The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)
Starring: Ian McKellan, Richard Armitage, Martin Freeman, Aidan Turner, Orlando Bloom, Evangeline Lily, Luke Evans, Lee Pace. (and all the dwarves!!)
Director: Peter Jackson

 

So I'm going to start of by saying, if you didn't like the first one because you think Peter Jackson is cashing in and don't understand how he can make three movies out of one rather short book, then stop reading right now and don't bother going to see it, because you won't enjoy it and you'll just complain even more.

Ok, so all the PJ fans still with me? Good, read on.

Ok, so movie number two in the second epic trilogy of Tolkien movies directed by Peter Jackson has been much anticipated by some of us and for me, I am happy to say I enjoyed it. I think I liked the first one better as it introduced us to a new set of characters  as well as bringing back some much loved ones.

SPOILERS AHEAD

With The Desolation of Smaug comes the introduction of a few new characters, Bard the Bowman (Luke Evans), Tauriel the Mirkwood Elf (Evangeline Lily) The Mayor of Laketown (Stephen Fry) and Beorn the Skinchanger (Mikael Persbrandt).

The story continues with a flashback of Thorin entering the Prancing Pony in Bree under the watchful eye of some rather shady looking characters, watch out for a cameo in the first five minutes, where he happens upon Gandalf, who urges him to begin the quest to take back Erebor.

We then find our little company of dwarves and one hobbit one year later already on the quest, being chased by Azgog the Defiler and his pack of Orcs. They are chased into the rather gigantic residence of Beorn the Skinchanger, a large man who happens to take the shape of a bear on occasion. He agrees to help them on their way because while he dislikes dwarves, he hates orcs even more.

Their journey takes them into the sickly forest of Mirkwood, where they not only part ways with Gandalf, but where their adventures and near misses continue. That is until they are captured, and aided at the same time, by Legolas, Tauriel and a large band of bow wielding, high cheek boned, pointy eared, blue steel faced elves.

Thorin is immediately taken to Thranduill (Lee Pace), King of the elves of Mirkwood, who tries to deduce what the small company of dwarves are doing within the Elven realm. Lee Pace is brilliant as the cold and stoney faced King and those eyebrows could have spin off movies of their own!

Bilbo eventually comes up with a cunning plan (Baldrick style) and helps the dwarves escape from the clutches of the evil but ridiculously good looking elves, but not before Kili develops a friendship with Tauriel, who finds solace in the company of the tall and good looking dwarf.

A barrel ride down some gorgeous NZ river rapids, some fancy footwork from Legolas and some bumps and bruises, see the dwarves arrive in Laketown at the base of the Lonely Mountain where Smaug the Terrible still supposedly slumbers in the deep recesses of Erebor. Laketown outcast, Bard the Bowman (the rather intense looking Luke Evans), helps the dwarves get into the town and tries to help them until he finds out what they plan to do.

Meanwhile Kili is suffering from an arrow wound to the leg and is left behind with Bofur, Fili and one other dwarf while the rest continue their journey to the Lonely Mountain.

Gandalf meets with Radagast to discover the evil purpose of the Necromancer who has set up camp at Dol Goldur. He comes face to face with the Necromancer only to find an ancient evil has returned and is captured and caged, helplessly looking on as the orcs begin to amass preparing to  attack, led by Azgog.

The dwarves arrive at the base of Erebor and find the secret door, where Bilbo is pushed into going down to steal the Arkenstone using his hobbity powers of stealth and invisibility. He is met by the stupendous Smaug, the giant red dragon who has slumbered beneath an enormous pile of gold and wealth for 60 years and is still not willing to part with it. After some banter between the two, he realises what Bilbo is trying to do and the Benny Hill music is queued and ready for the chase around the mountain.

Tauriel arrives in Laketown with Legolas and the orcs and helps to heal the rather sick looking Kili while Legolas kicks some orc butt and chases the leader of the orcs across the bridge away from Laketown.

Another cunning plan sees the dwarves cover Smaug in a layer of gold trying to outwit him, but all it really does is doom the residents of Laketown where the movie fades out and we have to wait another twelve months to find out what happens.

END SPOILERS

 

Did I enjoy it? Yes I did, but I felt there were some things missing and some things a bit overdone. The CG used with Legolas and the arrow shooting was a little bit too much, even though some of the ways the orcs perished are pretty inventive and reminiscent of Legolas' excellent bow skills from Lord of the Rings.

I also enjoyed some of the tie ins from Lord of the Rings, although my husband hated those bits as he is very much of the opinion that he shouldn't tie the previous movies in with this one at all due to the fact that the books were written in the opposite order to the movies being made. As a fan girl, I loved it.

The closing song, "I see Fire" by Ed Sheeran is perfect and it's one of those songs that I just love listening to.

All in all, another enjoyable instalment from Peter Jackson, but it will anger a lot of people. One more to go, and while I'm looking forward to it, I'm also dreading it as I know it brings another brilliant trilogy to an end. Whatever will we see on Boxing Day 2015??

The Lone Ranger

The Lone Ranger (2013)
Starring: Armie Hammer, Johnny Depp, Tom Wilkinson, Helena Bonham Carter.
Director: Gore Verbinski

Johnny Depp has been a part of my movie going experiences for a VERY LONG TIME. I've been a fan since 21 Jump Street way back when, well.......a long time.

