Need For Speed

Come for Jesse Pinkman in a big film role, stick around for the impressive car chase scenes. It's been called terrible but if you liked Need For Speed there's nothing not to like here. I think the fact that the stunts have been done with an almost complete absence of CGI makes this film stand out. The dialogue is really bad sometimes, the story and action is often totally unrealistic and it's a bit forgettable but it's not offensively bad. By the time the last big race came around I found myself getting quite into it.

In a word- Stuntacular

3 Stars

300: Rise of An Empire

Big, bloody action with a tone much similar to the first film with perhaps some added campiness. It doesn't take itself too seriously and the fight scenes are stylish and fun to watch. It's not as good as the first but for a kind of 'forced sequel' it's a good time. It's not a complete spectacle like the jaw dropping battle of 300 were but it's new sea-based battles add a bit of variety so it's not just '300 AGAIN!'.
You could skip through the talky bits and just watch the battle scenes and come out with the same 300:Rise of An Empire experience everyone else who has seen the film had.

In a word- Bloody

3 Stars

A Change...

I have fallen behind again and for this I am sorry. It's got me thinking though- to save this happening again I could change the way I review films. When I want to find out if a film is any good I will often read the first paragraph of a long review then head straight to the verdict score. And since this review site was never meant to be a super in-depth analysis of films I'm thinking of making my 'reviews' much shorter like what  write when I fall behind. 

I might write longer reviews every so often but this way will make sure my reviews are up to date more often and will tell you in a more bite-sized form if I thought a film was any good or not. 

I'll do my best to fill you in with hat I've seen in the last month. 300 Rise of An Empire, Need For Speed, Captain America, Muppets, Divergent, Long Way Down and Noah to follow.

Last Vegas, Wolf of Wall Street, Her and...you don't want to know

I occasionally forget to review films. Or there comes a point that I've waited so long to actually write one the film is no longer relevant, to cinema goers anyway. Being all OCD-ey though I struggle to write other reviews knowing there's some I've missed. So here's some snappy little summings up of the films I saw in the ass-end of 2013 and the last few months.

Last Vegas

A 'Hangover type' film you can watch with the grandparents. They'll think it's ever so riskay and chuckle away while you smile and take in how nicey and inoffensive it is. Its by no means bad. Just not very memorable. The ensemble oldie cast all have their moments and the film kind of feels as if it's split up into little scenarios they get themselves into but it never goes for shock value which is sort of essential in this kind of film. 

It leaves you smiling but not with a laugh induced belly ache. A nice background family watch but nothing more. The definition of a 'nice' film. 

6/10

The Wolf of Wall Street

I should have really gone in-depth with this one, what with all the hype and acclaim it got. Like many of it's Oscar nominated buddies I found The Wolf of Wall Street to be be really great, but not quite as perfect as I'd have imagined. 

Leo does a stellar job of showcasing the incredibly interesting and often shocking life of Jordan Belfort. It's a ride that had me completely hooked. For the first 2 hours anyway. 

I don't have to say it's too long because you've already been told that. What starts as a crazy lifestyle that immediately reels you in does start to drag on a bit. 2 and a half hours would be perfect- and that's still a long run-time. 

It's its only flaw though and is funny, interesting and shocking. It's the story of the man you kind of wish you were while at the same time thanking god you're not. 

8/10

Her

 The initially very interesting premise of a man falling in love with his siri quickly lost steam for me at an annoyingly early stage. It goes for a few laughs but this is a serious story of a man in love with a computer. Every possible alley of possibility that could happen in this situation....happens. In much detail.
 It's sweet at times and quite intriguing but it hits a spot somewhere below 'funny' and 'beautiful' and becomes a bit dull. There are haunting little scenes that make you think and quite a bit of heart but never enough to make you feel on the same wavelength as Joaquin Phoenix's character. 

Watch the first half hour and the last 15 minutes and you'll walk out with the same experience as everyone else watching without the boredom. 

6/10

And the surprise hit film of 2013!

But not really.

Walking With Dinosaurs 3D

Take one of the Ice Age sequels, probably the 4th one where they've kinda given up. Take away all of the cartoon-ey humour that makes the kids laugh and make sure the character's mouths don't move even though they are speaking. Set those characters on a real background so there's no chance of any interesting zany setting and ladies and gents you have Walking With Dinosaurs 3D. 

It sets itself up as a nature documentary like the 'impressive at the time' BBC shows but there's not much learning to be had here other than the screen freezing every so often to have an annoying child say the dinosaur's name. We're then led straight back into the bird dinosaur talking like a Mexican and the rest all making toilet humour jokes and exchanging playground insults.

At least it's not offensively bad. If it was a TV show on primetime Saturday night BBC it might just be acceptable. I can see a child into dinosaurs watching this in the background while he plays with his dinosaur toys. That child is the film's only market however. 

4/10 

The Lego Movie

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_JOBCLF-I

I love Lego- I feel no need to lie about it. There is nothing in the world more satisfying than slowly watching lots of little bits coming together to create one big model. That being said, just because I like building Lego (like David Beckham, Guy Martin and Richard Hammond, jusayin) doesn't mean I'll like a film made out of the stuff. You don't get a sense of humour or storytelling when you're building a Lego bike say- it's something the film-makers needed to create for this film. Fortunately they have created something that really works and turns the Lego Movie from being a 90 minute toy advert to a legitimately funny, heartfelt film.

The film starts by introducing us to the Lego world through construction worker Emmet, your average mini-figure that you wouldn't look twice at in the Tesco toy aisle. It follows his journey as he discovers he's a master builder and if it sounds like its a bit kiddy it's because the story is. Without spoiling it though- there is something much deeper going on in the Lego Movie that turns it from being just a goofy kids film to something much more clever. You'll have to watch it to find it what I mean.

