The Living Movie Review

The very definition of predictable. The only highlight for me was the eccentric and cold-hearted contract killer. The main character who hires him is immensely annoying; I wanted him to put a bullet between his eyes from the moment they met. The Living is an ironic title for a film whose cast seemed, for the most part, to be completely lifeless.

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Crimson Peak Trailer

RELEASE DATE: October 16, 2015

STUDIO: Legendary Pictures

DIRECTOR: Guillermo del Toro

SCREENWRITERS: Guillermo del Toro, Matthew Robbins 

STARRING: Charlie Hunnam, Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska, Burn Gorman
 
GENRE: Horror

Synopsis

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In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds...and remembers.

Thoughts

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The film has a Sleepy Hollow feel to it, with Del Toro's characteristic fairy tale, period style. I'm looking forward to seeing this incredibly talented director redeem himself after the disaster that was Pacific Rim.

Trailers

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Ex Machina Movie Review

Ex Machina is a beautifully crafted, subtle and mesmerizing sci-fi gem. Where recent sci-fi films like Transcendence, The Signal and The Machine went wrong, director Alex Garland got everything right. The plot follows young computer programmer Caleb, who is asked by his eccentric boss Nathan (a billionaire search engine CEO) to join him at his country retreat to perform some tests on, Ava, the revolutionary A.I. that he has recently created.

The music and cinematography are sensational. Ava is introduced during a beautifully subtle scene in which I was expecting to hear the words: "I'm Rachael..Deckard". I can't help but draw comparisons between the narrative of Ex Machina and Blade Runner. It's like Ava is Rachael, Caleb is Deckard, and Nathan is Dr Tyrell (If Dr Tyrell was an alcoholic mad man.) Ex Machina also asks the same fundamental questions that Blade Runner does: what makes us human, and will A.I. be a good or bad thing for mankind etc.

The production design was spot on. All the sets looked very convincing and the CGI on Ava looked amazing. I thought the plot twists were delivered well enough (if a little predictable); and not that I didn't like it, but the ending came as a bit of a surprise. Having produced some classics of sci-fi and horror in the past, Alex Garland's transition into the directors chair has been a seamless one. Ex Machina is the best indie sci-fi I've seen since Duncan Jones' Moon (2009), and would easily make my top twenty greatest sci-fi films of all-time. I look forward to seeing more from Alex Garland in the future.

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Inherent Vice Movie Review

Much like Joaquin Phoenix throughout the film, I think you would have to be as high as a kite to even write a synopsis for this film, let alone a review; as I imagine Paul Thomas Anderson must have been when he directed it. I tried my best but I just didn't get what the film was trying to do. Playing out at times more like a surreal comedy like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, rather than a noir detective story.

From about twenty minutes in, I didn't know or want to know, what the plot was about, I really didn't care. I also didn't detect any detective story in there; if there was one, then it must have dispersed among the many of Joaquin Phoenix's psychedelic drug binges. Don't get me wrong, the film is hilarious and both Joaquin Phoenix and Josh Brolin are excellent in it. The problem is, I didn't know where the comedy finished and crime drama began. Most of the film felt disjointed and lacked energy, and I almost fell asleep half way through the two and a half hours, which felt like an eternity. I think Inherent Vice is a bit of a misfire by Paul Thomas Anderson - a classic case of a novel not converting well into a film. Th few hilarious moments and great performances are this film's only saving grace. I just hope PTA will be back on form for his next film.

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Winter's Bone Movie Review

Jennifer Lawrence plays a seventeen-year-old girl, Ree, who sets out in search for her missing meth cook father. Ree must either find him or evidence of his death within a week or her father's bail bondsman will repo the family home. This begins Ree’s journey among the meth-ruined lives of her nearby extended family.

Jennifer Lawrence's portrayal of a strong-willed, tenacious young women, trying to look out for her younger siblings and her mentally ill mother, was outstanding (defiantly her best performance to date.) The film has subtle feminist undertones, and because of its detective story style, it has also been labeled 'country noir' by some. It's a solid enough drama. Its only weakness is it takes a while to get going and it gets a little repetitive and loses momentum in places, but Jennifer Lawrence's performance shines through and manages to hold it all together.

