My Top 10 Movies of 2013 - Preliminary List

As promised, I wouldn't end the year without a list of my top 10 movies of this year. Before I begin I have 2 things I want to disclaim. One, there are a lot of movies that won't make this list because I haven't actually had chance to see them. I will be seeing these 2013 releases in early 2014 and hopefully some of them can make my final list come Oscar build-up season. Two, my list will be different to yours. Please respect my choices as I would for yours. Thank you, let's begin...


10) Elysium - Neil Blomkamp's Elysium slots in at number 10 on my list as this Summer movie was not only exciting, but brimming with his passion. Amalgamating enjoyable sci-fi aspects with relevant social commentary, Elysium was a fun and thought-provoking time in the movie theatre.


9) Captain Phillips - Tom Hank's amazing performance in which he disappears into the role of the man Richard Phillips coupled with Paul Greengrass's confident direction that created a claustrophobic and isolated atmosphere of tension in a thriller which impressed me a fair bit.


8) Saving Mr Banks - Tom Hanks creeps on to my list again but really this movie is all about Emma Thompson, who puts in an award worthy performance as P.L Travers. Saving Mr Banks has stuck with me since the day I saw it and I really liked it because it mixed some very happy feel-good moments with realistic emotional tones, creating a varied emotional viewing experience.


7) Prisoners - This movie about child abduction gave me a chilling feeling inside of me, which is credit to Roger Deakin's perfect cinematography and performances by Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal that were hypnotisingly brilliant. This compelling movie is being overlooked by various "award giving" associations.


6) Star Trek Into Darkness - JJ Abram's sequel to the 2009 Star Trek movie gave Star Trek fanatics what they wanted. Not a "Trekkie" myself, I really enjoyed this summer blockbuster due to the dynamic relationship between Kirk and Spok and Benedict Cumberbatch's mesmerising and authorative performances as the villain.


5) Man of Steel - A dividing movie among the fans, I loved this movie. Not only was it nice to see Superman use his whole palette of abilities, but it was also gratifying to see him throw down with a villain destroying everything in their path. Plus, Hans Zimmer's score is the best of the year.


4) The Place Beyond the Pines - A movie split into 3 parts, The Place Beyond the Pines is a drama with it's own unique handle on story telling, some epic cinematography that brings the pine forest to life plus some compelling performances from a very talented cast. This drama sucked me into it's world and I was thoroughly invested in the story and characters throughout.


3) The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - This is what I wanted to see from a Hobbit movie. The second part of this trilogy saw it's excitement never stop throughout. I was constantly entertained through all the dangerous scenarios our characters found themselves in, plus while watching I felt exactly the same as I did when watching Lord of the Rings for the first time. Now that ain't nothing.


2) Gravity - Combining the best visual effects I have ever seen with cinematography that made me feel out their in space with the characters, Gravity was a non-stop 90 minute nail-biter in which I ended up clenching my fists hoping Sandra Bullock would make her way out of this impossible scenario more times than I can recall. It's cool to hate on Gravity, but it's visually breath-taking and heart-poundingly thrilling for it's entirety. 


1) Rush - Thanks Ron Howard! Not only did you surpass all of my expectations, you created a movie in which F1's tradition was respected by creating an atmosphere of risk and danger. I could go on for days about my love for this movie. For now, let's just say I had the highest expectations for Rush compared to any other movie I saw this year and still left the theatre with the most satisfaction. I love Rush, it's going to take something special to beat it in the final Top 10 list.


So there you are. Granted this list could change with a lot of movies on my list still to see. The Wolf of Wall Street, American Hustle, Inside Llewyn Davis, Her and Dallas Buyers Club are the main ones to look out for in the coming moths and hopefully some of them can make the final list when I make it. I'm looking forward to that list; there'll be honourable mentions, pictures and all!

Thanks for reading as usual. Happy New Year to all of you reading this and here's to another year of great movies in 2014!

Thanks again,
Matt

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Movie Review

The year is nearly up and it has been a great year for movies. Before my review, I have a quick announcement to make. For those of you that read my posts, firstly thank you very much, and secondly my top 10 movies of the year list is coming very soon. However, once that list has been posted, I will be seeing other 2013 releases in the early months of 2014. This means that you will get 2 lists; my current top 10 plus an updated version once I've seen more movies. And now for my review...

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is directed by Ben Stiller plus stars him in the title role. Stiller is joined by Kristen Wiig, Adam Scott and Sean Penn in this American remake that was built to be the must-see Christmas release. However, I am sad to inform that Walter Mitty is a disappointing plus and underwhelming film.

The movie follows Walter Mitty, a man living a dull life of unfulfillment and routine working for Life magazine, who constantly zones out from reality and envisages scenarios within his own imagination. However, when he loses a photograph for the magazine's final cover, he embarks on a journey to find the photographer who took it and the photo itself.

