Spectre

Hello, dear reader. The name is Misogynist, James Misogynist. Now that’s not my name you understand. It’s not even the name of the titular hero of the film I am about to appraise. For as we all know that’s James Bond, being played here by Daniel ‘I’m not blonde’ Craig. I use the word misogynist because, let’s face it, as a character Mr Bond does as much for the advancement of women being treated as equals as Katie Hopkins does for the race relations and weight loss. Even Mr Craig himself as gone on record as saying that Bond is a bit of a dinosaur, when it comes to the fairer sex, but if your one of those silver linings type of people, things have definitely improved over the last fifty years or so. Pussy Galore anyone? For these reasons, and others, James Bond will always have its detractors and I can’t say that I blame them to be honest.  I’ve never truly considered myself a fan of the 007 franchise and until Casino Royale arrived on our screens back in 2006, I’d never even felt the urge to own one of the films either. 

With regards to Casino Royale, I think the reason that it was regarded like a breath of fresh air was partly down to the fact that it was a reboot and in some ways almost an origin story. The first ten minutes of the film are shown in black and white and we witness James making his first kill. The other reason it seemed to work quite well was, at least as far as I am concerned, that it stopped feeling like you were watching a live action cartoon. In the past we’d had Peirce Brosnan driving an ‘invisible’ car. Roger Moore fighting to save the world from orbiting space station and even Sean Connery fighting female adversaries called ‘Bambi’ and ‘Thumper’. The reason for this sudden change in direction and wanting to set the James Bond squarely in the realms of a ‘plausible’ universe was down in no small part to the Bourne films that had preceded it. They were intelligent, had a central protagonist who was not only vulnerable but had to rely on others for help and had fight sequences that were original and innovative. These films were, and still are, very popular. So much so that the fifth instalment is due to hit the screens in the summer of 2016. An old style Bond film simply would not have worked in today’s climate. The general public had declared that they wanted their secret agents with a bit more reality and a lot less cheese. Thankfully Barbara Broccoli listened and the rest, as they say, is history. 

Spectre marks the fourth time Mr Craig has slipped into his made to measure tux, jumped into his Aston Martin and then disposed of the ‘nasty bad people’. It’s is an odd film at times and although it’s directed by Sam Mendes, the gentleman who brought us the first Bond film to break through the billion dollar barrier, Skyfall, it does seem a little disjointed at times. Common sense and its plot, for what it’s worth, seems to be a little haphazard and as it was pointed out to me, it’s almost like they stuck pins in a map for locations they’d like to shoot at and then tried to find a way for them to join the dots and get from one to the other.  

However what Spectre lacks in cohesive story it does make up for in its cast. We have Ralph The Voldemort Fiennes returning as the newly appointed ‘M’, Andrew The Moriarty Scott playing the MI5 head ‘C’ and Dave The Drax Bautista playing the evil henchman muscle ‘Hinx’. However, the real coup in Spectre is getting Christoph Waltz to play the head bad guy ‘Oberhauser’ (Spoiler Alert: That’s not his real name). For anyone who’s seen Quintin Tarantino’s Inglorious Bastards you’ll be aware that Mr Waltz can play bad and play it very well. There’s always an air of menace about him when he’s on screen. Even when he doesn’t have any dialogue his overall malevolent persona still shines through. There are a lot of things I could say about Oberhauser that would give the game away and reveal things about his character but will say this. He is the architect of everything that Daniel Craig’s, James Bond, has had to deal with in the previous three films. He has caused people Bond cares about to die and has secretly been pushing buttons behind the curtain to orchestrate the world into a place where he can maximise chaos and control governments. Another tick in the ‘well cast’ column goes to the French actress Lea Seydoux who plays ‘Madeleine Swan’. She plays the main female lead and although her part isn’t particularly well written, she is portrayed as a well-educated doctor who has absolutely no problem telling Mr Bond to Foxtrot Oscar, as and when required.      

Now, I don’t want to be accused of not liking a film just because its storyline is M.I.A. Lots of movies I like are a bit thin on the ground when it comes to plot. American Beauty, The Empire Strikes Back (still don’t understanding why everyone says it’s the best one) and The Cannonball Run to name just three. There are plenty of good things to report when it comes to Spectre. Firstly it has an actress playing a Bond girl (why is it never Bond Woman?) who’s actually older than the actor playing Bond and I don’t think that’s happened since Honor Blackman and Sean Connery graced our screens in 1964’s Goldfinger. The pre-credit set piece is very well executed and has helicopters doing what helicopters shouldn’t be able to do and as for the credit sequence itself it pulls in elements from the previous three Bond films and is cleverly ties into the films overrunning theme. 

I think the main problem Spectre has though is it’s the film that comes after Skyfall and that was always going to be a tough act to follow. Sam Mendes wasn’t going to direct and then he was. The budget is allegedly north of 300 million and at times you get the feeling that Columbia Pictures basically just said yes to whatever the screenwriters John Logan, Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and Jez Butterworth came up with.  What’s also slightly odd about the film is that it’s just less than two and a half hours long but I left the cinema thinking the film needed to be longer. There are areas of the film that need more exposition and it all seemed a little rushed. A couple of other niggles I have with it are that is has a torture scene in it that uses a small drill that left me on the wrong side of uncomfortable. Also someone will need to explain to me why they hired Dave Bautista, who was one of the best things in Guardians of The Galaxy, and then only give him word of dialogue. Tragically under used in my humble opinion. 

It’s been reported quite heavily in the press that Spectre will be Daniel Craig’s last outing as Bond. He’s been quoted as saying ‘that he can’t see himself making another one at the moment’. Whether that’s true or not remains to be seen. I think it will come down to artistic integrity over zeros in the bank account at the end of the day. If it is to be his last Bond then I think his report card should end up with a B+ on it. Having grown up in the Roger More era of Bond I more than happy to say that Spectre does have it comedic moments but there isn’t a raised eyebrow in sight. 

