Alien: Covenant

I’m a Prometheus sympathiser. I loved it when it came out and after watching it recently, I still do. I do see and realise the flaws throughout but can get past them and enjoy the ride. With Alien: Covenant, you may think that Ridley Scott would have learnt from his mistakes, however that’s not the case. Covenant is a flawed film that many will not be able to see pass. I however could and I still enjoyed what felt like a great sci-fi thriller that’s truly trying to grasp onto more than what the films that have gone before and after it have. Read on to find out why.

Covenant follows the crew of a colony ship, bound for a remote planet, as they discover an uncharted paradise with a threat beyond their imagination. This film twists and turns pretty much from the get go so it’s difficult to go into more detail than this without spoiling things. Michael Fassbender returns yet again to play another synthetic android, and man is he as incredible as ever! Fassbender is the MVP of this franchise, I could watch him act all day long and never get bored. Joining him is a new cast, the stand outs being; Katherine Waterston, Danny McBride and Billy Crudup. The rest of the cast are just as good but there is quite a lot of them and these three are the main drivers of the story.

I liked this film a lot but I’m not oblivious to its flaws. Like I’ve said before, I can see past many of them but I’ll highlight them here first as they do detract from the film but not to my overall enjoyment of it. You do not really care for any of these characters, maybe Katherine Waterston’s as you follow her for most of the film but I was never too worried if any of them made it to the end. Part of this is probably down to the decisions the characters make, weak ones, stupid ones and some which just have no logic or reasoning behind them. It’s obvious how stupid some of these decisions are and I’m surprised they weren’t picked out before the film was made. Maybe it’s something to do with the philosophy of the film, are they highlighting the biggest flaw in humans is the fact that we are? This feels like I’m clutching at straws but who knows. If you can look past this, and I’m sure there will be many that can’t, then there is a great sci-fi film lurking and it comes into its stride once the story kicks in.

The film only gets better as it goes on, revealing its sinister threat and delving deeper into the philosophy that Prometheus started musing about. Maybe some came for the Xenomorph, and there is a lot of that, but I personally loved the philosophical element of this film. It makes its feel like it’s grasping for more than just being another killer alien film and trying to make us think like many other great sci-fi films. At times, it feels like it’s two films battling each other, one being an Alien prequel and the other being a Prometheus sequel. In a way these franchises may have been better off separate from each other but I don’t care, in my opinion both Prometheus and Covenant, even with their flaws, are really solid films and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Despite the flaws I’ve picked out, I enjoyed the hell out of this film. It’s tense, it’s scary, it’s gloriously gory and it’s thought provoking. It’s a great addition to the Alien franchise and I would definitely watch it again even if it’s just for some very memorable Michael Fassbender scenes… Not perfect but a great sci-fi film, I’m rating Alien: Covenant a 4/5. I’m hoping that the possible sequels to this film can be more thought out with deeper layered characters but also keep the philosophical element that has me hooked.

What did you think of the latest instalment of the Alien franchise, classic sci-fi or another dud? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

X-Men: Apocalypse

I was a bit worried going into X-Men: Apocalypse, it came at a time when we had already seen three comic book movies within a space of a few months, and they had already showcased the best and worst the genre can offer. Its trailer showed off a film that made it seem as if we were about to watch Jennifer Lawrence and the X-Men and the early reviews were very mixed. Don’t listen to the nay-sayers though, what I saw last night really surprised me and although it may not be perfect, I enjoyed the hell out of it. Read on to find out why.

Ten years after the events of Days of Future Past, a lot of the cast return but are in very different places from where we left them (you’ll have to suspend your disbelief at the fact none of the cast have aged since...). Mystique is on her own, rescuing mutants where she can, Magneto has settled in Poland with a new family and Professor X has got his school up and running with a set of new students, most notably Jean Grey, played by Sophie Turner, Cyclops played by Tye Sheridan and Nightcrawler played by Kodi Smit-Mcphee. All is well until an old and very powerful mutant, Apocalypse played by Oscar Issac, is awoken, who then goes and recruits his four horsemen in order to destroy the world (I think?).

