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.

Tuesday, 24 May 2011 Fast Five (Fast and Furious 5) (Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson) Posted by joeldfisher at 10:33

Way back in 2001 The Fast and The Furious was released, the 50's B-movie title, the fast cars and hot women pulled in audiences the world over. Moving forward ten years the F & F franchise has a life of its own, apart from the occasionally dodgy sequel the studio bosses have hit upon that which they probably should have stuck with. More of the original cast.

So here we are, ten years later and with most of the original cast still in tact. Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel; Babylon A.D., The Pacifier), his sister Mia (Jordana Brewster; The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning, The Fast and The Furious) and his best friend, ex-FBI agent Brian O' Conner (Paul Walker; Takers, Flags Of Our Fathers) are on the run from the FBI after busting Dominic out of prison and are living the fast and furious life in Rio De Janeiro. Unknown to them a crack team of FBI specialists are heading their way lead by Luke Hobbs (Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson; The Other Guys, Tooth Fairy) who has a seemingly relentless vendetta against the team of rubber burning bandits.

The chemistry between the original cast is obvious, Paul Walker and Vin Diesel come together like they've never been apart for the past 10 years and so it's hard not to feel nostalgic about the original Fast and Furious movie. Jordana Brewster is definitely a good addition to the cast but with a lesser role than before so her presence isn't really missed so much (she was always meant to be a love interest and that's all) and her relationship with Brian (Walker) seems as solid as ever so all is good. For those who haven't seen the previous movie in the franchise (such as I) will have to fill in a couple of gaps. Character references from previous episodes and a load of new characters who are immediately accepted into the franchise without question may seem a little confusing for passive viewers of the series and maybe for those who the franchise has passed over altogether, but not by much.

However what is missing by a noticeable chunk are the cars. Living in the poor part of Rio De Janeiro may seem like a good excuse not to go charging around in your suped-up Dodge Charger but when the whole idea of the movie and, the drive, if you will is the fast cars and the chases then you may have to think about what you're doing. There are moments of high-nos madness for the die hard fans of the original but they are more of a nod to the nostalgia of the original rather than an indication that the best is yet to come. At the same time, however, the moments of car crazy madness seem shoehorned in, in the most ridiculous ways, like the director is only obliged to do a scene with a car, but would rather be doing something else. Saying that though there is the obligatory car chase at the end of the movie which should please the fans.

The plot is very loose and although it's set up pretty much right at the beginning of the movie it soon loses its weight and the resulting actions of the anti-heroes seems vengeful rather than a natural way to move the plot forward (do two wrongs make a right?). It's left to the relative newcomers to carry most of the plot and there are some nice and cheerful pairings that help the audience feel closer to the band of brothers (and sisters). Roman Pearce (Tyrese Gibson; Transformers, Legion) comes back to the franchise since last appearing in 2 Fast 2 Furious and adds most of the comic relief, however obvious and cliché he might come across but his stand alone scenes are funny and he's probably got the most personality out of the cast. Tej Parker (Ludacris; No Strings Attached, Gamer) also returns, playing off of Gibson as they did in the last F & F film they were in together, but as a casual viewer of the franchise this connection may be missed and their sudden rivalry may seem off-putting and unnecessary.

Fast and Furious Five (or Fast Five as it's called in certain circles) does recapture some of the original chemistry from the original cast, although really most of them probably had nothing better to do. You get what you pay for in the latest instalment, however those who are wanting more high-speed car chase action may feel a little short changed. 

Monday, 23 May 2011 Your Highness (James Franco, Danny McBride, Natalie Portman) Posted by joeldfisher at 07:43

A long time ago in a land far, far away lived a handsome prince Fabious, (James Franco; 127, Hours, Howl). He was set to marry the beautiful princess, Belladonna (Zooey Deschanel; 500 Days Of Summer, Yes Man) who he had rescued from a castle and the kingdom rejoiced. However, the evil wizard Leezar (Justin Theroux; Megamind, Miami Vice) had other plans, stealing her away from her prince in order to mate with her to summon a dragon. The handsome prince's brother, Thadeus (Danny McBride; Pineapple Express, Land Of The Lost) was always jealous of his brother so decided to skip the wedding but upon his return to his family's castle learnt the grave occurrences upon his absence. So together they go on a quest to retrieve the prince's true love.

This sounds like a set up for an epic fantasy tale of sorcery and magic where brave knights conquer over evil and true love conquers over all. However this is a movie co-written by and starring Danny McBride so it's certainly got its head fully into the fantasy world of such comedies as The Princess Bride and Stardust but the jokes are far cruder, less funny and sadly, far more poorly executed.

I can understand James Franco's involvement in this movie, after all he did flex his comedy muscles (no pun intended) in Pineapple Express to a much surprised audience and carried it off more successfully than imagined. However in Your Highness he is almost a bit player for Danny McBride's misguided ego as he gets most of the screen time, the jokes, and the girl.

