Captain Phillips Movie Review

This is what I am talking about people! This is what a fall movie should be like, and to Captain Phillips I say well done..

Captain Phillips is directed by Paul Greengrass, the man behind the Bourne Supremacy and Ultimatum, and he pairs with Tom Hanks to deliver us this movie which is based on real life events. In 2009, Captain Phillips and his crew sail from Ohio to deliver goods via the East African coast. However, they encounter difficulties when a group of Somalian pirates board their ship. Captain Phillips then shows the thrilling events which happen afterwards. I have to say, this movie is one of the best of this year.

It's a movie that has such terrific emotional weight yet dishes up thrills throughout!

The first and final acts of this movie are nailbiting to say the least! The tension and drama escalates supremely during the last few scenes of the film and I also believe that it is equally impressive during the first act, when it lays the foundations and introduces us to the characters.

The middle part of the movie however was one that I found to be fairly slow in all honesty. The quality of filming seemed to take a dip during the middle part of the movie and events seemed to be slow and drawn out in my opinion.

Captain Phillips is also a film which can not boast about the spread of talent involving all of its actors. However, it makes the most of what it has got and the main cast all deliver excellence through their performances.

Tom Hanks felt like a real person, to me he WAS Captain Phillips in this movie. I've heard large amounts of praise for his performance and many have stated it to be his best work to date. That is an exceptionally bold statement considering he has 2 Oscar's to his name already, through his work on films such as Forrest Gump and Castaway. For his work in Captain Phillips, he will receive a nomination.

He is consistently good throughout the movie but really shines in one scene in particular towards the very end of the movie. Without spoiling anything, he handles the feeling of "shock" excellently to a point where I almost felt like crying. Hanks is amazing!

As a straight up thriller Captain Phillips works well, even if a 2 hour run time slows the pace down a fair amount. It is also a movie which works well as an emotional experience. You will experience the full spectrum of emotions during Captain Phillips which will emotionally drain you whether you like it or not!

Also, the men who played the pirates were very impressive and shone through their performances. The few lines they did speak in English meant something, plus the dialogue they had written for them via a very good script, was delivered well. I have to say I was impressed by them, imagine being asked on your first movie to do these tense and emotional scenes with such a fantastic actor like Tom Hanks? That must surely be commended...

The movie builds up well and is directed beautifully by Paul Greengrass, who uses the techniques at his disposal to create a thrilling and tense atmosphere throughout. Also, he is very good at using "shaky-cam" action sequences to his advantage. Nowadays, shaky-cam is a severe annoyance and is used horribly in action movies, which at times have given me slight motion sickness! In Captain Phillips, Greengrass uses this technique to enhance the tension and give the viewer that feeling of being out at sea, with the characters, in this sick and horrible situation.

The musical score was at times eerie, at others emotional. This surprised me as well!

Despite a middle act that was not as good as the beginning and end, I thought Captain Phillips was a great movie, and I would rate it like this:


Rating - A-


1 sentence summary - A thriller and an emotional drama, executed well through good direction and some note-worthy performances!


Finally got to see it! I am so glad it didn't let me down!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Bad Grandpa Movie Review

As far as comedies go, 2013 in general has not been the strongest of years in my opinion. Does Bad Grandpa follow this trend, or is it a welcome exception?

 

Bad Grandpa is a comedy movie directed Jeff Tremaine and stars Johnny Knoxville in the lead role, the man behind a minor comedy franchise called Jackass. Bad Grandpa sees Knoxville reprise his popular role of the grandpa, and is tasked with delivering his grandson across the States to his father. Of course, the 2 make many stops along the way and thus ensues a classic prank movie, which was actually a pleasant viewing experience.

Bad Grandpa made a very good call because it was a film which understood what it was. When movies can understand that and make fun of themselves, like Bad Grandpa does at the very start, you have me interested.

As far as the comedy goes you have a mixed bag. It ranges from grotesque to clever with a few pieces of slapstick in between.

The grotesque comedy in Bad Grandpa works because it isn't overly used. I can only recall 2 scenes in the movie where this form of comedy is used. Of course, it is obscenely disgusting but it isn't straight-up and in-your-face like most movies try to do nowadays.

