The Wolverine 3D

Duration: 126 minutes.

Media: Cinematic Release
(Parramatta Event Gold Class Cinemas).

You know what I love about Gold Class cinemas? The comfy reclining seats, the amazing food, and most of all, the limited seating. I tend to prefer to sit smack dab in the middle of a cinema, whether it be Gold Class or a standard cinema... I think it's more of a matter of acoustics as well as being able to view the entire screen directly in front of me so that I can take in the entire scene.

The fact that I was going to be watching The Wolverine was just the icing on the cake. My brother-in-law and sister-in-law gifted me a pair of Gold Class tickets for my birthday, and seeing I'm the sharing type; and because my wife absolutely loves Hugh Jackman as the titular character she and I headed off to Event Cinemas to see the sixth Marvel Studios movie starring Jackman. It seems that Hugh is pretty much a staple (and necessity) for the continued success of the X-Men related franchise. As a result, I am pleased to hear of the upcoming seventh film, X-Men: Days of Future Past to be released in 2014, although this is also implied, given the mid-credits sequence; which [SPOILER ALERT!] is played so well given the reprisal of roles (albeit at a cameo capacity) by Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen as Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr respectively. Given the nature of Wolverine's character his presence within the Marvel Universe is such that he can pretty much appear to be the same no matter where, no matter when. And in this movie, it is no exception, especially with respect to Logan's immortality.

The timeline of this movie lays some time after the events of X-Men: The Last Stand where Logan has pretty much reverted to the life of a hermit, still having dreams (or nightmares - I guess it depends on the context) with Jean Gray, whom he had killed when she was in her Dark Phoenix incarnation, while living off the land, in what as far as I can tell is his homeland of Canada. He is then approached by a mutant called Yukio who has been asked to bring him to see her employer, Ichirō Yashida, of whom Logan had saved back in the time of the Nagasaki bombing during World War II, when Yashida was an officer at the POW camp where Logan was held. It seems Yashida wants to thank him personally and to also say good-bye; well, he is dying... as sixty-five years added to something as gruelling as surviving an atomic blast can take its toll on a person it seems (who'd have known?)

But it seems that Yashida-san has more. He wants to give Logan a gift, he wants to give him mortality. It's at this point a comics fan such as myself would think "Why the f[CENSORED]k would he consider the possibility that Wolverine would accept such a gift? Much to our delight he is resilient and flatly refuses the deal, only to later find himself losing his gift of healing/immortality due to some weird electronic gene-suppressing bug that must have been inspired from the tracking bug that was hidden inside Neo in The Matrix. Pretty soon, Yashida is dead, and his granddaughter, Mariko, is being targetted on all sides for no apparent reason from the time she attends her grandfather's funeral.

Mariko, played by Tao Okamoto, is an absolute babe. I kinda had a bit of a crush on her during the length of this movie, and her tenacity and tough persona shines through as Mariko, which I think is a great garnish to Jackman's dish of Wolverine that's been served up here. Tao's character of Mariko is a very determined, independent young lady and personally, I wouldn't want to mess with that either... Though I must admit, the role is left somewhat empty to an extent. I kinda feel that Mariko's nature is very different to what a number of us have read in a number of different comics, particularly in the Age of Apocalypse and Exiles versions of the comics. Do I appreciate the way that Mariko is handled in the course of this movie? I'd like to say "yes", but only because her initial hardened exterior is swapped for a more vulnerable persona later in the film. I'm not saying that I want women in film to be demure or damsels in distress, but it's nice to see a hardened character like Mariko become less so...

Hugh Jackman... where do I begin, he totally owns his role, and he's worked hard at it. As I said before, this is his sixth role as Logan, with a seventh one to come, there's bound to be a few more requests for Jackman to don the claws once again. In this incarnation in this movie, we see a more humanized version of Wolverine, one with the inability to heal (What? Oh, quit being surprised, they mentioned it in the trailers, so it's no shock...) And one who eventually reverts to a slightly retro-version of himself, I shan't say how, but stick around in your seat long enough and you will see how. Logan, as always has the subtlety of a sledge hammer, the strength of many men, and his razor sharp but dark wit; and you know, what? If he had strayed anyway beyond that, he'd be a different mutant altogether, and we prefer the Wolverine as he is, and I think I speak on behalf of every fan boy when I say that.

The other main star that seems to come through and shine is Famke Janssen, who plays, I guess the ghost of her former character, Jean Grey. She seems to appear as a sort of conscience factor, almost a Jiminy Cricket of sorts, but she more or less haunts Logan in his dreams or when he's all alone. In this film, the "ghost" of Jean and Logan have a somewhat complicated relationship of sorts, where Logan is still coming to grips with what he did in The Last Stand. Hugh himself said Jackman said, "There's no doubt that the most important relationship in his life is - we've seen through the movies - is his relationship with Jean Grey. Yes, we saw her die at the end of X-Men: The Last Stand, but in this movie, she has a presence which I think is vital to the movie, particularly for him confronting the most difficult thing within himself." And it works... We all feel bad about Jean being killed but to Logan, it seemed like the only way that she could be defeated, and yes, I cried inside when Jean died. I also kept wondering why she always appeared in this film in nothing but a silky lingerie number... Not that I minded... Nevertheless, the interaction between these two characters does push the story onward, and I think we would have seen a very different film had this dynamic been left out.

One other character comes into mind, and I only say that because she is absolutely annoying and I really couldn't see the justification of her presence within the movie save for there being a need to have a villain... and that's the character called Viper. Now, my knowledge of Viper in the Marvel Universe gives me a very different picture than what I saw in this film. To tell you the truth, she seems a little more likeable in the film than the comics version... but even then, this character of Viper is kinda... gross. Over-confident, self-absorbed and poisonous; a bit like my ex-wife.... (I'm not kidding). Viper in this case has a few more traits more related to her nickname, she is immune to all toxins , able to shed her skin if infected, as well as being a master at creating toxins. I really didn't see the point of including the skin-shedding part even though it would have justified the nickname. She's played by Svetlana Khodchenkova, who would have been a complete unknown to me, if it wasn't for the fact that I also recognize her from Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy as Irina. I don't know, maybe it's because she's the main villain... or is she? (No spoilers this time, sorry!)

Secondary characters accumulate throughout this movie here and there like scraps of paper awaiting to be thrown out... They seem to have little purpose save to help bring the story together, even though the story doesn't truly involve them. The fight scene between Logan and Shingen seems almost parodied from elsewhere, as Shingen seems to have either the brazen courage or blatant stupidity to keep going even though he's beaten... it could be the whole honor code that he abides to there in Japan, I can't be certain. The fight scene between Yukio (another mutant whose power is the ability to see people's deaths... Wow... How thrilling that must be...) and Viper is a necessity as we see the need for the good guy to triumph over the bad guy... The final fight scene between Wolverine and the true nemesis in this film raises a few questions, and seems a little too corny towards the end, albeit for a split second or two. I personally found the post-funeral fight scene a little more than any of these other ones, the choreography is great and Logan, Yukio and Harada (some ninja type who thinks he can't be seen in broad daylight, dressed in black, tip-toeing over the rooftops... Hmmm...) worked well together in this scene.