As they quest further (quest being used as a verb in this movie) they cross paths with the beautiful and fearless Isabel (Natalie Portman; The Black Swan, Thor) who is on her own quest on behalf of her brother. Of course this then gradually and yet at the same time abruptly turns into a romance between Isabel and Thadeus (I remind you Danny McBride co-wrote this movie) and the goal of both their quests come closer and closer.

There are many problems with this movie, the miscasting and inappropriateness being large, glaring factors as well as the sheer lack of excitement in the 'quest' and the throw away lines that could have been much better under the right direction. There are moments that do make the audience laugh but at the same time there are lines where the audience almost has to imagine that the characters actually said that because they are delivered so quickly and off the cuff. The romance, of course, never feels real and James Franco can't help but try to act, even in a movie of as low a calibre as this so his performance comes across as insincere and almost like he's in another movie altogether.

As this movie is for adults, then the jokes are of a more adult nature, however, having the odd masturbation joke, visible erect penis and inappropriate penis joke does not make an adult comedy, the jokes just come across as obvious and shoved into the script to raise the movie's certificate for the sake of it.

In a land far, far away there should be a comedy like Your Highness for two reasons; firstly so that Natalie Portman and James Franco can forget this embarrassment and secondly so nobody can even be tempted to watch it.

Sunday, 22 May 2011 The Eagle (Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland) Posted by joeldfisher at 08:58

What have the Romans ever done for us? (insert Monty Python joke here). Based on  the book 'Eagle of The North' by Rosemary Sutcliff, The Eagle tells the story of a fearless Roman soldier on a quest for the golden eagle statue that once adorned the staff of his father's battalion of which were lost in battle in England many years ago.

Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum; The Dilemma, Dear John) is a leader in the Roman army and a decorated soldier with a promising future ahead of him. Until one day during a raging battle against the Celtic people he is seriously injured and quickly given an honourable discharge from the army. Reflecting upon his new life and the usefulness he once had he takes pity on a young slave named Esca, (Jamie Bell; Billy Elliot and the forthcoming Tin Tin movie) a Celtic boy whose distrust and hatred of the Romans is all too apparent (and frankly quite justified). Together they set off on a quest to find the golden eagle that was once part of Marcus' family.

Making a film such as this can bring about all kinds of problems; authentic sets, scenery and costumes, authentic actors with authentic accents (ok not Italian accents but it has become the norm to accept English accents in the place of Roman dialect) and above all historical accuracy. However, The Eagle has no such worries. Channing Tatum and, bewilderingly, Donald Sutherland (no doubt brought on to add a bit of acting weight) discard the English accents, or rather don't even attempt them in favour of their own accents (just in case you didn't recognise them). Jamie Bell sticks to what he knows best too despite having a go at the American accent in his previous work. Here he sticks to his good old Northern drawl, despite being Celtic so perhaps a Scottish accent may have been more appropriate instead but even an American accent in a Roman film with English accents would look silly, right?

As Marcus and Esca progress through the gate in Hadrian's wall into unknown territory (yes a gate in Hadrian's wall) the two start to bond and find a mutual respect for one another. One a bloodthirsty Roman soldier (whose thirst never subsides throughout the movie) and another a Celtic slave, an oppressed minority, a member of the invaded population and yet they find a common goal and honour in their different cultures. But things soon take a turn for the worst when Esca's tribe (looking suspiciously like a low budget version of the Na'avi from Avatar) come across the pair and the tables are turned for Marcus as he becomes the slave.

Of course the role reversal is brief as for a somewhat unexplained reason Esca was only pretending and in a not-very-well-thought-out escape plan they head straight for where the eagle is being kept (all very convenient).

The Eagle is a rather hurried movie and is left for the audience to decide on why the characters do some of the things they do and exactly for whom we should be supporting. Marcus is a, as I mentioned earlier, bloodthirsty soldier for the invading Roman forces who seemingly never learns a thing about compassion and tolerance as may be expected in this kind of movie, accented by the odd gratuitous bludgeoning and strangling scene. Esca is therefore an odd character to support because there is no reason I saw for his warming to Marcus and no explanation is given over the complete change in the character's mindset on helping Marcus, let alone helping him get the eagle back.

Along the way we meet a few characters (mostly Celts getting bludgeoned) and a cameo from one of Marcus' father's brothers in arms (Mark Strong; Robin Hood, the forthcoming Green Lantern movie) who also seems to have caught on to the American/Roman theme and decided inexplicably to sport an American accent too (see above about unusual use of accents).

So in the end the Romans are the good guys and the Celts are one step further to becoming more tolerant of their invading Italian cousins. Just what Braveheart would have wanted.