bm2759 Reviews

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

More than a superhero film

[8/10 · 8 April 2014]

Not being a fan of captain America and not enjoying the first film, because it was full of clichés, I was quite surprised by this movie. It was actually really good! For a Marvel film this is definitely great and one of my favourite superhero films now.

It was a welcome change to see a superhero film tell a tale which involves politics, security and the role of authority. Captain America is a great choice for tell us a story because of what he represents: the ideal American in superhero form. Well done to all involved for going beyond a straight-cut comic book-to-film adaptation and making a memorable story.

As with any superhero and action film there are movie mistakes, ridiculous moments and inconsistent character actions. Often these can ruin a film however in this instance being a superhero film, and a good story, it doesn't detract at all and instead you'll be interested all the way through.

I can easily recommend this to anyone.

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

Adventure, charm and good story telling

[7/10 · 19 March 2014]

Never having seen a Wes Anderson film before allowed me to witness a distinctive way to tell and present story. The way Gustave (Ralph Fiennes) charms everyone in this film and how loyally professional Zero (Tony Revolori) is makes these two a wonderful duo. I can't think of a film that tells an adventurous story whilst also exploring a mentor/protégé relationship so effectively. In fact it left me yearning for a mentor of my own that I have sought and failed to encounter in my own life.

Telling a tale in a fictional country that draws upon the culture and history of several countries was very clever Mr Anderson. It is a great device to enable a slightly unbelievable, slightly magical, slightly silly and overall enjoyable story to unfold without us criticising historical accuracy. Yet still the film is presented in a serious enough manner for us not to dismiss everything a stupid. The achieve such a solid balance takes great talent.

I only have two complaints with this film:

Firstly, the ending is rather abrupt where very major events occur in Zero's life off screen. Why? It prevents us from sympathising and valuing Zero's story to the maximum possible capacity. I can think of multiple reasons but nevertheless it lessened my enjoyment of the film.

Secondly, casting F. Murray Abraham as an older Zero is a terrible choice; not because of acting ability but rather his likeness to Tony Revolori. It is hard to believe someone of Guatemalan descent will transform into someone of Syrian descent in later life!

The Zero Theorem (2013)

Powerful concepts but quite boring to watch

[6/10 · 19 March 2014]

The idea expressed in this film are quite thought-provoking and meaningful. It makes you think about your own choices in life whilst also offering social commentary on our modern lives. For example, Qohen goes to a party and almost all attendees are dancing and partying with ipads. Qohen himself is a truly extroverted and self-involved individual which is an exaggeration of how self-centred and unsociable many people in western society can be today. The story shows us how empty and devoid of any substance life can be if we shut ourselves off from the world and just played "games", which funnily enough is how Qohens workplace has the employees solve mathematics equations in puzzles.

During the film we see just how wonderfully colourful and beautifully this world is. It has advertising everywhere that follows you down the street and fashion trends as equally bright. Also colourfully presented is Qohen's workplace which clearly appears as fun to offset the tediousness of a repetitive job. Never mind how much technology is available to us or how colourful everything is Qohen doesn't care. Reason being that deep down all of it doesn't give him what he really needs; so he would rather be alone.

How and why Qohen came to be so focused on nothingness and purpose from external means remains a mystery. The same could be said for us in the real world, i.e. are we also waiting and seeking some truth or purpose in a our lives? Is everything for nothing as Qohen has come to believe? And if this is true what the point in doing anything?

Despite my understanding of the ideas and appreciation for the presentation of the film it is unfortunately quite boring. Unique as it may be, after it ended I really wanted to say I loved it but it just isn't that interesting. I don't care what happens to Qohen or anyone else in the film, although no other character features long enough to be able to.

My lasting thought from the film is that it was intentionally designed to show that life can be boring and can amount to nothing if we let it.

It is certainly watchable and presents very deeply meaningful concepts about life and how we go about it. Shame it isn't that interesting.

The Book Thief (2013)

Refreshing choice of narration and authentic replication

[7/10 · 9 March 2014]

To my surprise this was a nice film which covered a lot of emotional content and giving us a fictional yet believable story of ordinary people in Germany during WW2.

Credit goes to the use of death as the narrator of Liesel's story which was refreshingly different. It enabled the story to be presented in a more pleasant and child-like manner than a typical tragedy of suffering.