Oh, and Harada... Will Yun Lee plays the role well, but I have to question the writers on the logic of his storyline. He kept switching sides quicker than he can jump from one rooftop to another... There may have been a fairly limited number of people in that Gold Class cinema, but I think they were having just as much trouble trying to figure out which f[CENSORED]king side he was fighting for... Funnily enough, he plays a very limited role in another movie I'll be reviewing very shortly, Total Recall (the 2012 reboot), and the difference between his character in there and in this film is astounding... Here, Harada looks fit, well-fed and has a fairly good length of hair... Whereas it seems the total opposite in Total Recall. Lee underwent rigorous sword training for The Wolverine, and I have to say, it pays off... it doesn't seem fake or flaunted, it has certainly paid off.

The visual effects are seamless and very smooth, including the Silver Samurai which appeared to be all CGI. After a number of films, Marvel have pretty got the X-Men universe pretty much worked out. That being said, I was quite happy to see an old favorite come back towards the end of the film during the final fight scene.

Am I happy with the film? Yes, but the film is just a prelude of what is to come next year; it feels somewhat incomplete... and I was left wanting more. The movie, was kinda like a lunch time yum-cha session... I'm continuously being fed, and loving every morsel, but after leaving... I'm left feeling even hungrier and wondering whether there could have been more... That said, I am giving The Wolverine 4 stars, and hoping the next installment delivers more to warrant that five star rating.

Iron Man 3

Running Time: 130 minutes
Media: Cinematic Release (Hoyts Penrith)

I have two comic book heroes that I absolutely love, no questions asked. One of them is DC Comics' the Flash, and I have always loved anything that has come out regarding him in all of his various incarnations.

The other is Marvel Comics' Iron Man. And I have to confess, when I first heard that Robert Downey Junior was going to be playing the part of Tony Stark, I was fist pumping the air in celebration! He was the most perfect fit in my personal opinion... RDJ was a broken man, rather much like Stark was in the comics... And if I do say so myself, the Iron Man franchise has pretty much resurrected Downey's career. Four movies on and a cameo to boot (see "The Incredible Hulk" for a lovely little Easter egg most would miss because they don't watch past the credits, let alone stick around for them...) and it's plain to see that Iron Man and the Avengers are here to stay... And will be coming back for even more.

And most of you may think I've pretty much written the review in my head and made my mind up... I have, but before I write a glowing review on what I already consider a great film, a few caveats. I'm writing this as a fan of film and comics, not as someone who has been endorsed by Marvel Studios (if only!) Secondly, I'm a bit of a traditionalist and appreciate when good ideas can be translated seamlessly from one medium to another, the Harry Potter franchise comes to mind (book to film, albeit with a few minuses here and there... But I'll get to those in future reviews...), but at the same time I will, on occasion mark down attempts to push the boundaries too far... For example, the original Spider-Man series using organic web creation... And a much wimpier and vulnerable Peter Parker...

So, Iron Man 3... Where do we begin? Good or bad? Let's start with the bad and work our way up...

Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, undeniably gorgeous, but I've noticed her hair has gotten lighter and lighter with each film... Where's the redhead from the first film?? Granted, the sassiness is  still there, but why did Pepper let her red locks fade to blonde? Am I being a little sentimental? Possibly, but as I said I'm a bit of a traditionalist...

Next, Stark's near brush with death against the alien race trying to enslave the planet, what were they called again, the Chitauri... That's it... Now, I was still trying to figure out what it was that keeps freaking Stark out when people mention the battle of New York... He pretty much killed them off with the nuclear device he pointed at the Chitauri mothership... He then passed out until the Hulk... er... "jolted" him awake... So the question begs, what the f[CENSORED]k makes him break down at the thought of recalling the events of that day?

Also, I know Marvel Studios is owned by Disney but did they have to hammer that point home by borrowing elements from "The Incredibles"? You don't follow? Okay, prepare for spoilers...

In Iron Man 3, Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) is approached by an idolizing young scientist, Aldrich Killian, hoping to join forces with Stark, but is turned down by Stark; only to come back as an evil version of himself several years later, who is then subsequently killed but not by Stark.

In The Incredibles, Robert Parr (aka Mr Incredible) is approached by an idolizing fan, Buddy Pine, but is turned down by Parr; only to come back as an evil version of himself several years later, who is then subsequently killed but not by Parr.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery... I guess when you consider the parallels between "Avatar" and "Pocahontas" are far greater, then this thing with "Iron Man 3" and "The Incredibles" is considerably forgivable in comparison.

So let's go through the main cast... Robert Downey Junior... RDJ, well what can I say? RDJ is RDJ, he was born for the role in my personal opinion and I can't fault him... His role is serious with a side of funny, though his little freak-out episodes throughout the film seem odd...  They seem... "out of place", and I'm having trouble making sense of it... And his collaboration with this kid Harley just seems a little fortuitous, almost convenient... This was the only part that has made me question the film really...

Well, that and Pepper Potts' ever fading red hair to blonde... That's questionable too. Paltrow's portrayal of Potts, however, is much stronger than the original character portrayed in the classic comics or even the two/three minute cartoon mini-series I used to watch when I was younger. And you know what? It suits the franchise; Potts is the Jiminy Cricket sitting on Tony Stark's shoulder to help guide him... with Stark, just like Pinocchio, striving to be more than he currently is.

Guy Pearce as the bad guy, it seems a little... "odd"... Don't get me wrong, I think he's a great actor and he's a fellow Australian, but his character, Aldrich Killian, comes off as snobby, arrogant, his fake tan looks a little bit too fake... Perfect teeth, and, perfect pecs… and a very petty attitude to those who aren't perfect like he is... Basically, he looks and acts like a complete douche bag. When I think about it though, that's probably the whole objective, make Guy Pearce a douche so that Robert Downey Junior looks angelic by comparison, and you know what? I think they succeeded.

Wait a second, almost forgot about Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin... Remember all that hype that was made when they announced The Mandarin as the baddie for Iron Man 3? Well, take that hype, stick it in a luxurious envelope, seal it, add a pretty bow on it... Got that? Good, now take that envelope and promptly feed it into the nearest document shredder you can find... As soon as I saw his face and heard his voice I knew that something suspicious was up... Being known as The Mandarin and yet sounding like a Texan sheriff with a fake over-enunciated drawl rang alarm bells from my cinema seat... This Mandarin was (from my already-formed opinion) merely a figurehead or a patsy or rather, the "customer sales representative" to something more sinister. How anticlimactic my conclusions were when I found that I was right... It's rather disappointing...

Now enough of the cast, let's go to the visual effects... I can't fault them, I really can't... That's more because of the forty-something special suits that Tony Stark has created since the New York incident in "Marvel's The Avengers" some months back... Though a question is raised regarding the suits, that one being why he didn't use them all in the first major battle scene as he did in the final scene... Once you see the film, you'll be wondering the same. The transition of Stark hopping from one suit to the next is seamless... and left me wondering "where's my god damn Iron man suit?" The other somewhat cool effect is this "Extremis" virus thing... It seems very heat and fire orientated and the visuals for that are pretty awesome.

