The name's Bond, James Bond

Its that time again when our favourite spy returns to the big screen. This time we also see the return of the elusive organization that has been a thorn in Bond's back side, Spectre. As the movie is also called it is by far the biggest Bond film of them all, topping Skyfall. The film begins in Mexico City during the Day of the Dead festival. Bond is tracking a spy, when he finds him, he eliminates him. We eventually learn a friend from the past told him of the spy. Its a terrific opening, the biggest Bond opening ever.

We are then treated to a beautiful, melancholy song "The Writing's on the Wall" by Sam Smith. It's also another beautiful title sequence that references the film's themes, while having the iconography of a squid (that which represents Spectre).

Since the aftermath of Skyfall a new upcoming member of the British government who goes by the name C, as Bond calls him, plans to scrap the 00 program and switch to a more digital age. Mallory, the new M, is at fighting stance, not withstanding Bond's persistence to follow orders from the old M (the friend from the past I mentioned before) Bond had received an video recording from the previous M, Olivia, about going after the assassin and attending his funeral. Moneypenny for the most part trusts Bond but finds it a bit challenging with him.

The funeral leads Bond to the widow Lucia, portrayed by the 50 year old actress Monica Bellucci. He learns through her of the meeting in Rome and a warning as well, that once he crosses that line he won't be able to come back. Monica is by far the best Bond girl in years as she portrays her version as very seductive. She also adds mystery to her character as well.

Bond then comes face to face with the organization known as Spectre. I love how the classic organization is back, pitting Bond against an old enemy is very fruitful and really does go back to the classic era of Bond. Some critics I believe felt like the new film is to content on following the Bond formula but this is Bond, following the formula is not really a bad thing.

Christophe Waltz plays the head of the organization and he is terrific. He puts on a diabolical demeanour plus he has Dave Bautista as his bodyguard known as Hinx. Dave has only one line but there is no need for him to speak as he is 100% terrifying without him speaking.

French actress Lea Seydoux appears as Dr. Madeleine Swann, daughter to old arch rival Mr. White. She is Bond's way of getting to the head of Spectre, with a little help from Q too of course Bond does eventually find the head of the organization. Lea is fantastic in her part as she struggles with dealing with a man like Bond. She does eventually fall for him but becomes conflicted as his life is nothing more than what her father's life was like, always in danger.

Q, MoneyPenny, M all get more to do this time as Q and MoneyPenny help Bond on his mission and M deals with C and the eventual convergence of M15 and M16.

My favourite part of the film is how it felt like a conclusion to Daniel's Bond, referencing all past Bond films from Casino, Quantum and Skyfall. It's brilliantly done and I love it even more for the references to past characters, especially like Vesper.

Sam Mendes is of course back in the director's chair for this brilliant instalment and he continues to build on the excellent foundation that he built with Skyfall. I love the dark, gritty atmosphere and love how Sam continues to dive into Bond's past.

Thomas Newman also continues to build on the terrific themes he brought with Skyfall. A tantalizing score that goes headlong with Sam's gritty direction. Its like a snake that moves in and out of classic Bond motifs and newly dark corners.

Spectre, like Skyfall, is another dark and gritty chapter into the Bond canon. Its fun as well and has its funny moments along with its classic throw backs to the older era of Bond. Spectre is Bond at his finest and one cannot imagine where the franchise can go from here.

Rating: A-

Happy Halloween

This Halloween welcome back a classic series. The goosebumps movie is a fun family halloween treat. Not only do some of your favourite horror villains make an appearance, Jack Black plays the part of R.L Stine brilliantly with humour and emotion.

The film starts out like some horror films where a young teen is moved to a new town with his mom.

He does make a friend at school and soon makes friends with the neighbour's daughter. Things really get fun once the monsters are unleashed. Goosebumps is a fun, halloween movie that every family should take their families to see.

Rating: B+

Note: Its a short review as I feel the movie deserves to be seen with a clear conscience. Also, see the film in 3D, its pretty awesome.

Pan Soars

Peter Pan is the magical boy who never grew up, who versed off with pirates, danced with mermaids, and plays along with Tiger Lilly and her tribe. The new movie Pan plays on the origins of Hook, Pan, Smee, and Tiger Lilly.

