REVIEW: MOVIEBLAST: Bridge of Spies (12A) & Suffragette (12A)

Double review time as we go to MOVIEBLAST and binge watch on streaming site Wuaki with EE Film Club...

Bridge of Spies (12A) is the 'based on a true story' latest offering from legendary director Steven Spielberg. Starring equally legendary Tom Hanks and a quality cast (including Mark Rylance), Bridge of Spies is based on a real life 1950's New York insurance lawyer called J Donovan. Hanks plays lawyer Donovan with conviction and accused "spy" Adolf (Rylance) works well against Hank's knowledgeable lawyer.

Bridge of Spies is based on a true story whereby a man is accused of being a soviet spy in 1950's America. Firmly gripped in the fear of nuclear weapons, the USA's relationship is on tender hooks with the USSR. Enter James Donovan; insurance lawyer and, as he says, "yeah I'm pretty good at what I do...". Demanding a fair trial, Donovan is given the opportunity to represent spy Adolf in a court of law. Accepting that the trial is a foregone conclusion, but working in the interests of his country, Donovan agrees to represent him, but as he does so this sets in motion much bigger things at hand.

One part court room drama, two parts spy thriller, Bridge of Spies is a thought provoking yet compelling drama. Hanks' Donovan is a fabulously intelligent lawyer, using words to his advantage. Words are less with Mark Rylance's "spy" but are effective, even if his accent slips from Scottish to Soviet on occasion. The rest of the supporting cast are fab too, and the story itself is interesting at the backdrop of a world not too distant from us yet so different from us. This is where the threat from nuclear fallout was a real possibility, a wall was constructed to divide Germany and one insurance lawyer helped save the lives of at least 3 people. And no internet or mobile phones.

Bridge of Spies is great viewing if you like a good drama or spy thriller. Mr Hanks is doing a good job of biopics over recent years also playing the titular character in Captain Phillips which, like this movie, was a great performance based on a true story.

Bridge of Spies is out now on DVD, Blu Ray and all good streaming sites.

POPSCORE: 8/10

Suffragette (12A) is a movie about a group of women repressed by society who discover the suffragette movement led by Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep) and charts the progress of the start of the movement and the way the women are being treated by society in early 20th Century London.

Focussing on the married mother of one, Maud (Carey Mulligan), Suffragette looks at the working class group of women she belongs to. Working in a washroom with iron fisted, domineering (and sometimes very sexist) men as managers, Maud reluctantly becomes the face of the women's movement when her activist work colleague is unable to continue due to her abusive husband.

She risks everything to stand up for what she didn't realise she believed in and strikes the match to set the future bright for women and their options to vote and become equals amongst men. Making sacrifices of her own - including imprisonment, abuse, beatings and losing her child to the system, Maud still stands by her resolve to change the world for the better. 

The film, although I'm sure is made up, runs alongside the factual, historical Suffragette movement in its infancy. For all the optimism it concludes with, and the gritty troubles that are highlighted throughout the movie, Suffragette is a thumping story on the history of women's rights. However, for all the progress that have been during (and indeed the decades after) the suffragettes, there still is some way to go for true equal rights in pay and such for women. However, the film clearly states a fantastic point - "how can you silence half of the worlds population" - food for thought I reckon.

Well acted and fantastically thought provoking, Suffragette is a drama that stays with you long after the credits roll.

Suffragette is out now on DVD, Blu Ray and all good streaming sites.

POPSCORE: 7/10

REVIEW: MOVIEBLAST: Crimson Peak (15) & Mr Holmes (PG)

Double review time as we go to MOVIEBLAST and binge watch on streaming site Wuaki with EE Film Club...

Crimson Peak (15) is Guillermo Del Toro's latest foray into fantasy horror starring everyone's favourite Marvel MCU antagonist, Tom Hiddleston. Backed up with other talent including Mia Wasikowska and no less than two actors from a Foxy's Favourite movie Pacific Rim (which is also directed by Del Toro) is this gorgeously shot fantasy horror.