The ending of the movie, well, what can I say... It's left me wondering, will Stark take on the mantle of Iron Man ever again? It's left it somewhat very open-ended and although it seems to point to a definite retirement, what's gonna happen seeing there's plans of a sequel to the Avengers? Lets just say that I'm still wanting more... In the mean time, Iron Man 3 receives four stars...

Warm Bodies

Running time: 97 minutes

Media: Cinematic release

I saw this movie a few months ago after an aunt's birthday party, and I have to admit, I actually enjoyed this considerably. And while I normally tend to read the books of these book-to-film conversions, I didn't know that a book existed until I read about it in its respective Wiki article.

I kept looking at the two lead characters, R, the zombie and Julie the non-zombie, and I realized I had seen them in other movies recently. R is played by Nicholas Roult, who played Dr. Hank McCoy in X-Men: First Class who also became Beast in that film. Julie, is played by Aussie girl Teresa Palmer, who was the love interest in the Disney movie The Sorceror's Apprentice. It's a thing I do, it's not a sign of a mental condition or anything, I just try to recognize everyone I can in a film where possible, just for my own interest and curiosity... But I digress...

The premise of the film is that we have the post-apocalyptic world scenario where zombies are rife throughout the area in question, and there's small fortified cities where survivors venture out to find food, medical supplies, etc. It kinda reminds me of an iPhone app I have called "Zombies, Run!", which, I kid you not, is a fitness program to help with running away from virtual zombies! Anyhow, in one of these missions Julie and her somewhat ass of a boyfriend, Perry are trapped in some medical facility. Perry gets killed by R (that's all he remembers of his name... just the R), who proceeds to also eat Perry's brain... Now supposedly a zombie eating someone's brain somehow makes them telepathically aligned with the person they're eating, feeling their emotions and thoughts. So as a result, R starts having feelings for Julie, which turn out to be feelings of love as far as it can be told. Julie is freaked out about some zombie trying to woo her... And probably not as much as her dad, played by John Malkovich... Who thinks that the only good zombie is a dead one...

Just as an aside, here's a quick thought-provoking question. When R eats someone's brain, he absorbs their thoughts and feelings... If R were to eat some of his own brains... would he find himself in that restaurant scene in Being John Malkovich? I have no idea where that thought came from... I think my glass of Sprite may be tainted or something... 

Anyhow, R tries to woo Julie, and at the same time tries to avoid both of them being torn apart by "boneys" which are zombies that have gone off on a bender, never to return; or being killed by Julie's dad and his troops, as well as preventing Julie from being eaten by fellow zombies like R's friend, M (played by Rob Corddry). But it seems that not only is R changing, the love R feels for Julie is spreading to other zombies like M, and they're changing too... It's a little leap if faith on the part of the audience, but it does pay off a little... It's a kind of a feel good movie, but without the bubblegum goodness that makes you want to gag like you've had a cup of fake-cherry flavored cough syrup.

Now while I haven't read the book, I would suspect that the movie ties in very closely to the plot of the movie; and for that I am actually quite thankful. Though I may have to question the almost convenient way that the movie resolves to its final conclusion. It's a little cutesy-putesy to say the least, but it's tolerable, probably more tolerable than say, World War Z. I have to admit though, there were times that I thought that the zombies had more character than any of the non-zombie ones... Well, they seemed the funniest, after all, they were trying to become more and more human again.

In summing up though, Warm Bodies is one of those films that is a film that you could take your other half to see, as there is a somewhat touching relationship... You know, girl meets ghoul per se. The acting is fairly decent, even though Malkovich is seen as quite an obnoxious bastard. But the way the movie plays out the relationship being built up is quite enchanting and it does draw you in. I enjoyed this movie immensely and I'll have to look far and wide for the DVD or Blu-Ray to enjoy later. Warm Bodies receives a very heart-warming four stars.

Quartet

Running Time: 98 minutes.

Media: Cinematic Release, Hoyts Penrith, NSW.

I must admit, I had some hesitations about seeing this film at first... It's a bit of a stand-alone film, distributed by The Weinstein Company and BBC Films... it's a British comedy, and in my belief they kinda stopped being funny after "Are You Being Served" disappeared off TVs worldwide... I was also concerned that this movie was not going to get its point across in the 98 minute time frame. I mean, what a challenge, I thought! I sat there in my seat at Hoyts Penrith at 4:50 p.m. wondering whether I was going to enjoy this along side of my fiancée.

I found that I had considerable time to think, as it took 30 minutes from the projected starting time for them to get the film on the projector. I did sit through a half-hour's worth of movie reviews and ads, and I have to say, I could feel the audience's mounting anticipation too... That being said, I sensed everyone's relief when the screen curtains parted further to signal the beginning of the film.

Now, British comedies are a sort of like Forrest Gump's "box of chocolates" analogy, you'll never know what you're gonna get; particularly when you're dealing with a plot line such as that in this film, but I wasn't sure what to get from a directorial debut film by Dustin Hoffman. Pauline Collins, Tom Courtenay and Billy Connolly play three-quarters of a operatic quartet that sang Verdi's Rigoletto several years ago. Now the've since retired and living in a retirement home for gifted musicians, who put on a concert on Giuseppe Verdi's birthday every year. Reg, played by Tom Courtenay, is quite comfortable with his life there, giving talks to young kids about music, and his occasional performance. Enter Reg's ex-wife, Jean, played by Maggie Smith... Reg's life is run a-shambles as a result... It seems that he hasn't forgiven her all those years ago.

Reg is accompanied by his other Rigoletto members, Wilfred, played by lovable Scottish larrikin, Billy Connolly; and Cecily, also known as "Cissy", played by Pauline Collins, who is known for her role as Shirley Valentine in both the play and 1989 movie. Jean is still not ready to accept the idea of singing in public again, stating she's a confirmed retiree; Reg can't get over Jean's presence; Wilfred keeps flirting with staff... and the leading doctor... and other retired musicians; and Cecily keeps forgetting things... supposedly due to an inferred case of Alzheimer's. Combine these personalities with the rather loud and obnoxious character of Cedric Livingstone, played by Michael Gambon, and you've got a very interesting dynamic. Michael Gambon as most people would know played the part of Professor Albus Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series after Sir Richard Attenborough's death. Strange as this may sound, it seems that Gambon decided to raid Dumbledore's wardrobe and use it for the role of Cedric; he's shown in a number of robes and unusual hats that could only be found Hogwart's School of Wizadry and Magic. Most amusing.

Courtenay plays the role of Reginald well, and despite my lack of knowledge of other films I've seen him star in, he is a fine actor in Quartet. He plays the betrayed soul quite well, and hams it up just a bit to seem like a drama queen, but without overdoing it. I wish I could say the same about Gambon...

Billy Connolly... he's an enigma, this one... I know I used this word in a previous review, but he is... I'm not sure why he got the role, but I think it was simply due to the nature of his character, a rather randy musician who likes to talk up the ladies. His one-liners and brazen boldness in chatting to anyone with cleavage brought a number of laughs to the audience, including myself. But one thing kinda keeps niggling at me... Connolly isn't known for his operatic vocals... if any. So how did he land a role that involved his "attempts" at singing, and singing opera no less? The mind boggles as to the reasons.

