This is the End Movie Review

Another film that has been out for a while, but I finally managed to see it yesterday with a couple of friends. Was it worth the wait? We shall see.. 

So, This is the End is comedy starring a host of Hollywood actors including Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Seth Rogen and many more in an apocalyptic world. Automatically I am wanting to see this film because when a film about the apocalypse is done well it's always very enjoyable for me.

As mentioned previously, the film is set in the house of James Franco who is hosting a party for a truck load of Hollywood actors and pop singers. The guest list includes people like Emma Watson, Rihanna and Michael Sera. In my opinion, the best component of the entire movie is the acting in it. I love it when celebrities play exaggerated versions of themselves. They all make fun of each other's movies, they all party hard and smoke weed. I mean, they're just living up to the stereotype and it's incredibly funny to watch.

What this film does as well is play on the desperation of the situation they find themselves in. It's pretty clearly established that these Hollywood actors are dickheads, and to see them all conspiring against each other is absurdly entertaining to watch.

The most notable cameo appearances in the movie include Emma Watson and Michael Sera. Sera is perhaps the funniest film in the movie and Emma Watson's cameo is great because she is a bit of a badass! And of course, she's ridiculously attractive!

The film in itself is fairly well paced, when it ended I was ready for it to. It is in no way revolutionary, you couldn't create an emotional attachment to any of the characters if you tried. But, that's not the point. The movie sets out to do a job and does that job well.

Some special effects are used in this movie as a means to tell the story, which is always a good thing. Again, they're not revolutionary but they look good and hold up.

Being a comedy, I have to talk about some of the humour. For the most part, it is well written and delivered well with good timing. Some parts are genuinely hilarious (like drugged-up Michael Sera) but for some people it may be a little bit too much. The humour is split into 2; 1 part being well timed and genuinely funny, the other half being downright outrageous.

The ending itself is ridiculously corny, but I can roll with that because it's trying to be as corny as it possibly can! (Or, at least I hope so).

So, This is the End does it's job well. It is not revolutionary in terms of it's cinematography or character development, but it does do a good job at using the humour of exaggerated versions of Hollywood actors interacting with each other to make you think "I'm enjoying myself" while watching this movie. Definitely up there as one of the best comedies of the year..


Rating - B

1 sentence summary - A very funny and entertaining film, with some outrageous humour!


Right then, if you are reading this post, have you seen This is the End? What did you think of it? Please leave a comment and constructive criticism is of course welcome.

Stand by for more movie reviews in the very near future.

Thanks again,
Matt

2013 F1 Season: Half term Report

So, this season of Formula 1 has been nowhere near as good as last year's. However, it has been very interesting in it's own right; fresh controversy, bursting tyres and some fascinating on track battles in terms of wheel-to-wheel racing and differing strategies.

The original plan was to review the Hungarian GP. But, because we are literally just over the halfway point of the season, I thought I would do a "Half term report", where I give my own personal grade to each team, plus some general comments.



Red Bull Racing Renault

It's been a great year so far for the champions. Despite the gearbox failure at Silverstone, Vettel has had a very successful season. His impressive driving skills (plus good fortune, it has to be said) have given him 4 victories plus 3 podium finishes. The car is the best overall on the grid; fast in both qualifying and the races. As for Webber, he has been unfortunate (not to mention being robbed of a victory in Malaysia) but has transformed that bad luck into decent results. It's for these reasons Red Bull and Vettel are top of both championships.

A - Quick and Consistent, top of both tables.



Mercedes

People laughed at the prospect of Lewis Hamilton leaving McLaren to join Nico Rosberg at Mercedes. Who's laughing now? 3 wins, a bagful of pole positions, and a car which can only get better. Yes it is fair to say that the race car is not as mighty as the qualifying car, but when Mercedes can manage their tyres, they can win anywhere.


A-   - Surprisingly high achieving, with potential to improve.


Ferrari

At the year's inception, Ferrari looked like they had the best race car. At times Massa has shown brilliance, but we've also seen the other side to Felipe, most notably the 2 identical crashes at Monaco. As for Alonso, 2 victories where he absolutely dominated showed off just how good that Ferrari can be. Alonso's consistency keeps them in contention. But, I really think that Ferrari should be top of both championships. The car needs development because at the moment it does not look like winning.

B - Good at times, but must try harder.


Lotus Renault

Lotus looked like the team to beat after Australia. The car being so nice on these 2013 Pirelli tyres helps them a lot and have 1 victory to there name. It should have been 2, but was not due to Raikkonen's unnecessary pit stop at the Nurburgring. Grosjean has improved since last year, but penalties continue to hinder his progress in F1. Lotus are always "there or there abouts", but still have work to do to challenge Red Bull.


B+ - Potential to be at the top, must try harder to get there.


Force India Mercedes

What a great year it has been for Force India. Both drivers are close to each other in the championship and they have a car that is consistent and one that is competitive everywhere. They're even giving McLaren a serious headache! You do sense though that keeping McLaren at bay is going to exceptionally difficult during the 9 races after the Summer break.

