COLM – Summer round up!!

Between football, Olympics and Paralympics you’d been forgiven for forgetting cinema still existed this Summer. Major releases were dotted around even more major sporting events with some lesser ones thrown to the pit and sacrificed to a release that coincided with a European Cup Final or Katy Talylor fight.

It started bad, real bad, John Carter should have been a celebration of imagination and great storytelling, instead it destroyed the chances of what could have been a great franchise and sent a shiver to studio execs wallets.

The Hunger Games delivered and was a huge improvement on the book. It has got readers and non readers excited but whether the extremely weak second and third books can be turned into cinema entertainment is yet to be seen. So far so good though for this franchise.

In comedy 21 Jump Street got the Summer of to a great start providing some great laughs and likeable performances. There’ll be a sequel and the world will be a better place for it. Unfortunately Seth MacFarlanes live action debut Ted let team comedy down producing an initially interesting but overly convulted mess of a film. I know Gareth loved it but I found it extremely disappointing.

Superheroes as always were all the rage. It didn’t do much for me but the much anticipated Avenger Assemble destroyed the box office and seemed to make most audiences happy. Sonys The Amazing Spiderman divided audiences (I hated it) but seemed to make enough cash to warrant a sequel and last but not least Christophers Nolans end to the Batman saga The Dark Knight Rises delieverd where most blockbusters fail to, and was a flawed but extremely enjoyable and ambitious film.

The biggest let down of the Summer was Alien-somewhat-prequel Prometheus. With Ridley Scott directing and Michael Fassbender starring we really expected something special and it just did not happen. It wasn’t that bad, it just wasn’t that good. Which for a film directed by Scott and linked to his beloved masterpiece Alien this lazy script was just insulting.

Fortunately under the blockbuster radar there were some absolute gems this summer, The Cabin in the Woods was a whole lot of horror fun and a great time in the cinema, Headhunters was an enjoyable thriller and proved there’s more to Scandanavian cinema than some emo chick with a dodgy tattoo, The Raid was an action masterpiece and a great film to share with an enthusiastic audience and Moonrise Kingdom was pure delight on film.

A mixed bag this summer but given the sporting calendar and global economic woes it’s too be expected. Bring on the autumn and hopefully we’ll start seeing the Oscar contendors gathering pace.

 

COLM – Avengers was a let down. Screw you Sam Jackson!!

Gareths gonna crucify our friendship for this, but I gotta stick to my guns!! DON’T BE BRAINWASHED BY THE HYPE!! THE AVENGERS IS NOT A GOOD FILM!!

Read my full review here.

Before I start I have to say:

NO I did not enter this wanting to dislike it before I had already seen it. Believe me I WAS EXCITED AND HOPEFUL!!

NO I am not disliking this for the sake of distancing myself from the bandwagon, I ain’t no hipster.

YES I did like the other films, Iron Man, Captain America and to a lesser extent Thor.

Now, after sitting there for two and half hours thinking to myself ‘Nah, this can’t be right. Maybe i’m seeing the wrong film ’cause this sure as hell ain’t what people be raving about’, I emerged from the cinema confused and baffled. That was dull and very very ordinary. Is this possible?

THINGS THEY GOT RIGHT!!

THE HULK – fair play Mark Ruffalo, you nailed the green guy. Bruce Banner was a likeable guy we could root for who is very aware of his potential to go nuts. NOW, before you get too excited and call for multiple Hulk stand alone films with Ruffalo, which i’m sure we’ll get, take note Marvel: please please please please please get the villian and story right for a Hulk film. You’ve created great heroes and put them in bland storys with standard villians. Please think when writing the Hulk script. This is what is keeping the likes of Iron Man and Captain America from being good but not great films.

THINGS THEY SOMETIMES GOT RIGHT!!

LOKI – Hiddleton delivered, even if the story didn’t. They got the character right with some nice menacing speeches but then they put his character through some ridiculous scenes (particulary the Black Widow exhcnage on the flying aircraft carrier) where they completely undermined the intelligence of a demi-God, reducing him to Millhouse from the Simpsons.

HINTS OF BANTER – It looked good when Tony Stark called Thor ‘Point Break’ then these witty exchanges and ego fuelled debates quickly disappeared and were forgotten by the script. The script shined with a handful of decent lines, then completely ignored all other dialogue.

THOR, IRON MAN, CAPTAIN AMERICA – Captain America just got unfrozen from seventy years ago, but bar some minor references for the most his adapting to modern times is hugely ignored. There’s no sorrow from him, no tears for his dead friends and family. No crossover for the character from his solo film. I did like his acrobatics, and the flashes of him taking charge were great. Playing card sub plot was a miss hit though.

Thor is always fun to watch, and it’s always great to see him throw that hammer. He coulda done with more though. More drama between him and Loki would have made it a better film. No this is not a Thor film but for Gods sake tis his brother, he has a lot more emotional investment in this than the rest of them.

Iron Man as always was fun. The character is starting to get repitive though, hopefully the freshen him up for Iron Man 3.

THINGS THEY MESSED UP!!

