Saturday, 15 July 2017

REVIEW: Logan (15)


"Yep, 17 years of playing Wolverine certainly takes it out of you!"
It’s been a whopping 17 or so years (most places are touting 2 decades to make it sound more impressive) since the first X-Men movie hit our screens and proved two major things. These are a) that it’s not just Marvel that can actually make a brilliant superhero movie and 2) that the casting agency are second to none. Wolverine and Professor X are two roles that Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart were born for, and they made a perfect pairing then (and still do) in what my girlfriend called Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine retirement movie.

Taking elements for a number of different genres and recent movies, Logan never quite sits with its predecessors nor the MCU. As I watched I saw numerous echoes of movies I’ve seen before over the last few years. Elements of Mad Max: Fury Road, Iron Man 3, Skyfall, Deadpool and more, this is not particularly original but for fans of the character Wolverine, there’s plenty to be chewing on.

An older Logan is now driving a limo for the pleasure of others and an ageing Professor X is holed up on an old factory ground. Being a base of sorts for both mutants, they have a third mutant Caliban (Stephen Merchant) whom looks after the area as best he can. Relationships are strained, but they get along adequately for their needs. As the last remaining mutants, Prof X, Wolvie and Caliban keep their heads down.

This is not the end though, as a reluctant Logan picks up a ride and it turns out to be a nurse, Gabriella, and her mute daughter, Laura. Newcomer actress Dafne Keen plays Laura superbly with a mix of innocent cuteness and angry chaos. But they are not all what they seem. As the story develops this R-rated movie (clearly following in the footsteps of Deadpool) garrottes, decapitates and f-bombs its way through action and road trip respectively to take the seemingly innocent Laura to North Dakota where she can meet up with some people just like her.

Logan is a perfect send off to conclude the run of movies that started at the beginning of the century. Of course, there is a point at which the actors who play these timeless characters will need to pass the baton on, and this movie was the perfect vehicle to do this. Jackman and Stewart end their involvement with just the right amount of nostalgia, emotion and storyline to reach a satisfying ending. However, the movie also suggests something more on the horizon which doesn’t spell the end for the X-Men universe.
"Logan with his new wheels"
Logan is nothing like the other movies, and, although there are a few uses of superpowers, these seem to be more of a hindrance than a help. Logan himself is left in a rather weakened state but is still lethal, however limps around and coughs and splutters like Leo DiCaprio after he has been attacked by the bear in The Revenant. Although I realise that this is to show weakness on the parts of the two main characters due to ageing and being generally tired, sometimes it can feel a bit too laboured. I wanted Logan to suddenly get a new wind and start to fight like the old Wolverine. Although there are some scenes which are amazingly choreographed and are suitably grisly for the fact we have a guy with razor-sharp claws attacking someone, most of the movie is seeing a grizzled, beaten up Wolverine who is a shadow of his former self.

In a nutshell, this movie is stripped back, bare and shows powerful characters with their weaknesses. Not unlike the movie Mr Holmes, these characters have definitely seen better days. More story and more thought is in this one, which is in direct contrast to the action packed, fly with the action movies we are used to. It is still a good send off for some of the most beloved X-Men characters, though... until the next time of course.

POPSCORE: 7.5/10

REVIEW: The Great Wall (12A)


"The cosplay finals were in full swing..."

Matt Damon, and that fella (Pedro Pascal) who fights The Mountain in Season 4 of Game of Thrones, team up for this fantasy action movie set in ancient China with Tian Jing playing the Commander of a group of elite soldiers defending The Great Wall (of China). Featuring rather colourful and cool armour and some sweeping cinematography, The Great Wall is a visceral pleasure, but gives everything away too soon so any sense of suspense is deflated before it starts.

Based on myth (obviously loosely) The Great Wall features armies, monsters and two almost superhuman characters. Damon’s character begins like Leonardo DiCaprio in The Revenant and finishes like an Ancient Chinese Jason Bourne whilst Pedro Pascal reminds me a bit too much of Cassian Andor from Rogue One. My biggest fear was that this would be a movie where the superior white man saves the other ethnicities from certain doom, but although there is an element of this it was nowhere near as bad as I feared it would be.

The movie itself is enjoyable enough, but, as I said earlier, is hit with the issue that the film gives too much away too soon. This means that once the big reveal has happened, the movie trundles to a conclusion that you could probably guess before it actually happens. Tian Jing is a stunning looking lady but backs it up with combat prowess and a strong female character that defies stereotype. Willem Dafoe also features and is woefully underused, but a welcome addition to the cast. However, regardless of the pleasing visuals, the sweeping shots, some great choreography and special effects, the film doesn’t quite reach the echelons of greatness that the Wall suggests. It’s enjoyable and decent if you are yearning for an action movie, but the only great part is in its title.