Slapstick comedy in my opinion is a cheap way of gaining laughs. Unfortuanetly, Bad Grandpa over-uses it. Obviously, it has to be in there if it wishes to be a part of the Jackass franchise but if overused, the humour is devalued. At the start it's ok, but from then on I could tell that it would be used over and over again.

However, Bad Grandpa saves itself with another form of humour, that of a more subtle variety. Being a prank movie, there is going to be a whole host of reaction shots from people involved who have no idea that they are partaking in a movie. The reactions are genuine, and as a result hilarious.

It's amazing what we as people will let old people get away with isn't it? That is what I took away from Bad Grandpa.

As for the screenplay, awful. But you knew that already? The story and plot is decidedly weak but Bad Grandpa knows this and plays of that fact excellently.

Knoxville and the child actor both play there roles well. Knoxville goes without saying, but the boy surprised me because he was likeable and not annoying as shit!

I was also surprised at the way the movie was shot due to the various camera angles necessary for a prank movie. It makes the movie feel more real, more legitimate.

Bad Grandpa surprised me, I would give it the following rating:


Rating - B-


1 sentence summary - A movie that knows what it is, and as a result is an entertaining watch!


Have to say I'm in the mood to watch a couple of Jackass sketches at the moment.. Anyway, there's my review. Also, what do you prefer? The longer or shorter movie reviews? Tell me via the comments..

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Breaking Bad T.V Show Review

The reason why movie reviews have been so sparse of late is now obvious to you all. Yes, I watched the entire show of Breaking Bad in just 23 days. I watched the pilot episode the day after the show officially wrapped up and ever since then have been marathoning it and watching it whenever I could. And I have to say I am so glad I did! Breaking Bad offered me some of the best television I have ever seen, and I shall tell you why:

As a television show Breaking Bad works better than any other thing I have ever watched. From minute 1 of episode 1, I was hooked. The rest, as you say, is history!

Breaking Bad is broken up into 5 different seasons; series 1 having a mere 7 episodes, 2,3 and 4 having 13 and the final season 16 episodes (although, it was split into 2 half-series of 8, shown with a year gap in between). As said previously, this show glides seamlessly through the plot with episodes which, although are close together in terms of the show's timeline, all transition brilliantly together. From season to season, the stakes just keep on getting higher! The tone of the show, while still grounded in realism, gradually becomes darker and more tense as the seasons go on.

I am not usually a person who watches a fictional T.V show but after Breaking Bad I might need to! This show changed my perception of having "that" programme to watch. Although, I doubt I'll find one as good as this!

This show is so brilliant because there isn't one episode that steers away from the tone it sets out from the start. It is very much settled in this realistic environment with these realistic characters. The show is also famously exceptional at escalating the tension. Firstly, it allows you to form a connection with each and every character, making you care about them as people, and then puts them all at one point in danger, thus constantly mounting up the tension. Lots of the scenes in Breaking Bad understand that silence is golden! Many of the scenes, which are so well imagined and constructed, tell you the story just by the look of a character or their body language. No other show does it better in my opinion.

As an entire show, I don't think that there is a single weak episode in the show. That is saying something! Not every episode has to be filled with a huge, action climax or an intensely thrilling scene; some episodes can be put there in order to develop the characters within the show. Also, how did any of you watch this show when it was on the television?? The cliff-hangers are so, so, so amazing and are probably the best I have ever seen! How you all managed with them I don't know! Thankfully, Netflix allowed me to click effortlessly on "next episode". Thank God for that!! My favourite parts of the show were the endings of a select few episodes, that just shows you how good they really are..

A lot of the credit has to go to the writers and the directors for the brilliance of this show. Vince Gilligan and everybody else involved with production created such an excellently written script that was so clever, and so engaging. It helped to bring the people on screen alive and without it this show wouldn't be half as good as it is! The dialogue is hypnotisingly  brilliant. Good job guys and girls.. you blew me away..