I’ll start by saying that this isn’t your usual X-Men movie; the scale is unlike anything you have seen in this franchise before. Whereas other superhero films have decided to go for personal stakes this year, X-Men has gone the opposite way and I believe this is where some of the criticisms comes from; we’ve seen world ending stakes before in comic book movies however, I would argue that because we haven’t seen it on this scale in the X-Men franchise it instead felt like an exciting new way to take these characters and it also made for some incredible action sequences.

Apocalypse is a very menacing villain and he has quite a screen presence however some of the descriptions of his powers and plans are a bit vague; is he a mutant Wi-Fi booster? Body shifter? Mover of Elements? The power to make characters more comic book accurate? Does he want to destroy the world or control everyone? This is ultimately where the film suffers most. Whether you get his plan or not it really delivers on full blown spectacle and he is very menacing character.

Thankfully the film doesn’t add spectacle at the cost of character development. Some characters get more than others mind but this film really sets up its newest mutants nicely and gives them a chance to shine as they’re testing the limits of their powers in very troubling time. This isn’t Jennifer Lawrence and the X-Men, but instead it’s an ensemble film without the plot leaning heavily on one character as many X-Men films tend to do. This helps this film feel more like an X-Men comic book than previous instalments, it feels like a team film, a team with a crazy bunch of powers which all get their shot in the limelight. It’s as if the films are leaning closer and closer to their source material and although we’re not fully there yet it does make me very excited for what we’ll see next.

I feel like this film has come about at the wrong time, I wish they would’ve waited a couple of months before releasing as I believe most general audiences might need some time away from the superhero genre after Civil War only being released under a month ago. I wouldn’t have minded them waiting either, they could have spent more time perfecting some CGI shots as some look more at home in a video game then a big budget summer blockbuster, or maybe they could have given Olivia Munn more to do as Psylocke who looked very badass but didn’t really get the chance to show off those awesome sword skills the actress has been posting online. Or even Storm, this time played by Alexandra Shipp who gets a bit more to do but not enough in my opinion!

If you’re a superhero fan but weren’t planning on going to see X-Men: Apocalypse this weekend then don’t be a fool, you’re going to have a lot of fun and get a kick out of how the franchise is now edging closer to its source material. It’s not ground-breaking in terms of what we’ve already seen from the genre but it is a different step for the franchise and you finally get to see everyone’s powers in full epic scale mixed with some great emotional characters beats and a pretty wicked score throughout. It’s not the best superhero film this year but it’s not the worst either! I’m rating the latest X-Men instalment a 3.5/5.

What did you think? Was it a hit or a disappointment? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Steve Jobs

It's been a while...

So recently I was able to take time from my busy schedule and go see a film I have been wanting to see for a long time; Steve Jobs. Now I don't have a fascination with the man himself but instead it was the talent behind his biopic that had me intrigued. First we have the amazing writer, Aaron Sorkin who wrote The Social Network and most recently TV series, The Newsroom. Secondly the director, Danny Boyle who is best known for Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire. Fianlly it was the star of the show, Michael Fassbender who is one of my favourite actors, you probably know him most from the latest X-Men films where he played Magneto. If you're reading this blog it probably means you are a film fan and therefore, know why this is a big deal but if not, just know that these three guys are at the top of their league and so this collaboration between them is pretty darn huge and awesome.

The film is not your standard biopic. Instead Sorkin and Boyle decided to go for something different and allow the film to be made from three separate scenes, each the 20-40 minutes before a product launch spanned over twenty years or so. It's a brilliant creative decision that makes this film about Steve Jobs stand out above other biopics and the films about the man that have been done before and likely will be made in the future. It does mean that only certain aspects of Steve's life are brought into the film and explored, not that I am too fussed a lot of people know about his life and I was happy to see the film streamline this down to focus on a few key relationships.

Fassbender is great as Jobs, you can tell he really got into the character and portrays him in a way that is kind of tough but deep down you can feel something for the guy. He's a difficult character to like but I believe Fassbender finds a way to show some humanity beneath the hard shell of a man. The cast around Fassbender are also great, highlights include Kate Winslet (her performance great, however her accent does get strangely stronger after the first time jump...), Seth Rogen (absolutely great at doing a serious role as well as having perfect comedy timing), Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg and Katherine Waterstone. Sorkin's fast paced and witty dialogue all sounded great coming out of their mouths.