POPSCORE: 7/10

Saturday, 25 February 2017

REVIEW: Hidden Figures

2017 has started with a glut of great movies and long may it continue. Next up in the releases is the “based on a true story” of a trio of African American women in 1960’s USA working for NASA on the space program. Troubles abrewing in society as the trio of friends – Katharine G Johnson (Person of Interest’s Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson (singer Janelle Monae) all try to find their place in both society and work. Its 1960’s America and the equal rights are the focus – with riots, sit ins and segregations and this is the back drop to the film. The three ladies work for NASA as mathematicians and do their job well but find it a struggle in the world of the white man and the segregated toilets, drinks and other areas. As they challenge the status quo, the ladies play an important part in helping America in the space race of the 1960’s with Russia hot on their heels. This movie could have went all out and play the race card and be some sort of equal rights movie but instead is focussed on the women and the role they played in one of the most important achievements in American history. It does bring home the struggles of African American people and the desire for equal rights and the 1960’s seems such a distant way away, and the way it was seems very archaic but thinking back it wasn’t that long ago that that is exactly how it was.

"NASA in the 1960's - very different to how it is now"

This movie is an inspiring one and doesn’t force you to follow its way of thinking, but instead, is an incredibly watchable account of three amazing ladies. They were the stars of that story but were pushed so far into the background that the mainstream history books do not mention them. Instead history remembers the white men who achieved the impossible, yet the truth is far from it. An essential movie to rewrite the history books in modern times and excellent acting from the main stars too. Also featuring great turns from Kirsten Dunst, Kevin Costner and Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons, this movie is a great contender for some of the film awards later in the year.

POPSCORE: 9/10  

REVIEW: The Lego Batman Movie

"Batman lands in your local cinema in February"

Batman Returns. Okay, let me rephrase that, Batman Begins. Oh, let me just say that Batman is back in black with the next instalment of the hugely popular Lego movie franchise. Leaving reality and common sense strictly by the door and putting the emphasis on fun and imagination, The Lego Batman Movie pays homage to all the Batman incarnations before and creates its own one and it’s really funny. Batman as a character has always been dark, mysterious and very much a loner and in this movie he is no different. Self-absorbed, always bigging himself up and the proud owner of killer abs, Mr Batman is both hilarious and action packed in equal measure.



When all hell breaks loose in Gotham City, there is only one man to call, and that is the man with the word Bat before it. Within the first 10 minutes of the movie we have a battle royale of sorts with Batman vs every villain he has ever encountered (and then some) and manages to beat them all and save Gotham City. Once again declared a hero, the media surmise that once the world is safe once more, Batman will retire to hang out in the best locations with beautiful female tennis players. The reality is completely different. Showing a peek into Batman’s downtime and history, the story continues with Commissioner Gordon retiring and his daughter taking over the city, stating that they have no more need for Batman as vigilantes are frowned upon and all the bad guys are in Arkham. However, they didn’t plan on a “clever” plot by the Joker to get an alternative army to destroy Batman and Gotham City once and for all. Just like its predecessor The Lego Movie, Batman steals the show and is hilarious, but also the unique Lego humour is apparent throughout the movie. The Joker is unlike any version you have seen (voiced by The Hangover’s Zack Gallifiaknis) and Will Arnett’s Batman is just comedy gold. The relationship between the two is stranger than ever, and The Joker is suitable inconsolable when Batman declares that The Joker isn’t his arch enemy and that is actually nothing to him.



Robin features as a great comedy sidekick, and the end game seems to devolve into a game of Lego Dimensions, but it’s suitably actioned packed to keep you watching until the end. Great music, funny asides and a strong lead character, The Lego Batman Movie is a fun movie for all the family. I really enjoyed this one.

POPSCORE: 8.5/10

Did you know? If you own an Apple iPhone and activate Siri but say "Hey 'Puter" instead, Siri will give you a response that is similar to that of the computer in this movie.

REVIEW: La La Land

"🎶Doodle doo Dee Dee doo - Everybody's dancing in the moonliiight!🎶"

The lovely Emma Stone and talented Ryan Gosling team up for cinema’s latest musical spectacular, La La Land. Barista Mia (Emma Stone) and down and out musician Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) cross paths when, on a night out, Mia stumbles upon a jazz music bar and Seb gets fired for playing his own stuff. As he gets his marching orders from the stony faced bar manager (J.K. Simmons), Sebastian and Mia’s relationship develops. As each one chases their dreams and success comes knocking at the door, the relationship they have becomes a lot more difficult. Whimsical, thoughtful and definitely musical, La La Land is a musical for the next generation while fondly remembering the previous generation. An old romantic at heart, Sebastian pines for the old days of jazz as the modern music ruins the roots of his favourite music. Sebastian learns quite quickly that sometimes it’s about adapting to life to get where you need to be. The musical numbers – especially the first one that hits you between the eyes during a rush hour traffic jam - is expertly choreographed and catchy and the overall soundtrack is good. I felt a pinge of treachery as one of the more modern updates of jazz was played I quite liked, even though Sebastian derided it. Featuring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling actually singing and dancing and a soundtrack contributed to by John Legend, this movie is, in my opinion the best musical I’ve seen since Moulin Rouge. However, having said that, I think this movie would be very Marmite – you will either love it or hate it. It very much depends on whether you like the type of music. It’s a good, well made film, but very dependent on your opinion of musicals. For me though, I loved it.