It is also a show that is so well written that at parts it is genuinely hilarious. The show maybe brilliant at characters, tension and giving you that ability to constantly question yourself about the fate of the characters, but it can also make you laugh your ass off. Again, I cannot emphasize how the clever the show's script really is.

Walter White/Heisenberg is one of the best characters ever created. It was so cool to watch this show and witness the slow and steady decline of Walter White from an over-qualified chemistry teacher to one of the most feared drug lords in the United States. However, no matter what he did you sympathised with him. The ends will justify the means, and you as an audience member route for him all the way. This is all thanks to Bryan Cranston. I probably don't need to say it but I will anyway, for he is one of the best actors in the business. He proves episode-to-episode his expansive talent for acting and his performances are beyond amazing in some episodes. He is just a phenomenal actor.

The next best thing in this show is the character of Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. Jesse is a fantastic character because he is the one who endeavours the most hardship throughout the course of the show, yet still remains his honesty and intergrity. Aaron Paul consistently delivers performances as this character which blew my mind. Literally, man tears were flowing down my face. His emotional range, like Cranston, is outstanding.

Breaking Bad is also a show which can say every actor in it who plays an important character does a phenomenal job. No weak links at all.

Anna Gunn as Skylar does a really good job as her character because she constantly has to change her acting due to her character who almost feels a different emotion in every episode..

RJ Mitte as Walt Jr is also incredible. Betsy Brandt as Marie and Dean Norris as Hank both are also just amazing in this show as well. As for Hank; badass! One of the best parts of this show in my opinion. He is so funny.

Other characters like Todd, Gus Fring, Mike, Saul Goodman, Gomez are all so brilliantly written by the creators and are portrayed with such enthusiasm and precision. I really stand by my statement that Breaking Bad does not have a single weak link in it's cast. Hell, even the baby who plays Holly is fantastic.

The show's screenplay is fantastic and is equally amazing behind the camera. The visual style of this show changes sometimes dependent upon the setting but either way the visual quality of Breaking Bad is just absolutely flawless. It's also amazingly impressive due to it's stylistic use of sound editing. Often, it will transition from a character-development scene to a light-hearted meth cooking scene with loud music blaring in the background. This should feel weird. It doesn't. The sound editing and use of music is so cleverly woven and expertly chosen.

The show has a unique feel about it which is further emphasized by some really clever cinematography. Every single aspect is handled craftily and carefully and produces some astounding results. Some of the camera angles and shots used are so subtle yet so clever. Add that to impeccable visual and audio quality, you have a show which is technically above the rest.

Some of the episodes in this show were so good that when things happened I would literally shout at my television, usually in sheer surprise. That is what is so amazing about Breaking Bad. The writers and directors will give you everything you want yet will still never fail to surprise you! This is Breaking Bad's strongest quality..

Now how would you ruin a show like this? I know, a shit ending.. Oh wait. This is not the case. The final episode of the show gave me all that I wanted plus still surprised me. Every character received the closure they required. The right people died, the right people were left to live.

Walt's last scene with his 2 children and Skylar was better-handled than I ever could have imagined. It was so bitter-sweet to me. Also, his last scene with Jesse was expert in my opinion. The actors told you their entire story together with one simple look. The very last scene of the show will remain with me forever. It sent shivers down my spine and was such a fitting end to what is a phenomenal television programme.

I will talk Breaking Bad spoilers next time for sure as its so hard not to spoil the show when talking about it. I think I'll give my favourite Breaking Bad moments sometime soon. But for now, I would rate the entire show of Breaking Bad (plus the majority of the episodes) like this:


Rating - A+


1 sentence summary - The best television drama ever created!


I'm sad that its over to be honest. Ah well, I'll buy the box sets when they come out!

Something a bit different I guess. I've never talked about a television show before but I must say I enjoyed myself. Who knows? I could do more in the future.

Thanks for reading, whoever you are.
Matt

Escape Plan Movie Review

2 reviews in 2 days. Makes up for lost time I hope? Never mind, here is my review for Escape Plan..