As I start I guess I should bring up the white washing of Tiger Lilly. In the book it clearly states that she is native american, namely indian. However in the movie she is played by Rooney Mara, not indian. You can give all the explanations you want but it won't cheer anyone up. The world has now become such a place where the littlest thing upsets people. Gun violence, white wash casting, song issues. I understand that during resent events that critics would take offence to some of the family made violence in the film but movies cannot be blamed for the violence we see in every day life. It is true what Liam Neeson said, especially for Pan "Its not real, its a fantasy film". Something along those lines. And it makes total sense. It doesn't matter that Tiger Lilly is white or there are songs, I mean come on there are many other movies that include singing and they aren't musicals. Critics and Pan enthusiasts seem to have such a beef with this film.

As an origins story the relationship between Hook and Pan is played out well but I feel more could have gone into creating a rift between the two of them rather than playing it off as a joke near the end of the film. Garrett does a descent job with the accent he uses for Hook and while he does come off as more Indiana Jones than a pirate named Hook, sadly I feel thats being left for a sequel as well, he still crafts an interesting and fun character that at least for me you grow to care for. Levi Miller steals the show as Peter Pan, a feisty young lad who gives the nuns at the orphanage a run for their money. Levi does a great job at portraying Pan's emotional state. Hugh Jackman does a fabulous job as Blackbeard, he is truly menacing and is the true Blackbeard compared to the version portrayed in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Back to the choice in songs during the film, Smells like Teen Spirit. It is  stated by Blackbeard that some of the children have been taken from different eras, meaning the song must of been picked up during one of their raids and stuck. It fits with what Blackbeard is trying to accomplish, keeping the spirits of the children, teenagers, happy, by providing a song that they can all gain strength from. For he needs strong and willing workers to get what he most desires, pixie dust.

I loved Pan and feel it is an excellent prequel to the story Peter Pan. Much like Oz: The Great and Powerful, Pan plays as a good lead up to events in Peter Pan, dropping little hints here and there and while people may have an issue with the casting, hell no one cared that Smee was Indian, but Pan is a family fun fantasy adventure which as no dull or shallow undercurrent like critics are saying. The story of Pan trying to find his mother is a heartfelt storyline and not one that feels shallow or dark. I do however wish the head nun of the orphanage got her comeuppance. The actress who portrayed her was excellent, she played her similarly to the villain from Matilda.

Pan is a fantasy filled adventure with great performances by its leads and such a magical 3D world it may remind you of Avatar.

Rating: A-

Fantastic Four Review

Story: Four young outsiders teleport to an alternate and dangerous universe that alters their physical forms in shocking ways. The four must then team up in order to defend earth from an former friend turned enemy. 

Fantastic Four is a complicated franchise as in the balance between a serious take and a more kid friendly take is hard to balance it seems. 20th Century Fox has had great success in the past with X-men (Days of Future Past took in an estimated 400 mil) but with Fantastic four they have only had mild success but now complete failure. 

I consider their new take on the franchise not a failure but a rough beginning. Their first two attempts were, not bad. Fantastic Four was too kid friendly for its own good so when the sequel with the Silver surfer came, a darker element was implied. But now fan backlash on Galactus made the studio reconsider how to work with the franchise (Galactus was critisized by fans for being nothing more than a space cloud,  sadly the director Tim story did not like putting robots in his films). But enough about past endeavours, how does the new team match up. 

 A realistic placing of the characters the studio's new take on the Fantastic 4 is not as fantastic just average. We get to see Sue use her powers to better effect (she is more of a stronger version than Jessica), Ben Grimm also gets to do some more clobbering this time out and he and Reed (Played brilliantly by Miles Teller) their backstories are fleshed out to give their bond more strength than in the previous two films. 

The main issue, sadly, with the film is its lack of fun and its pacing. The film ends to soon, there is no real build up to the climax and it just needed to really feel more like a superhero film. The fun and humour I found came from the cast, especially Miles Teller and Michael Jordon, those two are very light hearted guys. 

While I am not a huge Fantastic four fan and I am not praising this new adaptation by any means but one thing has to be said, it was an entertaining movie, for me at least. 