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Stalker Movie Review

Stalker is a very complex film, however, its plot is very simple: a man living in a desolate and miserable industrial Russian town, promises two men (a writer and a professor), that he will guide them to the center of a forbidden area known as 'The Zone' to find a room which can apparently grant wishes. The films power is in its symbolism and breathtaking cinematography. The train journey of the three men near the start of the film is a perfect example. You would think that with the foreboding and surreal atmosphere created, the men were aboard a spaceship on their way to a distant and unknown world. The change in picture color between the men's home and the mysterious 'Zone', reflects both their hopes and expectations about what they might find, and the relief of having escaped their dreary and depressing lives.

Much like Persona, Stalker has more emphasis on characterization and has a more minimalist style. The film is a visually dazzling masterpiece. My two favourite scenes are the dream sequence and the scene near the end of the film in which the Stalker's daughter is sitting on his shoulders. Both obviously very symbolic and ambiguous scenes, made all the more powerful by the haunting music. From start to finish the film had me asking questions. It's the kind of film that requires audience participation to work, that's it power, the ability to make people think about things.

Stalker isn't for everyone (it is high-art after all). It's also three hours long, which I wasn't expecting (maybe a little too long if I'm perfectly honest). However, after the first viewing, the film becomes infinitively re-watchable because of it's mystique - defiantly one of those films that you must watch before you die.

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The Top Ten Greatest Moments In Marvel Movies

 

10. Wolverine vs Lady Deathstrike (X-Men 2)

Logan must face off against his former masters' latest creation in his laboratory at alkali lake. The is one of the greatest one on ones in the marvel films. Logan is almost identical to her except she is more a nimble than a cat on speed.

9. Magneto Moves The Golden Gate Bridge (X-Men: The Last Stand)

Magneto uses all of his powers to move the bridge so his army of mutants can cross onto Alcatraz island for the final battle. One of the best CGI set-pieces so far.

8. Heimdall Takes Down Cloaked Enemy Ship (Thor: The Dark World)

In this awesome scene, Heimdall, the all-seeing and all powerful gatekeeper of Asgard, single-handedly takes down a giant enemy ship with his swords.

7. Thor vs. Malekith (Thor: The Dark World)

Thor and his families ancient enemy Malekith travel through dimensions back to London and begin a epic duel which tears the city apart.

6. Spider-Man Stop Speeding Train (Spider-Man 2)

During his battle his Doc Ock Peter Parker finds himself in the unfortunate position of being on a speeding train with no brakes. He uses all of his strength, and a hell of a lot of web, to slow the train before it plunges from an overpass.

5. Captain America Vs The Winter Soldier (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

This film came as a big surprise to me. The final epic battle on board the sky-ship, is very reminiscent of the scenes from the Avengers in which Iron saves the day. One of the best fight scene finales in the Marvel films so far.

4. Thor Regains His Hammer and Power (Thor)

In this epic scene, Thor regains his hammer and all his power, which is granted to him by his father. The scene is made all the more powerful by the transitions back and forth for Anthony Hopkins.

3. Night Crawler Attacks The President (X-Men 2)

One of the single best uses of CGI in one scene, not only in a Marvel film, but any action film. The illusive teleporting Nightcrawler leads the Whitehouse's security detail of a wild goose chase and manages to give the president a stark warning .

2. Drone Fight (Iron Man 2)

Although the film my not have been a total hit, there are some scenes in it that are well worthy of merit. This battle, which see's Tony Stark team up with his friend War Machine to fight off swarm of drone bots, is one of the best all action CGI-fests to date.

1. Final Battle (The Avengers)

The best battle scene so far in this CGI extravaganza. Every character is involved and every building is a target. The Avengers kill the alien invaders, while at the same time leveling half of New York - Man of Steel style.

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Honorable Mentions

Hulk vs Loki (The Avengers)
Just because it's comedy gold.

Hulk Vs Abomination (The Incredible Hulk)
Wasn't sure about this one. Great fight scene, but I wasn't too keen on the film as a whole.

Magneto Breaks Out of Prison (X-Men 2)
Should have been included in the top ten really but there were just too many scenes to choice from.

Mystique Attacks The Guards at Striker's Base
Always a pleasure to see the little blue gal doing what she does best.