I'm sure movie goers have seen the 5 minute trailer before going to see other movies within the past few weeks. If truth be told, if you've seen the trailer you have seen the bulk of the movie. The people in charge of marketing really did contribute to my underwhelming viewing experience.

I was initially very excited to see how Ben Stiller was progressing in his career with his latest project, however I walked out of Walter Mitty feeling that this movie could have been great had it been handled by a director and screenwriters with more experience.

While Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig do good jobs with their performances, it is the movie's screenplay that is it's ultimate downfall. The plot, while potentially interesting, delves into the monotone life of Walter Mitty with every single Hollywood cliché imaginable. There were a fair few times during my viewing of this movie where I said to myself "this is going to happen next", and it did every single time.

Some of the story elements either are unnecessary or don't really make much sense. For example, Walter will have exchanges with certain characters that pop up for a scene or two that make no physical sense whatsoever or just fade away into insignificance.

While the movie does pick up when he goes on his actual adventure, the movie's script continuously brings this movie down. At times it is filled to the brim with goofy dialogue that sends you to sleep or attempts to be funny with some incredibly uncomfortable results. Other characters are either under-used or incredibly misused. The most obvious example I can give is Adam Scott's character. Instead of playing an interesting man, he plays the most over-the-top, cliché dick-head boss who's uninteresting and uncomfortable to watch. It isn't the actor's fault, it's down to the poor writing.

Also, there is a story arc going on involving Walter and a guy called Todd form E-harmony. I wasn't really a fan of it because it seemed to me like a forced plot element that was a quick solution to speed things up a bit. To be honest, a guy from E-harmony calling you at different points during the day doesn't make sense!

What I must say is that it is a good looking movie. If Ben Stiller could bring in better writers, he can flourish as a director even more. Walter Mitty makes use of some brilliant scenic shots that really do bring to life the environments of countries like Greenland and Iceland that Walter visits. Also, even some of the shots where Walter is in New York were impressive to me because they were positioned cleverly and each shot you could tell was carefully crafted.

Some of the stuff Walter imagines makes use of some interesting and imaginative imagery. While cool to look at, the scenarios aren't tense or exciting at all as you know that no harm can happen to him as it's all in his head.

But once again Walter Mitty failed to inspire me because it tried to beat it's audience over the head with an obvious subliminal message. I get it! Leave you routine behind and do what you want to do in life!! Sheesh...

You could tell that Walter Mitty was a bit of a passion project for Stiller, but for me it misfired:


Rating - C-


1 sentence summary - While visually pleasing, a predictable and cliché-ridden plot and lazy writing harm this imaginative tale!


I'm sad because I really did want to like this one. Thank you for reading and also thanks for reading my "top 10 lists" disclaimer at the top. I hope that clears a few things up.

Thanks again,
Matt

Out of the Furnace Movie Review

This movie is probably worth seeing for the cast alone to be honest. However, there is more to Scott Cooper's drama than that....

Out of the Furnace is directed by Scott Cooper and tells the story of a man named Russell Baze. Baze works in a steel mill and is very much down in his luck. Practically everything  in his life that could go wrong does go wrong for him in Out of the Furnace; he is part of a car accident which puts him in jail, he loses his girlfriend plus misses his father's funeral while serving jail time. On top of all that, he has to deal with his younger brother Rodney who winds himself into trouble with a drug lord.

This movie does have some excellent things going for it but overall Out of the Furnace just didn't entirely click with me.

However, the acting and the performances are all fantastic from an all star cast. Christian Bale excels as the lead character Russell, a damaged steel-mill worker who experiences a lot of misfortune. As usual, Bale's committed performance sells the character allowing us audience members to route for the guy.

Zoe Saldana, Willem Dafoe and Forest Whitaker all put in great performances, further proving that the talent is spread across the entire cast.

Casey Affleck is also terrific in the movie as Russell's brother Rodney. Affleck contributes to the movie by playing brilliantly an Iraq War veteran attempting to adjust to normal life after the traumatic things he's experienced. Out of the Furnace also does a good job at showing just how damaging life can be, especially for returning war vets.

Woody Harrelson is great as the villain. He is intimidating and has such an evil screen presence about him. The acting from him is great. However, his character is also a little bit on the over dramatic side, he was a bit cartoony.

As said before the acting is absolutely amazing. For me Out of the Furnace isn't as good as it could be due to a few issues with the screenplay. While the actual dialogue is good, the script tries to be more metaphorically heavy-handed than it deserves to be.

Also, there are a few scenes in the movie that do feel a little out of place. The final shot of the movie didn't really make sense in that they didn't fit with the tone of the movie's thrilling final act. Also, the very first scene was also unnecessary in that the only reason it was put in was to illustrate just how evil Woody Harrelson's character is. The plot explains that and that particular scene isn't needed at all.