So to sum up, Spectre isn’t nearly as bad of a car crash as Quantum of Solace was. It has action, Bond disobeying orders, a great car chase through Rome and enough tailored men’s wear to keep Savile Row employed for a year. I’m sure it will make enough money to keep everyone’s bank manager happy and one thing is certain, Bond will be back, regardless of who’s playing him. Film 25 will occur at some point in the not too distant future and if I was a betting man I’d have a flutter on Mr Waltz being in the credits too. He’s way too good as the villain for them not to use again. Oh, and one last thing. I happen to think the Sam Smith Bond theme ‘Writing’s On The Wall’ is actually rather good. There I said it…  

Twitter Review:

Christoph comes but once a year. 

#HeHasAWhiteCatDontYouKnow 

Useful Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2379713/?ref_=nv_sr_1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTDaET-JweU

http://www.empireonline.com/movies/spectre/review/

The Martian

Hello dear reader, it’s time once again to offer up my opinions on my most recent trip to the cinema. The film in question this time is of ‘The Martian’ but before I tell you the story about the film I need to, if you’ll indulge me, tell you the story about the book, which the film is based on… 

Along time ago, in a galaxy far far away lived a man by the name of Andy Weir. This man, as luck would have it, had never been stranded on another planet. Not even Mars but he did think it would be a great idea to write a book about someone who was. At the time Mr Weir had no publishing deal in place and in fact the closest he’d ever come to getting anything he’d written exposed to the big wide world was on a website where he would upload short stories.  There he was, sitting on this idea to write a story. Set in the not too distant future. About a man, who through no fault of his own, gets left behind in a totally hostile and inhospitable environment. The planet equivalent of Basildon, if you will. Mr Weir, by his own admission, had a few things in his favour when he started to create this story. Firstly, he is a huge ‘space nerd’, likes ‘relativistic physics’ and as luck would have it has an almost encyclopaedic knowledge of ‘manned spaceflight’. His ultimate goal was twofold. He wanted to compose something that would engage the reader and because he was a ‘space nerd’ he also wanted to make sure the science in his new story was correct. So much so, that he wrote his own computer programs to calculate travel times and make sure he got his flight paths hyper accurate. 

Now, as it turns out Mr Weir decided to serialise this novel online. This did two things; firstly it kept people coming back for more and secondly it meant he didn’t have to be finished before he started to upload it. The initial response for the book was more than Weir could ever have hoped for. He was soon being inundated with requests for the finished book to be made available on Kindle, thus making it easier to read on the move. After doing some quick research he found out that you can ‘self-publish’ pretty much whatever you’d like on Kindle and with weeks of his first request he had it available to download for the cheapest price available, 99 cents. Again, the response was nothing short of stunning and word of mouth soon spread. So much so, that within months of it first going live he had publishers asking if they could release it in paperback. Once it was it was only a short time before it started to garner interest from Hollywood. And the rest, as they say, is history. Twentieth Century Fox put up the money, Ridley Scott directed it and the all-star cast spend just over two hours and twenty minutes trying to bring Matt Damon’s ‘Mark Watney’, home. 

The first time I became aware of the book ‘The Martian’ was in the latter half of 2014. I heard it being discussed by Adam Savage (Mythbusters) on his podcast ‘Tested’. Adam said he was blown away by it and also said that he picked the book up to read on a flight and by his own admission ‘not been able to put it down’. He waxed lyrical about it’s tension, how it was a one man battle against the odds and that he ‘could not recommend it enough!’ Then I found out that it had been given the green light to be turned into a movie and that none other than sci-fi legend Ridley Scott was going to be sitting in the director’s chair. This basically turned what had been mild curiosity to read the book into an almost ‘I have to see this film at all costs’ kind of deal. 

Now to the business of the film itself. For those of you who have been living under a Martian rock (see what I did there) for the last twelve months or so, The Martian tells the story of the first manned missions to Mars. The ‘Ares Missions’ of which there will be at least 5, are for scientific research purposes and the betterment of mankind as a whole etc etc. The Martian concentrates on Ares 3. A mission that has six crew members and is designed to spend thirty one days on the surface of Mars. Things go wrong and the  mission has to commit an emergency evacuation from the surface due to a very large storm heading towards their base camp and it’s during this evacuation that Matt Damon’s ‘Mark Watney’ gets hit by an airborne communications dish and thrown away from the remaining crew as they head for the escape rocket. Or if you want it in technical NASA speak ‘MAV: Mars Ascent Vehicle’. Now, before you can say ‘Where’s there’s blame, there’s a claim’ the commander of the mission, Jessica Chastain’s ‘Melissa Lewis’ has to make the call to leave. This is partly down to the fact that they have no idea where Watney has ended up. Because of the storm and that visibility is practically zero and also because his spacesuit has stopped transmitting his bio read out information. Lewis has to assume that Watney is dead and as the wind speed is also causing the MAV to tilt past what is an acceptable angle for take-off she has to put the lives of the rest of her crew first. They successfully take off and then we cut to the morning after the night before, with Watney face down and half covered in dirt and sand. What follows is basically the story of one man’s determination to not to die on a planet that at best could be described as a ‘long walk’ away. 

Using only what he has at his disposal (Amazon apparently don’t deliver there….yet) he has to set about ensuring his survival and growing enough food until he thinks NASA will be able to stage a rescue. This last part is also dependant on him being able to contact NASA in the first place and telling them he isn’t dead. Not the easiest of tasks when you consider that the only communications system able to contact them was on the MAV. They say that in space no one can hear you scream, well, just for those not in the know, shouting doesn’t work either. 

The Martian is a shade over two hours and twenty minutes long but it doesn’t feel like a long film at all. From the moment things start to go south on Mars, it grabs your attention and doesn’t give you much of a chance to relax. As I mentioned earlier there is a pretty good supporting cast here and a lot of them don’t really get a huge amount of screen time. People like Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, Chiwetel Ejiofor and Sean Bean were more than happy to play second fiddle to Matt Damon. I can only assume the calibre of actor willing to take these small parts is down to two reasons. Firstly the director involved and secondly the quality of the screenplay. Oh and if you happen to find yourself in a pub quiz in the not too distant future and you’re asked to name a film that Sean Bean doesn’t die in, write down The Martian. He does lose his job but I am happy to report that he makes it all the way through to the final credits. Isn’t killed by an Orc or anything!

