Frozen Review

Based on Hans Christen Anderson's tale of The Snow Queen comes Disney's next epic animated musical, Frozen.

Similar to what was done for Rapunzel, the producers at Disney crafted together another princess tale, this time concerning sisters with one having an unnatural ability to control the freezing temperatures. With the title change to Frozen there are more focus on non-female characters, Hans (name reference of the author) and Kristoff. But the girls here are strong willed and have the will to sacrifice themselves for the ones they love. That is what I loved about this movie, the theme of love is played out in a different way in this film, its a family's love, a sister's love. It's a very strong theme in the movie and really solidifies the movie for me as being the best animated film of the year.

It has also created one of the best christmas / winter characters that tops even the classic Snowman, Olaf. Portrayed with oblivious juicy wonder by Josh Gad Olaf is the classic animated character who makes his opinions known and does not feel pain to being stabbed with an icicle or melt in the sun, he even sings about getting a tan (showing how oblivious he is about the truth about what can happen to him).

As with any musicals the songs have to be strong, and have the emotion to push ones buttons, Frozen has it, it freezes it in place. Each song has its own unique quality. "Do you want to build a snowman" tells of the separation between the two sisters and how Anna (the younger sister) wants nothing more than to make a snowman with her older sister. A favourite of mine is "Love is an open door". The song pushes the love/fun aspect and its fills over with a loving sense, attracting one to letting on that love can be found anywhere, though the ending of the song may not ring so true to the endgame of the film. "Let it go" is another emotional triumph in how the older sister finally gives in to letting go of her powers.

The cast is also what gives the film its riveting power. Kirsten Bell (Gossip Girl, Veronica Mars) is just adorable as the young Anna, the classic heroine. Idina Menzel (Wicked, Glee) is such a power house in the role of Elsa, The Snow Queen. She and Kirsten have such vivd chemistry. All the boys are fabulous too. Josh as Olaf (as I said earlier) crafts such a classic disney animated character. Johnathan Groff and Santino Fontana are great as the love interests to Anna. A real short cameo surprise is Ciaran Hinds as the elder troll who tries to help the sisters. A none talking part is the part of Kristoff's reindeer Sven, similar to the horse named Maximus seen in Tangled.

What was a cool thing is how they kept true to the original story. The Snow Queen as elder sister Elsa and the evil trolls, turned into peaceful trolls in the film. The animation for not just the trolls but the other characters is such Disney-esque. The animation is just so crisp and the way they animated the ice effects is such an amazing site to believe.

Composer Christophe Beck (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Paperman) does an amazing job here on his scoring duties. Here's how I see how he won a spot here, his score for the animated Disney short, Paperman. The man proves he has talent for animated work, though sadly it is not being recognized enough. Hopefully, the film wins some recognizant, I think it would be well deserved.

Now I will go on to say this is the perfect christmas movie. It has strong themes about love and family, it has reindeer and snowmen and come on it even takes place during a cold snow storm.

With a terrific cast, fabulous visuals, an powerhouse of a musical backdrop Frozen is by far the best animated film this year, and come award season is sure to get at most some nods, but it more than enough deserves some wins as best animated feature.

Rating: A 

This!?

Song: Epic Sax Guy

The Hobbit: Part 2

The Desolation of Smaug 

At the end of An Unexpected Journey Bilbo and the dwarves could see the lonely mountain from where they were dropped off, by the eagles. We continue here with the dwarves, Bilbo and Gandalf trying to evade the orcs. 

 The new film starts out with a way simpler prologue. We are taken to Bree (another location not seen since the first Lord of the rings movie) where Thorin is looking for his father. He bumps into Gandalf, who tells him to round up his kin and take back the lonely mountain. There is also a great cameo of Peter Jackson with him eating a carrot (likely a reference to his diet on the making of King Kong).

With this new instalment the journey finally gets going. After a quick stop at Beorn's house ( a skin changer known to Gandalf and a hater of goblins and orcs alike). While not too favourable to dwarves Beorn gives them horses to take them to Mirkwood where they will follow the path to the lonely mountain. It is not told in the film but originally Thorin had intended to go down a different path but with Beorn's persuasion he takes the new path. This was left out of the film, from what I can remember and it might of made the scene more important knowing that if the group did not go to Beorn for aid they would have fallen on the path Thorin was taking them on. 

The adventure really kicks in after this with the story threads spreading. We finally get to see more of Gandalf's journey, as Radagast the Brown and Galadriel give fine cameos. Gandalf's story is essentially the prequel stuff leading to Lord of the Rings involving the return of Sauron The Dark Lord. I loved seeing more of Gandalf going on his own quest and I got so excited to see a more figure like form of Sauron make an appearance, if only for a brief moment. 

 Once the dwarves enter Mirkwood they are eventually confronted by a familiar elf, Legolas. Now here is where some of the problems really start. With the inclusion of Legolas they saw fit to add a partner to him, Legolas is only in the story cause his father is the elven king of Mirkwood. Now, the love triangle that is in the movie, not that I noticed. So let's talk about this love triangle shall we.

The new elf Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) is put in the film not only to be a companion for Legolas it seems but to be his love interest. I did not find this in the movie, well I guess I'll be eating my words. Cause if you love someone you would be willing enough to let them go, and he does. So maybe he does love her, but I found that the love triangle between him, Tauriel, and Kili (Aidan Turner) yes the dwarf is not in your face. Peter Jackson and Fran made this to add padding to the film and I found that it has been blown out of proportion, even by the Eva. It's nothing great, hell its nothing even that noticeable. If you just ignore it, you won't even notice it. But if you let it bug you than yah you are going to have a bad time.

As for trimming the fat, one major part I would have excluded is the whole chase with the dragon in the mountain. A chase sequence which took way to long and was pointless in the end. I guess if you really start to think about it if it was not in the film people would wonder, why didn't the dwarves try to kill the dragon. I would have thought they were still afraid.