Logan Vs Victor (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
As the rest of the film was pretty poor and this was the only highlight, I decided to leave this one out. Still a pretty good fight, though.

Jean Grey Kills Professor X (X-Men: The Last Stand)
Probably the best scene in the film. Jean Grey can't control her power any longer and she literally disintegrates professor X.

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12 Angry Men Movie Review

I'd been meaning to watch 12 Angry Men for a very long time but never got around to it till now. It's one of those films you always see on 'the best films ever made' lists. Now, the word masterpiece gets thrown around a lot these days and most of the time it's not justified, but in the case of 12 Angry Men, it is, very justified. I can say that without a doubt it's one the greatest films I've ever seen. It's perfect in every creative aspect: script, direction, performances, and setting.

The 12 Men lock horns in a sweltering jury room to decide the fate of a young man accused of murdering his father. Henry Fonda plays the knight in shining armor, trying to convince the jury of the boys innocents. The film is ultimately a character study of different personalties from different walks of life - and, whilst locked up in the sweltering jury room, the tension between the characters becomes immense. They argue for hours, during which time they exchange opinion, racial bigotry, class stereotypes, bias and insults. The last half hour is edge of your seat stuff, as slowly but surely the jurors change their verdicts to not guilty.

The performances were amazing, and I especially liked Jack Klugman. The most powerful and moving parts of the film were the face-offs between the characters, which were brilliantly filmed: the camera zooms right in on them both as they speak their pieces, which created bucket loads of tension. The story is an emotionally roller coaster for the audience, and for a film only 90 minutes long set almost entirely in a single room, that is quite a feat. I suppose the message behind the film is that no matter what your background or age, there is something that transcends those differences: the search for truth.

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The Maltese Falcon Movie Review

The first and hopefully not the last classic noir I'll see. Previously, I'd only seen neo-noir films, and oldest of them was Chinatown. Now having seen the film that started it all, I can see how the genre has progressed and evolved over the years. However, the basics remain the same: a main protagonist trying to solve a crime or mystery, mainly set in one location, and mostly at night. In modern films the detective element remains but not the rest, in most cases.

One obvious difference when you compare The Maltese Falcon to Chinatown for instance, is the way society has changed. In the latter the detective has a shaky relationship with the police, but they maintain respect and don't cross the line - and in the end the police help him apprehend the suspect - a happy ending for all. In the latter, the police are not only corrupt to the core, but much of everything else is as well - the frustration over which is voiced in the final quote of the film "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown".

Differences aside, both eras have produced great films, and The Maltese Falcon is one of the best ever. For a film of it's age the complexity of the plot surprised me, the constant twists and turns in the mystery had my full concentration throughout. Bogart and Astor's screen chemistry was immense. It's seemed she has him wrapped around her little finger for most of the film, even though she was the suspect in the murder of is partner - defiantly one of the most devious and duplicitous femme fatale characters ever. One thing made me giggle were the colorful characters, especially Joel Cairo - a weird little man with an even weirder voice. And of course the 400 pound kingpin behind the whole conspiracy, Kasper 'Gutman'. That is after all, where the strength of such films lies - in the characters. And in this case, they were crafted to perfection. The film oozes style: from the filming, with close-ups and pan zoom shots you wouldn't expect to see, to the cornerstone of all classic noirs, the trench coats and cigarettes. The Maltese Falcon is a cinematic milestone that has whetted my appetite, not only for classic noir, but for films of that era in general.

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Top 5 Matthew McConaughey Performances

Matthew McConaughey is one of the biggest actors in the world and a humble down to earth kind of guy. Here are his best 5 performances to date.

I've always been a fan of McConaughey. He was underrated for a long time and seems to have come into his own in past ten years. His most notable performances of the nineties were in Contact and A Time to Kill.

He has become one of the best actor in the business and won his first Oscar in 2014. I hope to see more great performances from him in the future.


5.  Frailty

During this psychological thriller McConaughey recounts his horrific childhood to a detective in order to crack an unsolved twenty-year-old case. In a Usual Suspects style the film flashes back and forth from his childhood back to the police station. He tells the detective about his childhood and the psychological and physical abuse he and his brother were subjected to by their religious nut father (Bill Paxton). Frailty is a dark and disturbing crime thriller in which McConaughey play both victim and perpetrator perfectly.

