Friday, 30 December 2011 In Time (Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy) Posted by joeldfisher at 10:37

A stitch in time saves nine. Time waits for no man. Time after time. As time goes by. No time like the present. I don't have the time. Just some of the references to time in In Time (I may have made some of them up).

In a not too distant future, or maybe an alternative reality everybody is born with a clock. Once they biologically reach the age of 25 their clock starts ticking, they can earn time, buy time, spend time or even in some cases, waste time. Will Salas (Justin Timberlake; Friends With Benefits, The Social Network) is a working class boy, struggling to make ends meet and provide for him and his mother (Olivia Wilde; Cowboys and Aliens, Tron: Legacy). In an act or heroism he meets a rich man with all the time he wants, and he wants none of it. So after a quick transfer to Salas, he finds himself with more time on his hands (or on his arm I should say) than he could ever have imagined. After a heartbreaking meeting with his mother, (where she literally runs out of time) Salas realises that the system is wrong and that he must do something about it.

After going into the rich side of town (spending a lot of time doing it too) he meets a beautiful heiress by the name of Sylvia Weis (Amanda Seyfreid; Red Riding Hood, Letters To Juliet) and together they go on the run in hopes of changing society forever.

Judging by the trailer, In Time looked to be an alternative spin on Logan's Run and the adventure it promised looked intriguing. Despite it being an obvious rip-off of aforementioned movie, In Time looked good, after all mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery. However after watching In Time, the trailer is somewhat misleading, but in a good way because you don't just get a sci-fi rehash of Logan's Run but a timely (no pun intended) and apt social comment on today's society which includes the evils of greed and capitalism. What starts out as Logan's Run soon becomes Bonnie And Clyde but with a futuristic spin.

After hearing of Salas' felonies, a Timekeeper (yes the puns just keep on coming) called Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy; Inception, Perrier's Bounty) vows to hunt down Salas and his 'hostage' and bring him to justice, alive or dead.

At one point it is commented that Salas looked like a poor person because he runs everywhere and that's what gives him away. However being poor must mean that you're an expert in hand-to-hand combat, driving skills and marksmanship because just as the action kicks off, Salas turns into a Jason Bourne-like professional, capable of quickly assessing a situation and getting out of it just as fast. This is a minor quibble for the movie but it does give it a certain level of unbelievability as the audience's suspense in whether the main characters will survive or not. Given his training, Salas must have been in a situation like this before.

A mention should go to Alex Pettyfer, who plays small time crook and hustler Fortis. Being the youngest of the cast at a mere 21, he plays the role menacingly and really controls the scenes he's in and is fun to watch.

In recent times, there has been a leaning towards more intelligent science fiction, such as Inception, The Adjustment Bureau and Source Code and I for one welcome it with open arms. A good story, well acted and with a decent concept is better than any special effects driven, highly sexed gore fest. Although not up there with the likes of Inception and Source Code, In Time will keep on ticking.

Contagion (Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet) Posted by joeldfisher at 09:31

Coughs and sneezes spread diseases, catch them in your handkerchief. An old and trusted public service announcement that has probably helped a lot of snotty little boys and girls for years. These days, however, it's much more than just putting your hand over your mouth or nose to stop the spread of disease and I can't remember the last time I saw anybody under 50 with a handkerchief and even then it's a rarity. In 2005 bird flu swept throughout the world and a media panic caused all kinds of people to think that all flying creatures would spread a disease that would cause them to die. There were a few cases of this but nothing as widespread as was expected. In 2009 another virus spread across the globe, this time on a much larger scale, people did die and it almost got to the point where you didn't know someone who knew someone who had it.

Contagion is a new kind of disaster movie. Whereas before we've had alien invasions, natural disasters and Mayan predictions of doomsday for planet Earth, now with Contagion we have a new threat that's much more close to home that can hit anyone, anytime, anywhere. In fact it could be happening right now.

Mitch Emoff (Matt Damon; The Adjustment Bureau, True Grit) greets his wife, Beth (Gwyneth Paltrow; (Country Strong, Iron Man 2) after her business trip to Hong Kong. She comes home with the sniffles and a few days later, she dies. Distraught at his wife's sudden death, Mitch and his daughter set off to find answers, or as the epidemic escalates, a way to survive. At the W.H.O. (World Health Organisation) Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne; Predators, Armoured) is confronted with the epidemic and the best way to handle it, both medically and politically so he send one of his newest recruits. Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet; Revolutionary Road, The Reader) to handle the investigation.

Meanwhile an anarchistic blogger called Alan Krumweide (Jude Law; Repo Men, Sherlock Holmes) is causing more and more widespread panic due to his misguided and often inflammatory reporting on the global epidemic. All the while, a cure is being developed, but how many will it be given to? And how soon?

Steven Soderbergh has had a wide-ranging career, from such blockbusters as Men In Black and Ocean's Eleven to more critically acclaimed fare such as Erin Brockovich and Traffic. So with a subject such as the one in Contagion and with the biggest all-star cast seen in a movie for a very long time then a blockbuster is certainly what springs to mind. However the tone of Contagion is somewhat different than expected. There is no heightened drama, there are no risk taking, heroic feats by the main cast and really there is no sense of underlying threat at all. The people who live are living, and the people who die, well they just die and are pretty much forgotten about for the rest of the movie. Life goes on.

Arguably it could be said that Soderbergh has gotten the tone all wrong and that the movie is filled with facts and figures and none of the drama and action that audiences come to expect. However, on the other hand it could be argued that Contagion's almost documentary-like approach to its subject matter makes the movie all that more scary. We've lived through things like this happening in recent years. The ones that have been affected have been either very ill for a short period of time and either got better or, sadly, died and the ones that weren't affected just lived their lives as nothing was going on in the world.

The movie does go in depth about the statistics and the realities (albeit somewhat heightened) of what happens during an epidemic. It could also be argued that the recent numbers calculated that the world's population reached 7 billion could have been reached by adding up the population numbers mentioned in the movie. However those who really look at it deeply could be very scared (I remember myself during the screening suppressing a sneeze like my life depended on it) and hypochondriacs should probably steer well clear of this movie but for those who like to see an account of how the world would, to an extent, realistically deal with such a situation (and see a lot of movie stars) then Contagion is not to be sneezed at.

Thursday, 22 December 2011 Immortals 3D (Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Freida Pinto) Posted by joeldfisher at 11:40

Greek mythology has inspired cinema for years. From the original Clash of The Titans, Jason and The Argonauts and more recently Troy, even Disney got involved telling the story of Hercules (albeit loosely). So after the recent success (not critically) of Clash of The Titans and 300 Hollywood realised there would be a way to combine the two via visionary director Tarsem Singh (The Fall, forthcoming Snow White epic Mirror Mirror) and so we get Immortals... in 3D.

Those familiar to The Clash of The Titans story will be familiar with the premise of Immortals even though it has been slightly altered. Theseus (Henry Cavill; TV's The Tudors, the forthcoming Superman movie as the man himself) is forced into a battle against the oppressive force of King Hyperion's (Mickey Rourke; Iron Man 2, The Expendables) rule. After his mother is killed by the king himself he is taken prisoner and forced to engage in an uprising and to get back the one weapon that could cause chaos amongst his people with the release of the titans.

Along the way Theseus meets Phaedra, (Freida Pinto; Rise of The Planet of The Apes, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger) a psychic who can see a rather confusing but victorious future for Theseus and enables him to escape captivity in order to help him achieve his destiny. So Theseus must raise an army from the ground upwards to overcome the evil king's rule.

As mentioned before there are a few differences to the Clash of The Titans storyline but the main elements are there, if anything it seems like a sequel with a very different cast and appealing to a very different audience. Theseus is of course related to the gods, being Zeus's (played on Earth by John Hurt, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Melancholia and in the heavens by Luke Evans; The Three Musketeers 3D, Tamara Drewe) son and living amongst mortals but he is unaware of his lineage so the surprise when the gods intervene (and they really do intervene) is still there.

Tarsem Singh, who has been credited as Tarsem or in this case Tarsem Singh Dhandwar is truly a visionary director. He is able to create vivid imagery which sticks in the mind for a long time, and usually with a very small budget. His previous work on The Fall won critical acclaim, with some suggesting a bit of digital trickery to which he has strongly denied. Also his directorial debut, The Cell, an exploration of the darkest side of the human psyche, has striking cinematic presence if the film itself may have fallen by the wayside as time has gone on. So this almost feels like an ambitious step out on his own for Tarsem and considering his next, perhaps more mainstream project, he may have a lot to prove.

Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of misdirection (no pun intended) here. Whilst telling the story of Theseus' struggle there is a lot of attention to the violence of the movie which makes the audience wonder who exactly it is aimed towards. At a UK 15 certificate a lot of the action seems to stop short of where it wants to go and so the older audience, looking for a bit of mind-numbing violence may be left feeling a bit short changed. As with 300 that had the same certification, there is also a lot of style over substance so those looking for an interesting and engaging historical action movie may be left a bit short too.

Also the casting is a little peculiar considering one of the world's greatest actors, John Hurt is left to a supporting role and Luke Evans (40 years Hurt's junior) is given the role of Zeus, the king of the gods but with very little gravitas that a more seasoned actor could bring to the role. In fact all of the actors playing the gods, although being attractive, with a few of the elder actors barely reaching 40, most are under 30 so a lot of the audience are left wondering if somebody who is actually in charge will come along.

The poster and trailer for Immortals boasts 'from the producers of 300' and their influence is definitely there. However, just having another 300 rip off from a different director who, given the right material could pass off something better visually and substantially is not a sure fire hit and after such a long hiatus after 300's success, audiences have surely moved on by now.

The Debt (Helen Mirren, Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington) Posted by joeldfisher at 11:39

As the months of the year go by, we've seen a lot of summer blockbusters come and go. Some successful and others not so. So now as the year gets older we're drawn into attracting a different kind of audience, mainly adults so after brushing off my curiosity and somewhat childlike wonder over big explosions, fighting robots and rebellious apes it's time to watch a more grown up film; The Debt.

The Debt tells the story of three Mossad agents sent to retrieve a Nazi war criminal to stand trial. Set in the late 90's and 60's, the story goes back in time and forward again to tell of the complicated relationship between the three agents and their manipulative captor.

Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren; Brighton Rock, RED) is haunted by her past, the dark secret she holds amongst her fellow agents has been eating away at her for a very long time, and after hearing of the death of one of the trio, David (Ciran Hinds; Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Rite) she feels the time is right to put an end to the pain and guilt that she holds so close to her. Stephan (Tom Wilkinson; The Ghost, 44 Inch Chest) her estranged husband tells her of David's death and despite Stephan's objections, Rachel has to right the wrong that she has lived with for so long.

After hearing the fated account of Rachel's bravery in the face of danger we flashback to the 60's where Rachel (Jessica Chastain; The Tree of Life and the upcoming Oscar grabber The Help) is on her first covert mission. She is met there by David (Sam Worthington; Clash of The Titans, Avatar) who is posing as her husband and Stephan (Marton Csokas; Alice in Wonderland, forthcoming movie Dreamhouse). Together they hatch a plot to kidnap gynaecologist Doktor Berndhart alias Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen; The Young Victoria, Quantum of Solace), a notorious butcher who conducted hideous experiments on Jews during World War Two.

After a couple of unknown reasons, The Debt finally gets a release. Apparently, Sam Worthington was picked up for The Debt even before the breakthrough that made him a star, Avatar, and that he was living in his car at the time. So to finally see this film given the light of day must be very rewarding for all. Not to mention Jessica Chastain who has three major films this year, including this, The Help and of course The Tree of Life and is really proving to be a breakthrough star so this seemingly all star vehicle (if you include Tom Wilkinson and Helen Mirren) just seems to have been waiting for the right time and the right place.

Going back to the 60's the young cast of agents work well together, Worthington really is given a role with far more emotional depth than before and rises to the challenge he'd been lacking since this movie was made with such roles in Avatar and Clash of The Titans. Marton Csokas is a formidable presence as Stephan which in juxtaposition is shown be his debilitating wheelchair bound state in later life played by Tom Wilkinson. However the standout performance goes to Jessica Chastain who conveys a lot of emotion in such a confused and naive character. Her scenes with Doktor Berndhart make for uncomfortable viewing, whether you're a man or a woman and the way she can turn from distressed and overwhelmed to cool, calm and professional is an emotional level I'm sure a lot of actors and actresses can only dream of achieving.

As the action moves back to the 90's for the third act, we see how the agent's lives have changed and how their willingness to do the right thing takes them to levels they never would even consider. Mirren revels in the espionage scenes which are a lot of fun but without being completely unbelievable and the payoff may shock the audience but there is a certain poignancy to it and it ultimately feels like the only proper conclusion.

In a departure writer/director Matthew Vaughn and co-writer Jane Goldman provide the script for The Debt, after best known for superhero adventures Kick-Ass and X-Men: First Class, The Debt is a far more grown up affair that deals with complicated relationships, guilt and redemption and is handled well. Audiences will feel like a lot of care has gone into appealing to audiences that Hollywood would usually ignore i.e. intelligent and thoughtful ones and beside the occasionally implausible action scene, The Debt will definitely be up there alongside Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as something different for those who are not a fan of explosions, fighting robots and dare I say it, rebellious monkeys.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Mark Strong) Posted by joeldfisher at 11:37

In 1979, the BBC commissioned a TV series based on John La Carre's popular novel about espionage, deceit and betrayal. One of Britain's greatest actors, Alec Guinness took the role of George Smiley, an agent of her majesty's secret service. His role was to uncover the traitor hiding in plain sight amongst the best and brightest of MI6 and deal with him or her appropriately.

Running for 7 episodes, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy was applauded by audiences and critics alike for its intriguing, slow paced and absorbingly realistic take on the novel and for a long time it stood as a refreshing take on spies and the what actually may happen amongst them.

Over 30 years later a relatively new director to our shores (Tomas Alfredson; Let The Right One In) decided to tackle this iconic and thoroughly British spy story, and he certainly took his time about it.

In this new adaptation, a possible successor if not a worthy colleague in the role of one of Britain's greatest actors takes over the role of George Smiley (Gary Oldman; Red Riding Hood, The Book Of Eli). Once again the plot focuses on Smiley and his attempts to uncover the Soviet agent hiding amongst Britain's best line of international defence and this time the list of characters he encounters really are some of Britain's finest.

One of the best and most recognisable British casts since the last Harry Potter film are put together for the audience's delight and not one of them disappoints in their performance. Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, John Hurt, Mark Strong and Benedict Cumberbatch are a worthy cast of Britain's best actors today, some veteran and some relatively new but they all shine under Alfredson's direction, with what seems to be their own showcased scenes throughout the movie.

It's also a pleasure to see the return (albeit brief) of Kathy Burke (Once Upon A Time In The Midlands, Nil By Mouth) as the alcoholic ex-agent Connie Sachs. Best known for her comedic roles but also respected for her dramatic turns, Burke brings a little of both to her scenes with her ex co-star and director Gary Oldman and it's a nice little treat for the film buffs amongst the audience.

Of course it goes without saying that all the cast are at the top of their game (although I think I already said it). But in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy there is an absolute delight in seeing some of Britain's best sharing scenes, let alone being in the same movie together. Tom Hardy (Inception, the forthcoming The Dark Knight Rises) particularly stands out in his emotional scenes retelling the story of the woman he fell in love with and the journey their love takes them on. Also Mark Strong (The Eagle, The Guard) is very good as Jim Prideauz, as the Secret Service agent turned P.E. teacher, forced to deal with his past.

For those who remember (unfortunately I am not one of those, but I hear things), the pace of the movie is very similar to the original TV series and Gary Oldman's Smiley is very much an Alec Guinness Smiley as well, but that's no bad thing. Oldman underplays the character like it seems the whole movie is underplayed. This is no Bond or Bourne, this is real life and the pace reflects it as such. Those used to linear plots, big crashes, explosions and quickly explained plot devices may come up a little short here, there is a certain way to approach this film and unless you're ready for it, you'll become confused quite easily. You need to really pay attention and if not you are lost, but that's not to say that this film won't be enjoyable. The fine performances and the seamless transportation to the early seventies make the film a real triumph in cinema and for those who enjoy an intriguing and thoroughly involving drama will not be disappointed.

However those looking for more bang for their buck may want to wait until there's something a bit louder and more thrill-inducing to come along.

Wednesday, 28 September 2011 Apollo 18 (Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, Ryan Robbins) Posted by joeldfisher at 09:12

The moon had been the highest aspiration for years over the 1950's and 60's until finally on July 21st 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to set foot on the not so distant planet (sorry technically the moon is a moon not a planet). Since then there had been many other mission to the moon, the ill fated Apollo 13 being probably the most famous and even being made into a movie itself.

