Review: Transformers - Age of Extinction (2014)

This is the kind of film I have to rate based on how much I enjoyed it, but not for it's quality of character development, acting or story. It's Michael Bay at his most bombastic!

Yep, it's loud, obscene, gratuitous, ridiculous....but hell, I had a really great time at the cinema with this.

I'm a Michael Bay fan. I have been ever since Bad Boys graced the screen, and I haven't looked back. He makes the kind of movies that feed my need for popcorn cinema at its most extreme. Sure, there is The Avengers and Iron Man style of popcorn cinema, and then there is Bayhem.

He's got plenty of haters out there, but, box office shows, plenty of people flock to see his 'onslaught to the senses' films.

I had ear to ear grins while watching this movie. At nearly 3 hours, it is a bit of a stretch, but, Bay is no slouch in the action dept, and he delivers in spades. There's laughs to be had along the way, and some truly awe inspiring effects shots.

Leave your critic hat at the door for this one. Yes, you could tear it to shreds as a critic would, but, let go, and have some fun. Bay certainly is.

Rating:

4 out of 5.

Review: Before Midnight (2013)

I thought the first two were very good. They captured the joy of discovery and falling in love. The conversations were quite natural, and the performances very real.

This film, I think, it is better than the first two. I enjoyed the ensemble scenes at the start, with the conversations between the main characters and others being enjoyable to listen to. Once away from that, the feelings and emotion between the two came across a lot stronger for me in this one. They truly did seem like a couple that is a bit on edge with each other. It was not all lovey dovey, like the first two.

One thing I also loved about this film, was the extended single shot dialogue scene at the start in the car. When you watch it, take note of how long each scene is...barely any cuts there. Amazing to see two actors just completely embodying their characters that way.

Beautiful to see these characters and actors grow with each over nearly 20 years. Well done!

Rating:

4 out of 5.

Review: Oldboy (2013)

I saw the original film a few months ago. I quite liked it. It was dark, and well made. Spent time to show you the real angst of the characters, especially the one imprisoned.

This Spike Lee remake takes the story, changes it up a bit, and then tries to execute it too quickly. I just didn't feel the time spent with Brolin in the apartment prison was long enough.

His relationship with Olsen's character seemed too forced. The fight scene in the apartment complex with all the goons seemed like a very crappy version of The Raid. The copycat style just didn't work for this. If you're going to do a remake, then take the story and completely immerse it into a new world. But, instead, we've got dumplings as the food again, and some asian influences? Why bother with that? Is it a nod to the original?

Brolin himself is decent enough, but I think the torment was better displayed in the original. The villain himself seems almost comic like in this. I don't know if Sharlto was right for it. Olsen is fine herself...she's got great boobs!

I just think that overall, this is a bit of a half hearted rehash. The effort is just not there, to take something that is considered a cult classic, and do it justice. For a great example, see Infernal Affairs, and then the remake of it The Departed. That's how you do it!

In the end, I thought, on it's own, if the original didn't exist, this would be a good film - i did enjoy it. But, because it is essentially nothing new, and lazy, it is disappointing.

Rating:

2.5 out of 5.

Review: 22 Jump Street (2014)

Well, get ready for a laugh riot....because, this film delivers it in spades. Hill and Tatum bring some more comedy gold.

The story is the same as last time, but, surprisingly, this movie takes the piss out of that - bigger budget, same story...hahaha...hell, it even goes to the point of taking the piss out of future sequels.

There's no point in going into story here - if you've seen the first, you know what it'll be about. The jokes aren't a repeat though, it feels quite fresh. It gets off to a bit of a shaky start, but, there's a point for me that it picked up and never looked back. My face hurt when coming out of this film.

Basically, if you want to laugh your ass off, then get to it! I'd say it is on par with the first.

Rating:

4 out of 5.