Pauline Collins is a great actress, and she shines in this film. She seems younger than she's meant to portray and I think that's kinda reflected in her character's occasional bouts of Alzheimer's which send her back a few decades, making her think she's still a young girl, or making her forget simple facts. My heart went out to Cissy, and it's an incredible film that can make you want to reach out to a character on the screen and give them a hug. Her BAFTA for Shirley Valentine is testament to her performance ability.

Maggie Smith, another Harry Potter alumnus like Michael Gambon, is supposedly the star of the show. When Reg, Wilfred and Cecily approach Jean (Smith's character) about the idea of singing their Rigoletto quartet at the annual concert, her reactions are quite astounding. She's accepted and yet not quite accepted her age, and her now retired vocation as an opera singer, she comes to blows with Reg about their past (which is never fully revealed) and there is the still lingering love between her and Reg that is the focus of the story and Jean's shell which she is desperately trying to come out of in order to move forward.

The dynamics of the quartet are healthy, albeit a little dry, but enjoyable to watch. Gambon's flamboyance throughout the film are somewhat of a annoyance, however... Honestly, he wasn't this annoying in the Harry Potter series, but then again, one shouldn't pigeon-hole him. I am a little disappointed that the film didn't show the quartet singing (even if they were miming, it would have been pleasant to watch), but there is some compensation with a number of the cast being portrayed in the ending credits in their long-ago performances. It seems a number of the cast were indeed stage and musical performers in their own right, and this final realization has salvaged my ritique of this film. As a result, Quartet, gets a star for each of its four main characters. Four stars.

The overall experience in the cinema itself also gets four stars, but they would have gotten the full five if it weren't for the plethora of ads and previews they inundated us with before the actual movie.

Thor (2011)

Running Time: 114 minutes.

Media: Cinematic release.

Having gone to see this with my fiancée last year I had hoped to see a little more homage to the original Marvel canon, and I was  pleasantly surprised,  though I have to confess, I did have a few disappointing issues with the film.

Natalie Portman was one of them... Don't get me wrong, I know that Jane Foster is a nurse in the original canon, and she's now an astrophysicist in the film... it kinda ties in with the whole wormholes/rainbow bridge plot they have going... but her character is actually quite wooden and the performance is somewhat lacking. What pains me even more is that I'm criticizing an absolute babe like Natalie Portman... I love her, I really do, and all the work she has done in the past... but this was not one of the best performances... You probably could have written her out of the entire storyline and it would not have made much of a difference, or it could have improved it... The point is, that nowadays most of these Marvel films now have a considerably predictable formula where the hero has a love interest of some sort and the hero has to save the interest at some point in one way or another... This is no different in this film, or any other Marvel film.

Odin, is played by the somewhat immortal Sir Anthony Hopkins... His performance is a little cringe-worthy, maybe because, in my personal opinion, it's a little hammy... Sure, it may seem a little necessary to throw in the Shakespearean vibe... After all, let's face it, we have Kenneth Branagh directing this film, and he also directed and starred in a whopping 242 minute version of Hamlet... But this hammy-ness of Hopkin's portrayal of Odin still didn't quite gel with me...

The only other disappointment I had was with the ever lovely Rene Russo, who plays the role of Frigga (or Freya, depending on how you were brought up in regards to Norse Mythology)... Russo, as lovely as she is, was both a) not as recognizable at first, in fact I had to see Thor a second time just to be dead certain, and b) she was seldom used in the storyline... And that was actually quite a shame... I would have loved to have seen more of her in the film. A gorgeous woman if ever I saw one, and one hell of an actress...

Now, having gotten all that off my chest... Let's proceed... Given Thor was a smash and paved the way for The Avengers movie to come about...the story follows the battle fought in the tenth century between the realm of Asgard and the frost giants of Jotunheim. The Casket of Ancient Winters is claimed as prize by Asgard for winning the battle and all ends well... supposedly. Fast forward to present times and Thor is about to ascend the throne as king of Asgard, all hell breaks loose and Thor gets on his high horse and starts yet another battle with the frost giants... Thor's dad, Odin, a little pissed that Thor has arrogantly gone against his wishes and broken a somewhat fragile truce between the two realms (not that anyone in the audience was aware of any "truce" being established), and banishes him to Earth without his hammer, sending that elsewhere with an enchantment to ensure that only the worthy are allowed to wield it.

Here's where things get kinda funny, Thor after plummeting to Earth has a few issues with running into trouble, be it Natalie Portman's van (twice), military installations or giant medieval metallic fire breathing guardians. But in the process of all this craziness occurring, Thor's brother Loki, played by an amazingly charismatic Tom Hiddleston, who would be by far, the most appreciated character in the film in my personal opinion, but supposedly not the most admired by other characters within the film itself; who wants nothing more than to rule Asgard, Earth, the universe, your grandmother's bakery, the neighbor's doghouse, Germany, certain parts of Monaco and maybe Pluto... Let's just say that Loki is one ambitious son of a bitch... But Tom delivers his character with such direction and emotion, that you almost feel like cheering for him and not for Hemsworth's Thor. He very much follows through on this further in The Avengers, I'm very happy to say. To be honest, I'm very pleased with the portrayal of Loki's character by Hiddleston, one of the most refreshing since Taylor Kitsch played Gambit in X-Men Origins: Wolverine.

As amazing as this film is, there lacks some continuity between scenes here and there, with trying to link certain aspects together, and although Hemsworth's Thor does attempt to pull it all together and save the day... it does leave the audience feeling like there was something missing... Loki seems to make the movie more than the title character. This movie, which has earned a four star rating from me, still has a few holes that may begin filling up once you've seen it a few more times... Thor is out on DVD and Blu-Ray and should be taken up as soon as possible as it contains a vital component post-credits that is a must-see should you wish to see The Avengers shortly thereafter.

I Am Legend

Running Time: 100 minutes

Media: DVD

I Am Legend is the third book-to-movie conversion of the novel of the same name, this version starring Will Smith and for a very brief period, Emma Thompson...

We're set in a post apocalyptic New York City in 2012... Some three years prior, Emma Thompson in the form of Dr. Alice Krippin has created a "cure for cancer", or so we believe... it seems this cure mutated and has an ability to turn people into predatory, vampiristic beings referred to as "Darkseekers" who prey on those immune to the virus.

One such immune person is Will Smith's character, Dr (and Colonel) Robert Neville, a military virologist... who is one of the only few (if not the only) human survivors in New York City in 2012. He scours the city with his dog Samantha, looking for survivors, hunting deer and looking for suitable Darkseekers to experiment on in order to find a cure for those infected by the Krippin virus.

The isolation that the film portrays with Neville wondering an apocalyptic and decrepit New York City with his only companion, a German Shepard called Samantha; is eerie, uncomfortable and somewhat disorienting to the audience... I think, this is only because we never consider the possibility of being so isolated... and I feel Francis Lawrence, who directs this, has really hit a home run with this in-your-face kind of film... Most post-apocalyptic films tend to have a sense of almost near comedy the way the infected characters the living  run away from, amble about... Not so here... these Darkseekers are not necessarily mindless creatures, they possess a structure, a sense of intellect, and to a degree you do feel some sort of compassion for them... You also find yourself wanting to reach out to Dr. Neville, whose saga is peppered with flashbacks and his momentary episodes of near-emotional breakdown make you realize Neville is not superhuman, only human.