Due to scenario of the scenes and the amount of story the film wants to portray, some of the scenes come across quite theatrical but not in a bad way. A lot of the film is set in the San Fransisco Opera House and the score can be quite operatic, if anything the theatrical and operatic qualities going on in the background heighten the visuals and give the audience a sense of tension and care that may not usually have for the politics of computing.

The downside to the artistic structure of the film is familiarity, the structure of each act of the film is relatively the same and you know that Steve Jobs is going to have an updated argument with each of the characters we met in the first act, it's not always a bad thing but some of the scenes can drag when you're not as invested in certain storylines compared to others.

Overall though, this film is great, For me it doesn't quite reach the enjoyment I got from watching The Social Network but it is no way a bad film. The lengths the filmmakers have gone to make something different really pay off and we have something quite unique on our hands here with Steve Jobs, and although it may not always portray him as a decent person, I imagine that if he were here today he would be happy with it. I am giving Steve Jobs a rating of 4/5.

Thanks for reading!

X-Men: Days of Future Past

I was worried about the latest X-Men film going in to the cinema. The trailers looked promising but you never know with this franchise, it's always been very hit or miss after X2. Saying that, the prequel film X-Men: First Class was my favourite film of the franchise. That's right 'was' my favourite, because X-Men: Days of Future Past just completely blew my mind and exceeded all my expectations! Read on for my spoiler free, full review of the film.

Set in a dystopian future where the mutants are being hunted down by Sentinels, the only chance they have left is to send Wolverine back to the 1970's where he can try stop the bad events of the future ever happening. The film seams together the old cast with the new in a very ambitious 'inbetwequel' of sorts to patch together the X-Men Universe into something more linear then it previously was.

The cast is huge and the main members get a good amount of time to shine, however some new additions such as Bishop are there to show off their powers rather then bring anything new to the plot. That being said it does make for some pretty cool action scenes, but more on that later. For once this film does not feel like Wolverine and the X-Men, he has a big part to play but it's not his film as it has been in the past. This film belongs to the relationship between Professor X, Magneto and Mystique which is played out so well throughout. The characterisation of all three is brilliant and I lreally enjoy the love/hate relationship between Charles and Erik, which is explored even further in this film. James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence are the highlights of the film in these roles. Peter Dinklage also shines as villain Boliver Trask, he may not be getting the brilliant material he gets as Tyrion on Game of Thrones but it was a nice change to see a different kind of villain that isn't just going to end up in a big boss battle at the end of the film. I also love the fact that the actor's size is not referred to throughout, it isn't a defining trait of the character, Dinklage was just the best actor for the part.

This film has a lot of heart, a lot of the characters are in a bad place at the beginning and it's all about whether they can regain hope and compromise for the greater good of the world and mutantkind. Writer Simon Kinberg has done a brilliant job of keeping these themes throughout and the final edit of the film is a really tight piece that balances all the different characters, times and emotions perfectly. Having Bryan Singer back was a god send as he really knows how to direct these characters, you can tell he is in his element with the X-Men and I hope that the recent allegations against him are false so he can come back to do more!

Visually this film looked great and there were some awesome action sequences where we get a really cool look at some of the mutant powers in action. Because this is a bigger budget film and more technologically advanced then the previous ones, we get to see some really epic sequences that prove to be some of the best we have seen in comic book movies so far. One of the best action sequences in the film comes surprisingly from Quicksliver, how ever stupid he looks, when using his super speed on camera it is treat and turns out to be one of the highlights of the film. Days of Future Past has raised the bar high for Age of Ultron who will be using a different iteration of the character next year.

It feels different to previous comic book films and doesn't abide by all the same rules making it something more than your average superhero movie. With the inclusion of the Sentinels, this finally feels like the X-Men from the comics and make no doubt, this film is definitely for X-Men fans with many little nods to the source material placed throughout, along with its pretty faithful adaptation to the actual comic arc it's based on. Going in with no knowledge of the films that came before it may prove a bit confusing but either way it's a lot of fun. It's going to wipe the bad taste of Wolverine Origins film and X-Men: The Last Stand from your mind. I really can't find much wrong with this film!

