scepticism from fans, saying they have missed the point on what made the original films good in the first place or they just completely fail as a whole. Michael Bay’s production company Platinum Dunes have come under criticism, as their remakes of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Amityville Horror, The Hitcher, Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street are really beat-to-beat remakes of the original movies (which makes us ask the question; why bother remaking it if it is going to be exactly the same as the original?). So it was inevitable that the news of an Evil Dead remake would make the fans cry “BETRAYAL!!!”. How could anyone think of trying to top Sam Raimi’s (director ‘The Evil Dead’ Trilogy and ‘Spider-Man’ Trilogy) cult independent horror classic which starred Bruce Campbell as one of horror’s most beloved icons? Especially the teaser poster has the guts (pun non-intended) to have giant words reading “THE MOST TERRIFYING FILM YOU WILL EVER EXPERIENCE”. Well I am actually happy to report that it is pretty good (undeniably flawed but pretty good considering it is a remake).

 

The movie is set (where else?) at a cabin in the woods, where David (Shiloh Fernandez) and his friends are helping his sister Mia’s (Jane Levy) drug addiction. Because they have previously attempted to help detox Mia and failed, they decide to keep her in the cabin until she really has been cured of her addiction. Meanwhile, they find a secret cellar in the cabin and Eric (Lou Taylor Pucci) finds a book (the Necronomicon). Despite repeated warnings written within its pages, he recites the words and thus releases evil spirits. If you have seen either any of the previous movies, you know where this leads to. As Evil Dead fashion, everything starts to go downhill. Demons start possessing our heroes and one-by-one are dispatched in the most gruesome way possible!

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Rather than being a straight remake of The Evil Dead, it is both a reboot and a loose continuation of the series (as fans may notice ‘The Classic’, Sam Raimi’s trademark car). This is mainly to appeal new fans of the series but also bring back fans of the original films. This is an extremely difficult task to succeed, as you have the risk on alienating your new fans but also fail to deliver with the fans. Director Fede Alvarez (this being his feature debut) understood what made the original movie great but decided to bring something different so there wasn’t a case of deja-vu. The film genuinely felt the filmmakers were achieving on bringing something fresh but also delivering what we love about the series. Though the film plays it straight and thus some may find it not as enjoyable to watch such as Evil Dead II (which me and many others consider it to be the best of the series). The film’s tag-line may bring too much hype and can be misleading. The film is really more to shock than to scare and does feature a few jump scares that is often common for filmmakers to think it’ll scare audiences when it is lazy horror filmmaking.

 

The characters in this film are from decent to being completely unmemorable. Though it is a bit of a sigh of relief that they didn’t rely on having stock characters that horror films nowadays seem to feel obligated to include into the movie (i.e. the slut, the jock, the nerd etc.) Jane Levy as Mia really handles herself well, being able to deliver a sense of dread and fear as to what is about to come (especially what she is going through). Shiloh as David is decent but feels pretty bland as a protagonist and slowly becomes less interesting as the movie progresses. The rest of the cast are just characters waiting to be possessed and then get cut up into the meat grinder (they honestly don’t make much of an impact to the story). Though the series was never known to have such developed characters or having an in-depth story.

 

The film, however, will get much attention from the use of practical blood and gore effects and it really is a HUGE relief as horror films tend to rely too much on CGI. This movie spills blood by the gallons, limbs are cut off as if it would be preparing a cannibalistic feast! The camera does not shy away from the details, as you really feel the pain that is inflicted upon each character and will use anything they can use such as shards of glass, a box cutter, electric knife and of course, the movie’s trademark, a chainsaw. Though one particular infamous scene from The Evil Dead makes its appearance in the film, but it isn’t prolonged as it was in the original (a scene where Sam Raimi has said that he went a bit too far). This movie is really not for the squeamish or faint of heart, it is primarily for fans of the series and to gore hounds alike. I won’t argue that audiences may find this film too grotesque and can be viewed as being part of the torture porn that movies like Saw and Hostel made such a huge trend.

