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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.

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.

Playing it Cool Trailer Starring Chris Evans, Michelle Monaghan & Aubrey Plaza

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Playing it Cool film trailer

We are huge fans of Chris Evans, Michelle Monaghan & Aubrey Plaza at Frost, so you can imagine our excitement for new offbeat romantic comedy Playing it Cool.

Playing it Cool is this generation’s ‘Swingers’ meets ‘500 Days of Summer’, a fresh and quirky story of a slight pretentious man, our ‘narrator’ (Evans), who falls for an unlikely girl, ‘her’ (Monaghan), and will stop at nothing to get her even after realizing she is already in a relationship. Like a young ‘Walter Mitty’, it tells the story of a quarter-life crisis amidst figuring out who you are and what your destiny holds.

In Playing it Cool unrequited love motivates a guy to write about his experiences…

Directed by Justin Reardon, Playing it Cool is from a screenplay by Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair, from Wonderland Sound & Vision and Voltage Films.

Playing it Cool will be available on VOD from March 2nd 2015.

 

 

Female Superheroes… Why has Hollywood gotten it wrong??

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The geek in me wants to write 100,000 and the human in me is not going to allow it… well, we’ll see!

OK, what am I talking about and where is the evidence? Sometimes the lack of evidence IS the evidence! For instance, how many superheroes can you name and how many of those are female? If you know a few… how many of those have had a film role? Now share you list with someone other than your best friend and social circle and see if they have heard of any of the people you’re talking about and if they have seen those films!

Let’s see…  we have Red Sonja… Yes, she is a female comic character, so all those from the 80’s, you can dust of your VHS and claim that one for the ladies! You can have Wonder Woman too… although the film was only a TV film, which sort of counts… Supergirl, although, it is sometimes painful to recollect that movie. Batgirl… short lived, as it was and bad as a franchise, let alone a film. Invisible Woman… yes, forgetting that movie too. And of late, we have Black Widow! Now, there are few I have left out because I would need most of the article to explain the what’s and where and trust me, we have a lot to discuss! OK then… just a quick overlay.

Brigitte Nielsen

Brigitte Nielsen

Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstone

Helen Slater

Helen Slater

X-men has so many swap overs that you have to know your characters to know if they are good, or bad. Storm was a thief, a princess, leader of an underground mutant outcasts and if I brought you up-to-date, there would be a geek uberfest in whether she is good, bad, or just a fence sitter, so just on that character alone, you can imagine if I began to discuss the others that would be where I lose those who actually wanted to know why I am pointing a finger.

So, how did we get to finally have the point where Marvel and DC have a major hold in Hollywood productions and kids actually know what they are all talking about when you mention current super heroes and the many characters that have been around as early as the 1940’s, so it is not a modern thing, by any means.

I think the best way to describe it is that the characters have been diluted! Many nuances, flaws, personalities are there for what Hollywood thinks we want, rather than going with a tried and tested version. It’s like they could not even be bothered to do the homework and make the character an actual iconic figure, except we get one that has been… well, watered down!

So let’s take an example… Gal Gadot is due to play Wonder Woman (which has seemingly been moved to 2016) and the amount of brouhaha that her appointment to the role brought! Believe it, or not, the whole thing was misinterpreted from comic to actress and from the fans. The character is an Amazonian from Themyscira and she is a warrior that is far more advanced than their island suggests. Her persona is dour, yet adaptive to many situation and has never seen a man before their intrusion and always taught never to trust them, so she is naturally brash! Her body type is well toned and a well honed fighter in weapons, hand-to-hand combat and battlefield strategy. Her presence is imposing and can move a room to silence without saying a word. Amazing acrobatic skills, horse riding, aircraft flying and adaptive to ones she has never flown before.

Wonder Woman/Gal Gadot

Wonder Woman/Gal Gadot

Now whilst Hollywood can do most things to make her character stand out and be nearly all the thing on paper… The fans knew that the moment they chose someone of Gadot’s stature, Hollywood will definitely, almost certainly and royally mess it up! The stats are wrong for the body type in height and stature, but given the time now added onto the movie it will be good enough for the build and maybe the other actors will be short enough to give the illusion of her height.