Overall this is the best X-Men film to be released so far. In fact it's up their with the best of comic book movies. It truly is something special and I cannot wait to watch it again! I'm giving X-Men: Days of Future Past a rating of 5/5. Remember to stay after the credits for a taste of big things to come!

What did you think of Days of Future Past? Best of the X-Men franchise or another miss? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

The Oscars Predictions 2014

The Oscars are just round the corner and I thought I would give my thoughts and predictions on the nominees this year. I'm only going to do the categories that I have seen most of the films in, I'll tell you who I want to win and who will most likely win because unfortunately they are rarely the same.

Best Director
David O. Russell – American Hustle
Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity
Alexander Payne – Nebraska
Steve McQueen – 12 Years A Slave
Martin Scorsese – The Wolf Of Wall Street

I'm a massive fan of Scorsese and would love to see him win this award, however I think it will go to Steve McQueen.

Best Picture
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
12 Years A Slave
The Wolf Of Wall Street

The film I would most like to see win this is The Wolf of Wall Street. All the films this year are brilliant but The Wolf of Wall Street tops it, however I think it will be 12 Years A Slave that gets it.

Best Actor
Christian Bale – American Hustle
Bruce Dern – Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf Of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years A Slave
Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club

Hands down Matthew McConaughey, I feel for Leonardo DiCaprio and I wanted this to be his year but I want McConaughey to get it and think he will also.

Best Actress
Amy Adams – American Hustle
Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock – Gravity
Judi Dench - Philomena
Meryl Streep – August: Osage County

This is probably the category I am least sure about. My favourite performance on this list is from Amy Adams so I hope she gets the award.

Best Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper – American Hustle
Michael Fassbender - 12 Years A Slave
Jonah Hill – The Wolf Of Wall Street
Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club

I really want Michael Fassbender to get this one, he was one of the best things about 12 Years a Slave. However there is a lot of hype around Jared Leto so I have feeling he could be taking the award instead.

Best Supporting Actress
Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence - American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o – 12 Years A Slave
Julia Roberts – August: Osage County
June Squibb – Nebraska

Out everybody on this list Jennifer Lawrence is the stand out performance for me. However I can see The Academy giving it to newcomer Lupita Nyong'o, either way they it will be well deserved.

Best Original Screenplay
Eric Singer & David O. Russell – American Hustle
Woody Allen – Blue Jasmine
Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack – Dallas Buyers Club
Spike Jonze – Her
Bob Nelson - Nebraska

For me this is a showdown between American Hustle and Her. I have no idea how it might turn out though. May the best screenplay win!

Best Adapted Screenplay
Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy & Ethan Hawke – Before Midnight
Billy Ray – Captain Phillips
Steve Coogan & Jeff Pope – Philomena
John Ridley – 12 Years A Slave
Terence Winter – The Wolf Of Wall Street

Hands down Before Midnight should get this award! However because of the dodgy rules of adapting it might not be held as highly as its other competitors because it's not really adapted from anything apart from the characters from previous films in the trilogy. Fingers crossed though!

Best Cinematography
The Grandmaster

Gravity

Inside Llewyn Davis

Nebraska
Prisoners

It's got to be Inside Llewyn Davis right? Surely...

Best Film Editing
American Hustle - Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten

Captain Phillips - Christopher Rouse

Dallas Buyers Club - John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa

Gravity - Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger

12 Years A Slave - Joe Walker

When editing I have always been told that more is better. So why Gravity is on this list and The Wolf of Wall Street isn't is beyond me! However I feel it will be either Captain Phillips or 12 Years A Slave because both have excellent editing.

Best Original Score

John Williams, The Book Thief

Steven Price, Gravity

William Butler and Owen Pallett, Her

Alexandre Desplat, Philomena
Thomas Newman, Saving Mr. Banks

Best Visual Effects

Gravity - Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk and Neil Corbould

The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton and Eric Reynolds

Iron Man 3 - Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash and Dan Sudick

The Lone Ranger - Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams and John Frazier

Star Trek Into Darkness - Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann and Burt Dalton

Gravity should definitely win both of these, the score was great and come on, the effects were mind blowing! And who nominated The Hobbit? Apart from Smaug that film's visual effects were terrible!