Now, don't get me wrong, while I love most of what Johnny does, some of the stuff he chooses to take on really doesn't hit the mark. I really didn't enjoy Public Enemies, Dead Man, The Libertine or Secret Window. So the rumours flying around about this movie have been really bad, most people saying it's not worth seeing, the acting is terrible, Johnny was just rehashing Captain Jack and putting a different name to the same character. Well after finally watching it on Bluray, I can tell you that our whole family thoroughly enjoyed it.

Not really knowing the story of The Lone Ranger very well, I'm just going to say that it was a decent storyline, not epic, and I loved Johnny in it. Him and Armie Hammer together actually make a great comic duo. Throw in Helena Bonham Carter as a one legged madam of the old west and hilarity ensues.

Now it wasn't perfect, and I can totally understand people not liking it, but I think Gore Verbinski really has borrowed from a lot of other movies to try and make this work and it's just fallen short of being a great film. It's a good film, but not a great one.

Some fantastic action sequences with the trains, almost a homage to the old black and white films in some parts. And the horse is brilliant.

Costumes, cinematography and make up on Johnny, especially the dead bird, are really quite kitsch but fit the period that they've set this in.

Well worth it just for the laughs, but remember to take your brain out before watching so that you don't overthink it. It's a popcorn film, nothing more.

Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Christopher Eccleston, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo.
Director: Alan Taylor

                    

In the last 2 years, I have become a huge Tom Hiddleston fan, even going so far as to wait around with a bunch of 20 somethings for 12 hours just to see him in person. Tom is a fan girls dream. He is tall, handsome, charming, English and can actually act! I know, I know, it's a matter of opinion, but this is MY page, therefore, I'll state my opinion if I want to.

Thor, along with Captain America, Iron Man and the Hulk is part of the Avengers series and each movie follows another in terms of storyline. Tom Hiddlestons' character, Loki, has now been in three of the movies and has been well received by the popcorn movie going public.

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE MOVIE YET, PLEASE STOP READING NOW.
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Odin (Anthony Hopkins) begins our new chapter with a history of some of the races of the nine realms, including the Dark Elves, led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston) who is intent on bringing darkness to all through the use of the Aether, a liquid form of evil that destroys all that it touches. Hundreds of years later however, Odin is unaware that the Aether was hidden by his own father after the Dark Elves were defeated, laying dormant while Malekith slept with those that remain of his race.

Following on from The Avengers, Loki has been taken back to Asgard by Thor and is imprisoned in the dungeons below the Throne room for his crimes against the nine realms after a bit of a dressing down from Daddy.

Meanwhile back on Earth, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), is missing her blonde haired Asgardian God and mopes around London looking for signs that he may return when her intern Darcy (the hilarious Kat Dennings) takes her to see a phenomenon in an abandoned building. All signs point towards Thors return, but in the meantime, Jane is sucked into another plane and comes into contact with the Aether, which seizes it's chance and infects Janes body.

On Asgard, Thor speaks to Heimdall, the Guardian of the bifrost, asking him how Jane is, when Heimdall realises something is wrong as he can no longer see her. Thor immediately returns to Earth, only to find Jane showing off some new, rather lethal powers of her own. Thor whisks her back to Asgard to see if his healers are able to help, much to Odins distress, when they are attacked by the newly awaken Dark Elves.

Thor enlists the help of his disgraced brother, who reluctantly agrees and their quest to defeat Malekith and restore Jane to her normal self begins.

There was a lot of humour in this film, which really lightened it up for me, and with the return of all but one of the cast from the first movie, I found this to be a brilliant and engaging sequel. I would even go so far as to say I enjoyed this more than the first one.

The stand out for me...............was Christopher Eccleston as Malekith. The make up was absolutely fantastic and he is pretty much unrecognisable. He really was the embodiment of a dark elf. His elaborately braided hair was stunning and he had such an overwhelming presence whenever he was on screen.

                                                        
I also loved seeing Chris Hemsworth really settling into his role as Thor. In the first movie I found he was almost awkward, over did the accent a bit and the blonding of his eyebrows and hair was just a bit too much. They started righting some of these wrongs in The Avengers but seem to have really found the look with this film. His relationship with Jane is very sweet and the chemistry between him and Natalie Portman is definitely there. Very much enjoyed the one minute shirtless scene and the scene on the London underground where the random office worker takes the opportunity to bump into his chest and feel him up...........who wouldn't!!

The two major cameos were so well done that I won't spoil them here even though I've given a couple of things away.

While I haven't seen it myself, apparently film critics Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton, reviewed this last week and hated it. I really don't understand why film critics that obviously don't enjoy popcorn films, or films based on comic books would even bother when they would rip it to pieces even before viewing it. People like that should stick to their old fart films with no action, adventure or enjoyment. God I hope I'm not like that when I'm older and am still going to see comic book movies in years to come and thoroughly enjoying them.

For those seeing this at the cinema, STAY UNTIL THE VERY END!!! There is a bit after the minor credits, then a bit after the major credits. But if you're a Marvel fan, I shouldn't have to tell you to stay until the end. :P

I really enjoyed this and have enjoyed discussing it with my family over lunch today. Please remember, this is a popcorn film, not a film for people that like to be mentally challenged. Take your brain out, and enjoy!!!