New cast members Luke Evans, Stephen Fry, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lilly, Benedict Cumberbatch and Ryan Gage are all terrific. Luke does a great job at brining Bard to life, and the struggles he goes with in Lake town, you can feel his burden. His father was unable to kill the dragon so he caries that with him. Stephen Fry is so fabulous as the lazy master of Lake town. Ryan plays his right hand man, and he is creepy, I love it! Lee Pace, who cameoed in the last film, is fierce in the role of Thranduil (Legolas' father). Evangaline is perfect as the new elf, and the way the character changes throughout the story is relevant still to our times in where a person falls in love with someone that others consider wrong. It is cliche but isn't life cliche? And last Ben, he is so so amazing as Smaug. He did the same work that Andy did with Smeagol, motion capture performance. He's just simply put, fabulous!

Howard Shore, composer of this series, again crafts a terrific score with hints to the original trilogy. Not much to say about the score just that Howard can never do no wrong and he has done an amazing job here. As for the visual effects, they are as good as they were in part one. I find the reason the effects may be so noticeable is maybe because of how Jackson is shooting these films. He's gained a lot of back lash over his use of a higher frame rate. It's either that or maybe we have just become accustomed to noticing visual effects.

With still minor issues with its excessive length Part 2 of The Hobbit movie adaptations progresses in the thrills department as the pacing is more upbeat and the story is less dragged out. Some say that they don't mind long movies but consider the added elements in The Hobbit movies to be pointless.

I guess if I were to truly trim the fat it would be as follows:

• The scene at Beorn's house 
• The chase with the dragon 
• The love triangle 

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opens up the world of Middle earth, providing more thrills and interesting characters to invest in, and with a cliffhanger of an ending I cannot wait to see the epic battle in the last movie (and this will truly be the last ever Tolkien film). 

Rating: -A 

Elysium

With a fabulous cast, thrilling action sequences and terrific state of the art visual effects, Elysium is a triumph for director Neill Blomkamp. He has topped District 9 in every sense of the word. With Matt Damon as the lead, he brings the emotion, strength and charm that makes you feel for the character and the choices he makes. Sharlto Copley gives a stunning turn as the crazed Kruger. An agent with an erg to kill. And Jodie Foster rounds out the main players as the villain/female lead. I am not sure I would really call her a villain as her character stands by her actions in keeping the world of Elysium safe. She could be considered villainous with the actions she takes or was going to take. Anyways she is just fabulous in this, rocking the short hair and giving her character a very interesting accent. The film as a whole is a winner in my book.

Rating:  +A

The Hobbit - Overview : An Unexpected Journey

Before I start my review on Part 2 of Bilbo's journey I'm going to give my review/opinion on Part 1. For starters, Unexpected Journey is essentially the backstory to the dwarves so a lot of that is given within the first 10 mins.  While yes the film is supposed to be about Bilbo's journey, the original intent was to make the series a two part adaptation, they desired on a three part trilogy which meant adding more. And in truth, less is more. I mean it was great to see cameos from Elijah wood and Ian Holm but what point did either of them serve, more Elijah than Ian. I also agree with the rock giants scene, that was not needed in the film either. Adding all this extra stuff and the amount of time it takes to get out of Bilbo's house is so frustrating. In truth, I would have had the dwarves try harder to convince Bilbo to join them, even Gandalf should have tried harder. As a return to Middle earth it is good, solid stuff, just not great, like it should of been. 

Rating:   B   

New Rating System

Highly Rated:

    +A, A, -A

Solid Rating: 

+B, B

Disappointing: 

-B, +C, C 

Terrible: 

-C , D , F 

The Hobbit Part 2

I do not believe I wrote a review for Part 1 but that will have to wait, Part 2 Review to be posted soon.

Sad and Tragic

This is such a sad day. Paul Walker (age 40) died in a car crash today at around 3:30 today. It's just, shocked me. His next two films, Fast 7 and Hours, are the last films he will have made. I mean I found him to finally start to get better in his acting. I just wonder how the Fast & Furious movies will work without him. The series won't be the same. I'll miss him. 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Review 

Since Gary Ross brought to life this franchise The Hunger Games has been a great fondness of mine, it is among one of my favourite series. 

I loved the first film and was saddened when Gary Ross choose not to return for the follow up but Francis Lawrence bring the series to an emotional resonance in this follow up. 

I'm going to get this over with and start with the bad parts, cause they are few. My one major complaint would have to be about Prim's cat. In Hunger Games the cat is black and white, and in Catching Fire, the cat lit fire and became all orange (and bigger) you know how I know this is supposed to be the same cat, cause its the only cat and is the one who always hisses at Katniss. And come to think of it, where the hell are all the animals (excluding the ones seen in the games) In Hunger games there was the deer, and a few pigeons. Number 2, we get turkeys, that's it. I wonder where all the animal wildlife is and if this would be explained in next year's two part starter to the finale.

As that is really my only complaint for the movie, here's what I loved about it. 

There is way more emotion here. While Gary did shoot the first film in a very realistic style, Francis is able to steady the camera and give his audience that chance to look into these characters and feel their fear, their anguish, their desperation. Francis really does a fantastic job with the material here. This is a director who I thought would just up and disappear, thank the lord I was wrong. Francis does such a terrific job with this adaptation. And he has a fantastic crew to help him out. The script was written by Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) and Michael Arndt (Toy Story 3, Little Miss Sunshine). They all capture the essence of what the first film captured in the first book. The reality of such a dire situation, the mental issues that come from killing someone. In all honesty these guys worked everything out so that it would seem plausible. The visual effects crew and costume designers also do a terrific job with the costumes. This time round everything seems tighter, more put together. And with a bigger budget more of an effort can be seen in making everything look bigger than it did in the first film. As Effie puts it, they've got new housing and new training facilities. 

Now complements must be commended to the amazing ensemble cast put together for this one. We got all the greats back from the first film, Elizabeth Banks, Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz, Woody Harrelson, Willow Shields, Paula Malcomson, Toby Jones and even a little cameo by one of the dead victors (Jack Quaid as Marvel). New comers Philip Seymor Hoffman, Sam Claflin, Jena Malone, Lynn Cohen, Amanda Plummer and Jeffery Wright all gave me the excitement factor, each actor brought their own strong qualities to their roles. Philip is golden and mysterious and is just a thrill to watch, he brings the freaking talent here folks. Sam was pretty good as Finnick, his American accent worked for the role (I do wish however that he kept his British accent) Amanda and Jeffery work so well off each other and they are both fabulous, Amanda especially, giving a very special performance. Jena is the shooting star in the new roster, she nails all her scenes and truly captures who this girl is, someone who is annoyed and unhappy to be back in the games. The cast in this film was so beyond anything I could have hoped for. And with Julianne Moore now added to the roster of new cast additions I can't wait for part 3. 