So that concludes my opinions on The Oscars for 2014. It's a strong year, most of the films nominated are really, really good so I'm happy.

Do you agree with who I want to win and who I reckon will most likely win? Let me know in the comments below!

Thanks for reading!

Quick Reviews #6

Oscar season is upon us and over in the UK we are finally getting to see some of the contenders which have been out in the USA for a month now. Taking advantage of this, over a period of 24 hours I went to see The Wolf of Wall Street and 12 Years a Slave. Below are my reviews for both films.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Martin Scorsese is my favourite director, I look up to the man, he is a big inspiration so therefore I couldn't wait for his latest film with the super talented Leonardo DiCaprio. The film is a masterpiece and very reminiscent of Scorsese's best film Goodfellas. The film is adapted from the autobiography of Jordan Belfort, a sly banker with a addiction to money, sex and drugs. The film is crazy from the beginning and never runs out of steam. Every scene in its three hour running time is fast paced, funny and beautifully shot. How this film isn't up for a best editing Oscar is beyond me! Scorsese has a great eye for pacing among other things and the story is just so well told. Although not technically a comedy, I actually laughed more at this film then I did when I saw Anchorman 2 the other week. One stand out scene that involved Belfort on drugs (although there are many) had me in stitches! The acting is great with Leonardo DiCaprio giving a brilliantly enigmatic performance that will undeservedly be snubbed at the Oscars yet again. Everybody else is also brilliant including Jonah Hill who is becoming a force to reckon with. The film has been criticised for 'glorifying' what these bankers were doing, but by the time the films ends I did not want to be in any of their shoes. Apart from being slightly long there aren't really any flaws plus, I don't care about watching three hours worth of footage from the best director around today. Scorsese just doesn't get lazy, with this being one of the last few films we will see from him, he still puts many younger directors to shame, he takes risks and he isn't afraid to move the camera around as much as possible. I am rating the film a 5/5. On another note, don't watch this with your Mum!

12 Years a Slave 

A bit more serious than The Wolf of Wall Street, 12 Years a Slave is also based on a true story, this time one about Solomon Northup, a free man who was kidnapped and spent 12 horrible years as a slave. The film is no doubt going to win big at the Oscars not only due to it's delicate subject matter, but also because of it's great cinematography and heartbreaking tale. Compared to Steve McQueen's previous work, this film is a little bit more safe, going for more of a linear narrative rather than his more experimental style, however this film still has a lot of powerful imagery that is really well used to provoke a wide range of emotions whilst viewing. It was nice to see a change of pace, with McQueen adding many long shots letting us observe certain moments that drag on (in a good way) to try and fully engage us with the troubles and hardships of the characters. Each character was so well written with plenty of layers that make none of them stereotypical. The film is quite tough to watch at times, with a lot of violence shown at it's most graphic, it was nice to be reminded that I wasn't fully desensitised to it. The film was educational, it showed things that happened during this period of time that I was unaware about. Similarly to films about the holocaust, it makes you feel guilty knowing the capabilities of the human race and ultimately Solomon becomes our eyes and ears of the era as he witnesses terrible events which have all been drawn from reality. It's a sad and heartbreaking tale and you don't come out of the cinema fully happy knowing that this period in time happened and racism still exists today. It's also very well acted with Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender giving some of their best performances in this film.  It's an enlightening film that captures the incredible story of Solomon Northup in a very powerful way, I am giving the film a rating of 5/5.

Two excellent but very different films, both up for a lot of Oscars. The competition is big this year! What did you think of the films? Did you enjoy them as much as I did? Let me know in the comments below.

Thanks for reading!

Prometheus 3D Review

So Prometheus came out today and I just saw it, it is incredible! Ridley Scott has come back to the sci-fi genre with a film that exceeded all my expectations and more! I am a big fan of his first sci-fi film Alien, a film that redefined the genre and sparked a long running franchise and a number of spin offs. Alien was amazing, but unlike many others, I was not a big fan of the films that came after it, not even the highly rated sequel Aliens directed by James Cameron, so maybe I have not been as excited as some fans out there who couldn't wait for this kind of prequel to the Alien franchise. I am so happy that this film turned out to be one of the best sci-fi films I have ever seen!