There have also been a few movies made about the moon itself, from the infamous Capricorn One, about the faking of the moon landing to more recently Duncan Jones' critically acclaimed Moon, starring Sam Rockwell. However, there have also been many science fiction based horror movies, such as Alien, Event Horizon and even the Friday the 13th genre ventured into space with Jason X. There have been very little or none to my recollection that have brought the science fiction horror genre so close to us until now and Apollo 18 wants to prove its worth.

Taking inspiration, no doubt, from The Blair Witch Project and more recently Paranormal Activity, Apollo 18 is about the 'lost footage' of the secret 18th Apollo mission to the moon and why there have never been any more. The film starts off with a few publicity videos and video diaries from the crew themselves before sending them off on their mission and from then on the footage is entirely of the crew's experiences in space, and on the moon.

Unfortunately, being the film and TV buff that I am I immediately recognised one of the main actors, thus completely destroying the fantasy of the 'lost footage' and the debate that the movie may have been of actual footage. There may have been some people who are not as observant as I am on actors and their careers but as the movie progresses there are a lot more examples of lack of authenticity and things that sadly shatter the illusion for even the most casual observer.

Firstly and most glaringly, there has never been any gravity in space, whether you're on the moon itself or whether you're in your lunar module there is no way that you can firmly put your feet on the ground unless you are wearing a space suit. This fact has either escaped the makers of Apollo 18, or they genuinely didn't realise this or they ignored it, I for one am going for the latter. Also, as the movie progresses there are so many alien movie clichés that for this to be a real documentary would have to let the audience take a massive stretch of the imagination. For example, without giving away too many plot points there is a moment when Captain Bejamin Anderson (Lloyd Owen; best known to British audiences from Monarch of The Glen and to geeks as Indiana Jones' father in The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones) becomes infected, and possessed by an alien virus. To have some sort of authenticity, I believe the screenwriters should have reconsidered taking such outlandish steps and maybe the movie could have been a bit more debatable on its accuracy and not raised as many laughs.

For a documentary, there is also a lot of linear plot lining. There are a few moments of suspense elevating the situation (using such devices as flickering cameras and unusual, alien noises), but the rest of the movie moves along at a pace unusual for a documentary or even 'lost footage' as the movie suggests. For this movie to have been enjoyable, clearly as a fake documentary-cum-horror movie I believe there should have been a lot more taken into consideration in terms of suspense and atmosphere (no pun intended) rather than plotlines.

When we do get to see the aliens, they are about as low budget as you can get, which is fine for a movie that wants to present itself as real footage because you get the feeling that presenting the movie this way would have meant the budget was tight. However the form in which they take is lazy and adds another laugh at the supposed heightened suspense of the movie, particularly so in its climax.

Dimension Films are the distributors of this movie and therefore it should give the audiences an idea of what they're getting. Most famously known for the Scream series, the recent Halloween and Piranha 3D remakes, this is low budget horror from a company that churn them out by the bucket load and a lot of them have been successful and in some cases enjoyable. However, I believe a much bigger budget and a less ambitious, lost footage style would have done nicely for the big screen, and may have been a lot more enjoyable.

Monday, 26 September 2011 Cowboys and Aliens (Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford) Posted by joeldfisher at 11:59

Westerns seem to be the popular genre to make these days. Reinventions, retellings and reboots have all had filmmakers trying to bring new life into the most popular cinema genre from American history. Great stars have been born from the Western, such as John Wayne and Clint Eastwood and the aim of the movie industry is to once again capture lightning in a bottle. Recently the huge success of the classic Western remake, True Grit, gave Jeff Bridges his second Oscar nomination in a row after winning last year for Crazy Heart and Quentin Tarantino is preparing to make his own Western for the film loving audiences that go to see his movies, called Django Unchained. However Tarantino and the Coen Brothers are not the only ones looking to breathe new life into the genre. Steven Spielberg, no less has had his eye on a little project that he hoped to have given the Western genre a new spin, by adding aliens.

As well as Spielberg getting an executive producer credit, Ron Howard is on board as producer and Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Iron Man 2) is directing. Three big names on such a project would bring a lot of curiosity to a film-loving audience and many who are interested in both the Western and Science-Fiction genre so surely this production is onto a winner.

Cowboys and Aliens is about, well, cowboys and aliens. Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig; forthcoming projects The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn and the US remake of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo) wakes up with no memory of what has happened to him. All he has are little flashes of strange, cryptic pieces and a metal wristband that he cannot remove. After an impressive fight scene, showing his prowess as a man, Jake wanders into the nearest town and observes his surroundings. After setting up the scene; the old time preacher with a steady aim and a steady hand (Clancy Brown; best known for his roles in Starship Troopers and Highlander), the innkeeper, Doc (Sam Rockwell; Iron Man 2, Conviction) with the beautiful wife (Ana de la Reguera; Cop Out, Nacho Libre) and the local villain (Harrison Ford; Morning Glory, Extraordinary Measures) with the wayward son (Paul Dano; Knight and Day, Taking Woodstock), the story changes pace somewhat when the small Western town is attacked, by the aforementioned aliens.

The search then commences as various members of the town are kidnapped and an unlikely posse are put together.

The unique selling point of the movie, besides the mash-up of genres is its two major stars; Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. One being the latest action movie star who brings in fans from small boys to grown women and is a box office winner, and the other is a long time veteran of the action family adventure movie and will bring in the movie buffs as well as an older audience and they work very well together.

Daniel Craig is clearly being compared as the new Harrison Ford and that's certainly no false accolade. Debatably, one may say that Craig brings a little more acting weight to the leading man role but in his later years Ford has certainly settled into a particular type of role and revels in it. As seen in Morning Glory, where he played a grizzled, grouchy former news anchor, here he plays a grizzled, grouchy former Colonel turned cattle rancher. As in his most famous roles as Han Solo and Indiana Jones, you'd never mess with him and as his career has progressed Ford is starting to use that 'don't mess with me' stare and attitude that Clint Eastwood patented, making him the die-hard elder statesman in Hollywood and he's doing it well.

Besides the cast of mismatched men, a woman is brought into the mix, Ella (Olivia Wilde; Tron: Legacy, TV series House) as an almost more mysterious character than Jake. The cast play off each other well, particularly whoever Craig is partnered with at the time, albeit with varying screen time for them. Craig and Ford's time is scarce but together when it counts and Sam Rockwell is woefully underused but it seems the Western aspect is very carefully crafted to really give the feel for the genre and that's what counts. The problem is the aliens. As soon as this world is brought in it shatters the illusion of the world way back West and it almost feel like an afterthought in a well structured story. The reasons for the alien invasion are vague, as are many of the other plot points in the movie and that's a shame because for what Cowboys and Aliens promised in scale it lacked in finesse.

Not really being the blockbuster it was meant to be, Cowboys and Aliens feels like the big disappointment of the summer, for all the fun of seeing Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford as cowboys the lack of a direction for the movie lets it fall flat. There are a few too many clichés on the alien plotline that make the audience care less about that and more about the cowboys and too much of that seems borrowed from other, more successful movies. At the end of the day, when the cast rides off into the sunset, maybe if they do come back maybe it would be better if they came back without the aliens.

Wednesday, 21 September 2011 Rise of the Planet of the Apes (James Franco, Andy Serkis, Freida Pinto) Posted by joeldfisher at 08:33

'I wanna be like you, I wanna walk like you, Talk like you, too, You'll see it's true, An ape like me, Can learn to be human too' (King Louis, The Jungle Book). Never have these words been so sinister. We go to zoos everyday, usually when on holiday and we see the apes in their enclosures behind the glass and laugh at how they almost seem to mirror our own mannerisms and love the way they look after and protect their families in similar ways to us. Evolution has taught us that we are descended from the apes, we can even teach some sign language to be able to communicate. The thing that Rise of the Planet of the Apes teaches us is, that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.

Will Rodman (James Franco; Your Highness, 127 Hours) is a scientist on the verge of a major breakthrough in human brain research, he holds the cure to Alzheimer's disease. Testing on the company's apes has already begun and the results are astonishing. However, when one of the test subjects 'Brighteyes' runs amok, the whole project is put into jeopardy. Rodman is forced into taking home Brighteyes' only child, a son that he calls Caesar. Little does he know what the ramifications will be, not only for himself and his family, but for the entire planet.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes is, for those who don't know, the sixth in the Planet of the Apes series. After Beneath, Escape from, Conquest of and Battle for, The Planet of the Apes series reboots, in a sense to tell the story of how it all began. Set in modern day San Francisco (or maybe the not too distant future) the story is told with a careful balance of realism and science fiction. Of course there are apes in the movie that can do things that no other apes in reality can do but the story never forgets its human side and also never takes for granted the deeper issues such as those affected by Alzheimer's and the levels humans can go to, to abuse animals.