4. A Time To Kill

A Time To Kill is a courtroom drama is which McConaughey plays a young maverick lawyer named Jake Tyler Brigance, who's services are called on by Carl Lee Hailey (Samuel L. Jackson). Hailey shot to rednecks for raping and beating his young daughter, and Brigance agrees to defend him in court (a decision the locals are not very pleased with). The film turns into a big civil rights drama with the KKK marching around and race riots on the streets of the small town in the deep south. This is McConaughey's stand-out performance of the nineties, the highlight of which is the moving speech he gives in the courtroom at the end of the film.

3. Interstellar

Interstellar is one of the best sci-fi films ever made (A I'm sure Christopher Nolan fans will love to hear), and McConaughey's is superb. In this space epic he plays a former astronaut turned farmer, who is called upon to save mankind by his former Nasa colleges. He has to make some big sacrifices along the way resulting in truckloads of emotion perfectly conveyed by him performance.

2. Mud

Mud is a coming-of-age tale about a group of boys who sail to a small island and discover a fugitive called Mud living there in a old boat. McConaughey is great as the enigmatic fugitive/drifter, acting as a role model to the boys, while at the same time trying to stay out of reach of the law. With McConaughey coming from a similar background, these kind of films suit him down to tee.

1. Dallas Buyers Club

In this at times hilarious, tragic and moving tale about a man who contracts aids, McConaughey puts in the performance of his career. He plays a cowboy, bull riding redneck chauvinist who likes beer and the ladies, and who didn't even realise he could catch aids from having unprotected sex. The film is moving story about breaking rules in a quest for survival. Both Jared Leto and McConaughey's performances were brilliant in this.

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Star Wars: Episode VII - Trailers And Thoughts

Hopes

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The film finally has a title: The Force Awakens for the dismay of some fans wondering if it has every gone to sleep. And as JJ Adrams is not using the Star Wars or their timeline in the new film, I afraid he might make a comlete mes of the mythology and everall story of the Star Wars saga in order to make a lot of money (like he did with Star Trek). Though saying that I'm not still quite exited. The new trailers haven't given away much, but the most important reveal so for has seen the return of Han Solo and Chewie.

The Story

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Well, only sketchy details have been released so far, but hears what we know for sure. The main two young protagonists of the film played by Daisy Ridley and John Boyega find a lightsaber and try to return it to its owner, which eventually brings them into the path of Han Solo and Chewbacca, who identify the weapon as belonging to none other than Luke Skywalker. So it seems the film plot will be based around a search for Luke Skywalker, who hasn't been seen since the events of Return of the Jedi. Other obvious questions I want answered are: was the empire really defeated after Return of the Jedi? Will Boba Jett appear in episode VII, seeing as he has already been rumoured to have his own spinoff film? And there are few billion other predations and questions I have rolling around in my head.

Media

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The Trailers

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The Babadook (2014)

I understand now why this film has received such a warm response - it's a masterclass in subtle and complex storytelling, and is as much a character study on how grief can effect people, as it is an all-out horror film.

The plot is about a widow, Amelia, and her young son Samuel. The boy is misbehaving constantly and becomes obsessed by a pop-up children's book called Mr. Babadook. The book is really creepy with disturbing images, and when it depicts the death of Amelia and Sam, Amelia rips it up, only to find it on the doorstep the next day fully restored. The Babadook stands out from the most recent horror films in that it doesn't rely solely on jump scares, but instead, slowly creates dread and suspense and taps into the audience's emotions through the psychological instability of the main character. The film scares the audience in a more subtle and psychological way, and the closet thing I can compare it to is The Shining.

As the main character, Amelia, starts to lose her mind the Babadook appears. The monster's appearances are few and far between but very effective and well timed. The directer has left it the audience the interpret exactly what the Babadook is and what it means. Why own interpretation is that it represents Amelia's inner demons - her depression over her husbands death taking over, which could ultimately lead to her taking her own life and her son's. Amelia's eventual descent into madness is terrifying and chilling, and the ending leaves at lot of unanswered questions.. The performances from the two actors were amazing. The style of the film set the perfect tone and the monster itself was extremely creepy and looked very impressive. An unorthodox and well made film which has breathed a breath of fresh air into the horror genre.