So I’ll finish up by giving you a few do’s and don’ts about The Martain. If you get the chance, do read the book first. It’s funnier than the film and contains a lot more of the science ‘why’s and wherefores’ that go into Watney’s decision making process. Don’t be put off by the thought of watching someone effectively talking to themselves for two hours. Do make sure that if you wear glasses or contact lenses, you have them in or on as the film is visually breath-taking and finally, once you’ve seen it, don’t give away the ending, Iron Man wouldn’t want you to… 

Twitter Review:

If you like your 'abandoned in space' films with a little bit of a disco theme, then The Martian is definitely for you.

#BringHimHome

Useful Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3659388/?ref_=nv_sr_2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej3ioOneTy8

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=139094

Legend

Hello dear reader. It would appear it’s that time again. To tell tall tales of wonder and exhilaration, to enthral you and fill your head with images of delight and elation. To set the scene and invite you read my humble blog and offer up an opinion on the latest cinematic banquet that I consumed recently. The film in question is Legend and for you of a certain age, I am not referring to the Ridley Scott, Tom Cruise, Tim Curry, Unicorn extravaganza that first saw the light of day back in good old 1985. No, I am of course about to embark on a review of the new Tom Hardy & Tom Hardy story of the Krays. One of the greatest double acts since Romeo and Juliette, Laurel and Hardy or Noddy and Big Ears. Ronnie and Reggie Kray, for those of you who were sick they day they taught ‘east end gangsters’ at school, did for clean living and upholding the law what Bernard Mathews did for promoting vegetarianism. During the sixties they were the ground zero for organised crime in London. Their presence was felt everywhere and such was their appeal that it wasn’t uncommon for celebrities of the day to frequent their clubs and casinos. They were an unstoppable force that quite simply ran an empire from the east end of London. They were courted by the American mafia, they crushed anyone that stood in their way and didn’t suffer fools gladly.

There have been films and countless documentaries about the Krays before, dramatising their rise to power and how they ruled with an iron fist but this is the first that I am aware of that tells the story from the point of view of Reggie Krays wife, Frances.  This gives a unique slant and stops it becoming a formulaic action film wrapped around a great story. It also helps show what Frances had to endure and go through and ultimately forced her to make some choices that were undoable.   

So, as always I shall start at the beginning. Legend is a film that, if you’ll pardon the pun, doesn’t pull any punches. It’s extremely violent when it needs to be and should not be viewed by those of a nervous disposition. One of the ‘confrontations’ that takes place during the film starts with Reggie stood next to a bar with about half a dozen men in front of him and then Reggie announcing to the world ‘a paranoid schizophrenic walks into a pub’. Then Ronnie walks in behind these six and pulls out two claw hammers and chaos ensues. Afterwards Ronnie and Reggie walk out of the pub. The other men involved in the fight do not. That pretty much sets the tone for the entire film. Don’t get me wrong, Legend is not what I would call gratuitous. I wouldn’t need that much convincing that everything that’s portrayed on screen actually happened. Ronnie and Reggie were ‘mommies little monsters’ and as a pair they were inseparable. Even when Reggie has to serve time at her majesties pleasure, his spirit and will is never broken. He believes that he will always overcome and triumph over anything put in front of him. And when his brother is making decisions that have consequences and impact on people they care about, his faith in his twin, at least in public, is unshakable. That said they do fight each other during the film and after what has to go down as one of the finest pieces of cgi that you’ll never notice, it ends with the realisation that despite each of their own flaws, they will always need each other to survive. 

When Tom Hardy was first approached to make this film it was originally to only play Reggie Kray, or Ronnie Kray, depending on which online source you’re prepared to believe. The long and the short of it is that the director, Brian Helgeland, apparently had someone else in mind to play the other twin. Who it was has never made the light of day but if I was a betting man I’d have a fiver on Tom Hiddleston, Damien Lewis or if you prefer your longshots, Helen Mirren.

Now, in what will go down in history as either a very brave or very unwise decision, Mr Hardy agreed to make Legend on the proviso that he played both brothers. Brian Helgeland isn’t exactly a man without a pedigree when it comes to movies. His screenplay CV includes such gems as LA Confidential, Mystic River and Man on Fire and although his directorial back catalogue isn’t quite as extensive, it does include the Heath Ledger film A Knights Tale and 2014’s bio pic about the baseball player Jackie Robinson, 42 to name but two. Having one actor play both roles would completely change the way the way was shot and easily add a couple of million onto the post production budget but Helgeland agreed. How Tom Hardy convinced him that he could pull both performances off is somewhat of a mystery. Again, depending on who you’re willing to believe, there was either a meeting that involved several bottles of scotch and a trip through the finer parts of Bethnal Green and Shoreditch, with Mr Helgeland in tow or an audition where Tom sat in a chair in the middle of an empty studio, played both parts and was ‘chilling’ as he spoke to himself. 

The latter I have absolutely no problem believing at all. Tom is very good at playing Reggie but it’s as Ronnie where he excels. For me it’s in his eyes where most of the character comes from. At times they look dead, as if there’s nothing there behind them and whatever vestiges of a soul that were once contained there have long since departed. Tom also has an unnerving ability to actually look like a completely different person playing each brother. Yes, he wears glasses and dentures for Ronnie and his hair is styled differently but whereas when Clarke Kent removes his glasses he instantly becomes recognisable as Superman, when Ronnie removes his glasses he still looks like Ronnie, not Reggie. I found the difference between Tom’s portrayal of Ronnie and Reggie remarkable at times and there were moments when I completely forget that it was one person playing both parts.  

