12A - 132mins - Action/Adventure/Drama - 1st June 2011
One problem that every prequel has to overcome it the ability to keep interest despite us knowing the eventual outcome of the movie. If you have seen any of the previous four films then it's quite probable you can piece together how this movie is going to end and how the characters are going to turn out. This therefore needs to be compensated for and is done so successfully by the introduction of plenty of new characters to keep our interest and the actual discovery of how two men who used to be friends come to be enemies.
X-Men: First Class follows the exploits of the first mutants to be discovered, primarily that of Charles Xavier (James McAvoy) and Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto (Michael Fassbender). It begins with a 12 year old Charles meeting Raven (Jennifer Lawrence) and their friendship as they grow up and a young Erik undergoing the hardship of Nazi Germany and the anger that this instils in him. Moving forward, Charles graduates from Oxford with his PhD in genetic mutation and is brought into the US government to help with a mission to locate someone whereas Erik is hunting down the man responsible for separating him from his mother during the regime twenty years earlier.
Both of their paths then cross when we discover they are after the same man, Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon) and the mutant henchmen that he has surrounded himself with. Erik and Charles team up to recruit new mutants to teach them to use their mutations in order to prevent the Cuban missile crisis from unleashing the next World War and bring Shaw to justice.
The two main plots of this movie are based on finding out about the relationship between Charles and Erik and the actual storyline tied into the Cuban missile crisis and an impending world war. The trailers emphasised that this was the film where we could witness the beginning of the X-men and it doesn't fail to deliver with a good script not only providing the answers but achieving them with a well crafted dialogue.
As with most of the action movies nowadays, the action sequences are both impressive and well shot using a multitude of CGI effects especially during the final scene which was a particular highlight. The acting was also first class (poor pun intended) with McAvoy and Fassbender leading the way, their characters playing off each other perfectly but by no means outshining the rest of the cast.
Placing the whole film during that of the Cold War was a great choice by director Matthew Vaughn and co as it provided not only an impressive backdrop but used these historical events to enforce its points. In fact Vaughn impresses once more leading to a film that makes you invest in the characters before building to a action packed end.
In comparison to it's Summer sequel/prequel compatriots it has certainly taken the lead as the best so far and in terms of where it sits with the other 4 X-Men movies, well I'd put it in the top 2. Worth a trip to the cinema? Definitely, especially if you were already a fan of the franchise.
12A - 103mins - Action/Drama/Romance - 10th December 2010
Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie, star in this action romance as Frank and Elise. Whilst on a vacation to Italy to recover from a broken heart, Frank a maths teacher, is minding his own business on a train when Elsie sits opposite him. They strike up a bond and Frank thinks its his lucky day when he runs into her later. Unfortunately for him, this is not a chance encounter but rather a scheme by Elise to use him as a decoy as protection for her lover Alexander Pearce who is a wanted man.
As no-one knows what Alexander looks like Frank finds himself in the middle of an intentional misunderstanding that puts him in the firing line of mobsters, from whom a large sum of money has been stolen and the British government for tax evasion led by Chief Inspector Jones (Timothy Dalton) and Scotland Yard's John Acheson (Paul Bettany)
The main flaw is that this movie contains the top A-list celebrities of Hollywood, director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and is all set in the lovely city of Venice implying that it will be a feast to behold. The standards have been set high. Yet not only did I find the movie to be obvious in its direction- I was never sitting on the edge of my seat waiting or even wanting to see what was going to happen next but there was no chemistry between Depp and Jolie at all.
It was good to see Depp as a 'normal' character and by that I mean he wasn't draped in make-up and he did not see to have any extreme character flaws or quirks that usually accompany his other roles. He was the one who kept the movie interesting for me. However, I didn't fully understand Bettany's character. Granted he has some sort of vendetta against Pearce but he just didn't seem believable and was overly obsessed to the point he would have been issued with some gross misconduct charges.
The action scenes are well done and the settings impressive but you get the sense that the film hasn't worked out if it's a comedy, action or a romance. Yes a movie can be all three but The Tourist fails to seam them altogether leading to the viewer becoming somewhat detached from the storyline. And why they found it necessary to put Jolie in a stunning dress for every scene with people gawping at her is beyond me. Don't get me wrong, I like a bit of eye candy but it turned the movie into something more akin to a perfume commercial or catwalk show instead of a film.
At the end, although I was reasonably entertained whilst watching it, I now feel no real desire to see it ever again. Venice and its buildings add a nice visual appeal to the film but I needed more than that to keep me interested. Wait for it's appearance on the TV if you have any desire to see it.
