Previewed: May's Releases

Summer is heading our way and that can only mean one thing... lots of Summer blockbusters to look forward to with May officially being the start of the blockbuster season in my books. So are there any noteworthy blockbusters in the month of May or will we have to wait for June and July to come along before the real movies hit the screens?

Just quickly before I get into May, I have to briefly mention Apollo 18 which at the time of me writing was due for release at the end of April and hence included in my Previewed: April's Releases article. This has now been shifted to the end of 2011/start of 2012 depending on where you read so apologies as anyone wanting to see that will have to hold out for an extra few months now.

Top movies of May:       1. The Hangover Part II
                           2. Win Win
                           3. 13 Assassins
                           4. The Tree of Life
                           5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
                           6. The Way

Action/Fantasy/Thrillers
13 Assassins (6th May) [my review]
When a tyrannical lord goes one step too far, a group of 13 assassins are called together for a mission from which they are unlikely to return as they take on the might of his army. Spoken in Japanese but expect lots of blood and guts to do the talking instead with no doubt a couple of well choreographed samurai fights included. Will give me my gore requirement for the month.

Hanna (6th May) [my review]
A 16-year-old girl who was raised and trained by her father to be the perfect assassin instead of having a childhood is dispatched on a mission across Europe. Tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and their operatives can she complete her mission and experience the world as she never has before? Action and mystery thrown together in a plot that takes a twist on the conventional one man against the rest scenario. Shows promise.

Priest (6th May) [my review]
A priest disobeys church law in order to track down the vampires who kidnapped his niece. Gauging from the trailer I think this might be another bog standard vampire movie. Partly to do with Paul Bettany inclusion but it looks like another Legion which will not amount to much at the cinemas. My verdict is to give it a miss.

Blitz (20th May)
When a serial killer starts targeting police officers to kill the force brings in tough cop Statham to get to the bottom of it and make the arrest. Whenever Statham is involved you know you are heading for an entertaining 90 minutes. Action, some comedy and an interesting plot will lead to this becoming the next Crank/Transporter at the very least.


Animations/Children 
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (18th May) [my review]
It's a Disney movie, that's why it's in the children section! Jack Sparrow and Barbossa return to embark on a quest to find the elusive fountain of youth, only to discover that Blackbeard and his daughter are after it too. Despite the series growing weaker the more they released I hold out hope that this will bring it back to its original best. A rejigging of the cast with Bloom and Knightley out and Cruz and McShane in should help facilitate this change. 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (27th May)
Back in middle school after summer vacation, Greg Heffley and his older brother Rodrick must deal with their parents' misguided attempts to have them bond. Sequel to Diary Of A Wimpy Kid that will no doubt get the kids laughing and probably a couple of smirks from the parents but nothing more.


Comedy
Something Borrowed (6th May) [my review]
Friendships are tested and secrets come to the surface when terminally single Rachel falls for Dex, her best friend Darcy's fiancé. Extreme romcom alert for all those who are interested. I am not.

Attack the Block (13th May)
This comedy is about a teen gang in South London defending their block from an alien invasion. Graphics look piss poor but the script might make up for that. A stupid comedy combining aliens with London gangstaaaas and the chance to see Nick Frost after being surgically removed from Simon Pegg's side! Worth a trip to the cinema if your in the mood.

Take Me Home Tonight (13th May)
Follow an aimless college grad who pursues his dream girl at a wild Labor Day weekend party. He, his twin sister and their best friend struggle with their burgeoning adulthood over the course of the night.Adults reverting to their teenage states and consuming excessive alcohol in what is likely to be the poor man's Hangover Part II.

Win Win (20th May)
A disheartened attorney who moonlights as a high school wrestling coach, stumbles across a star athlete through some questionable business dealings while trying to support his family. Just as it looks like he will get a double payday, the boy's mother shows up fresh from rehab and flat broke, threatening to derail everything. Doesn't sound like much but it looks like it has struck the right balance of comedy and drama to make a powerful movie experience. I'm looking forward to this one.