And on one final note, the score and the soundtrack.

The soundtrack is simply put, golden. I loved the soundtrack to this film, I would even list it higher than the soundtrack for the first film. I mean with contributors like Coldplay, Christina Aguilera, Ellie Goulding, Imagine Dragons, Sia, Of Monsters and Men, Santigold its a sure thing this soundtrack will also be getting some close eyed attention. 

James Newton Howard returns to score, and he is still just as terrific here. The music is more thrilling and still has that nature tone to it, but not as much as in the first film. James Newton Howard is a favourite composer of mine, I loved his score for this film and I enjoyed the fact that a musical cue omitted from the first film was used in this one. 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is the sequel that could truly outshine its predecessor. This franchise is looking more and more, to me, like the harry potter franchise. I am anticipating a huge epic two part finale on par with Deathly Hollows. I love the deeper dive into the themes of government control and the effects of human murder. 

Hunger Games: Catching Fire is a solid 5 out of 5, and man is Jennifer on fire!!! 

Must See (revisited)

I have this film now and will plan to watch it this weekend. I know it has been so long since I saw the trailer for this, better get on it pronto.

So I forgot to watch this movie this past weekend, I will try and watch it sometime soon. - Tue. 26th 2013 : 8:50pm 

The Hunger Games (2012)

Book adaptations have become the norm, now the latest film, The Hunger Games, has spawned a movie franchise, with future instalments coming (Catching Fire comes out Friday).

With the adaptation of Suzanne Collins first book director Gary Ross brings the story surging to the screen. What I loved most about this adaptation was the added background that Katniss did not bare witness to, like a scene at the start of the film were the game maker is being interviewed about what the games mean to him. The film offers up some excellent action entertainment and it's just exhilarating how Gary shot this. I loved how Paul Greengrass shot the last two bourne movies with his shaky cam, I felt it gave the film (and this one) a sense of realism. Besides, David Yates used the same technic in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows and no one batted an eyelash. 

However, the visual effects here and some of the production designs are lacking some. The creatures seen at the end of the games are by far the cheesiest effects ever, not to mention the train they ride in looks very noticeable like CG. The capitol is by far the best visual effect in the film. Gary and his visual effects team is able to capture the elegance and splendour of the capitol, using a mix of rome and greek (maybe a little egyptian architecture in there) and some visual references to Washington state. 

The best thing about the Hunger Games is its cast. Jennifer Lawrence (a relative unknown) nails the role of Katniss. Yes, she is not starving looking but who would be or should be. This is a movie folks, why don't you try filming a story about people who are starving and then have to fight, see how that goes. Jennifer adds such a strong feminine attitude to the character that you really route for her in this.

The cast is filled out very nicely, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson play boys Gale and Peta (Yes, it's Peta not Peter, and no it does not stand for People for Ethical Treatment of Animals) but it could really mean that. Peta is a baker's boy who has a mean swing, seriously he can throw a huge anvil and not even break a sweat. Who is this boy? Hercules? Josh does a good job at giving portraying Peta as one who is in love and fighting for a chance to show her (Katniss) how much she means to him. Liam's role is short but for the length he is on screen, he's good as the character and really chews on his scenes. 

Isabelle (The Orphan) gives her best creepy scene

The cast is rounded out by Donald Sutherland (who plays the President), Elizabeth Banks (who plays the bizarrely charismatic Effie Trinket), Woody Harrelson (Katnis's coach), Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley. Isabelle Fuhrman of The Orphan is so terrific in this. She just kicks ass (she was originally up for the role of Katniss) but her role in this is still just as good. She is fabulous along with everyone of the cast, Donald is cold as ice, Banks is so unrecognizable, Woody is also so impressive, Wes is solid, Stanley is such a laugh riot. Also Lenny Kravtiz (the singer) plays the part of Katniss's costume
designer, he is surprisingly awesome and perfect for the part! Tobey Jones makes an excellent appearance as Stanley's right hand man. 

James Newton Howard provides the score. He is such a great composer and he crafts such a unique score that feels very set in the film's time zone and sounds very naturalistic based. I loved it. The music also for the film is very country but it works for the movie and is also enjoyable. Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift and Abraham's Daughter are my favourites.

With the sequel coming this friday I am truly excited about it. Sadly, Gary Ross jumped ship on the follow-up so they replaced him with I am Legend director Francis Lawrence. The shooting of the film will be different. I know that Gary had a reason for shooting the way he shot and Francis I think is going for more of a slicker look, sadly. I have seen trailers and it does look like he has kept the look the same. I do believe that the shaky cam is gone. But while Gary Ross added that aspect to make the film realistic and not a product of Hollywood, audience members seem to hate this camera style. So yes, to all you haters the shaky cam is gone. 

Bottom Line: Jennifer Lawrence makes the movie, and she's one of the reasons this film is so good. Why did the twilight movies suck so much, cause the lead was weak (sorry Kirsten). 

The Hunger Games is a solid 5 out of 5 from me. 

You Hungry?

In just one week, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be released. For those of you who have not seen the first film or read the books, by Susan Collins, the story is about a girl named Katniss who after volunteering to take her sister's place in a kill for all olympic games she defies the government, lorded over by President Snow (Donald Sutherland). The second film takes place after Katniss has won the first games, 74th in the story's timeline.

I'm planning on re-watching the first Hunger Games in preparation for the sequel. I may post a soundtrack review as well.

Well, as it's said in this franchise.


Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favour!