Next I review another one of the Summer sequels- X-Men: First Class [my review] and see if it shows more promise than Pirates of the Caribbean or The Hangover Part II. Until then, I leave you with the trailer and a link to the MTV Movie Awards which take place this evening (5th June) for those who are interested. USA link/UK link
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A bit of a breath of fresh air is this in a low budget and yet well produced comedy horror that gives Død Snø and the likes a run for their money. Tucker & Dale Vs Evil follows two redneck hillbillies- Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) who head into the woods in the Appellation Mountains so that they can drink some beers, do some fishing and fix up a worn down cabin to turn it into the holiday home of their dreams.
At the same time a group of preppy college kids are on a camping trip into the same woods also to have a good time. After a couple of run ins with the hillbillies, they assume that they must be your stereotypical inbred manic chainsaw wielding killers right out of Deliverance or The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. So when one of the kids Allison (Katrina Bowden) is rescued from drowning by the hillbillies, prejudice and paranoia reign supreme with the others mistaking it as her being hauled away in a kidnapping attempt. So they embark on a mission to rescue her from her saviours with hilarious consequences.
Despite the premise of the movie being based on one long running joke of a massive misunderstanding, the story remains fresh and the scenes extremely funny for the majority. I'm not aware of any other movie that has done this type of role reversal with hillbillies in this type of scenario and managed to blend in the right amount of comedy with horror and gore. In fact across all the genres, it is not often that you get to see the perspective of the 'bad guys' (far from it in this film).
The best moments come from the writing as we follow the bickering between Tucker and Dale as a bromance emerges on screen. Both Tudyk (aka Steve the Pirate from Dodgeball) and Labine impress making the characters extremely likeable and charming so that by the end you really do care what happens to them. Bowden plays her part solidly as well and definitely brings some eye candy to the film!
Most of these types of films tend to lose their drama element but this keeps the anticipation and as I said, you end up really caring about what is going to happen to the characters. However, the only major fault that I can pick out is that despite all this, it does begin to fade as a spectacle in the last 15 minutes as they focus a bit too much on the back story and tying up loose ends when what they were doing up to that point was more than enough in my books.
It's usually hard to combine the right amount of comedy and horror without creating a somewhat tacky result so credit must go to the new guy on the block- director and co-writer Eli Craig. If you are looking for a unique comedy horror that has a chance of hitting cult status/topping Shaun of the Dead then you need look no further than this.
Hot off the heels of The Hangover, a massive summer success in 2008, The Hangover Part II reunites the wolfpack and the adventure begins all over again in another country and city.
This time around the setting is Thailand and Stu (Ed Helms) is the lucky groom to be. With the wedding taking place in Thailand to help Stu get along with his new relatives, the rest of the gang- Phil (Bradley Cooper), Doug (Justin Bartha) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) head out planning for a more relaxing version of their Las Vegas debauchery. This time however there is another party goer in the form of the brides 16 year old brother Teddy (Mason Lee).
Suffice to say the unthinkable happens and they wake up in the middle of Bangkok and each sporting a very impressive hangover again. Mr Chow (Ken Jeong) also returns and is given a more prominent role in this one with his extreme character providing some of the films more amusing moments.
The writers and director seem to have stuck to the same winning principals of the last film almost identically which you might consider to be a good thing. Yes it is more vulgar and over the top than the last one and they have tweaked it slightly but there is no real variation whatsoever from the original. The tiger is now a monkey, the broken tooth is now a tattoo, a character goes missing etc. This results in a very disappointing movie as not only are you getting the same jokes in the same order with the same characters but you can work out exactly what is going to happen next.
The original won us over due to it's outrageous and original scenarios, this just increases the outrageousness/nudity and thinks that's all that's required to create another success. Completely wrong. In fact most of the best moments come from the characters reminiscing about what they got up to in the first movie. If it wasn't for the nostalgia and likeability of the characters that was build up from the first film, I would have struggled to laugh more than once or twice.
Although I wasn't expecting it to be as good as the first one, I was still hoping for an entertaining movie that could have at least tried to break slightly from the template of the first. Alas it fails to achieve this and the result is a distinctly average film that's just been rehashed. I'd rather have just watched the first one again to be honest.
Next time I look at another comedy- Tucker & Dale Vs Evil [my review] which completely flips the hillbilly in the woods genre on its head. Check out the clip below to get you in the mood.
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So we are well and truly into the Summer blockbuster months now and yet June delivers only a few noteworthy options.
As always, this post looks at what you should be heading out to see and what should probably be missed in your search of something to watch at the cinema.
Action/Fantasy/Thrillers X-Men: First Class (1st June) [my review]
A look back to the origin of Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr aka Magneto as they set up their school and later a team for humans with superhuman abilities. Yet another addition to the X-Men series (number 5 I make it) which will entertain but not blow you away. Pushing the limits of the series now but will drag the money in at the box-office none the less.
Green Lantern (17th June) [my review]
After the relative success of Thor, another brand new (in recent cinema) superhero for us to get to grips with. DC Comics the supplier of the content for this one as we see Ryan Reynolds as a test pilot given a magical green ring and tasked with protecting the universe from evil. Will do as well as Thor as all first time hero movies do.