Also the uproar from the fans made Gadot retort and now there is already friction between the die hards and the actress. Granted, she is expected to stand her ground, but the problem is that her speech is not to those for whom decades of collecting and admiring Wonder Woman is their life and passion, but for those that don’t exist! By that I mean that the fans have more knowledge on Wonder Woman than Gadot had given them credit and so it was badly received and likely to have an impact on those that may gone to see it, but will dig their heels and not even entertain it. Trust me; I had a discussion lasting all day on this very subject when it broke!

It doesn’t look good, already we have the future foreboding… how about a present one? Black Widow! Many fans were so excited, that I cannot put into “Safe For Work” terms how much so. However, whilst Scarlett Johansson did the best with what they gave her, she had to up it for Avengers, as they took note of a huge backlash at tepid version on Ironman 2 and made her more character savvy. All they have to do now is give her the right weapons and it will be a complete character. Black Widow is now a character accepted by the masses and her memorabilia is flying off the shelves, which make money for the studios (Hence why they were snapped up by Disney) and more pot to play with for the next film.

Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson

Now one from the past, but we don’t need to look too far back… Invisible Woman should be as far as we need travel. Jessica Alba was not the obvious choice, but a name all men and women would want to see! When the Fantastic Four finally made it on to our screens it was very lukewarm… and that is no pun intended. As aggressive as Sue Storm (Invisible Woman’s name) is, she loves and adores Reed (her husband-to-be) and so their relationship is not really all that believable. In actuality, her hidden frustrations were not what should activate the power, but give her more believable control over it! Truth is, is that when her raw power is compared to the others, she is the strongest! Even before she learned what to do. Her character was very uneven and bring her into the Hollywood limelight was probably more frightening than the character portrayed in the film! So, when the sequel came out many had hoped for a better Woman, but it was as though they thought people would be duped twice and when people found out, they just didn’t go to see it, or pay for the DVD! Not Jessica’s fault, as the whole film was bad and Chris Evans went on to be Captain America without even as much as a blemish from his previous role.

Jessica Alba

Jessica Alba

We get to the part where I ask, “Why have we got so little in the way of female superheroes”? If you knew how many powerful and amazing characters they have to choose from, it would be an argument to say they are spoilt for choice! I personally think that considering the male dominance, they truly lack the testes to get a movie out there! It is not hard, sorry about that, but it for some reason we are still driven by egocentric rich alphas that have no clue what really goes on outside their little bubble. A wealth of life and diversity has more than enough room for a female superhero role model.

By Miku Nyan aka Protokitty

By Miku Nyan aka Protokitty

However, they made 3 different versions of Hulk to get to the current one… but how many people know the Hulk has a cousin that is also infected with his blood, but is far sassier and more of a character than her screaming & destructive elder cousin? Jennifer Walters and she is an attorney with a diminutive stature (in human form) and would easily be considered the girl next door! She stays smart and is far more outgoing in her Hulk form, but doesn’t shy away from a fight. She is far more interesting as a character then Bruce Banner, but she has never even made it to be a consideration of female superheroes. I digress, there are female superheroes that are not just a distaff and are more than Hollywood has even bothered to entertain.

I could go on and on with example after example and all are heroes and all are worth their merit, but it seems Black Widow would be flying the flag for 21st century female superheroes and you will have to wait a couple more years for Wonder Woman.

The Avengers Assemble – Movie Review

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It’s become almost traditional, if not formulaic, to kick off each summer blockbuster season with a superhero movie.

Over the years we have seen Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and even the Hulk take centre stage in their own films, so on paper at least, the coming together of these iconic super hero superstars in Avengers Assemble sounds like every comic book fanboy’s wet dream.

But does more necessarily mean more? Or have Marvel – who admittedly have done a terrific job so far in bringing their comic book pages to life – bitten off more than they can chew?

Well in one word, the answer is no. Like the childhood Christmas present that gets played with lovingly to near destruction once your get your eager hands on it, to see Marvel’s movie at long last is incredible, but at the same time is both brilliant in its script and in its execution. As such, just like that Christmas present, it keeps on giving and in the process provides ample reasons for fans of the comic books and films to rejoice.

A film nearly seven years in the making, fans have slowly, patiently, seen the formation of this film through the little clips that occurred at the end of the credits of each previous movie.

