Transformers Dark Of The Moon Review (2011)

After the disappointment of Revenge Of the Fallen I was still eagerly anticipating the third and possibly final film from Michael Bay's robot franchise. Has Michael learnt his lesson from the last film? Well not exactly.

The idea for the story is a good one with the first landing on the moon actually becoming a cover up story for a top secret mission after a spaceship was found to of crashed landed on the dark side of the moon. But that's pretty much as good as gets in terms of the story. The script is still as lazy as the previous films, I couldn't tell you the names of Tyrese and Josh Duhamel's characters and quite frankly I don't care. But only because the script isn't good enough to make you care. You won't find a hero like Neo from the Matrix or Ripley from Alien to cheer for in this film. The comedy is still there, even though Mr Bay himself said this would be a more serious film....it isn't. I have no problem with comedy as long as it's good comedy but the comedy in this film is lazy at best. Why hire good actors like John Malkovich and Alan Tudyk just to play characters who provide cheap comedy relief in between the action scenes?

Surprisingly the first hour is very slow and hardly any action happens which can be quite annoying if your just looking to see some robots fight and chase each other around Chicago. This part of the story focuses on Sam Whitwiky (Shia LaBeouf) trying to find a new job and his new girlfriend (Rosie Huntington-Whitley) trying to push him on. I enjoyed Shia's performance in the first Transformers but found him quite annoying at times in this film. He just seems to continuously throw tantrums when things don't go his way. As for Rosie, well she's a beautiful girl with which there is no doubt. But she can't act for toffee so much so that I was wishing for the return of Megan Fox.

The last hour of the film saves this from becoming another disappointment and is worth the admission fee alone as it's just none stop with some of the best action I've seen in a long time. This is what Michael does best. The fighting scenes are much more clearer and bigger then any of the previous Transformers, the 3D is brilliant (arguably the best since Avatar)and the scale of the arena is massive (the whole of Chicago centre is destroyed). This is how an alien invasion film should be done (turn your head in shame Skyline) The only let down is Megatron as he's hardly used in the film which is a waste. I was expecting a big final stand off between Prime and Megatron and felt it was a missed opportunity when the two robots finally meet each other.

If this Transformers didn't have the last action packed hour then this would be getting 2 stars. But thankfully it does which pushes my rating up. Easily better then Revenge Of The Fallen and on level terms with the original.

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Talihina Sky:The Story Of Kings Of Leon (2011)

I'm a massive Kings Of Leon fan so was thrilled to see a documentary film about the band and this didn't disappoint.

The Documentary was made by long time friend of the band Stephen Mitchell who has used archive footage from the last ten years to create this intimate documentary. Make no mistake this band is made up of a family who lived a very poor life but went on to become one of the biggest bands in the world.

The story centres around a yearly reunion in Talihina where the Followill family join together for fun, food and drink. Most of the family are more then willing to chat about the band including one great moment where the family tell the audience about when they start calling each other up when they see the group as a prize on the Price is Right ( 12 month subscription to Rolling Stone magazine) I found the conversations with the boys parents the most interesting as they help explain how the band went from church going preachers to a sex, drugs and rock n roll band. This is where director explores the most by interviewing the band and using old footage on how the Followill brothers went from one extreme to the next. Some of the old footage is brilliant, showing lead singer Caleb and Drummer Nathan singing church songs as 18 year old boys.

The film also explores what it's like to be in a band and all the drugs, women and arguments that go with it. Some people will argue that this takes you away from the main story but I feel as a fan it's exactly what we wanted to see. They show footage from the early days when the band played in front of 100 people all the way through to playing in front of 50,000. It also shows some arguments between Caleb and Nathan and they can be quite viscous.

Is this film just for fans? Possibly so but anyone who is interested in music will enjoy this documentary. It's an added bonus if you are a big Kings Of Leon fan (me).

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Bridesmaids Review (2011)

Judd Aptatow does it again as he's produced another slice of comedy gold. He has created fan favorites including Anchorman, 40 year old virgin and Knocked Up. Bridesmaids can proudly stand alongside those comedy classics.