The plot of the film goes like this; 'A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe.' The edge of the universe is in fact stunning and the film opens with wide swooping shots of a planets landscape that, mixed with 3D, can only be described as a beautiful spectacle. This fim however is not a direct prequel to Alien so those who go in expecting this may be disappointed. Xenomorphs are not the aliens that the crew of the spaceship Prometheus encounter.

The crew embarking on this mission to find our creators are made up of some of the best acting talent around at the moment, including, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba and Logan Marshall-Green. It's great to see Noomi Rapace in a leading role after her under used role in Sherlock Holmes 2. We now get to see her acting talent shine through just as much as it did in her role as Lisbeth Salander in the original The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo films. Though my only criticism of her is her accent that I think was supposed to be British but sounded kind of South African. Maybe its because she's an explorer so shes probably picked up many accents on her journeys. Rapace plays Elizabeth Shaw, basically Prometheus's Ripley. Is she just as good? Yes!

Though it is not Noomi Rapace's character that steals the show, that goes to Michael Fassbender's role as the android David. It seems as if Fassbender has a knack of stealing films with his incredible performances, and this is just another role to add to his list of amazing characters. He was definitely the best android I have ever seen!

Another great thing about this film was the visual effects. They were stunning! Not at any point did I think I was watching a swarm of pixels on screen. Maybe this is due to Ridley Scott's determination to use as little green screen as possible, and this really payed off as the hand built sets looked amazing! The cinematography also helped make this film look visually beautiful, and the 3D worked perfectly with this element. The soundtrack also made an big impact on the film and helped create some terrifying sequences, The score was composed perfectly for the film.

The 3D is very good. It is not always apparent but when it is, it really helps create a new dimension to the scenes you are watching. In particular a scene where a sandstorm commences, in which the 3D really helps it come alive. I don't know whether I would recommend seeing it in 3D or not, but if you enjoy the element then this is one film you should watch.

This film is not for everybody though, it can be very gory in places and rather scary. Maybe not as 'horror' as the first Alien film was but it definitely had its moments! Also if you are pregnant then maybe you should give this film a miss, you'll know what I mean when you see it. 

Overall I loved this film! Although many will disagree with me, I personally think this film was better than  Alien and is one of the best sci-fi films ever made. I hope that it gets a sequel as the film raised more questions then it answered. 2012 is turning out to be one of the best years ever for film! I'm giving Prometheus a rating of  5/5.

Thanks 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!

Hunger

With the release of Shame on DVD, I thought it would be best to catch up on the last film made by Steve McQueen, as I am really looking forward to watching his latest. His last film was Hunger which stars the brilliant Michael Fassbender. The film is set in 1981 and follows the event of the IRA hunger strike led by prisoner Bobby Sands.

Fassbender plays Bobby Sands and it doesn't look as if he took to the role likely. I'm not sure how much of Bobby Sands body was actually a skinny Fassbender or how much was make up effects but I'm pretty sure it was a bit of both.

The acting though is superb from all the cast, even the ones which don't get any dialogue to say, which was most of them. Hunger was like that though, more style than acting, it could have been a silent film if it wasn't for a 17 minute long scene of a conversation between Bobby Sands and a priest. I applaud the director in the choice of putting that scene in though, most films would not be able to pull this off, and neither would this one if it wasn't for the great dialogue and Fassbender's acting skills.

I was unsure throughout most of this film who the main character was though. It is Fassbender's film after the first half but before that we dip in and out of other characters lives, I am assuming this was to get all the different sides of the story but because we only get short stints of each person it feels kind of short changed.

Though what this does do is allows us as the audience not to sympathise with any of the characters. As many of the audience will not be able to feel for the IRA prisoner beforehand and side with the guards but here you get to see that everyone was in the wrong.

This film is not for everyone though, it is more art house than mainstream and many critics have called it an 'artistic masterpiece'. The film is very gruesome and is not for the faint hearted, the guards and prisoners are violent and some do some pretty disgusting things.

