Looper

It's great to see an original sci-fi film come out, that isn't a part of a franchise or a comic book adaption. Looper must have been a difficult film to get made because studios don't take risks on films like this anymore. Which is probably why this film has a small budget compared to other films of this scale. Not that the lack of money shows in this film, apart from a couple of slightly dodgy CGI shots, not that you could notice whilst watching this incredible story be brought to the big screen.

'In 2072, when the mob wants to get rid of someone, the target is sent 30 years into the past, where a hired gun awaits. Someone like Joe, who one day learns the mob wants to 'close the loop' by transporting back Joe's future self.' Joe hesitates when seeing his future self which leads to his older self running away, making whole load of trouble and a brilliant sci-fi film.

The two Joe's are played by Joeseph Gordon-Levitt and Bruce Willis, and through the miracle of make up and prosthetics are made to look like each other... kind of. This does work in most of the film but sometimes isn't completely believable. Though both actors give off terrific performances which confuse you on which Joe you should be routing for, that's if you should be routing for them anyway! I believe this is Bruce Willis's best role in a very long time and for JGL it's just another film to add to his list of awesome films.

The whole film has a pretty impressive cast including, Emily Blunt, Jeff Daniels and Paul Dano. But the star actor of the film was the young child Cid, played by Pierce Gagnon, who held his own against all the top notch actors and proved himself as one to watch!

The time travel element was interesting and the director Rian Johnson added some genius new ideas to sci-fi element that haven't really been done before. These great scenes are the standout moments of the film and live up to the hype that a lot of critics and cinema goers have been giving the film.

The film was not perfect though, the near future was great but not very well set up in terms of conflict between the general public. In many a scene we see a vast amount of people living on the street, for what reason we do not know. A romance was also set up that didn't really contribute that much to the films finale. There was also a mute who disappeared somewhere in the second act but that's just me being picky now.

The world did look great though, the cinematography also. Although a few dodgy CGI moments, most of the film was believable and really added to the plot.

Looper is the best sci-fi film to be released this year, it is also one of the best films of the year too! It's not perfect but extremely enjoyable, with a very good plot, great acting and some very interesting ideas. I'm giving Looper a rating of 4/5.

What did you think of Looper? Does it live up to the hype? Comment below and thanks for reading!

5 Films To Still Look Forward To In 2012

Well the summer of movies is over and what a summer it was! You may be feeling a bit down about the rest of the year and the films it has to offer, but don't fret we still have some pretty awesome stuff coming our way! These are the films I am excited about that are coming out this year in the UK. So Django Unchained will not be on here unfortunately.

5. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Some of you may be surprised this is not at the top of my list but unlike the other films, I know what to expect of this one. I expect it to be great, however I have been put off my the recent splitting of the story into three films. I feel like it's a bit of a money grabbing thing but Peter Jackson has denied this. Either way it's going to work because there is no way I'll be missing it.

 

4. Seven Psychopaths

If the hilarious trailer isn't anything to go by then the director Martin McDonagh 's previous film just might. In Bruges was a brilliantly funny film that was different to anything before it. That is why a lot of people are looking forward to what McDonagh does next, including myself.

 

3. Skyfall

A new James Bond is always a good thing, even if the last one was pretty bad. But things are looking better, especially for those who want a return to form, as Sam Mendes is on board as director and looks to be making an epic. Daniel Craig also says he feels better about and has signed on for more films which could see him becoming the actor to have played 007 the most! Bond and Mendes seems like a perfect match really!

 

2. Ruby Sparks

From the people who made Little Miss Sunshine what more can I say?

 

1. Looper

Bruce Willis playing Joseph Gordon-Levitt! Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Bruce Willis! A time travelling sci-fi directed by Rian Johnson!

 

 

 

So do you agree with me? If you like you can post your top 5 in the comments below.

 

Thanks for reading! 

The Dark Knight Rises

It's been too long. 8 years too long since Gotham has seen Batman and 10 days too long for me to see The Dark Knight Rises, but I have seen it now and yes my mind was blown. Although most of you reading this have probably seen the film, for those who haven't this review is spoiler free.

