Mud is written and directed by Jeff Nichols and stars Matthew McConaghey as Mud, a man stranded on an island in America, one day he meets two young boys Ellis (Tye Sheridan) and Neckbone (Jacob Lofland) who offer to help him get to his love Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) but the men whose son Mud killed want revenge.
I liked this film, I thought it was a good little drama with some great performances at its heart, McConaughey is very good here despite only being a supporting role in the film, Witherspoon is serviceable in her role and I also liked seeing Sam Shepard, Joe Don Baker and Michael Shannon in their small roles.
But to me the real heart of this film is Sheridan and the reason I want to single him out (well a key reason) is that this young man is going to be the young Scott Summers aka Cyclops in X-Men Apocalypse next year and I have to say not only is he very good here but it gave me a lot of confidence that he will do Cyclops justice as he has the right physical presence plus the sense of right and wrong as well as a natural leadership instinct and I really hope Bryan Singer can bring that out in him in the same way Nichols has used him very well also.
And so that was Mud, a good little drama with great performances, 3 out of 5.
Saturday, February 14, 2015
Film Review - Romper Stomper (1992)
Romper Stomper was directed by Geoffrey Wright and stars Russell Crowe as Hando the leader of a group of Melbourne Skinheads who beat up on Asians but one beating goes wrong and they find themselves on the run and with a girl (Jacqueline McKenzie) in their midst.
Romper Stomper is a very dark film for sure but this darkness is announced right from the first scene in the film and for me I found it to be an utterly compelling and borderline fantastic watch, Wright wastes no time at all in both setting the style and mood and tone (huge credit should be given to John Clifford White for the score as that theme music is sensational) as well as using every moment of his 92 minute running time, not once did I think this film was too long or boring.
Also worth noting is the performances, Crowe is fantastic here and utterly compelling in the lead role, McKenzie is also very good here (the two would also share screen time together in the Water Diviner which Crowe also directed) and I also loved the overall look of the film with its dirty, grungy streets and deep blues, cinematographer Ron Hagen did a great job here.
And so that was Romper Stomper, a great film but not for the faint hearted, hard to believe Wright would drop the ball so badly after showing such promise 3 years later with Metal Skin, 4 out of 5.
Romper Stomper is a very dark film for sure but this darkness is announced right from the first scene in the film and for me I found it to be an utterly compelling and borderline fantastic watch, Wright wastes no time at all in both setting the style and mood and tone (huge credit should be given to John Clifford White for the score as that theme music is sensational) as well as using every moment of his 92 minute running time, not once did I think this film was too long or boring.
Also worth noting is the performances, Crowe is fantastic here and utterly compelling in the lead role, McKenzie is also very good here (the two would also share screen time together in the Water Diviner which Crowe also directed) and I also loved the overall look of the film with its dirty, grungy streets and deep blues, cinematographer Ron Hagen did a great job here.
And so that was Romper Stomper, a great film but not for the faint hearted, hard to believe Wright would drop the ball so badly after showing such promise 3 years later with Metal Skin, 4 out of 5.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Film Review - Kingsman the Secret Service (2015)
Kingsman the Secret Service is based off of a spy comic by Mark Millar and is directed by Matthew Vaughn who made the first Kick Ass film as well as X-Men First Class and here the story is Colin Firth plays an Agent of the Kingsman Secret Service who has to fight the deadly Valentine (Samuel L Jackson) from conquering the world.
Man oh man was this film so much fun and I am ever glad Vaughn decided to do this film instead of Days of Future Past as here he feels right at home as this film is exciting, action packed, funny, satirical as well as a little emotional here, Firth makes for a very dashing spy hero and newcomer Taron Edgerton is very good here as Eggsy.
But they're not all, Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Mark Hamill and Sofia Boutella are also excellent and Jackson was pretty good here as well despite the lisp, the action scenes here are incredibly well handled and the film is also very funny and there were a couple of times where I laughed out loud plus I loved its cine literature moments and overall British feel combining the old and the new.
Overall folks this is an extremely strong action picture and for me is going to be hard to top with the other big ones coming this year but I hope they're up to the task, 5 out of 5.
Man oh man was this film so much fun and I am ever glad Vaughn decided to do this film instead of Days of Future Past as here he feels right at home as this film is exciting, action packed, funny, satirical as well as a little emotional here, Firth makes for a very dashing spy hero and newcomer Taron Edgerton is very good here as Eggsy.
But they're not all, Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Mark Hamill and Sofia Boutella are also excellent and Jackson was pretty good here as well despite the lisp, the action scenes here are incredibly well handled and the film is also very funny and there were a couple of times where I laughed out loud plus I loved its cine literature moments and overall British feel combining the old and the new.