                         

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (2013)
Starring: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T Jackson, Anthony Head, Stanley Tucci, Jake Abel, Nathan Fillion.
Director: Thor Freudanthal

My son and I both love this series of books, combining Greek Mythology with modern day kids in a heroic situation is kind of brilliant and really gets kids interested in ancient history. However, after the only minor success of the first one, I really didn't think a second one would ever come about and was very surprised when I read this was being made. Some say Chris Columbus was just waiting to finish all the Harry Potter hype before concentrating on further films, maybe that was true. Regardless, I'm happy to say this was a worth sequel.

I really love sequels that bring back the same actors and blend almost seamlessly into the previous movie. I think you could easily sit down and watch this movie straight after the first one and while you would notice a few changes in the actors themselves, it's pretty well done.

Percy's adventures take him across the seas this time to the legendary Sea of Monsters, or what we humans call the Bermuda Triangle, in search of the mythical Golden Fleece. Percy's two best friends accompany him once more but this time they have a new companion in the form of Tyson, the Cyclops half brother of Percy.

Sadly, Pierce Brosnan did not return in this sequel to play the role of Chiron the Centaur, but Anthony Head does a great job filling in. I also love the addition of Stanley Tucci to the cast as Dionysus, God of Wine, cursed by Zeus to forever drink water. Stanley Tucci is fabulous in whatever he does these days.

Noticeably missing were any cameos from either Sean Bean as Zeus or Kevin McKidd as Poseidon. I wonder if they didn't offer them enough money to come back or they weren't interested in coming back.

All that aside, a great film for the school holidays, no swearing, obviously a bit of violence in fighting monsters etc, but a fantastic ride through Greek Mythology once more.




Oblivion

Oblivion (2013)
 Starring: Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Olga Kurylenko.
Director: Joseph Kosinski

 

If you're not a fan of Tom Cruise, then I suggest you stop reading and don't bother hiring/watching this movie. This movie is pretty much 95% Tom Cruise, with very few other actors even in the film.

Jack (Tom Cruise) and Victoria (Andrea Riseborough) live on a suspended platform high above what was once earth. Set in the future, earth has been devastated by an alien species and Jack and Victorias job is to maintain the droids that patrol the ruins seeking out any alien stragglers and repairing broken robots.

Everyday is the same, until one day, Jack discovers that they are not alone and that the truth has been withheld from them for a very long time.

I found this movie gripping and very well told. I think being a scifi fan is an absolute necessity with a movie like this, otherwise it will just bore you to tears.

Visually stunning, but paints a very bleak picture of our beautiful planet.

Tom Cruise is brilliant as Jack and really throws himself into the role. I really wish people would stop judging him by his personal life and start seeing him for what he can be, a fantastic actor.
Smaller but no less important roles from Morgan Freeman and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister from Game of Thrones) make this an entertaining piece from the scifi genre.

Definitely worth a look.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)

Starring: Jamie Campbell Bower, Lily Collins, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Lena Headey, Aidan Turner.
Director: Harald Zwart

                        

I love reading.

Reading, like watching movies, takes you away to another world. Sometimes it's a world that challenges you, or makes you cry, but usually, it's a world that you can escape to and believe in vampires, werewolves, faeries and really good looking guys that fall for the plain girl on a regular basis, or even put you in the thick of history itself. The printed world, is one that is rich in potential movie scripts. However, taking a book and bringing your favourite characters to life can be tricky. Some books, especially successful series like Harry Potter and the Vampire Academy series, have a very loyal fan base, and when you mess with what their pre-conceived ideas of how a character should look, or how a film adaptation should go ahead, you're dicing with death, something the Marvel and DC comic people know all too well. Regardless, you're always going to have a larger market of non-readers that only see the movies, and in most cases, this is the audience they pander to and hope will bring in the big bucks.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare is a series that I started reading about 2 years ago and have recently finished the latest book, City of Lost Souls, which was another great story in the world of the Shadowhunters.

The casting for this had to be pretty spot on and when I saw that Jamie Campbell Bower was playing one of the main characters, Jace Wayland, I was pretty disappointed. Jace is meant to be angelic, drop dead gorgeous, the kind of guy you just can't resist, and Bower just doesn't do it for me. Clary, played by Lily Collins, is meant to be a fierce red head whose life changes irrevocably when Jace comes into her life.

        
Clary lives with her artist mother, Jocelyn (Lena Headey) in an upstairs apartment in New York City. When she begins to draw strange symbols and starts seeing things that other people can't see, the truth of her past and her family begins to unravel before her.

When she goes to a night club with her best friend Simon and witnesses what she thinks is a murder, the life that her mother had tried to hide from her, comes crashing in.

Clary is approached by Jace, who tells her that because she was the only one that could see him and his friends in the night club, that she is not a mundane (a human), that she must be a shadowhunter, a race of beings who hunt demons and live by the Angel Raziels word. Clary starts to investigate more, but her mother is taken and the hunt is on to find her and save her before it's too late.

Aided by Jace and his friends Alec, Isabella and a Warlock by the name of Magnus Bane, Clary delves deeper into the world of the Shadowhunters, dragging her best friend in with her on a journey that will change her life forever.