An impressive cast is pulled together including such names as Brian Cox (Ironclad, R.E.D.) as an evil zookeeper John Landon and John Lithgow (Season 4 of Dexter, Confessions of A Shopaholic) s Will's father, Charles, who has been infected by the disease that he's so desperate to cure. Also Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger) is added to the cast as Will's love interest Caroline and finding it hard to escape his Harry Potter bad guy roots, Tom Felton is deliciously evil as John Landon's son, Dodge.

However the real stand out performance in the movie, despite John Lithgow's always sympathetic and never cliched portrayal of a man with Alzheimer's, is Andy Serkis. For those who may not know, Andy Serkis is the performance capture king, not only being an award winning actor in his own right but also putting life to characters Golum from Peter Jackson's Lord of The Rings trilogy but also putting in a performance as King Kong himself. It's very hard to distinguish actor from animation sometimes so the debate about performance capture has always been controversial. I for one had been won over by the footage on The Two Towers DVD of Andy Serkis' dual role as both Smeagal and Gollum in one scene, not only showcasing his acting ability but the technology as well but others still beg to differ.

If you feel any sympathy for Caesar, who Serkis portrays, or if you feel any fear or anxiety over the way Caesar is treated then I would say that you can fully put that down to Serkis' acting ability. You hardly ever forget that he's an ape but the scenes where the apes are 'rising' in order to rebel are done with the same intensity and organization that you'd expect to see in a prison movie. Andy Serkis shows us a character that goes from oppressed and angry teenager to defiant and rebellious man and does so just as realistically as if the character was human, and never says a word... well nearly.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes may introduce a whole new generation to the original film series and at the same time never waters down the intelligence and intensity of the original. For those with a keen eye and memory of Charlton Heston's cult movie, there are plenty of nods and things to look out for but it never forgets the new fans it may make. The films delivers just enough intelligence, intrigue and action to please most audiences.

Monday, 19 September 2011 Super 8 (Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler) Posted by joeldfisher at 08:48

In 1977 Steven Spielberg presented his first foray into the world of science-fiction with Close Encounters of The Third Kind. An instant hit with audiences and a new spin on the extra-terrestrial genre, the likes of which they'd never seen before. Close Encounters became such a hit that even top U.S. government officials have even applauded it on its 'accuracy', or so we have been led to believe.

1982 sees the release of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial, his second and arguably his most successful venture into science-fiction to date, albeit from a different angle than Close Encounters ever took. The story of a lost alien who befriends a little boy became an instant classic and still plays well to audiences old and young (even I have been known to cry at it - still).

2011 brings the highly anticipated J. J. Abrahms directed Super 8. A story of a group in their early teens who are making a movie at an old railway station, only to be caught up in the middle of a government conspiracy.

Little had been revealed about Super 8 prior to its release, and I mean very little. The teaser trailer was, to my knowledge the only trailer ever released and after seeing the film it was definitely the right choice. There's so much I could say about Super 8 that could easily give the game away and really spoil what is a wonderful film experience. I mentioned Steven Spielberg's early career because this is exactly the kind of thing that director J. J. Abrahms was looking to as inspiration for his movie, and luckily it pays off.

The movie has so much attention to detail that it may have been film between Close Encounters and E.T. and you'd be forgiven for thinking that this was the lost movie that Steven Spielberg always wanted to make between the two. Joe Lamb (Joel Courtney, in his first film role) is the son of the town's deputy sheriff, Jackson (Kyle Chandler; Friday Night Lights, King Kong). They have both recently suffered a bereavement, Joe's mother was killed in a tragic accident at the mill where she works and the father and the son take to dealing with it in very different ways.

The cast for the movie is exceptional, they appear to be all very carefully cast because besides their clothes and hairstyles it seems that these children could easily have appeared in a Spielberg film from the early 80's and would have fitted right in. A true testament to their acting or maybe a look at how childhood has changed in the past 30 years, which was then perhaps a simpler time.

Charles (Riley Griffiths, also in his first film role), Cary (Ryan Lee, an actor from various short movies and tv appearances, Martin (Gabriel Basso, The Big C and other numerous television appearances) and Preston (another veteran of television appearances, despite his age) make a connection between each other like they really had grown up together and the times when they're talking, singing and making fun of each other really come across very naturally.

A special mention however should go to Alice (Elle Fanning; The Nutcracker 3D and again various television roles). Being the younger sister of one of Hollywood's most acclaimed young actresses, Dakota Fanning, must be rather daunting, especially when cast in a breakthrough role such as this. With the world's cinemagoers knowing her lineage then it must have been a lot to live up to, however Elle Fanning proves to be just as talented as her sister and one to watch in the years to come. Also it should be said that considering this to be Joel Courtney's first film role, he does an exceptional job, evoking Henry Thomas as Eliott in E.T and he should do well as being cast in an upcoming production of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, yet another iconic American child's role.

The direction Super 8 takes shouldn't be spoilt by anyone, because to watch such a movie spoiler-free is an experience of nostalgia, wonder and excitement that will win fans far and wide, old and new. For years to come.

Monday, 12 September 2011 The Inbetweeners Movie (Simon Bird, Joe Thomas, James Buckley, Blake Harrison) Posted by joeldfisher at 08:45

Ah to be 17 again, to be out partying with your friends, kissing girls (and other such things) and generally loving life. For those who remember this time in your lives all too clearly, these days will never be forgotten although as time goes by the tint in your glasses will get much rosier, thank goodness for The Inbetweeners.

For those who don't know the popular British Channel 4 comedy series of the same name, Will, Jay, Neil and Simon are four teenage boys whose lives are currently at an crossroads in their lives. They're old enough to smoke and to legally to have sex, but they have two problems, they're not really sure they like smoking and, well, nobody in their right minds would sleep with them. Will (Simon Bird) is a bookish nerd who wants to pass himself off as an intellectual who only really has one thought, how to get a woman to like him. Simon (Joe Thomas) is obsessed with a girl he's known since he was a kid and believes they are destined to be together. Jay (James Buckley) is a typical jack-the-lad, always boasting to his friends about his sexual conquests, if only they were true, and Neil (Blake Harrison) is stupid. Together the four of them give the audience a rather vivid, all too familiar and often cringe worthy account of what it really was like when you were only 17.

The movie kicks off with an even briefer synopsis and throws the audience right into it all as it's the last day of school and their adult lives beckon. So there's only one thing to do, live it large where the party never stops, for about a week anyway.

Once the lads arrive at their destination they realise that it's not all that it's cracked up to be. Their accommodation is less than standard and the locals (and some of the holidaymakers) are a little strange for their tastes. But when you're on holiday you make the best of it and that they do. After being coaxed into an empty bar by a woman Jay is convinced he'll have as much fun with as all his other (fictional) conquests then the fun begins.

The casting of the boy's female counterparts and potential girlfriends is a really well made choice as they balance out the main cast quite well. Alison (Laura Haddock) is the main attraction as Will's easy going love interest who overwhelms him with the idea that she might actually be interested in him. Lucy (Tamla Kari) plays very well against Simon as he pines over the loss of his long-time love Carly. Jane (Lydia Rose Bewley) does the funny, fat friend well but also brings warmth and believability when partnered against Jay and finally Lisa (Jessica Knappet) is the perfect coupling for Neil, and not just because she is probably the only actress they could find that looks like she may actually be related to Neil.

The sun is shining and the drink is flowing free but there's that all too familiar tinge of embarrassing behaviour that many may remember from being that age and also from the TV series of the same name. While the movie could have been seen as another Holiday On The Busses, Kevin and Perry Go Large or even Mr Bean's Holiday, The Inbetweeners Movie doesn't stray from the comedy styling that has made the TV series so popular. There's no compromise on the character's behaviour (if anything Jay's opening scene pushes the envelope on anything they did on the television) and the audience are never felt cheated into watching something that has a name slapped on it that never lives up to its namesake.

This isn't the British American Pie, this is better, there are real characters in there and by the end of the movie not only do you feel like you know them better (as fans or non-fans of the series) but you can properly feel like you can wave them goodbye safe in the knowledge that a fitting end has been made to one of the 21st Century's best and brightest British comedies.