 

Overall: This is a worthy addition to a much beloved cult classic series, which is saying something as most horror films and horror remakes fail to deliver its promises. Some may have to be warned of the movie’s graphic violence, and deciding to have the movie playing it serious rather than having a sense of fun may be its downside. It is definitely not up there with The Evil Dead or Evil Dead II but it really does hold on its own and that is something worth giving praise to.

 

3 out of 5

Best & Worst Films of 2012

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It seems 2012 has come and gone! We have gone through the best and worst of Hollywood and I am here to bring you my personal favourites and least favourites of the year that was apparently and supposedly to doom us all! I should note that I have not yet seen some movies that may (or may not) have ended up on this list, such as Beasts of the Southern Wild and Battleship for examples.

(Note: In alphabetical order)

– BEST –

1) Argo: Ben Affleck has not only grown to be a very sophisticated actor but also an exceptional filmmaker. It’s a movie that is so bizarre that it could only work as a true story. The cast nothing short but fantastic, Alan Arkin and John Goodman bring great performances and the tension is absolutely thrilling. A great authentic thriller that feels like it belongs to the great thrillers of the 70s like All the Presidents Men.

 

2) Amour: Making a film about love is quite hard to pull off, without having the emotions feeling forced or contrived. Michael Haneke delivers one of the most heart-breaking but inspiring pieces of work he has made to date! Emmanuelle Riva’s performance is astounding, really capturing the effects of old age and truly pulled my heart strings. The film may leave audiences cold but it has that brutal honesty about the themes of age, time and (inevitable) death. It certainly left me touched on a personal level (which is a rarity in this day of age).

 

3) Skyfall: Bond certainly came back with a bang! Sam Mendes promised to deliver a respectful tribute to this 50th anniversary of the film franchise. Not only was it one of my favourite Bond films but it was my favourite blockbuster of the year (yes, even found it better than The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises and The Amazing Spider-Man). Javier Bardem makes one of the most memorable Bond villains in a long time and it is quite refreshing the film overall is having fun rather than being grim (i.e. Quantum of Solace). The cinematography by Roger Deakins is beautiful as ever and Thomas Newman’s score all sounds very modern but also rings back to the classic Bond we know and love. I am certainly looking forward to Bond’s return.

 

4) Zero Dark Thirty: Quickly making a film about the manhunt of Osama bin Laden was going to be a hard task. Though with director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal (the same team behind the Oscar winning The Hurt Locker), all made sense that they were suitable with this material. Jessica Chastain delivers a strong and memorable performance that actually comes across as a character that has a lot of depth and subtlety. The fact that Bigelow knows how everything is going to end but still makes it one of the most exciting sequences on film. The huge plus about the film is it doesn’t glorify their success, they show you how it was done and you decide how you feel about it.

 

Honourable mentions; The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, Django Unchained, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Looper and The Master.

 

– WORST –

1) The Amazing Spider-Man: I really wanted to like this film, I really did but it was even worse than Spider-Man 3. Andrew Garfield is a really good actor (see The Social Network for proof) and the idea of casting him as Peter Parker/Spider-Man did actually sound really good. Although the material he’s been given is awful, and it doesn’t help he’s going against one of the most one-dimensional villains I’ve seen. The visual effects looks terrible, as if they came out of a PS2 cut-scene and it also features one of the most cheesiest scene since Spider-Man. The only decent part of the film is Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy was a smart and self-dependent character rather being the damsel-in-distress.

 

2) The Expendables 2: This macho rubbish has gone on a bit too long, even whilst I was watching the first film. The Expendables are once again on a mission to fight one man and his army, and that bad guy is played by Jean-Claude Van Damme as Vilain (no, really! That’s his name). We still know nothing about the characters, the most we get is a running gag that Gunnar has an advance degree of chemical engineering (when in real life, Lundgren has a master’s degree in chemical engineering). This isn’t a case of ‘it’s so bad, it’s good’, it’s just a bad action movie that doesn’t separate itself from the next. This really wants to be a nostalgic trip of the action movies of the 80s and 90s, when all it makes me want to do is watch the movies that made them famous!