Escape Plan, formally known as The Tomb, is directed by Mikael Håfström and stars 1980s action legends Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Stallone's character purposefully gets himself put in various prisons in the United States, and finds their weaknesses by escaping from them. Without spoiling much, he ends up in a super-secret prison and befriends Arnold Schwarzenegger's character, and forms a plan to escape.

Now if you were to just read the paragraph above you would think a) I gotta see this movie!, and b) this is going to be as cheesy and dumb as a movie can get!

If you do decide to see Escape Plan, please God lower your expectations like I did. Expect the expected on this occasion and you will enjoy Escape Plan a hell of a lot more!

The movie is, admittedly, a dumb and cheesy, popcorn action movie. However, I don't think it is as dumb as you would first think. For example, I love the first act of this movie. I think it does a good job in setting the scene plus gives us an absolute treat of an introduction to Sylvester's Stallone's character Breslin. That part of the movie was well edited and well handled in my opinion plus introduced us to a bunch of other characters.

The first part of this movie was just really enjoyable for me. Stallone in these movies is always a perfect choice for this particular genre, and in Escape Plan he fails to disappoint in what is, in my opinion, his best role for a couple of years.

Act 1 of the movie is somewhat grounded in some form of realism and I really dug it. However, the movie never ever hits the heights from then on. If the movie had stayed like that a higher rating would have been inevitable. The movie takes a decline as soon as Stallone enters the super-secret prison.

It isn't bad from then on but it never really hits the same heights. The prison I felt was quite an unrealistic setting in my opinion for a movie like this. From then on, the movie felt exaggerated and over the top in terms of it's setting. The prison is filled with glass prison cells and guards who where "V for Vendetta" type face masks. Wasn't a particular fan of that.

But Stallone and Schwarzenegger absolutely make this movie. The 2 action legends play off each other very well indeed; they share good banter and dialogue between each other. In my opinion there is nobody to touch Arnie in an action movie and in Escape Plan he shows why. He's an absolute badass and of course delivers his famous one-liners. Of course they are cheesy and repetitive as hell, but they never fail to make me laugh!

Jim Caviezel as the warden was good in the role and did a respectable effort in challenging the screen presence of both Stallone and Schwarzenegger. However, his character was slightly under developed and was just your average cliché villain; who would have a ridiculous hobby and have mannerism like dusting off your shirt before you kill someone.

The rest of the cast are fairly forgettable, minus Vinnie Jones. That guy makes me laugh!

I can't say this more but it is obvious that this movie is cheesy as hell and if that will annoy you then please do not waste your time. In terms of its story, I thought it was a lot smarter than I thought it was going to be plus the main actors deliver a sound performance.

The movie behind the camera is average in my opinion. As we have seen in the past prison movies have the capability to produce stunning and memorable cinematography via grand swooping shots and editing cut to perfection (The Shawshank Redemption). Escape Plan doesn't offer that as it's main strengths are through the 2 performances of Stallone and Arnie.

A big action movie also has to have exiting action scenes which were well handled. It's purely dumb entertainment while watching scenes like that but they are still sufficient. The special effects are fairly good as well; they are used well during the movie as a means to actually develop the plot. They look clear and colourful.

However, that is all undone by a scene near the end of the film which involves fire. I shall say no more!

Escape Plan is a good movie if you lower your expectations. The scenes involving Stallone and Schwarzenegger simply talking are absolutely golden. Well worth seeing. It isn't as dumb as you might think plus if you can accept some of the cheesy aspects, you will enjoy yourself while watching it. Weighing up the positives and negatives of this movie, Escape Plan gets this rating:


Rating - B-


1 sentence summary - Admittedly cheesy entertainment, but it is not as dumb as you would first think!


Have I been too generous rating Escape Plan as shown above? Comment if you will..

Thanks for reading,
Matt

Carrie (2013) Movie Review

Well it's been a while hasn't it? Lot's of movies coming out and I haven't had a chance to give out a review yet. The wait is over, here is my review for the remake of Stephen King's Carrie..

Carrie is directed by Kimberly Peirce and stars Chloe Grace Moretz in the title role of Carrie, and is a remake of the 1976 horror movie of the same name. It is inspired by the writings of author Stephen King, and we all know how good Stephen King's books adapt into film. However, is Carrie one of those films..