B+ - Achieving above expected standards, must not slacken up.


McLaren Mercedes

Oh dear oh dear! McLaren have been achieving massively beneath their potential. Fighting for points is not good enough for a championship winning team. They're already thinking towards next season, with their only goals being to beat Force India and try to get on the podium. But, Button and Perez have had some exciting on-track battles and being a team that has turned things around before, you sense there is more to come from McLaren due to recent race results and performances.


C   - Massively under potential, must improve urgently.


Toro Rosso Ferrari

Toro Rosso have had pretty much the season everybody was expecting. Some races in the points, others not. However, with a vacant Red Bull seat open for next season, the rivalry between Vergne and Ricciardo has spiced up. Vergne has more points but Ricciardo has regularly mixed it with the top 10 in qualifying. Either way, it's going to be interesting at Toro Rosso for the next couple of weeks.

C+ - Performing as expected, with flashes of brilliance.


Sauber Ferrari

Sauber, in comparison to last year, have been disappointing. Only really getting in the points due to the talent of Nico Hulkenberg. Gutierrez is a regular Q1 casualty and looks nowhere near scoring a point. Perhaps their fortunes will change after the Summer break? But for now, Sauber's season has been uneventful and disappointing.


C-   - Generally disappointing, showing hardly any progress.


Williams Renault

Williams have scored only 1 point this season. They also have a top 3 in qualifying under their belt (due to Bottas' wet weather skills in Canada) as well. Before Hungary, points looked an impossibility for Frank Williams' team. Last season they had Maldonado who could win races and Senna who could consistently score points. It's different this year and it's not good enough.

D - Very disappointing, improvement is essential.


Marussia Cosworth

It's hard to expect anything from the back 2 teams. After 3 and a half years a point is still an elusive target. Jules Bianchi starred early on in the season and it is for that reason they are ahead of Caterham at the moment. Chilton is a regular last place man and they are behind Caterham at the moment.

E - As expected with their budget, shocking.



Caterham Renault

Caterham are at the foot of the table, yet are still performing better than Marussia at the moment. They will only go ahead of them with a points finish, but that looks an unrealistic target as it has ever been for Caterham. They have 2 talented young drivers, a world championship winning engine and a bigger budget than Marussia, yet they still can not improve.

F - Even with a larger budget, even more shocking.










So, those are my thoughts. Do you agree with my grades or would you put something else? Whatever you think, please comment and let me know.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Man of Steel Movie Review

I am sure that most of you have already seen Zach Snyder's Man of Steel, but if you have not, I'm going to make it my mission to get you to go and see it before it comes out on DVD and Blu-ray. Also, if you want a review which is not spoiler filled like my "Man of Steel 2 News" post then this is the right place.

The pressure was on for this film to not only be good but to be one of the best movies of the year. Well, is it? I think so, definitely in the top 2 films of seen already this year. This film has had mixed reception from various different people but this review is going to be a very positive one. This is mainly because I enjoyed it just as much as I have any other movie.

Man of Steel is more like 2 different movies; 1 half is the origin story and the other half a battle against General Zod and the Kryptonians. Being an origin story we are delightfully treated to an exciting and interesting opening 15 minutes on Superman's home world Krypton. Krypton itself is visually stunning, the special effects here (and in other parts) are incredibly impressive and look absolutely beautiful. Krypton is also interesting as it has it's own culture and social systems, which is very interesting to watch immersing you within the film. I didn't think it dragged on Krypton, I wanted to see the planet and I got what I came for.

The next part is the most fascinating of the entire film. Superman (Clark Kent/Kal El) dealing with his current life. He lives a nomadic lifestyle, jumping from job to job every time someone would suspect anything of his supernatural powers. These are also some of the funniest parts of the film. When a man in a bar tries to push him over and he doesn't budge, I laughed out loud!

What makes a good origin story is being able to relate to the character. His childhood and all of the relevant events are shown to us in flashbacks. This is generally quite a risky thing to do but if it is executed well then it's not a problem. Thankfully, it is executed to perfection. All credit has to go to the editors, directors and producers for making this section of the film the most fascinating and engaging.

In terms of character development, the entirety of it centres around Kal El, as it should be in an origin story like this. As for Cavill as Superman, he owns the role! He looks the part, you really get the sense that although his genetic code is Kryptonian, he is still very much a human being. He is literally all I could have wanted Superman to be. He's genuinely a good guy, but because of his powers he has the right amount of cockiness to go with it, which again provides much needed comic relief in a film like this.

The rest of the cast all do solid jobs. Apart from Cavill, the other stand out performers were Kevin Costner as Jonathon Kent and Russell Crowe as Jor El. Both of these actor's contributions help add to Cavill's character which again add to, what I feel, is the best part of the movie.

As for Amy Adams as Lois Lane, she was good in the role but did not own the role like the 3 above. The romance between her and Superman was believable, but I can't help but feel it to be slightly rushed. There was potential for a romance to blossom in future films but they jumped straight into it. Diane Lane as Martha Kent also did a sound job.