Legend isn’t prefect perfect but I’d have to give it full marks for effort. It’s quite clear from what you see on screen, or more importantly, what you don’t see on screen that a lot of time and effort has gone into making London look like its back in the 60’s. Again it’s the computer generated images that you don’t realise you’re seeing that help there. That coupled with a great supporting cast that includes Emily Browning, an under used Christopher Eccleston, Duffy, David Thewlis, Chaz Palminteri and a blink and you’ll miss it appearance from Paul Bettany makes Legend one of the best British films to come along in a while. For the most part the narration for the film comes from Emily Browning’s, Frances and as I mentioned earlier, having the story told from her point of view makes Legend a very compelling and ultimately poignant film. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea or particular brand of vodka but if you do get the chance to watch it I would recommend you do so. Also just a quick aside here, if you have a look at the poster above, pay close attention to the Guardian review and where it’s been placed. They only gave it two stars…

Twitter Review:

Loyalty to my brother is how I measure myself.

#ICameHereForAProperShootout

Useful links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3569230/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey7S4hko_Mc

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=139205

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Hello dear reader. Just under twenty years ago Brian De Palma thought it would be a great idea to turn a TV series from the 1960’s into a film. Now back then this wasn’t as common as occurrence as it is now. These days you can’t go more than a couple of weeks, at most, without reading about someone in Hollywood wanting to relaunch, reboot and refranchise a show from the telly box. Recently we’ve had The Smurfs, 21 Jump Street and even the Man From U.N.C.L.E., grace our Multiplexes. However, back in the good old and glorious days of 1996 it wasn’t that commonplace. Movie goers were being offered everything from Independence Day to Fargo, Twister to Mars Attacks and Trainspotting to Scream without even a hint of cathode ray tube being the birthplace of inspiration. 

To say the first Mission Impossible film was a gamble by Paramount is a bit of an understatement. Sure De Palma had a great track record at that point, Scarface, The Untouchables and Carlito’s Way are impressive films but when thinking about directors with a proven record for bringing action to the screen, he’s not the first name that would spring to mind. Then of course there are budget concerns. Throw too much money at it and you’ll never make a profit. Not enough and you’ll look like the company that didn’t want to take it seriously. Thankfully someone in Paramount liked the screenplay, written David Koepp and Steven Zaillian, enough to let De Palma go away and play with eighty million dollars. And that’s going back to a time when eighty million dollars was considered a lot of money. Three sequels later, that have been directed by the likes of John Woo, JJ Abrams and Brad Bird, we find ourselves looking down the barrel of film five in the series, Rogue Nation, and things seem to be showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Now I went into watching this Rogue Nation with high expectations. Its director, Christopher McQuarrie, is responsible for what is, in my humble opinion, the greatest screenplay ever written. Now I know that is a bold statement. Especially when you currently have the likes of Aaron Sorkin, Jane Goldman, Joss Whedon and Tina Fey wondering around, seemingly able to produce Oscar quality material faster than it takes most people to get up, shower and have breakfast. The screenplay I am referring to is of course ‘The Usual Suspects’ and if you haven’t seen the film may I suggest you do so this instant. May I also recommend (Warning: self-indulgent promotional plug ahead) you read my gloriously brilliant blog about the film too. Click here for awesomeness!

Rogue Nation is McQuarrie’s third stint sitting in the director’s chair. Following on from ‘Way of the Gun’ in 2000 and ‘Jack Reacher’ in 2012 and in many ways he’s still finding his feet. A lot of reviews I’ve read for this film have called it the best in the franchise, a masterclass in action etc etc but I came away from the film ever so slightly disappointed with what I’d just seen. Sure it does have great action, it has witty dialogue and most of the core cast returning but it doesn’t seem to be the great movie it’s trying so hard to be. It fails at being the sum of its parts. The stunts are visually entertaining but even having Mr Cruise stuck on the side of a nice and shiny green aeroplane as it takes off (and it really did have Mr Cruise stuck on the side of a nice and shiny green aeroplane as it takes off) just didn’t work for me. There are motorbike chases. A gun and knife battle that takes place in, around and on top of the Vienna Opera House and there’s also an underwater set piece that anyone who even remotely has a fear of drowning will find hard to watch. But overall I kept thinking ‘been there, done that’ as I watched it. 

Where the film really works though is with the introduction of new characters. Alec Baldwin pops up as Alan Hunley. A CIA head honcho with more than a passing dislike for Ethan Hunt and all things IMF. However, the real gem in Rogue Nation is Rebecca Ferguson. She plays Ilsa Faust, an undercover agent that used to work for British Intelligence. Without going in to spoiler territory it’s quite hard to say much more about this character but I will say that she is every bit Hunt’s equal, both intellectually and physically. She can not only run with the big boys, she can get them to dance to her tune as well. But for every good side of the coin there’s normally a bad side too and Rogue Nations bad side comes along in the form of Sean Harris playing the chief big bad guy, Solomon Lane. Through no real fault of Mr Harris, you can only act with what you are given after all, Solomon comes across as a badly written James Bond villain or a comic character that’s never really made it to the ‘A League’. Solomon is also ex-British Intelligence but has an accent that could best be described as wandering. Solomon never really delivers on the whole aura of menace thing that is almost a contractual obligation these days when it comes to bad guys. This is partly down to a haircut that looks like it was done at home in front of a mirror and a wardrobe selection that looks like he got dressed in the dark. I got the feeling that Mr Lane would have looked and felt more at home in an episode of ‘The Great British Bake Off’ than running an international crime consortium. Which leads me to another big problem I have with the film. 

The organisation that Solomon runs is called ‘The Syndicate’ and again without giving to much away is basically a branch of the Civil Service with muscle.  This muscle also has access to money, which it uses to help fund terrorists, wrong doers and anyone else who has a vested interest in sponsored violence (Scouts, Salvation Army, Mothercare, etc). But as a premise it just doesn’t work. The plot of the film revolves around the Syndicate needing to get its hands on a computer thingy that will give them access to virtually unlimited funds. However, the British PM is the only one who can activate the computer to release these funds. This requires a voice print and about nineteen other levels of security that have to be cleared. But of course that’s why these films are called Mission Impossible. 