Fantastic Four of the new millennium has set up a talented cast with an origins story that does drop the ball here and there, but can easily be fixed by a more fleshed out sequel with more of a focus on the family dynamics. Solid visuals and some solid set pieces don't make Fantastic 4 fantastic but makes it good. 

What they have been getting right though is with Sue Storm making her less invisible and more of a stronger female presence and while Dr. Doom had a horrible costume (weak one in fact) his overall presence was darkly perfect. 

Rating: B- 

American Ultra

Story: A stoner - who is in fact a government agent - is marked as a liability and targeted for extermination. But he's too well-trained and too high for them to handle.

Jesse Eisenberg and Kirsten Stewart star in this action-comedy which is a mix of what I feel of Zombieland and Adventureland, this should be called Drug-inducedactionland. The film, as the story mentions, deals with a stoner who becomes targeted by the government, aka The Bourne Identity, and is set to be killed off. Topher Grace plays the agent behind the dastardly plot and Connie Britton (Nashville) works hard to stop him.

While yes the movie plays off of Jason Bourne a bit the film is one hell of a fun action flick with a wise cracking John Leguizamo making an appearance and Bill Pullman (Independence Day) making a cameo as the head of the CIA. Kirsten and Jesse make for an amazing couple and Kirsten finally gets to play a super bad ass. She is the best she has ever been in this film, she lets it all go and its amazing (and no we do not see her strip down nude)

American Ultra provides an Ultra blast of action entertainment and is a solid film to end the summer on. Great B movie action, a cast set to have some fun and a mostly original storyline. Also, being an artist I loved the fact how Jesse's stoner character was creating a comic about a hero monkey, so cool 

Rating: B+ 

P.S If you are a movie fan you may pick up on actors who starred in movies together such as Walton Goggins (who plays Laugher) and Topher Grace (who plays Adrian Yates). Both actors played bad killers in the sci-fi flick Predators. 

Southpaw Review

Story: Boxer Billy Hope turns to trainer Tick Willis to help him get his life back on track after losing his wife in a tragic accident and his daughter to child protection services.

I have not been one for watching sports films but boxing films always seemed to draw me in, especially this one. With a strong cast that includes Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead and Rachel McAdams, Naomie Harris and Forest Whitaker in supporting roles, Southpaw gives us a strong character piece about a boxer whose faces extreme life troubles. 

Antoine Fuqua crafts an excellent film here and I very much enjoyed how strongly he went for realism. The fights in the ring are truly the best parts of the film. There are moments when you really feel like cheering, like you are really watching a real game. The slow mode and p.o.v moments in the ring are fabulous. Southpaw would never have worked in another director’s hands. 

The cast also raises the stakes, everyone gives their all. Starting with Miguel Gomez. He plays the stuck up boxer who seeks to take Jake’s spot at the top. Miguel sneers his way through his lines, acting cocky and giving one the impression that he wants what others have. Boxer Victor Ortiz (Expendables 3) makes an appearance as one of Jake’s trainers. Its a small part but he adds a little humour. Naomie Harris appears as child protective services Angela Rivera. As always she is fantastic in the role, adding a sincerity and caring attitude to the role while also having a hard shell. She’s just great to watch in anything she does. A real standout is the chemistry with Jake and Oona. Oona Laurence plays Billy’s daughter and she gives a surprisingly strong performance. She even goes as far as actually full on hitting Jake in one scene. Oona portrays Leila with true heart and emotion and digs deep into her character, really discovering what Leila is going through. Curtis “50 Cent”, Rachel McAdams, Forest Whitaker and Skylan Brooks fill out the rest of the supporting cast as friends, fans, family and trainers, Forest is particularly strong here in a role quite possibly fit for Denzel but Forest adds knocks it out of the part adding history to the character and world weariness. Rachel is strong as well, playing Billy’s wife, and she nails the Boston accent as well. Curtis has come a long way from his old rapper days and I feel he’s become a confident actor, same with new comer Skylan Brooks who isn’t in the film long but plays his part well as an idolizer of Billy’s. 

As far as story goes its an intense and riveting tale of one man’s journey to learning to take control of his life. Leading me to almost forget about Jake Gyllenhaal. Southpaw would never have worked without him. Having done Nightcrawler and earning tons of critical acclaim Jake can now do no wrong as his portrayal of Billy Hope through his life’s struggles in and out of the ring are immensely impressive. He is by far the greatest actor of our generation and puts everything into the role. He is so intense its scary. 