Now we move on to part 2 of the movie, the showdown. The adversary in this film is General Zod, played by Michael Shannon. He did not own the role. Having said that, he was intense when he needed to be and was evil when required also which is what you need from a Superhero movie villain. I can't help but think that Zod seemed less of a great villain because of Faora, played by Antje Traue. She kicked ass, she was evil yet had that efficiency which just made her more of a threat. Faora was great.

I have touched on the characters, acting, the special effects, Romance, Cavill as Superman and editing thus far.



Now I have to talk about part 2, the crazy battle/action sequences. The special effects and audio really bring you into the action and give you thrills and excitement. However, shaky cameras seem to take you out of the experience when you notice it. Also, with the amount of action sequences there was I can't help but feel it was way too much. Too much action devalues the currency of it, making it less enjoyable.


That is my only major gripe. As for the humour I'm split half and half. Some parts were genuinely funny, others seemed to be quite cheesy. However, I liked some of the Easter Eggs in the film, I want to see more from this franchise (which we are getting).

As for the soundtrack, incredible. Zimmer does a good job at accompanying all of the varied scenes and emotions in the film with a varied and pulsating soundtrack.


To summarise, the first half was a well written, well edited and well acted origin story which relates you to Cavill's character and sucks you into the story. The soundtrack, also breath-taking. One of Hans Zimmer's best pieces of work. The second half had enjoyable action scenes, audio and special effects that immerse and excite you into the story but shaky cam and too much action do bring the film down.

I enjoyed the hell out of this movie, I went to see it twice! Go and see it for yourself.

Rating - A

1 sentence summary - The Superman movie we deserve and finally have!


So, have I been too generous? Did you enjoy Man of Steel or did you not? Whatever you may think, please leave a comment.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Man of Steel 2 News/Ideas

 

So Man of Steel 2 was announced at Comic Con a couple of days ago. I thought, this is the absolute perfect thing to do my first "film" post on. Let's just say that the news in the announcement made me cry a river of fan boy tears. Why? Type "Man of Steel 2" into YouTube and it should become fairly apparent. Apologies for no video clip, but it was causing issues so I had to remove it! Also, be aware that this post may contain Man of Steel spoilers so if you haven't seen it then I advise you do see it and then read on!

 

 



Man of Steel 2 Announcement (Comic Con 2013)

There you have it. Still can't believe it's happening! In Man of Steel 2, 2015, Superman will be accompanied by Batman on the silver screen for the very first time!

What is also quite surprising is that Batman will be squaring off with Superman, he is going to be a villain. This is going to be incredibly interesting to say the least! However, Zach Snyder must be very careful in how he handles this situation unless he wishes to "do an Iron Man 3" and seriously upset the fans of DC comic book lore. But, in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy (particularly in the Dark Knight), Nolan played on the idea that Batman was not a hero, but rather a masked vigilante working above the law in order to stop the Joker. So, making a hero seem less heroic has been done before, but it has to be done with great care to pull it off well.

Lexcorp and Wayne Enterprises logos, both seen in Man of Steel

Before this news was announced we knew that Batman was in this cinematic universe. A "Wayne Enterprises" symbol is located on a satellite where Superman and Zod are having their final showdown. However, this Batman is different to the Christian Bale Batman portrayed in the Dark Knight trilogy which surely must mean that the Dark Knight trilogy is it's own thing. Batman will need a new actor to play him. If they hire George Clooney though I ain't gonna be too pleased! Personally, I'm not sure who should play him but what I am sure of is Zach Snyder will make his choice very carefully indeed.

Another Easter Egg in Man of Steel that many people noticed was a "Lexcorp" truck, again found in Superman and Zod's final showdown. Will he be in Man of Steel 2? Will Kryptonite be in the mix as well? I would like to think so as Kryptonite will inevitably pop up sooner or later. As for Lex, he is a business man like Bruce Wayne, could this see Batman possibly team up with Lex Luthor in an effort to bring down Superman? I could see that happening. Why? Because at the end of Man of Steel, one of the army Generals that Superman helped still questioned Superman's allegiances. Could the rest of Metropolis and the Earth think the same?

Lex Luthor, Superman's arch nemesis

Speaking of Metropolis, it gets annihilated. This must mean the death's of thousands and billions of dollars would be needed to repair all of the catastrophic damages. Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor are both fairly wealthy, could this be the reason they decided to team up, to rebuild the city?

Ultimately, I have no idea what is going to happen but at last we have a DC cinematic universe to compete alongside Marvel's. Hopefully, Batman and Superman could end the film as friends and Man of Steel 3 could see the addition of Wonderwoman to complete the Justice League Trinity. That movie could also see a cool Riddler as the villain (not Jim Carrey in tights) and then after that we could see a Justice League movie at last!

The 3 figurehead heroes of the Justice League

Those are just random thoughts of mine though. So, Man of Steel 2 is either gonna fail or be an unrivalled success! What do you guys think? What do you also hope for in this DC cinematic universe? Please comment and share your opinions..

Thanks for reading, any constructive criticism is also welcome.
Thanks again,
Matt