On the whole it Rogue Nation isn’t a bad film but it’s certainly not the best of the franchise either. I enjoyed watching the fourth instalment ‘Ghost Protocol’ a lot more than this offering but it’s still head and shoulders above John Woo’s Mission Impossible II. That is not an easy watch and even forgiving the obligatory doves (why are there always doves in John Woo films?) It has Tom Cruise with long hair, a convoluted love story with Thandie Newton and more continuity errors than you can shake a stick at.  

As I touched on before the majority of the core cast have returned here, Including Jeremy Renner as William Brandt and Simon Pegg as Benji Dunn. Both of whom carry the films lighter and comedic touches very well. Renner isn’t given a lot to do here apart from wear a suit and keep Hunley from capturing Hunt. Benji on the other hand is far more hands on in this film than he has been in his previous two outings. Honourable mentions should also go out to Tom Hollander and to Simon McBurney who help move the plot along as and when required and in closing I’ll say this. Rogue Nation almost certainly won’t be the last we ever see of Ethan Hunt and his crew. As long as the franchise continues to make money Paramount will always have a vested interest in green lighting sequels.  My concern is that in order to keep the public interested that they’ll insist on going for bigger stunts and more incredible plots, so don’t be too surprised if you read in the not too distant future that Tom Cruise has been killed falling off the moon. He’s just crazy enough to try it…

Twitter Review:

Rogue Nation, Rogue plot, Rogue common sense. Great to look at but smoke and mirrors will only get you so far...

#GetMaskWearMaskFly

Useful links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2381249/?ref_=nv_sr_1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmC6rZyByzk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afS5ks54tms

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=138768

Ant-Man

Anty-Man, Anty-Man,

Does whatever an Anty can.

Looks real small, then looks big,

Catches bad guys then does a jig. 

Look out!

Here comes the Anty-Man. 

Hello dear reader and welcome to what is my twelfth blog of 2015. It marks the end of Marvel films Phase Two and brings to the big screen a film, which at times, looked like it would never make it. Or should that be small screen, given the film in question. 

Ant-Man lost its original director, Edgar Wright, six weeks before principle photography was due to start. This came as a major surprise to most fans of the MCU. Partly because this had been a labour of love for Mr Wright for some considerable time. He’d often gone on record, as far back as 2003, saying he wanted to make this film. He’d co-written a screenplay with Joe Cornish and even shot test footage in 2013, just to see if his particular vision could be brought to the silver screen. However the main reason Mr Wright’s decision to bail caused seismic tremors throughout the superhero world was that Marvel had never really had even the slightest whiff of having a ‘problem film’. From the start of Phase One with Iron Man back in 2008, Marvel had always had the Midas touch when it came to spin and publicity. They could do no wrong. A carefully orchestrated media battle plan that always oozed geek and nerdom in substantial quantities. My superheroes bring all boys (and girls) to the Yard, as Kevin Feige would probably say. 

But then out of the blue came ‘trouble at mill’. Edgar Wright walked away citing creative differences and in walked Peyton Reed, with the rest of the world collectively shouting ‘who?’ in unison. If you’re willing to believe what the internet tells you the disagreement was largely down to screenplay rewrites but there are also reports that Team Edgar and Team Kevin simply did not get on. So not only had the rug been pulled from under everyone’s feet but it was as if the world had been shown a glimpse of the wizard behind the curtain. Fans didn’t like it and even Joss Whedon took to twitter post a simple picture of a cornetto raised aloft in support. 

It became apparent that Marvel were going to have to use a lot of smoke and mirrors and misdirection to pull this off and come up with the goods. Thankfully they could accomplish most of this with the upcoming release of Age of Ultron. ‘Hey everyone, look over here! We have trailers and pictures of shiny things’. Of course also hiring the likes of Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly also helped allay fears too. The Ant-Man ship wasn’t sinking just yet but there were icebergs on the horizon. Fast forward the better part of ten months and that brings us to Ant-Man's release. And I’m pleased to report that it’s actually rather good…

As with most Marvel films these days, you walk into the cinema with a certain level of expectation. You know what you’re going to get and most of the time they do exactly what they say on the tin. You’re bang for your buck is pretty much guaranteed and the accompanying visual and cerebral download tends to tick a lot of boxes. There will of course be grand action set pieces, a sprinkling of witty one-liners, more costumes and colours than you would expect to find in the performance of the complete works of Shakespeare and more danger and peril than Miss Marple could get her hands on with the help of CSI, Starsky & Hutch and Columbo combined. Highbrow it isn’t but by the same token, you never usually leave your seat felling underwhelmed.  

So Ant-Man starts with our ‘hero to be’ Scott Lang behind bars. Sent to prison by a military court for a crime he didn't commit. This man promptly escapes from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, He survives as a soldier of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find him, maybe you can hire the Ant-Man. Oh, hang on. I may have got myself a little confused there. Normal service will now resume.

Ant-Man is a film about redemption. A man given a second chance in life and the opportunity to be a better father to his young daughter. A daughter that still worships him despite his missing her grow up, due to his time behind bars. What Ant-Man is also, is funny. It’s probably the funniest film to come along in either Phase One or Phase Two by some considerable distance. Michael Pena, who is basically part of Scott Lang’s back up crew, isn’t given much screen time to strut his comedic talents but he pretty much steals every scene he’s in. 

It’s always going to be impossible to tell how much of Edgar and Joe’s screenplay made it into the final film. Rewrites and polishing, including a writing credit for Paul Rudd himself have permanently blurred the lines between the start and finish post but if you do ever bump into Simon Pegg ask him to show you a copy of the original, because he’s got one apparently. 