I really enjoyed Southpaw, and there aren’t many sports/boxing movies I really love, The Fighter with Mark Wahlberg and Melissa Leo, and Warrior with Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton just to name a few. 

Southpaw is also one of the final films composed by the great James Horner. I was very happy to see a title card at the end dedicating the film to his memory. James had seen the film before he died and was originally not considered as Antoine was on a budget, so, what I have heard, James did Southpaw for free and payed for the orchestra out of his own pocket. And why did James do it, because at the core of Southpaw it is about a man becoming a caring and responsible father for the thing he loves most, his daughter. 

Rating: A+ 

Ant Man

Story: Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) plan and pull off a heist that will save the world from total annihilation.

One of the oldest movies that was in Marvel's back log finally came to theatres, Ant man. This movie, believe it or not, had been in the works since 2006, and that is way before the Cinematic Universe was born with Robert Downey Jr and Iron Man. In the beginning acclaimed British director Edgar Wright was attached to direct with Steven Price set to compose the score for the film and Attack the Block's Joe Cornish as the one who worked out the story and script.

Then it all came to a head as Edgar wanted Ant man to stand on its own, be its own movie, like Iron Man, and not be so connected to the other films. But, if you look at it from Marvel's point of view, that is and was no longer and option. So the three (Edgar, Steve, Joe) parted ways from the project and comic director Peyton Reed replaced Edgar in the director's chair as Christophe Beck replaced Price in scoring the film. But the studio did give Edgar and Joe both writing and story credits, which goes to show how keen the studio was to make sure the movie was good. And yes, the film was not only good, but superb.

Most of the casting that Edgar did stayed as the two best things about the movie came from Edgar. The casting of Paul Rudd as our down on his luck hero Scott was sheer brilliance. In the wake of Joe and Edgar's departure Paul teamed up with his Anchorman director Adam McKay to help lighten the script up and add a good dose of humour to the mix. Again, even more success as both he and Adam gave the film some of the best funny moments ever, especially in the third act. Not only that but Paul gave an immensely well rounded performance as he really dug into the role of Scott and everything he's going through.

Michael Douglas was also a terrific addition as his role as mentor to both Scott and Cross (played so devilishly by character actor Corey Stall) and father to Evangeline Lilly's Hope, he grounded the film and gave some good sharp jabs at Scott. Ant man gave Michael the chance to shine in his first ever superhero movie, and guess what, the movie does not even drift into bad territory.

Its funny, one would think that by now after the trillion of superhero movies that have come out (Age of Ultron, Days of Future Past, Guardians of the Galaxy, Amazing Spiderman 2) one would think by now the fatigue would have set in. Ant Man on the other hand does a surprising think, its less of a superhero movie and more of a fun, heist flick. There are the usual connections to avengers and the Starks but for the most part the film's focus is on Scott trying to change his life around. He does not want to steal anymore but he is eventually caught up in Hank's battle against his old protege, Darren Cross (Corey Stall). So, Scott becomes Hank's new protege, against his daughter's wishes, and trains himself in the suit to become by far the most interesting and excitingly new superhero, now one of my favourites and who I see quiet possibly becoming a really superb member of The Avengers.

With the 3D effects and visuals things could not be praised higher as the shrinking segments are beyond amazing. The first time he tries on the suit was a wonderful intro to the world of this character (brought back memories of Honey, I Shrunk the kids). It made me think how far effects have come that seeing a reboot of that movie would be amazing. The sequences when he shrinks and the battles are full to the brim of creative brilliance and really should first be viewed in 3D. Ant man is the movie that I can say, see it in 3D. While the moments out of the suit are not 3D worthy, the fight sequences and the shrinking segments put the 3D to great use. I was so over-joyed to see Scott exploring ant tunnels and interacting with different types of ants, in its own way Ant man actually started getting me fascinated with ants (never was fascinated before) One key visual effect, and it is a big one, was bringing Michael Douglas into a youthful appearance.