One further positive is the effort taken to replicate a believable Stuttgart. Characters spoke realistic sounding German, English with a German accent or a mixture of both. Very few films enable the audience to understand another language whilst also telling a story in their own language. Also the use of real propaganda like posters, school choir songs, outfits, living conditions and public atmosphere all benefit the film and allow us to appreciate it better.

Each of the 5 main characters are all very well acted. Geoffrey Rush nails a caring yet slightly silly father beautifully as does Emma Watson as the tough mother with a big, yet hidden, heart. The standout is Sophie Nélisse as Liesle portraying wonder, innocence, joy, sadness, or empathy with us ease; they definitely chose the correct actress. Nico Liersch as Rudy was solid as light-hearted, joyful best friend of Liesel. Ben Schnetzer as Max portrayed a Jew in hiding we've not seen before, i.e. confident, understanding and caring towards those who are keeping him alive, without being frightened , tormented or helpless.

My main criticisms are:

* Mama coming to school to give Liesel good news - why do that and risk being exposed when such news can be delivered at home? * Bodies of those who died from their homes being bombed looking like people asleep. Surely if the filmmakers go to the effort of having vocal coaches for realistic German accents, then why not also give us authentic looking corpses. * Max appearing at the end. Where did he go and how did we survive? Not even some dialogue to explain how or why? His appearance lacks any impact upon the audience and lines up too nicely to be believable, i.e. cheap. * The film skips from sometime in 1943 to 1945 when Americans arrive in Stuttgart. What happened to Liesel in that time? The most interesting part of her story is what happened to her after the town was severely bombed. * The last 5 minutes of the film was quite rushed where it seemed to hurry up and finish the story without giving many details. I wanted to see a little more of what happens to the characters. * The ending is beautiful and a positive. However why can't we see how she ended up in Manhattan, New York. And why New York? Of all the places she would have emigrated to surely choosing New York was too clichéd. I suspect it was chosen because many Europeans emigrated to the USA and New York is likely where they arrive. Despite being an open-minded and multicultural city it is unrealistic she'd remain there her whole life.

A few small grievances aside this is a film I'd recommend to anyone wanting to see a story of how regular Germans experienced life under Nazi Germany.

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Oscar winning performances

[9/10 · 7 March 2014]

Wow. No wonder Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto won Oscars for this film. They're both brilliant in showcasing two faces of AIDS sufferers which oppose each other; one being a fighter doing all they can to prolong their life and the other succumbing to their disease by giving in and not taking their treatment seriously. What's beautiful is the characters themselves are polar opposites and this disease brings them together which results in helping many people.

Unlike Philadelphia which gave us a personal story which shows us a complete journey of an AIDS sufferer til death, this film instead chooses to highlight how different people react to a disease differently. It also highlights how much of a joke the US health system is, particularly in how they addressed AIDS - other countries were putting out drugs which were effective and easier to access; whereas the US would put a harmful product out as a reaction to public need without proper analysis whilst also limiting access. When the film ended I wanted to see more of Ron Woodruff's story or at least a photo of what he looked like.

It's a must see film that will surprisingly make you laugh too.

Her (2013)

Best original screenplay in a while

[9/10 · 5 March 2014]

Jonze's script is smattered with ideas that add to the texture of her. Many scenes show Theodore strolling through the streets, persons around him with their heads down, occupied with their ear pieces. An all-too-familiar image in today's phone-obsessed culture that paints a kind of low-key, apocalyptic picture. The director takes a few jabs at gaming culture too — in the future, video games finally give up and just let all the characters scream swear words, racist insults, and misogynistic non sequiturs familiar to anyone who has spent time playing Call of Duty multiplayer.

Her's moral questions dig even deeper than the idea of man/machine relationships. Late in the film, Samantha introduces Theodore to an OS pieced together by the writings of a deceased philosopher. Programmers have revived the dead in A.I. form. And somehow, that's less advanced than what the operating systems are doing on their own.

Her is staggering in scope while exploring the tiniest facets of intimacy and attraction. Phoenix's introspection thrives in Jonze's living, breathing sci-fi landscape, accompanied by Arcade Fire's soft piano melodies that feel like Theodore's own digital signal. her builds and builds in unexpected ways as it climbs towards a profound conclusion, as messy, passionate, impactful relationships always do. Examining his own life, Theodore tells Amy that he worries, "I have felt everything I want to feel." her digs into that rumination, stretching it across the past, present, and future.