The God of Thunder Returns

To start things off I saw Thor 2 in 3D and got a sneak preview at the new captain america movie. It was awesome/spoilery. I won't tell you the details but its the scene where cap faces off with a bunch of guys in an elevator, its pretty damn cool. One of the guys in the elevator does have a close working relationship with him. Shocked that he would turn on him. Then we get some new footage from the movie, especially of Sebastian Stan as the Winter Solider and a quick cameo of Emily VanCamp (Revenge) as the grand daughter of Roger's love, Carter.

Now, with Thor: The Dark World I loved the prologue. Odin tells of how the universe was born, how the dark elves tried to take over and how his father had defeated them. Its a very grand sequence, bettering the one done in the first Thor movie. We are then treated to Loki's imprisonment. I love these actors, Tom, Reene, and Anthony. They fit their characters well. There is also a huge improvement in environments in this one. The sets are bigger, the visuals are better. Hell, even the casts are larger.

Since The Avengers film was made and released I love the fact that the studio has went and turned the new films in there solo series into different styles. Both Thor 2 and Iron Man 3 were grittier takes on the material, and worked better for it.

Thor : The Dark World is a darker movie but it works. The first film really felt like a fantasy comic book movie, while this film feels more like a real fantasy film along the lines of Lord of the Rings or Game of thrones. Dark World is just as good as Peter Jackson's return to Middle Earth, this movie is no Clash of the titans.

The cast is so amazing. I loved the cameo roles of my favourite funny man Roy..I mean Chris O'Dowd (The It Crowd, Brides Maids) and my favourite character actress Alice Krige (Silent Hill). The action scenes are a huge lift up from Thor. I just love the choice in director here. Alan Taylor gives life to this franchise and creates a well crafted fantasy epic. The human elements (those based on planet earth) don't feel lame or unintentionally funny, they felt real. One big thing about the film is it is not small. Everything has expanded, and thats the best thing this film offers, a huge expansion on the Thor mythology.

There is also a lot more character development given to the human characters. I loved all of Darcy's scenes, played by Kat Dennings (2 Broke Girls). Her character got a huge uplift from the first film. She even gets her own intern in this. I thought from the trailers that her intern was her boyfriend, I was eventually right. Kat just nails each scene she's in. When the movie opens and Jane (Natalie Portman) is on a nerve raking date with Chris O'Dowd, she comes in and breaks the tension. And when the shit hits the fan, I love her reactions. Her first witness to Thor's power "Holy Shit!". I really found her character great and loved that they gave her a bigger role in this. Her role is expanded due to Jane being taken to Asgard to undo what had been done to her, Jane accidentally entered an alternate dimension and came into contact with a dangerous artifact.

 Since the events in Avengers all the characters in these movies have gone though a lot of changes, especially Eric Selvig. He's much crazier here, running around stone henge naked, working with his pants off, and jumping for joy when a certain someone has died. I loved how the characters are affected by the events of that movie, it now makes the films feel more real.

Now, on a final note there are some scenes that procure before and after the main credits. I believe I know why Alan became annoyed by the studio with one of these scenes. The scene that plays at the end credits is more of a continuation of the actual film while the one before the credits is a scene that will excite those eager to see anything on the upcoming film Guardians of the Galaxy. The scene after the credits I do not know who, if anyone, stayed for it. I hate to say but I am glad I did not and that's probably why Alan got annoyed with the studio over these scenes. Maybe the scene after the credits was meant to be cut, I don't know. If not, he probably would have liked it before the credits, cause believe me, it just finishes the movie off, it doesn't give reference to future films.

As far as cameos go there are a couple funny/good ones. I character from the first Thor movie makes a reappearance and gets stuck on earth and Loki actually impersonates Steve Rogers at one point, its quiet funny.

A great Marvel movie that stands perfectly along side Iron Man 3. It renews Thor's world with a more realistic feel. Its both funny and dark, visually astounding and the action scenes are intense and perfectly choreographed. The villain, Malekith was pretty creepy with his dark elf army as well as his
wiliness to sacrifice his own, which comes to an ironic point when Odin (Anthony Hopkins) seeks to do the same when battling his enemy.

Thor: The Dark World takes its characters on a well put journey, its funny, epic, dark and emotional. I loved every minute of it.

It gets a 4 1/2 out of 5.

A Tragedy

Tom Clancy (the creator of Jack Ryan) has passed away at the age of 66. It is a great loss and he will be truly missed.

The World's End Review

One movie that had caught my eye was Shaun of the Dead. The first movie I heard of that used my name as the main character's name. Eventually I saw it, and it was something, a comedy of sorts I had never seen before. The credit has to go to Edgar Wright, the directer.

After Shaun I went on to see Hot Fuzz, which came out in 2006-07. Another comedy on buddy action flicks. It was an excellent film, and in many ways a continuation. It had a brilliant story and a pitch perfect cast.

Now, the duo of Edgar, Simon and Nick have returned to bring us The World's End.

For a time I thought the movie Paul, starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg, was meant to be the next film in the series. It was not great compared to the first two films they did together. The comedy and crude factor didn't blend well.

Paul may very well have been the third film if Edgar had directed it. He went on to do the fantastic Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. It made me realize that while Simon and Nick work well together it takes a genius comedic director to mix all the ingredients right.

World's End is, for now, the concluding chapter of a trilogy of sorts, which started with Shaun of the Dead and onto Hot fuzz. The films were never meant to be a trilogy but became one after the realize of Hot Fuzz and the many connections it had to the teams last film, Shaun of the dead. Actors came back in different roles, Nick and Shaun were buddies again and a certain ice cream treat made a reappearance. Which donned the series nickname, The Cornetto Trilogy (hopefully series).

The World's End is thus, a drinking buddy comedy which takes a turn into science fiction territory and turns into an epic finale with robots, explosions and what will be known as the end of the world.

Its quiet the film with a lot of different themes and tones (comedy, action, science fiction, a little horror, apocalyptic scenarios) But Edgar Wright, the director, gets it right. He nails it with every scene. The comedy flows through out the film and never stops. The third act's confrontation between our heroes and the tutorial robotic invaders culminates in one of the funniest movie scenarios ever brought to screen. Edgar got all the ingredients right, blending themes of technological conversion, battered friendships about growing up, isolation, alcoholism, and government control.