Prologue segments that visually de-age actors have been done many times before, and to bad effect (Xavier in X3, Jeff Bridges in Tron: Legacy). Marvel however has a supreme track record with its visuals (Hulk in the Avengers and an aged Carter in Winter Solider). The visual effect that they created to make a young Michael Douglas is so real you'll be shocked. I was very surprised at how real the effect looked, it was spot on. The problem that always comes with the youth visual is that the actor's can come off looking very plastic looking or just plain creepy.

Ant Man is another success for Marvel as it gives us, the audience, a brand new and interesting superhero to cheer for. Paul Rudd leads a well rounded cast with an origin story that makes sense and easily moves these new characters into the marvel universe (with one very thrilling cameo). An excellent and exhilarating science fiction heist flick that has way more to offer than your average superhero movie. I love Ant Man, the key in this film was Paul Rudd and his spot on humour, the same that can be said about the success of Jurassic World. Chris Pratt was also spot on with his humorous jabs and overall cool reserve.

Go see Ant man, you won't be disappointed. And then catch Jurassic World, these two films need to be watched together, they're both excellent summer movies.

Rated: A-

Terminator 5 Review

When growing up, the Terminator films always interested me, the dystopian future, strong female starlet and action icon of the age Arnold Schwarzenegger. Two sequels came in 2003, Rise of the Machines and 2009, Salvation with Christian Bale. Both movies took the series in a newer and interesting directions, with number four even replacing Arnold with new comer Sam Worthington. Eventually though the franchise needed a proper conclusion to the James Cameron originals, and I feel with Genisys they have finally done so. 

Truth, the James Cameron originals I had only seen on either television or VHS, it wasn’t until 2003 where I saw Terminator: Rise of the Machines with my family on a summer vacation. Since than I have seen every terminator film in theatres, Genisys being the latest one. 

In this fifth instalment Paramount Pictures tries to do a soft reboot to the franchise to try and bring the fans of old back. They do this by reworking the original timeline of the series. Of course to some this sadly distanced them as some of the timeline framework became confusing or unnecessary. There really have been some outspoken individuals who feel the franchise should stay buried, which is sad cause the mythology and characters with-in this series is still rich with story material. I also find the idea of reworking the timelines to be an interesting topic of discussion about how one goes about changing one’s future. 

In short, the new film seeks to write the errors of the past a la Days of Future Past and begin a new franchise. I, like James Cameron, do agree that this new film acts as a great third chapter to his first two films, due to the film's strong ties to the original films as this instalment starts out in 1984, rewriting the events of the original terminator and essentially changing the franchise's timeline. The film starts out with Kyle Reese (played with grace and swagger by Jai Courtney) narrating about how Judgement day came about. We then see how he and John came to meeting. Whats so great about the opening of the film is how true in spirit it sticks with the original films. 

Starting with the opening battle scene where John Connor and crew head and operation to stop Skynet from using a backup plan to send the T-800 back in time to kill Sarah Connor. The battle is everything a fan can hope for with machines firing off lasers, unlike in Salvation where bullets were used more instead over lasers). Once the explosive battle is over the time comes to send Kyle Reese back in time to protect Sarah from the terminator. Everything seems to go smoothly until John is attacked by a machine, not killed but something else. Kyle is unable to help but something happens to him too as old memories change. 

Once in 1984 we get treated to a great throwback to the first film as a young Arnold faces off with the newly aged model terminator (Arnold of the present). The aging process was another interesting touch as it then gave Arnold the chance to just appear in the movie and not have to go butt naked. Of course, for you ladies out there, we do still see the young

Arnold showing some thighs and big muscles. Jai also shows up in the nude later on. The fight between Arnold old and new is such a fun delight and one of the highlights of the new instalment. Eventually though the '84 T-800 is taken out by a sniper. We learn of course that the sniper is Sarah Connor. 

Terminator 5 is the first film in the franchise to squeeze in as many killer bots as possible. Kyle Reese eventually faces off with the '84 T-800 model, how you ask. Well that all happens after Kyle meets the T-1000, who we learn can actually reboot downed terminators. Both are eventually put down, the T-1000 in a shower of acid. All that action from the future war sequence to the 1984 chases are just the part 1 of the film as John learns Sarah plans to jump ahead into the future and stop judgement day from happening as in 1997 the date for told in the second terminator film is when the bombs will fall. But Kyle tells her that might not be true anymore than how he found her working with a terminator and not scared. 

