Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

Director: Marc Webb

Principal Cast Members: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan and Jamie Foxx

I've got to admit the first Amazing Spider-Man left me a little underwhelmed. Thankfully freed from having to retread the origin story the sequel has almost everything you'd want from a good Superhero movie. In my review of Love Punch I discussed the importance of a great cast and it something that is also relevant here. Garfield is the perfect modern Spider-Man and is one of the most relatable of the modern superheroes, and he and Emma Stone (perfect as always) make a superb team. It's nice to see a female love interest who is not just there to be a damsel in distress and Stone's Gwen Stacey makes a real impact on the film. While they were continuing the great work the additions of Dane Dehaan and Jamie Foxx fix one of the major problems with the first film, the villains. Both are great here and manage to be likable and menacing at the same time, Dehaan is a rising star and the role of Harry Osborn could be the real making of a star. Throughout the film you can never get away from the sense that this film is trying incredibly hard to be a franchise builder, something which is made particularly clear by the (all be it limited) presence of the fantastic Felicity Jones and Paul Giamatti, both of whom will make brilliant additions to the franchise if they can secure themselves some significant screen time. Key to the films success is that Marc Webb manages to just about find the perfect juxtapostion between the comic (pun intended ;P) and the darker side of the modern superhero film, and the film also looks awesome and in a way that the city of New York almost becomes a character. It's not a perfect film as the plot often threatens to become overcrowded and thus the film is slightly long but thankfully Webb manages to keep his second Spidey film on the tracks and leaves things set up well 2016's The Amazing Spider-Man 3.

Review: Love Punch

Review: Love Punch (2014)

Director: Joel Hopkins
Principal Cast Members: Pierce Brosnan, Emma Thompson, Celia Imrie and Timothy Spall



Lets face it every so often you watch a film that you don't really know anything about and probably isn't aimed at you. So in those terms Love Punch (a film I went to see for the sake of my mother) in my eyes is a success. The film could easily have suffered from a plot that in parts is so utterly ridiculous it would be too far-fetched for an Austin Powers movie... Thankfully the casting director requires a medal for the way they assembled possibly one of the only casts that could make the plot actually seem a little bit believable, thanks in no smart part due to the considerable charm that the four principal members exhibit. If you want a feel good British comedy casting either Emma Thompson is a must, and like with everything else she manages to light up the film even if in this case she doesn't have to stretch her acting legs far. Brosnan continues his interesting post-Bond tend for taking up comedies and hear his Bond charisma is possibly the only reason that his character Richard is an enjoyable presence to share 90 minutes. In the other roles Celia Imrie and Timothy Spall may not be anything more than supporting members but their relationship is a joy and at times even thinking there might be fun to be had with a spin-off. Unfortunately other then the cast there's nothing really of note to the film which potters along from slightly amusing scene to another. Now I have to say my mother loved the film and for an (how do I put this) of the similar age to the leads this is probably one of the best comedies of modern years, in a similar way to the Apatow has dominated the young adult comedy. If it goes down in history Love Punch will go down as the perfect Sunday afternoon film, plenty of charm but very little substance.

Review: Muppets Most Wanted

Review: Muppets Most Wanted (2014)

Director: James Bobin

Principal Cast Members: Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey, Ty Burrell and ... erm The Muppets

The 2012 (again on UK release) reboot of The Muppets was a joy fun filled romp that put the Muppets back on top. But as the opening number of the sequel states sequels are never quite as good and unfortunately that proves to be true in the case of Muppets Most Wanted. While the film has everything you'd expect from a Muppets movie, although I'm not sure anyone could ever have expected a musical number with Tina Fey and Danny Trejo, the sequel struggles to maintain the feel good tone of the first film. It was always going hard to find leads that could match the enthusiasm of Jason Segal and Amy Adams and it was a bold move to instead have Ricky Gervais as the human lead. It could of worked, and probably will work for any fans of Gervais, but unfortunately for me it was not a move that paid off. Similarly although the string of cameos rack up some big names none make a significant impact upon the film. The comedy is also very bare to the ground as well, although Ty Burrell and Sam the Eagles partnership does prove some lovely moments, and there appears to be little there for an adult audience. No doubt the Muppets will be back again soon and hopefully will rediscover their form but Most Wanted just left me wanting a little more...

Why Disney's Takeover of Pixar Was the Best Thing to Happen to Mickey for Years!!