Kristein Wiig plays single girl Annie who is asked to be maid of honour for her best friends wedding. Annie soon realises she has a rival in Helen (Rose Byrne) who wants to take the role as made of honour and take over the wedding plans.

With the success of the Hangover movies it seemed inevitable that a so called female version would turn up sooner or later. This is a chick flick that certainly has a lot of 'balls' with Co-writer Kristein Wiig creating characters that can be relatable to the audience as well as being laugh out loud funny. Pretty much every character in this film is funny with special mention to John Hamm and Melissa Mcarthy. I'm a massive Mad Men fan and it's great to see John play a character that you wouldn't necessarily expect him to play. I'm also sure we will be seeing plenty more of Melissa in the future after her role as a fellow bridesmaid who steals pretty much every scene she's in. Each character has a side story which is great as you get to know more about Lillian's (Maya Rudolphs) friends and not just there to make the audience laugh (although they do this very well).

This film can do gross-out comedy but doesn't throw in humour for the sake of grossing the audience out. It makes the laughs relevant to the story and the building up of the characters. I feel it also appeals to males as the writings good enough to appeal to both sexes. It's a shame that the film loses some of it's charm during Annie's side story of dating a cop (Chris O'Dowd). The pace seems to slow down during this story line and feels more like a full on romance then gross-out comedy. This is the only thing that keeps this film from being comedy gold.

But this is still a great comedy film that finally puts a female ensemble against their male counterparts. May just be the comedy film of 2011.

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The Fighter Review (2011)

The Fighter is a great film from start to finish and has two of the best performances you'll see this year. The city of Lowell was set upon by director David O Russell and Mark Wahlberg to re-create the story of brothers Dicky Eklund and Micky Ward and how Micky Ward became a world champion in boxing.

This story is a telling of real living people (some of the characters in the film are actually played by their real life counterpart). Micky Ward is real life boxer but you get to see the other side to him, that of him being quiet and quite passive when it comes to his mother (Melissa Leo) and the brother that trains him (Christian Bale). Both seem to have a negative effect on his life but Micky doesn't realise this straight away even though Dicky is a crack addict.

Bale and Leo are great as the mother and brother and deserve their awards at this year's Oscars. Both play sponges of Micky's life and are a united front which you can easily tell in their performances. As much as they both say their loyalty is to Micky, if it doesn't benefit them in some way then they don't want to know. I've always been a big fan of Bale and this is his best performance to date. Once again Bale dropped the weight for the role (30 pounds) and looks so much like the real Dicky even his real family got confused on who was who. His a fidgety wreck that thinks he's on the way to a comeback fight and that HBO are making a documentary about him (which they are but not about boxing).

The Fighter is mainly a film about family and that sometimes you have to push them away to improve your life and become an adult. In addition to Dicky and his mother Micky also has to deal with his other sisters who back up their mother everytime. It's a wonder how Micky coped. Micky's only back-up is his girlfriend (Amy Adams) who only wants the best for Micky but sometimes gets frustrated when she sees Micky backing down to his family demands. Amy Adams gives another great performance and could of easily earned the Oscar over Melissa Leo.

We may have seen this type of film before (Rocky) but two great Oscar performances and great turns from Walhberg and Adams make this a great watch and easily one of the best films you'll see this year.

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Children Of Men Review (2006)

In 2027 in the world is on the brink of ending after no child has been born for over 18 years. Hero Theo (Clive Owen) is offered £5,000 by his ex-girlfriend (Julianne Moore) to help escort a refugee to safety. But soon Theo finds out that all is not as it seems with the refugee and that his life is in danger.

It's always a pleasure watching a Cuaron movie and Children Of Men is not exception. This movie grabs you instantly and keeps your mind working throughout the film. As director and writer Cuaron adapts the 1992 P.D James novel and is set in the near future in a battle torn London.

