Review: The Shallows (2016)

Collet-Serra has delivered some pretty enjoyable films (Non-Stop, Run All Night, Unknown, Goal II) - not necessarily great, but fun nonetheless. He continues that with The Shallows.

Blake Lively stars as an everyday girl on a solo trip of self discovery. She travels to a secluded beach to surf - a place her mum had travelled to in her youth. The story and runtime is barebones, but what we get is a reasonably paced and intense 80 mins of girl vs shark.

The location is beautiful, the cinematography often stunning, with some impressive scenes of Lively in the water. I had a little gripe with the occasionally dodgy CGI surfing scenes (that wasn't Lively surfing?) but the actual shark is very well done.

What makes this work is Lively's performance and the fact this film is not a straight up gore fest with flashy death scenes. The scenes successfully provide dread and really put you in the film, stranded with Lively - you feel her anguish and desperation. Of course, this is a movie with a great white shark being a menace, so there is gore, but it is not like you would expect. It is the anticipation that gets you, not the ripped flesh.

The film occasionally loses pace, but for the most part it is edge of your seat cinema. Some minor grips aside, this is an efficient thriller.

3.5/5

Review: Suicide Squad (2016)

Ok, first up, this is not a trainwreck of a film. It has issues, but nothing to warrant the absolute lambasting it seems to have received. What is it? It's a good popcorn action film with jokes and some pretty dark characters. Is it the smash hit that the trailers promised? No - and that is where the disappointment side of things comes in. Damn that marketing was great. The trailers were astonishing and set it up to be fantastic.

What we do have is some pretty interesting bad guy characters smashed together to fight an evil more evil than them. Will Smith as Deadshot and Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn are the clear standouts here. Robbie in particular is great. She is completely immersed into the character, much like Ledger did with his Joker in The Dark Knight. Speaking of The Joker, Jared Leto gives a completely different portrayal than Ledger, which is a good thing, but it is nowhere near as great as Ledger's. In saying that though, Leto is good. I wish there was more screen time from him to really get a proper feel for it, but unfortunately he's probably got about 10 mins all up. Joel Kinnaman and Viola Davis give pretty good performances. Jai Courtney does well as the bogan/ocker Captain Boomerang. In fact, I quite liked the whole cast of characters. Killer Croc in particular looks pretty menacing. They work pretty well together and seem to be having a blast.

So, where does it falter? For me, it is in the editing and the story/script. Probably less so the actual dialogue, but the story just felt too light on. It is almost like there could have been an extra 20 mins in this film to beef up the plot lines of either the characters or the main threat. The motivations and danger posed by the main villain seem too simple, but that is quite often the case with these big comic book films. The editing is a bit choppy, and some confusion can set in with the flow of scenes. I understand films need to keep a pace, but I really was getting a feeling of scenes missing.

The big aspect in the marketing of this film was the music. I can't leave without mentioning that. For the most part, the music works. It may be over done, but like Guardians of the Galaxy, it adds an extra funky element to the storytelling.

There you have it. An enjoyable comic book film that I will watch again on Bluray and hopefully like more. It doesn't change the game, but it doesn't need to be shit on. I look forward to seeing the SKWAD back together again someday.

3/5

Review: The BFG (2016)

Steven Spielberg is an icon of cinema. Pretty much my favourite director for a long long time, he has delivered some remarkably varied films.

Here Spielberg draws on his immense talent to bring to life a classic children's story. Admittedly, I don't think I have ever read the story, but I do know of it.

The BFG is the 'Big Friendly Giant', played brilliantly by Mark Rylance using motion capture. He is discovered by Sophie, an orphan that likes to wander during the night in the orphanage she stays in. Sophie is played by newcomer Ruby Barnhill.

The film is a very family friendly fantasy adventure. I have no idea how close it is to the structure of the book, but it is a beautifully realised adaptation. I wish I could say it is a great film though, but unfortunately it is not. The actual story and progression of it is missing a bit in the first half. I felt like it was almost going nowhere until the plot takes a turn about mid way. From then on, it shifts a gear and becomes more enjoyable. The pairing of Rylance with a great debut by Barnhill, and the direction from a man that definitely knows what he is doing in this genre provides an overall magical film going experience.

3.5/5

Review: Me Before You (2016)

Cliched, cheesy, soppy - and I loved it. Emilia Clarke is amazing in this film.