Captain America: The First Avenger 3D (Chris Evans, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving) Posted by joeldfisher at 07:59

America has almost completely cornered the market in the film industry, when you think of cinema, you think of Hollywood. America has a certain reputation of national pride and to an extent it could be said a great sense of self worth, who some may say is not always deserved. In the 1940's Captain America was created to help boost the moral of the American public during the war. Everything good, noble and patriotic was shoved into one character to remind the public what their troops are fighting for. In the 60's comic-book god Stan Lee revived the character, given the Cold War, he felt that America needed a symbol again to fight the forces of evil and Cap's been going strong ever since.

These days, however, the rest of the world sees America as an overly proud, self congratulatory nation that is deluded in it's own sense of self importance. There are numerous jokes about how America thought they won World War Two single-handedly and how they seem to continue governing all the major conflicts in the world today like it's their own personal crusade so making a movie about a character called Captain America is a risky move, one that in the wrong hands could become a new joke all of its own.

Captain America: The First Avenger tells the story of Steve Rogers (Chris Evans; The Fantastic Four, Scott Pilgrim vs The World), a diminutive man who has a passion for his country and for what is worth fighting. He's given the chance to enlist in the army, despite his size and other physical problems he may have provided he takes part in a new experiment to make him into a super soldier. Willingly sacrificing himself for his country, Rogers enlists without a second thought and becomes the man he always wanted to be, Captain America.

This movie could have very easily taken a route down the cheesy path that we all recognise. Steve Rogers could have been an arrogant American who believes his country is the only one that can truly save the world and thus his transformation would have lead to the whooping and cheering that all American audiences are thought to do in such patriotic circumstances. However Chris Evans' portrayal of Steve Rogers is of a humble man, a man aware of his self worth but with the knowledge that he is only one man and only one man can make a big difference when it counts so he is an admirable character, whether you're an American or not.

As the story continues we are introduced to an impressive supporting cast. Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci; The Lovely Bones, Burlesque) is a kindly, German scientist who Tucci has a lot of fun with, his accent may not be completely authentic but he brings light and warmth into the character as only he knows how. Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones; In The Valley of Elah, No Country For Old Men) is played with relish, Tommy Lee Jones is soon due to reprise his role as Agent K in Men In Black III and he fully flexes his comedy muscles as the sharp-witted all-American soldier, if you've seen Small Soldiers, Men In Black and Batman Forever then you'll know what to expect from this performance and no doubt, you'll love it.

Finally The Red Skull, Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving; The Wolfman, the forthcoming movie The Hobbit) is evil beyond evil. Having such great character actors as Stanley Tucci and Hugo Weaving in the same movie is a definite plus and particularly Weaving's performance is the creation of another great cinema villain that cinema goers will remember for a long time.

The story of Captain America has evolved over the years in the comics, as it had to in order to survive. However this being a period piece it enabled director, Joe Johnston (The Wolfman, Jurrasic Park III) to poke fun at the genre as well as homage it and the balance of comedy, satire and action is well balanced. As well as their being sly nods to other movies that inspired Johnston during the making of the movie, the tone gets into Indiana Jones action territory and Johann Schmidt (who is so evil he is even betraying the Nazis) makes a reference that he's going after bigger things while Hitler is searching for trinkets in the desert.

Captain America: The First Avenger is probably the best superhero movie of the year, not a great accolade most of the time but considering Marvel's full-frontal assault on the superhero movie genre, gearing up for their climax, The Avengers next year then they certainly left the best for last. The worst thing about it is that, without giving too much away, I very much doubt that there will be a Captain America 2. Considering the final outcome of the movie I believe that Marvel have used up probably their greatest resource too soon and I for one am certainly hoping for more.

Monday, 22 August 2011 Zookeeper (Kevin James, Leslie Bibb, Rosario Dawson) Posted by joeldfisher at 08:56

Most people these days have pets; dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters. You name it and somebody has probably got any kind of pet you can think of, and most pet owners will say that when they talk to their pets (as many do) that their pets can understand them and even respond as if they know what their owner wants from them. Hollywood knows this all too well so with the magic of special effects and numerous cartoons there have been many movies about animals that can talk, Zookeeper is one of them.

Griffen Keyes (Kevin James; The Dilemma, Grown Ups) is a zookeeper with a beautiful girlfriend and the world at his feet, he works in his own exotic pet paradise and all his animals love him. On the day he proposes to his girlfriend Stephanie (Leslie Bibb; Iron Man 2, Confessions Of  A Shopaholic) she dumps him, because of all things he is just a lowly zookeeper. From this moment on the movie takes a few steps away from logical thought so bare with me (personally I don't see anything wrong with being a zookeeper, it sounds cool but that may just be me). Upon hearing that Griffin has been dumped by his girlfriend the animals (yes they talk!) hatch a plan to get him back with his girlfriend so that he doesn't leave the zoo. Clearly he hadn't been talking to the animals about WHY he was dumped, but I digress.

Using their natural abilities to find a mate, the animals decide to teach Griffin how to win back the love of his life, and hilarity ensues, in theory anyway. Cue Kevin Smith making an idiot of himself and doing things no man with any common sense would do, regardless of whether he was talking to animals who talked back.

There's a wide variety of animals too, and many different personalities which is fun for the children showing the interaction between them is comedic. However after reading the cast list I was amazed that there were A-list or even B-list stars in the movie, let alone doing the voices of the animals. Sylvester Stallone (The Expendables, Rambo IV) and Cher (Burlesque, Stuck On You) are Joe the lion and Janet the lioness respectively and Adam Sandler (Just Go With It, Grown Ups), who acts as executive producer on the movie is Donald the monkey but their voices are nearly unrecognisable. This may be in part to do with the lack of proper advertising for the movie or the idea that the voice work makes the actors so unrecognisable. I'm not sure which one explanation is better but if the actors were given better direction they may have given the adult audience a chance of recognising the actors so therefore given a little bit of joy while their children laughed at the talking animals. A perfect example of this is Adam Sandler, who surely should have known better as executive producer when he decided to put on an accent for the Donald the monkey, making him even more unrecognisable than the rest.

I can understand how some actor's voices may even be unrecognisable no matter how famous they are so I can give Nick Nolte (Arthur, Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore) a pardon on this criticism. I'm not that familiar with his work and especially recently I can't recall anything that he's been in other than The Hulk in 2002. However, after learning that he played Bernie the gorilla I can say that he did a good job of expressing the hurt and anguish of the isolated animal and was also able to have fun alongside Kevin James as well in a TGI Friday scene that will stick in your memory long after the movie's finished (and not just because of the blatant product placement).

Of course the real love interest is Griffin's co-worker, Kate (Rosario Dawson; Unstoppable, Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief) and Dawson really enjoys her role. It's obvious to the adult audience who Griffin should be with from the moment she enters the movie so the audience just have to ride out all the animal bodily function jokes until the inevitable conclusion.

Zookeeper isn't that great for adults, kids may enjoy it but in the end if you've seen one of these kinds of movies you've seen them all. Kevin James is good at physical comedy and if only they still made silent movies then he'd do well, he's surprisingly agile for a man of his size. Rosario Dawson and Leslie Bibb are good as the love rivals for Griffin's attention, Dawson is warm and charming and would be an ideal opposite for any leading man and Leslie Bibb shows a good turn as the high maintenance girl who wants everything, and is funny with it too. Despite the almost nonsensical plot and Ken Jeong's bizarre cameo as a creepy reptile expert, Zookeeper does have its moments however I would only see it if your kids beg you to and if that's the case then you can at least watch it on DVD, or put it on so the kids can watch and you don't actually have to be in the room.    

Tuesday, 2 August 2011 Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson) Posted by joeldfisher at 10:25

In 1997 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was first published, a first time author by the name of J.K. Rowling, had big plans for her little book and was hoping that it would capture the public's imagination. But, of course I don't need to tell you that, if you haven't even heard of Harry Potter before you must have either been in a coma or on the moon for at least the past 10 years. This is the movie every Potter fan has been waiting for, those who read the book (including myself) already know how it was going to end but to see it on the big screen is another matter entirely.

The movie of the first part of the last book was released last year, as if I really needed to tell you that, and I for one thought it was one of the best yet. Splitting the book in two for the finale was a risky move and yet a very clever way of bookending the series (no pun intended) and Warner Bros will surely miss the biggest franchise in cinema history. Although those DVD and Bluray sales have really only just begun.

The last time we saw Harry (Daniel Radcliffe; every Potter film ever made) and his friends, he'd escaped capture and was looking for the remaining things he needs to defeat Voldemort (I think that's relatively spoiler free for those who haven't seen the last movie) but if you are reading this and haven't seen the last one then what are you doing? Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 picks up in a very sombre mood, Harry, Ron and Hermione have regrouped and are planning their next course of action. They need those missing horcruxes and there's one last place they need to go, Hogwart's.