The Hangover Part II (26th May) [my review]
I'm rubbing my hands together in anticipation for this one as you should be too. Phil, Stu, and Alan travel to Bangkok for Stu's wedding only to find themselves in another post-blackout misadventure. Might be a bit of a challenge to keep it as fresh as the original and hit the high hopes that I have for it but my fingers are crossed... summer blockbuster time!!!


Drama/Documentaries
The Tree of Life (4th May) [Changed TBA]
The story centres around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence. If it hits the right notes and doesn't come across as too pretentious then I'll bet it will be a forerunner to nick a couple of Oscars. Could go either way so I'm going to sit on the fence until I've seen it.

Water for Elephants (4th May) 
A veterinary student (Pattinson) abandons his studies after his parents are killed and joins a travelling circus as their vet, where he meets animal trainer August (Waltz) and his wife Marlena (Witherspoon). Not my cup of tea so I'm going to say wait for the DVD but might interest some.

The Way (13th May)
An American father heads to France to recover the body of his estranged son who died while travelling "El camino de Santiago" from France to Santiago de Compostela, Spain. A touching drama with some comedy thrown in and also a father-son partnership on-screen as well as off from Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez. Most likely slip under the radar but I think it will be worth a watch.

The Messenger (27th May) [Changed 17th June]
An American soldier who is tasked with delivering the news to the next of kin of their relatives deaths struggles with an ethical dilemma when he becomes involved with a widow of a fallen officer. A moving drama that will have all the more effect if you know of anyone who lost their life fighting for their country. In any other month this would be up there but there's a lot of good movies vying for top spot.


Horror
Insidious (29th April) [my review]
Like Apollo 18, its release was shifted (forward one week in this case) so despite being released in April, it has snuck into the May releases. A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further. Children in a horror- that's enough to freak me out, how about you?

Julia's Eyes (20th May)
The story of a woman who is slowly losing her sight whilst trying to investigate the mysterious death of her twin sister. Produced by Guillermo del Toro much in the same way that I think James Cameron had a hand in Sanctum (ie not a lot). Should be a reasonable shout if your not up to much else though. In Spanish.


Next time I look at Hanna [my review] released on the 6th May to see whether it's living up to the hype. Trailer below...

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @ FAbFilms

Reviewed: Fast Five [2011]

Fast Five [2011]

12A - 130mins - Action/Crime/Drama - 21st April 2011

The latest in the Fast and Furious franchise has recently hit the screens and what with the others being a good way to spend a few hours I was hoping for a similar type of movie from this one with plenty of great cars and car chases to boot.

Set after Fast & Furious (No. 4) but before The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (No. 3), this time the action is played out in Rio, Brazil after Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) has escaped from police custody in the US with help from his old pal Brian (Paul Walker) and sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) and gone into hiding. With them needing money to disappear forever, Dom hatches a plan to steal all the money from Rio's most reputable underworld kingpin Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida).

At the same time they are being hunted down by the elite federal agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and his team who are trying to capture and take him back to prison. Although it is quite possible to watch this movie without seeing the previous 4 there will be some parts that may slip you by as the writers have assumed that, if your coming to see this movie then there is a very strong possibility you have seen at least a couple of the prequels/sequel.

One thing that I was quite surprised about was the lack of actual cars in the storyline. Sure they were involved slightly more than a normal action movie but I was expecting a lot more. There were probably only 2/3 scenes involving racing or car stunts and when the whole movie is supposed to be based around cars I was expecting just that little bit more. If fact in one scene just when you are expecting a good old fashioned drag race, they cut away to reveal the car back in the garage and already won!

The action does make up for this though and is fast flowing throughout as they jump from one explosion/fight scene to the next. The casting of Johnson as the bad-ass agent was a stroke of genius with him bringing his former WWE smack talk to the character. He really makes you want to hate him and I especially enjoyed the Johnson Vs. Diesel fight scene as the 2 heavyweights traded blows.

At over 2 hours this is by far the longest in the franchise and although in general the time will pass quickly, they could have easily chopped off a few minutes here and there to stop the risk of it dragging for some people. The acting and script is nothing special and you will have to sit through a fair bit of 'we're doing this for family' talk but that is not what people will come to watch this movie for.

