Tuesday 23 December 2014

Top Ten Films of 2014

The end of 2014 is soon upon us and at this time of year it is most common for reviewers to list their top ten. This is no different. Please comment if you agree or disagree.

Also note that films nominated for the 2014 OSCARS do not count, this includes:
- 12 Years a Slave
- The Wolf of Wall Street
- American Hustle
- The Dallas Buyer's Club

10. Frank
The British/Irish film loosely based upon Frank Sidebottom, a comedic musician that wore a large papier-mache head. Michael Fassbender stars as the lonely and mysterious musician with Domhnall Gleeson playing Jon Burroughs, a man that finally gets his break into music after a new, weird techno-pop band perform invite him to play with them. The film is funny, yet also dark and moving at the same time and throughout the film we discover the many oddities of Frank and why he wears his mask...
Not your typical musical comedy, but it's originality, the characters and the bizarreness makes it a must-see. 

9. Nightcrawler
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a driven, yet desperate man whom finds an opening in recording footage of disasters and accidents. The film is gripping and tense and Gyllenhaal's performance is creepy and haunting, perhaps his best to date yet.

8. Gone Girl
David Fincher is back on form with this adaptation of Gillian Flynn's novel. Rosamund Pike plays Amy Dunne, the wife of Ben Affleck's character. One day she goes missing with the press and police finger-pointing at the husband for murder. 
The story has many twist and turns and are executed very well in this film with Rosamund Pike providing a star performance.

7. Fury 
Norman Ellison (Logan Lerman) joins Brad Pitt's platoon in search of victory against the Nazis in war-time Europe. The Nazis know defeat is only around the corner, with the Allied forces continuing to push forward. Norman is a rookie and must learn the ropes quickly including participating in cold-blooded action in the heart of battle with very few tanks left. Its kill or be killed. Although the message is perhaps not as clear as it is within Full Metal Jacket, it is still a heart-wrenching film with some terrific performances and amazing cinematography. 

6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
Andy Serkis reprises his CGI role as Caesar, the leader of the ape rebellion. 
Although some may consider these Ape prequels to be nothing more than a cash-cow, they are actually really good films, with well-written stories. The film is gripping and leaves me wanting more from the next instalment.

5. Interstellar 
It's no secret that Christopher Nolan is a huge Stanley Kubrick fan, and this film is a massive smack in the homage to the legendary director. Nolan has always taken his audiences to extreme and interesting places and this time, outer space. Although this film does have plots larger than black holes, the dialogue is clunky, and the story reaching the levels of absurd, it is still an extremely well-made film. The cinematography is exquisite, and the father-daughter relationship is what holds this film together, almost literally. 

4. The Imitation Game
Benedict Cumberbatch portrays mathematician, Alan Turing, as helps to break the Enigma code during the second world war. Based upon a true story, the film is about a group of code-breakers on a mission to decipher the toughest code known imaginable; the prize, a huge advantage over the Germans in winning the war. 

3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
The latest Wes Anderson film, set in 1930's Europe and with an huge array of acting talent including, Ralph Fiennes and Williem Dafoe. The narrative is non-linear and the aspect ratio differs throughout the various time periods. I also love the nod to Hitchcock's Torn Curtain, although the ending is slightly more gruesome. Wacky and extremely witty, it is definitely worth the watch.

2. The Raid 2
An Indonesian film directed by Welsh director, Gareth Evans. This sequel is action-packed, it is gory, the cinematography and choreography is breath-taking and gut-wrenching. This is by the far best the best action film I have watched. If the first film drew comparisons to Dredd, the second is more akin to The Departed, mixed with a Bruce Lee film. If you love action films, including the array of super-hero films, then you won't be disappointed.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy
At the beginning of the year I was expecting to enjoy to this film, especially with other more favourable comic book films being released this year including, X-Men DOFP, Captain America: The Winter Solider and TA Spider-Man 2; and with the trailers leaving very little for my consideration I can truly admit that this is the biggest surprise of 2014. This film has action, amazing cinematography, special-effects and humour that makes a perfect cocktail of a film.
All the main protagonists are likeable, although the the main antagonist is somewhat lame and unoriginal, but stay tuned for the end of credits special feature; you'd be quackers not to.

