The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December 2013)

Official Australian release date: 26/12/13. Viewed: 26/12/13.

Director: Peter Jackson
Actors: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Orlando Bloom, Benedict Cumberbatch
Genre: Fantasy / Adventure
Rating: M

If you’ve liked the other four Lord of the Rings/Hobbit films, you’ll like this one, simple. I found it highly enjoyable and well-paced – not as meandering as ‘The Fellowship of the Ring’ or ‘An Unexpected Journey’. It’s not as good as ‘The Two Towers’, but does an good job of moving the story and characters forward.

It also has a great score – every time you hear that motif, you think of Sauron and the ring’s temptation – and plenty of great visuals. It’s pretty amazing how just watching a film can make you feel comfortable, as you recognize parts of Middle Earth/New Zealand. But most of all, it’s fun – there’s a bear, plenty of ‘catch-me-if-you-can’, a waterfall/rapids chase, some spelunking, some gold mining – oh, and a dragon!

It’s good to see Legolas and some Elves, as well as men, helping out the Hobbit & the Dwarves. Gandalf has some good moments, but this is definitely Bilbo’s film – and it’s left on a nice cliff-hanger.

Overall: Moved things along with plenty of action – looking forward to the final instalment next Boxing Day!

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

Anchorman: The Legend Continues (December 2013)

Official Australian release date: 19/12/13. Viewed: 18/12/13.

Director: Adam McKay
Actors: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Christina Applegate
Genre: Comedy
Rating: M

First thing’s first – no, this is not as good as the original. But what sequel is? There was certainly plenty of laughs throughout the film, from the whole cinema. Sure, not all the jokes were amazing, but there was plenty of good slapstick and lots of great little quips.

The premise is simple – it’s now the 80s and Ron and the gang are in New York to start the first 24-hour-news network (CNN, or ‘GNN’ in the film – this provides some decent satire), and since it’s the 80s, they have to progress with the times, including having a female boss (who’s also black). The eight guest-star cameo’s – don’t worry, I won’t ruin the surprise – for the news team battle are pretty funny and will have you going “is that really ___?!”

That’s my one issue with the film – it’s a little long. Some scenes – such as the shark and the above-mentioned “battle” – go for longer than necessary and probably make it about 15min too long, clocking in at almost two hours. Also, was Josh Lawson the best choice as an Aussie to play a Rupert Murdoch-like character? But it’s made up for by some truly laugh-out-loud moments, from finding out what they’ve all been up to since the first film and then some great sight gags and truly absurd moments.

Overall: Enjoyable sequel with plenty of laughs. Favourite moment = Walter: “why’s it called the Big Apple?” Ron: “because it has an Apple Tree on every corner” – makes sense when you watch it!

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Filth (November 2013)

Official Australian release date: 21/11/13. Viewed: 11/11/13.

Director: Jon S. Baird
Actors: James McAvoy, Eddie Marsan, Jim Broadbent, Jamie Bell, Imogen Poots
Genre: Crime / Comedy / Drama 
Rating: R18+.

‘Filth’ is Irvine Welsh’s second novel turned into a film, after ‘Trainspotting’. I actually wasn’t aware of this when I watched the film, but it was very obvious throughout and is quite similar in many regards – not least because it’s set in Scotland and the main character is a junkie who keeps making bad decisions.

It’s billed as a “comedy” – and it has moments that are funny – but it’s definitely not comedic. McAvoy plays Inspector Bruce Robertson, who is climbing the ladder of cocaine addiction (as depicted by the film’s poster) to try and get a promotion. It’s just that it turns out a lot of his “games” and ambitions are delusions and hallucinations. This makes some of the film a little like trying to solve a puzzle, although it’s clear that his family are not actually there from the start.  

While there’s still a few “what the?!” moments, you do have a bit of empathy for McAvoy, even though he treats his one friend, Bladesey (Marsan), terribly. The soundtrack throughout is excellent, even the cover of Radiohead’s ‘Creep’, which is hard to pull off. The “mystery” is solved near the end and the final scene is fitting – hopeful and heartbreaking, all at once.

Overall: An OK Scottish crime ‘dramedy’ – if you like ‘Trainspotting’, you’ll like ‘Filth’, but Guy Ritchie’s British crime films are much more enjoyable in my opinion.