First you had Iron Man (played by Robert Downey Jnr) being approached by Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson), then the story of Captain America (Chris Evans) and how he ends up taken in by SHIELD. There’s even Thor’s film, (the main role played by Chris Hemsworth) which in many ways sets up the plot for this movie and even clever references made in the last Hulk film. Each provided subtle clues towards where the plot arcs were going to lead.

After such a wait, no way was Marvel and director Joss Whedon going to disappoint fans. A superb opening set-piece puts the storyline and reasons for these characters coming together firmly in place. ‘The Tesseract’ (last seen in Thor and Captain America) is a cube of immense power that both sides are trying to unlock. However, it has opened a door to another world, which Loki (played truly impressively by Tom Hiddleston) comes through with his original intention of ‘ruling us all’. But worse than that, he’s brought a whole bunch of bad boys with him. Who else are going to put a stop to his plan other than the Avengers?

Indeed, as each of these superheroes could take on enemies of immense power, it has to be a near-on war to cause them to come together and Mr Whedon has no intention of holding back his vision of what a superhero movie should consist of.

Thankfully, Marvel did not go about this movie without getting the right funding in place, so nothing is watered down and all of the super powers, transformations and adversaries (of which there are hundreds) are embellished with as much attention to detail as if they were in their own movie. The end result is pretty much what you would expect from the comic book on screen and it has to be said some scenes are jaw-dropping. Avengers will probably set the standard for future superhero movies to come.

None of the special effects would work in isolation unless there were proper characterisations. Joss Whedon and the screen writers should be applauded for continuing to build upon each individual’s complexities; Tony Stark is still as brash and arrogant as he has ever been, Captain America still has the heart of someone who would sacrifice himself for others, but just follows orders. Only Mark Ruffalo’s interpretation of the David Banner / Hulk is different to his predecessors in that he is more edgy and unpredictable. I do have to say I preferred Ed Norton’s version, however Ruffalo does an excellent job nonetheless. New characters that open up in this movie are Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) which are both portrayed as brooding counterparts which hopefully further movies might build upon.

3D or 2D?

Watching this film in 3D provides just an average experience, which is a shame as they could really have done more to open up the experience and give it that extra wow factor. As it is, besides a few set pieces, I found it made little difference. 3D is a medium I feel should be pushed more, especially when it can really create some stand out moments for the audience when utilised well.

My Verdict

A great kick start to the summer blockbuster season and a fantastic movie in its own right. Cant wait to see what next is in store. Oh yes, that will be Spider-Man less than 8 weeks away. Don’t you just love summer?

9/10

 

The Avengers (2012) trailer

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There hasn’t been a movie so massive in anticipation and scale since The Dark Knight back in 2008. Now Marvel has completed on introducing our main characters; Captain America, Iron Man and Thor, it’s time for the inevitable team-up that has been teasing us with each end-credits scene. On October 11th, we finally get an official teaser trailer of The Avengers.

The trailer shows us that Tom Hiddleston’s Loki will be the film’s main antagonist, but his motives are unclear (world domination or simply causing chaos?). We also get a glimpse of Captain America’s and Thor’s new costume change (not to mention Thor’s hair extension). Each giving witty comebacks, such as Steve Rogers saying;

Steve Rogers: Big man in a suit of armour. Take that away, what are you?
Tony Stark: Er a genius, billionaire playboy and philanthropist.

This is all to be expected from writer/director Joss Whedon, whose previous works are Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly (we’ll just ignore he wrote Alien Resurrection).

From the look of this teaser, it really does show Loki to be more an intimidating villain than he was in Thor. Then we also get to see Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye in action and can’t not have shots of Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow doing what she knows best. Although we see both Captain America and Thor battling it out in a forest?

It gives a sigh of relief that Joss Whedon does know what he’s doing and does seem to deliver the spectacle but also great characterisation. Though he’s got some strong competition against Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros./DC Comics with The Dark Knight Rises. All will be revealed when the film is released on 4th May, 2012.

Official website; http://marvel.com/movies/movie/152/marvels_the_avengers?fullscreen=1

The Avengers teaser trailer on Apple iTunes; http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/marvel/avengers/

The Stig, a Black Cab…and Chris Evans

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The Stig, a Black Cab…and Chris Evans

• Top Gear Live’s tame racing driver in 400bhp London ExCeL blat

The Stig gave television and radio presenter, Chris Evans, a truly memorable ride yesterday morning when he took to the wheel of a Black Cab for a quick tour of ExCeL London, the capital’s venue for the all-new Top Gear Live 2011 (November 24-27th). The show also visits the NEC in Birmingham between 11 – 13 November.

