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.