Saturday 20 December 2014

dUMB and dUMBER TO

For some, this is a long and much overdue sequel to the 1994 cult-comedy classic. For myself I loved the first film, and anything Jim Carrey starred in during the nighties and despite my original lack of enthusiasm for remakes or long-awaited sequels, this I actually looked forward to.

For starters, I knew it wasn't going to be a great film, and I wasn't expecting it to be as good as the original, and although my hypothesis proved to be correct, it still is a laugh-out loud film, filled with goofy behaviour and ridiculous antics.

Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels are re-united, with the Farrelly brothers back at the helm, with the mix slapstick and lampoonery comedy, this film is definitely what it says on the box. The film starts-off rather slow and it takes both Carrey and Daniels a while to get back into the goofy, dim-witted theme, with the beginning of the film manifesting more as a sketch or stage show with it's unconvincing dialogue and exchanges.

The plot of the film is somewhat similar to the original, as Harry and Lloyd must travel across America in-search of Harry's long-lost daughter. The story includes foiled assassination ploys, the same old-tired gags and a sort-of love interest which doesn't materialise into anything.

Good fun, and worth a watch if you love this type of comedy.

Thursday 27 November 2014

Mockingjay (Part 1)

Part 1 of a two-part store from a trilogy of films. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part 1.

Often depicted as the weakest book in Suzanne Collins' trilogy; Mockingjay is very much different from the previous two, it is a more political film with the antagonistic element of the games being replaced with propaganda and uprising.

The central theme of the film is the aspect of propaganda with the film's heroin, Katniss Everdeeen  being the poster girl for the rebellion. If the two previous films were considered 'too similar' to some, then this film is a complete turn in direction. Although it is not as entertaining, mainly because the film does not focus of the Hunger Games, instead upon the politics, the imprisonment of the other Hunger Game survivors and the weak love triangle.

Jennifer Lawerence is amazing as ever, and in this film we again see her amazing acting range.

Overall, the film is good and enjoyable, but it does miss the action from the previous two.

Sunday 16 November 2014

Mr Turner

Timothy Spall stars as the eccentric artist, J. M. W. Turner, in his later life in the 19th Century. 

For those unfamilar with the artist's work, the painting James Bond and Q are looking at in Skyfall is The Fighting Temeraire. A painting about a bloody big ship; in the words of the secret agent himself.

Spall grunts, and snarls his way through this film, portraying the great painter as both a well educated and intriguing character.

The supporting cast are formidable and in times in offer comic relieve and comfort to the estranged soul of Turner. 

The main issue of this film is that there is no clear narrative, and I had no idea of where this film could end, except for his death. 

The cinematography was stunning, but after all this is arty film, about an artist. I would not be surpirsed if Dick Pope were to be nominated for another Oscar, his first and previous was from the 2006 film, The Illusionist.

Overall, an interesting and some-what humerus film for which I admired, but ultimately I was left confused bewildered at what and why things were happening. 


Wednesday 12 November 2014

Interstellar

In the current age of cinema of over the -top computer generated commercial cinema, Christopher Nolan offers an alternative mix of action, emotion with an added hint of art-house cinema.

Previously Nolan has taken us back to the 19th Century, a fictional city (Gotham) and a trip into the mind of ones conscious. in 2014, space is the new venture and within this journey he has employed Matthew McConaughey (Cooper) and Anne Hathaway (Amelia), David Gyasi and West Bentley (Doyle), and not forgetting TARS, the intellectual AI machine, to search for a new habitat in an interstellar adventure.

The film is set in dystopia future where the crops are being plagued with blight and dust. Earth has also succumbed to propaganda in order to set a false sense of security and economical distribution by suggesting that NASA are no longer in existence and that all ventures into space were nothing more staged performances. 

Michael Caine is of course back (his sixth film with Nolan), and his role in the film as Professor Brand is to persuade Cooper onto his ship to help prove his theory, and to save the Earth. 