Review: The Thin Red Line (1998)

This is my first Terrence Malick film. I've heard about how great he is, but also heard how terrible some people think he is. Well, based on one film, I certainly wouldn't say he is terrible, but, he has a style that is different. It won't be for everyone. Not saying I love the style, but, I do appreciate it.

The film is set in the south pacific, at somepoint during WW2. It starts out like a dream almost. But, slowly we're brought into this world of soldiers, and the film starts to take shape as we follow these soldiers into a brutal battle.

For me, the distinguishing qualities in this film to others is the long glances that Malick uses on his characters. He doesn't seem to be afraid to capture a scene, to let the audience soak it in and think about what you're seeing. The other distinguishing element about this film is the voiceover. It's like we're being told a story, or we're getting an insight into the characters minds. Their fears, their thoughts of this war, life, love and so on. Sometimes I think I got so swept up in watching what was going on, I forgot to listen.

The battle/fight scenes are quite well done, as you would expect of war films. You're caught right in the middle, as soldiers are blown apart by bombs and gunfire around you. Malick again does well to show us this horror, but he juxtaposes this physical violence with the trauma on the soldiers mental state. It's not all blood and guts, but a large character portrait on the toll these soldiers take. I thought it was also interesting to see the Japanese soldiers suffering as well. The 'badguys' are not faceless. They hurt and agonise just like the 'goodguys'.

A twitter/letterboxd friend used the word poetic when describing Malicks films. I have to say, I can see what he meant. There is this seemingly poem like way the film is structured and presented. I certainly admired this movie, and hope to revisit it again one day. It stands up there with some other great war films I've seen, like Apocalypse Now, Platoon and Saving Private Ryan.

Rating: 

4 out of 5.

X-Men: Days of Future Past - Additional Thoughts

I rewatched this a week after seeing it for the first time. Mainly because I had mixed feelings on the first viewing. I now know why - what bugged me was the lack of action sequences. I know, a picky bug bear. This x-men film is like a superhero drama, which studies at a character level the consequences of our actions, and how we as humanity can learn to live and tolerate each other - regardless of differences.

This is all great, but, the exciting action set pieces aren't there to balance it out. Sure, there's the amazing kitchen scene and the finale is pretty good. However, it is mainly backed up by a lot of talking. Again, I don't mind this, but for me, a tent pole X-Men film needs to bring it, and this just falls short.

It still a very very good movie, and it does well to incorporate story threads from all films, but, it is behind First Class and X2 as far as excitment is concerned. Perhaps, after a few more viewings, I may change my mind, but for now, this is how i feel about it.

See also my original review from a week before here: http://toomuchtowatch.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/review-x-men-days-of-future-past.html

Review: X-Men: Days of Future Past

One of my most anticipated films for the year, I can't help but feel as though I don't love it as much as I should. I've been thinking about it almost constantly since yesterday. 

This film is a direct sequel to the great X-Men:First Class from 2011, and in a way, X-Men: The Last Stand.  First Class was an origin story of sorts for the main characters of Professor X and Magneto. I remember when first seeing it, I loved it. Subsequent viewings have held up for this movie, and I think it is the best in the franchise (probably coupled with X2). Distinguishing which film is better between those two is a little difficult. Those both offer so much to the franchise, but are quite distinct from each other.

Anyways, back to DOFP. Let's start with story. In the year 2023, after the events of all the current X-Men films, we find that mutants are being exterminated by the Sentinels. The Sentinels were created by Boliver Trask, a man that created a program to help annihilate the Mutant race for the betterment of humanity. The elder X-Men decide that to change this current future, they must change a particular event in the past. The Wolverine is the man tasked with being sent back (his mind is sent back into his 1970's body) to try to affect a change that will hopefully help.

This is where the direct sequel portion to First Class picks up, with The Wolverine interacting with the younger Professor X and Magneto from 1973. This is all about the story I will touch on. 