 The best thing about this third outing is the amazing cast that is assembled here. We do still have Nick Frost and Simon Pegg as our leads but we also get two other returnees from the previous films. Martin Freeman, who up until this point was very least well known. Now he's starred in the hobbit franchise and as Dr. Watson on Sherlock. He gives a great performance here as one who has submerged himself with technology (ear phone, laser surgery). He's brilliant and works well with the rest of the cast. The other returnee is Paddy Considine. He had a role as a police officer in Hot Fuzz and gets to play it up here as the good guy in love with his friend's sister. He's great here as well and really puts some great heart into the film. I love Paddy. I've seen him in Now is good, where he plays father to a dying girl (Dakota Fanning). And, he also had a small role in the Bourne franchise as a reporter who knew things he should't know.

 David Bradley (Harry Potter) makes a welcome return here. He plays one of the last remaining humans in Newtan Havan. He's humorous as always and plays his character with great strength. A surprise for me was the appearance of Eddie Marsan. Eddie played Inspector Lestrade in the Sherlock Holmes movies and I never thought of him as a funny guy. Yet in this film he brings the laughs. There are some serious moments with his character, a past history of bullying but he was a surprise in the film. Eddie was the final touch to an already brilliant cast.

But, what would have to be an ingenious move on Edgar's part, he has a reunion of sorts on this film. In Hot Fuzz a certain actor was unable/or unwilling to play the part of the villain. The role was taken on by Bond alumni Timothy Dalton (The Living Daylights, License to Kill). This time though the mystery actor took on a mystery role. When he (Pierce Brosnan) first appears in the movie in the film's prologue as the main character's school teacher, we think that is it, his cameo role on an Edgar Wright film. But no, he comes back later on in one of the best reunions to die for. Rosamund Pike stars in this and had starred with Pierce in his last Bond movie (Die Another Day). In that they played villain and hero, here its the opposite. They don't talk to each other in this but to see them eye to eye, seated at a round table with the other actors, it was a very cool scene, one I (as a bond fan) loved.

 What I enjoyed about these movies is the smart way they handled the musical score. Shaun of the dead made many references to musical horror cues from Dawn of the dead. Scores done by artists like Goblins and Fabio Frizzi. Shaun of the Dead having been inspired by the Romero films and horror films in general, a referential musical score was a nice touch. With Hot Fuzz they did one better, hiring Bond alumni composer David Arnold to do the score personally. He was terrific as always brining the action of Bond with him. For World's End, Steven Price was brought on. I know what you are thinking, Steven Price, who's he. Well, if you have not seen Attack the Block, then I feel sorry for you. It's an alien invasion film which stars one of the leads, Nick Frost. Steven Price provided the score for the film. Him scoring World's End adds to the depth the director and crew were going for. With each film the tone and score represented in some way the feeling of the genre it was parodying.

A great cast, Edgar in top form and a blessed score of old 80s music and moving themes The World's End is the first comedy thats not only one of the best buddy comedies but by far the best science fiction film to come along this year. I mean that, I have seen this movie twice now and I love it even more. Critics may criticize it for its sudden tonal shifts from buddy comedy to alien invasion/end of the world. I loved every minute of it.

A solid gold 5 out of 5.

Next Review, Coming Soon

Go to this link, Important

http://lovewins.info/2013/08/feeding-homeless-apparently-illegal-in-raleigh-nc/

On the morning of Saturday, August, 24, Love Wins showed up at Moore Square at 9:00 a.m., just like we have done virtually every Saturday and Sunday for the last six years. We provide, without cost or obligation, hot coffee and a breakfast sandwich to anyone who wants one. We keep this promise to our community in cooperation with five different, large suburban churches that help us with manpower and funding.

On that morning three officers from Raleigh Police Department prevented us from doing our work, for the first time ever. An officer said, quite bluntly, that if we attempted to distribute food, we would be arrested.

~ Sean 

You're Next Review

I'll be posting my review of You're Next on my horror blog.  So check there for my review.

~ Sean

Something very cool

The Cornetto Trilogy 

I discovered today that the trilogy that Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and Edgar Wright have created essentially has every movie in the series earn the same rating. I also think that World's End (or something like it) may of happened in 2010/2011 if Edgar Wright had not done the adaptation of Scott Pilgrim the movie Paul may have been a bit more enjoyable. Anyways, can't wait to see the last instalment in this series!

Shaun of the Dead (2004) 91% - Shaun of the Dead cleverly balances scares and witty satire, making for a bloody good zombie movie with loads of wit.

Hot Fuzz (2006) 91% - The brilliant minds behind Shaun of the Dead successfully take a shot at the buddy cop genre with Hot Fuzz. The result is a bitingly satiric and hugely entertaining parody.

The World's End (2013) 91% - Madcap and heartfelt, Edgar Wright's apocalypse comedy The World's End benefits from the typically hilarious Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, with a plethora of supporting players.

~ Sean 

What's next!?

I recently saw the new home invasion flick, You're Next. I will write my review in good time.

The Wolverine

With comic book/ superhero films its a hit or miss. What happens is the characters and story get pulverized by all the CGI and action sequences. Another issue that has plagued films of this genre in the past are to many characters from the comics / too many villains. Spiderman 3 had 3 villains, and a lack of development on new and past characters. The same can be said for X-men Origins: Wolverine. The CGI was lacking, and the film overall just seemed to be the studio trying to craft another x-men picture without the x-men (a young scott summers appears but thats beside the point) In order to have a good superhero movie, the story needs to work. The Wolverine adapts the famous story of Logan's time spent in Japan. In the comics he had gone back to Japan on his own cause of his worry for his love Mariko. The movie version changes this in order to keep with some line of continuity with what's come before, Logan loved Jean Grey and killed her back in 2006. The film details Logan's fallout after he leaves the X-men at the end of The Last Stand.

Wolverine is a solid adaptation of the comic book in which it is based and is stream lined to give the story points to breath. Japan is a great change in setting and really knocks Logan around, especially the villain Viper. Her villain is like a snake, she's over the top and slivers in and out of the background. I found her to be one of Wolverine's most interesting foes. The Silver samurai also has a grand appearance in the film, he is done brilliantly with a few twists to tie him into the version the movie makers have created.