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Foxcatcher (2014)

The one standout highlight in this otherwise mediocre biopic/drama were the performances of Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo. I never thought I'd ever be praising the talents of Channing Tatum, but he was actually pretty good in this, and his chemistry with Ruffalo was spot on as well. The narrative, however, was thin --very thin -- and stretched across the films two hour running time like boot cut jeans over a sumo wrestlers posterior.

The story of Foxcatcher concerns eccentric millionaire John du Pont; heir to the Du Pont family fortune. A life time wrestling enthusiast, Du Pont recruits the Olympic gold medal winning Schultz brothers, Dave and Mark in order to coach Mark to a gold medal at the upcoming Seoul Olympics, and to have the brothers coach young wrestlers at his state of the art training facility.

 Du Pont was brilliantly portrayed by Carell; he came across as brooding little momma's boy, who, at every chance he could get, would intimidate his wrestling recruits by flexing his financial muscles. You'd think, though, that a film about an eccentric and unstable, wrestling obsessed millionaire who eventually went mad, would have a bit more action in it, but the film was just uninspiring and boring for the most part; it resembled a history channel documentary with Hollywood stars acting out the reconstructions. It's quite obvious that the film was just monstrously let down by its piss poor script.

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Birdman (2014)

Fresh, innovative, groundbreaking,unique are just a few of the words I could use to describe this film - it's a one-off. Birdman is the story of a washed-up middle aged actor who used to play a super hero character called 'Birdman'. Riggan (Michael Keaton), takes us on his roller coaster ride back to the top of the business and to make a amends with his estranged family.

The first thing that hits you right from the start is the cinematography - it's amazing! At first I just thought I was watching a single take long scene, a set-piece to set the film off, but then it just seamlessly continued, not only giving the film its uniques one-take feel, but also succeeding in doing something very few directors would have even attempted. In the entire two hours of the film, there must have been five transitions, tops.

The plot is very funny as Michael Keaton and Edward Norton clash throughout the film. Norton plays an ego maniac actor who is cast in Keaton's new play, and they can't stand each other. Keaton has to put up with Norton's antics because the play is his last chance to save his career. Emma Stone plays Keaton's troubled daughter who supports him along the way, but is at the same time a little embarrassed by him. You get an authentic feel of a fast paced and hectic backstage theater atmosphere, created by the one-shot filming. Not only that, but the sets are very well designed -- from the brightly colored neon lit stage sets and busy corridors, to the dingy dressing rooms -- everything has a fresh, vibrant, metropolitan feel.

The chaotic atmosphere in which he works matches Keaton's state of mind during most of the film. He's looks like he's on the verge of a nervous breakdown most of the time, and he every so often disappears into one of his little daydreams where he takes on the superpowers of his 'Birdman' character, and goes for a fly around New York. The scene when he is locked out of the theater and ends up walking around New York in his y-fronts, had me in stitches. Not only is Birdman a wacky comedy and a cinematic marvel, but it also has some complex and subtle undertones as well. A lot has also been said about the ending -- which I think was a very clever metaphorical and ambiguous scene -- which will have you asking the question: is he flying or is he dead?

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The Imitation Game (2014)

The second World War is raging across Europe, millions are dead, and the allies find themselves at a tactical disadvantage, all thanks to the apparently unbreakable German Enigma code. In a concerted effort to break the German code, British intelligence hire the very best cryptographers and mathematicians on the planet.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing delivers one of the best performances of recent memory. A nearly two-hour runtime flies by thanks to the tight and masterful script from Graham Morton. The films cinematography has a classic, timeless look especially in the outdoor scenes shot on location in Bletchley Park.

Frequent flashbacks cut back to Turing’s time at a boarding school in which he befriends a boy by the name of Christopher (the name he later gives his code braking machine). As the flashbacks reveal more and more about Turing, he inches closer and closer to building a device that will help break the Enigma code. He faces opposition from his team. Keira Knightly plays Joan Clarke, Turing’s go to confidante for all information both professional and personal. The chemistry between the
two is palpable at times.

Ultimately, his story is one that ended tragically, but the film chooses not to focus on that, but instead to celebrate his legacy. The Imitation Game is one of the best biopics I've seen in years. And if it hadn't faced such strong competition, I think it may have won a few Oscars.

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