There are moments of brilliance in Ant-Man and little touches that may go unnoticed by some. Security guards whistling ‘It’s a small world after all’, a passing reference to Spiderman, who can now come and play in the MCU and will have a cameo in Marvels next film ‘Captain American: Civil War’. There also can’t be many action films that would have even thought about using Thomas the Tank Engine in their grand finale. A lot of Marvel films have been fairly formulaic recently, and have had more than just a passing Déjà vu feel when it comes to their endings. Big aerial battles that always have lots of destruction, mayhem and chaos. And yes Avengers, Thor 2 and Guardians of The Galaxy, I’m aiming that last sentence squarely at your clapper boards. It’s very refreshing to find a small scale battle that not only isn’t set against the back drop of a sprawling metropolis but happens within the confines of a family home.  

The other fairly formulaic problem that keeps repeating itself is the distinct lack of Estrogen on screen. There are only three female characters of note in Ant-Man. A mother and daughter who are given about as much to do as the Popes Menorah cleaner. They have virtually no important dialogue and are given character development which is comparable to a new brick being used on ‘Grand Designs’. Evangeline Lilly is the other female actor in question and without giving too much away or heading into spoiler territory, she will be returning to a Marvel cinema at some point in the not too distant future. There’s a blink and you miss it appearance from Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter at the start of the film but that’s basically it when it comes to women. It’s a real shame and I hope this trend starts to change soon or we could end up with a Marvel Cinematic Universe that has as many women in it as the Star Wars Universe currently does. Bad George Lucas, Boo, Boo...

I finish off by saying this. Ant-Man is a good film, despite its flaws. Paul Rudd looks like he enjoyed making it and it has one of the better Stan Lee cameos around. It also has a villain in it called Yellow Jacket, which in case you were wondering, has nothing to do with Hi-di-Hi or Sue Pollard. At 117 minutes long it’s also the shortest film to date that Marvel have released. As always you should stick around for the credits. There are two stings here, one in the middle and another at the end. Both are interesting and give the start of Phase 3 some fresh fuel. A solid four out of five but the report card should also contain a 'Could and should do better'.    

Twitter Review:

Go see Ant-man, No magnifying glass required! It’s good, It’s funny and it has Phoebe's husband from Friends in it. 

#SmallPackageBigPunch

Useful Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0478970/?ref_=nv_sr_1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5TtFK9C62E&feature=iv&src_vid=1HpZevFifuo&annotation_id=annotation_1112302829

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=134035

Jurassic World

Hello dear reader, it’s time to do that voodoo, that I do, so well. Ego not withstanding it’s been about two months since I last blogged about a film. This was of course the great and glorious Mad Max Fury Road. The reason for this absence purely down to having to move house and packing. There just hasn’t been any time available to go and see what I wanted to. Gems like Tomorrowland have been and gone and even the cgi heavy San Andreas passed through my local multiplex without me being able to offer up an opinion on it. I am however pleased to report that the move has now taken place and boxes are being unpacked. So if you’ll permit me I would like to resume normal service and offer up my opinion on the charming little film I watched at the weekend called Jurassic World.

Now right off the bat I should point out that I don’t seem to share the rest of the world’s enthusiasm for all things dinosaur. Yes their old, yes some of them are majestic and yes some of them you wouldn’t want to run into in a darkened ally on your own but I just don’t get the whole all encompassing ‘ohh-ahh’ thing they seem to have going on with everyone else. They died out, they did not pass go and they definitely did not collect two hundred pounds. And just before anyone starts with the sensible argument about natural selection or the equally rational ‘there really isn’t anything that could have done about a huge asteroid strike in the Gulf of Mexico that contributed to their extinction’ I say this. The levels of intelligence shown by the main ‘big bad’ dinosaur in Jurassic World are off the charts. It can alter its skin to avoid thermal camera detection; it can problem solve to a level that would put Stephen Hawking to shame; its capable of very convincing camouflage and would appear to be able to speak perfectly fluent Velociraptor. So you can’t tell me that there weren’t plans sixty five million years ago to have an orbiting weapons satellite that could have more than easily dealt with any fast approaching lump of rock, as I simply won’t believe you.

Sorry, that was starting to get a little bit ranty there. I shall continue in a more restrained manner that befits this great and glorious review, init. So the film itself is set on the original island that the first Jurassic Park film was on. However this time the park is bigger and better. They’ve spared no expense. There are five star hotels, new rides and an updated information centre with holograms and obligatory gift shops and a dinosaur sea world that contains a Mosasaurus, which for those of you not in the know is a rather large aquatic creature that unquestionably comes under the ‘we’re gonna to need a bigger boat’ category.

This is the forth film in the Jurassic series and although it's a vast improvement on numbers two and three it still has problems that it seems more than happy to keep repeating. My biggest gripe with these films and indeed with most ‘people in peril’ films is that the only way screenwriters seem to be able to move the plot along is to have people actively being stupid and putting themselves in danger at every available opportunity. This happens quite a lot in Jurassic World and is further compounded by the fact that the majority of the park staff seem to have been hired by the ‘I will love him and pet him and call him George’ recruitment agency. Some on the decisions and thought processes that are shown on screen in this film make Jersey Shore look like Shakespeare. Now I do understand that for these films to work they need to be roughly two parts hazard and three parts jeopardy but that doesn’t mean that everyone in them, with a few noticeable exceptions, needs to be two parts Jedward and three parts Chuckle Brother.