Oh, another cool thing about this instalment is Sarah's backstory. It is covered in some mystery but for the main part a protector is sent to serve as Sarah Connor's guardian and trainer as the machines sent a terminator back in time to kill her parents. She eventually tells Kyle this after she agrees to change her plans. 

Those being instead of heading to '97 they go farther into the future and land in 2017 where a new app called Genisys is being planned to launch in a few days. They eventually reunite with the aging terminator and a detective, played by the wonderful J.K Simmons. Now I know, he was significantly under used here but what's so great about it is if a future movie comes along he could come back in a bigger part. What was cool about Simmons role is he is another effect of the timeline change as Kyle and Sarah saved his life back in '84. Turns out he was the other officer on that night when Kyle was running away from the T-1000 in the clothing store. 

The film's third act is reminiscent of T2 as it combines both the Cyberdine office building sequence with the factory sequence at the end and packs quiet the punch. Also they end up having to deal with a new terminator, one who turns out to be someone very close to them (Kyle and Sarah) This new machine, a mix between all 3 past terminators is a tough guy as he beats Arnold's old t-800 into the ground. The battles between these two terminators is just as awesome as all the other battle sequences and this 5th time out there is more of an emotional under-tone as Sarah cares deeply for Arnold's old t-800, even going so far as nicknaming him Pops. 

With some great twists and surprises (sadly the big one was spoiled in the marketing but I will not spoil it either way) Terminator Genisys ends on a very satisfactory note. When you watch it for the first time it may seem like it overstays its welcome but believe me upon second viewing you don't want to leave your seat.Terminator: Rise of the Machines is still my all time favourite terminator movie but Terminator: Genisys brings the franchise back from the dead with a great return by Arnold, a strong likeable cast, great visuals and an action packed story. 

One last thing that I surely enjoyed about this instalment and why I would consider it way better than Salvation is that it acts as both a closing chapter to the entire franchise or as the beginning of a new trilogy. There is a scene in the film that shows that Skynet is still kicking. Sadly I don't see them making any more soon. Here's hoping. 

Rating: B+ 

Chappie Review

Story: In the near future, crime is patrolled by a mechanized police force. When one police droid, Chappie, is stolen and given new programming, he becomes the first robot with the ability to think and feel for himself.

Through out my years as a film geek there have been films I've loved, didn't mind and just plain hated. A few of my all time favourite movies would include Bond's 23rd outing, Skyfall, Spiderman 2 (from the Sam Raimi Trilogy) and Jumanji (one of Robin Williams best), now Chappie has been added to the list. 

As far as his films go in quality, for me, I never was a fan of his films. District 9 and Elysium I had issues with, but the latter I enjoyed a little more so. With his new film, Chappie, Neill has brought in some top notch talent, namely Sigourney Weaver, Hugh Jackman and Dev Patel. Not to mention his comrade in arms, Sharlto Copley and Elysium's Jose Pablo Cantillo. But the main reason I was really drawn to his new film is how much effort he put into bringing to life the main hero, Chappie. 

The film does draw inspiration from films such as A.I Artificial Intelligence. Sharlto plays Chappie, giving the best vocal performance since Andy Serkis made amazing performances as Gollum, King Kong, and Caesar. He plays the role with true heart, Sharlto pours everything into his vocal performance. It can be hard to make people feel for a machine when you have no facial expression. I loved his performance in this film, he was both the heart and humour of this film. 

I should also note that a south african group called Die Antwoord makes their acting debut in the film. And it is not overblown like what other critics or fans have said, like they only took the role to give themselves more exposure. That was not the case. They were extremely believable, I felt they were perfect in the film. 

As for its leads, Sigourney, Hugh and Dev are all terrific. Sigourney Weaver's role as the head of the high profile tech company may have a small role in the film but she knocks every scene she is in out of the part. She is just fabulous here, and I feel her performance is like the old saying less is more.  Dev Patel plays the creator of Chappie. He is believable as the scientist who seeks to create machines that truly think for themselves.  He shows that his character starts like someone who seeks the best for Chappie but comes to the realization that he is actually controlling Chappie (having made note to Chappie to not let anyone tell him what to do). His character has a good development as he goes from wanting to see what a self thinking A.I would be like to realizing that its a lot like raising a child, it takes a huge amount of work. 