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

Thor: The Dark World (October 2013)

Official Australian release date: 31/10/13. Viewed: 30/10/13.

Director: Alan Taylor
Actors: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston
Genre: Action / Adventure / Fantasy
Rating: M.

‘Thor: The Dark World’ (or ‘Thor 2’) is another solid entry into the Marvel Universe – it’s not the best superhero film, nor is it the worst. I’m glad they’ve kept the cast together and hopefully Marvel can do this across all their franchises, as it gives them a bit of authenticity. It’s fun to see how they link some of the threads back to ‘The Avengers’, particularly with Dr Erik Selvig (Skarsgård).

Now, I don’t know who out there actually loves Thor, because he’s certainly one of my least favourite Marvel characters, especially in the comics, as he’s so rigid and boring and never does anything too exciting. He’s certainly no Wolverine or Spiderman. And that’s the film’s biggest hurdle – how to make Thor and the story interesting for 110min. It sort-of achieves this… I know it’s mostly set in Asgard, a different realm, but even then there are still a few things which stretch credibility:

-     Why do the “Dark Elves of Svartalfheim” wear puppet masks? And why do they want to destroy the universe and – presumably – themselves?

-     What exactly is the “Ether”? It’s not just an alkaline chemical…

-     Where exactly is the “Dark World”? Is it on Asgard, or is it another realm? Is it different to the “Limbo” dimension?

-     Is Benicio Del Toro actually needed at the end of the film?

-     Why is Asgard so poorly defended?

-     Why does the final confrontation take place on Earth, where the Dark Elves can be easily found? And why can’t the other Avengers – or the Fantastic Four, or the X-Men – help? Especially if the future of the universe is at stake? Seems unlikely S.H.I.E.L.D. would leave this up to Thor by his lonesome…

One of the big saving graces is some of the witty laughs provided by Chris O’Dowd and Kat Dennings (plus Stan Lee’s patented cameo!). There’s some expertly timed quips thrown in, which add some levity to what could easily become quite a cumbersome story. I think that Hopkins was pretty wasted as Odin, Hemsworth has some decent moments as Thor, but Hiddleston as Loki once again almost steals the show, because even though you may hate him, he’s often so likable! A great character to hold this part of the Marvel Universe together.

Overall: Another decent superhero film (I gave ‘Thor’ 3.5 stars too) which is entertaining enough, even if it sometimes tries a little too hard to be something it’s not.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

The Butler (October 2013)

Official Australian release date: 31/10/13. Viewed: 22/10/13.

Director: Lee Daniels
Actors: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo, Cuba Gooding Jr., Lenny Kravitz
Genre: Drama
Rating: M.

I can see why people are comparing ‘The Butler’ to ‘Forrest Gump’ – it does trace a lot of American history from the last 60 years, but it’s not an alternative history, it’s just told from one man’s perspective from his unique position within the White House.

The best part of this film is the cast – it is stacked and it’s fun to see which president will be played by which actor. You have to bear in mind that Cecil (Whitaker) served under seven different U.S. presidents, played by (you’ll have to guess who portrays each president) John Cusack, James Marsden, Alan Rickman (yes, even though he’s British), Liev Schreiber and Robin Williams – some very interesting choices. It’s also odd to see Oprah, Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz acting, although they don’t do too bad a job.

The meat of the story is obviously the civil rights movement in the U.S. in the 50’s–70’s (as told through one family's struggles) and it is truly shocking and confronting to see some genuine footage of how black people were treated in the South at that time. I can barely comprehend how or why anyone would want or feel the need to treat another human like that – or that the world used to discriminate against you if you were black, female or homosexual. Hopefully there’s no such prejudices left anywhere in the next 20 years.

Overall: Good biopic and covers some interesting history, but it’s just missing a little something to make it truly memorable.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

Metallica Through The Never (October 2013)

Official Australian release date: 10/10/13. Viewed: 10/10/13.

Director: Nimród Antal
Actors: Dane DeHaan, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Rob Trujillo
Genre: Music / Action
Rating: M.