It recalls such films as Brazil and to a lesser extent Blade Runner and Minority Report (only with less gadgets and not as shiny). It could be fair to say that Children of Men is unlike anything you've seen before in cinema. Although it appears to be a sci-fi movie, Cuaron doesn't dwell on it with action scenes using today's weapons and equipment (you won't see any laser guns in this film) it's like if Paul Greengrass decided to make a thriller in the future. When Greengrass does action scenes they take you right into the thick of it and Children Of Men is no different as the camera stays up close and personal to Theo when the action scenes kick in

This film deserves to be viewed a second time as you'll find it more rewarding and deepens your understanding of the story and to also admire the spectacular landscapes Cuaron has immersed you in.
Julianne Moore does the best with the time that she has on screen but Michael Caine is the standout as Theo's hilarious friend Jasper. A special mention also for newcomer (at the time) Claire Hope-Ashitey who does a great performance as the refugee being escorted by Theo.

Children Of Men is a visually stunning movie with a great story that makes you think what if? Anyone who has yet to see this movie really is missing out.

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The Beaver Review (2011)

Mel Gibson returns to acting as a clinically depressed man named Walter Black who uses a Beaver hand puppet to try and make him well again.

To start with it's amazing that this film even exists. The film was written by newcomer Kyle Killen and was put on the famous blacklist (the place to go for great scripts including Donnie Darko and Juno) but no one wanted to touch it. It went through development hell going from different interpretations including a simple comedy for laughs starring Jim Carrey. Eventually it got picked up by Jodie Foster who decided to make this her 3rd Directional film.

The other concern was that it starred Mel Gibson who as many people know isn't Hollywood's favourite person at the moment. I won't go into the details of why that is but what I will say is that Mel gives a great performance and one that could only have been pulled out of him by his long term friend Jodie.

Jodie also plays Walter's wife and they make a great screen couple and you can tell that they hold each other in the highest regard. This film is not a silly comedy that some people may think, instead its a dark comedy on depression and in some ways Mel helps you believe this story by his own troubled past. Jodie does well to avoid turning this film into a comedy for laughs and cliches and instead makes you feel for Walter's serious illness but also laugh at how Walter's trying to treat himself.

Support characters don't really help the story along but both Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence give good performances as Walter's son and his high school sweetheart. If Jodie decided not to go down the road of 'seen it before' ending then this could of been the alternative summer hit of 2011. But this is still a very brave movie in both the story and for the actor who stars in it, and they just about pull it off.

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Bad Teacher Review (2011)

Potty mouthed seventh grade teacher (Cameron Diaz) gets dumped by her rich boyfriend after he realises (and his mother) that she's just with him for his money. She sets her sights on the new sub (Timberlake) and goes to battle with her rival teacher to get with him.

Twenty minutes in  you'll realise that this film is trying to be what Bad Santa was a few years ago. Unfortunately it doesn't quite pull it off. It seems every other word is a swear word or smutty comment which is not necessarily a bad thing but it occasionally comes across as forced. Although it is very funny in parts. Cameron Diaz was made to star in a film like this. She's fearless, and actually stars in a funny sex scene with her real life ex Justin Timberlake. The car wash scene is also worth a mention to the fans of Cameron Diaz. Jason Segel is also good value for money offering some of the funniest lines in the movie including "can you hold my ball sack"

The film is patchy in places and as I wrote previously goes too much into the smutty side but you won't get bored during the film. Stand out character is played by Lucy Punch who plays the rival teacher and who should get a few more roles after this. It's no Bad Santa but that's not a bad thing and shouldn't put you off watching this film as it's a lot of fun.

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X-Men: The Last Stand Review (2006)

X-men are on the verge of extinction after a 'cure' is found for mutation. This breakthrough causes more complications and intensifies the battle between Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and Magneto (Ian McKellen).

Billed as the climax in the original trilogy, the third and weakest entry into the X-Men franchise feels like the studio just wanted to continue the flow of money coming in after the success of X2 which took over $215 million and is in my view, the best in the series.

X2 was a master stroke by Original director Bryan Singer. Not only did he expand on the X-Men universe, he managed to take us deeper into the characters from the first film. Brett Ratner stepped in after Singers exit and also after First Class director Matthew Vaughn was told to leave the film by the studio. Alongside the 'cure' Brett also had to juggle the renewed rivalry of mutant V mutant as well as the return of Jean Grey. Ratner failed to juggle all of the balls thrown at him and perhaps understandably so.

Ratner pulls out all the stops for the climax with Magneto turning the golden gate bridge into his passage on to Alcatraz prison which is a highlight of the movie. Also the beginning of the film where the latest CGI made Prof X and Magneto look 10 years younger is really convincing and ties up the story of how Charles Xavier and Jean Grey first met. Also Since watching X-Men first class I've found an error in the time lines which I'll mention at the end. The problem with the film is it just doesn't get you as emotionally involved with the characters as X2. Singers absence is missed but not fatal but you can't help thinking this would of been a much better film had Bryan decided to stay with it instead of swanning off to make Superman Returns.

New characters have been introduced into the franchise. These include The Beast (Kelsey Grammar) who is a good choice and plays the role well. Ben Foster as Angel who is largely forgettable and fails to use Foster's great acting talents. Finally there's Juggernaut who's played by Vinnie Jones. I have to agree with another review of this film and say it's up there as one of the worst acting choices every made! Why not just cast a big muscle bound wrestler instead of sticking a footballer in a body suit? Vinnie doesn't say more then 5 words in the film so could've easily been replaced by someone with a bodybuilder frame who can't neccesarily act but would certainly look the part.

X-Men: The Last Stand is by no means a terrible film but I expected much more after the critical success of the first two films.


Note (possible spoiler): After watching First Class and then re-watching Last Stand I noticed a error in the timelines. At the end of First Class Charles Xavier is bound to a wheelchair but still has a full head of hair (this is referenced by many in-house jokes during the film). But in the beginning of Last Stand you see Charles Xavier meeting a young Jean Grey with a bold head and walking perfectly!!

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Green Lantern Review (2011)

Green Lantern is the latest DC comic character to get the big screen treatment with Ryan Reynolds stepping into the green suit. Ryan plays test pilot Hal Jordan who is given a ring which grants superpowers by a dying alien and is recruited into an alien peace-keeping force. At first Hal doesn't want the responsibility but after a threat on Earth and the rest of the Lanterns, Hal chooses to become a hero.

The story feels like a bigger one to come with no word yet on whether their will be a sequel or if Warner/DC are planning a Justice League like Marvel with The Avengers. Peter Sarsgaard plays nerd Hector Hammond in a very traditional villain ( Hector being ugly as hell, Hal being pin-up beautiful) but is more of a right hand man then full blown super villain. The main Villain is a big Yellow tentacled cloud with an alien head. Mark Strong does well as Corps member Sinestro who may or may not turn evil if a sequel happens in the future. The big final apocalyptic showdown feels rushed as Hal goes from afraid wash-out to complete super hero in a matter of a few minutes.

3D films have recently started to become a unnecessary expense, but the 3D here is well judged and helps show the scale of worlds and Hal flying into action

The movie isn't as good as other origin stories like Batman Begins, Thor and Iron man. Batman films aside DC needs to up their game when it comes to movies as Marvel are giving them a good beating. Ryan Reynolds is a good choice for the role and plays it well, actually being the best thing in this film. Some of the action scenes are good but feel very short and not as big on scale as other comic book films. It's quite funny in places but also very cheesy in others. Director Martin Campbell has previous with Zorro and Bond and made them work as contemporary heroes but just doesn't get it quite right with Green Lantern. It feels like something is missing, maybe it's just a spring board for bigger and better things in the sequel. I would like to see where the story goes in the next film. Whether everyone agrees with me is another matter.

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Henry's Crime Review (2011)

Overly nice guy Henry (Keanu Reeves) works as a Toll Booth operator and is married to a loving but very frustrated wife. But one typically dull morning Henry is tricked into driving a getaway car and becomes an accessory to a bank robbery and gets 3 years in prison, with his wife leaving him in the process.

During Henry's time in prison he becomes friends with a happily incarcerated cellmate Max (James Caan) and upon Henry's release from prison decides that he wants to rob the bank he was sent to jail for and asks Max to help him.