The masterfully done science fiction film her features a remarkable performance from Joaquin Phoenix and a moving, intelligent story directed with restraint by Spike Jonze.

The Lego Movie (2014)

Best animated film since Toy Story 3

[9/10 · 26 February 2014]

Thus far this is tied with Her as my favourites for 2014. There is a lot to like about this movie especially having seen it in 3D which enhances just how entertaining this is. A obvious comment - this is Lego brought to life! I loved how well thought through this movie was. Whilst it references popular culture both through characters of other stories but also Internet memes such as Batman's capacity to achieve anything. It has aptly timed humour that was refreshingly unexpected. But most of all I really enjoyed how to the story unfolded with the presence of real world items; the end result being an acknowledgement of the creativity found in a child's mind and how adults can inhibit this. Brilliant.

On that note I really appreciated the deeper meaning in this film and how well rounded the message is: creativity shouldn't be limited to those who think freely and originally. Anyone is capable of creativity whether it be complete new, a slight different, or a revised of something already present. But beyond that independent creativity thought should be applauded communal creative thought should be too. As well as creative thought derived from instructions.

Toy Story 3 was the last animation film I saw which was explored childhood and what it meanings, including growing up. It was a masterpiece which hasn't been topped. Lego Movie is not as good and is different but what it does share is an equally relevant showcase of experiences children have.

I trust you, like me, walked away from this movie wanting to play with Lego, play Mindcraft or do something creative. Wonderful!

The Railway Man (2013)

The trauma of war

[7/10 · 26 January 2014]

In the first portion of this film I wasn't sure of the direction the film would take. I'd seen the trailer and had a idea of the subject matter. Once it got into the story I was interest, but not captivated. The reason is the story is slow to unfold and we're more interested in the WW2 scenes rather than back in 1980.

At the end it became clear why we see Lomax get married and appears as a seemingly normal aged man. It's because this is a distraction from who he really is, which is a heavily traumatised veteran of Japan POW camps in WW2. It give you an opportunity to identify and like the character before his post traumatic stress appears. It also enables the story to be partially told from his wife's perspective, giving the viewer an understanding of how a veteran's wife experiences her husbands PST.

Not knowing a lot about this theatre of war in WW2 this story was enlightening. We hear plenty about how Nazis retreat their POWs but very little about the Japanese. What we see is enough to give us an idea of how many POWs were treated without focusing upon their suffering too much. Instead it is upon Lomax trying to inspire hope in his fellow captives and suffering for it, which again is enough to understand but not too much.

Most of the film doesn't achieve an emotion reaction from me. This largely due to Lomax concealing his emotions from his wife and thus the viewer. However in the closing scenes Lomax accepts Nagase for being remorseful and desiring reconciliation for assisting the deaths of many people. From both characters it is impossible not to feel sorrow and quite unexpected learn this is a true story. Particularly because Lomax and Nagase befriended each other after being enemies and choosing to let go of their hatred, and thus their trauma.

This story is not a tale of how brutal POW camps are, but rather the trauma suffered whilst in captivity. It's the mark of war left upon a person which lingers and shapes their future.

The Raid: Redemption (2011)

Get ready to be thrilled

[9/10 · 26 January 2014]

Many people had told me this film is absolutely awesome, and usually I am skeptical of such hype. However having seen the film I was very entertained and very impressed.

The story is nothing amazing but does give context as to why events are occurring. What we become mostly interested in is the survival of certain characters. And this is heightened by the solid execution of the action scenes which are just so good. At the end of each fight I was completely in awe of the precision, brutality and seeming realism depicted. As expected the most impressive fight is the last and it will not disappoint; in fact I was cheering with glee the whole time.

If you love martial arts and love action films you will be absolutely thrilled.