First of all apologizes for the long title, for some reason the snappy title part of my brain doesn't appear to be working today. Now in recent years there's been a lot noted about how Disney appears to buying up half of the film world. It was defiantly successful in the case of Marvel, just look at the amount of money their cinematic universe has made! And we'll just have to wait on see with Star Wars but for me there can be no doubt to which takeover is the most important in my eyes. Now it's fair to say that Pixar is on what could be seen as having a little bit of a slump since Toy Story 3 (only a slump for Pixar standards though) but that is nothing compared to the one that Disney's animation studios went through in the 2000's. But it now appears to be on the up again and in my view that can only be down to one man; John Lasseter!

The man behind the great success of Toy Story and one those behind Pixar as a whole, if your interest I would strongly suggest watching The Pixar Story (it's on Netflix), finally came to rightful home when Pixar moved to Disney in 2006. While Disney's old fashioned animations may have failed to set the world alight, recent offerings Tangled, Wreck it Ralph and Frozen have all been huge box-office hits and not to mention brilliant films in their own rights. Disney is very much back in the groove in terms of animation, all the better considering that some of their live actions efforts have been flops, we're looking at you John Cater!! And this can be backed up with the figures, just today it was announced that Frozen had become the sixth highest grossing film of all time, and its still rising. 

Now some people may not see this as good news but for me its brilliant. At some point another we've all been exposed to that Disney magic, in fact its what sent Lasseter into animation, and it can only be good for future generations that the studio appears to be churning out classics (as well as great for those of us who never want to grow up!!). Disney is not just part of cinema history and with the help of the genius's at Pixar it looks like we might have a partnership that can help each other make great films for years to come. Its got to be remembered it works both ways and theres a question as to whether not we would finally be getting the sequels to both Finding Nemo and The Incredibles if Pixar didn't have the full backing of Disney. Also from a personal point of viewer without this joint venture would we be able to enjoy the pure greatness of this:

Review: Transcendence

Review: Transcendence (2014)

Director: Wally Pfister

Principal Cast Members: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall and Morgan Freeman



Oh Transcendence you had so much promise! Lets start with the positives, the film looks as incredible as you'd presume from a cinematographer turned director. The plot just about manages to hold the attention and the cast is solid, however that can also be part of the problem. All you have to do is look at the cast list and it will get most film fans excited, but throughout the film it seems that most are just seem to be coasting. It's nice to see Johnny Depp in a role that doesn't involve his more OTT style of acting, but part of the problem is there are plenty of great actors that get very little to do, specifically Cillian Murphy and Kate Mara. There are also several aspects of the film that don't really work, the narrative book markers just doesn't work, and it part actually takes some of the tension and mystery out of the films final climax. There are also huge chunks of the story that do not quite flow well enough to completely keep the attention. It must be taken into account that this is both director Pfister and screenwriter Jack Paglen's debut efforts and Transcendence shows that there is a lot of promise for both and they should get a second bite of the apple, even if the film looks like its going to flop. Ultimately maybe the film will be seen as a flop, but in retrospect maybe that's due to the fact that the film showed so many promising signs early on.

Review: Noah

Review: Noah (2014)

Directors: Darren Aronofsky
Principal Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Emma Watson

The first thing that it is important to note about Noah is the fact that the marketing team have done a great job in portraying the film as something it quite honestly is not. While many will see trailers like the one above and think your getting the atypical blockbuster disaster movie but Noah is a completely different beast completely. As you might expect from Darren Aronofsky instead we are presented with an intense character study of Russell Crowe's Noah, with a bit of scale added in for good measure. While it's an interesting question of how effectively letting his own race die is an interesting concept but the problem comes in the length of the film where by the time Crowe really gets into this eventuality half for audience will be ready to pack up, having already seen the flood they were promised. That's unfortunate for Crowe who is impressive in the title role, however the first hour could easily have been cut down (I for one would be interested to see the much talked about studio cut of the film). As for the rest of the cast its a decisively mixed bunch, Emma Watson continues to impress post-Potter and its always nice to see Anthony Hopkins stretch his acting legs but Douglas Booth and Logan Lerman (A shame not to see him spark up his superb chemistry with Watson from Perks of Being a Wallflower) make little impression. And thus we come to Ray Winstone, while a superbly menacing villain I couldn't help get the feeling that an international audience may have a few problems with growling accent. So proceed with care if your expecting just your average blockbuster, and it goes without saying this is probably not for someone with an aversion to religion, but as a character study it is a perfectly acceptable film with some superb set pieces. Shame your nodding off before things really get interesting...