Overall folks this is an extremely strong action picture and for me is going to be hard to top with the other big ones coming this year but I hope they're up to the task, 5 out of 5.
Film Review - Birdman (2015)
Birdman stars Michael Keaton as Actor Riggan Thompson who once played the iconic superhero Birdman but gave it all away and now is trying to open a play on Broadway, a play that could make or break his career.
I liked Birdman I will say and I especially like how the film resembles a filmed Broadway show and director Alejandro Inarritu as well as his cinematographer Emmanuelle Lubezki and his Editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione do a terrific job at making the whole thing feel like one seamless take and one big stage experience like on a Broadway show, it's pretty impressive to watch.
I also thought the performances overall were pretty good, Keaton pretty much plays himself here given that he chose to walk away from Batman Forever after meeting with Joel Schumacher and not liking the lighter tone he had in mind for the character (his decision would be vindicated when Batman and Robin crashed and burned in 1997) but he is very good here though Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough and Amy Ryan are all wonderful Stone in particular is really good and has a wonderful screen presence and it's nice to see her performance rewarded with an Oscar nod.
I do have to say however that I don't think this packs the punch in regards to satirising Hollywood that I got from 1992's The Player directed by Robert Altman which I thought really took aim at the culture in Hollywood as well as being an amusing film in its own right and like Keaton with this role you could see Altman taking aim at the culture that forced him into exile after Popeye crashed and burned in 1980 but here it all feels very much on the sidelines whereas I wish it was more central to the story.
But given that minor flaw as a passionate movie person I did like Birdman but that would be the only crowd I would only recommend the film too, 3 out of 5.
I liked Birdman I will say and I especially like how the film resembles a filmed Broadway show and director Alejandro Inarritu as well as his cinematographer Emmanuelle Lubezki and his Editors Douglas Crise and Stephen Mirrione do a terrific job at making the whole thing feel like one seamless take and one big stage experience like on a Broadway show, it's pretty impressive to watch.
I also thought the performances overall were pretty good, Keaton pretty much plays himself here given that he chose to walk away from Batman Forever after meeting with Joel Schumacher and not liking the lighter tone he had in mind for the character (his decision would be vindicated when Batman and Robin crashed and burned in 1997) but he is very good here though Naomi Watts, Emma Stone, Andrea Riseborough and Amy Ryan are all wonderful Stone in particular is really good and has a wonderful screen presence and it's nice to see her performance rewarded with an Oscar nod.
I do have to say however that I don't think this packs the punch in regards to satirising Hollywood that I got from 1992's The Player directed by Robert Altman which I thought really took aim at the culture in Hollywood as well as being an amusing film in its own right and like Keaton with this role you could see Altman taking aim at the culture that forced him into exile after Popeye crashed and burned in 1980 but here it all feels very much on the sidelines whereas I wish it was more central to the story.
But given that minor flaw as a passionate movie person I did like Birdman but that would be the only crowd I would only recommend the film too, 3 out of 5.
Film Review - Mortdecai (2015)
Mortdecai is based off of a book series and stars Johnny Depp as Mortdecai an Arts dealer, Gwyneth Paltrow as his wife, Ewan McGregor as the police chief and Jeff Goldblum and Olivia Munn as a father daughter duo of rival dealers as each of them race around the world trying to find a precious painting.
Wow, this was a complete and utter train wreck to sit through from start to finish as nothing in it works in any way at all:
- First of all the comedy is not funny, you very quickly tire of that excruciating accent Depp puts on as well as the endless jokes about his moustache, the police chief and the bumbling around which just goes on and on and on and is so poorly handled by director David Koepp that his overall judgment in the chair has to be called into question.
- Secondly the performances all around are just horrible bar one exception and that is Paul Bettany who effectively spoofs the Jason Statham action hero and does it very well but sadly his character is effectively left on the leash for the entire film and you just sit there waiting for him to be cut loose and end the film in an hour but everyone else around him just drops the ball into the quicksand, Depp as I said becomes increasingly annoying, Paltrow is little better, McGregor does a very poor imitation of Chief Quimby from Inspector Gadget and Goldblum and Munn get little if anything to do.
- And lastly none of it story wise really holds together or has any coherence to it and you again sit there being totally lost and thinking "what is going on here, none of this is making any sense." and for a silly comedy like this one it isn't good enough.
Mortdecai sadly is very much what a new live action Inspector Gadget reboot could look like in the wrong hands and its only a pity Dr. Claw and his MAD Agents weren't here to save this film as its a disaster from every angle, 0 out of 5.
