Film Review - Expendables II (2012)

Expendables II once more sees Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross, leader of the Expendables team as he also faces another assignment from Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) to deal with a stolen 5 kilos of plutonium by Vilain (Jean Claude Van Damme) but Ross will need some big help to take out this new villain.

Expendables II is a huge improvement on the first film which I thought was fine but suffered from some inconsistent storytelling, here the script feels much more focused, the action has more of a presence as does the action editing and direction feel more spaced out and the humour and characterization feels more natural than it did in the first film where it felt somewhat forced at times.

But it's hard not to talk about this movie and not mention the film's climax in an airport which is nothing short of spectacular for me, anyone who has wished for something like this to happen in an action picture will have their wish granted in a big way and I was smiling the entire time, Van Damme also makes for a much better villain than Eric Roberts did in the first film and the fight between him and Stallone was great to watch.

But if I do have one complaint about this film it's that I really wish Christopher Lambert had a role in it, there had been talk when this film was being prepared that he might be considered for a role but it never happened and its saddening for me that it didn't but still what's here on screen more than makes up for that.

So all in all, Expendables II is a huge improvement on the first film and it's also a film I really enjoyed watching, 3 and a half out of 5.

Film Review - Looper (2012)

Looper is written and directed by Rian Johnson and concerns a guy named Joe who lives in the future though in the present he's played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and is called a "Looper" who deal with people sent from the future who are then killed by the mob, but Joe's future self played by Bruce Willis escapes and is determined to change the future.

It's fair to say that I went into Looper with very high expectations as the current film marketplace has lacked a good Sci-Fi film for a long time, when I heard of this one I was very keen to see it but sadly my chances of seeing it in the cinemas were diminished due to bad scheduling and session times so alas the wait began for the film's DVD release and as I mentioned in my look back at last year's cinema going, it was the one film I regretted missing the most out of all.

But now the day had come at last, the time where I would finally, Finally get my chance to see this highly talked about Sci-Fi cult classic, could this do the impossible and match my high hopes or was all the long wait going to do was leave me feeling nothing but disappointment?

Well happily, so very happily even I can say that this was well and truly worth the wait, this was easily one of the finest Sci-Fi films I've ever seen and a lot of that credit goes to Johnson in both writing and directing, it's clear that at the writing stage he thought everything through in an exquisite level of detail and in terms of directing the film he makes good use of the 2.35:1 aspect ratio as well as delivering some very sharp editing that makes sure that the film has a sense of pace and structure to it as well as not making sure the audience get lost in all that time travelly paradoxy sci-fiyyy smeg.

But what also really stuck out for me were its three key influences, all of them cult movies from the 1980's, the films in question are Blade Runner, the first Terminator and Witness, all three clearly permeate throughout the film in terms of the character relationships, the visuals of the future, the bond between mother and son and a man risking it all for the one he loves most.

But my praise doesn't end with Johnson, it extends to the cast as well, JGL is fantastic as the young Joe and he really convinces your seeing a young Bruce Willis from around the time he made the first Die Hard film, Willis himself is the best he's been in a very long time and gets a few key moments of his own that remind us why we fell for him as a star 25 years ago and I did think to myself "Yippie Ki-Yay Motherfucker"

But there are other actors that also deserve mention, one is Emily Blunt who I have found to be very hit and miss over the years but really delivers the goods here, Jeff Daniels has a small role as well and he's very good as is Pierce Gagnon who plays the young boy.

But lastly I have to mention the music score composed by Nathan Johnson which plays a key part in the film and takes centre stage at times during it but is not your typical film score that's mainly there to be background fodder or sound as though its grating a chalkboard or being flushed down the toilet, this is a terrific score and I was reminded of Basil Poledouris's score for Robocop when it was over.

So all in all Looper is a terrific piece of Sci-Fi filmmaking and I really wish I had been able to catch in cinemas during its theatrical release but alas the film did not disappoint as I had dreaded it would and any Sci-Fi fan out there should seek it out for a watch when they can, it's really great, 4 and a half out of 5.

Film Review - Hitchcock (2013)

Good Evening, Hitchcock stars Sir Anthony Hopkins as the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock as he prepares to make his next movie to follow the big success of North by Northwest, the movie he chooses to make however will be the biggest test of his career.

Hitchcock for me was merely okay, there are a lot of things I liked about it and I'll start with Hopkins as Helen Mirren who plays his wife Alma, the two have a great chemistry together and their scenes are fantastic to watch, Scarlett Johansson is good as well channelling the late Janet Leigh and Toni Collette is good as well in her small role.

But my praise doesn't end there, the cinematography by Jeff Cronenweth is very good as well, nicely capturing the period the film is set in and there are some nice nods and cameos littered throughout the film that film buffs will really love.

Sadly however the film is also very predictable, anyone who knows about Psycho which this film is about and Hitchcock in general will know exactly how the film ends and as a result, will get either bored or impatient with the film to get to the end so that they can then go about their daily lives and/or head for home from the cinema.

But still there is a lot to like about Hitchcock and it was certainly better than I expected it to be but the predictable nature of the story failed to make it memorable for me, 2 out of 5.