The Wolf of Wall Street (2013)

Possibly the best of 2014

[9/10 · 26 January 2014]

My first thought afterwards was ' wow a lot of people, particularly men, are going to walk away from this and say "yeah I wanna be a stock broker too"! regardless of the message told through this movie '. Admittedly I felt the same way, especially seeing Jordan Belfort and his colleagues enjoying themselves so much. I mean c'mon booze, hookers, lavish parties, drugs, good times, who doesn't want that; at least a little bit? But that's the hook all sales jobs promise: if you work hard, don't be discouraged by failures and have the ambition to succeed then you will. Because everyone can be a millionaire right? Wrong. Not everyone can be otherwise millionaires would be everywhere. Truth is you can bust your guts and you may not make anywhere as much as you desired. Big bosses need bums in seats to make them money not you.

And that's exactly what Jordan Belfort does. He even admits this during the film. Of course the commission paid to his workers made them a decently living but the real income goes to Belfort. And he makes a lot! To much to know what to do with.

Through all the funny situations (and there is plenty of those) we see Belfort and co. revelling in greed and success. This obvious draws the attention of the law and it's their stupidity that becomes their undoing, despite some very lucky turns of fortunate beforehand.

The first lesson I learnt from this movie is to name your price and get out when you reach it. That's what a strategically minded investor would do instead of being greedy.

The second lesson is if you're doing something illegal and you draw attention to yourself you will get caught eventually. Not if but when.

It does have some shortcomings. For the sake of entertainment what they actually sell and how they do it is glossed over because the focus is upon what happens, not why. I also didn't like the pace of the film as it has so much to tell a lot of it is rushed, which explains why they gloss over details for the sake of timing.

This is a thoroughly entertaining movie about making money that has more relevance in this decade than prior films before it.

12 Years a Slave (2013)

A very memorable tale

[8/10 · 26 January 2014]

Chiwetel Ejiofor is an actor I've been a fan of for some time now. I first took notice of him in Serenity, then was quite pleased with his performances in Children of Men, Redbelt, and Salt. 12 Years a Slave shows us just how talent his is. Through him we see joy, contentment, fear, horror, hate, anger, reluctance, hopelessness, and gratitude. He will be remembered as one of the greats.

Like many have said this is a very brutally honest depiction of life as a slave. It's truly horrible and Solomon's journey shows us a range of different he encounters. Amongst those who 'own' him we see truly evil people, opportunists, kind-hearted slavers and cruel slavers. Amongst his fellow slaves we see people who are helpful, selfish, indifferent, and traumatised. Through him we experience the worst of human nature and indifference to the suffering of others.

Solomon's ordeal shows us that even as a slave not everyone (but almost) enjoyed treating African slaves as property to do with as they wished, and were barely human. This story serves as a reminder of how far Western civilisation has come today, when compared to the rapid industrialist expansion which caused slavery of Africans to begin. Through this story we're able to see that social justice is of utmost importance

Frozen (I) (2013)

Hateable

[2/10 · 26 January 2014]

Never before have I walked out of a film. I don't understand why this film is advertised and sold as yet another well rounded hallmark Disney animated film. Instead this is a female centric story focusing on sisterhood, aimed at a female demographic with unnecessarily long songs.

Instead of having a story focused upon on the ice queen or her sister, they try and do both. It fails especially because the sister, Anna, is a lonely young girl yet is well adjusted and unrealistically happy in her situation. Her clumsiness and the ridiculous timing of Prince Hans' interactions with her is exactly what we'd find in a romantic comedy; i.e. a clichéd silly, clumsy girl being lovestruck with the perfect gentleman.

To top this off in the first 20 mins we have to endure 3 long songs, 3! As if 1 isn't enough. Admittedly I loathe singing in cartoons (because they are a distraction, elongate film, serve little purpose and/or are a clichéd introspective moment where a character finds resolution in song) but I wished the trailer showed this film for what it really is.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013)

Entertaining if nothing else

[7/10 · 15 January 2014]

The Desolation of Smaug is a little less boring than the previous instalment, but it's really no better in terms of craft and narrative. Therere is one inspired action sequence in which the dwarfs and Bilbo escape from the elves in barrels. This sequence recalls Jackson's King Kong set pieces where he just builds ideas on top of ideas into an extended adventure. And that's it. Then it's all back to normal.

Whilst the Lord of the Rings were Oscar-winning technical marvels, the biggest issue I have with this and Journey is that the story is so mundane that we're left looking for a visual "wow" factor, and it's not there. The barrel sequence was so clever, I didn't care how the effects looked. The generic archery and dragon hunting wasn't creatively captivating, and it certainly wasn't visually so.