The first part of The Deathly Hallows was a high-octane, fight for survival, like a road movie but with broomsticks. Many characters had the conclusions to their stories told and it never felt more like Harry versus the world. In part two, the mood changes considerably and may be the darkest of them all.

This is the final fight for Harry and Voldemort and a lot of loose ends are tied up, some of which end in ways you wouldn't expect.

There's very little mucking about in this final instalment, if you don't know what's going on by now then you need to; go home, read the books, watch the movies, then read the books and watch the movies again for the pure joy of it. The action starts straight away with a bank vault break-in (and out) and a little Polyjuice potion, the Potter filmmaker's favourite plot device. Then after some quiet contemplation it's off to Hogwart's and the battle commences.

The cast are all accounted for and I mean ALL accounted for, even if they're only seen in the background or a passing camera shot, nearly every major actor ever involved with Harry Potter returns, and so they should for this is not only the end, but a celebration of the books, the movies and everything about it. David Yates (the last 3 Harry Potter instalments, including this one) leaves no stone unturned, no plot unresolved and no character left behind in what is an impressive and cliché-free story.

It could have very easily gone into schmaltz and an overly-emotional finale but thanks to the source material The Deathly Hallows Part 2 feels almost like the way life goes. Life just continues, your school days may be the best days of your life, they may be the worst or they may just be that period of life where you grew up a bit and David Yates reflects that well. Those who are expecting big, glorified battles may be a little bemused but this is a good reflection of war. War is not glorified and dramatic and although there will be dramatic licence in a movie such as this, the tone of the movie never goes over-the-top and silly (well not as over-the-top and silly as a movie with wizards and dragons could get anyway).

After your school years are over, for better or worse, life goes on and although they make an impact on your life it's what you do after that makes life what it is and I think the last chapter of the Harry Potter series does a good job to remind us of that. J K Rowling has finished with Harry Potter (in the books anyway) and I believe she meant to keep it that way, after all these have been books for children. to reflect their own lives as they grow up and to have somebody to identify with. Hopefully this will be the last Potter movie any movies or cheap ways to cash in on the series after its end will be met with large disapproval from the fans, I can imagine. On the other hand the Harry Potter books are loved by many, and many of those weren't even born when the first book was published so I doubt we'll be hearing the last of it.

The movie does feel like, not and end but a continuation of life, and many will think of it in such the same way. This does not mean that the movie fizzles when it should have exploded in the finale but it's surely the way the books are meant to be read. Although most will have read them when they were children or young adults, there's always the chance that they themselves will have children and read the books to them, and so the cycle will be repeated. No doubt the films will too be viewed more than once and no more so than during a child's life and I believe that's where they will be kept. Although the series has spoken to people of all ages I think the rite of passage that's been created will go many years into the future and as Harry grows up in a child's mind over and over so will the film series be seen as a major accomplishment in cinematic history. It's sad to see a series such as this come to an end but all good things must and for now, the time is to put away childish things and with that so ends the wonderful tales of Harry Potter.

Wednesday, 27 July 2011 Transforners: Dark of The Moon 3D (Shia LaBoeuf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Peter Cullen) Posted by joeldfisher at 11:08

I remember being 8 years old, I had the huge Optimus Prime truck complete with trailer and accessories, I loved it and the 1986 movie was one of my favourites (and still is). Skip to 2007, the new live-action Transformers movie was out and I for one was not happy with what they had done to my beloved childhood heroes. They looked completely wrong and the characters were not as they were in the TV show (perhaps Optimus Prime came close at least).

2009 brought about the sequel; Revenge of The Fallen, the first movie had done terrifically in box office sales and seeing as there was nothing too questionable or offensive to my childhood in the last movie (I had forgiven the slight character changes by then) I welcomed the sequel. Opening to big box office sales and damning reviews across the board, from both critics and fans I avoided this movie in the cinema, until one stormy night I succumbed to my morbid curiosity and put on a DVD of possibly one of the worst sequels of all time, and that is truly saying something.

Transformers: Dark of The Moon is directed by Michael Bay (Bad Boys, The Island), starring Shia LaBeouf (Eagle Eye, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps) and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Victoria's Secret catalogue). Sam (LaBeouf) is suffering from the recession like the rest of us and wants to prove himself to his parents (yes they're back too). Sam lives with his impossibly beautiful girlfriend Carly (Huntington-Whiteley) who works for multi-millionaire Dylan (Patrick Dempsey; Valentine's Dy, Enchanted) who just so happens has his sights set on Carly, much to the disgust of Sam.

Meanwhile, the Autobots are fully allied with the US government and helping them in their international relations against the Decepticons (Team America F*** Yeah!).  On a dangerous mission to Chernobyl, the Autobots come across an undiscovered weapon and soon find a long lost friend along the way, but all is not as it seems.

After Revenge of The Fallen, many had come forward and said that the film was a total mistake (Shia LaBoeuf mainly), the parting of Megan Fox was seen as a blow to the franchise and yet for those who realised she cannot act, this wasn't a total loss. Michael Bay searched high and low for a worthy replacement until finally doing a Victoria's Secret advert and settling upon the vast acting void that is Rosie Huntington-Whiteley. This movie is not really about reliving a childhood fantasy of a well loved cartoon and toy franchise on the big screen. Nor is it really about good versus evil, it isn't even about big robots beating seven bells out of each other. Transformers: Dark of The Moon is about teenage boys, and their obsessions, which Michael Bay still holds very near to him still, and is not afraid to show the levels of depravity that a teenage boy's mind will sink to in what should be a family film.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is a model, a beautiful girl and her chosen profession has been to exploit that beauty for all it's worth. Her chosen profession should NOT and EVER BE acting, Michael Bay chose an actress who is completely devoid of any emotion and acting ability. She makes Megan Fox look like Meryl Streep in comparison and yet Michael Bay thinks he can divert our attention away from this by using shots that the British tabloid press have been using with every young girl in a short skirt for years.

Shia LaBeouf of course, has no such luck with distracting his audience away from his acting, or lack thereof. His 'comedic' turns are painfully drawn out, particularly a few scenes where he does a bad impression of Dr Strangelove and the jokes never get better. The supporting cast of John Malkovich, Frances, McDormand and the returning John Turturro (for little to no reason whatsoever) add a little for those who are actually interested in movies and acting however their roles are so weak and uninspiring that they could have easily cast lesser known actors and saved a little of the budget.

The Autobots and Decepticon characters are yet again ignored in favour of metal-on-metal action as their increasingly violent actions towards each other will make parents wonder how an adult rated movie could get away with it, let alone a children's film.

Michael Bay, Shia LaBoeuf et al are disappearing from the Transformers franchise but they're mark is indelibly stamped onto it. A reboot of the franchise seems unlikely, seeing as they'd have to redesign all the robots again and again make them completely unrecognisable to all who loved them in the first place but stranger things have happened. A major change in tone would be nice but at the same time it would jar the existing franchise out of recognition and as it may gain a few fans it could possibly lose the ones the existing franchise has. Unfortunately I fear the only way forward for this franchise is doing exactly what is already being done, albeit with slightly less violence, misogyny and in some cases, casual racism. I'm going to go and play with my toys now.   

Sunday, 24 July 2011 Green Lantern 3D (Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard) Posted by joeldfisher at 09:21

The DC universe is being shaken up recently (DC Comics to those who don't know). Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman et al are all having a massive makeover and now that Warner Bros have a gap in the market, with Harry Potter coming to an end, The Dark Knight Rises a year away and the new Superman movie coming even later, there needs to be a new franchise to enthral superhero moviegoers.

Green Lantern is a long standing comic book franchise, almost running as long as Superman and Batman themselves and now that computer generated technology has caught up and we are exposed to the wonders of 3D (I use that last statement sarcastically) Green Lantern is set up to hold the fort for the DC/Warner Bros partnership.

Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds; Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine) is a hotshot, maverick test pilot. He goes by his own rules and has no fear, no responsibility and frankly, no life. So when a strange alien ship (is there any other kind?) crash lands, Hal is given the chance to become a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Green Lantern Corps, but can he live up to his responsibility?

Meanwhile the alien spaceship has been discovered by the government and they need to know how it works so they call upon renowned scientist, and son of Senator Hammond (Tim Robbins; City of Ember, Zathura), Dr. Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard; Orphan, An Education) to investigate.