I also had a few issues with the movie's pacing. The build up his very patient and as a result, slow. If they had trimmed the movie by say 15 minutes I probably wouldn't have a problem with Out of the Furnace's length.

The directing from Scott Cooper's is patient and works well with the quiet and dramatic tone of the movie. Camera placement is very carefully done and Cooper and the technical team behind him do brilliantly at making Out of the Furnace a good looking movie.

To summarise it is a bit of a mixed bag. The acting and directing is good from all the talent involve but other problems with pacing and the writing mean that as a drama Out of the Furnace just doesn't really work for me. It isn't a bad movie though:


Rating - C+


1 sentence summary - A human drama that doesn't quite work on all levels, despite some excellent acting performances!


Can't wait to see how Christian Bale does in American Hustle, one of my most anticipated movies at the moment.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Movie Review

One of my most anticipated films of the entire year came out 9 days ago and I can't believe it has taken me this long to see it. The waiting is over, my review imminent...

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug is the sequel to last years' Hobbit movie that was the first in a trilogy based on the famous fantasy writings of J.R.R Tolkien. Bilbo, Gandalf and the Dwarves are
currently being pursued by a band of orcs, are nearing the Lonely Mountain of Erebor in a quest to reclaim the lost Dwarven kingdom from the evil dragon Smaug. Meanwhile, the wizard Gandalf senses a growing threat in the shadows ready to return and bring war to Middle Earth.

It is no secret that there are people out there who have problems with the Hobbit story being split up into 3 books but to be honest, if they're as entertaining as this I don't care! The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey was vastly entertaining but its many flaws would have been made worse if it hadn't brought audiences back into the fictional wonderland of Middle Earth as well as it did. The Desolation of Smaug has no such luxury, but is a huge improvement from the first movie and is one of the best films
I've seen all year.

The Lord of the Rings was so impactful and enjoyable as you felt as if you were going on the journey with these characters and the Desolation of Smaug does something very similar. The entertainment in this movie hardly ever stops and is a middle part of a trilogy that left me satisfied with what I got as well as wanting a lot more.

The Desolation of Smaug is a cracking good adventure movie with thrills and entertainment throughout, mainly due to some exhilarating and excellently choreographed action/adventure sequences. The movie captures an essence of fun among the story through these scenes.

The entertainment continues throughout; whether it's Bilbo freeing the Dwarves from a nest of Mirkwood spiders, a barrel ride sequence down a river while under attack from orcs or whether
it's the climatic showdown with Smaug at the end in the royal caverns of Erebor. All of these scenes are well shot and well choreographed and were thoroughly entertaining to behold.

Yet again, Peter Jackson's passionate direction is able to transport us into this lush and jam-packed world of lore and mythology through some jaw-dropping scenery captured beautifully with his signature cinematography which is just masterful.

Some of the CGI elements in the movie are obviously CGI and one of my problems with the first Hobbit was that the CGI didn't feel polished off enough. However, any problem I had with CGI before the last 40 minutes of the film was simply washed away by Smaug the dragon, voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch. Not only did he look phenomenal, but Cumberbatch's menacing voice and convincing motion-capture work brought this enormous dragon to life. The scene where Smaug and Bilbo are bantering back and forth is, as expected, one of the most memorable of the entire film.

Martin Freeman as Bilbo completely knocks it out of the park again playing the likeable and now brave protagonist. He is definitely a more relatable lead than Frodo was in the Lord of the Rings and Freeman brings the beloved Hobbit to life with a funny and charming performance. Currently in the possession of the One Ring, in this movie Bilbo is given more depth to his character when you see the toll the seductive and corrupting Ring is having on him.

Ian Mckellen again owns it as the wizard Gandalf and through his sub-plot we are reminded just why Gandalf is such a badass! A secret evil is quietly growing in Middle Earth and it is up to Gandalf to discover just what that evil is. While I have an issue with Middle Earth continuity I still liked those scenes because I like it when the world of Middle Earth is stitched together.

The Desolation of Smaug also sees the introduction of some new and returning characters, most notably Evangeline Lilley's character Tauriel and Orlando Bloom's Legolas, both wood elves of Mirkwood. Honestly, it doesn't bother me that these characters weren't in the book as long as they contribute to the story. Both characters do contribute, plus Legolas proves during the barrel ride sequence just how awesome of a warrior he is!

Some complaints I have with the movie involve a subplot in it that involves Tauriel and some form of love triangle between her, Legolas and one of the Dwarves. To me it just doesn't need to be there.

Also, I really did miss the "Misty Mountain" song from An Unexpected Journey. Howard Shore's score remains captivating as always but I would be lying if I said I didn't miss one of the strongest points of the previous instalment.