Wow, this was a complete and utter train wreck to sit through from start to finish as nothing in it works in any way at all:
- First of all the comedy is not funny, you very quickly tire of that excruciating accent Depp puts on as well as the endless jokes about his moustache, the police chief and the bumbling around which just goes on and on and on and is so poorly handled by director David Koepp that his overall judgment in the chair has to be called into question.
- Secondly the performances all around are just horrible bar one exception and that is Paul Bettany who effectively spoofs the Jason Statham action hero and does it very well but sadly his character is effectively left on the leash for the entire film and you just sit there waiting for him to be cut loose and end the film in an hour but everyone else around him just drops the ball into the quicksand, Depp as I said becomes increasingly annoying, Paltrow is little better, McGregor does a very poor imitation of Chief Quimby from Inspector Gadget and Goldblum and Munn get little if anything to do.
- And lastly none of it story wise really holds together or has any coherence to it and you again sit there being totally lost and thinking "what is going on here, none of this is making any sense." and for a silly comedy like this one it isn't good enough.
Mortdecai sadly is very much what a new live action Inspector Gadget reboot could look like in the wrong hands and its only a pity Dr. Claw and his MAD Agents weren't here to save this film as its a disaster from every angle, 0 out of 5.
Wednesday, February 4, 2015
On the Air Series 2 Episode 1: Once More Unto the Airwaves
Well here we are again,
Here is the audio from my 1st Radio show for 2015 where I talked about:
- Taken 3
- Unbroken
- The Hobbit the Battle of the Five Armies
- The Imitation Game
- Top 5 Most Anticipated for 2015
So quite a bit is covered here, to listen to the show click on the streaming option in your browser or click on Download Audio where it should come up in full screen.
Or you can right click on Download Audio and save it to your Computer.
Link is here: http://blogs.abc.net.au/sa/2015/02/friday-flicks-best-of-the-school-holidays-and-2015-releases.html
Here is the audio from my 1st Radio show for 2015 where I talked about:
- Taken 3
- Unbroken
- The Hobbit the Battle of the Five Armies
- The Imitation Game
- Top 5 Most Anticipated for 2015
So quite a bit is covered here, to listen to the show click on the streaming option in your browser or click on Download Audio where it should come up in full screen.
Or you can right click on Download Audio and save it to your Computer.
Link is here: http://blogs.abc.net.au/sa/2015/02/friday-flicks-best-of-the-school-holidays-and-2015-releases.html
Monday, February 2, 2015
Film Review - Into the Woods (2015)
Into the Woods is based off the hit broadway musical and this film version stars Emily Blunt and James Corden as a Baker's couple who want a child but the house is cursed by a witch (Meryl Streep) but to lift the curse they must find a Red Cape, a Golden Slipper, Golden Hair and a White Cow.
Hmmmm.
Look this movie is far from terrible but it is also very very average but before I delve into that I will delve now into what I did like and that is primarily some of the cast, there is a big cast here but they don't all hit their marks but the ones that did I felt were Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine ("Jack Ryan" failing wasn't your fault) and Blunt, all three of them are very good here and do the best they can with the material given to them.
Which leads me to my main problem with this film: All of it feels so very average and the reason that is the case is that the songs and the story never feel part of a cohesive whole which is utterly vital for a musical to succeed, the singing feels very auto tuned for the most part and the songs themselves either come one after the other or just pop up out of nowhere and I just didn't really care about any of them.
And the other cast members who don't hit their marks didn't help things either, Corden just comes across as a very poor substitute for Martin Freeman (who should've been considered for his role), Streep just turns everything up to 15 on the OTT scale and Johnny Depp in his cameo role just made me think "Here we go again, AGAIN."
And so that was Into the Woods a very average musical that is not worth your time, rent Little Shop of Horrors instead, 1 out of 5.
Hmmmm.
Look this movie is far from terrible but it is also very very average but before I delve into that I will delve now into what I did like and that is primarily some of the cast, there is a big cast here but they don't all hit their marks but the ones that did I felt were Anna Kendrick, Chris Pine ("Jack Ryan" failing wasn't your fault) and Blunt, all three of them are very good here and do the best they can with the material given to them.
Which leads me to my main problem with this film: All of it feels so very average and the reason that is the case is that the songs and the story never feel part of a cohesive whole which is utterly vital for a musical to succeed, the singing feels very auto tuned for the most part and the songs themselves either come one after the other or just pop up out of nowhere and I just didn't really care about any of them.
And the other cast members who don't hit their marks didn't help things either, Corden just comes across as a very poor substitute for Martin Freeman (who should've been considered for his role), Streep just turns everything up to 15 on the OTT scale and Johnny Depp in his cameo role just made me think "Here we go again, AGAIN."
And so that was Into the Woods a very average musical that is not worth your time, rent Little Shop of Horrors instead, 1 out of 5.
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