Tormented by being thought of as not as good as others, being ignored all his life in favour of more handsome, charismatic men and being constantly pushed by his father to boost his career, Hector is on the brink of a meltdown. So when performing the autopsy a strange thing happens, the yellow fear element that powers all the villains in the universe infects Hector, making his brain swell to capacities he never dreamt possible. Add to that the evil alien entity Parallax bent on destroying the Green Lantern Corps and Hal has a lot to live up to.

Reviews of Green Lantern have been negative at best; the script is clichéd and predictable, the actors are either badly cast or badly acting and there's nothing in Green Lantern that we haven't seen before in other films such as Superman. However I will say that I liked the movie. I will agree that there's nothing particularly original about Green Lantern as a superhero movie and perhaps Ryan Reynolds doesn't really step up to the plate when it comes to coming across as a superhero we can all admire and want to be but I believe it's a good introduction to the franchise and certainly doesn't patronise and mock its audience like The Fantastic Four franchise did.

This movie knows it's a superhero movie and doesn't try to pretend to be anything more or less. Not to say that superhero movies aren't great entertainment, sometimes even for all ages. However it's unfair to compare Green Lantern to The Dark Knight, of course there are similarities; Warner Bros productions, big name director and rising star in the title role but these movies are completely different animals.

The concept of Green Lantern is a little different than usual superhero movies. The ability to create physical representations of what's in the ring bearer's mind would have to rely heavily on special effects and what with the main villain Parallax being a computer generated villain, critics would latch onto such a thing as being childish and gimmicky. Of course Green Lantern does have those elements, after all the concept started in a comic book and was far less gritty than anything Batman has had in the past 20 years but for the most part the film sticks to the source material, and knows its audience.

The best part of Green Lantern, however, is Sarsgaard's portrayal of Hector Hammond, his decline into evil madness is done very well considering the amount of prosthetics the actor had to endure but he carries it off well. The sadness of the character's look on life and his evil revenge on those he thinks deserves it are balanced well and the audience are immediately changed from sympathising to loathing the disfigured man bent on the power he could never get hold of in life.

After all the bad reviews and supposed lack of audience, Green Lantern does what you expect it to do. Don't go in expecting another mind-altering take on the superhero movie because it just won't happen and it's not meant to happen. There are questionable directions that the movie takes (like the little sympathy the audience is given for Hal Jordan's rejection of the Corps in favour for the easy life, and the casting of Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The Town) as Carol Ferris, Hal's love interest). However, Green Lantern is a fun movie for those with no higher expectations of a superhero movie than there is usually delivered. Cartoony in nature and mirroring more than one scene from Richard Donner's Superman, Green Lantern gives those who want to reminisce on classic DC heroes a nice, easy movie. For those who are expecting something spectacular for them or their kids to embrace and love with a more kid-friendly franchise than The Dark Knight, Green Lantern's might, might not be the one you're looking for. 

Thursday, 9 June 2011 X-Men: First Class (James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon) Posted by joeldfisher at 09:37

The swinging sixties were a groovy time; free love, flower power and a carefree, hippy attitude were a sign of the time. However there was also major political upheaval; the black civil rights movement, the gender equality movement and the Cuban missile crisis led to a major change in America. So to set a comic book movie at this time which tells of a new breed of humans, or mutants seems like a very good idea for the sixties, after all, the times they are a-changing.

Charles Xavier (James McAvoy; Wanted, Gnomeo and Juliet) is a gifted professor who lives with his adopted sister Raven (Jennifer Lawrence; Winter's Bone and forthcoming movie The Beaver). Ever since childhood they know they've shared a gift, they've both been...different. After infiltrating a nightclub, CIA agent Moira McTaggert (Rose Byrne; Get Him To The Greek and the forthcoming Bridesmaids) discovers the involvement of a band of mutants lead by Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon; Frost/Nixon, Hollow Man). Shaw wants to start World War Three and after his involvement in the Nazi Concentration Camps, wants the power he once had.

As a young boy, Erik Lehnsherr (Michael Fassbender; Jonah Hex, Centurion) realised he was different too, forced to use his newfound powers by Sebastian Shaw who killed his mother to 'encourage' him, now he wreaks revenge against the man who stole his childhood.

X-Men: First Class brings together the characters from the popular comic, movie and TV series and gives it a fresh, new look. The style of the sixties, the glamour and a little of the Bond inspired drama and silliness are all there to give the movie a real immersion into the franchise's new world.

The movie tells the story that almost every fan of the X-Men sort of already know, the friendship between Charles and Erik and the breakdown of their friendship as they become Professor X and Magneto. McAvoy and Fassbender are good choices for the lead roles and their chemistry on screen portrays the friendship between the two main characters as fans would expect it to be. In the previous movies their friendship had been established for many years so the casting of Sir Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellan seemed like an obvious choice because they have a lot in common. However, for X-Men: First Class they had to start from scratch. Finding McAvoy and Fassbender works well for the roles, particularly considering their such different backgrounds yet on screen their friendship blossoms and the script allows them to express their differing views on mutant politics without resorting to dramatic confrontations.

Michael Fassbender should get a particular mention, his portrayal of Magneto could have been campy and comic-bookish but he brings the same conviction to the role as he did in Inglorious Basterds and his stand-alone scenes are full of drama and menace, the perfect budding villain. However Erik's background does make for a sympathetic one, from which having a German background himself was probably part of the appeal of the role. Fassbender expertly shows the audience both the villain and the traumatised little boy so the character moves between friend and foe, just as he should.

The supporting cast of mini-mutants, banded together like a group of students on their first year of school gives the younger audience something to which they can relate. Raven becomes Mystique, Hank becomes Beast (Nicholas Hoult; A Single Man, Clash of The Titans) and the new mutants; Sean Cassidy/Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones; Friday Night Lights, The Last Exorcism), Alex Summers/Havoc (Lucas Till; Battle: Los Angeles, The Spy Next Door), Armando Munoz/Darwin (Edi Gathegi; New Moon, My Bloody Valentine) and Angel Salvadore (Zoe Kravitz; Californication, It's Kind Of A Funny Story). A good supporting cast, lead by Lawrence and Hoult who make a sweet couple and drive the story of difference and show Raven's descent into the hands of Erik, her soon to be boss and mutant mentor.

This is sure to be the start of a new X-Men trilogy, its new, younger cast will attract a younger audience but the story and characters will keep the original, die hard fans and maybe make some new ones. While a different approach that takes a little getting used to if you're used to the old format, the movies give something for everyone and with a stronger cast that it probably would have deserved it seems the franchise is going in the right direction. 

Tuesday, 31 May 2011 Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins) Posted by joeldfisher at 10:39

There are many stories in the world, some as old as time itself, some that are being told as new every day and some that are a little of both. In the 60's Stan Lee decided to take inspiration from Norse mythology to write a new comic book hero based on the god of thunder. Through varied storylines the character remained popular and so much so that he joined Marvel's Avengers, a band of superheroes from different titles within the Marvel universe that would fight the forces of evil as a team. Recently Marvel came up with an ambitious plan to have an Avengers movie but also introduce (or reintroduce in some cases) the individual characters in their own franchise movies. There's already been The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man (the latter becoming significantly more successful) and there's the flag flying Captain America due next month so the series seems to be ramping up quite nicely.

Thor (Chris Hemsworth; Star Trek, the forthcoming Avengers movie) is an arrogant, headstrong god and son of Odin (Anthony Hopkins; The Rite, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger) the king of Asgard and ruler of all gods. There has been a long feud between the gods and the Frost Giants for many years. When a small group of the Frost Giants infiltrate Askgard and try to steal The Casket of Ancient Winters which was won in the war against them, Thor and his friends go to Jotunheim to teach them a lesson. Whilst there a fight breaks out (no thanks to Thor) and war is declared once again. On hearing of his son's reckless behaviour he banishes him from Asgard and sends his hammer, Mjolnir, to Earth along with him for the time when he will be ready to wield it once again.

Knowing your Norse mythology might give you somewhat of an advantage when going to see Thor, or at least having read some of the comics. Because for the casual moviegoer, who may or may not have a full understanding of the character, the explanations for certain elements of the plot may confuse some. However this really doesn't detract from the plot which is as simplistic as you may imagine for such a movie.

Helmsworth and all the other Asgardians are portrayed with the godly dialogue you may expect from a Shakespearian play, albeit more understandable for a modern audience unfamiliar with the bard's work. There's a lot of fun to be had in Asgard as well, Anthony Hopkins revels in the role of Odin and along with the rest of the cast plays along with all the fun in the spectacularly over the top realm.