The Desolation of Smaug succeeds as a middle movie of a trilogy and made me feel like I was on an adventure with these characters at all times. The entertainment never stops, and is a definite improvement to the first one:


Rating - A


1 sentence summary - A fantastic fantasy adventure which satisfies your needs but leaves you wanting more!


I have to wait whole year for There and Back Again? AAAAAHHHHHH!!!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Don Jon Movie Review

Finally.

If you couldn't already tell, I have been waiting to see Don Jon for months now. At last my waiting has ended and I can finally give you my review.

Don Jon is written and directed by young talent Joseph Gordon-Levitt plus stars him in the lead role as Jon Martello. Nicknamed "Don Jon" by his over-the-top and cartoonish friends for his ability to pull attractive women at bars every single week, Jon is a handsome and an attractive guy who objectifies everything in his life. However, he kind of has an addiction to pornography leading to difficulties and unrealistic expectations from relationships. Jon starts to date Scarlett Johansson's character Barbara and his porn addiction becomes a problem for himself and his relationship. While Don Jon has it's flaws, it is still a confident, flashy and off-beat romantic comedy with some good social commentary in there.

Don Jon is at it's most effective through it's writing. The script and the dialogue that comes from it are masterfully and realistically crafted by Gordon-Levitt. Taking both sides of the argument into account, a lot of the things the characters said I sat there nodding along agreeing with it, which is testament to how real the dialogue is.

While it could have become just a romantic comedy with a potentially different twist, Don Jon excels further through it's social commentary. It just has so much to say about how men develop these unrealistic expectations about sex through pornographic videos plus how women develop unrealistic expectations about relationships through watching romantic movies. Both of them are the same despite pornography having a more graphic nature. Relationships and sex are both 2 way things and Don Jon explores that well.

The acting is good across the board and pretty much everybody does a sound job with the performances. Gordon-Levitt plays the likeable Jon with confidence, Johansson does a great job with her realistic take on a strong-willed New Jersey women plus Julianne Moore and Tony Danza do good jobs playing the emotionally-damaged Esther and Jon's traditional father respectively.

While at times the story can seem a little repetitive due to Jon's objective and articulate nature, the primarily same-old scenes begin to show you the bigger picture of Jon's pornography addiction plus the toll it takes on his life at various points. This does come across as an obvious method of story-telling but that doesn't effect you for long as Don Jon soon directs you towards the path of thinking about the stuff it's trying to tell you.

Jon's friends, as mentioned previously, are weak links within the story as they don't seem to fit with the realistic tone Don Jon set out at the start. Also, the character of Jon's sister probably doesn't even need to be in the movie at all.

The 90 minute movie sees Jon's sister say absolutely nothing throughout save one line towards the end. The line of dialogue she does say is important to the story but when she does say her point it is already apparently obvious. She was either under-used or didn't need to be there most of the time.

90 minutes was also very short and the ending is probably the weakest part of the entire story due to it's rushed and slightly inconclusive nature. Other than that the movie's editing is top notch.

For a first directorial effort Don Jon is a top notch effort from Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Some charged up song choices and top notch, quick-cut editing just goes to show the flair and confidence Gordon Levitt has in his own abilities. Also impressive was the camera detail and placement, which allowed the filmmakers to show pornographic clips without the pornographic content.

Overall, Don Jon isn't as great as I thought it would be and some minor problems with it's story and characters did throw me off a little bit. However as a first attempt Don Jon is top notch, moulding in some clever and balanced social commentary with sharp and funny writing, quick editing and camera work.

Don Jon has a few floors, but is a smart romantic comedy that I really enjoyed:


Rating - B+


1 sentence summary - A cleverly written, edited and shot romantic comedy that's a lot smarter than you think!


I hate romantic comedies, and the way Don Jon poked fun at them was incredibly satisfying for me personally. Solid movie, worth a watch.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues Movie Review

It has taken 9 years for the next chapter of the incredible legend of Ron Burgundy to grace our lives. But in 2013, we finally got it. Here's my review for Anchorman 2...

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is the sequel to the 2004 comedy Anchorman, which is one of the best comedies of the last 10 years in my opinion. I think the reasons why the original Anchorman is so good is because the comedy in it is so absurdly strange plus has some of the most memorable and fasntastic lines that you can quote on a daily basis.

This next instalment in the legend of Ron Burgundy is directed by Adam McKay and sees most of the stars from the original Anchorman return, including David Koechner, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and of course Will Ferrell. Anchorman 2 sees the news team, now gone their separate ways, reunite to join a 24 hour news station, which at the time seems like a stupid idea to them, but of course we modern viewers no, it isn't and it works perfectly.

Again this is a movie in which I had a fairly conflicting experience watching it. As comedy sequels go, Anchorman 2 is a great comedy. The first two thirds of the movie follow the Anchorman tradition, with some absolutely golden improvised comedy pieces and some ludicrously quotable dialogue from all the cast. I did like the movie, but trust me when I say the final 30 minutes nearly killed the entire experience for me.