This movie kinda hits a bit of an anti-climax after the introduction of Alice Braga who saves his life at one point in the movie... and goes downhill from there, albeit slowly... and although the movie ends in a way that does give it some reprieve, the movie is spoiled by a few moments from this particular point, including one point which involves a critical emotional release in relation to bacon - pay attention, as this moment goes fairly quick if you don't; those that love bacon will understand my distress, funny as it is. I still enjoyed this film, however, and despite the few points I've mentioned above, the film I Am Legend gets awarded four stars.

The Pirates! Band of Misfits

Running Time: 88 minutes.

Media: Cinematic release.

It's been a while since I sat down and enjoyed something a film like this. I actually saw this with my fiancée's god-daughter's brother about a month or two ago while her sister and her friends went to see Mirror, Mirror for her birthday. As hot as Julia Roberts is, I preferred to see this...

Now I have to confess, I didn't hear a lot of hype about this film at all, so I kinda was thinking this would be a little "hokey" (that's become my new favorite word of late!) and then I heard that Hugh Grant was going to be voicing the lead role... My head turned... This was not going to be any ordinary film...

How surprised I was when I was proven right... This film, while crafted to enthuse and entertain youngsters like my young friend Aidan, also had a number of small Easter Egg moments where the odd adult joke was cleverly hidden away. Not only that, the cast such as Hugh Grant, Martin Freeman, Jeremy Piven and Salma Hayek brought wonderful entertaining renditions of their characters that I couldn't peel my eyes away from the screen. The animation is very much in the clay stop-motion genre that one would see with Wallace and Gromit but it has been ramped up a few notches...

The plot line was entertaining in itself, The Pirate Captain (played by Grant) tries to get himself into the competition as the Pirate of the Year, an annual match which involves a number of categories which alas, the Pirate Captain cannot well-compete in. IN his attempts to plunder a number of ships with his rag-tag crew, he comes across Charles Darwin who discovers that his "parrot" is actually the last living and surviving dodo. In the process, the Pirate Captain gets embroiled with a pirate-phobic Queen Victoria and a number of other characters which throw chaos, joy and laughter into the storyline.

Now, while this isn't knee-slappingly funny... I did chortle a little at some of the jokes being made, as well as smile secretly to myself... I guess in the case of the adult watching the film, as opposed to the child watching it, there's a considerable difference... But this is a wonderful film that I would take kids to, and also be entertained myself... This movie does receive a bountiful four stars for the amazing effort that was put into this film, and it shows.

12 Monkeys

Running Time: 127 minutes.

Media: DVD.

This is by far one of the weirdest films out... one of the few time-travel films that still requires me to view over and over again just to make some semblance of sense of it.

12 Monkeys is one of the types of movies that requires maybe one or two viewings to finally get a hang of what's going on. I say this as it seems the film kinda combines a number of time frames and as a result one needs to focus carefully on where and where Bruce Willis' character, James Cole is in... Madeline Stowe plays a somewhat paranoid psychiatrist, Kathryn Railly who gets embroiled with James' time travel adventures, much against her want... Add the zany antics of Brad Pitt as a fanatical animal rights activist and mental patient and you have all the chemistry you need to get a film that kinda loses the audience... And the plot...

To give you a quick run-down on the basic premise of the film - a super duper virus has been released back in 1996, resulting in deaths of pandemic proportions. As a result, the human race has been forced to venture underground to survive... Fast toward some forty, maybe fifty years onwards and the world as we know it seems to have taken on a cross between steampunk, UFC fighting stadiums and New York sewers... James Cole has been given the task to travel back in time, find out what caused the virus and stop it from ever spreading to begin with... James keeps having these dreams of witnessing a guy get shot at an airport as a child, which are apparently repressed childhood memories...

Terry Gilliam directs this film, which kinda explains the costume and stage design for the post-apocalyptic world, and possibly the scripting of Brad Pitt's lines... The film had my head scratching, wondering why the world supposedly seemed to regress in terms of technology, fashion and I'd have to add, intellect...

The film is great in the way it twists and turns, eventually closing the loop in the end... There are a few areas that seemed a bit on the fake side, like the color in David Morse's hair in the film. I guess, the delivery of Stowe's performance seemed a little unbelievable as well... However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel; what with Brad Pitt's performance which resulted in Pitt being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and he also won a Golden Globe for his role in the film. Real comic geeks may recognize one of Kathryn Railly's colleagues as being played by Frank Gorshin, who played the role of the Riddler in the 1960's TV series of Batman.

Would I watch this film again? Yes, though not terribly soon... Although it's a great film, the movie seems to get caught up in itself so much, the audience is left wondering what the hell is happening, and you find yourself a little cheated in the end, especially with not having seen the ending in your mind sooner... Bear in mind, this movie is a re-write of the French film La Jetée, a film made in 1962, of which I've yet to see, but will in the near future... 12 Monkeys borrows a number of components from its predecessor and makes it a worthy film, even though it does go over the top at times... I'm giving this film four stars as a result.

The Man from Earth

Running Time: 89 minutes.
Media: Video file.

This is not my ordinary kind of movie I would normally sink my teeth into... I saw it some five or so years ago around the time it first came out... I have to admit it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it does come across as a fairly intellectual kind of film in places...

Jerome Bixby, who died before this movie was released, started writing the screenplay back in the 60's, but finally finished it off on his death-bed in 1998. I know, a bit gruesome, but hey, that's the way it happened... His son, Emerson Bixby took the screenplay and decided to work on making it into a movie. The results are actually quite surprising.

Bixby (Junior) has taken a not-so-well known cast, inclusive of the title character, played by a relatively unknown David Lee Smith... If you have seen Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood you may have recognized him as the actor who played the young Shep Walker. Other cast include Tony Todd, who has played many very morbid characters in a number of horror based films as well as CIA Director Grahamin the TV series Chuck, John Billingsley, who played the character of Doctor Phlox on Star Trek: Enterprise and William Katt, who's real claim to fame was playing history teacher turned superhero Ralph Hinkley/Hanley (I could never understand why they changed the surname?) in The Greatest American Hero.

The movie pretty much occurs mostly at the home of John Oldman, a university professor, who admits to his friends he is leaving behind that he is a Cro-Magnon who has managed to survive for over 14,000 years. The plot revolves his friends trying to determine Oldman's sanity by throwing questions about his memories and general history and the possibilities of his claim being true.

There is a bit of a twist, and I will say nothing save that some people of a strong religious constitution may take offense to it. I will leave it to those willing to take a chance on the movie. The storyline is well thought and written out... even though at times the quality of the acting sometimes takes a temporary and relatively short down turn before starting back up again... I have given The Man from Earth four stars and I fele I should move on and hurry as I have two more reviews to make!