Overall it's entertaining and it's quite obvious the source material is so short that the crew had no choice but to embellish on the story. And add plenty of visual effects as filler to prolong this story across three films.

If you're seek an absolutely 100% accurate book to film translation you will be unhappy. But if you want to be entertained and can overlook this you'll have a nice time

Mr. Nobody (2009)

Choices

[8/10 · 8 December 2013]

Firstly, to see this film you must be in an open mindset. Otherwise you will not understand or receive the topics shown and their meaning.

My first thoughts afterwards were appreciation for covering topics which many people seek guidance for and is usually found through various means, e.g. religion, introspection, or other means. Presenting such a story in a nonlinear narrative does make it difficult to understand however it highlights one common factor in all our lives, i.e. choices. These choices all lead to different paths and the possible causative factors which influence these choices (discussing various theories).

After the credits rolled I had to think for a minute to explain the ending. Discussing with a friend I watched it with lead us to somewhat understand it all. However ultimately we need to do some research online to read the opinions and explanations of others. It became clear the ending is either shows which choice is the right one or leaves us to interpret it how we want. Either way this an enjoyable and thought provoking movie.

Gravity (2013)

Truly amazing

[10/10 · 25 November 2013]

Believe the hype this is an amazing film. It truly is. You may have seen survival films before but not like this. Go see it now.

Unlike many films set in space this focuses on realism. You'll find no aliens in this film, no laser guns and no space battles. Instead this shows us a snap shot of how astronauts working in space, notably the difficulty in operating in a completely hostile environment.

Many people will watch this film and love this visuals especially if seen in 3D. Whilst I agree it looks great in 3D seeing this in 2D would still be impressive. But even if the visuals weren't impressive this would still be a very memorable film.

I was mostly impressed with how space is presented; not as a beautiful, magical area with endless wonder, exploration and potential for adventure (like sailing the seven seas). But instead space is shown to be an environment where the slightest thing changing or going wrong results in death or the threat of death. Even with high degrees of safety and training we cannot control this environment. And the physics which applies to space I've had a concept of but never seen just how different it is to Earth is shown to be a danger itself. WOW.

Onto the characters. There is only two of them. And both do a great job with George Clooney easily portraying the calm, experienced astronaut; Sandra Bullock portraying the technical proficient and capable yet flawed and inexperienced astronaut. Well done to both of them for giving a very memorable performance.

Lastly I want to praise the running time of the film. Too often I see movies which run long because it is seen as best practice. The result is a drawn out story which can loose audience interest and therefore fail to entertain us. At 91 minutes long it absolutely captives you from start to finish. I would rather see a very concisely told story that is only 1.5 hours long than sit through a so-called 3 hour epic which is uninteresting, unnecessarily long and not entertaining in segments (e.g. The Hobbit).

Go see the film of 2013 today.

Ender's Game (2013)

Good and entertaining

[7/10 · 28 October 2013]

Knowing nothing about this book I was lead to believe this film was going to be action orientated. It is not but that's not a bad thing because it's a character and story focused film. It doesn't go for too long, you aren't bored, and want to see how it ends. I was satisfied.

The visuals of this film are great. I particularly enjoyed the zero G room used for the launchies' training exercises. In the future I suggest this be made available for recreation as it looks like a lot of fun. Also worth praising is how battles are shown from the holographic screens which zoom, tilt and pan to give ender the best view possible. It's almost like a video game except I asked 'how can he view battles like this'. Because surely in the heat of battle any drone cameras would be destroyed. But this is a minor grievance of how realistic viewing battles this way would be.

All the cast suited their roles except for Ben Kingsley. The could've chosen Temuera Morrison who is a Maori and looks like a soldier for example. But he was in the new star wars trilogy which is why I think he was overlooked. Furthermore his character claims to be ender's enemy during training however he is actually another mentor of Ender's. A mismatch in dialogue and execution I think.

At the end I had questions and got locked into discussion all the way home. I thought about events and occurrences not making sense or weren't explained properly. I thought about what I would do in Ender's situation. I thought about what was real and what wasn't. I lastly thought about the last scene and saying 'that isn't believable'. I thought and talking about a lot, but my friends and I agreed; this is a good but not great film yet entertaining nonetheless.