The two main characters in the film are Owen and Claire, played by Chris ‘everything he touches turns to gold’ Pratt and Bryce’ my dad used to be on Happy Days’ Dallas Howard, respectively. Claire is very career driven and is in charge of the park from top to bottom. Claire is also very emotionally detached and has a lot of trouble seeing the dinosaurs as anything other than profit margins and numbers on a spread sheet. This emotional detachment also becomes apparent when Claire is asked to look after her nephews when they visit the park for a weekend. Business comes first and Claire has her personal assistant guide them around all the various attractions. A decision that proves to be a solid nine out of ten on the ‘oh bugger’ meter, especially for the assistant. Owen on the other hand is a very heart on his sleeve type of guy. He cares about his job and has invested a lot of time and effort into building a bond with four Velociraptors. These Velociraptors, although still the wrong side of extremely dangerous, follow Owen’s instructions and this relationship with them plays a pivotal part in films plot. The other star of the film, that I mentioned earlier, is completely computer generated. Indominus Rex is a hybrid dinosaur, created in a lab by the parks parent company ‘Ingen’ for no other reason than to make more money and to keep people coming in through the gates. Now I’m all for having a great animal bad guy, or girl for that matter. Jaws, the Xenomorph from the Alien films and even Piranha’s are all great examples of pure animal killing machines but I think Indominus Rex may have just out shone them all. As well as the attributes I mentioned earlier like thermal avoidance, multilingual, camouflage and being smarter than a smart thing on national smart day in smart land, It also has Ninja skills, anger management issues that would put Bruce Banner to shame and a bigger compulsion for human flesh than Hannibal Lector.

Problems start on the park and indeed the entire island when the Indominus Rex escapes from its enclosure. Once it’s out and roaming freely throughout the park business definitely picks up. The parks control room refers to this problem as ‘having an asset out of containment’, which I can’t help thinking sounds like a wardrobe malfunction at a Chippendales show. Euphemism claxons aside, this is pretty much the premise of the film and as with the very first Jurassic Park film in 1993, the story is basically one of dinosaurs escape, humans try and deal with the ensuing carnage. So if you like your peril perilous, your menace menacing and scripts on the dumb side of common sense then Jurassic World is just the film for you. On its plus side it does have a good supporting cast including Vincent D’Ofonrio, BD Wong and Judy Greer but it did leave me feeling ever so slightly underwhelmed. Bryce Dallas Howard is a very good actor and I’m sure her services for taking part in this film were very well rewarded but she doesn’t really get anything important to do and does end up playing the stereotypical damsel in distress at times. Running away from a T-Rex in heels isn’t exactly what you’d call clever or smart and neither is rolling up your sleeves to show you’re ready for action. This is a popcorn, summer blockbuster, franchise movie but there’s absolutely no reason to dumb things down for the audience. Marvel have repeatedly shown that people will come and watch intelligent, well written, tent pole movies and then come back and ask for seconds, time and time again. A fact that seems to be lost on the executives at Universal.

I do wonder what Michael Crichton would have made of this film and how happy he’d have been with it. My guess is he’d have liked what they tried to do but not pleased with how they went about doing it. Given the amount of money this film has made, it is the fastest film to break through the billion dollar barrier by some considerable distance, there will of course be sequels and I’m sure the plot will once again be ‘oh know, something has gone wrong, run for the hills!’ Except there won’t running for the hills. There we be slow walking surrounded by people saying things like ‘what was that noise? Let’s go and investigate’ and fences with lots of signs that say ‘Danger: Keep Out, Risk of Death’ etc etc, that are completely ignored. I’ll finish by saying this. Jurassic World is an okay film that could have been great. It relies far too heavily on clichés that were flogged to death and worn out in the first three films and it needs it needs a common sense reboot. It has a government sub-plot about using dinosaurs as weapons that really doesn’t need to be in there and the director, Colin Trevorrow, hasn’t in my humble opinion, done a particularly good job here. That said he is the current front runner to direct the Star Wars episode IX film, so someone must like what he’s doing…

Twitter Review:  

Dumb people, dumb plot and a dinosaur with a phd. Jurassic World fails on a lot of levels. Could do better. Must do better.

#BeenThereBefore

Useful Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0369610/?ref_=nv_sr_1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFinNxS5KN4

http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=3059

James Horner

Hello dear reader, this will be a first. It’s now been over three years since I started blogging about films and my little trips to the cinema. There have been over forty films on which I have given my humble opinion. There has been good, Whiplash. There has been bad, Prometheus. And there has definitely been ugly, A Good Day to Die Hard. There has however never been a blog solely devoted to a person. That is about to change. 

I woke up today and like many days, I was on autopilot for the first five minutes. Lying in bed at just after seven o’clock in the morning, trying to snap the world into focus and then it happened. At the end of the BBC news on Radio 5, and almost treated like a ‘we have ten seconds to fill, lets chuck this in to make up the time’, it was announced that composer James Horner had died at the age of sixty one. He’d been killed in a plane crash and then they moved on to the sports news.

It was now safe to say that I was awake…

Sometimes you hear things that really upset you. News stories that sneak up behind you, tap you on the shoulder and then sucker punch you straight in the stomach as you turn around. After I heard the news about James Horner my first instinct was to double check what I’d just heard on the internet. Surely they couldn’t be talking about ‘that’ James Horner. As I picked up my phone with the intention on blitzing through my overnight twitter feed I was hoping against hope that I was culturally unaware of some great twentieth century composer who also happened to carry the same name as my favourite film score author. A different James Horner that had silently passed me by. Perhaps a man who occasionally filled the Royal Albert Hall with powerful and moving concertos. A man who’s newest opus would have garnished a two hour special on Sky Arts or the Southbank Show, had it still been running.  

A slight wave of panic that had been floating of shore was now headed at full tsunami speed towards my consciousness and a large part of my childhood memories.  The first tweet I found was from Empire magazine, the second was from IMDb. Then came tweets from Russell Crowe and Ron Pearlman. It would seem that there is and was only one James Horner and he was now gone. 

I think the reason this news has upset me so much is because Mr Horner played a very large part in me becoming interested in film and becoming a fan. I can remember watching films back when I was still in single digits and being totally swept away by their musical scores. The very first film score I remember is John Williams ‘Star Wars’ and I am old enough, or lucky enough to have heard it in the cinema when I was five years old. However the second and third film scores I can actively remember thinking ‘I want those records’ were Roger Corman’s Battle Beyond the Stars and Nicholas Meyer directed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Now Battle Beyond the Stars is a great film. Released in 1980, It’s basically The Magnificent Seven in space. It has Ricahrd ‘John-Boy Walton’ Thomas in it. Along with John Saxon, Sybil Danning, George Peppard and Robert Vaughan, who was also in the original Magnificent Seven film. It also has a claim to fame as being one of the first films James Cameron ever worked on. This films triumph however, is its music. It complements the film perfectly. Glorious space combat and cheesy dialogue are brought to another level by this orchestral masterpiece. It won’t be a film that many people have heard of, let alone seen but if you ever see it listed on your TV schedules, make time to see it. It will be 104 minutes of your time well spent. 