Anchorman 2 has a 2 hour runtime which for a comedy just isn't necessary. If the film editors had chopped off 20 minutes of that stupid final act and resolved it from that I would had enjoyed my experience more than I did.

The final 30 minutes of this movie just isn't Anchorman. Yep, you heard me. The stuff that goes on in this final act is ridiculous, incomprehensible and random FOR AN ANCHORMAN MOVIE. It is just such a mess to me. Some of the scenes don't work at all, they aren't funny. They're completely random and don't work with the tone that the movie set out from the start.

The runtime did bother me but only because the final act was so painful to watch. Honestly, the first 2 acts of this movie were really good. In fact, if they weren't as good as they were I would have seriously disliked this movie more.

Glad I got that off my chest! As a whole I really did like the movie and there are numerous reasons why.

When the comedy hits it hits home. Some times the laughs can be inconsistent but believe me when I say when the comedy gets itself right in Anchorman 2 it is truly histerical.

In all fairness I did actually enjoy the entire plot of the movie. At times in comedies it can be difficult to recollect everything that was going on yet I had no such problem in Anchorman 2. I actually really liked the story of how the news changed from reporting actual stories to showing car chases and stories about little animals. It was no longer about actual news but about TV ratings and I really liked seeing that. The movie had a lot more satire in it than I was first expecting.

Will Ferrell, as you would expect, resumes the character of Ron Burgundy with to perfection. The character of Ron Burgundy is the best character he has ever played and is pretty much at the centre of a lot of the laughs in Anchorman 2. Some of the things that came out of his mouth left me howling with laughter. However it is with another character where the show is completely stolen.

That is Steve Carell's Brick. Every time Brick does something, says something, is on the screen, I was either gently chuckling to myself or crying with laughter struggling to stay on my seat. There was one thing he said in particular, which I won't spoil, where I literally felt tears flowing out of my eyes down my face.

The strength of Anchorman 2 is with it's characters and it can be hysterical when it really hits home. However, a few times where the comedy really failed and a final act which nearly ruined the whole movie for me, I was pleasantly surprised by how good Anchorman 2 was. I was expecting a B-rate pile of crap but I got a good comedy as far as comedy sequels go.

The producers had nine years to come up with a sequel to this and thankfully they did take their time with it. I did like Anchorman 2, my rating to follow:


Rating - B-


1 sentence summary - A comedy sequel that is brilliantly hilarious when the comedy works, but nearly undoes itself through a stupid final third!


Thanks for reading, and stay classy.
Matt

Frozen Movie Review

Nothing like a bit of Disney to put you in a festive mood. Here is my review of the new animated Disney musical film Frozen...

Frozen is directed by Chris Buck and stars the voice talents of Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel. With Frozen, Disney returns back to its roots with a musical movie which follows the story of 2 sisters, Anna and Elsa, who both happen to be princesses. One of the sisters Elsa is cursed with the powers of ice and is able to generate frost and snow at her command. However, when her powers are exposed at her coronation in front of the entire kingdom, it is up to Anna to find her sister and stop the eternal winter that covers the land.

Now 2013 has been ok for animations. Monsters University is my current favourite plus movies such as Epic, Turbo and The Croods (movies I haven't reviewed) would all earn C, C+ and B- grades respectively. As for Frozen, it is one of the best animated movies I've seen all year.

Disney proved last year with smash-hit Wreck-it Ralph that they still got it when it comes to creating likeable characters and having a good handle on story-telling. Frozen, as mentioned previously, is a return to musical animations for Disney and I'm glad they made that choice because I enjoyed Frozen a fair amount.

Being a kid's movie, it ultimately does suffer from the "animation syndrome". Frozen is probably the absolute perfect film for children but as a (fairly) grown-up viewer I have to mention the things that did bother me. An animation has to have fantastic characters and an unpredictable plot for it to impress me. Frozen, as you would expect, does suffer from having predictable plot twists and a story that sees characters follow every single cliché in the book, plus character development and relationships that feel rushed beyond belief.

I can't help but notice these things but they do take me out of the film when I do notice them, which in Frozen was quite a lot. But I knew this going in, so I wasn't too disappointed when it did happen. However when I started to block out those things I had a great time with Frozen.

Frozen utilises some excellent, distinctive voice talents and places them in some really good characters. I really liked both Anna (Bell) and Else (Menzel), plus I thought their relationship and their dynamic was handled very well indeed. There are a few other characters who are pretty cool but trust me when I say none of them compare to the scene-stealer; the snowman Olaf.

When watching the trailers I thought that he was going to be cheesy and incessantly irritating. I was fortunately proved wrong. Olaf had such a great screen presence and every time I saw him I smiled, just because he was so light-hearted and so funny, much like the tone of the entire movie.