POPSCORE: 8/10

REVIEW: Sausage Party

"I'll not lie; this was pretty much my response when I watched the movie too"

There have been many, many animated films kicking about over the years – most have been the resultant hard work of the likes of Disney and Dreamworks who peddle fairy tales and happy endings. Some are a bit more off the mark like Titan A.E or that 1979 Lord of the Rings animation feature that was never quite finished. Some are based on literature and could be potentially disturbing like Watership Down. Nowadays, computers are used to make animations, and they tend to all be the same old, same old stories so when a movie about food comes along it might be worth a look-see. The trailers looked silly, but funny, and as the trailer wheeled on we discover that it’s definitely not for kids and that it’s the same team behind equally “silly” The Interview and This Is The End. Seth Rogan, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill and a slew of other stars voice various foodstuffs in Sausage Party. The story goes that in the supermarket every item of food stuff want to leave to go to paradise in the great beyond. They are chosen when they are picked up by customers who  buy them to take home. In a funny way (as in strange not ha-ha) it’s a twisted look at what we do with food – and the people are the evil ones and the food is just innocent and naive. Main man, or sausage, Frank (Seth Rogan) is desperate to (literally) get into Brenda Bunson (Kristen Wiig) a shapely bread roll with big lips and even bigger eyes. When they both have the chance to get taken to the great beyond, Frank breaks out of his packet to save another piece of food and leaves his sausage squad behind. As his crew leave for the great beyond, he is left stranded in the middle of the supermarket looking to get back to the packet of sausages so he, too, can go to the great beyond. As he laments the loss of his friends, he joins forces with Brenda, a taco and others to head back to the shelf. Meanwhile, the other sausages find out that the great beyond is not all that it is cracked up to be. Taking the term food porn in the literal sense, Sausage Party contains overtly (and excessive) sexual references, swearing (much of it needlessly) and debauchery and… a musical number. Written by Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid), “The Great Beyond” is the starting song for the movie and almost slips us into musical territory. Once over though, the musical drops and the movie becomes a hybrid of fantasy horror, animated adventure, insinuated light pornography and generally offensive material. As I watched this movie unfold there were numerous times I looked away and thought, “I can’t watch anymore” and went to stop the movie from continuing. But, I forced myself to watch it to the end and I was more and more gob smacked by what they had gotten away with in this movie. When it had finished, I sat down to try and comprehend what I just watched but only could conclude that this movie was written by the likes of those teenage boys who find doing silly sexy things with hot dogs is funny, snickering over words like fart and think they are cool by swearing every other word. If you imagine an 18 rated (or R rated if you are in the US) movie that involved food going on an adventure that includes scalping, slicing and killing many characters by evil means then this is the movie for you. It’s one part clever and fourteen parts stupid and the rest of it is plainly offensive. It’s a one watch movie (if you could stand to sit through it) and I don’t think I could watch it again. Juvenile and poorly written, this movie isn’t really that good and definitely not for children. It did have an impression on me though – a) I actually felt bad after watching it (both guilty for eating similar food stuffs and “dirty” for watching them “perform”) and b) found it totally offensive to just about everyone. Sausage Party is (not for children and) out now on digital, DVD and Blu-Ray.

POPSCORE: 5/10

REVIEW: Passengers (2016)

"The lack of chairs on the spaceship forced Aurora to improvise"
This year is concluding with a flurry of sci-fi films, as hot on the heels of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Arrival and others, we have another one word sci-fi in the form of Passengers. Katniss Everdean and Star Lord team up to find out what’s going down on a ship headed for what is essentially Earth II. The movie starts with everyone in hibernation as they make a beeline for a second planet for humanity to colonize. Everything is going swimmingly on its 120 year trip until it passes through a meteor storm and has a malfunction. Waking up 90 years before the craft is due to dock, mechanic Jim Preston (Chris Pratt) wakes up early and has only the limited ships computer AI and android bartender Arthur (Michael Sheen) to talk to. After a year of this solo existence, and an impressive beard, Jim makes a decision to wake the beautiful Aurora (see what they did there?) by breaking her sleeping pod to allow her to wake.

 
Now with a companion and happy, Jim and Aurora fall in love – until she finds the truth – and then things go even crazier from there. Sterling performances for the three leads, a moral conundrum and enough action to keep you watching, Passengers is a great entry into the sci-fi genre. I can’t say much else or I will spoil it. Worth a watch.

POPSCORE: 8/10