I went we read the book and the second book Speaker for the Dead. If Ender's Game was not filmable then Speaker of the Dead is as likely as pigs flying. I also read the author does not want it made into a film.

Prisoners (2013)

Kept me guessing

[8/10 · 19 October 2013]

I was rather impressed with this film. It kept me interested all the way to the end with the extra element of mystery, which challenges the viewer to make sense of everything. The acting by all major characters was great particularly Hugh Jackman showing fear and rage at the same time. It's been a while since I seen a film like this.

The writers of this film definitely succeeded in creating a story that is cryptic and compelling. At the end I thought back over the film to see how objects, people, and other things were connected to what occurred. I didn't even understand why and how things occurred or were connected which created a lot of discussion afterwards. My partner and I shared our thoughts of what we understood; it took both of us to make sense of it all. Good writing and that correct application of it certain shows when it takes two educated people to understand everything.

This film also made me think about justice and what I would do: is the law always correct? Should we take the law into our own hands? Are laws too black and white? Whether intended or not this opens a dialogue about right and wrong, trusting police, and rational thinking.

Filth (I) (2013)

Awfully good

[7/10 · 17 October 2013]

Bruce Robertson (James McAvoy) is an awful person. What happens to him and what he does to others is awful. Overall he is awful personified. He is troubled, charismatic, funny, and manipulative. But he is also crazy. What an excellent character! James McAvoy does a very memorable job playing such as complex and compelling character. I knew I should hate him yet he was so much fun to watch. The way he goes about his life is so very cheeky and naughty you want to like him, especially his ease with women. Yet behind it all is a deeply troubled man.

I really want to talk more about this film but it's difficult to remain spoiler free. Just go see it!

I have only one main gripe with the film: I don't recall seeing any resolution of the crime, which sets the context for Bruce's story. It seemed to me that something was missing or edited out.

Pacific Rim (2013)

I love giants robots fighting

[6/10 · 14 October 2013]

As a child of the 90s I loved TMNT, robots, ninjas, and more. Seeing a well funded and crafted film with giant robots fighting monsters is great. Had I been born 15-20 years later this film would be the greatest thing I'd have seen.

As an adult I still enjoyed watching this. It did take me back, but it's difficult to enjoy it entirely without noticing it's flaws. It has a few but it doesn't stop one enjoyment. They just make you want to question the crew, e.g. why not use swords straight away. Forget the blood theories, the ease of using a sword makes complete sense when punching and pummelling a kaiju causes property destruction and increased chances of death for pilots.

Aside from that and some ordinary acting in parts it's a fun film. See it if you have the chance but don't go out of your way.

The Fifth Estate (2013)

An insightful film

[7/10 · 14 October 2013]

Leaving the cinema I felt pleased having learnt about something I knew little about and had questions needing answers. Certainly the story behind the events, whether entirely accurate or not, got me thinking. Any film that achieves this is definitely worth your money.

Particularly thought provoking was the ethics of editing information we receive. We see towards the end of the film we see Julian and Daniel talking with the Guardian journalists. They were asking for names to be omitted from the info being released which Julian said his volunteers would work on removing. However we and Daniel Berg knew there weren't any. So I ask you: would you edit the information and if you do where do you stop? Or do you remain steadfastly unbiased in releasing entirely accurate truthful information regardless of cost? I don't know which I'd choose however it did make me wonder if information is sometimes edited for our betterment, to protect us, or to keep us ignorant.

More importantly this film made me want to find out the truth for myself and see We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks.

Riddick (2013)

It's not that good

[5/10 · 16 September 2013]

Initially I wanted to write this off. I wasn't a huge fan of Pitch Black (PB) and Chronicles of Riddick (CoR) but I wanted to like this film. But then I heard from people that have already seen this and seemed to love it. But I didn't want to be swayed by popular opinion and thought I'd see it for myself. I had no expectations when entering the cinema.

As the credit began I came to the conclusion this is not as good as PB and better than CoR. The first act was the best of the whole film where we see Riddick surviving and thriving. Along with back story on how he got there. Comparing this to the second and third act I wanted more of act one. The reason is as the film progress is becomes less enjoyable because the mercenaries were just not believable and their dialogue was poor. Also the way these mercs go about their business is just laughable, like children being given guns and told to go play.