The movie starts with a well-to-do family in America. Their daughter, Edith (Wasikowska) is coming to terms with the death of her mother (which includes seeing ghosts) and dealing with her overprotective father. When well spoken Englishman Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston) comes to America to try and get some financial backing for an invention, love gets in the way. Trying to woo her dad for cash and  his daughter for marriage, Sharpe uses his influence to try to achieve both aims. When disaster strikes. however, a love struck Edith returns to England with Sharpe and his sister Lucille (Jessica Chastain). Meanwhile her childhood friend Dr Alan McMichael (Pacific Rim's Charlie Hunnam) finds some unsettling news about these English visitors and goes to retrieve her from the ramshackled manor house in rural England.

Crimson Peak is a delightful film to look at using colour in such a lovely way. The sets, costumes and cinematography are fantastical and a pleasure to look at - however I found the movie to be a bit bland, unlike the scenery. I love most of Del Toro's works but this one just fell a bit flat. I feel maybe that it was to slow and took a while to say what it needed to. Hiddleston's look was far too similar to Loki in the MCU for my liking but his performance was strong. Alice in Wonderland's Mia Wasikowska was great in her role, even though some of her outfits looked like she raided Lady Gaga's wardrobe. The supporting actors were fab too.

Overall this movie looks the business but ultimately fails to deliver on time. It felt more like a paint by numbers horror movie; one for beginners - more fantasy than scary but it's ok nonetheless. Decent for a night in, but not much more. I loved the Johnny Depp fronted Dark Shadows, which is what I expected this movie to be like (from the DVD cover and look of the movie) but it wasn't. Not the strongest entry into Del Toro's collection but probably one of the prettiest to look at.

 

Crimson Peak is out now on DVD, Blu Ray and all good streaming sites.

 

POPSCORE: 6/10

Mr Holmes (PG) stars Sir Ian "Gandalf" McKellen as the ageing Sherlock Holmes in his twilight years. Years later, after his final assignment, Mr Sherlock Holmes has retired to the country to attend to bees and live in a country house. Estranged from Dr Watson and never married, Holmes lives alone save for his housekeeper Mrs Munro (Laura Linney) and her inquisitive son, Roger.

Holmes befriends Roger who keeps him on his toes. Roger is similar to Holmes in a way and is impressed by his mental capacity to think logically and deduce problems and mysteries. However, here's the rub - and the interesting crux of this film - Holmes is diagnosed with dementia!

I have wanted to see this film for some time. The idea of having a literary character develop dementia - (especially for one such as Holmes who is famed for his mental capacity) - is quite a unique take on the mythos of Sherlock Holmes. As his mental capacity declines, with the help of the ever inquisitive Roger, Holmes tries to piece together his last assignment of which he has forgotten.

McKellan plays the younger Holmes and the ageing one well and brings a human side to the man who was almost robot-like in his reasoning and deduction. He infers the frustration well as you would expect from a character famed for his mental capacity. Roger is played well by the young Milo Parker and I can see great things for him in the future.

If you are looking for excitement, edge of your seat Sherlock you are so looking in the wrong place - that is the domain of Cumberbatches or Downey Jr's. This is a slow burning drama, chronicling his decline in mental health and all that goes with it. I would say it's a drama... no, it would be more of an exploration of an idea on film of how this premise would pan out. There is some semblance of story - but the most exciting parts are told in flashbacks. It's not the best film in the world but has such an interesting premise it is worth a watch on a cosy night in or a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Mr Holmes is out now on DVD, Blu Ray and all good streaming sites.

 

POPSCORE: 6/10

REVIEW: Birdman (15)

Birdman, or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance is the story of washed up actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) who was once world famous playing a superhero but is now desperate to get his career back on track many years later by launching his first play on Broadway. When they are in need of a bit of star power, Hollywood actor Mike (Edward Norton) steps in and turns things upside down. Mike takes his method acting a bit too far and steals the limelight from Riggan - who all the while is battling personal demons, risking his last bit of money on the show and trying to get his family issues all sorted.