Pretty simple – if you like Metallica, you’ll enjoy this film, and if you don’t like their music – don’t watch it! It’s essentially a concert film, although shorter than usual, since they only play 14 songs over 90min, rather than the usual 18-20 songs over 140min. The only difference being that this concert is interspersed with 2-5min clips of the roadie (DeHaan) fetching a bag…

I admire what Metallica have tried to do here – spicing up a standard concert film by adding some narrative – but it doesn't really work as you don’t really care what’s going on outside the venue, especially since it makes no sense! It’s basically just the roadie running around, being chased in a fantasy land… And pretty frustrating with the intentional tease of what’s in the bag?

The actual concert itself is great – when you open with two of your best songs (‘Creeping Death’ and ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’), it’s pretty amazing that you can still have songs just as good at the end! I wish they had the full ‘Ecstasy of Gold’ intro – it’s pretty special live. I found it funny that ‘Through The Never’ (off the Black album) never got a run, and ‘One’, ‘Cyanide’ and ‘Wherever I May Roam’ are all cut short. But the amount of effort put into the stage show and design – on top of the coffins used for all of the Death Magnetic tour – is astounding. The stage is made of LED’s, plenty of lasers and pyrotechnics, there’s the statue from And Justice For All, headstones from Master of Puppets and a giant electric chair from Ride The Lightning. The only thing I didn't like of the concert part was the end to ‘Enter Sandman’, which was ripped (unnecessarily) off their concert DVD, ‘Cunning Stunts’. Also, the band playing all of ‘Orion’ during the credits is pretty great. Not bad for a bunch of 50-year-olds!

Overall: 2 stars for the “film” component, 4 stars for the concert. There's nothing like seeing Metallica live, as the 15,000 people in the crowd can attest to!

Gav's Rating: 3 stars.

Gravity (October 2013)

Official Australian release date: 3/10/13. Viewed: 3/10/13.

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Actors: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
Genre: Thriller / Sci-Fi
Rating: M.

I went into ‘Gravity’ with no expectations and this film gripped me and took me on an amazing ride, all in under 90min. And I certainly didn't see it in 3D! If you've seen the trailer and you’re wondering “how do they make a film out of an astronaut floating through space, when we've basically seen it all in the trailer?”, then all I can say is – go and see this movie, it’s definitely worth your time!

Compared to ‘Apollo 13’, which was dull and too drawn out, ‘Gravity’ doesn't stop to catch its breath once (nice pun!). It’s basically six major scenes/set-pieces, all in rapid fire, with Bullock & Clooney playing quite interesting characters, even though we only get a short time to learn about them. It works well as a sci-fi/space film – one of the major selling points is the beautiful shots of Earth from above – but also as a tense survival thriller/drama. How much can go wrong in 90min? You'll find out!

I particularly liked how there’s at least some scientific accuracy, such as when they’re in space/an airlock, it’s virtually silent (yes, “in space no one can hear you scream” – thanks ‘Alien’) and sound only filters back in as the air enters the vacuum. That and the fact that NASA would have a scientist working on the Hubble telescope, rather than a random engineer. ‘Gravity’ does virtually everything well – the isolation of space, the beauty of Earth, the terror of being trapped, the “would I still go into space if I had the chance?” and the emotional investment in the characters survival. I actually found myself on the edge of my seat a few times!

Overall: Excellent – the best film I've seen so far this year! Don’t miss it.

Gav's Rating: 4.5 stars.

The World’s End (August 2013)

Official Australian release date: 1/8/13. Viewed: 28/8/13.

Director: Edgar Wright
Actors: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Rosamund Pike
Genre: Comedy / Action
Rating: MA15+.

I find it very odd that identical film concepts always seem to appear within a few months of each other, even if they were conceived totally in isolation – ‘Olympus Has Fallen’/‘White House Down’, ‘Deep Impact’/‘Armageddon’, ‘This Is The End’/‘The World’s End’. In this case, although I liked ‘This Is The End’ (and IMDb gives both of these movies an identical ranking of 7.8/10), I enjoyed ‘The World’s End’ much more. It is faster paced, has more laugh-out-loud moments, a better soundtrack and a more satisfying conclusion.