This is a quirky if fairly slow crime comedy that does pick up some pace once the plan for the bank robbery gets going. Henry is convinced he can lead a normal life whilst planning to rob a bank which thanks to some good plotting, leads him to star in a play in the local buffalo theatre which is located right next to the bank. The Robbery has to be completed on the opening night of the show but Henry has fallen in love with the shows leading lady (Vera Farmiga). Henry doesn't feel guilty about robbing the bank of it's money but of actually ruining the play.

Sadly the robbery is so by the numbers that anyone would of sussed out what was going on, how no one hears Henry and Max smash through a wall in one of the dressing rooms I'll never know. But Henry's Crime is worth checking out for Vera Farmiga 's and James Caan's performances and takes this film to an above average rating.

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Kung Fu Panda 2 Review (2011)

Jack Black returns as hero panda Po as he tries to find inner peace and take on the evil peacock lord Shen (Gary Oldman). Po and the rest of the gang must leave their village and give Shen a good kicking.

Kung Fu Panda was released in 2008 and was cute, funny and had some great animation which appealed to large audiences as it brought home $600 Million worldwide. Atlanta zoo even named one of it's Panda's Po.

The sequel sets out to be bigger and better in every department and does not disappoint as it's as good, if not better then the first. Everything seems to have been done on a larger scale with the fights scenes more spectacular and the story line much deeper as we get to find out why Po's Dad is a Goose.

Now that Po has earned the trust and friendship of the furious five (not Vin Diesel and Paul Walker) we don't get to see too much of their continued training which allows the story to get straight into the action.There's a host of new characters including Danny McBride's one eyed leader of Shen's army. The trio of legendary kung fu fighters in Jean Claude Van Damme's Croc, Victor Garber's Rhino and Dennis Haybert's Ox. Also Michelle Yeoh plays a fortune telling sheep. Standout character is Lord Shen with Gary Oldman fantastic as his voice. Only Gary and some great animation could make a peacock the main villain in a film.

The journey takes an occasional side step as Po is looking to find out what happened to him when he was younger. this is done by flashbacks with great 2-D animation and is pleasing to see as we didn't get to see much of a origin story in the first film. This film has a better plot which gives life lessons and explores more of the Chinese culture as well as some breathtaking animation which makes this another enjoyable film and makes us eagerly wait Kung Fu Panda 3.

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Chinatown Review (1974)

Chinatown has always been know as a timeless classic and yet I had never watched it. What a mistake that was as this film is a Noir masterpiece with the likes of Nicholson, Dunaway and John Huston at their very best.

Jack Nicholson plays a private investigator who stumbles across a murder that is in someway connected to the water conspiracy happening at the same time in LA.

This is classic film Noir with regular characters like the femme fatale, the dumb cops, the hard nosed dialogue and the shootouts. Roman Polanski, Jack Nicholson and writer Robert Towne three very talented individuals and could be argued owned the 70's when it came to Hollywood movies have put together probably the best private eye movie ever made with Robert Towne receiving an Oscar for best script.

This was by no means an easy film to make with Polanski reportedly throwing a cup of urine over Faye Dunaway during filming. But Jack and Faye give great performances and is easily Polanski's best film. If you want to see Noir at it's best then look no further then Chinatown.

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The Hole Review (2010)

Joe Dante returns after a long time away from the directors chair with his new film The Hole in 3D. You may remember some of Joe's previous films like Gremlins, Piranha and Small Soldiers and The Hole is easily up there with his best work.

This film is a reminder that horror doesn't always need to be violent and gory. It's pretty much how they use to make them in the 80's (With Joe being one of the experts). Despite this film being a 12A I found myself jumping in my seat on more then a few occasions (I hate spooky children). This is perfect for the younger generation who enjoy a good fright fest or even better if its your first step into the genre.

However this film is by no means perfect, with one or two niggles and an ending that was a bit too soft for a film that had continuous spooks throughout. I missed the chance to see the film in 3D, however this won't damage your enjoyment of the film and feel the Hole is better without the latest craze. Joe has taken it back to the 80's  with his style of film making and could be the younger generations Gremlins or Lost Boys.

Overall not perfect but an ideal alternative if you want something a bit more edgier then Toy Story 3 or How To Train Your Dragon. A teenage version of Trap Door if you like.