Sam Claflin plays Will Traynor, young rich playboy type that is involved in a tragic accident - one that leaves the once adventurous man a quadriplegic. Clarke plays Louisa Clark, a small town girl struggling to get a job. Their paths cross when Louisa is hired to look after Will at his family mansion.

What makes the film work is the pairing of Clarke and Claflin, and in particular, the beautiful performance by Clarke. She is as unlike Daenerys Targaryen as you could possibly get. The chemistry between the two and the thoroughly engaging story just makes this film a joy to watch. As I mentioned, it is cliched and cheesy, but damn it delivers that shot of love to your heart.

4/5

Review: Independence Day: Resurgence (2016)

20 years later, we get a long awaited sequel to what was a massive blockbuster of the mid 90s. Independence Day absolutely blew audiences away with a level of destruction not really seen before then. It was cheesy and fun, but really, it was about spectacle. I recently revisited the film, and although the scale of destruction is still quite cool, the overall film is not as exciting as I remember it to be when I was 16.

Resurgence picks up 20 years later, with the people of Earth now living more harmoniously with each other. Sharing knowledge and existing as one people. They've used the technology that the aliens brought with them in 1996 to fuel their own needs for advancement in day to day life and of course, protection from future invasions.

Jeff Goldblum makes a welcome return as well as some other members of the original cast. It is nice to see these old characters return, but it was a shame not seeing Will Smith come back for more. Liam Hemsworth leads the newer cast members, accompanied by Jessie T Usher and Maika Monroe.

Well, so was the 20 year wait worth it? Sort of. I wish I could be more definitive. I enjoyed seeing the continuation of the story with some new ground covered, but, it just wasn't really enough. The impact that ID had in 1996 is not going to be felt here. The story is fine, it is just not executed in a way that really makes you care. The majority of that problem probably comes down to the characters and script. I honestly didn't really care much for them. I cared more for the older characters, but they take a backseat for the most part.

The film is fun, the action is good, the special effects as you would expect them to be, but, the film fails to deliver anything that you could love about it. That unfortunately is due to a script that fails to engage the audience like it should.

3/5

Review: Warcraft (2016)

I have never played or seen the game, so I can't review on the success of the adaptation. But, what I can review on is how this stands as a film. In that regard, it is probably one of the most disappointing blockbusters of the year. 

Duncan Jones, the man that brought us some damn fine films in Moon and Source Code has delivered what will ultimately be a blemish in his resume. Visually, this film is a treat. The Orcs look great and the world that has been built is stunning. I enjoy the fantasy genre, but aside from some cool aspects on display (there is some nice sorcery going on), and for all it's prettiness, the story, acting and script work is well below par. 

The story is reasonably simple I suppose, but it takes a fair amount of focus to get what is going on. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be spoon fed, but it felt like I needed to have some background knowledge for some of this. There are a fair amount of characters in this, and they don't all seem to get the amount of fleshing out they needed. It really did feel like there was a lot more that needed to be in the film for it to feel a bit more satisfying as far as character arcs go. 

The lack of fleshed out characters probably wouldn't have been as noticeable if the script was more engaging. There was nothing to really bite in to and satisfy me. It is not terrible at all, it just didn't draw me in like I should have been. A key aspect of enjoying any script is the acting around it - and here, it is not very good. A largely unknown cast, the humans are outdone by the Orcs. In fact, my main bug bear with this whole film is the lack of a real hero to get behind. Travis Fimmel from Vikings just didn't have the presence needed to lead the film. 

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is the gold standard for this type of film. This film tries really hard, but doesn't even come close. I couldn't even say it is a good movie. It has good parts, but the sum of all that is just not enough for me.

2.5/5 

Cinema Etiquette: Part III

In April 2014 I wrote a couple of blog entries about cinema-going etiquette - mainly because a couple of cinema outings had pissed me off so much I had to rant about it. One of those was actually in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. And guess what - another episode that got my blood boiling, which just so happen to be in a session for Captain America: Civil War. Coincidence? Probably. Let me lay this out for you.

I'm pumped beyond belief for CA:CW this morning. So excited I get nervous, anxious and anything else you could use to describe it. Before heading out to the film, I'm making sure I don't drink too much, I've cleared the bowels too many times through nervous shits. I know, you're thinking - "Who the fuck is this guy?". You know what, I don't know who or what I am, but I ain't this low life I'm about to rant about below.