After walking into the theatre with very low expectations, I am happy to say that I walked out wanting to see it again. It was one of the better book to movie adaptations that I have seen in recent months, (the other being Warm Bodies), and I am also happy to say that Jamie Campbell Bower worked very well as Jace.

I was also incredibly happy to see Aidan Turner as Luke Garroway, Clary's mothers boyfriend. His part isn't huge in the first book and he wasn't overly present in the movie, but his story gets better as it goes along.

Best piece of casting goes to Jonathan Rhys Myers as Valentine, the bad guy in the picture. He was brilliant and I can't wait to see more of him.

I am really looking forward to the next movie now, and hope they continue to be true to the books, only making small changes. If they do, they will have won me over.

Now You See Me

Now You See Me (2013)
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Caine, Jesse Eisenberg, Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Dave Franco, Melanie Laurent.
Director: Louis Leterrier




Now You See Me is one of those movies that just is. By that I mean, it's not going to win any Oscars, it's not an epic 3 hour long masterpiece, it's just one of those movies that entertains you for an hour or two and releases the pressure of everyday life a little.

The trailers for this were quite impressive, a decent cast, a seemingly interesting and a mysterious plot that peaked your interest. Whether it was worth seeing it at the cinema or not I don't know. Myself, personally, I probably could have waited to see this on DVD, especially since we had two rows of daycare dropout teenagers trying to impress each other infront of us.

Four run of the mill magicians are each given a mysterious invitation and suddenly end up being one of the largest and most popular magical acts in the US. But their daring tricks turn to daylight robbery when they rob a bank in Paris as part of one of their live shows, grabbing the attention of not only the FBI, but a detective from France as well.

FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes, (Mark Ruffalo) is led on a wild goose chase all over the country trying to figure out their motives and how they did it and trying to pre-empt where they will strike next.

Decent performances from Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Mark Ruffalo, but the others fall a little flat and are rather unconvincing as Vegas class magicians.

While I enjoyed it, and certainly didn't predict the ending, I think this is one that you would watch at home as a second or third option.

Upside Down

Upside Down (2012)
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kirsten Dunst, Timothy Spall
Director: Juan Solanas

Eversince he captured my heart as Jude in "Across the Universe", I have had a soft spot for Jim Sturgess. British born Sturgess came into acting at a later age than most, being more swayed towards a musical career when younger rather than an acting one, but Hollywood beckoned and he was soon on our screens both small and large and has grown in leaps and bounds.

Upside Down is set in an alternate universe to our own, two worlds that co-exist, one above the other, or one below the other, depending on how you see it. Of course, as is the norm, there is always a division of the classes and the Upworlders see the Downworlders as being of a lower class and to mix with them is forbidden. Of course, gravity plays a big part in all of this and makes spending time in the opposite world rather difficult.

Adam is of the lower class and like any boy his age, dreams of adventures and is fascinated by the worlds around him. On one of his adventures one day, he climbs the highest peak and meets a girl from the other world called Eden. They find ways for Eden to spend time in Adams world and embark on a friendship that blossoms into love as they enter their teens.

Sadly, because mixing with the other world is forbidden, their trysts are discovered and Eden is injured as she falls back to her own world. Adam is distraught thinking that she is dead and he is punished for spending time with an Upworlder.

Years pass before we see Adam working with two others to try and come up with an anti-aging cream to market to the Upworlders. While watching a television commercial, he spots Eden and comes up with a plan to get into the building that connects the two world together and market his face cream and look for Eden at the same time.

Adam meets Bob, (Timothy Spall), an Upworlder who takes a liking to him and helps him get into the upper level of the building, but when he comes face to face with Eden, she doesn't remember him.

 The CG matting on this is stunning, the colours are bright and bold in the Upworld and dark and gloomy in the Downworld and the two contrasting lifestyles are shown brilliantly.

The two lead actors have a fantastic chemistry and worked really well together. Jim Sturgess has a boyish charm that is infectious and you can't help but like the guy.

 This is a futuristic romance that I will gladly recommend to everyone. 

Man of Steel

Man of Steel (2013)

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Laurence Fishburne, Christopher Meloni.
Director: Zack Snyder

 

For many years, the Superman franchise was in turmoil. From scripts that could have been written better by a five year old, to tantrum throwing and problematic lead actors, this was one superhero that seemed doomed to stay locked in limbo for a very long time.

As a kid, I grew up with the fabulous Christopher Reeve as the man in the red cape. I was never particularly keen on Margot Kidder as Louis Lane, but loved the whole concept of someone like Superman who could save the day, change history and bring mankind back from the brink. Fantastic villains like Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor and Terence Stamp as General Zod will stay in my mind for a very long time. In saying that, it was only the first movie that I really enjoyed, at a little of the second, but the subsequent follow ups were pretty abysmal.

These days, the re-working of the 1950's comic book heroes by DC and Marvel seem to aim towards showcasing current computer graphic technology and turning our heroes into hunks.

Henry Cavill is every girls dream. He is tall, chiselled, handsome and buff and donning the red cape has made him a household name, and my oh my, does he wear that cape well.