The humour is also hilarious and as much as some of the jokes fall flat a lot of The Lego Movie is laugh out loud funny. The first half hour in particular when the world being made out of Lego is still a novelty is particularly great. The way the Lego horses walk, things exploding in plastic fire and stop-motion brick mushroom clouds and the general naivety of Emmet all warrant a laugh. That's not to mention all the hilarious licensed character interactions. Batman is a bit of douche, The Green Lantern is seen as the little brother no one wants to hang out with and Dumbledore and Gandalf quarrel with each other. It's like something you'd do with your Lego toys as a child.

There's big names lending their voices here as well and I doubt they would have gotten involved if they thought the Lego Movie wasn't going to be a success. You hear the voices of Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell and Liam Neeson but to be honest they don't really have to be there. It sounds stupid to complain about big actors starring in films but in the cases of some characters in the Lego movie I just found it a little distracting. The Lego cop in the film isn't a Lego cop, it's just Lego Liam Neeson.

The film also loses steam once your mind adjusts to the Lego world. It's incredible what's been made, even with the CGI input, but once you're used to it the Lego based humour doesn't hit you the same. The action and fight scenes are also a bit rubbish near the end which wouldn't be a problem if there just a few of them but unfortunately there are. I also lost interest in the story entirely half way through and looking back it was is if the film makers were just filling run-time before that ending.

THAT ending though really saves the film however and leaves you with a movie with a strong hilarious start, weak-ish middle and heartfelt clever ending. Everything is awesome? Not quite, but it definitely silences all the voices that said 'they're making a Lego Movie, that'll be crap' a year ago. Not perfect but an impressive result for a film based around little plastic bricks.

7/10

Robocop

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INmtQXUXez8

I've not seen the original Robocop but whenever I'm asked if I have it's always said with a big smile on the person's face followed by a description of a ridiculous scene that happened in the film. I think Robocop 2014 knows the reputation the original has of a silly 80s OTT action film and tries to continue the light-heartedness here. Sadly the film makers didn't seem quite sure on how serious to make the new film and the end product ends up feeling a little confused.

Robocop for those unaware is the story of man who is almost killed in an explosion and his brain put into a robot's...body? Well he's given robot parts anyway. The story starts to get surprisingly clever early on as the question is asked could robots ever fully police a city or is a human element required to maintain order. It's an interesting thought and if explored a little further it could be great. It's just a little odd as it contradicts with the film's later silliness.

There's large action scenes with jaunty rock soundtracks, vocals an'all, over the top explosions and quick hub displays that give suspects' statuses as 'totally stoned' and other fun captions. There's also areas of the film where you're not sure if it's a pisstake or trying to be taken seriously. Seeing main character Alex as just a head and lungs looks ridiculous and warrants a laugh but I'm not entirely sure if it was intended to be that way.

No matter what way you look at it, as a legitimate action film or 'kinda parody' its pretty average stuff. The action scenes are fun, fast and loud but nothing spectacular. The most interesting part of the film is the robots replacing humans theme but it kinda gets lost behind the light-heartedness of Robocop himself. The family element is okay but rather bland and I struggled to take it seriously.

Perormance wise all the big actors give solid enough performances but nothing really stands out. Joel Kinnaman puts on a convincing enough robot voice and otherwise plays the standard movie good-guy. Micheal Keaton is in the film but his role isn't the most important. I would have liked to see more of him really as he had potential to be quite interesting. The character I remember most is Samuel L Jackson who plays a patriotic TV presenter and has the time of his life doing so. He could quite easily not be in the film but I'm glad he was.

It's by no means a travesty but it's just a shame that Robocop seems to suffering from an identity crisis. If it had gone all out B-movie spoof I feel we'd have a better film and if it had taken itself a little more seriously I also think the end product would be better. The mix in tone doesn't really work however and it's all a bit forgettable. In it's favour it's at least a little bit of fun.

6/10

Jack Ryan- Shadow Recruit

Trailer- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9KAnx4EvaE

Not to boast, but my viewing of Jack Ryan was probably better than yours. Whereas all the other films I review are viewed in (the no means bad seats of) Cineworld- Jack Ryan got the premier screen- Dubai treatment. Luckily it wasn't just the ridiculously nice setting that made Jack Ryan a good day out.

Jack Ryan- Shadow Recruit is a big action-ey international spy thriller and feels like a younger brother of Mission Impossible. It's not as epic and flashy in terms of stunts and set-pieces but there's still gunfire and the occasional explosion to keep the adrenaline going.

Chris Pine plays the likable protagonist and as much as he's not the most interesting of characters he does feel very human. This is an origin story and a highlight scene is where Ryan goes through the emotional turmoil of killing a man for the first time. You see the kill has shaken him up a bit and it's what makes Jack Ryan different from say Bond or Ethan Hunt.

This isn't to say that Jack Reacher is by any means a masterpiece however. As much as it's all good fun all the action has been done before and at points feels comically cliched. There are car chases, fights in hotel rooms and to top it off a bomb with a timer that ticks second by second down to zero. As a popcorn film it's excellent. But it's not going to stick with you for days.

In terms of a villain, Kenneth Branagh does a good job of playing the stereotypical Russian baddy, continuing the tradition of action movie cliches. He's pretty menacing but not exactly terrifying. He is just your average comic book bad guy but in this film it's a nice fit.

Jack Ryan is the movie you think of when someone says 'we went out for tea then saw a movie'. It feels familiar, the action all looks nice and exciting and you leave thinking 'yeah that was pretty good, now what will I do next today'. It's a thrill ride but not the one in the theme park with an hour long queue.

7/10