Bryan Singer (director of X-Men and X2) is back onboard as director here. His appreciation for the world he created is definitely evident. The story is very well fleshed out, taking into consideration the events of First Class and the first 3 X-Men films. His eye for detail in production is excellent, with some exciting action set pieces, stunning cgi and performances from his actors that truly elevate this film from the lesser entries in the X-Men world. You probably pick holes, but you can in most time travel related films anyways.

However, unfortunately, perhaps under a weight of great expectation, I didn't have a feeling of 'I loved it!'. I did enjoy it though, and would say it was very good and of a high standard. My instant feeling upon finishing the film was that I wanted to watch it again. I felt as though there was a lot going on that I didn't soak in. It's because of this I am hesitant of how to rate this movie score wise. At this point I feel it is behind First Class and X2, but only just. I rate both of those at about a 4.5 out of 5. Those ratings have increased over time, and I feel this is natural when rating films. I want to say 3.5 for DOFP, but, I feel that is being too critical when comparing it to my love for the aforementioned. Hell, the fact I want to watch it again is testament to its potential greatness. 

Rating:

4 out of 5.

Review: Frozen

Well, I started out a little skeptical with this film. Ever since its release, I've heard how great it is. Then it goes on to make over $1bn at the box office, wins best animated film and best song at the Oscars. My interest was starting to increase. 

I'd had it in my mind to watch, and then my partner says she really wants to see it. So, we finally sat down to watch it this weekend. I have to say, I loved it. My initial skepticism was regarding the song and dance. But, once all the characters are in play here, it turns into a beautifully constructed movie. This is one for all ages I would say - I'm a 34 yo male with no kids. 

We're introduced into the world of two princesses, Elsa and Anna. Elsa has a special power - she shoots ice from her hands - hence the title. As kids, while playing, Elsa injures Anna, leaving her near death. To keep herself and her sister safe from harm, she closes off her relationship with her sister. This is all in the first 10 or so mins. From there, we pick up the story as they hit their late teens. 

Initially I felt as though I'm watching another film about mutants. Earlier that day I had seen Days of Future Past. But, this is so much more. The story is full of love, acceptance, adventure, humour, friendships and of course...magic! (mutant powers). Come to think of it, DOFP is full of the same - in a way.

My two favourite characters were Sven, the trust Reindeer Steed and Olaf the Snowman. Both of these smaller parts helped to round out the human characters. I loved how Kristoff has conversations with Sven, pretending to put on the voice of Sven. Olaf was just so funny. 

I didn't mind the musical scenes. Even though there a few, they're not overly long. And, the Oscar winning 'Let It Go' is very catchy.

Overall, this film is a must see for everyone. It's not perfect, but it does extremely well in teaching the audience the fundamentals of life and love (be kind and love one another, no matter how different), wrapped up in a very enjoyable Disney package. 

Rating:

4.5 out of 5.

Review: Transcendence

The directorial debut of Wally Pfister is simply ok. The trailer for this was good, and certainly got me interested. In the end, it just failed to excite me. This should have been a big techno thriller, instead, we've got some interesting tech but no thrills.

Johnny Depp is technological genius Will Caster. The man that wants to bring Artificial Intelligence to the world because he believes we can benefit as a race. He's opposed by a group of rebels that think his ideas are going too far. They shoot him and bomb some major facilities involved in this development of the A.I. tech. Depp survives, but the bullet was laced with a radioactive substance - so he doesn't have long to live. His distressed and equally as gifted wife wants to keep his dream alive - and the only way to do this is to upload Will's mind to the A.I. machine.

This all starts out pretty good, with some interesting discussions on how far to go with our tech being raised. The performances are decent. Some may complain that Depp is ringing it in, and in a way, I can see that, but it also seems plausible to me that the way he portrays the character is how the character should be. Rebecca Hall plays his ever faithful wife, and she is pretty good. Paul Bettany is also pretty decent as the long life friend of both. The supporting cast are ok. They don't really have much to work with script wise. It's almost like Wally called some mates he's worked with before to fill out the cast.

The story is interesting, however it is the way it is executed that is the let down. The film looks great, as you would expect of Christopher Nolan's long time DP, but there is just no solid substance behind this glossy surface. The reasons for character's actions are not entirely acceptable or representative of the real world, and yet this film is about tech in our current real world. It seems decisions are made just to get the film to the next stage of the story without the indepth examination what is happening and its real world impact.

This is a movie you could watch once and may enjoy, but not feel the need to revisit again.

Rating:

2.5 out of 5.

Review: Heat

From the mid 90's comes the ultimate tale of cops and robbers. I'm in love with everything about this film - director, cast, performances, story, script, score, and cinematography. Everything is top notch.

Al Pacino plays super cop Lt. Vincent Hanna, part of the L.A. Robbery Homicide division. He finds a formidable foe in Robert De Niro's Neil McCauley, a career criminal. The two cross paths when McCauley's team unknowingly make a mistake on a heist. This leads Hanna and his team of detectives on a trail to find and stop McCauley. 

We're first introduced to McCauley and his team as they prepare and execute an armoured car heist. There is little dialogue here, but you're immediately entranced with what is taking place. Here you can see the masterful dedication this team has to getting the job done right and without incident to them. They're complete professionals. 

McCauley operates by this code - never become attached to anything in your life that you can't walk out on in 30 seconds, especially when you feel the heat is on your tail. This code means McCauley has been alone for most of his life. Hanna, although married, is actually married to his job. He's working on his third divorce. He is completely dedicated to catching the bad guys. The guy has seen some messed up shit in his career, and it haunts him.

It is impossible to imagine any other two actors playing the key leads. Al Pacino is just so awesome as Hanna. The outrageous cop, that will say what he is thinking, and do what he says he will do. De Niro is superb as McCauley. Quiet, yet strong, intelligent and vicious, but not without humanity. These two actors have pretty much not done anything as great as these roles since then.

One of the things I love about this film is how engaging each character is, in what is a pretty simple story. McCauley is the bad guy, and Hanna is the good guy, but as the story flows along you can see how similar they really are - both completely passionate about their work, but also to the detriment of their personal lives. As is referenced to later in the film, they're essentially two sides of the same coin. The supporting cast is excellent - Val Kilmer in one of his finest roles. Natalie Portman, in one of her first outings, just embodies the role of an angst ridden young girl. The cast list really is impressive here.

There are two scenes this film is most famous for: The cafe scene where these two great actors appear on screen together for the first time ever, and the ultimate street gunfight. The cafe conversation these two characters have is just perfection. Just a general conversation about themselves and this path they're on against each other. There is this respect they have for each other, but ultimately, one of them has to lose. Then, there is the gunfight. What a visceral experience it is. Tense, exciting, and thrillingly realistic in its disastrous outcome. If you want to know what a cop car turned into swiss cheese would look like, then watch this.

Writer and Director Michael Mann made his name with this film. I've seen the majority of his filmography, most of which are excellent, but this would be the pick of the bunch for me. At 170 mins, this is epic territory we're in here people. It is in no way a lazy film, or a struggle to get through. If anything, you're left wanting more. One of the simple pleasures of his films is the way he shoots nighttime scenery. It is almost impossible for me to describe how cool it is. Once you've seen it in one or two of his films, it's instantly recognisable. He's also not afraid to stick the camera in the actors face. It definitely helps to enhance the immediacy of the drama, and even the action.

The score by Elliot Goldenthal is one I have listened to many times. It is perfecto mundo for this film, and just sets the tone exquisitely whenever used. I especially like Moby's 'New Dawn Fades'. This is used in a great sequence where Hanna is racing through traffic to catch McCauley - the perfect freeway driving song. You know, when you're just passing traffic as if every other car was standing still.

Overall, this really is a masterpiece of cinema - the battle of a supercop and a supervillain. Both dedicated to their craft and on a collision course. Mann has done some fine work since this, and before, but this is a true classic that he has not surpassed. I love this film, and I hope you do too. Definitely a personal favourite.