I know, I know... I've been slack... it's been almost two months since my last review... February and March have been relatively busy for me... so I hope to be back on track with more reviews in the days and weeks to come, inclusive of a mini-marathon of movies some time in April/May!

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Running Time: 118 minutes.
Media: DVD.

While there are no snakes to scare the bejeezus out of our pal, Dr. Indiana Jones, there's a heck of a lot going on in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, another Steven Spielberg and George Lucas combination... It seems that whenever these two powerhouses join forces, anything is possible.

After almost losing his life, twice, at the hands of crime boss Lao Che, Indy winds up in India with Willie Scott, a night-club singer (they don't have those nowadays), played by Kate Capshaw, and his young Chinese sidekick, Short Round, played by Jonathan Quan (known then as Ke Huy Quan), of whom some would recognize as "Data" from The Goonies. Kate Capshaw, for those playing at home is now Steven Spielberg's wife... 

It has been believed that Indy has been sent by the gods, and has been quested to retrieve the missing Sankara stones that helped bring peace and prosperity to the village, and also to help reunite the village with their children who were stolen from them.

All hell seems to break loose, amid a potion that turns people into mindless zombies, a demonic Thugee priest called Mola Ram, played by Amrish Puri... who still kinda scares the crap out of me... (Talk about method acting, this guy was really into his character... none of this "Hey Steve, what's my motivation here?" business... ), the mining car ride from Hell and Willie Scott's wailing... This is a great movie, with a little craziness to set you going...

The movie seems to end pleasantly enough in the end like all Indiana Jones films... I'd rate it more if it wasn't for a little thing called "predictability"... Don't get me wrong, I think Harrison does a great job, but somehow there seemed to be something missing from the film as a whole to give it that extra kick to make you realize that this isn't just an "all's well that ends well" kind of movie... Nevertheless, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom still gets four stars...

Eat Pray Love

Running Time: 133 minutes.
Media: Blu-Ray.

I saw this film yesterday on Blu-Ray disc, thinking it would be some soppy love story, and to a degree I was right. I did have to bear in mind that the movie was based on memoirs by Liz Gilbert by the same name, of which I hadn't read, but my partner had... She saw the film with me and said there were a few discrepancies between the book and the film, but these discrepancies are not the focus for this review...

While Julia's portrayal of Gilbert is fantastic, I couldn't help but feel that those who produced it tried too hard to market it as a comedy-drama... While there were a few amusing scenes within the film, the storyline itself gave little of the comedy and more of the drama, which really kinda kicked off towards the end of Gilbert's year long quest for self-discovery throughout Italy, where she stuffs herself with eggplant parmigiana and pappardelle with rabbit ragout; India, where we see her do more arguing with a guy called Richard from Texas than she does attaining inner peace; and Bali, where she tries to find some inner balance within herself regarding having left her previous life, a marriage, and a rebound relationship; and falls in love with a Brazilian guy called Felipe...

Felipe, played by a Spaniard, Javier Bardem, took a fair amount of brunt from reviewers such as myself saying that he was a poor choice because his Portuguese was poor... I'd like to come to the defense of the film here by saying that if they wanted to have Mr. Bardem speaking more Portuguese they would have done so, but from what I saw only a few lines were spoken of the language and more focus was given on the Italian side, where Julia Roberts seemed to excel incredibly well with her incredible accent. Speaking from somebody whose nationality stems partially from Naples, she did an incredibly good job.

I feel that although it is a bit soppy in the end with the "spurned love proclamation and reconciliation" cliché, I still found this a great film... The India part of the film I think fell a little flat... But I feel I may have to ask my better half for the book so that I can read it for greater insight to the film. In the meantime, this film gets four stars.

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Running Time: 115 minutes.

Media: DVD.

I seem to still have the music playing in my head after having seen this movie last night... I finally saw this film in one full go, after thirty years... All I can say is, it's about bloody time...

Although Star Wars was Harrison Ford's big break... I would have to say from personal opinion, that it was Raiders of the Lost Ark that brought Ford to stardom; and having people like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and music from John Williams to make it all come together didn't hurt things either!

We have the movie start with Indy getting upstaged by fellow archaeologist Belloq out of a prized idol after avoiding poison darts, wall spikes, rolling boulders and very pissed off South American natives wielding bows and arrows... He then gets wind of the possible location of the Ark of the Covenant over in Egypt and heads on over, only to wind up getting involved in trouble with his ex-fiancée Marion Ravenwood, who possesses the only link to finding the Ark. Nazi agents, middle-eastern henchmen and a couple of thousand snakes later, action goes into overdrive with Dr. Jones and Marion getting a hold on the Ark, until things go awry.

Given the time of the early 80's, and still in the Cold War days, it's not surprising that things end up well for Indy, and go sour for the Nazis; the whole "good versus evil" thing, and the good guys saving the world; and I guess, when you think about it, we have Indiana Jones to thank for saving us from the Führer. The movie gets a tiny bit schmaltzy as a result... particularly towards the end where some weird supernatural stuff happens with the Ark, which make me question the choice of storyline... it just seems... too easy... Particularly with the "spinning lid", you'll know what I'm talking about when you see it... As a result, my rating of the film has dropped...

Now, having never seen this movie, in full, previously, I'm planning to go through the movies in order in the near future... And I've been told Marion makes a comeback in the latest one, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. That's something I'd definitely look forward to watching in the near future... Until then, Raiders of the Lost Ark gets four stars.

We Bought a Zoo

Running Time: 123 minutes.
Media: Cinematic Release.

I had the unique opportunity to see the new movie with Matt Damon, called "We Bought a Zoo" about two weeks ago with my partner... I had my initial reservations, naturally, given that I thought this movie would be a very sappy rendition of a family that bought a zoo, which seems like the appropriate assumption given the title...

To my delight, I found this film quite appealing, only due to the fact that there were warm cuddly animals, and Scarlett Johansson ;) Matt Damon plays journalist, Benjamin Mee, who basically quits his job and moves out to the country to take ownership of Dartmoor Wildlife Park. His daughter Rosie has no issues with the move, in fact she relishes it. His son Dylan, is the usual teenage stereotype rebel; talented, smart and resents his school, his family, the move, the animals, and probably the rest of the known universe...

This film has the clichés that tend to result from the usual biopic with a family involvement... The hard-working optimistic father; the token rebellious older child; the token irrepressibly cute younger child, who usually has one line that cracks the audience up in laughter; the hard-working but socially-inept love interest that everyone knows will be honing in on the protagonist at the very end of the movie, picked out by the audience from the moment they see her, the person who seems a little out of place because they're either a bit crazy, a bit drunk, or both; the predictable happy ending...

These and the saccharin sweet performances of  Maggie Elizabeth Jones and Elle Fanning (who plays Lily, Dylan's eventual love interest), kinda taint the storyline a bit... From what I've read about the back story for this movie (seeing it is based off real life events) there are a number of discrepancies that changed the movie for a more suitable audience in the States; stuff like the actual location of the zoo... Rosemoor Wildlife Park was based off the original zoo, Dartmoor Zoological Park, which is actually located in Devon, England. Although the necessary changes that were made to the film for a US audience were approved by Benjamin Mee for the film itself, I can't help but feel that the true story itself has changed considerably as a result.