I however did like this film, although slow in places the style and acting was very good. When the dialogue did set in some great stories were told. This was a good a film and I can't wait to see what the McQueen and Fassbender team up have done with Shame. The pair certainly have a love for hard hitting subject matters with this film being about hunger strikes and Shame being about sex addiction. This film is not for everyone but if you want to see some great film making in progress then this is the film for you.

Thanks for reading!

Some Films You Should Watch!

So I'm back from my holiday now and I thought I would give you some reviews on the films I have watched over the short period. Overall the class of films I watched was surprisingly high and some even stayed with me for days with their superb story lines. Here are the films I watched and a brief review of each:

The Ides Of March
The first film I watched on my holiday and one of the best also. I heard mixed reviews of this film but was pleasantly surprised by the talent on and off screen. This is the first film I have watched that has been directed by George Clooney and I was taken away by his style. On screen the acting was incredible from the ever brilliant Ryan Gosling and side roles from acting greats like Paul Giamatti and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Overall a great political thriller that isn't afraid to show the dark side of American politics, a must see for anyone interested in the topic.

Bronson
After watching Drive I had to watch the previous film from director Nicolas Winding Refn. Like his latest film it was great! Tom Hardy plays Michael Peterson who is a criminal who becomes famous for starting fights within prison as his stage name Charles Bronson. This film really shows off Tom Hardy's acting talent and you can see why he was picked to play Bane in The Dark Knight Rises. The film was surprisingly funny and had great style. The second half of the film is personally not as great as the first but still manages to entertain on all levels!

Kill List
This film was loved by the critics and I was wondering why by the end of the first act. Thankfully it picks up a becomes a great, but possibly not as good as the critics have hyped it up to be. In the end though it was a great film. Who doesn't want to see hit men kicking the crap out of paedophiles! The end was great but a bit confusing and I would have liked it if they explained it a bit more. Though still a good film that was surprisingly scary in places!

Son Of Rambo
A nice Brit film that looked at two children making a Rambo film together. For a childrens film the morals were a bit over the place and the plot was slightly confusing. A lot of the sub plots could have been taken out but overall the film was good. It had a nice style and is great for fans of the Rambo films.

Unknown
If you like cheesy action thrillers then this is the film for you! Watched this with the family and they were all happy with the outcome of the film, if not a little confused to the mind bending storyline, which goes like this; A man awakens from a coma, only to discover that someone has taken on his identity and that no one, (not even his wife), believes him. With the help of a young woman, he sets out to prove who he is. The ending I guess is ok but the morals of Liam Neesons character seem all over the place. The film trys a little too hard be the next Taken yet fails but still an enjoyable film.

Perfect Sense
This film has also had mixed reviews from critics and I watched it thinking I wasn't going to like it but I finished with my opinion the complete opposite. I loved it! The plot goes like this; A chef and a scientist fall in love as an epidemic begins to rob people of their sensory perceptions. The film is beautifully shot though there are a few bumpy camera moments, you will know them when you see them. Ewan McGregor and Eva Green act really well together although I am confused with Eva Green's accent, what accent was it? Their relationship is portrayed brilliantly throughout the epidemic even if they are naked half the time! the end of the film really hit me hard emotionally and the result had me thinking for days!

The Truman Show
I saw this film a couple years ago and loved it! The second time I loved it also. Introduced it to my brother over the holiday and he also loved it! A great film that is scarily close to what could happen in the future in regard to reality television. A one to watch if you are a media student or just someone who enjoys good thought provoking movies. Even though it is 14 years old it still stands today, possibly even more so then it did back in its day. A great film for the family also, everyone loves a bit of Jim Carrey!

Fish Tank
The final film I watched and another great! The acting and directing style was superb. The plot goes like this; Everything changes for 15-year-old Mia when her mum brings home a new boyfriend. The film is quite hard hitting and you should be warned this isn't a nice film to watch with your parents. Hard hitting and edgy but overall a very good film. Another great performance from Michael Fassbender who is proving to be a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.

Everybody would gives these films watch as they are all great. The filming for my short film Snow Dream also took place over the holiday. I got some good footage but not as much as I would have liked due to weather conditions but I will be editing it together soon and will post it online as soon as i have finished.

I have finally hit over 1000 views on this blog so I would like to thank everyone for reading it! More posts will be coming soon!

Thanks for reading!