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (29th June) [my review]
Number 3 and no Megan Fox, hmm! The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft that's hidden on the Moon and race against the Decepticons to reach it to learn its secret. This will quite probably be the highest grossing movie of the month (and up there for the summer) but that doesn't mean it is going to be the best. My wait for a good sequel will continue long after this has been released. Go and see it if you like CGI but don't expect any depth.
Animations/Children Kung Fu Panda 2 (10th June) [my review]
The return of the ass-kicking panda Po and chums as they seek to protect their homes and way of life from a new and more deadly threat. If the success of the first is anything to go by then we are on for another winner. I don't think it will be quite as good as the first though and so suffers the usual sequel fate.
Comedy Prom (3rd June)
The first of several very bad looking 'comedies'out this month is Prom which follows a group of teenagers as they prepare for their prom. Can't think of any reason to watch this even when it makes its way onto the TV. Avoid.
Jumping the Broom (10th June)
The next is this monstrosity where two very different families, one from a posh background and one from a poorer background converge for a wedding between the families. Cheap shots at the class divide seems to be the only attempt at comedy for a couple of hours. Run a mile.
Swinging with the Finkels (17th June)
Another week, another poor looking comedy. A couple whose marriage is off the boil decide to take up swinging with another couple. Granted this does not look quite as bad as the previous twobut will still leave lots to be desired, like laughter for example. Suppose this can be classed as the nearest thing to a romcom this month.
Bad Teacher (24th June) [my review]
Nearing the realm of reasonable comedies now as Cameron Diaz plays a foul mouthed school teacherwho is on the lookout for a new man in her life (enter Timberlake). In order to win him over she hatches a plan that brings her in direct competition with her colleagues. It's not going to win anything but should at the very least give a couple of laughs. O and there's a Diaz car wash scene to win over the male vote.
Bridesmaids (24th June) [my review]
Probably can be considered to be the female version of The Hangover, Bridesmaids follows Annie in her role as bride of honour as she helps to organise her best friend's wedding and bring the bride's oddball friends together. Pick of the month as far as comedies go and should be worth a watch.
Drama/Documentaries Senna (3rd June)
Although not a die-hard fan of Formula 1, the story of Brazilian racing driver Ayrton Senna looks more than intriguing. Senna is a documentary about the man who won the F1 world championship three times before his untimely death at age 34. Definitely keep your eye out for this one.
Screwed (3rd June)
A true British film in every sense of the word. Screwed is a semi-biographical story based on the experiences of former prison guard Ronnie Thompson who spent seven years working in some of the UK's most dangerous prisons contending with violence, drugs and corrupt guards. Save yourself for when it comes on the telebox.
Honey 2 (10th June)
Recently released from juvenile detention, talented dancer Maria Ramirez finds an outlet for her passion with a new dance crew. I have to say that I have not had the 'privilege' of watching the original and for similar reasons I will have trouble finding the will to watch this one as well. Will be fighting it out with Prom for the worst film of the month.
The Beaver (17th June) Mel Gibson is a troubled husband and executive who adopts a beaver hand-puppet as his sole means of communicating to get through a bout of depression. Not really sure what to make of this one. I don't think it will do well in the cinemas but I reckon it will be a solid movie and worth the time.
Soul Surfer (17th June)
The true story of surfer Bethany Hamilton who as a 13 year old teenager lost her an arm in a shark attack. Based on the book she then wrote, this tell her story as she summons the courage to go back into the ocean and compete on a surfboard once again. Fantastic story that will appeal to a few but is unlikely to be any better than average.
Incendies (24th June)
The only foreign film on the list this month but also the most promising. After the death of their mother, both son and daughter gather for the reading of the will where they are told to take 2 envelopes and give them to their father and other brother. However, they believe their father to be dead and know not of another sibling. Both a drama and a mystery, it's sure to get you thinking. If your going to watch one film this month, make it this one.
The First Grader (24th June)
The true story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau freedom fighter who fought for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford. Should be a moving story of a man going against adversity and emerging from the other side. I am looking forward to watching this one.
Horror Stake Land (17th June) [my review]
The only horror of note for this month is Stake Land which combines The Road, a generic vampire movie and a zombie movie all into one. Martin teams up with a rogue vampire hunter as they make their way across the apocalyptic wastelands of America to potential safety in Canada. It seems the vampires are a cross between vampire and zombie so I will be intrigued to see how that works. Probably not worth a trip to the cinema unless your a fan of the genre.
So there it is. The start of the month is quite slow moving with not a lot of promise but this picks up towards the end with a couple of rough diamonds. Next month is the month for blockbuster hits lining up ready to be watched. Next up is The Hangover Part II. [my review]
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