Anyways, these days I like to book Gold Class, premium seating sessions for the big big films. Because I am sick to death of cunt faces in cinemas just ruining my experience. I like to think I have a fair amount of tolerance for the shit heads in life, but, I do think there is a time and place for everything as well. In my holy place (yeah, that is a cinema, not a church), I like quiet and no mobile phone usage during the film. 

However, I am tolerant of a little bit of both. People make occasional comments to their peers in films - you know what, I do too. Not full on fucken conversations, but a little whisper in the ear. I can also accept that someone may take a quick glance at their phones during a film. Checking the time, waiting for an important call or emergency text - I get it, we need to do this shit sometime. 

What I don't get, is the fucken shit bag that has paid minimum $40 to sit in Captain America: Civil War and play a video game/gambling game on his mobile as the film is starting and at least 5 mins into it. Not just starting credits (of which I don't think there was any), but during the opening action sequence. 

The lights go out, the film starts. I'm loving my seat, but in the seat which was in the row in front and to the right I could see this scum bag piece of shit a playing game! A fucken game! He is looking at his phone and looking up at the screen every now and then. Me, I'm trying to get immersed into the film, but I can't. His phone is distracting the shit out of me. I sit there in hope that he'll finish his fucking level or whatever and put that away. My blood is literally hitting boiling point - you are ruining my time in this holy place motherfucker. 

So, I get up and go over to him. Tap him on the shoulder, and ask him nicely to turn off his phone screen. Now, I ain't a big guy. I got a big temper, but I have been balanced out with a skinny physique and fighting skills that are non-existant.  So, when I say I asked politely, I did. It is firm, but not rude. Look at me, I'm worried about being rude to the cock head using his phone in the movie. Weird right? You know what he says back? I say "Can you please turn off your phone screen?"...he says, "Why?"...what in the hell is this shit brick thinking? "Why?" Seriously? I then said "Because you are in my line of sight and it is distracting me. So, do you mind? Do you mind?" Yep, I said "Do you mind?" twice. He honestly looked like I had asked if I could shoot a load into his wife's face. Sorry if that is derogatory, but damn, it was like I had done something very very wrong by asking him to actually watch the fucking film. Shame on me right. 

I go back to my seat. He adjusts his seat a bit more upright, no doubt so he could continue to use his phone without me seeing it. What a schlub. He eventually did put it in his pocket. I followed this guy out just to get a look at him. I wasn't going to do anything. I considered making a quick jibe after the movie about being able to play your game now. But, my wife was pretty much telling me to chill. 

Just after I told him to turn the screen off and then sat down, it took me about 10 mins to completely relax again. Sure, I got boiling blood from something so simple, but why is it, in this day and age, people must be so fucking dumb about their activities in shared spaces? This was not a free movie in the park, this was paid event where people are generally there to enjoy themselves, and pay complete attention to the film unfolding. I still can't get over the fact his first response was to ask "Why?"...Good luck with life! (that goes for me as well)

Review: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

On March 13th 2016, I embarked on a full re-watch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films - finishing up with Ant-Man last night. Today I went to my Gold Class session of Captain America: Civil War. I booked this ticket as soon as they went on sale. The level of anticipation and excitement has been feverishly building for a long long time. It all culminated this morning. 

After all of the films revisited and ranked, I suppose the one thing I was pretty sure of going in was that I was going to love it. In fact, it was probably near on impossible for me to not love it. So, guess what happened - the impossible did not happen. I loved it - review over. 

No, just kidding. I got few more things to say. Anthony and Joe Russo delivered in 2014 what I consider to be the best MCU entry - Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Well, I did have that belief up until now. Now, I am not so sure. Some of you may be wondering about The Avengers film - well, I love that too, and sometimes struggle with which one out of that and Winter Soldier I love more. It is a first world problem - that struggle. 

The team behind this film take the great aspects of Winter Soldier and amp it up a few more notches. That is - great story telling and exciting action set pieces. Couple those two with very very good scripting and character interaction, and it is difficult to even walk away from this film without enjoying it. Whether you think it is the best or not, well, we can debate that shit till the end of time. Hell, I might not even debate it - I'd just agree. 