With Neal H. Moritz announcing in March the development of a sixth and seventh movie for the series it is doubtful that this surprisingly long lasting franchise will go away quietly. Despite having lots of good action and successfully filling a void in my day, lets just hope that they return to the core basics for the next one rather than forgetting the main reason for these movies was supposed to be the cars.

Rating: C+

Next time readers I look ahead to the wonders of May to see what will be whetting my appetite and what will have me running to the hills as I preview May's releases. [my article]

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms

Reviewed: The Darjeeling Limited [2007]

The Darjeeling Limited [2007]

15 - 91mins - Adventure/Comedy/Drama - 23rd November 2007

The Darjeeling Limited is about 3 brothers Francis (Owen Wilson), Peter (Adrien Brody) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman) who have not seen each other since their father's funeral over a year ago. The death of their father has affected them all individually and along with other problems in their life has left them somewhat flawed and drugged up. Peter has girlfriend issues, Jack has father issues and Francis has family issues, he wants to be closer to his brothers and be a happy family and yet his demeanour drives them away.

The lack of seeing each other inspires Francis to bring them together so they can carry out a 'spiritual journey' across India on a train in order to rekindle their relationships with one another become closer and more brotherly. However this idea does not go completely to plan with much brotherly bickering and fighting, the involvement of some pepper spray and one of the brothers buying a highly poisonous snake which he then misplaces amongst some of the things to look forward to.

The brothers and their interactions and chemistry with each other is where this movie wins from my point of view. Despite showing hardly any emotion- they never seem sad or cry, rarely smile etc. they convey what they are feeling in different ways. Having only ever seen Wilson in the bumbling comic/romcom type role, I was impressed with him in this where he shows off his talents as the brother who needs to always be in control. Brody also impresses with Schwartzman, despite not quite being as good as the other brothers still performing admirably.

The shooting of some of the scenes in the train reminded me in principal of similar work in the movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou whereby the camera moves alongside the train cutting between rooms as if the nearest wall to the camera did not exist (I've heard it called the dollhouse effect?). This similarity was explained when I discovered both movies were directed by the same man, Wes Anderson.

These types of shots could be achieved due to The Darjeeling Limited being filmed inside a moving train- Anderson rented a ten carriage train and locomotive engine, completely redecorated it and then ran it between Jodhpur and Jaisalmer on a live section of railway track. This unsurprisingly providing a great challenge for cinematographer Robert D. Yeoman as nothing could be fixed to the ceiling and filming equipment couldn't be more than a metre out of the windows. He does a fantastic job though which has to be highly commended.

This is not an 'in your face' comedy but is rather more sly, subtle and witty one which I preferred in this context. There are some great one liners that I particularly enjoyed.  The characters make it what it is while dragging their emotional (and actual) baggage around with them for the whole of the movie. If you like Anderson's other movies then this will not disappoint either.

Rating: B

Next up I bring you Vin Diesel and his cars in the from of Fast Five. [my review]

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms

Reviewed: Hobo With A Shotgun [2011]

Hobo With A Shotgun [2011]

18 - 85mins - Action/Adventure/Crime - 22nd July 2011

So you may have a while to wait if your living in the UK for this one to hit your screens with it not due to be released until the middle of the summer but will it be worth the wait? The movie title kind of hints at what is in store if you go and watch this and in that regard it does not disappoint at all. Although you will have to wait a little bit before hobo and shotgun are united in a cacophony of blood and guts.

This movie is about a nameless hobo (Rutger Hauer) who rides the rail and arrives in a new town where the movies intentions are immediately made obvious. As he wanders the streets with robberies, prostitution, child abduction and hobo fighting occurring all around him, we are introduced to Drake (Brian Downey) the twister ruler of the town and his two sons, Slick (Gregory Smith) and Ivan (Nick Bateman). When father and sons decapitate their brother/uncle with a car, manhole cover and barbed wire rope we are left with the distinct impression that they rule the roost and are not to be messed with. After observing more obscenities Rutger comes to the aid of a prostitute in trouble, Abby (Molly Dunsworth) and they strike up an unlikely friendship as the movie progresses.