Film Review - Jack Reacher (2013)

Jack Reacher is based off the series of books written by Lee Child and stars Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher who is asked to investigate a series of killings by an ex-military Sniper, what Reacher will discover however is something much deeper.

I went into Jack Reacher with very low expectations as the trailer made it look like a really bad Dirty Harry rip off, were those expectations correct?

Well, frankly they were as this was not a very good film at all and it was one that I found extremely boring to sit through, Cruise fights like a younger man with nothing held back and its admirable but mistaken as he is severely miscast in the role, this part needed a tough Clint Eastwood type and Cruise doesn't give that off, the storyline involving the sniper is also extremely boring and feels like a bad knockoff of the original Dirty Harry film.

Which now leads me to my next point, the villains in this movie are just pathetic and are either complete bores with no real presence or sense of a threat or they're just stunt casting which is the case with veteran director Werner Herzog, yes he speaks with a thick German accent but again its miscast, the part needed someone like Stellan Skarsgard who can be menacing and has done well with villain roles in the past but of no doubt he was unavailable so they went with Herzog instead, did we not learn anything from the Dirty Harry sequels which had no name villains of their own?

Did we?

(Silence)

Why am I not surprised.

My other major problem with this film is that it's just too long, it goes for 130 minutes and I wish someone had said to writer/director Chris McQuarrie "90 minutes Chris, 90 minutes just like the first Dirty Harry film" and lastly there is the great waste of Rosamund Pike, an underrated actress that does pull of a convincing American accent but in the end does nothing instead of sitting in a chair, answering a phone and playing the role of Beryl Exposition, such a sad waste of a great actress.

So all in all, Jack Reacher is not a very good movie and lacks the edge that made the first Dirty Harry film a classic, avoid it if you can, 1 out of 5.

Film Review - Life of Pi (2013)

Life of Pi is directed by Ang Lee and the story concerns a young Indian boy named Pi who along with his family leaves India for a new life in America but the cargo ship they travel on sinks and Pi is left as the only survivor but his long journey will have some unexpected company.

Life of Pi is a solid and well done movie and is well directed by Lee who keeps a firm handle on the reins and as a result, the film never feels too long or too short, instead it feels like that third bowl of Porridge, just right, Suraj Sharma is also very good as young Pi and anchors the film nicely which also allows you to feel for him on his long and sometimes hopeless voyage to find land.

However, one thing I do want to complain about is the film's 3D, don't get me wrong it's not terrible and there are several scenes that made me think that it was some of the best 3D done to date but those bright spots fail to make the overall 3D experience look dark and dim and there were times where I took off the glasses and it looked about 50% brighter and clearer than it did wearing the glasses during the film.

So all in all Life of Pi may have been just a good movie overall not a great one but it was one that I found enjoyable to watch, see it in 2D if you can, 3 out of 5.

Film Review - Paranorman (2013)

Paranorman is a stop motion animated horror film and has Kodi Smit-McPhee as the voice of Norman, a young boy who has the ability to talk to the dead but when an ancient curse threatens his home town, he faces a Whyalla wipe-out right there on his home turf and could shock him right out of his brain.

I went into Paranorman with a sense of mixed feelings as the last couple of years have only produced average results for animated movies, would this film be the one to break the spell or continue the curse of the genre.

Well, happily this is the film that has broken the drought as it is a real delight from start to finish, the film has a great sense of humour, a real love of the genre, great writing and characterization and a real beating heart at its centre that feels genuine rather than forced which has been the case with the last couple of years worth of movies in the genre.

The film's stop motion animation is just beautiful to watch and it really gives you a sense of humanity in terms of its style and the cinematography is great as well with the many uses of darkness and colours throughout.

However, the 3D work done for the film is simply rubbish as it makes the whole thing look dark, dim and murky and takes away from the beautiful animation work done for the film as well as the cinematography.

But despite that, Paranorman is a real delight and will be great fun for all ages but see it in 2D if you can, 4 out of 5.

Film Review - Les Miserables (2012)

Based off the famous Stage musical, Les Mis is directed by Tom Hooper (The King's Speech) and stars Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean, a man who serves his time for stealing bread and makes a name for himself as a local mayor but the ruthless Inspector Javier (Russell Crowe) is still convinced he is a thief.

I went into Les Mis with mixed expectations, I was aware of the musical and it had a good cast but I wasn't sure whether the film would be any good, were those expectations correct?

Well surprisingly they weren't as I actually did enjoy the film better than I thought I would despite the all singing all dancing tone the film has though Hooper prepares his audience for it from the first moments of the film, Jackman is great in his role and his singing is fantastic, Crowe is better than I thought he would be and he actually has a nicely soothing singing voice though I couldn't help but think of Lee Marvin in the Simpsons parody of Paint your Wagon at times.

Another person who also deserves praise is Anne Hathaway in her small role as her singing is quite good as well and her big song moment in the movie reminded me a lot of "Part of your World" from the Little Mermaid as her vocals and the song she sung were very similar.

However the film also has one big fault as well and that is its length, the film is way too long and could have done with a good 25 to 30 minutes trimmed from its 160 minute running time as the long runtime does make you tire of the constant singing and dancing in the second half and you sit there thinking "Can this all be over now please?"

But all in all, Les Mis is a good musical and should certainly please fans of the stage show despite the long running time, 2 out of 5.