The story - it seems simple on the surface. Steve Rogers and Tony Stark don't agree with each other, so they fight about it. It really wasn't a simple one though. There are a lot of layers to the story. That is what I really enjoyed about Winter Soldier, and they've pulled off another deeply engaging film with real emotional weight to it. What really surprised me though was how difficult it was to pick a side. The character arcs and their reasons for opposing each other were very well done. I don't want to go too much into it - because I like to write reviews that are generally non-spoiler material. I walked away from this film probably leaning towards Team Cap, but, it was not an easy decision - I still love Iron Man. 

The action - like Winter Soldier, it feels more tangible. Is that the right word? Hmmm. Although we're dealing with superheroes, it just feels more grounded. In particular, the fighting feels like a souped up Jason Bourne film. You feel those hits. The overall explosions and shit like that seemed a bit more restrained in this film as well. It is definitely about the conflict and the character's struggle. Don't get me wrong, there is some great great set pieces, but, it is very different to The Avengers and Age of Ultron - hell, even quite different in some ways to Winter Soldier. Once you watch, or if you have, I hope you see what I mean. If not, then what the fuck aye!

Ok, what else is there. Cool story, cool action. Characters - we've got our favourites here, plus another couple added to the mix. Black Panther is introduced well - so well,  I am quite excited to see more of him. I believe he has a solo film coming up, so I'm keen to see more exploration of his character and origin. The big one people are talking about is Spider-Boy...yep, he is an actual teenage boy this time. No, he is not actually called Spider-Boy, he is still Spider-Man. Very different to the interpretations we've seen so far - well, just younger and less mature I suppose. He's got a solo adventure coming next year. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Aunt May as well ;-) 

All up, we've got another great entry in the MCU. Not all have been great though. In fact, I reckon 7 out of 13 are great films - but the rest a pretty damned good as well. This one sits near the top - if not on top. I need another viewing. I'll give it a few weeks I think. After so many superhero films in the last 6 weeks, with a lot more actually watched in the last 2 or 3 weeks, I actually could be experiencing superhero fatigue. Don't worry about me though, it is a good kind of fatigue. 

4.5/5

Review: The Jungle Book (2016)

Visually one of the most outstanding films you will ever see. I believe almost everything except Mowgli himself is computer generated. The technology behind photo-realistic animals and nature has come very very far since the days of Aslan and Avatar - and that wasn't all that long ago.

I'm not overly familiar with the original story, so I couldn't tell you how true it stays to the source. Basically, Mowgli is a boy (man-cub) raised by Wolves. He comes under the threat of Shere Khan, the great Tiger in the jungle. He decides to leave the jungle to protect his Wolf family - and so begins his journey of survival. Along the way, he meets characters (animals) that will either be his friend or foe.

As you would have guessed, the only human in this film is Mowgli. He is played very well by young Neel Sethi. Most of the animals speak, and it is quite fun hearing the voices of popular actors playing some of the animals of the jungle. I won't say who they are, as it is cool to guess if you don't know already.

The film itself is fun, exciting, adventure-filled and as mentioned before, just amazing to look at. The tone itself can be quite dark and occasionally tense, but there is plenty of playfulness and cute animals to balance it out.

4/5

Review: Midnight Special (2016)

A week after seeing some tweets about how great Midnight Special is, I found myself winning a double pass to a preview/premiere screening here in Perth. I was quite excited to see what people are raving on about. I've seen the Director's (Jeff Nichols) previous films (Take Shelter and Mud), of which I thought Shelter was the better of the two - but Mud is pretty good too. 

They both took their time to explore the characters and relay the story - sometimes to the point of being a bit too slow for me. But, they came full circle and finish very well. This one is no different in that respect, but I found the central plot quite intriguing and more interesting than the others (at least more so than Mud).

Michael Shannon and Joel Edgerton are on the run, accused of abducting a child. That child is actually the son of Shannon's character - a boy with strange abilities. There is a lot of mystery that surrounds the events in this film. Things unfold, but at a pace that sometimes annoys me. I know that the payoff is coming, so I have to remind myself to be patient and enjoy this often fascinating ride. 

The last third of this film is the best. As I said, it builds slowly, but it always keeps you interested. The score is also very good - I am listening to it as I type this. One of the main feelings I had throughout this film was that of John Carpenter's Starman - which is a good thing. Overall, a great sci-fi mystery thriller. The emphasis here is definitely on the characters and their journey - which is a nice change of pace. 

4/5