THE STORY – was there even a story? Cube goes missing, used for alien invasion, brings heroes together, they bicker then resolve their issues for the greater good. Who were the aliens? What did they want? Why is Samuel L Jacksons character even needed? After several films he still has no personality whatsoever.

THE CHARACTERS THAT DON’T ALREADY HAVE THEIR OWN FILM -Nick Fury, Hawkeye, Black Widow. I don’t care if their in the comic, these guys are dull. They get more screentime than most of the others despite the fact their not really a big selling point. I don’t buy into the characters either, their dull and boring to watch on screen. Why did Nick Fury even need ANOTHER assistant? Wasn’t Black Widow already doing that job? My guess Marvel just looking for another character they can weave into other films when Jackson or Johannson ain’t available.

THE ABUNDANCE OF STUPIDITY – Flying invisible aircraft carrier. Screw Stan Lee. If it’s stupid it’s stupid. Drop it. It’s not just the stupidity it’s also the unnecessariness. It’s not cool to see. It’s not needed for the story. It makes no difference whatsoever. Move them to a bunker. Work out a different scene to replace the Thor being dropped from sky. Just grow up and be professional and respect your audience.

Hawkeyes arrows. Somebody get that man an AK-47. The day Somalian pirates replace their AKs with a bow and arrow i’ll eat my own face. Same goes for you Black Widow with your hand pistol. What do they hold? Twelve bullets a round? Where you holding all that ammo? Hmm, I see.

I could go on and on but trust me, rewatch this with new eyes and you’ll feel insulted.

THE SECOND UNIT DIRECTION – ie crowd shots, shots of people running away, all the stuff where you have extras but no big name actors. These were terrible. Like watching a bad TV movie. I saw the same coffee shop being used twice which considering the story takes place IN BIG ASS MANHATTAN it just stinks of artificial. There was no emtion or threat to the public. I never once feared for a bus driver or a shop owner. They were faceless unidentifiable pawns.

So there ya go. Everyone I know disagrees with me i’m sad to say, and i’m not gonna try change their mind, i’m glad they had a good time, i’m just giving my opinion.

I really really hope they make a sequel and I enjoy it as much as people enjoyed this film, as at the moment I feel like I went to a Meat Loaf concert but was queuing at the bar for ‘Bat out of Hell’.

COLM – cinema picked up a bit

Have to admit I really did enjoy Chronicle, unfortunately the choice to film it in found footage format stops this from being a great film, read me full review here.

Seeing the photos of Wallace from The Wire used in the film was awesome! Worth seeing for that alone! The flight sequences were great too.

Another great release is Martha Marcy May Marlene, read my review here. Completely different to Chronicle, an amazing film, should be one of the best of 2012.

All in all two very different films but both worth your time.

GARETH: THE GREY… IT DIDN’T HAVE A PARTICULAR SET OF SKILLS ?

I was expecting great things from the Grey, some serious Taken Style action, this was not the case. Anyway this movie has a lot going for it. so basically Neeson is working in the Industrial complex in Alaska, and it is his job to keep the indigenous Nasties at bay so the guys can get on with their work. Anyway we get to see how he goes about his Business.

So he is all ready to head home, but things dont go to plan and his Plane crashes, now there are him and a handfull of survivors in the vast emptiness, and very soon find themselfs being Stalked buy a pack of Wolfs!!! Exciting stuff!

Some of the scenes where the wolfs are attacking are pretty gripping, but I found that the scenes in between these a bit dragged out and I found the attention span being streched.

But anyway I enjoyed the Grey, Liam did represent in this movie and Kicked some ass, the supporting guys not really up to scratch. I would say check the after credits scene… Just in case you were wondering how the final scene pans out!!! No more Spoilers…!!!

COLM – The Descendants and The Grey

Busy ol week at the cinema. I enjoyed The Descendants, read my full review here, but it was standard enough affair. The Grey, full review here, showed promise but ultimately turned into a standard enough story too.

Too many 3 star films lately, not good. Take some risks filmakers, please!!

COLM – lookin’ forward to more Fincher

I enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I admit if you’ve seen the Swedish film or read the book it’s not worth your cinema money, as you already know every plot turn. Read my full review here.

The film done well at the box-office, but not near as well as they were hoping, meaning if they do move ahead with the sequels the budget will be slashed (i’d expect the fifty to seventy million mark, opposed to the ninety they had for this) and David Fincher only works with the best. The best charge a lot, editors, cinematographers, and after an Oscar nod Rooney Mara will demand a lot more cash to play the character again, so i’ll be surprised if Fincher returns to this, but i’m hoping he does.

I know Gareth doesn’t, but I loved the Swedish film, and i’ve read the books. The second and third books were excellent, so I really hope Fincher returns, as the Swedish sequels weren’t great. The second and third introduce some great police characters and really bring Mikael and Lisbeth to the front of the story, Fincher could thrive with this material.