As much as I enjoyed this film, I'll have to give this film 4 stars... Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent movie, but I feel that the number of changes made to the original story make it less "based on a true story" and more "trying to appeal to as many US movie-goers as possible." I guess that's Hollywood for you...

It's Complicated

Running Time: 120 minutes
Media: DVD

I have to confess I find Meryl Streep somewhat attractive, I loved her in Mamma Mia and I've at the same time despised her in both The Devil Wears Prada and Julie and Julia.

It is at this moment that I can say I found Meryl attractive again on this particular occasion. Here she plays Jane, a divorcee of ten years who finds the opportunity to rediscover the possibility of playing the field again... with her ex-husband Jake, played by the somewhat aging and slightly plump Alec Baldwin... who's remarried to the woman he left Meryl for!

Throw three kids and a potential love interest in the ever immortal and kid-at-heart, Steve Martin, playing Adam, an architect who has been retained by Jane to add an extension to Jane's home. Everything seems to be going smoothly until Jane swaps her ways with Jake for a more comfortable romantic interest with Adam. Jake as a result starts wanting Jane more than ever and does whatever he can to get her back.

The proverbial s[CENSORED]t hits the fan at a pivotal point that involves Alec Baldwin's nudity and a webcam, not a good combination by any extreme... for anyone (including the audience)! The idea of potentially seeing Alec's junk is not necessarily the only reason I'm giving this one less star, there's something that makes me feel that this movie's a little hammy, but not because of Martin, Baldwin or Streep, but some of the lesser known actors on the film.

All in all, I happen to have this film on Blu-ray and look forward to seeing it again on future occasions, though I may have to shut my eyes when Alec shows up in the buff! Four stars.

IT

Running Time: 181 minutes.
Media: DVD.

I never thought I would say this, but this movie still gives me the creeps after 21 years... I don't know whether it's because of the horror element, or whether Tim Curry just scares the bejeezus out of me... But Stephen King movies are designed for that one purpose, to scare the living s[CENSORED]t out of the audience; and he succeeds very well! This movie was a two-part series that was screened in the US back in 1990 over two days. The DVD came out some several years later as a double-sided disc, at a whopping 181 minutes... You actually had to flip sides half-way through...

The movie flips back and forth between two timelines of the lives of seven kids from the fictitious town of Derry in Maine. Seems Mr King has a fascination for Maine... which kinda makes sense seeing he was born in Maine so he must know the area rather well... IT is based on the novel of the same name, one of 49 he's written as of this time in 2011... A big achievement i would say in his genre of expertise, but I digress. These seven kids are taunted by the wise-cracking Pennywise the Clown, a character which is apparently just a shell for a being that awakens every 30 years to feed, and it seems that the concept of the "kid's meal" is taken a little too literally by Pennywise, who is apparently responsible for a number of murders then and even further back then.

The kids defeat him (or so they would believe back in 1960), and find out that he's come back some thirty years later, performing more kiddy murders... So we're now faced with a bunch of 40-somethings who then team up to go through the motions yet again and hopefully rid Derry of It once and for all...

I really enjoyed this film, but often felt the hairs of my neck stand up on end, and I love a good horror film that is capable of doing that! It was actually amazing to see both John Ritter and Richard Thomas in the same movie after so many years of starring side by side in the TV series The Waltons... What surprises me the most now is that Jonathan Landis, the guy who played the pre-teen Bill Denborough in the film actually committed suicide some few years back, a bit of a sad loss really. John Ritter also died some time back from heart-related issues. Tim Curry, who plays the role of Pennywise/It is outstanding and outlandish and fits so well in the part, it makes you realize how unique a talent he really is... it truly explains the reasons behind his acquiring the various other roles he has obtained in his career: Tim Curry has talent!

I would recommend this movie for anyone who wants a decent scare... they're guaranteed that with watching IT. I'm giving this 4 stars due to its great storyline, and I look forward to actually reading the novel by King. I'd give the movie 5 stars but there's a reasonable amount of disbelief that I have to take into consideration about the way some of the acting is portrayed at the start of the movie, a little hammy... but you tend to ignore it if you love movies the way I do.

Blade, Blade II and Blade: Trinity

Running Times: 120 minutes, 117 minutes and 113 minutes respectively.
Media: DVD.

I'm probably a bit crazy to see three vampire films back to back, but ask anyone who is a fan of the Twilight series of movies and they'll tell you something else.

The Blade movie trilogy does its best to work Wesley Snipes as the title character and does so rather well, but only for so long. The first movie focuses on the world of dhampir (half-human, half-vampire) Blade whose sole purpose it seems is to rid the world of vampires. Buffy Summers what the hell out... This bastard doesn't do bubble-gum horror. 

Blade in itself is a great movie and while a few scenes are clearly CGI, the movie itself is great to gain a basic grasp of the mythology behind the Marvel comic book character created in 1973. Stephen Dorff plays the ruggedly handsome Deacon Frost, Blade's nemesis in the movie, while the near immortal Kris Kristofferson plays Abraham Whistler, a kind of fatherly Van Helsing type character with a limp. This movie has a few areas which defy belief, for example; a vampire can tolerate sunlight provided they have an ample supply of high-strength sunblock.

Blade seems to have more credibility in this film than he does in the sequels, probably because of the lack of many other characters to tell the story... Wesley Snipes is a great choice for the character and I can see why the choice was made. It's a bit of a pity that he's currently serving time. I'm giving Blade 4 stars for a great film with plenty of action and the occasional blood-sucking vampire!

Okay, now for Blade II, in which Blade decides to join up (somewhat unwillingly) with what he hates the most, vampires; to hunt down an even greater threat, a mutation of vampires known as Reapers, only to find out there's a little conspiracy going on within the ranks.

The movie contains a few actors who, in retrospect are quite familiar with partaking in roles within horror-based movies... The godfather of horror, Ron Perlman, who seems to be a lot more handsome when he's playing Hellboy than when he did playing a Jewish gangster in Drive; and Tony Curran who played Markus Corvinus, the "first vampire" in the Underworld movie series.

I was pleasantly surprised to find Danny John-Jules (the guy who played Cat in the Red Dwarf) series also present, as I was a big Red Dwarf fan when I was younger, but have since not found him playing any major roles in anything. Luke Goss plays Jared Nomak, the original Reaper who is out to seek revenge for his father creating him. Goss's character is very much not necessarily an anti-hero, but more of an anti-villain... He didn't want to be the baad guy, but he.. just is... You kinda feel sorry for him in the end. The movie seems to have less distinguishable CGI, which to me is great, because you don't want to watch a movie and knowingly see CGI occurring... but the movie kinda ends a little sappily when Blade's co-hunter, Nyssa who's been bitten by Nomak wishes to "see the sun again one last time"... Blade seems to share what appears to be a quasi-intimate moment with her as she starts turning to ash as the sun rises. I've given this film 3½ stars for being able to continue the Blade franchise.