My thoughts on Carrie are going to be rather short and simple in all honesty. Basically, it is a mediocre movie, however it does have it's moments of being really good. Unfortunately, this movie suffers from the fact that it is practically the same in every way as the original Carrie movie of 1976..

The movie, as a result, suffers from this as it lacks any interest or intrigue. The plot is known before you even go into the movie theatre, which is made worse by the fact that even if you hadn't seen the original Carrie of 1976, you would still know what was going to happen. The plot develops in such an obvious way and as a result it is very hard to maintain focus while watching this movie.

The story of the movie, while interesting, is made decidedly mediocre by the writers and directors which is such a shame. The movie itself doesn't actually need to exist because it has all been done before. If you can take a story that has been made into a movie before and then tell it in your own individual way (without alienating fans of the original), you are bound to be a successful director.

It's not like I hate this movie; I actually think it is an Ok film on its own. There are some very good things that come out of this movie.

As an example, I like Chloe Grace Moretz in this movie. She definitely played her part convincingly and I really dug her character. Because of all the stuff her character goes through, you do attach a small connection with her and as a result really route for her during the end of this movie. Carrie's life is a horrible one; she is bullied everyday by the "popular kids" at school plus has to deal with a mother who is unhealthily religious. She is one creepy bitch let me tell you..

As for her mother, she is played by Julianne Moore. Man she does try a lot in this movie, but she fails to capture the imagination with her performance due to the mediocre level the movie's script is at! Nothing special really comes from anybody's mouth in this movie, just basic dialogue with maybe a cheesy one liner thrown in there..

The actors who played the school children do a sufficient job but yet again can not perform well due to the direction that this movie takes; it wants them to play up to the ridiculous stereotypical roles of high school students. More imagination with the script and characters could have really made this movie a lot better..

The way the movie is filmed also doesn't scream innovation. Some of the camera movements aren't bad per say but they just feel so dull. Sometimes movie's have that one iconic shot, or a stylistic method of filming. Maybe I'm expecting too much, but there is no originality here.

It seems all I've done is whinge but if a movie is bland and mediocre, plus has already been done before and is just being copied, I can't say many good things can I? Characters are forgettable, story predictable, the rest average.

However what I did like was the final act of this movie. Just as I was losing hope it happened and I left the theatre feeling the movie had at least slightly redeemed itself.. The movie transcends from this slow, high-school story into being one dark and gruesome tale!

There's blood, there's death, it actually seems kind of odd at first due to a sudden change of tempo. This didn't bother me at all to be honest as I was sat there enjoying watching Carrie claim her sweet revenge!

The revenge scene was the best bit of the movie. It was absolutely awesome! The way she claims it as well was cool; the use of special effects, sound editing and slow motion all finally come together in perfect harmony to deliver a sweet-ass scene which satisfies the masses!

So, was Carrie good? No. It wasn't terrible though. It was average at very best, made itself worse by completely copying the original but redeemed itself through a sweet final act. That's why I am going to rate Carrie like this:


Rating - C


1 sentence summary - An unnecessary remake, light-hearted entertainment at best!


It's good to be back reviewing movies again. I will have more content when I can post it!

Thanks for reading,
Matt

2013 Fall Movie Season Preview

The Summer has ended, September has drawn to a close. However, do not be sad. The best few months of the year in terms of movie are dawning at the moment and the films coming out have got me very excited indeed. So, I figured I would write a post about all of the movies that I'm looking forward to before New Year's Day 2014.  That being said, let's start..




The Fifth Estate

I really don't know much about the plot or the story of the film but I think that's a good thing, because hopefully I will be pleasantly surprised by what this movie has to offer. Hopefully, the movie is well shot and also I really hope it isn't one of those movies that drags on for half an hour more than it needs to. However, this movie's cast is really something. Benedict Cumberbatch, who delivered a stellar performance as villain Khan in Star Trek Into Darkness, is playing the lead and we all know how much of a phenomenal actor he is. Also, Daniel Bruhl looks like he is going to have a major role in this movie. After his stunningly perfect portrayal of Niki Lauda in Rush, I hope this is a movie where he delivers another good performance!