The casting for this is pretty spot on. I really loved Henry as Clark Kent/Kal-El/Superman. He has the whole superhero look down pat, and with some intense training from celebrity trainer Mark Twight, managed the man of steel muscles as well. There is one scene in particular where Clark emerges from the sea without a shirt on, and I think I audibly sighed at how perfect he was. The re-worked costume for Superman is great. Really modern and well done.

Amy Adams as the smart and determined Lois Lane is much better than Margot Kidder. Amy is, in my mind, a classic Hollywood beauty. She doesn't look fake, she isn 't drop dead gorgeous, she just has that classic look about her that in Hollywood, is timeless and she is fantastic with Henry.

Russell Crowe has long been someone that I loved to hate. I had heard too many stories of his 'blokey' persona and his 'I'm better than everyone' attitude. I really think he's matured as a person as well as an actor and comes to the front in his role as Kal-Els Dad, Jor-El. He looked great in the costume and did justice to Marlon Brando's performance from the 1978 movie.

Michael Shannon was an odd choice for General Zod, but he worked in such a way that you really felt how much he put into this role.

Kevin Costner and Diane Lane were incredibly well chosen as Kal-Els earth parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent and the scene where he loses his father and is unable to help, is an emotional one.



 

After sitting through three quarters of the movie in awe of how amazing everything looked, the one thing that really bugged me ended up being the over use of CG towards the end. I realise that you are talking major damage and destruction when two aliens with incredible strength are having a bit of an argument, but I just felt too many buildings were destroyed with little to no mention of the lives that most surely would have been lost due to this epic demolition crew.

So what will Zack pull out of the bag for the sequel? At the time of writing, San Diego Comic Con 2013 has just wrapped up and Zack has revealed that two of DC's biggest will be in the sequel, Superman and Batman. Henry has already signed on to play Superman, but no word on Batman yet, with Christian Bale saying he won't don the black cape again.

I guess it's a case of "WATCH THIS SPACE"

Dredd

Dredd (2012)
Starring: Karl Urban, Olivia Thirlby, Lena Headey
Director: Pete Travis

 

On the 22nd June 2013, I attended my very first Supanova Pop Culture Exhibition in Sydney. For those who don't know what Supanova is, I suggest you Google it. It is basically a weekend spent with like minded nerds, movie, tv and comic book fans and most people are not afraid to let their freak flags fly, dressing up as everything from SpongeBob Squarepants to the man himself, Judge Dredd.

I was lucky enough to actually meet Karl Urban on the Saturday and get my photo taken with him. It was brief, but he made an impression and I decided it was time I actually watched the movie that had people talking.

I had seen the 1995 version starring Sylvester Stallone, but remember very little about it apart from it being quite comical, and by comical, I don't mean in the style of the comic book, but quite corny and funny, everything Dredd shouldn't be!

Judge Dredd originated from the comic book called 2000AD and he's a pretty kick arse character who never smiles and never takes his helmet off, but takes his job as a law enforcement officer in a futurisitic world, pretty damn seriously.

This version of Dredd was really quite impressive. Karl Urban has been quoted as saying that in the tradition of 2000D, HIS version of Dredd will never be seen without his helmet. I kind of like that sort of commitment, even though it means we don't get to see Karls pretty head. *grin*

The big bad in this version is played by Lena Headey of Game of Thrones fame. Ma-Ma is the major pusher behind a new drug called 'slo-mo' which actually makes the user experience life in slow motion. The scenes where we see the drug users high on the drug are actually really well done and the effects quite stunning. Although I think I'd hate to be the ones that get injected with the drug, then thrown off a 100 story building as punishment, talk about a slow death!

Dredd and rookie Judge 'Anderson', are called to investigate the three rather flat bodies that are found at the base of one of the cities notorious building blocks and find themselves in a rather dangerous situation when the building gets locked down and the hunt begins to annihilate the two judges in the building.

The action is gruesome, lots of blood and guts, lots of explosions and complete destruction and chaos.

Very well done.

Despicable Me 2

 

Despicable Me 2 (2013)
Starring: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Russell Brand
Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud

 

I love Steve Carell. There is something about him that just makes me laugh. It took me a really long time to watch "The 40 Year old Virgin", but when I did, I giggled all the way through it.  Steve has the ability to morph into any number of characters, but most of them have that undeniable sweet innocence about them, and with "Despicable Me 2", Gru is about as cute and vulnerable as they come, despite his being an ex-villain.

Gru has settled into his role of being the guardian of 3 girls and we see him throwing a birthday party for Agnes, the youngest of the three. The lengths that Gru and the minions go to, to make it a memorable party for Agnes is very sweet. This guy is a better father than some people in real life!!

The minions get to be a bit more front and centre with this one, and we are introduced to a new character in Agent Lucy Wilde, who had some fabulous secret gadgets of her own. Lipstick Taser!!

Gru is recruited by the Anti Villain League to help them catch a new villain committing unspeakable crimes! He agrees and takes on a new partner in Lucy Wilde, but doesn't realise that being the father of three girls, and still holding a job isn't as easy as it seems.

The minions are adorable as per usual, and I found myself chuckling more than a bit every time they were on screen. Childish I know, but what are you gonna do?