Admittedly, Frozen does have very basic dialogue when 2 people are simply talking but it does showcase some great writing through the musical numbers. The songs are well sung, plus are actually pretty entertaining because some actual heart went into writing them.

As for the visual look of Frozen, this is the 21st Century and animation nowadays should always be gorgeous. And gorgeous Frozen is. The colours, particularly blue and white, are so colourful and so vibrant that they leap out at you on screen. Voice synchronisation and character actions are both seamless and flow beautifully well with the fast-paced plot of the movie. Also, when Elsa generates the ice from her hands creating the ice bolts, that was awesome!

To summarise, I have to say that Frozen is the best animation of the year. That being said, kids will adore this film to pieces and adults will enjoy it to. It's a real win-win situation:


Rating - B+


1 sentence summary - A movie that kids will love to bits, with some beautiful animation and some fantastic characters.


Feeling Christmassy yet? You should be!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Nebraska Movie Review

The AFI have released their official top 10 movie list of the year, and Alexander Payne's Nebraska is on that list. Here's my take on it...

Nebraska is directed by Alexander Payne and stars Bruce Dern and Will Forte. The film follows a character called Woody Grant (Dern), a damaged, delusional old man who believes he has won a million dollars from an online competition. His son David (Forte) agrees to drive him from Montana to Lincoln Nebraska so Woody can collect his winnings, despite David knowing his father has been scammed.

I had heard some good buzz surrounding Nebraska and I was hoping that this could be one of the better movies to come out in recent months. With Nebraska my experience was quite a weird one. For two thirds of this film I was sat there not knowing what to think about it. Fortunately, during the last third of the movie I finally understood what it was all about, and thus had a decent time with it.

Ultimately this film is not for all audiences. Some people would probably leave this movie because they could find all the scenes to be a little boring and to some extent, pointless. At times, the patience and tranquillity of Nebraska did bore before getting to the final third of the film. But when that light bulb finally went off in my head, I started to appreciate it.

As said previously, some of the scenes where characters are simply talking are quite dull. But, if you realise that those scenes are only put there to flesh-out and develop our understanding of the characters, you finally understand that those scenes all contribute to the films underlying message and the greater picture it's trying to show.

Alexander Payne does have good movies in his filmography and the key strength in them is usually the script. However, for Nebraska he did not write it. For me this wasn't an issue because I thought Nebraska's writing was actually it's strongest feature.

Nebraska excels at creating characters who feel like real people (characters who you can easily relate to) and the basis of that is a clever script that balances drama and comedy with a huge sense of reality.

Bruce Dern absolutely knocks it out of the park playing Woody Grant. As his character develops and shows his layers during this movie's natural progression, we finally understand why Woody does the things he does. At first you can't relate to him at all, but events unfold where by the movie's conclusion he is a changed man, and a relatable one.

I thought that his back and forth with his son, played by Will Forte, was also very realistically handled even if the old man really doesn't say much. As for Forte, he does a fine job in his quiet and emotionally connectable role.

The rest of the supporting cast never really steal the show and Bob Odenkirk does an ok job. But sometimes I couldn't help but think to myself "Better call Saul" every time he did that signature look of his. I watch too much Breaking Bad...

The movie does suffer with a fair few pacing issues in that I thought that the movie did take a very long time to wrap up. It also did slow down in the middle for about 20 minutes. Nebraska could have been better if it had a chunk of time chopped of the final cut.

As for the movie's visual style I have absolutely no complaints. The entire movie is shot in black, white and shades of grey which could come across as unnecessary, but trust me it isn't. The visual look just makes the movie feel old and secluded, much like the character of Woody Grant. The soundtrack is also relevant to the settings the characters find themselves in, plus has some real good things going for it behind the camera. Camera placement is precise and the shots builds themselves up patiently.

That's what Nebraska is, a patient story which is unique to anything else I've seen in 2013. Despite it's flaws it still left a reasonable impression on me, even if I'm not going to remember most of the scenes in it:


Rating - B


1 sentence summary - A quiet, patient and unique story with a great visual style, despite some issues with pacing and scene progression!


Best Picture nomination? Maybe. Best Picture Winner? Not a chance!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Saving Mr Banks Movie Review

Heed me words, this movie is getting nominated...

Saving Mr Banks is the almost certain Oscar contender directed by John Lee Hancock and starring Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell and a whole host of other talented actors/actresses. The film follows the creation of Disney's classic movie Mary Poppins, based on the work of author P.L.Travers. The story arcs beautifully into the young life of this famous author plus shows us the influences in her life that she put into her classic book, and also the 1964 feature length film.

Before walking into the theatre I had heard great things about Saving Mr Banks, mainly due to the performances the main actors give. Sometimes I feel it necessary just to walk into a movie theatre and block out all the hype I hear about certain films and just judge it based on what I see. What I saw from Saving Mr Banks was a great movie, which balanced feel-good moments with some touching emotional tones.