Captain Phillips


This movie is being directed by Paul Greengrass and stars Tom Hanks in the lead role. Now for me, it has a good director (Greengrass directed one of my favourite action movies The Bourne Ultimatum) and a phenomenal actor. He knows how to shoot a movie well and use shaky cam in a way that isn't ridiculous. My main concern is with the story element; my fear being that it could drag on and be a bore fest. However, it could well be the other way around but we shall see..





Enders Game


This movie has an awesome cast in Harrison Ford and Ben Kingsley and it looks like there could be some stunning use of visuals and special effects. But, will the cast be able to save this movie? I'm not sure because at the moment I am under the impression that this is going to be nothing more than a mediocre science fiction film. But, I've been wrong before..







Thor: The Dark World


There is only one reason I am looking forward to Thor the Dark World and that is because it is a Thor movie. The Marvel movies nowadays have that added layer of depth because you know all the movies are inter-connected, which allows these movies to continue to build upon the story and the universe all the Marvel characters are in. The first Thor movie I found had a lot of potential yet just fell short of my expectations, hopefully the different director can build upon that and create a really good Thor movie that's a fun time in the cinema!












Gravity


From what I have heard, this movie is awesome! Many critics are heralding all aspects of this movie and I'm a little surprised as I saw the movie trailer first in May/June time and didn't really think much of it. George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are in this movie and hopefully they portray their characters well and are relatable. Plus, this movie better blow me away! The visuals and the cinematography in Alfonso Cuaron's movies are always spectacular and I hope it is the same with Gravity. I just want a good space movie that makes me feel like I am actually there with the characters, feeling all of the tension. It's one of my most anticipated movies of the year, can you not tell?..






Don Jon

A movie that is starring, written and directed by Joseph Gordon - Levitt, a movie that tackles the issue of porn. I'm interested, plus Scarlett Johansson is in this movie. Yeah, that is all I need to know. All jokes aside, I'm interested to see the directing style of Gordon Levitt and also how well he integrates the social commentary into this movie. I have high expectations for this one..













The Counsellor

On the same weekend as Don Jon comes Ridley Scott's new movie The Counseller. I must admit that I really know nothing about the premise or plot of this movie. All I know is that the cast looks incredible and that when Ridley Scott makes a good movie, he absolutely nails it on the head! Gladiator, being my example. Anyway, The Counseller should be an interesting movie..









Escape Plan


Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger together in a movie where they both have to work together in order to escape from prison. That should be enough to explain why I am looking forward to this one..

In all seriousness though, hopefully this movie recognises that it is corny as hell and that its a fun time in the movie theatre. Mindless entertainment is all I'm after, completely lower my expectations is the plan!








The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug


I really enjoyed the Hobbit when I first saw it last year and when I saw it a second time a few months later. There is a lot that goes right in this movie but there are many things wrong. The story was too drawn out which brought about awful pacing plus  a few scenes could have been taken out which weren't actually necessary. I hope that this time they stay the same in terms of all that is good with the movie but also do a few little tweaks to make it a little bit better. The scene between Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) will be one to remember..






Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues


I have never seen Anchorman. There I said it. I will do though before December 20th. I'm looking forward to this movie as people I know always say that Anchorman is one of the funniest movies they have ever seen, they endlessly quote things from the movie as well. People tell me its hilarious. However, this movie will let me down if its like the Hangover Part 2 and is just a re-hashed cash-grab piece of crap..












The Secret Life of Walter Mitty


This movie looks fantastic. Ben Stiller looks like he is playing a more shy character, which is very refreshing indeed as characters like that are the ones you can easily relate to. Plus, this movie can make for some absolutely stunning imagery and I really hope they get this movie right. Hopefully the imagery will be backed up by good charcaters and a solid script because I am really looking forward to this one..












And that is all. What is your most anticipated movie of Fall 2013? Leave a comment, I want to hear your thoughts..

Thanks for reading,
Matt