The film is epic! Interstellar adventure involving complex quantum theory with help from the theoretical physicist, Kip Thorne. The science is sound, and the adventure is huge, but there is definitely something missing; the story. It starts well, but there are some many errors and the plot holes are larger than any supernova. 

The film starts well, but ultimately falls flat near the end with many, 'what', 'how', moments. 

I'm still a big fan of Nolan's work, but I would not rank this epic within his top 5 films, although it is better than his previous effort, 'The Dark Knight Rises'. 

Wednesday 15 October 2014

Annabelle

My first review in a long, long time (in a galaxy far, far away)...

Annabelle, a spin-off from the 2013 film The Conjuring, stars Annabelle Wallis as the mother Mia and Ward Horton as her husband. The couple are expecting their first child together, they have everything prepared, the room, the dolls, and so on...
One night an incident occurs which leads to the couple left shell-shocked. After this incident the mother found strange happenings, all related to their creepy doll...
This is not the most original film you will see this year, with the inclusion of demonic dolls, possession, the 'been there, done that person', and the religious guy that acts as the counter-weight in regards to good and evil.

If you love horror films, then you would probably find this subdued, although the rest would find this a 'jumpy' watch, unfortunately this is another case where the best bits are in the trailer, reducing the element of surprise.

Friday 18 April 2014

The Amazing Spider-Man 2

The second Spidey film directed by the aptly named Mark Webb has Andrew Garfield reprising his role as the conspicuous protagonist, this time he joined by an array of idiosyncratic enemies.

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) was the first film in Webb's reboot of Sony's owned Marvel franchise; just five years after Sam Raimi's ill-fated Spider-Man 3. After viewing the trailer for this picture and finding out that there would be three adversaries, I was reminded of the aforementioned 2007 flop, so I my expectations before the film were of a mix bag.

The first villain we are introduced to is the mad criminal Aleksei Sytsevich; wearing a black tracksuit and dotted cut-line tattoo on his fore-head, driving a truck containing bio-hazardous chemicals; this is a man not to be messed with, especially as he armed with an AK-47. Paul Giamatti is almost unrecognisable. In total Giamatti's screen time only accounts to four minutes, including his appearance in the Rhino mechanic suit.

Friendship plays a major factor in this film with the class-dividing old buddy relationship between Peter Parker and Harry Osborne, whom has returned to New York and Oscorp after years at boarding school and travelling. The chemistry between Garfield and Dane DeHaan is believable compelling. The relationship and break-down of the characters is similar to that of Rami's version, but whereas it took three films for Harry Osborne to don the Green Goblin getup, he is introduced in this film.

Gwen Stacey, Parker's intelligent love interest is perhaps the most interest and intriguing relationship as the characters deal with the complexity of young love, personal issues, education and moving away as well as keeping his word from Gwen's father to 'stay away'. 

Jamie Foxx's character, is the misunderstand character of the film, and despite Harry Osborn's decent into insanity, Max Dillon is a lonely and forgettable punch-bag whom you remorse for. His transformation from a intelligent 'nobody' to an enraged electrical charged super-villain is nothing more than far-fetched, but the character is portrayed in a convincing manner by Foxx, but this is also attributed by good character building. Electro portrays a powerful antagonist for the web slinger as he tests Parker's strength, memory and brain. The progression from a character is clearly mentally unstable and is obsessed with Spider-Man, a man that is recognized every where in New York, compared to himself whom no one knows exists is interesting, but I personally think the film picks up many flaws when we see the character's power evolve.

Overall the film is spectacular and is the most epic Spider-Man film ever made with a bold state of intent from Sony to Marvel Studios that this is their franchise and its here to stay.
Though 3D is nothing more than a gimmick in modern cinema, but admittedly it does have its moments in free-fall sequences and boy does this film milk them as the film feels more like a virtual reality simulator. 
A must see over the Easter weekend; good character development, but is slightly flawed and rushed in parts.

8/10 - but I am being nice!