The Academy is going to flat out love this movie, and for good reason. The performances given in this movie are so intricate yet beautiful, making it that little bit easier to seriously connect with the story and the characters.

Ultimately, this is Emma Thompson's movie. She plays famous author P.L.Travers in a way where she does come across as a bit of a bitch, but a likeable bitch! A tight, engaging and funny script allows her to deliver some well timed comedic moments, but it is during the emotional scenes where her acting ability is required where she shines. And shine she does. A nomination will be coming her way very shortly indeed, I'm positive.

Tom Hanks is great as Walt Disney because he captures everything we have come to know about the eccentric and imaginative man who created the world's most famous film making coorporations. However, he is not the best male performer, despite being really good.

That accolade goes to Colin Farrell. I didn't rate him much as an actor before this but my word does he deliver a fantastic performance in this movie. This guy steals every single scene he was in. Every time he was on screen I was so engaged in every single word that came out of his mouth.

Admittedly, it is Emma Thompson's movie and a lot does hinge on her performance. Thankfully John Lee Hancock's good direction and some masterful script writing help her succeed.

Her character develops very nicely as the movie progresses leading to a changed person during the last few scenes. A selection of well-timed flashbacks provide a lot of the development that happens and all of the events that made her the person she is, plus the things that influenced her writing. By the end of the movie, you come to realise just how important Mary Poppins (and Mr Banks) are to her.

At times the movie does become a little bit too heavy handed but thankfully it doesn't for long as some beautifully edited and shot scenes allow your emotional dominoes to fall. Trust me, there was a knot in my throat at many points during Saving Mr Banks. Either you'll cry, or you'll want to!

Most of these emotional scenes do work and often hit home. However, a lot of the time I did feel really happy while watching Saving Mr Banks. When a movie can pull of both ends of the emotional spectrum well that is never a bad thing. Saving Mr Banks offers up some clever subtle comedy as well to keep you entertained throughout.

It was really cool to see all the details that led up to Mary Poppin's creation, but at times the elements were either forced or predictable. More than a few times did I notice something and then make a mental note to remember that for something inevitably about that later on in the film. Unfortuanetely, this did detract from my experience.

Overall, Saving Mr Banks delivers well with it's emotional tones and is pioneered by some really mature, well handled performances and had some really cool, three-dimensional characters.

I loved my time watching Saving Mr Banks. I would rate it like this:


Rating - A-


1 sentence summary - A well toned movie with a well developed story, but is ultimately led by some stand out performances.

Best picture winner? We may have a dark horse.

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Gal Gadot will be Wonder Woman in the Man of Steel Sequel (2015)

Its is admittedly a few days old, but I wanted some time to think about this new piece of news concerning the Man of Steel sequel, and the future of Warner Brother's DC adventure into the Justice League movie. Hopefully, this is short but sweet...

Warner Brothers recently announced that Wonder Woman will be appearing in the 2015 Man of Steel sequel, which further adds on to the returning Henry Cavill as Superman and Ben Affleck as Batman, forming our superhero ensemble.

Naturally, I have my own opinion on this news so lets delve straight in...

Gal Gadot playing Wonder Woman does not bother me at all. All I am concerned with in terms of her is whether or not she can put in a good performance. Hopefully the script can be well handled enough so that she can play the head strong powerhouse that is Wonder Woman in a way where audience members can care about her and comic book buffs won't be disappointed.

It is well known in the movie industry that actors/actresses can change their bodies on a regular basis determined by the roles they are preparing for. The most drastic, and obvious, example is Christian Bale. Transforming from his dangerously skinny character from the Machinist into the big, bulky Bruce Wayne for Batman Begins shows that with enough determination and commitment, it can be done.

I have no qualms over Gal Gadot in terms of this area. It really is awful that we should judge actors/actresses by their physical appearance for the roles they'll play, but that is the harsh reality of it. Naturally she is a skinny person and will have to bulk up a fair bit to nail down the physical aspect of her much-loved character.

It isn't the casting choice that worries me, rather the casting itself!

Having Wonder Woman in this movie solidifies the fact that DC really want to get this Justice League movie out, and get it out as soon as they can. As a fan of comic book movies and a fan of good movies all together, for heaven's sake do not rush! The source material must be treated with care and if these 2 movies are put out before any real refining is done there could be a lot of trouble!

I have my own opinions on how the movie should be and I pray with all my heart that it is an excellent, memorable summer movie. But, currently I am slightly worried for DC and Warner Brothers. If they're getting these movies out quickly they'll inevitably send out a vibe of "desperation".

The guys at Disney and Marvel have their cinematic universe all planned out plus Iron Man 3, Thor: The Dark World and The Avengers all made a stupid amount of money at the international box office. They're going along brilliantly.