Hugh Jackman does a great job at bringing his villainous Vincent. He's not one sided, just jealous. His dark side reveal was very surprising and I was impressed at how Hugh was able to craft such a devious and compelling villain who under the skin was something way more dark and sinister. 

What I see as the main theme of this movie is acceptance. I found that Chappie stands for all the different people in the world who feel like outsiders or outcasts. This is what really pulled my heartstrings in the movie. Chappie represents those who are different from everyone else wherever its the colour of your skin, your sexual preference or gender, Chappie stands for everyone who wants to be accepted in a world where some have trouble accepting new and different things. Thats where Hugh's character comes in, he stands for those who fear the unknown, who can't be bothered to understand. 

The film deals in other themes too of course, parenting, job harassment, and intelligent A.I but its main theme of acceptance is by far a strong theme, especially today where issues with race, gender and one's sexuality is still an issue. 

Chappie is a film that deals strongly with acceptance, it has a great cast, amazing visuals and exciting action set pieces and is one of my favourite science fiction films of the past 10 years. 

Rating: A-

Taken: The Franchise that came into being

A franchise like this is unique in a way that such things don't come around that often. Having been ignited by the first film in which Liam Neeson, a guy not known for action, hits the action button and goes through guys left and right to get his daughter back. Not only did this movie have a kick ass Liam Neeson and a thrill a minute storyline, but it had one of the best lines ever, one uttered by Liam at the start of the film.

"I Don't know who you are, or what you want, but if you don't let my daughter go, I will find you and I will kill You!"

Thus the film followed Liam as he went across Europe killing bad guys in his wake and causing all kinds of destruction. The movie has become a cult smash hit, even getting a rendition on Family Guy.

With the film's success, it led producers to hit the sequel button!

Four years later, Taken 2 came to theatres. The premise of the first film is used again, but this time its Liam and his wife who are taken and his daughter must save them. Neat twist, but producers felt Liam still needed to be the one doing all the saving so he guides his daughter through the first bit and eventually gets his daughter to safety and handles the rest himself. 

The plot, while not as original as the first, is a basic revenge tale brought about by the fathers whose sons he murdered in the first film. Another franchise, The Hangover, had issues of its own when doing a sequel. It lost the humour and feel of the original that made the first film such a hit. The action here is not dull but somewhat the same. 

Characters are slowly developed, Kim gets a boyfriend in this, one of many, and the two are a lot nicer to Liam, as the first film they were both a bit cold hearted. 

Three Years later, a third, and possibly final film, is added to the canon. The producers again did what Hangover did and completely changed what the franchise had been known for. While for Hangover it was a bad move as the franchise ended on a sour/cold note with no hangover, for Liam and the gang it was the perfect change. 

Acting as a soft remake of the classic film, The Fugitive staring Harrison Ford, the film follows Liam as he is framed for the murder of his wife, played once again by Famke Janssen. Two new players join the game, Dougary Scott as the step father Stuart (not seen since the first film played by Nikita's Xander Berkley) and Forest Whitaker (the chief police officer similar to the role that Tommy Lee played). 

Its not a remake but is a nice change of pace for the series. I enjoyed the movie, it had some minor issues (one particular action scene that seemed a little too far fetched and unnecessary) but Liam and Maggie play their roles that just hit all the right buttons, Maggie even more so as her character finally grows. She also has a hot boyfriend named Jimmy (played by hot surfer boy Jonny Weston) who is a 100% trust worthy, in Liam's eyes. 

The third chapter had its issues in the start but once it started to hit on the home run it got really epic, like final chapter epic. The twists were surprising and the final chase was full of emotion and one of the best action set pieces in the franchise. 

As I said at the start, this was a franchise held together by a british actor (who one would never have believed could make it as an action star) and he in the end got some help with the heavy lifting, namely Forest and Maggie as these two I felt really brought home a performance. I have been a big fan of this franchise but I do feel its time for Liam to retire this franchise and maybe give the action stuff a rest for a while (since Taken he's been in The Grey, Non-stop, Unknown, A Walk Among the Tombstones and is set for another action flick this spring, Run All Night) \

Overall Franchise Rating - B