And something a little extra which made me giggle a lot a few weeks ago.............for those who think Gru isn't real. *wink*


 

Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3 (2013)
Starring: Robert Downey Jnr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Ben Kingsley
Director: Shane Black

 

Is this the end of the Iron Man franchise? It's kind of hard to tell. What with the success of the first two movies and the Avengers spin off, I'm not sure the movie going public will let Iron Man rest.

Who would have thought that a young Mr Robert Downey Jnr, who did so many drugs 25 years ago that he was a walking pharmaceutical model, would grow up to be such a fantastic actor. Robert Downey Jnr was one of those actors that you kind of liked but never really told anyone. His performance in Less Than Zero was amazing, and it's only now that I'm older that I can fully appreciate what a great actor he was back then as well. The years had, at one stage, taken their toll on him, but he rose above it all and has firmly planted himself back on top of the pedestal of brilliance.

With Iron Man 3, we see a new villain in Guy Pearce, all be it a geeky, buck toothed nerd who idolises Tony Stark and wants to work with him, only to be passed by and played a cruel joke on. (this kind of reminded me of the terrible 1997 Batman and Robin where Uma Thurmans Poison Ivy is fobbed off by George Clooney and later becomes an arch enemy.)

Tony is working in his billion dollar lab, playing around with his many dress up costumes and hears about the terrible deeds of  "The Mandarin", played brilliantly by Ben Kingsley, a terrorist beyond anyones imagining. But what many don't realise, is that there is more to The Mandarin than meets the eye.

I won't give anything away as this really is a movie full of surprises and I really did love the action in it. It was nice to see Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) get out of the serious secretary role and into some gym clothes and kick some arse.

The end of the movie has left me somewhat flat however, as too much happens that makes you question the future of this particular Avenger and whether the writers can pull it all back together. While I did really enjoy it, the ending seemed somewhat rushed and a bit too stitched together.

As this has taken me a couple of months to type up, I have just read that Robert Downey Jnr has just resigned for Avengers 2 and 3 so I hope they have some pretty good script writers on this.

See it for the kick arse action flick that it is, some fabulous CGI and great one liners from RDJ. The scenes with him and the kid are quite heart warming. Please remember to remove brain up pressing Play though..........it's not one you need to think about a lot.



The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby (2013)
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher
Director: Baz Luhrmann

Baz Luhrmann does nothing by halves. The flamboyant, over the top, director is known for his extravagant and often over budget lavish productions. This remake of the classic 1925 novel, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, stands firmly among his previous efforts for it's opulence.

Set in the 1920's, in New York City, this is the story of a love affair that spans classes and survives a war.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays the mysterious Jay Gatsby, a millionaire who throws the loudest parties New York has ever seen, sparing no expense most weekends at his bayside mansion. Tobey Maguire plays the meek and gullible Nick Carraway, who happens to move into the tiny keepers cottage next door to the Gatsby mansion and thanks to his cousin, Daisy Buchanan, (Carey Mulligan), gets embroiled in a dramatic series of events that will change his life forever.

The story unfolds through Nicks eyes, told in flashback, as he comes to terms with the enormous U-turn his life takes when he moves in next door to the enigmatic Jay Gatsby.

Nick goes to visit Daisy and her well off husband, who live across the bay from the tiny little keepers cottage and is immediately introduced to the fabulously wealthy lifestyle that accompanies his cousin and all those who surround her.

When Nick finds a personal invitation from Mr Gatsby to join him at one of his parties, Nick accepts and finds himself in a world beyond his imagining. The party scenes are bright, vibrant, colourful, opulent, extreme, and every bit conjured up inside the head of Baz Luhrmann.

Before too long, we discover that Daisy and Jay were in love before the war, but Daisy believed she would never see the love of her life again, and so she marries Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) instead. When she comes face to face with Jay after many years, she finds herself dreaming of a life that could have been and Jay begins to weave a web of magic around Daisy, hoping to win her back and force her to declare her love for him and divorce Tom.

Tom, however, isn't all that he seems and keeps the company of a married woman in his spare time, the wife of a poor mechanic who lives in the slums of the city. Tom takes Nick with him on one of his weekend sojourns and Nick discovers for himself the person his cousin has married, but swears to never tell Daisy of her husbands affairs.

Before long, we also discover that Mr Gatsby is also, not as he seems and the story of his wealth is told.

This film  has Bazs' signature all over it. The costumes are to die for, and the soundtrack is a twist of modern music set against a jazzy back track. Many scenes reminded me of Moulin Rouge, especially with the subtle green fog light that blinks on and off at the end of the Buchanan wharf every night, conjuring up images of Kylie Minogues green fairy flitting about.

What I loved is that the streets of Sydney, where this was filmed, are unrecognisable and easily pass for 1920's New York once the CGI team have waved their wands.

I don't understand why the critics hated this movie, I found it entertaining and the performances of the main cast were engaging.

If you don't like Baz Luhrmann movies, then don't watch them. I think most critics went in thinking they were going to hate it and came out loathing it because it was pure Baz.

See it for yourself, don't let critics ruin it for you.

The Croods

The Croods (2013)
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds
Director: Kirk De Micco, Chris Sanders
DREAMWORKS

 

 

Ahhh..........school holiday madness. It's always hard to know what to spend those hard earned dollars on during the school holiday period where the kids have you climbing the walls dying to get outside and do something! My 8 year old daughter decided a few months ago that we would be seeing this little gem, The Croods.