Just to get to the basics, here are five reasons you need to see The Wolverine.

5. The Cast

The Wolverine has such a terrific japanese cast, Hugh does not stand out he molds in with the rest of the cast. Tao Okamoto is so beautiful and strong as Mariko. Hiroyuki Sanada was brillaint as her father, and Rila as Yuiko was fabulous. Famke Janssen also makes a welcome return as Logan's lost love, Jean Grey. Her performance is as good as it ever was. While her character is dead its nice to she her back on the silver screen again.

4. The Story / Setting / Tone

With the change in setting and the cutting back on the X-men baggage gives this film's story the chance to really explore Logan's struggle with his immortality and his guilt over Jean Grey's death. As a comic book adaptation the story from the comic is adapted pretty well here, the way the silver samurai is sure to astound. As well as the great recreation of the villainess, Viper. Played by a russian actress, Viper is a truly dastardly villain here. Logan takes no harm into calling her a major bitch. That's also a thing I enjoyed to in the film, it was not toned down. There is harsh language and there is blood, which was lacking in Logan's previous outing. While not R-rated it's a step above from being too childish. To add on top of that the film creates a great struggle for Logan has his healing powers are put on mute for a time, making him more vulnerable. Now that is what I call taking the character in a challenging direction. An come on, who doesn't want to see Hugh Jackman getting into scuffles with ninjas and samurais.

3. The Score

Marco Beltrami previously worked with James Mangold on the remake to 3:10 to Yuma with Christian Bale and Russell Crowe. Here he gives one of his best scores. The instruments he uses to create rhyme really gets the blood pumping as Logan's trip through Tokyo gets ever more intense. He brings back the classic music of the Bryan Singer films. I loved what John Powell, Harry Gregson-Williams and Henry Jackman brought to the mix but John Ottman had done my favourite score for an x-men film and I defiantly feel Marco has just topped him. Likely, John will top Marco with his score for Days of Future Past, coming out next summer.

2. Hugh Jackman

Hugh taking some time off from the role of Logan, cameoing in 2011's X-men First Class, was a very good thing. This film is his come back. He brings the character soaring back, Logan's charm is back and Hugh is the best he has ever been in the role both in looks and charm. No word of a lie, Hugh surprised me here. His performance was a huge step up from 2009's failure. You can tell this is the story he wanted to tell, his heart was really in it this time.

1. Cinematic Universe

Like Marvel Studios Avenger's film 20th Century Fox is building up the hype for next summer's big tent pole piece X-men: Days of Future Past. A post credit scene ties The Wolverine in with the upcoming film and solidifies its status as the better of the two solo outings for the character.

The Wolverine reverences what came before, there are photographs of Logan from X-men the last stand, and gives insight into the future. Its an exhilarating ride from start to finish, a character driven piece with a terrific villain at its centre and some fantastic action scenes. The future of X-men at 20th century Fox looks very bright indeed.

Future Blueray Release

I am hugely anticipating the release of this disney classic. I am a fan of furries (anthropomorphic human/animals)  and this film replaces the human characters with animals. Its similar to winnie the pooh, in style and story telling.

The Conjuring

It's here, my review of The Conjuring!

James Wan has directed many ho-hum movies in the past, Saw (the start of the torture-porn) and Dead Silence, to more recent haunting fare (Insidious). Insidious was his first step into crafting an efficient horror movie. The Conjuring is his film that tops all the rest. He learned from past mistakes and finally crafts a worthy horror film that deserves a solid sequel. 

The Conjuring tells the true life story of Ed and Lorraine Warren and their most terrifying case, that of

the Perron family. The film begins was a really creeper of a tale of a possessed doll. I found this to be a nice reference to his past film Saw, though I do not think that was intentional. True-fully the doll in the movie looks more terrifying than the real doll. This doll does cause some tension for the Warrens later on in the film and is a great start for the film.
     
   Through out the first bit of the movie we are focused on development of the Warrens and the Perron family. The scares are paced perfectly and the setting, (1970s) is terrific. Quick thought, for a sequel they could focus on the warren's experience on long island, aka The Amityville horror. I mean it, thats what I want to see done in a sequel. The Warren's are so well developed in this film, and played magnificently by Vera Farmiga (Lorraine) and Patrick Wilson (Ed). 

     

     The cast is fabulous, especially those of the Perron family. Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor play the father and mother the the group of daughters. Lili is fabulous, the best she has ever been and it was such a welcome return for her to haunted house movies, The Haunting '99 is one of my favourite horror movies. For the daughters we have the cute Joey King (she is so amazing here) and Mackenzie Foy

A beautiful family photo

(twilight). I feel bad cause when I heard Mackenzie Foy was in this I thought, this movie is gonna be bad. She stared in the final Twilight movie and look at how much people loved that. I love the twilight movies but was unsure at how she could move over from fantasy cheesy horror to true classic horror. The movie turned out great in the end and she was terrific in this.

The direction was spot on, the cinematography was fabulous and the score was truly spine chilling. As far as haunted house movies go, I would call this one as one of the best. Now I have liked horror films that most did not enjoy (Remake of The Haunting) but I truly love this film, finally a film that will sure to become a classic. James Wan's best direction, terrific cast, amazing tension and nail-biting twists, The Conjuring is a 5 star horror film and the best horror film of the year!

New Review Coming soon.

I am lazy this week and will try and work up a draft to type for a review of The Conjuring. If I do not post by friday I will instead post my newer review of the movie The Wolverine.

Internet Down

Reasons to why I have not posted reviews of late it because my internet was down. But now it is back up and I will be doing more reviews. Shockingly the movies I listed as possibles for the next official review I found I lost interest or the reviews were shockingly bad (Lone Ranger), my first new review is coming tomorrow!

Coming Soon

My Review to the highly rated horror film, The Conjuring. Two words, classic horror!

July 1st, Canada Day

World War Z Review

I thought I would not do a review but having now seen the movie again and having it fresh in my mind I've chosen to give my opinion.