Simulcast Has To Be The Future

Over the last few decade the ways we watch TV have changed and it seems there must only be one way forward and that is to simulcast programs between the UK and US. TV executives are always talking about the problem of piracy, yet they expect fans to wait (months in some cases). Now I'm not saying that waiting is a bad thing, I try to do it, but its a sad fact that in the modern age we tend not to wait. Next week Game of Thrones will start it's fourth season (There is no words to say just how excited I am for this!!) and to do so Sky Atlantic will be simulcast live from the US and it seems that if networks are serious about piracy this is the way to go. 

It's easy to see an example of how modern audiences are simply not willing to wait for their favorite US shows anymore, just look at the recent cut backs that have been made by Channel 5. The Walking Dead is the prime example of this, for the last few years it has been shown on Fox UK shortly after it's US air date, it's now down to be shown less then 24 hours later, but then was shown months later on the more widely available Channel 5. But its recent removal from 5 shows that it is simply not worth doing. Perhaps Fox's idea is just as good as simulcast as it means the audience only have wait less then a day.

A huge problem of course is that the internet and social media in particular means that your likely to run into spoilers at some point the longer you wait. This can be easily seen by any UK readers who i bet if they look at their Facebook or Twitter feeds will undoubtedly find spoilers about the finale of How I Met Your Mother despite the fact that E4 only just aired the 8th episode of season 9!! Its a sad fact that in order to not have the show ruined for you, you have to watch it pretty much as soon as it aired, For example is there anyone who will not have seen some mention to the Red Wedding on social media or even on news sites? This is the sad world that we live in and no doubt simulcasting or even allowing programs to be available on sites such as Netflix the day after US release will surely be not only beneficial to both audience and executives alike!!

R.I.P How I Met Your Mother

Last night the US saw the end of How I Met Your Mother after 9 years and therefore it is only fitting that i pay tribute to the show that while never consistently spectacular has been ever reliable. Two things before i start, one no fears for those who haven't seen the final double episode about plot points and also i must admit i have not been a fan since the start but used my first semester at uni (3 years ago) getting to know and fall in love with the gang. I am also aware that for UK fans we all know that the show will not rest because of the wonderful folks of E4 who will make sure we will never fully have time to miss the show.

I think the only way you can start when talking about the show is the fact that it would of been nothing if it were not for the cast. So much of a TV comedy depends on the cast and the way they work together and its safe to say that HIMYM had a fine one (When the biggest issue you have is a character is the fact that she isn't quite as cool as Willow you now there's no problem). It's rare that a show will get to the end of a 9 year run with the entirety of its principal cast intact and only one addition. When watching the show you really get the feeling that these people are friends and in a situation comedy like this that makes all the difference. Neil Patrick Harris and Jason Segal deserve special mentions, bring me the person who dislikes both Barney AND Marshall and i will show you a million pounds (in Monopoly money). It's testament to the quality of the casting that the casting of the Mother, which had the ability to make or break the show, was perfect thanks to a superb performance by Cristin Milioti who managed to make me to fall in love with the character with very limited screen time.

It's impossible to speak about HIMYM without the obvious Friends comparisons and for me the show is truly the spiritual successor to the show that made the sitcom what it is today. There are naturally great episodes that stand out, the personal favorite of mine has to be swarley, and some great catch phrases and running jokes which somehow manged to remain fresh, interesting and funny till the very end. But what truly makes the show stand our was the way the writers and cast could always throw in some great moment of drama that could change not only your emotions but the complete direction of the show. The scene where Marshall discovers his Dad has died is the perfect example of this.

I will be honest, it wasn't all great. From the 100th episode onward the show became solidly mediocre and Season 9 has to be one of the most disjoint seasons ever in terms of quality often going from brilliant to absurd and boring. Much has been discussed about the season finale in the last 24 hours but all I will say about it is it took some very brave decisions. Perhaps the main problem the show faced was that the long line of Ted's girlfriends throughout the show made little impression after Victoria and Robin and therefore the main story line actually became more of a B narrative while Ted's fellows took the lead. Often a little bit crazy, sometimes upsetting but always heartwarming How I Met Your Mother did what all good situation comedies should do, it made us fall in love, laugh, cry and even had the odd musical episode (always a winner). So long guys thanks the memories!!