Loki (Tom Hiddleston; Wallander and the upcoming War Horse) is jealous of his father's favouritism towards his brother and he wants to rule Asgard himself, so with his brother out of the way he goes to making sure he will never return. Hiddleston particularly relishes in his bad guy role, camping it up and in times giving a performance and presence not dissimilar to Richard E Grant and makes Loki a worthy superhero baddie for the audience to hate.

Meanwhile back on Earth, Thor runs into Jane Foster (Natalie Portman; Black Swan, Your Highness) and her team of scientists, Erik Selvig (Stellan Sarskard; Angels and Demons, Mamma Mia) and Darcy Lewis (Kat Dennings; Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, The House Bunny) and the take him in, despite his ramblings about a world that Erik only remembers from the stories of his childhood.

Soon they warm to him and his journey (both physically and mentally) take him back to Asgard to the final showdown with his brother. A special note should be made for Chris Hemsworth, carrying a movie such as this with as little acting experience as he has (relatively) would seem like a daunting task but he matches up with Hopkins and Portman in the various scenes they share and is able to display a range of emotions (albeit limited by the plot) with ease and will make a fine addition to the cast of The Avengers next year.

Thor is, after all, just a superhero movie. It's not to be compared with the likes of The Dark Knight but by no means is it The Fantastic Four. It sticks well to its source material and at the same time gives a light, entertaining adventure for all fans of the comics, the mythology and the movies.  

Sunday, 29 May 2011 Priest (Paul Bettany, Cam Gigandet, Karl Urban) Posted by joeldfisher at 08:24

There are plenty of vampire movies going around these days, the Twilight series has reinvented the genre for the teenage romance market and it seems these days that the old fashioned Count in a castle story has taken a step back for its younger successors. No more do vampires cower at garlic, bare their teeth at the sign of a crucifix or fear a stake through the heart. Priest wants to bring back the vampire genre and does it the only way it knows how; with gravelly voiced vampire hunters, CGI monsters and a sci-fi/western theme setting.

Paul Bettany (Legion, The Da Vinci Code) plays a priest who is haunted by the image of a fallen comrade on his last mission to eradicate the vampires from the planet. However a recent attack on his brother's house shows him that there may be more out there and with the Catholic church denying their continuing existence, he may be the only one who can stop them, once and for all.

Partnered by a local gunslinger, Hicks, (Cam Gigandet; Burlesque, Easy A) they go in search of the creatures of the night and Priest's niece, Lucy (Lily Collins; The Blind Side and the forthcoming The Brothers Grimm: Snow White) who has been kidnapped by them.

Legion, the director Scott Stewart's feature directorial debut also starring Paul Bettany,  was a modest hit, particularly amongst those who like their monster movies loud and gruesome. So handling Priest, in comparison, is a bigger feat to accomplish, but Stewart handles it well and gives the audience just what they want and what they're expecting.

As the plot unfolds the audience learns that the head of the vampire rebellion is lead by a man only known as Black Hat (Karl Urban; R.E.D., the forthcoming Judge Dredd movie, entitled Dredd) and he is also a former priest (no surprises there considering the opening sequence). Knowing our hero's connection to the young Lucy, he holds her hostage in hopes that he'll take the bait and come after her.

The mixture of western and sci-fi isn't exactly a new one (see Westworld or more recently Serenity) but having the religious themes thrown in for good measure seems a little like the movie is trying to cater for a very wide audience, maybe too wide. After all you can't have vampires without mentioning religion and you can't have otherworldly action without a bit of science fiction. However the western setting seems a little overkill, considering the city where Priest lives is a bit more like Blade Runner rather than the set for True Grit.

Saying that though, visually the movie is beautiful. Stewart has a background in visual effects and just as it showed in Legion, it shows here on a grander scale. Showing that Stewart can lend his creative eye to more than one genre (albeit a subgenre) Priest has the look that you would expect from a dystopian world and equally has the feel of a Western town being overtaken by vampires.

The supporting cast of Karl Urban, Maggie Q (Die Hard 4.0, Mission Impossible 3) and Cam Gigandet are good in their own ways. Urban takes the bad guy role and revels in it, albeit probably waiting for a better role. Gigandet takes on a sort of LaBoeuf character as seen in True Grit and carries it off well, I would guess brought in for women to watch as their boyfriends watched the movie alongside them. Finally Maggie Q plays a Priestess and possible love interest for Priest, in case small minded people thought that the hero may have other leanings (see Morecombe and Wise, Bert and Ernie and Batman and Robin for reference).

With the large scale settings, probably quite predictable plot and mostly Z list supporting cast, Priest gives its audience all it can given the script but most seem to be enjoying themselves (particularly Paul Bettany who adopts an Eastwood-esque growl throughout the movie). Priest may not win many awards (maybe some nods for visual effects) but it is definitely made for an audience to enjoy on a Saturday night and if that's all it wants to accomplish then it has achieved it successfully.

Wednesday, 25 May 2011 Source Code (Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga) Posted by joeldfisher at 08:20

As part of an experiment that a man can 'leap' into another man's body in the past, Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal; Love and Other Drugs, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time) went back in time. Awaking to find himself trapped in the past, Colter faces a mirror image that is not his own. Driven by Dr. Rutledge's (Jeffrey Wright; Quantum of Solace, Cadillac Records) experiment to change history for the better. His only guide in this experiment is Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga; Up In The Air, Orphan) an officer in the US army and his only connection to the real world. So Colter Stevens 'leaps' back and forth, striving to put right what once went wrong and hoping his next 'leap', will be the 'leap' home.

Source Code admittedly (and no more so than by the filmmakers themselves) owes more than a little to the cult 90's sci-fi series Quantum Leap. However the timeframe between each 'leap' is a little more confined than the one hour series gave its audience. Having just 8 minutes to stop a bomb from exploding on a train, Coulter Stevens finds himself inhabiting the body of a teacher, and is awoken to find a beautiful female colleague, Christina (Michelle Monaghan; Due Date, Eagle Eye) gazing at him lovingly and at the same time bewildered by the actions of the man she thought she knew so well.

Duncan Jones makes a welcome return to the big screen after his critically acclaimed, award winning debut, Moon with a similarly clever take on a science-fiction subgenre. Dubbed as this year's Inception (probably alongside every other sci-fi action movie this year) Source Code does live up to its flattering comparison. However for those fearing confusion over the complexity of the plot, may be relieved to know that there are smaller leaps of imagination, but dealt with just as impressively and one of the more intelligent movies they are likely to see this year.

Time travel is a difficult subject to deal with (however not so much for China lately who have banned such related movies), going back and forth to further progress the plot and development of the characters can be repetitive and boring if not dealt with correctly. Duncan Jones realises this and after a couple of flashes back to the past, the action is condensed (this is not Groundhog Day so you do not need to see the same footage over and over) and the story is progressed in a clever way that shows Coulter's mission change as he learns the right, and the wrong way to complete his ultimate goal.

Jake Gyllenhaal is a good leading man, he adds the drama, action, romance and sometimes comedy that is needed for the soldier stuck in an experiment whose purpose in life is to save hundreds of others. As the plot thickens, the science fiction element goes into darker territory (slightly highlighted by the Terry Gilliam-esque location of the experiment) and the audience is forced to re-evaluate the movie as a whole. The movie you go in to see will not be the one you come out from seeing.

This makes the whole experience of the movie all the more satisfying. Rather than nonsensical endings or plot twists shoehorned in to try and make something more of the movie than is actually there, Jones asks the audience to question the movie's intentions and keeps them intrigued as to where the movie is going, and as to whether it's going to go the way the audience may have expected.

Opposite the charming leading man is the equally charming leading lady (Monaghan) who also gives the drama, romance and comedy that is needed in such short time frames and makes the relationship and romance believable in the man she thought she knew so well. Also the superb supporting cast of Farmiga and Wright helps give the audience many venues of interest, particularly Dr. Rutledge, the scientist on the brink of a breakthrough who will stop at nothing to carry out his ideals.

Hopefully this will not be the last in the line of intelligent, thought provoking movies by Duncan Jones. A director who in such a small time has proven himself as being able to capture an audience and to give them everything they want, and maybe some things they didn't expect. With all the epic movies and CGI spectaculars in the cinema this year (and every year it seems) it's nice to see a movie like this pulling in a larger audience and keeping them there and at the same time giving them a more enriching movie experience. One day, perhaps movies like this will not have to be dressed up to impress an audience, but while they are, there's no harm in making an audience think.