We’ll have to wait and see…

COLM – The Oscars Reaction

Every year I give up on the Oscars, a film like The Hurt Locker wins and I think ‘WTF? Am I seeing a different film to everybody else?’ I vow to cut off all ties and never again show any interest in the ceremony I had so much hope for. Then the next year comes and the nomination buzz starts. I hope that like a recovering alcoholic the Oscars have finally gotten some sense and won’t relapse, instead choosing to acknowledge the truly great films of the year, not just the ones the Weinsteins and Kennedys told us are great. This year the Oscars have not only relapsed, they’ve kidnapped my only child and sold them for a bottle of whiskey.

I can forgive them for not nominating Drive, a fan as I am I do think it’s a bit overrated and without overly simplifying the film (I can hear Drive fans reaching for their knives) it is just a drawn out music video, albeit a quite excellent one, and Goslings performance pitch perfect as it is, is just the same performance as his Lars and the Real Girl performance with slightly reduced blinking and with a vicious hammer instead of a plastic doll. Albert Brooks was great but I never thought of him as a Best Supporting Actor nominee, despite the fact there seems to be uproar over him not getting a nomination. Then again they did give Nick Nolte a nomination for Warrior, despite the fact both him and the film were awful.

I expected Tree of Life not to garner too many. It’s in there with three but bar best cinematography it’s a dark horse in all categories. It’s a film that splits audiences (usually those with taste from the simpletons) and the Oscars don’t want that. They want to be the public friendly stamp of approval for films. They don’t want to alienate anyone.

The big shock is Michael Fassbender not being nominated for Shame. This is an embarrassment to the Academy as this was hands downs the best performance of the year. It’s a role the Academy would usually ignore, but Fassbender was so good and the response from the critics so brilliant that the Academy surely had no choice but to acknowledge his performance but no, like stubborn kids they put their hands over their eyes and pretended not to see. It’s an elephant in the room that’ll be hard to forget when they go to announce Best Actor on the night.

There were many more WTF moments. Extremely Loud and Incredibly close, despite the facts critics hate the film and that no other award ceremony saw if fit to nominate the Oscars decided to give it a best picture nomination. Puzzling. Moneyball getting a Best Picture nod was bad enough but then they decided to nominate Jonah Hill for Best Supporting Actor too, just plain confusing. No nod for Tilda Swinton, just plain stupid.

This was a bad year for films, I admit, but these nominations could have reflected the good much better. Disappointing and disheartening to films like Shame who put in so much effort and produced the goods to no acclaim from the Academy whatsoever.  I don’t care anymore, the Oscars can tell me they’ve cleaned up all they want I’m never gonna pay attention to them again. Well, maybe next year they’ll be different…

What I reckon will win:

BEST PICTURE

It will be The Artist, and given the calibre of the rest (bar Tree of Life) that’s ok!

BEST DIRECTOR

Terence Malick deserves it for Tree of Life but Michael Hazanavicius will get this for The Artist.

BEST ACTOR

I’d give it to Brad Pitt (and slyly whisper that it’s for Tree of Life really not Moneyball), but people love boring George Clooney. Whoever wins though, you owe it to the Academy not nominating Fassbender!

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Can’t really comment on this as Nick Nolte was rubbish in Warrior, Jonah Hill was good but not Oscar good in Moneyball and I haven’t seen the rest!

BEST ACTRESS

Has to be Meryl Streep, even though I’m not one for impressions, I prefer acting.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Jessica Chastain deserves it, but not for The Help. Could go to any.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

I’m gonna say The Descendants, but to be honest none of them excite me too much.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

I think Woody Allen might get this for Midnight in Paris.

CINEMATOGRAPHY

I’m hoping Tree of Life but the Academy loves black & white and The Artist did look great.

BEST FILM EDITING

Something tells me Moneyball, but The Artist is probably the obvious choice.

COLM – Shame is f’in brilliant

Shame really was fantastic. Read my full review here.

The Fasinator really is Fasstastic. And McQueen is easily one of the most exciting directors out there at the moment. Can’t wait for his next. The ignorance of the Oscars is sickening, at a minimum Fassbender should have got nominated if not won. One of the best films you’re likely to see in 2012.

Did you hear Michael Fassbender is replacing VinDiesel in the new Fast & the Furious film? It’s gonna be called the FASS & the Furious!! BOOM!!

COLM – The Artist nuff’ said

Loved The Artist, not a classic but still a great film. Well worth a watch and in a poor year for cinema it probably is one of the better ones. Read my full review here.

Next up Dragon Tattoo. And very soon i’ll count down my list of top films from 2011!!

GARETH: Yes I seen The IRON LADY [And didn’t like it]

Ok, I’m not going to go into too much detail here… I went to see the Iron Lady last night… Now Miss Streep is very good in this movie, But I think rather than a great performance, It was a very impressive impression of Maggie.

My biggest Gripe with this movie is that it is all over the place, it would have been better as a straight up Biography rather than the fragmented memories and hallucinations of an old woman. Apparently the british public are not to happy with this either, they didn’t like to see their IRON LADY reduced to a hullucinating dithering old lady who has regular conversations throughout with her dead husband..

All in all a very fragmented movie, I didn’t like the constant jumping from past to present… It just bugged me. I would say it is defiantly for the mature audience, judging by the demographic in the movies last night.