'Eight years on after the events of The Dark Knight, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy.' This plot is a vague outline of the film but like all Christopher Nolan films there is much more happening then you first think. Although this is a story about Batman and Bruce Wayne, a lot of time is given to the supporting characters as their arcs have a huge impact in the end. New supporting characters to the final instalment of The Dark Knight Trilogy include Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake. Both proving essential to the plot and both being nothing but awesome.

A lot of people have been saying that Anne Hathaway steals the show but for me it is Joseph Gordon-Levitt who has a much larger part in the film then I first anticipated and as usual he gives an incredible performance. Anne Hathaway is still very good though. Although never referred to as Catwoman, her take on the character is the best yet, she is kick ass and gets most of the gags. All of the performances in the film were top notch as well. Christian Bale as usual gives a thrilling performance that brings Bruce Wayne's story full circle. Micheal Caine as Alfred is just perfect as is Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox and Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon.

Tom Hardy also plays a great villain. The Joker is out and this time Bane is in. Unlike previous villains, Bane is a physical challenge for Batman, bringing some awesome fight sequences that will make you hold your breath in agonising awe of the end result. That's the great thing about Nolan's Batman films, unlike other superhero films you don't know whether your hero will make it out of the film alive. Tom Hardy is just great and is really menacing in the role, no wonder all of Gotham is scared of him. The guy is the new Darth Vader but with a foreign accent and less breathing problems. I also had no problem with hearing the lines as was previously feared from early footage. Even Batman's voice was slightly toned down making it less laughable.

The film still has a serious tone and theme that the previous films had but this still has quite a few laughs and feels a lot more like a comic book movie then The Dark Knight did, not completely though. This still is a long way off the tone of The Avengers which makes comparing them very hard as both feel completely different. You could even argue that this wasn't even a superhero movie as we don't even see Batman for the middle section of the film, emphasising the fact that this is Bruce Wayne's story. If this wasn't a Batman film it would still be as good!

As usual, Hans Zimmer's soundtrack is spot on and really heightens emotions throughout the long film. A long film that never bores and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. Although it was 10 minutes longer then The Dark Knight it definitely did not feel like it at all!

Being the final instalment of Christopher Nolan's trilogy the ending had to round off all the character stories he had created in the first two films and it certainly did this and more! The final act of the film for me was completely perfect and gave me goosebumps throughout and even a few tears to my eyes. An ending that was more then I could have hoped for as a farewell to a Batman that will go down in cinema history. It lives up to its hype and is one of the best films of the year so far. To me The Dark Knight is a fraction better but never the less The Dark Knight Rises is definitely a 5/5.

Thanks for reading!

P.S I am happy to announce that my blog in now a member of LAMB, The Large Association of Movie Blogs. I would like to say thank you to LAMB for accepting me and thank you to all those who are now reading this after being directed from the site, I hope you carry on reading all my posts to come!

Lets Talk About The Oscar Nominations...

50/50

So today I went to see the film 50/50 in the cinema. The film, inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease When I first heard about this film I was a little bit worried as to whether they would be able to pull off the whole subject of cancer and mixing it with comedy. When I saw the trailer earlier this year I thought, actually this could be really good if done well. My Grandad actually died of cancer when I was younger so I was really intrigued into how this film would make me feel. So I went to see it...

And it was extremely good! The contrast of comedy and sadness was done well enough to have you laughing one moment and crying the next, and sometimes laughing and crying at the same time. Joseph Gordon - Levitt plays Adam the character who is diagnosed with cancer and his performance was completely believable and one of his best yet. If he does not get and Oscar nomination or even a win for the role I will be surprised! Even though the Oscars don't always get along with comedy movies too much.

I can't fault this film at all really, all I can say is that I would have liked to have seen more of Seth Rogen's character who wasn't in it as much as I thought he would be. I think if he did have more screen time, it would have been his best role to date. I would have also liked to have seen more of the relationship between Adam and his father who had Alzheimer's, which wasn't mentioned much in the film. But apart from a few little niggles the film was practically perfect, the cinematography and soundtrack were brilliant!

As someone who has lost a relative to Cancer I can say that this film deals with the subject realistically and there isn't one bit where you think they are making fun of cancer at all. One of the best films this year and I really hope it gets some Oscar attention that it thoroughly deserves.