Yes, it’s the end of the “Three Flavours Cornetto trilogy”, but hopefully only the middle of Wright/Frost/Pegg’s working career together, since ‘Spaced’, ‘Shaun of the Dead’ & ‘Hot Fuzz’ have all been great. This film takes plenty of time to establish the characters and give them each a backstory. Once they eventually discover the “blanks”, they’re a quarter of the way through the pub crawl – “The Golden Mile”. Best quote – Pegg to Frost: “A man of your legendary prowess drinking rain! It's like a lion eating humus!”

From there on, it’s a battle – literally, with the Pierce Brosnan-led “blanks” – and verbally between the “five musketeers”, as Pegg tries to get them to all twelve pubs, despite their dire circumstances. There are plenty of throwbacks to ‘Shaun of the Dead’ and ‘Invasion of the Body Snatchers’, and the action really ramps up in the last 30min. The best bit is probably Bill Nighy at the end, with Pegg & Frost arguing with him and using the refrain of “Because I'm free, to do what I want, to be what I want, any old time. And I'm free, to be who I choose, to get my booze, any old time” which has been recurring since the start of the film (from the Soup Dragons’ 1990 cover, not the Rolling Stones’ 1965 original).

Overall: Fun, witty, enjoyable comedy that works well as a sci-fi film too!

Gav's Rating: 4 stars.

The Wolverine (August 2013)

Official Australian release date: 25/7/13. Viewed: 5/8/13.
Director: James Mangold
Actors: High Jackman, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Hiroyuki Sanada
Genre: Action / Adventure
Rating: M.

Stays mostly true to the comics and is a decent backstory on Wolverine/Logan, and so much better than 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine'! It's basically set after X-Men 3 and sees Wolverine head to Japan to find peace/reconcile his past.

There's a few deviations from the comics - the Silver Samurai & Viper aren't quite done right, but are decent villains - but it's nice to see Mariko & Yukio, and have a less frantic pace for some of the film. The final third is good, but nothing too extraordinary. The whole thing with Wolverine's claws did annoy me a little, though!

I'm hoping this links in nicely with 'X-Men: Days of Future Past', where we get to see both sets of X-men!

Overall: Good character development, but nothing too spectacular.

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

This Is The End (July 2013)

OK, first film review on the blog = 'This Is The End'.

Official Australian release date: 18/7/13. Viewed: 13/7/13.

Directors: Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg.

Actors: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson

Genre: Comedy / Fantasy.

Rating: MA15+.

Pretty fun - and how could it not be with such an amazing cast!? The only problem is I had such high expectations and it just didn't quite meet them.

It's a pretty simple premise: a group of friends (who just happen to be the new Hollywood comedy masterminds that can be found in Superbad, Pineapple Express, Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder, Fanboys, Zack & Miri Make A Porno, etc.) go to a party when the Rapture/Apocalypse/End of Days arrives and they have to use their survival skills to overcome the fact that they're all playing exaggerated versions of themselves, so they're constantly having dumb arguments! Heaps of cameos at the start - Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart, Michael Cera, Emily Watson, Jason Segel, Paul Rudd, Rihanna - so it's fun to play 'spot the comedian/celebrity'.

Plenty of laugh-out-loud moments throughout, but lots of stupidity at times, as they try to take it too far. It ends up going too long - 1 hour 50 min - and overstays its welcome a little bit.

I found it ironic that Jay is essentially the main star, even though he's the least well known of the actors! I did enjoy all the little nods to Freaks & Geeks and Franco-Rogen's relationship... The special effects are good, but it's not actually as horrific/gruesome as it could be - 'Shaun of the Dead' did it much better. Oh, and the ending was pretty annoying too...

Overall: good, but not great - still better than most comedies out there!

Gav's Rating: 3.5 stars.

First up

Hello!

I'm finally starting my film review blog, with the aim of displacing Margaret & David on 'At The Movies' (or even Peter Travers at Rolling Stone) in a few years time! Many people find my reviews on Facebook (posted via Flixster) either:
a) informative;
b) funny; or
c) annoying.

I'm hoping to reach a happy medium here on this blog - at least this way you don't have to read the reviews if you don't want to! And I'll probably need to make them slightly longer than my 2-3 sentence average.

I'll be using the universal '5 star' rating system and will try to help you determine whether or not it's worth spending your money at the cinema...

Anyway, enjoy!

Gavin.