The movie is almost like a documentary, and featuring a great line up of talent, this movie is very interesting indeed. Although you could probably lump it into a black comedy, it's not really laughing matter but more about the struggles of a former Hollywood superstar who's fallen on hard times. Regularly the soundtrack sounds like the cast from Whiplash or Stomp! have had a hand in the music - as it's mainly made up of drum riffs. I'm sure they nicked my 1001 Drum Rhythm's book and used that for most of it! There's no real music in this movie just the drum - and it's quite funky.

Supporting Keaton and Norton we've got Emma Stone, Naomi Watts and the gorgeous Andrea Riseborough giving sterling performances. But, of all the performances, Zach Galifianakis is the most surprising giving a very strong supporting role and is not the Zach we've come to expect from films such as Due Date and the Hangover Trilogy. I had to do a double take when I saw the credits!

One of the things that get to me about this movie is that the character Keaton plays is almost like himself in some ways - the Birdman of the movies name was a superhero character he played back in the 90's and refused to do further sequels. He even has a gruff Batman-esque voice. Although the work is total fiction - it's very close to what the public know of Keaton - that is, a famous actor who doesn't tend to be in blockbuster movies now, and is most famous for being a superhero. Although I think really this is where the similarity ends, it's just a little unnerving to know that what your watching is actually false but Birdman and Batman only differ by a few letters.

Still this movie has nothing to do with superheroes really, and if it did, it would be a critique of the modern day Hollywood and it's obsession with money spending and superhero glorification. No, this movie is more of a critique of the system, the raw deal some actors get because of it and the struggles and worries they have that no one ever sees when they are smiling on that red carpet. I guess it mentions too about the fact that you have to stay true to yourself - do you want to keep making sequels to a successful movie or do you want to do something different and not be typecast? What happens when a younger actor steals your thunder? There's a lot of emotion going on in this movie and that resonates with you long after the final scene.

This film has little to no action and it's not really about superheroes. But, if you want a powerful drama with some ace acting talent, then you will not be disappointed.

Birdman is rated 15 and is out on DVD and Blu Ray now.

POPSCORE: 7/10

What am I talking about? The movie Birdman

Where can I find out more? http://www.birdmanthemovie.com/

If you like this try: Black Swan, The Wrestler

REVIEW: Gone Girl (18)

Gone Girl is based on the bestselling novel, erm, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn and is all about a perfect couple. So perfect in fact that when the wife goes missing after an argument on the morning of their fifth wedding anniversary, all the evidence points to kidnap, murder... and the husband. Amy Dunne (Rosamund Pike) is the wife of Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) who plays the titular character that disappears on the morning of their fifth anniversary. However, both as intelligent as one another, Amy has left clues for Nick to follow as she has done on their anniversary every year. The police are called when Nick realises that she is not coming home, and this set up events that he has to negotiate to prove his innocence. Thing is, though, is he? As time ticks away and the police find more evidence – Nick Dunne is under the spotlight. As the days pass, even the media get involved with everyone from neighbours to chat show hosts trying to prove that this man killed his wife.

This film is a fantastic thriller, with more twists and turns than a country road in rural England, and the strong cast – both main and supporting, have an intensity that keeps you watching. Affleck’s Nick Dunne is smarmy and arrogant enough to dislike, but all his flaws are apparent and therefore has a strange endearing quality about him. Even when he drops a few clangers here and there, and he shows his character warts and all, the film doesn’t give you enough to definitely say that he is innocent or not. The beautiful “Amazing Amy” is another great character who is certainly as strong as her husband is but in a different way.

The problem with Gone Girl is that although it’s a treat to watch how the web of lies, miscalculations and things go on but if I said anything past the first quarter of the movie I would probably spoil it for you. The film starts at one point and ends at another – and it just keeps twisting and turning like a snake. I really enjoyed this one and I recommend it if you like thrillers, mysteries or a really well acted and written drama. The big question is -  Did Nick Dunne Kill His Wife?

 

POPSCORE:               8/10

 

What is it? Gone Girl movie, out now on Blu Ray, DVD and download

Where can I find out more? http://gillian-flynn.com/gone-girl/ or http://www.gonegirlmovie.com/