Who are The Croods? Well, let's introduce you to the modern version of the Flinstones without all the funky gadgets.

Grug (Nicholas Cage)  - Grug is the father figure of our cave dwelling family unit. Strong and very protective of his family, Grug prefers to shut his family in the cave to protect them from the dangerous world outside. But he doesn't count on his head strong and somewhat pubescent daughter Eep.

 

Eep (Emma Stone) - Eep is the typical teenager, bored with the world around her and dying to find out what's on the other side. She hates being cooped up on the cave and dreams of living her life in the light.


Guy (Ryan Reynolds) - Guy is the young man that changes the lives of the Croods for ever. He's smart, good looking, self sufficient and inventive, and he's been alone for a long time, apart from his adorable companion, Belt.

The rest of the family is made up of Ugga, Gran, Thunk and Sandy, the typical family unit, just trying to stay alive.

This movie was funny, colourful, a little sad and really entertaining. I loved how colourful the landscapes were and how adorable the creatures were, even the ones that were trying to eat them on  a regular basis! I saw a lot of "How to Train your Dragon" in this, which isn't surprising considering it's from the same people that made it. Some of the animals reminded me of Toothless and their facial expressions were very similar, but hey, it worked for that movie, it's bound to work for another.

 

Judging by the laughs in the cinema, and not just the kids either, this will be a hit. Well worth taking the kids to see, big kids included.




Warm Bodies

 

Warm Bodies (2013)
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich
Director: Jonathan Levine

 

 

I have a wonderful friend that I have known since I was about 3 years old, who works for Icon Film in Sydney. A few months ago, he leant me a book by a guy called Isaac Marion called Warm Bodies. He told me they had made a film out of it and that he thought it was something that I would really enjoy. I finished the book in four days.

The book was fantastic. I literally had trouble putting it down. It was funny, engaging, romantic, a bit gruesome and over-all, attention grabbing.

The movie is no different.

R, (Nicholas Hoult) is a zombie with a conscience. His inner monologue is his constant companion and while he has the same diet as all the other zombies, R is somehow different. R wanders around the abandoned airport day in, day out. He often stops and looks at the other zombies that inhabit the airport and imagines what they were before the apocalypse hit. He remembers very little about his own life, but is pretty sure his name started with an R.

R has a best friend, M, who he spends some of his time with, having strange, grunting conversations that only a zombie can understand. On occasion, they go out in packs looking for food. On one particular scouting expedition, they come across a pack of humans looking for medical supplies, and the smorgasbord ensues. But there is one human that R just can't seem to digest............Julie (Teresa Palmer). Julie is different and R decides to save her.

Taking her back to the airport is risky, but he decides it's safer to keep her there than to let her stay where she was, and he needs to find out more about her. Why does this human make him feel different?  During Julies short stay at the airport, she comes to realise that R isn't like all the other zombies. R collects vinyl LP's and is more interested in protecting her than making he into a meal, and while this fascinates her, she still needs to go home.

When the boneys find out about Julie, (the boneys are what zombies become when they lose all humanity), R and Julie make a run for it, back towards the city where Julie lives.

Soon, other zombies begin to change, they all begin to 'think' and 'talk', and they know that it's R and Julie that have made this possible, so they follow them to the city to help.

Nicholas Hoult is fantastic in this movie. They could not have picked a better actor to play the conflicted zombie, and this will do BIG things for his career. Sadly, I think it means that he will get a legion of screaming teenage girls whose lives have become empty since the departure of Rob Pattinson and the Twilight franchise. I really hope they do not try and fill their meaningless, self absorbed lives with rants about how 'hot' Nicholas Hoult is etc etc. It would really just spoil it for me.

Teresa Palmer was also fantastic as Julie and her and Nicholas have very convincing on-screen chemistry.

The supporting cast is funny and well worth watching. The gore is almost non-existent and most of it is left up to your own imagination. The boneys are probably the scariest thing about this movie, but I would even let my 8 year old daughter see it.

While it wasn't exactly like the book, different ending a couple of smaller unimportant storylines have been cut, I still really enjoyed it and will be seeing it again.

 

Trouble with the Curve

Trouble with the Curve (2012)
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Amy Adams, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman
Director: Robert Lorenz

 

 

If Clint Eastwood is attached to something these days, you can pretty much be guaranteed of two things. One, it's going to be good and two, you'll cry. Whether he is behind the camera as well as in front of it, or in this case, just in front , a Clint Eastwood movie is always an experience you won't regret. 

 

The trailer for this was great, very engaging and really set the story. For those of you who see the trailer and think it's a sports movie, yes, it's a movie with baseball in it, but it's not a movie about baseball. It is the story of a father and daughter whose strained relationship comes to breaking point.

Mickey, (Amy Adams), is a successful lawyer whose life consists of work, work and work. She barely has time for a steady relationship let alone a relationship with her father who left her when her mother died at the age of 6.

Gus, (Clint Eastwood), is a successful baseball scout who has a knack for picking some of the best players the sport has ever seen, but age is catching up with him. Gus realises that he is starting to go blind, but being stubborn, he refuses to believe it will affect his job and takes on a scouting job in North Carolina.

 

Mickey is forced to realise that her father needs help and even though it's a bad time for her with her firm pushing to make her a partner, she takes the road trip and meets up with her father to try and convince him that he needs help.