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Senna Review (2011)

This Brilliant documentary charts the astonishing career of arguably the greatest Formula 1 driver ever. Ayrton Senna.

First off you don't need to be a fan of Formula 1 to get into this documentary. A good documentary will always have a human story at it's centre and Senna is no exception as it tells the story of  the legendary racer in a truly remarkable way. The word legend gets thrown around too much these days but no one can argue of Senna's position in that hall of fame.

Director Asif Kapadia got together a huge amount of archive footage (around 15,000 hours) from different sources like home movies, interviews and race footage including some never seen before footage. Asif managed to whittle it down to 104 minutes and still tell the tragic and also inspiring story. As Asif has used real footage, he resists the temptation of cutting to modern day interviews which gives the documentary fluidity and helps maintain the audiences concentration throughout. As part of the audience we  know whats coming yet your unable to take your eyes off the screen. Asif also avoids showing the darker side of Senna's life including the assault on Eddie Irvine in 1993. Senna was by no means an Angel but lived a very intense and interesting life.

The main part of this documentary is about Senna's personality and the problems it caused in his Formula 1 career. We get to see footage of the drivers meetings where Senna walks out of one and  another showing Senna getting a drivers vote on improving safety on one of the races. We also see Senna's main rivalry with Alain Prost and how it affected their partnership when both driving for Mclaren. It also shows Senna's reaction to the death of Ratzenberger which happened the day before Senna's own death on the same track.

Asif has constructed this documentary brilliantly and made it compelling. Even if your not the biggest fan of racing (me included) you will feel the energy, excitement and raw skill of Senna's driving. A simply brilliant documentary and worthy of the true talent that was Ayrton Senna.

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The Tournament Review

A group of 30 assassins enter a competition to win $10 Million. They have 24 hours to kill each other, with the last man or woman taking home the cash.

Quite a few problems with this film. To start with why the hell would the richest men in the world set a competition in Middlesborough? Surely if your coming to England you'd go to places like London, Liverpool or Birmingham. The main star of the show is Robert Caryle who plays a priest who gets mixed up in the competition. I feel Sorry for Robert as he's a much better actor then this film and maybe should have a word with his agent on what scripts he's been given. It also stars Ving Rhames, Kelly Hu and Ian Somerhadler who is awful. Ian can do good TV (Lost, Vampire Diaries) but  he can't do deadly and scary assassin and comes across more annoying then anything else.

The Film is too ambitious for the budget it has been given. You can tell they are struggling with some of the bigger set-pieces, but it is admiral how well they have done with what they've got. Yes it's big, loud and you get plenty of violence and gore for your money, but the result is lots of energy with no end product.

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X-Men First Class Review (2011)

After the disappointing X-Men-Last Stand and Wolverine 20th Century Fox can breath a sigh of relief because X-Men First Class is a solid return to the franchise.

This time its a prequel set in the 1960's and focuses on a young Charles Xavier (James McCavoy) and Erik Lehnserr (Michael Fassbender) who both grow to be known as Professor X and Magneto. Erik wants to avenge his mother by killing her murderer Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) while Charles is looking to bring peace between mutants and humans. Both decide to help the CIA stop world war 3 and get their common enemy. Kevin Bacon is great as the main villain of the piece and looks like he enjoyed playing the role as he makes it look effortless. To do this they recruit a team of young mutants and train them up. The team includes Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence) Alex Summers (Lucas Till)

The film starts off at a slow pace which helps bring all the different story lines together before picking up the pace with some great action scenes including the CIA building assault and the big climatic fight off between Mutants, the American and Russian Army. People who go to see an X-Men film want big action set pieces and Matthew Vaughan gets these bang on the money. It would of been interesting to see how he would of handled X-Men Last Stand before getting kicked off the project by the studio.

This is a great starting point for those of you who have yet to see previous X-men films and want to know the back story of how it all started. There's also a lot of in-jokes and cameos which will please die hard fans

X-Men First Class isn't the best comic book movie out (take a bow Dark Knight and Thor). It  also doesn't re-ignite the franchise as much as other prequels like Christopher Nolan's Batman and JJ Abrams Star Trek. But still a good summer movie and hopefully the start of great things for the X-men series.

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