Lastly, Blade: Trinity... I think after six years the team at Marvel kinda started losing their touch with the series and decided to throw two new stars in the mix, the ever luscious Jennifer Biel, and the ever-wisecracking entity that is Ryan Reynolds. These two play Abigail Whistler and Hannibal King who are part of a vampire-fighting force known as the Nightstalkers. Their foe? Why only Count Dracula himself, who calls himself "Drake" nowadays... Guess Dracula... Drake likes to keep with the times!

The movie kinda gets a bit ridiculous at times, I'm not sure whether it's because Reynolds' jokes become a bit routine but are funny enough to keep the momentum going, or whether it's because of the somewhat hammy acting of Dominic Purcell, or the somewhat hammier acting of Parker Posey who plays one of Drake's minions, Danica Talos. I did manage to watch the film from start to end in one sitting... but I've come out of it somewhat disappointed... The movie seemed to end a lot quicker than normal, even though I was watching the extended version of the film... I guess what I can say is, that if Marvel do decide to do a reboot of the series, and that they do decide on say, Idris Elba, (of whom has expressed interest in the title role should there be a reboot), that they will have learned their lesson from this previous series... I guess this will be a matter of time as to whether this comes to fruition. I'm giving this 2½ stars due to it still being a somewhat reasonable film... but if it weren't for Jessica's good looks and Ryan's humor throughout the film, I probably would have not watched it.

K-19: The Widowmaker

Running Time: 138 minutes.
Media: DVD.

I'm always a little anxious when I come across a film whereby well-known actors are cast in roles where accents are generally required... Such is the quandy I find myself in now, whilst watching K-19: The Widowmaker, a war film that stars two legends (in my personal opinion), Liam Neeson, a seasoned Irish actor; and Harrison Ford, also a seasoned actor, hailing from Chicago, Illinois. To hear these two men converse with their Russian accents reminds me of a classic quote from Raphael from the 80's cartoon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:

"He's not only from an alternate dimension, but also ancient Japan. So naturally, he speaks English." 

Don't get me wrong here, K-19 is an excellent movie, but the audience needs to look past the occasional accent-related glitch that may arise when you hear both Neeson and Ford talking. The accents slip in and out sporadically, but after a while you do become desensitized to it and you're able to focus more on the plot. I had a similar problem regarding accents in Valkyrie but not at the start of the film when I heard Tom Cruise deliver the prologue in flawless German; but when I heard many a British or American actor playing the role of a German speak in English accents... I guess I'm a stickler for the want of a bit of realism without requiring a leap of faith... or an atlas, to figure out where exactly I am.

The story unfolds in the early 1960's where the K-19, Russia's flagship nuclear submarine has been launched, headed by Captain Alexei Vostrikov, played by Ford. His XO, Mikhail Polenin, is played by none other than Neeson. Naturally these two come to blows about all sorts of crap, whilst still sharing unwavering patriotism for Mother Russia.

The s[CENSORED]t hits the proverbial fan when the submarine is reaching American waters only to find that the vessel's nuclear reactor system is leaking, which is a threat to not only those on board but also the missiles on board.

Harrison Ford provides some humorous food for thought around 13 minutes in, when he says:

"...No sailors have been given such a boat as K-19. It is the finest submarine in the world..."

Given the circumstances that follow makes me wonder, if the K-19 was the finest submarine in the world known in Russia, can you imagine what the worst Russian submarine would have been like? Probably would have been a dead-set lemon in comparison... Sailors would have to get out and push, brakes would have gotten stuck now and again and you'd probably would have to get in and out through the windows because the doors were stuck like it was some huge marine equivalent of the General Lee. But I digress...

The film plays well from start to finish, and as the casting of mainstream actors for the movie was limited mainly to the two opposing officers, the film was kept well grounded from the start. K-19: The Widowmaker receives four stars, given the intermittent accent issues from Neeson and Ford, but despite this I know I'll be enjoying this film now and again for years to come.

Drive

Running Time: 100 minutes.
Media: Cinematic Release.

Drive is a really unusual movie... the third movie in my seven movie marathon on 29/10/2011.

And when I say "unusual", I mean "warped"... Drive is a crime drama which seems to start off in a manner similar to how we'd picture one of the films from Jason Stratham's The Transporter series. Ryan Gosling stars as the unnamed film stunt-car driver who moonlights as getaway driver, who despite his being much of a conversationalist seems to make up for this with his ability to put pedal to the metal.

In Drive, the Driver finds himself involved with jailbird husbands and their suffering families, Jewish mobsters and conspiracies; all which sends the film spiraling to an inevitable emptier conclusion than expected, which although ties up loose ends, does so sloppily and leaves you wondering how you wound up where you were at the end of the film. Given though, that this is an art-house kind of film, and not necessarily a Hollywood blockbuster, I have to shift my perspective accordingly.

There's a great sense of apathy in this film and it seems there's very little emotion displayed on the characters save for anger... and yet the Driver seems to be the only person who provides any real emotion... well, towards the second half of the film... aside from that, the Driver very rarely says anything more than five words at any one time, if that. This considerably screwed with my head as you would think the main character of a film would be the one who tends to have a considerable speaking part... The violence in this film increased almost exponentially as time went on and this also was a considerable cause for concern, as far as the audience's reaction was concerned.

This movie exhibits a lot of 80's themes, scenery, and references... the mobile phones, cars and clothing are very antiquated, and even the soundtrack is very 80's-influenced; which adds to the feel of the movie. But still, this movie left me reasonably uncomfortable in the end; whether this was due to the violence, or how it left me at the end, I'm not sure... At the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, Drive was praised and even received a standing ovation... To be perfectly honest, I simultaneously can and cannot imagine why either of these would be the case. I admit, the 80's themes and the quiet brroding nature of Gosling's role are novel, but a standing ovation and so forth are, in my personal opinion, somewhat questionable. I've decided to give this movie four stars.

Sneakers

Running Time: 126 minutes.
Media: DVD.

This was an old favorite of mine, I first saw this back in Year 11 when I was in my Computer Studies class back in school as part of a study in cryptography.

The movie involves the lives of Martin Bishop (played by the illustrious Robert Redford), a security systems consultant, and other fellow members of his "club", Dan Aykroyd, Sidney Poitier, River Phoenix and David Strathairn. In the attempt to recover a code-breaker, Bishop and his renegade "sneakers" get involved with the likes of Bishop's old friend Cosmo, who wound up in jail after being bagged for hacking university networks... Seems Marty had gone out to get pizza.

Further delving into the plan to retrieve, and then to re-retrieve the code-breaker result in both technical and comic incidences by the sneakers that pepper the film appropriately. Keep watch for the scene towards the end of the film involving a blind Whistler (played by Strathairn) driving the getaway van... always brings a smile to my face!

"Sneakers" differs from many other more recent caper films in the sense that the tension seems to be more focused on the action, and the music which coincides with the action makes the film all the worthwhile. Ben Kingsley's portrayal of Cosmo pushes the villain card even further, and it off-sets Martin's good-guy persona very well.

With twist after twist throughout the film, this movie has derived a  bit of a cult status, with Rotten Tomatoes giving it a rating of 81% with an average score of 6.8 out of 10. I'm personally giving it 4 stars, only because it's a little... schmaltzy after looking at it some 19 years later... but it's nevertheless a favorite of mine.