Petrolhead, Evans, jumped in the back of a rather unique 400bhp version of the iconic London taxi to announce his appearance at this year’s show where he will take part in a special live rendition of Star in a Reasonably Priced Car.

Negotiating service ramps, the underground car park, power-sliding through the show halls and across the central boulevard, The Stig gave his passenger a whirlwind tour of the 100,000 square metre venue.

Billed as ‘The Ultimate Top Gear Experience’, visitors can expect all the on-screen, supercharged excitement of the TV show rolled into one event, with the famous presenting trio of Clarkson, Hammond and May previously seen in the TopGearLive action arena now spilling out into the rest of the event.

At the centre of the new format is the new Top Gear indoor track featuring highlights from the TV show including Stig Power Laps and ‘Star in a Reasonably-Priced Car’ as well as the Top Gear Stunt Team, mouth-watering head-to-heads and supercar parades.

BBC Radio 2 breakfast DJ and One Show presenter, Chris Evans will appear on 24th November at London ExCel. Further celebrity names will be announced in the coming weeks.

Visit www.topgearlive.co.uk or facebook.com/topgearliveuk to see how Chris and The Stig got on.

Tickets start at just £49. For more information about the show or to book tickets visit www.topgearlive.co.uk or call 0871 230 5588.

What Do Women Want? The Ideal Man Revealed.

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Forget Tom Jones, meet – the latest over-40s pin-up.Hugeremy Claurie

The 6ft 3in bearded ‘hunk’ has been voted the ideal man in a survey of middle-aged women.

He is said to possess the most attractive features of all male celebrities including “piercing” blue eyes, “kissable” thin lips and “sexy stubble”.

But on closer inspection, the greying 51-year-old may appear rather familiar…

In fact, Hugeremy isn’t even a real man – he’s a digital mix of actor and comedian Hugh Laurie, 52, and Top Gear frontman Jeremy Clarkson, 51.

Experts combined the blue eyes, forehead, mouth and trademark designer stubble of Laurie, with the ears, nose, bushy eyebrows and greying hair of Clarkson.

The result is the ultimate virtual heartthrob, according to a poll of 1,000 single women by mature dating site www.footloosedating.co.uk.

Its members said Hugeremy would be a “dream date with good looks, a big personality – and plenty of cash under the bed”.

Site co-founder Eleanor Selley said: “Hugeremy has all the characteristics of the ideal man. He’s tall, handsome and clever, and has bags of sex appeal to boot.

“Both men are attractive in their own right, but the idea of rolling the two of them into one sexy package is more than enough to raise a pulse.”

Site members aged between 40 and 65 were given a list of 10 “charming but not necessarily beautiful” middle-aged male celebrities and asked to pick the two celebrities they would most like to date.

The list included BBC news anchor Huw Edwards, broadcasters Phillip Schofield and Chris Evans, racing pundit John McCririck, chef Antony Worrall Thompson, comedian Hugh Laurie, journalist Ian Hislop, Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson, singer Mick Hucknall, and Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis.

Edwards and Schofield picked up six and seven per cent of the vote respectively, primarily for their “lovely personalities”. Radio 2 DJ Evans, and entrepreneur Paphitis, took nine and 10 per cent of the vote – primarily because of their “millions”.

Only four per cent picked Worrall Thompson for his skills in the kitchen.

Unsurprisingly, McCririck’s trademark side-burns put off virtually all members. Only two per cent picked him as their ideal man.

Simply Red frontman Hucknall fared little better. He was chosen by just eight per cent because of his “silly” red locks and diamond-encrusted front tooth.

Meanwhile, some five per cent were attracted to Hislop’s “cheeky smile” and “quick wit”.

But both Clarkson and Laurie were clear favourites, scooping 24 and 25 per cent of the votes respectively.

Respondents listed Clarkson’s height – he is 6ft 5ins – and Laurie’s “chiselled chin” among their best attributes.

Eleanor Selley, of FootlooseDating, said: “Hugeremy Claurie is the combination of these two men. To put it simply, men will want to be him, and women want to be with him.”