 

3) Taken 2: I was never a fan of Taken to begin with. It’s a mediocre action film that’s taking the story from Commando but is treated like an episode of 24. Liam Neeson looks incredibly bored and seems to being doing this sequel waiting for a cheque. The villains this time round are a lot dumber and don’t even make sure he has any chance of escaping. The worst part is there’s somehow going to be a third one in the works!

 

4) This Means War: For someone like McG that is still making movies to this day still shocks me! After the dreadful Charlie’s Angels movies and the incredibly underwhelming Terminator Salvation, he really brings his career to a whole new low! You have three talented actors from Chris Pine, Tom Hardy and Reese Witherspoon in this unfunny, misogynistic and boring action/rom/com. The fact we’re supposed to be rooting one or the other when they’re clearly a bunch of juvenile agents who wasting the agencies time and effort to impress a woman is something I find really cringe worthy.

 

Dishonourable mentions: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Dark Shadows, Lockout and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2

 

– SURPRISE MOVIE OF THE YEAR –

Dredd: I was not expecting anything from this film but hearing the (somewhat) positive buzz, my curiosity grew and decided to give it a go! To my much surprise, it was really entertaining and very well done. The film is grim and violent but what did you expect from a Judge Dredd movie? Karl Urban makes the character worth rooting for and at least brings some charisma (despite going all Dirty Harry on his perps). The interactions between Dredd and Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) is the most interesting part of the film, showing the different perspectives of the law. It is a shame it wasn’t a box-office success but I believe it’ll have a cult-following in the near future.

 

– DISAPPOINTING MOVIE OF THE YEAR –

Prometheus: Now I’m not saying the film is bad (though depends how you look at this film), the production design, costumes and visual effects are top notch. The idea about faith and creation are all interesting but if only it had nothing to do with the Alien franchise. The mysterious derelict ship from Alien has lost its intrigue and the result is a bit puzzling. Not to mention the characters aren’t as memorable as Dallas and his crew in Alien (or even James Cameron’s Aliens). The reason I didn’t really put this on the worst list is because it did have some positives to the film (i.e. Michael Fassbender’s David was the most interesting character in the entire film).

 

– MOST ANTICIPATED FILM OF 2013 –

Man of Steel: 2013 is going to have another hefty year of comic book films, with Marvel initiating phase two to lead up The Avengers 2 with Thor: The Dark World and Iron Man 3 (Captain America: Winter Soldier will be released in 2014). Though my interest is the upcoming Superman reboot, why you ask? Well it has been seven years since Superman Returns (remember that movie?) and it’ll be the first time that is not part of Richard Donner’s Superman. Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer, the team behind The Dark Knight Trilogy, has created a story that feels relevant and interesting for a Superman movie. Zack Snyder is sitting on the directors chair and British actor Henry Cavill will be donning the suit (first time for a non-American actor to play Superman). What interests me is how this film will be received? It was just as intriguing back in 2004 that a Batman reboot was going to be made, and expectations were a bit low since the last Batman film at that time was Batman & Robin (remember THAT movie?). I’m very excited to see this version of Superman and I really do hope he soars this time round.

Skyfall {Film Review}

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*WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!*

 

After the underwhelming reaction to Quantum of Solace in 2008, critics and audiences were worried for the James Bond series. It left us feeling cold and empty, much like the character of James Bond that was portrayed on-screen. So there was a lot of work needed to bring the franchise back on its own feet and convince audiences there’s enough room for Bond to keep going! With Sam Mendes hired as the director of the 23rd Bond film, people started raising their eyebrows and their curiosity peaked as more talent were hired to the project.

Now celebrating 50 years of Bond (longest running movie series in history), the main questions on our minds were; does this Bond film deliver a respectful tribute to the series (more so than Die Another Day celebrating 40th anniversary in 2002) and do the filmmakers make up for their mistakes from Quantum and bring back the Bond we’ve been waiting for? The answer to both of those questions is a solid YES! Bond IS back!

The film ignores the events that have happened in the previous two films and goes straight to a different film altogether. The story starts with Bond (Daniel Craig) in Istanbul on the hunt for a missing hard-drive that contains names of every agent in terrorist organisations around the world and is accompanied by Eve (Naomie Harris). Meanwhile, M (Judi Dench) overhears their progress but the mission goes horribly wrong as Eve accidentally shoots Bond as ordered by M and the assassin escapes with the hard-drive. Months later, M and MI6 get attacked from a mysterious terrorist that seems to have a grudge against her. Bond eventually returns to England and is recruited back on the field. He then follows a trail that leads him to Shanghai and to an anonymous island where he meets Silva (Javier Bardem).

The film has all the trademarks of what you expect from a James Bond film; the one liners, the beautiful Bond girls, the stunning locations and the egomaniac villain. Unlike the typical plot where the villain holds the world to ransom or plans to start a World War; Silva has a personal vendetta up his sleeve and makes his character more threatening (even his presence is felt before he shows up). Through-out the film, Bond is treated like an old relic in a 21st Century world. It’s a daring but interesting question Sam Mendes not just puts to the character of Bond but even asks the question as mentioned earlier; is Bond still relevant in today’s generation? To which M delivers a speech in a meeting that time is inevitable but the soul still goes strong. Basically referring to the franchise and something I admire that a blockbuster even asks that question.

Daniel Craig excels as Bond, delivering the witty wisecracks like he’s able to do it blindfolded. He has definitely moved on from being cold and calculative to a Bond that is likeable but still retaining the efficiency as a double-0 agent. Judi Dench really delivers a great performance as M, even bringing more meat to the character than she ever has been since her debut in GoldenEye. She feels the weight as her time is nearly up but also feeling responsible for her recent actions. Her scenes with Daniel Craig are one of the highlights, as they interact with each other as they’re mother and son they both never had. Both Naomie Harris and Bérénice Marlohe really do check the list on being a Bond girl; they are both absolutely stunning! Harris makes Eve a convincing character, showing being a field agent isn’t all that glamourised and there are consequences to her actions. Though the weakest part of the film are the Bond girls, they don’t have enough screen-time to feel beneficial or make an impact to the story (especially with Marlohe’s Sévérine). Ben Whishaw as ‘Q’ made an impressive performance, making his take on the character his own but still retaining what we love about ‘Q’ (requesting Bond return a gadget in pristine order). His first scene with Bond establishes the type of relationship they will have; a banter between the old and the new but no matter on their differences, they still go hand-in-hand. Though Javier Bardem as Silva steals the spot-light and delivers one of the most memorable Bond villains in the series’ history. He brings the same intensity as he performed the character of Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men but also making Silva very flamboyant which makes it very fun to watch and can tell Bardem is having a blast playing the role.

The film looks absolutely breathtaking and no surprise it is shot by Roger Deakins (previous credits include True Grit (2010), The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and The Shawshank Redemption). One of the many things that have been improved from Quantum is; the action sequences are wide and stationary so we can tell what is going on (further proving that you don’t need to make it hand-held and have kinetic editing to make your action scenes to be intense). One particular scene that made my mouth drop was when Bond follows the assassin he encountered earlier in Shanghai, leads up to a skyscraper and the entire floor is only lit from neon lights from opposite buildings. It really shows Deakins’ talent and I applaud Mendes on applying this amount of artistic license in a Bond film (and has my vote for Best Cinematography during the awards season). Thomas Newman replaces regular Bond composer David Arnold and delivers a classic Bond score but also feels very modern (using synthesizers when Bond arrives in Shanghai).

Overall; Sam Mendes delivers a Bond film we’ve been waiting for and actually feels like what a Bond film should! The entire cast and crew should be applauded to their work, bringing the top of their game and truly showing respect to the series. My personal favourite blockbuster of 2012 and one of the best Bond films ever made. Highly Recommended!

5 out of 5

Looper {Film Review}

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*WARNING! MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS!*

 

Every year, we are always gifted to a little sci-fi gem that knocks every other sci-fi flick that year. 2009 had two with Moon and District 9. Although 2010 had the fortune of Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi mind-bender, Inception and turned out to be 4th highest-grossing film of that year. Every science fiction film tackles on an idea or theme or concept (District 9 on xenophobia, Inception with dreams). This year, we have Rian Johnson’s Looper and it tackles on probably the most used concept; time travel.

The year is 2044; a huge economic collapse occurred and social decay and organised crime has grown since. Thirty years into the future, time travel is invented but it is also outlawed. Crime bosses find it difficult to dispose their targets, so they send them in time machines to the past. Our protagonist amongst this dystopian future is Joseph “Joe” Simmons (Gordon-Levitt), who works as a looper. A looper are basically hired guns that kill those targets that are sent from the future. Life seems fairly routine for Joe, he goes to nightclubs with his fellow loopers and spends time with showgirl, Suzie (Piper Perabo). Until one day, he gets sent a target and is revealed to be his future self (Bruce Willis). Older Joe manages to escape, younger Joe is then tasked to find his older self but keeping low from “Gat Men”, led by Kid Blue (Noah Segan).

Rian Johnson has really gone all out to make us invested in his vision of 2044, it is something we have seen before (dystopian setting and different social class similar to Children of Men) but Johnson has managed to make this all seem fresh. The use of time travel is very cleverly conveyed on-screen, such as the butterfly effect with a horrific scene where a future looper is escaping but is suddenly receiving scars and losing limbs due to his younger self being tortured and mutilated off-screen. Also scenes where Joe meets Sara (Emily Blunt) for the first time and older Joe suddenly sees visions of what his younger self is seeing. The fact Johnson was able to make us delve into his future setting without much exposition is quite a remarkable feat and making us just go along with the ride!

Joseph Gordon-Levitt makes a wonderful performance, he gets the essence and mannerisms of Bruce Willis rather than impersonates him (such as the smirk and raised eye-brow when he’s being complimented from someone). As the make-up does make him rather unrecognisable, there’s still a sense of uncanny valley with it all. Bruce Willis delivers a subtle and emotional performance, showing the amount of regret but also pain from the things he’s lost and trying to fix all that. The scene in the diner with both Gordon-Levitt and Willis is the highlight of the film, as the older Joe is telling young Joe that he’s a junkie and really needs to be fixed. Whilst the younger Joe is young and naive, pointing out that he can still make his own decisions no matter what has happened with older Joe. It is all very engaging and very amusing to watch as they’re basically trying to top each other. Emily Blunt makes a great performance as Sara, whose a farm girl living outside from the major cities and also tasked on looking after her son, Cid (Pierce Gagnon). She’s a tough character, but also carries emotional weight that makes her a strong character overall. It is also refreshing that Blunt actually delivers a convincing American accent, as most of her roles in her previous work just have her speak in her British accent. Jeff Daniels is one of the great supporting casts playing as Abe, who is from the future to manage the loopers but also run a nightclub Joe frequently goes to. The scenes where he tells young Joe to instead of copying something from the past and make something on your own. Even a funny line where he tells Joes to go to Shanghai, when Joe wants to go to France but Abe then says “I’m from the future, go to Shanghai!”

The pacing, editing, production design, visual effects are very well executed and very well done. The first act is slow, letting you delve into the future and the narration helps you get an idea the tone the film will go. Another scene I really admired was the montage of young Joe growing to the older Joe, it could’ve gone to the conventional route on having a voice-over explaining to us about his choices after his looper contract had ended but it doesn’t and it works beautifully. The technology within the world all felt very plausible, as it was only thirty years into the future that you can imagine cars having one or two additional features. The director wasn’t interested on focusing on the technology or using it as a spectacle, we are aware it is there and will only be used when it is required to (not having to rely on a chase sequence here and there to grab audience’s attention).

Overall; this is a great sci-fi film. The script is very smart and competently written. It is refreshing to watch after the blockbuster season has finished. Gordon-Levitt, Willis and Blunt all make great performances and is certainly one of my favourite films of this year. Highly Recommended!

5 out of 5