DC, please take your time!!

However, if Wonder Woman must be in this movie then I would rather they handled it this way. Personally, I'm not really that interested in having a sole Wonder Woman movie. Yes I think that she is a complex and an interesting character who could do it, but I'm not that bothered to be honest.

If Wonder Woman must be put it, put her in it enough so that we can care about her without it becoming the Wonder Woman show. If she isn't in it enough, this'll all seem pointless! If it was my choice, I would have her in a "Black Widow/Iron Man 2" situation. That's probably not a good film to draw a comparison with, but I do want a similar situation with Wonder Woman. It could be that she is slightly involved with the Batman vs. Superman thing, but comes more to the forefront in future movies, which will 99% likely be the Justice League movie.

I hope DC handles this well, and the only way they can is to listen to the fans, respect the source material, take their time and produce a good script where our favourite comic book heroes can shine.

And yet again we have another reason to look forward to this movie and the 2015 year for movies in general. Hopefully we get a Lex Luthor announcement some time soon!


Thanks for reading,
Matt

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Movie Review

I honestly did not care whether or not I saw the second instalment of the Hunger Games franchise, based off the beloved books by Suzanne Collins, mainly due to the first movie not really grasping my interest that much. But, would Catching Fire accomplish what the first Hunger Games movie could not? Here's my review...

The Hunger Games Catching Fire sees the Hunger Games story continue after Katniss Everdeen's triumph in the 74th annual Hunger Games, an event ran by the corrupt and evil empire which sees children fight to the death against each other in a battle arena. This movie sees her and last year's other winner Peeta Mellark placed in a similar situation, where they'll have to fight in another Hunger Games. Only this time, they'll face off against former champions.

Immediately, it becomes clear that the stakes have been raised like all sequels should aspire to do. Thankfully, I can report to you that Catching Fire is an improvement from the first movie, and part of that is down to a change in direction.

One of the biggest issues I had with the first Hunger Games was the nauseating annoyance of the shaky camera work, probably the biggest contributor to my problems with that movie. Francis Lawrence, the director of I am Legend, integrates a much more steady, scenic style of directing and brings this fictional world to life through his work.

The film's visual effects are completely overshadowed by the beauty of natural landscaping shots that ooze style and set you off on an adventure with these characters.

But, a good director does not make a film and a good cast of talented actors/actresses are needed for that emotional connection we viewers crave so much with the characters. Jennifer Lawrence ultimately is the star of the show through her pioneering performance as the brave and head-strong Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist suffering from a personal conflict due to events in the previous film. Her character has depth and her talent that gained her a Best Actress Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook isn't on full display here and nor does it need to be. However, this movie does highlight that she can be connectable to audience members as well as convey the whole spectrum of emotion.

Further improvements from Josh Hutcherson as Peeta and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch are also evident, and very much welcome.

Whilst the scenes within the actual Hunger Games event are both well shot and, at times, pulse-poundingly brilliant, the most memorable scenes in the movie occur in the build up to the event. Scenes where Katniss and Peeta are delivering speeches to the people of the various Districts see common people beaten up and killed for performing resistant salutes and gestures towards them. They are brutally swept aside and murdered by members of a secret police-like organisation, working for the President.

Donald Sutherland plays a good role as the evil, brutal and menacing President Snow and does a good job in a year where I've had varying opinions of villains within films so far this year. Phillip Seymour Hoffman also delivers in Catching Fire and I look forward to seeing his character develop over the course of the 2 Mockingjay movies.

My main criticisms of the movie seem to revolve around the plot and the screenplay. Like I said previously, the scenes that stick with you are the ones that involve common people getting beaten up by the secret police. Being both brutal and bloody, they are (with the greatest respect) reminiscent of the Holocaust. However, there are times where the film cuts short on moments like these and just stop right before greatness is being bordered in to.

Some other characters are also poorly written in that whenever they said something, I would burst out laughing at how stupid they sound or at what they are saying.

In terms of the plot, I think the bulk of the story is told well but there are a few things I need to address. There is in the film a love triangle element that I really just didn't get behind at all. In my opinion, it doesn't contribute to the greater picture the movie is trying to show.

The plot does seem to drag on a bit, especially before Katniss and the other previous winners are about to enter the actual Hunger Games itself. But, when it did get that, the movie began to play very well upon the tense and dark atmosphere it had previously created.

Catching Fire is an improvement on the first movie, plus is enjoyable in the fact that I really enjoy movies like this. Give me a good movie about corruption and revolution in a society that's fighting back against it's oppressive and brutal leaders, then I'll be happy. And I did leave Catching Fire happy:


Rating - B


1 sentence summary - An overall improvement, with fresh direction and a strong female lead!


Will definitely be seeing MockingJay Part 1 this time next year. Looking forward to it.

Thanks for reading,
Matt