Now our hobo's dream is but a simple one, he is intent on starting a honest gardening business and gathers his pennies to buy an old lawnmower. However fate conspires against him and he ends up with a pump action shotgun instead and sets about ridding the streets of crime (definitely makes for a better story!) With one liners as classic as:

Abby: "You can't solve all the world's problems with a shotgun!"

Hobo: "It's all I know."

it's not hard to see the standard that this movie has set for itself! It doesn't take itself seriously but then neither should you.

This movie is literally bubbling over with blood and gore left, right and centre and leaves little to the imagination. In fact I don't think it leaves anything to the imagination whatsoever. Jason Eisener, in his first proper movie as a director, knows how to make a bloody scene even more gory than you could imagine. At times the gore looks quite convincing and at others less so but it comes so thick and fast that you won't have time to worry yourself with small matters such as that.

If you don't have a strong stomach them I definitely recommend that you give this one a miss and that also goes for people who think that this movie won't involve children in the mayhem, because it does and on several occasions as well. I also liked the way in which the movie was done with old school technicolor style credits and titles making the movie feel it was made several decades ago rather than in 2011.

All in all this was what I was expecting but in some places it went further than I thought it would. If you are looking for a gore and guts fest with a couple of very cheesy one liners strewn about the place then this does it well and is for you. If your not then I'd give it a wide berth.

Rating: C+

Next up for you is the The Darjeeling Limited [my review]. Check out the trailer below.

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms

Reviewed: Into The Wild [2007]

Into The Wild [2007]

15 - 148mins - Adventure/Biography/Drama - 9th November 2007

It has been a while since my last review as I've been filling myself with Easter eggs and travelling over the country so I'd thought I'd make it up to you by reviewing one that you really should be watching and at least a few of you may not have heard of.

Into The Wild is a movie about one man, Christopher McCandless (Emile Hirsch) and his voyage into the unknown. This movie is based on the true story (which was first adapted into a book by Jon Krakauer) of Christopher who one day after graduating with top marks from Emory University, gave all of his $24,000 savings to charity and up and left his family to go and live in the wilds of Alaska. He did this without telling anyone where he was going and when, if ever, he would return.

This story is told from several different perspectives. There is the story of Christopher as he voyages across America meeting a plethora of different people along the way- this takes precedent, the story of him when he finally makes it to Alaska where he finds an old empty bus that he turns into his home and finally the story as told from the perspective of his sister who fills us in on the family background and the emotions that they were feeling during his journey. They are all interwoven and skip from one to another during the movie.

It is beautifully shot, especially with so many different locations and scenes to film. Sean Penn is the director and despite not voyaging into this directorial role often you would be hard pushed to realize. My only slight issue is that Penn sought to glamorize his journey when at times, he could be considered a bit of an idiot... ignoring flash flood warning signs, canoeing without a helmet, preparing for Alaska by reading a few books rather than getting the necessary equipment etc.

The acting of Hirsch is excellent and the thoughts and emotions, most likely gleaned from the actual Christopher, have been portrayed well. Christopher believes that he can get by without the need for relationships with other people but because of his charisma, people seek him out. (think Franco from 127 hours) Some might find parts of his monologues a bit preachy but I felt they gave depth to his character and helped to explain the reasoning behind his journey. The movie is well written and has it all- adventure, action, some comedy, sadness and most importantly it feels real- in my experience it is not often that a movie captures reality successfully without lacking at some point.

I have to say that this movie hit a chord with me for some reason and I found it to be excellent. You can just get lost with Christopher's beliefs and his ethos. He has done what so many of us would like to do but will never have the courage to. He disregards his money and possessions through choice and sets off on an adventure without a worry in the world. The fact that it is based on a true story only adds to the exceptional story that is told.

This movie will leave you remembering it for several days after and is one that will get you wanting to change the way you think and do things.

Rating: A

Next I shall review Hobo With A Shotgun [my review] which may or may not have just a little bit of gore in it!

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms