Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger is here and Marvel have finally turned what many people consider to be a 'lame' superhero into a total badass! I did enjoy the first film but felt that the final act was a bit rushed in order to get Cap to where he should be in The Avengers, the film that made him cool, but it is The Winter Soldier that proves Captain America isn't lame in the slightest! Read on to find out my verdict on the film as a whole, and as usual this review will be SPOILER FREE.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier revolves around Steve Rodgers struggling to embrace his new role in the world and who he can trust in it. At the same time he also faces a new threat from old history, a soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.

The action is one of the best things about this film and it kicks off pretty quickly. Cap has a new style of fighting and it is brutal but also very, very cool. His iconic shield is used a lot more, and his strength is shown off a lot more during the film proving the fact that he is in fact a superhero and not just a slightly stronger guy. His new suit is also very cool and the whole design of the characters, old and new like The Falcon, is pretty much perfect in this modern day re-imagining of the comic books.

The acting is all solid and Chris Evans owns it as Steve Rodgers, along with Scarlett Johansson who surprisingly did not annoy me at all with her portrayal of Black Widow, unlike with previous appearances of her character that I have not always enjoyed. Samuel L Jackson IS Nick Fury,there is no denying it and newcomers Robert Redford and Anthony Mackie are also great additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

A change of directors for this film, The Winter Soldier was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. They have done a perfect job of turning the film into an interesting and intriguing action flick that juggles around an ensemble of characters, almost perfectly, into new territory tonally and thematically for Phase 2 of the Marvel Universe. The writing is also great and has the best balance of seriousness and comedy since The Avengers. The only problem with it being that there were a lot of cliched 'saved at the last second' moments and the biggest flaw of any Marvel film, that there never seems to be too much peril. As I have mentioned before though, I think this is something that could definitely change in Age of Ultron.

My biggest gripe of the film would be the amount of screen time that the Winter Soldier character actually gets. If you have ever been interested in comics then you most likely know who the soviet agent is and know that it creates a pretty powerful storyline. Now there is no denying that he is a more memorable villain then Malekith was in Thor: The Dark World but I would have liked to have seen a lot more of him! My other gripe is with Maria Hill who occasionally just pops up in this film, I have come to terms that she most likely will never be exactly like her character in the comics, but I would have either cut her from this film or given her more to do thnn what she was given.

I have seen a lot of people criticise this film for a lack of character arc for Captain America, but I believe that if you were to change any part of what the super soldier is all about then he is no longer Captain America, that's the whole point of his character, he is and always will be a good man.

The film is a lot of fun and has a lot of great moments and very cool set pieces. The story sets up some big changes to the Marvel Universe and it is great being able to see big events from the comics be brought to life on the big screen. There are twists and turns galore, some predictable, others not as much and thankfully nothing as infuriating Iron Man 3. Keep an eye/ear out for all references including one of the best ever to Pulp Fiction, and as always make sure you stay for the post credits stinger! Captain America: The Winter Soldier is not just the best of phase 2 so far but is also one of Marvel's best films to date. I am giving it a rating of 4/5.

What did you think of the film? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Trailer

Ok so it just came out and I thought I would give you my views on the trailer for Captain America: The Winter Soldier. So first of all, here it is:


I just want to start by saying that since The Avengers trailer, no trailer has really gotten me super pumped for a film... until now. That's not saying I didn't enjoy the ones for Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, but they didn't make nerd out like I just did.

Now this trailer is awesome, for a teaser it's a got a little bit of everything and even hints that The Winter Soldier may not be the only trouble for Cap. Nope, looks like S.H.I.E.L.D is militarising itself as we saw multiple helicarriers in the trailer and Cap beating up some of the agents in an elevator. Could Robert Redford be the big bad of the whole piece?

We got our first look at Cap's new suit and although it wasn't in this trailer, the teaser for this trailer also had him in his WW2 costume. Why could that be? We also got our first look at Falcon who looks awesome and also seems to be in some trouble with S.H.I.E.L.D as one of the Quinjets was firing at him.

Though S.H.I.E.L.D look to be antagonists of this piece I've got a feeling it will be Redford's character that's corrupt rather then Nick Fury who I reckon will stick at Cap's side along with Black Widow and Falcon.

Anyway i'm going to go watch it again because my god is it cool!

What did you guys think of the trailer? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Check back soon for my review of Thor: The Dark World. I'm so hoping it will be good because with average Iron Man 3 and pretty awful Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D Marvel need to pull something out of the bag quickly!

Iron Man 3

So yet again I am sorry it has been quite slow recently here on my blog but I am back and ready to review Iron Man 3, you didn't think I'd miss this one out did you? And as always the review is spoiler free! The Avengers made a tonne of money so Marvel can now put more into their solo films making this the biggest Iron Man film to date, but was it the  best? The start of Marvel Phase 2 is here and it kicks off with a bang! After a lacklustre sequel is Iron Man 3 the best film of series so far?

In this instalment we see Tony Stark at his lowest after the event of The Avengers have taken their tole on his mental state and unluckily for him The Mandarin is at large. After series of attacks on America and one that hits too close to home, Tony must go after the worlds biggest terrorist. The story takes some elements of the Extremis story arc in the comics however new director and writer Shane Black only takes elements of this storyline and a few others to make his own piece.

As you may have already guessed Robert Downey Jr once again kicks ass as Tony Stark as does Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and surprisingly Don Cheadle, who is less annoying this time round as War Machine/Iron Patriot, much better than Iron Man 2 as he was given a bit more to do this time round. New additions to the cast include Ben Kingsley who plays the brilliant role of The Mandarin but a different type of villain to the one you may have seen in the comics. We also get to see Rebecca Hall as scientist Maya Hansen and Guy Pearce playing Aldrich Killian, both great in their roles also.

After a not so great sequel, Iron Man 3 returns to the original by stripping Tony away of everything, no Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D to help him, allowing us to see the man we saw in a cave in Afghanistan creating the Mark 1 suit. However the threequel does also feel very different to it's predecessors, sometimes this is not always a good thing with the film dipping it's feet in many different genres such as comedy, action, thriller and even at one point it felt like a family movie with the introduction of a child who stays at Stark's side for a short period of the film. Not as annoying as it initially may sound.

There is a lot of cool action in this film and the best of it is not when Tony is suited up, instead it is when

he only has parts of his suit on him or none at all. The full suit action was just as fun, though it does seem that they are a lot more breakable than the other films. The effects as always are pretty awesome and are at their best during a scene where Iron Man must save a bunch of civilians falling out of a plane. The look of the new suits are awesome as well and I am very happy that they decided on revamping War Machine to The Iron Patriot suit.

There are a lot of twists and turns in this film which is great and some really bold moves by Marvel. One twist however will leave the audience in two minds,

you will be either be happily surprised or disappointed  I am yet to make my mind up.

The writing from Shane Black is great and Tony Stark continues his funny streak from The Avengers some jokes may fall flat with some people but I had a blast. My criticisms of the film would be that some sequences were quite predictable and the ending seemed a bit rushed. The soundtrack also lacked the awesome ACDC tracks that I feel really complemented Iron Man in the first two films. The film as whole though is a lot of fun, it was a lot better than Iron Man 2 but failed to blow me away the way the original did. A lot of critics are saying it is better than The Avengers however I do disagree with this, either way this was a very good start to Marvel Phase 2 and I cannot wait to see what the rest of the films have in store and what Joss Whedon has up his sleeve for The Avengers 2! I am giving Iron Man 3 a rating of 4/5.

Remember to stick around after the credits and look out for yet another great cameo from Stan 'The Man' Lee.

Thanks for reading! What did you think of Iron Man 3? Please comment below.

My Most Anticipated Films Of 2013

It's that time of year where we start to look forward to the next. After the year of films we have just had, you wouldn't think it could get much better, but my oh my do we have some incredible looking films to get ready for. It looks as if it could be yet another year where I spend most of my time in the cinema! Below is a list of my most anticipated films of 2013:

10. Catching Fire (November)

Although I am anticipating this film, it is also the film I am most worried about. The Hunger Games was a brilliant film and one of my favourites of 2012, but the sequel will no longer have Gary Ross at the helm after he left due to the tight filming schedule. This worries me. I hope they keep the same style and themes as the first one but I don't want to get my hopes too high for this one.

9. Thor: The Dark World (October)

With The Avengers making Thor cooler then ever, I have high hopes that Marvel will keep this going in Thor: The Dark World. With Joss Whedon looking over The Avengers Phase 2 and Game of Throne's Alan Taylor in the directing chair, I have high hopes for this one!

8. The Wolverine (July)

All the news I have heard about the new Wolverine film has gotten me excited. After X-Men First Class it finally feels as if the X-Men franchise is back on track. With a lot of this film being set in Japan and based on a fan favourite storyline from the comics, this film sounds as if it could be one of the coolest of the year.

7. The World's End (August)

The final film in the Cornetto Trilogy from Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. With the previous films Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz being seriously good, I have no doubt that this film won't be just as great or better!

6. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (December)

With The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey proving that The Lord of the Rings prequels will be nothing less then spectacular, who isn't excited for the second part? Especially as we will finally be able to get a full glimpse of the dragon Smaug! Saying that, I doubt I will be seeing it in 48fps.

5. Elysium (September)

After the masterpiece that was District 9, I was always going to be anticipating whatever Neil Blomkamp was going to do next! Not much has been released apart from the cool looking picture above and a basic plot. Some footage was released at Comic Con I believe, but either way, if its even half as good as the director's previous film it will be brilliant, and its even got a bald Matt Damon!

4. Iron Man 3 (April)

With Shane Black directing, I can't wait to see what happens to Tony Stark in the first film of Marvel's Avengers Phase 2! Hopefully it will be just as good as the original Iron Man and much better then it's sequel! With Iron Man being one of my favourite superheroes, I cannot wait for this film!

3. Monsters University (July)

I love Monsters Inc! I definitely think it's one of Pixar's best. With a teaser trailer coming out earlier this year, it just confirmed that Monsters University deserves its place as my third most anticipated film of 2013. Lets hope it will be as good as the original and keep Pixar on track after Brave bringing the company back on form earlier this year after Cars 2 being nothing special.

2. Star Trek Into Darkness (May)

I've always liked Star Trek but I was never a massive fan until JJ Abrhams rebooted the series back in 2009. Now its sequel looks even better and Benedict Cumberpatch looks like a very interesting and truly terrifying villain in the recent trailers. The trailers alone make me very excited as to the type of feast I will be able to treat my eyes with in May next year.

1. Man of Steel (June)

Just like Star Trek, I was never a massive fan of Superman. But here it is the top of my most anticipated films of 2013! It's at the top because it looks incredible! Both the teaser and theatrical trailer makes this look like a very different take on comic book hero, something I like the look of a lot! With Zack Snyder as director and Christopher Nolan on producing duties this sure does look as if it could be the film of the year! Only time will tell...

Well that concludes my list. But trust me, next year looks to be a good one, these are only ten film that look amazing, there are many more that I am also very excited for.

Please let me know what you are most excited for by commenting below! Let me know if you think I missed anything out.

Thanks for reading!

Marvel Phase 2

Being a massive Marvel fan I thought it would be a good idea to voice my opinions on all the announcements from the San Diego Comic Con on the next phase of the Marvel cinematic universe. I didn't go to Comic Con so I am working off the stuff I have read from news sites and the fans who went there.

Iron Man 3 - 2013
The first Iron Man film is one of my favourite films of all time. Robert Downey Jr. was the perfect casting as Tony Stark and completely stole the show! Unfortunately Iron Man 2 was not that good, it has its good moments but was a disappointment compared to the first film. However I have much higher hopes for the third outing with the great playboy, philanthropist. This is mainly because Shane Black is on board as director. As much as I loved Jon Favreau, it will be great to see someone else take on Iron Man and hopefully keep the awesomeness of the first film and The Avengers. Shane Black's only other film is the incredible Kiss Kiss Bang Bang which also starred Robert Downey Jr. Black also penned the Lethal Weapon films.

At Comic Con, Marvel showed footage of the new film that is due out for release next year. the footage showed Tony Stark testing out new armour and then having his house blown up by an army, apparently run by the Mandarin played by Ben Kingsly. In the comics, Mandarin is Iron Mans greatest foe, the way Joker is to Batman. That is why this new villain could be awesome. Guy Pearce and James Badge Dale have also been added to the villain mix. Both great actors but I do hope this doesn't turn into Spider-Man 3! I have faith in this though, all we need know is the footage to creep onto the Internet, hopefully in the form of a trailer!

Thor: The Dark World - 2013
All that was announced of this project was the name. And what a cool name! It has been rumoured that in this film we are going to be exploring the darker gritty side of Asgard and this announcement sort of confirms that. Natalie Portman is back on board so we probably still get some Earth scenes but I cannot wait to see more of Asgard! Christopher Eccleston has come on as the villain but I bet a Thanos will be somewhere behind the scenes. I'm not a big fan of Christopher Eccleston but we still get Tom Hiddleston's Loki, so who cares?

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - 2014
Oh yes, you saw right! The Winter Soldier! Perhaps my favourite announcement of Comic Con is that the new Captain America movie will follow the story of the late Bucky Barnes who (SPOILER) is not dead, unless they change the story completely that is! Bucky gets brainwashed into becoming a spy for the Russians, being dosed up with anti ageing drugs and becoming just as strong as Cap. This is all speculation at the moment, but this could be awesome. Antony Mackie is also rumoured to play the Falcon, which adds another super hero to rota. The Avengers made Captain America cool so I cannot wait to see where he goes next!

Guardians of the Galaxy - 2014
This was the most disappointing news for me, although it was Marvel's worst kept secret, I was still hoping for them to announce a Black Panther movie. Instead we get this sci-fi team up of superheroes which guard the galaxy. I never really got into the comics and I dodn't know how Marvel are going to make the team work in the same universe. Hopefully it will have its own universe but either way I am interested in what comes off this, but not as much as the rest of the line up in Marvel phase 2.

Ant Man - 2014/15
I love everything that Edgar Wright has ever done and this is shaping up to stay on his record of awesome movies. Ant Man isn't my favourite Marvel character but after the reported test footage shown at Comic Con I know this will be awesome! The test footage showed off some action that was reported as a new form of fighting called size-fu. That sounds very cool! There isn't a set date but it has been rumoured it could be out as early as 2014! I look forward to casting news, which could come any day now!

The Avengers 2 - 2015/16
 It's happening! We not sure when and we don't know if Joss Whedon will direct but it is happening! The next wave of superheroes are getting ready to set it up, no solo Hulk movie yet but Mark Ruffalo is contracted to do 5 more films as Bruce Banner! Will it be as good as the first? Only time will tell, but I will be just as excited!

What are you most excited about in Marvel Phase 2? Comment below and thank you for reading!

Shame

When it comes to getting girls, Michael Fassbender is like a shark. When he sees a girl he likes, he will do anything to catch her. This is because he has a sex addiction, or at least his character Brandon Sullivan does in his latest film, Shame. This is the second time team up between Fassbender and director Steve McQueen, their last film being Hunger which I reviewed last week. Hunger was a good film, but Shame is a really good film!

The film follows Brandon Sullivan in New York as he tries to manage his sex addiction. When his sister Sissy moves in to his apartment, Brandon's world spirals out of control. Let me warn you though, this is not a film to watch with your parents. There is quite a bit of nudity in this film, it is about sex addiction after all. This is not done in a 'sexy' way, this film tries to show the audience the how dangerous and un-sexy Brandon's addiction is.

The acting in this film is superb! This is Michael Fassbender's best role to date and he really gives it his all, unfortunately he was still denied his deserved Oscar nomination. The role of Brandon's sister Sissy, is played by the incredible Carey Mulligan. The actress has taken Hollywood by storm recently, she has come a long way since her short role in Doctor Who. Mulligan is so good you will forget who you are watching, she plays the vulnerable and bit of a dirtbag role perfectly. And then there is James Badge Dale, most recently seen in the mini series epic The Pacific, his role is also spot on as the over confident, sleezy boss and mate of Brandon.You will be seeing a lot more of him soon as well, as he has just been cast in Iron Man 3.

The soundtrack to this film was also great and gave the audience a heightened sense of emotion during certain scenes. The music was created by a man named Harry Escott. There is one scene where Brandon goes for a midnight run accompanied by some classical music, the scene looks and sounds great!

The only flaw to this movie is the nudity. I realise that some was needed to shock the audience and allow them to learn the horrors of sex addiction, but some of the scenes are slightly uncomfortable. There is sex scene near the end of the film which goes on for too long and makes for an uncomfortable viewing. Maybe this is what McQueen was trying to make us feel by using this scene, but personally this is not how I want to feel whilst watching a film.

Apart from that though, this film is brilliant. Much better then Hunger and you will also see Fassbender in his best role, and he has been in a lot of good ones! It seems Fassbender and McQueen do not shy away from controversial subjects when it comes to making films, if they are to do another film together I am sure it will be just as shocking as the last two. Shame is out on DVD and Blu-Ray now, so I recommend you watch it, just be careful who you watch it with!

I have been giving the films a rating out of 5 on the left hand side of my blog for short while now, so I am also going to incorporate this rating into my reviews. I am giving Shame  a rating of: 4/5

Thanks for reading!