WWZ is based off the acclaimed novel by Max Brooks, though if you have read the book and are a fan you may be some what disappointed. The film takes some creative detours from the book in order to make a more coherent movie. The film follows UN investigator, Gerry (played by Brad Pitt) as he tries to help find where the infection started and how to kill it.

 The film is directed by Marc Forester. I know people are not liking towards him due to his instalment in the Bond canon to be, shall I say, less than stellar. Quantum of Solace was the Bond film that disappointed fans and got most people to thinking Bond was gone for good. I, however, felt differently. My only complaint about that film was that it was too short and yes felt less like a Bond movie and more like some artsy action film. But to have a director like that direct a zombie film with Brad Pitt, something good is sure to come out of it. And now I give you World War Z.

What I loved about this movie was just how terrifying it could get. The opening scene alone was so tense filled. Brad and his family on stuck in traffic in Philadelphia when one single explosion rings chaos down the street.

The CGI use on the zombies is actually a plus, it gives the zombies an upgrade making things even more terrifying, who is a running infected and who isn't. You can't tell between the running zombies and the running humans. Some may consider this an annoyance, but its a huge plus. The opening act 1 is the first of some amazing zombie action.

We are then taken from land to sea as we see the military is trying its best to salvage the situation. Gerry leaves his family on one of the military ships as he goes on his search for the origins of the virus. There are not a lot of big names in the film but the few there are, Mireille Enos (The Killing), Matthew Fox (Alex Cross, Lost) and David Morse (16 Blocks, Disturbia). Enos plays Gerry's wife, she is fabulous, even with the limited screen time. David plays an ex-CIA agent who informs Gerry of a place to look for answers, Jerusalem. Matthew Fox's role is as a pilot, he rescues Gerry and his family and is essentially the only one on the ship who really talks to them. I noticed him more in my second viewing.

When Gerry gets to Jerusalem he doesn't get many answers, only that it may be best to find a way to hide from the infected. What follows is a thrilling scene in which the zombies get attracted to the noise the people are making and form a big mountain pile to get over the Jerusalem wall. The movie's zombies are very much like ants here.

From there Gerry boards a flight, not knowing what to do next. This is where his idea comes from as he realizes the infected need a healthy host to infect, if the host already has a virus in them, they would be left out of danger (aka camouflage) With that in mind Gerry gets the plane to head to Whales.

Now, the film is rated PG-13 and it does get annoyingly noticeable. I can except it. The knowledge that what we, the audience, are seeing is more gruesome then they are letting on. The scenario in which Gerry has to severe the hand of a friend in order for her to survive is toned down. You can see some blood but its rather held back.

The third act of the film is one where some complained. I however thought it was the best part. The small cast hired as the crew of the World Health Organization was excellent. I loved  Ruth Negga   she was a joy to watch. Also, Pierfrancesco Favino,  Peter Capaldi  and  Moritz Bleibtreu  (who is in fact from the movie Run, Lola, Run) they were all perfect in their roles. The atmosphere, while quite different from the first two parts of the film, its a cooler segment and more terrifying. I loved it.

The epilogue, while not terrible, tries to say that there is still more to come, yet it seems everything has been tied up nicely.

I loved World War Z, and I do plan to eventually read the book. References I feel are made in the film, the opening segment reminiscent of the 2004 remake of Dawn of the dead, and the apartment building and the health complex brought back memories of the 28 days/weeks films.

I give WWZ a 4 out of 5, a classic B-movie zombie flick!

Apologies

As of now, I've decided to not do reviews for Hans Zimmer's superman score and World War Z. I'll just give the basic rundown.

  Man of Steel Score - Hans Zimmer is a fantastic composer and he did an amazing job creating some very uplifting themes for the new movie. Favourite track "What Are you going to do when you are not saving the world?" Best advice, get the deluxe soundtrack, has a full 28 minute scrapbook of hans Zimmer's experimentation for the movie.
 


World War Z -  Now this movie had huge production issues and the whole third act was re-shot which sent the budget over board. The movie, with Brad Pitt, was actually better than I originally thought. Marc Forster does a great job of making a pretty unique zombie thriller and Brad Pitt is a good as ever. Marco Beltrami provides the terrific score and Muse also adds some musical reference tunes (ala The Exorcist). A film I was surprised to like and do intend to eventually watch again.


So, the next upcoming OFFICIAL review may be a number of movies:

White House Down
Pacific Rim
The Lone Ranger


Not sure yet, I have been lazy with the site lately but I will try better.

Mr. Watson

World War Z Review

I recently saw the brad pitt zombie movie that was based off of the Max Brooks novel. Review coming soon along with part 3 of man of steel.

Shailene Woodley casting as Mary Jane Watson

This girl needs to be Mary Jane, I mean she really needs to be. I don't know what I was thinking about before. I felt she wasn't right for the role somehow but it was really the way they were handling the character. Everyone, please, get the word out not to recast her. Shailene Woodley would make the perfect Mary Jane. She is beautiful in her own way and a fabulous actress, she needs to be in Spiderman 3.

Part 2

Man of Steel Review

Visual style : As far as I am concerned, Zack Snyder was the right director for the job. He brought to life some of the best visuals in any superman film. Superman's home planet is surreal and the creatures there are fantastic to behold. The action scenes are extremely well done. You will believe a man can fly. Zod's costume is all digital and it looks so real. Speaking of suits, Superman's suit has more of a realistic tone hear. No longer underwear over spandex, the new suit is, frankly, awesome!

Casting/Acting: Henry Caville is terrific as superman here. He grounds the character in a way no other actor has. We feel for him, relate to him and understand his love and respect for his parents, especially his mother. Henry also built himself up for the role unlike the actors previous. He has a perfect american accent, looks so amazing in the suit, and is so astounding in the role that I truly believe he portrays superman the best. Dylan Sprayberry and Cooper Timberline are also great as the younger versions of Clark, Dylan especially cause he does some of the heavy lifting as he portrays Clark in his high school years.