Along the way we meet Johnny, (Justin Timberlake), a washed up baseball player that has now become a scout for the Red Sox. Johnny's career only came about due to Gus picking him for the Braves many years ago, but he is forced to give it up when his arm is injured.

Together, Mickey and Gus check out the Braves newest target, Bo Gentry, a hot headed, cocky player who supposedly has the best batting skills anyone has ever seen. Gus thinks the only way to know if a player is good or not is to watch them in action. But back in the office, younger and less experienced Phillip (Matthew Lillard), believes you can pick a player by looking at his stats on a computer, making Gus an antique and due to be put out to pasture.

Some of the most powerful scenes in the movie are the simplest, which is why I loved this so much.

Amy Adams was fantastic as Clint Eastwoods equally stubborn daughter and they worked very well together. Even Timberlake keeps proving he can not only sing, but he can act as well.

This was a brilliant movie, and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone, whether you're a baseball fan or not.  



Skyfall

Skyfall (2012)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Wishaw.
Director: Sam Mendes

 

 

Bond.................James Bond.

We've been hearing those words for 50 years now. Can you believe it? I grew up with James Bond because my father was a huge fan. I remember a very tattered copy of Ian Flemings "Diamonds are Forever" on my Dad's bedside table all the time. It was yellow with age, and very dog eared from many a read.

Our favourite Bond was always Sean Connery. He was tall, sexy, cheeky and to die for. Even I could see the appeal at a young age. While I still enjoyed the franchise after Connery had moved on, things started changing with the times. I could understand the need for some things to be modernised and for technology to finally play a larger role in the biggest action franchise Hollywood had ever seen, but in the later years, especially with Pierce Brosnan and more recently Daniel Craig, the movies seemed to be more about how much product placement they could fit into two hours.

With Skyfall, the 23rd in the series, Hollywood it seems, has seen sense.

While watching the opening credits, I questioned whether this was the first time they had used the actor in the title credits rather than just the silhouette of what we should assume was Bond. Daniel Craig grapples with scantily clad women, suggestive shadows and bullets flying all around. Adeles beautiful song just fits. There is no other way to describe it.

The story here is simple, but powerful. M, played once again by Dame Judi Dench, is shown to be ruthless and cold at the beginning of the film. But one is left wondering if it's because she has lost so many under her command, or whether it is part of her tough exterior as a woman in a mans role. We are also introduced to Gareth Mallory, (Ralph Fiennes), who has been brought in to investigate the loss of yet another agent and to force M to retire.

After a chase through the streets of Istanbul, Shanghai and Macau, Bond eventually comes face to face with an entirely new bad guy, one who knows MI6 intimately, and has the skills to topple them in the blink of an eye. Mr Silver, a maniacal performance from Javier Bardem (What is with the bad hair on this guy in every single movie he's in?!) has to be one of the creepiest Bond villains I have ever seen.  The scene where he's feeling up Bond just made me cringe.

The scenery and visuals in this film are stunning. Amazing locations, including the breathtaking Glencoe in Scotland where we visited last year, and fantastic performances from all the cast make this a Bond not to miss. And while I'll always been a Connery girl at heart, Daniel Craigs piercing blue eyes are just something to be seen.

This is Bond gone back to basics. No Tag Hauer watches, no Nokia phones, just good old fashioned guns and sex.

In a word.................brilliant.





50/50

50/50 (2011)
Starring: Joseph Gordon Levitt, Seth Rogan, Anna Kendrick, Angelica Huston

Director: Jonathan Levine

I've looked at this a few times in the video shop, even rented it once but never got around to watching it, so this week, I grabbed it and watched it while folding washing.

Joseph Gordon Levitt is just everywhere right now. He is the 'it' boy of the moment. He's in Looper, The Dark Knight Rises and Lincoln and has a few more projects coming up. I remember this guy as the long haired alien in 3rd Rock from the Sun, and he was pretty impressive back then.

Giving him a meaty role like this is the sort of thing that turns a good actor, into a great one. Levitt plays Adam Lerner, a twenty something year old who goes to the doctor after having a bad back for a while, only to discover he has a tumour on his spine. This turns his world upside down.

This is the story of how everyone around Adam deals with someone so young being given a fifty fifty chance at survival after being diagnosed with an aggressive tumour.

 

Seth Rogan is hilarious as the best mate, Kyle, who is mildly freaked out by the prospect of losing his best friend, but uses it to his advantage to score chicks and get high with Adam from his medicinal marijuana.

The cast includes the seasoned Angelica Huston as his over protective mother who is also looking after Adams father who has dementia, and Bryce Dallas Howard as the vain and nasty girlfriend who turns Adams cancer into her own drama.

Some of my favourite moments involved Seth Rogan and the two older guys that Adam meets while doing chemo.

There is also a bit of a romantic story here when Adam is sent to see a student Doctor, Twilights Anna Kendrick, and ends falling for her.

 

I'm really glad I watched this as the director, Jonathan Levine, has also recently directed the next 'must see' movie for me, Warm Bodies.

This movie was great. Sad, extremely funny and just full of great performances. I highly recommend it to anyone who would like to see a movie that deals with cancer in a light hearted fashion.