The serious tone of this film present until the mercs arrive is completely undone by not just their antics, but how Riddick goes about his. I won't spoil anything but the method he goes about his business doesn't make sense. You'll know what I mean as the film enters it's third act.

I really didn't care about any of the characters either. Not one of them is worth it and seeing them die evokes no response. They are all just cannon fodder after all.

No spoilers but the ending is a let down and bad.

It passes as enjoyable and entertaining

Pain & Gain (2013)

Entertaining, funny and serious

[7/10 · 16 September 2013]

Idiocy, and to a lesser extent, wonder. Truly that's what I took away with me. How there 3 criminals could be that confident and stupid made me wonder why they weren't caught sooner, people didn't suspect anything let alone how they performed it.

Twice the audience is told this is a true story. It must be if were told twice because this surely could happen in the real world? But then you find out it was and I curiously looked it up after the movie to learn more. Wow.

I'm not sure if it was intended but there is a message in this film: The American dream is not achievable for everyone, which means people will resort to any means to get it. Especially when you're a fitness freak with unlimited, zealous confidence and optimism. I left the cinema thinking all these positive messages out there are great but they too needs to be restrained. Otherwise we'd be like Daniel Lugo - have an inflated sense of self worth, importance and direct all the energy into something wrong, stupid or bad. And that corrective thought is a good thing.

It's a silly, funny, ridiculous ride with a serious ending to reaffirm that desires can make you do stupid things.

Rush (I) (2013)

F1 finally has an amazing film

[10/10 · 16 September 2013]

This is an amazing film. I can't recommend it highly enough for F1 fans like me, sports fans, or anyone interested in a story of rivalry i.e. something different to the unoriginal junk movies which get churned out each year.

All the crew involved should pat themselves on the back. They've done a fabulous job making this film critique, explore and honour two memorable F1 drivers.

James Hunt's fun, party lifestyle along with his brash and raw driving talent. This is contrasted against Niki Lauda's methodical thinking, technical brilliance and professional lifestyle. These two characters are total opposites but as their lives are explored it also acknowledges the value of an enemy, i.e. something to beat. I believe this is a commentary on human nature in that the best of us shines when we have something to beat or overcome.

Do yourself a favour and see it now.

RED 2 (2013)

Very enjoyable follow up

[8/10 · 22 August 2013]

Anyone who is a fan of the Red 1 will enjoy the sequel. It's got the same comedy style, action, fight scenes and clever dialogue between characters. In addition we see character growth (epecially for Frank Moses and Sarah), learn more of the main characters' history, and see the same familiar faces along with some new ones. The story lacks humour this time and is more serious but is still very enjoyable.

Anyone who hasn't seen RED 1 is interested please go see this. These two films present the best way to make a spy spoof without being ridiculous or completely silly i.e. Johnny English or Austin Powers. The story, action, and setting is serious like a action film however the conversations, skill, and body language these characters have is where the comedy comes from. All is all it's funny without being cheesy, camp, or directly ripping off or referencing other action or spy films. Plus Bruce Willis' character (Frank) is a great parody of his career in action films.

I will be content if they don't make RED 3 but if they do I'm really looking forward to it. See Frank (Bruce Willis), Marvin (John Malkovich), Victoria (Helen Mirren), and now Sarah (Mary-Louise Parker) kick butt is so entertaining I can't wait to see what happens to them next. Hopefully it involves Ivan (Brian Cox) and Han Cho Bai (Byung-hun Lee) too.

The Wolverine (2013)

More story and character than expected

[8/10 · 6 August 2013]

To my surprise this film is quite good. Largely because it focuses on story and character with humour thrown in for good measure. Action sequences and the superpowers support this film instead which makes this a far better film than just another superhero movie.

The story could be called predictable. Logan is tormented over killing Jean Grey and shes her when awake and sleeping. Her presence and inherent craziness forces him to live as a homeless man in the wild. A chance to say goodbye to an old friend gives him a chance for redemption. Those of us who have seen this story before could predict the outcome however it is still interesting because Japan is an interesting setting, we want Logan to get the peace he deserves, and poignant action scenes give us a chance to see Logan vent his anger.

Much better than I expected it to be.