Now, who was not disappointed that for the role of Lois Lane in 2006's Superman Returns they hired Kate Bosworth. She looked like she was wearing a wig half the time and looked like a store mannequin. Anyone would have been better than her, So I was relieved to hear Amy Adams got the role. She is fantastic as Lois Lane. Like Henry
she grounds her character in reality and gives her a badass attitude. But she is also soft and caring when she needs to be. An excellent piece of casting.

As for the parents of Kal, we get Russell Crowe playing Jol-El and Ayelet Zurer (Angels and Demons, Vantage Point) playing Lara Lor-Van. Both are great, though disappointingly Ayelet does not get a lot of time to play out her character but she sure makes it memorable. She was an excellent choice for the part, due to her elegant emotional range and, well, she's very beautiful. Russell does a great performance. His role is extended, as his character is resurrected in holographic form. Its a much better idea than pre-recorded videos that Kal would watch. In doing this the conversations are there, he works great alongside the leads, especially when giving Lois instructions.

 The Kents are played so amazingly well by some great actors, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. These two were terrific together. They just fit so well into their roles. Diane just oozes motherly love, I felt a real connection to her as she seemed so real like a real mother she reminded me of
my own. Kevin is Kevin, he's terrific. He gives it his all and comes out swinging portraying the father who wants to teach Clark how to control his abilities and just in being a good person.

Perry White this time round is portrayed by black actor Laurence Fishburne. He does not have very much to do in the film but he solidifies himself in the role and gives a perfect performance as the head of the daily planet. He also provides some great comic relief to his part, his banter with Amy's Lois is among some of the best stuff in this movie.

The Villains: Zod and Faora are the main villains and they are fantastic. Zod played by Michael Shannon and Faora played by Pandorum's Antje Traue are just so 3-dimensonal as their characters. Mike drives the meaning in Zod's character and Antje just makes Faora into such a great badass villain that no one I know could possibly top it. Best line "One's true death is one's greatest reward"

This is getting long so I'll have to cut it here and make a part 3 where I'll talk of the great Hans Zimmer and give a run down of his score.

Part 3, on the way!

Man of Steel Review

Part 1 -

Story: A major aspect to this reboot is the story. What's done with this film is a complete wiping of everything that has come before.

Prologue: The film starts out by detailing how Krypton came to ruin and how Kal-el, superman, escaped. Kal's birth is told to be the first natural birth that has happened on Krypton for a long time. Before, and of late, Kryptonians were breed to be either warriors or doctors, there was no choice involved anymore. This is where the characters of Zod and Kal's father, Jol-el, differ. Zod starts an uprising against the current Krypton council over the usage of mining for energy from the planet's core. Jol went in a less aggressive path and taking the cortex that helped breed the kryptonians, he sends it and his son off to earth. I loved the detail that was put into this backstory and found it gave Man of Steel its first solid footing.

Earth: As Kal air ship lands in kansas, the film jumps to present time with Kal, on earth known as Clark, is working a job as a fishing hand. What bothered me about this part was I began thinking, he's been jumping from job to job for who knows how long and then somehow people find out about him, just like that. How was he able to stay hidden for so long and then suddenly his identity as Kal-El is blown. That is the only thing I don't understand. Flashbacks are given at certain points which give specific details into Kal's learning and how he adapted to the way of life on earth. Seeing the film a second time I now see that the flashbacks worked well, and did not make the film feel uneven. I also discovered that Kal did over-hear two army vets talk of how the army found an object frozen beneath the ice. Now, here is the real issue I did not get of this. How does Kal now that the ship is related to him. It could be anything. But, I guess he needed to just go and find out.

 Three things happen next as we are treated to Kal's first interaction with Lois Lane (Amy Adams), a holographic representation of his real father ( a great change from the original) and his obtaining of his suit. I did feel that him getting the suit so early on in the film was a bit of a let down. I would have preferred more of a build up to him obtaining the suit. There is a nice sequence though that details him practicing how to fly. Another question, how is it he never tried flying before and just starts learning it now?

Other characters are eventually introduced, Lois Lane, Perry White, a Jenny Olsen (female or sister to Jimmy). What was disappointing was the under development on Daily Planet and Perry. Such key ingredients within the franchise and we barely get anytime to get to know these new versions of the characters. Though the movie is more about Superman/Kal and his learning path and not his experiences at the Daily Planet, that comes later.

The whole film eventually collimates in Zod wanting to turn Earth into a new krypton, much like in Transformers: Dark of the Moon when Sentinel Prime wanted to enslave mankind and turn the world into a new Cybertron.  The movie ends on a great note, bringing the franchise into familiar territory and hopefully better developed side characters.

Man of Steel gave great recreations of Zod and Krypton, Kal and his parents (Earth and Krypton). Kal was made as more of a real character in this reboot and the film really made you rote for him. Even the undeveloped characters I still cared about. The story gets real intense near the end and does in fact draw similar references to real life tragedies.

While popular characters of Superman were left on the side lines its understandable seeing as the main focus of the film was to remake Superman as more of a real man and give some depth to his backstory, it's all there and it's very in depth. I do have to add that the update on the Zod's villainous sidekick Faora was extremely applause worthy, great actress and some solid work on the character.

Part 2 - Visuals, acting, music and direction

Review of Man of Steel _still in works

Hey everyone, well having not been able to write the review right after Man of steel I plan on seeing the movie again so I could give a more solid review. But as in my last posting I enjoyed the refreshing take on superman, the casting/acting was terrific and the visuals and intensity of the action was so amazingly well done it had me on the edge of my seat. The things I disliked, the only thing I had an issue with was not the amount of explosions, thats what you get in a summer movie, but the flash backs were a bit much. That I know was done by christopher nolan. I did not love it in DKR and I don't like it here. I would have much rather enjoyed a buildup to him in the present rather than flash-backs to his past over the course of the film.

Rest of review coming soon.

I will also try to see man of steel before seeing WWZ, cause I'll want to write a review of World War Z too.

Man of Steel - points

Hey everyone, here's a point review of what I liked and disliked about man of steel.

Liked -

Casting/acting
visuals
intensity in action scenarios
refreshing take on Superman

Disliked -
story starts out jumpy (flashbacks)
explosion heavy (who's going to fix everything)

Full review coming soon.