Then we get to The Wrath of Khan. Quite simply the best Star Trek film there is and if you don’t’ think so, I’m sorry you’re wrong. From the opening credits to the closing funeral (Spoiler alert, someone dies) its music grabs you by the scruff of the neck and pushes you through nearly two hours of the greatest Space Opera you are ever likely to see on the big or small screen. The Soundtrack only has nine pieces of music on it and there’s no filler. All nine tracks, from the ‘Main Title’ to ‘Enterprise Clears Moorings’ are perfect and heighten the story of a cold and vengeful man that time forgot. 

Then we get to Aliens. In 1986 James Cameron released a follow up to Ridley Scott’s Alien. Now Alien and it score, written by Jerry Goldsmith, was and is a completely different animal to its sequel and comparing them isn’t exactly fair. Alien has a haunted house in space feel to it, whereas Aliens is a full blown ‘them vs us’ war movie. In fact Aliens tag line is ‘this time its war’. If you like Alien, and why wouldn’t you. It has the War Doctor suffering from some serious indigestion problems, that’s fine. But if you like Alien more than Aliens then I don’t think we can be friends. For its soundtrack alone it wins hands down. From its hypnotic opening lullaby to its ‘Resolution and Hyperspace finale, I have yet to come across a soundtrack that complements a film as much as James Horner’s does here. It’s quite simply breath taking at times and when you consider the time constraints James Cameron forced him to work under because of editing issues and reshoots, his final score is even more impressive. If you get the chance listen to the track called ‘Bishops Countdown’. Since its original use in Aliens It’s been used in at least three more films that I can think of, including the first Die Hard film. I’ve seen it used in adverts and even a computer game. Aliens was the first soundtrack on CD ever bought and I still own it today. The covers broken and the case is cracked but I’m never going to replace it or download the digital version from iTunes. It’s a soundtrack that I can listen to again and again without it feeling repetitive and the only other soundtrack that I can even come close to saying the same about is John Ottman’s ‘ The Usual Suspects’. Although I may be slightly biased there.

He also wrote the soundtrack for the two biggest films in box office history. Avatar and Titanic, both James Cameron films. Now leaving aside the charming Celine Dion (wont somebody please leave aside the charming Celine Dion) Titanic is another soundtrack that fits the mood of the film perfectly and when it effectively turns into an action movie for the last hour (Spoiler alert, it sinks) the soundtrack comes into its own. There’s not much that can be said about Avatar that hasn’t already been said before. I’ve heard it described as ‘Dances with Wolves’ in space and even ‘an exercise in ego’ but the next time you watch it, assuming there will be a next time that is, don’t’ concentrate of what you’re seeing on screen. Listen to what you’re hearing on screen. You maybe in for a pleasant surprise. 

James Horner has been my favourite film composer for as long as I can remember. He always came across as passionate about what he did in interviews and magazine articles. From soundtracks as diverse as Field of Dreams to Braveheart, he always tried to bring something new to the table and saddens me a lot that there won’t be any more. His Titanic soundtrack has sold over thirty million copies alone, he composed music for over one hundred and fifty different films, TV programs and documentaries and he won two Oscars for his work.

Goodbye Mr Horner, you will be missed…

Useful Links:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlzkGd7qaMY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpW2AjQbdbs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOFHi7SRMoU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFcfHSOti9s&list=PLwrjzV6EdAwxSq0DQQAAZ06ZnuzXuSgfK

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdoMajMVFQk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVssxumkHI4

Mad Max: Fury Road

Hello dear reader. So it's time for what is my ninth review of what is turning out to be a rather good cinematic 2015. We've had snipers a sniping, drummers a drumming and even wrestlers a wrestling. I'm sure when people start to look back at this year it will be forever remembered as a twelve month period where 'more is more' worked. Script quality has improved, There seems to be a much better control system in place for what gets given the green light and then of course there's the money, moolah, dough, coinage, or if you prefer it in the old fashioned terminology, box office take. Fast & Furious 7 and Avengers: Age of Doodah have already taken enough money to keep their respective studio executives in cocktails and caviar for the foreseeable future. In general receipts are steadily increasing across the board and from animation through to independent, there has never been a better time to be a fan of the silver screen. And of course, let’s not forget that we are only just taking our first steps into what is traditionally 'Blockbuster Season.' Mission Impossible, Jurassic World, Terminator Genisys and even a Minions film have yet to grace our screens. Long story short, there will be a lot of bums on seats this summer and those of us who do enjoy regular visits to our multiplexes are likely to consume our own weight in Pepsi and popcorn. There's also some 'shaken, not stirred' tuxedo action and a small independent film about stars that has something waking up due at the end of the year if you happen to like your films in franchise form...       

Now I must confess that I was never a very big fan of the original Mad Max trilogy. As films go, they are all solid three out of five outings. The first one in 1979 is ok and is at best, is a poor man’s revenge movie. The second is basically a version of the magnificent seven on wheels and the third film? Well trying to hang a tag on that is tricky. IMDb says that it’s about ‘a former Australian policeman who is rescued by a tribe of children when he is banished from a desert town and sent into the desert to die by the town’s evil queen.’ Now apart from the use of the word desert twice in one sentence you’d be forgiven for thinking that that was a Disney film at first glance. Those of you who have seen it will know that it isn’t but it does have the obligatory music tie-in that you now have to have with all things ‘Mickey.’ We don’t need another hero belted out by Tina ‘Nutbush City Limts’ Turner over the end credits is actually one of the high points of the film. Again, I do feel I should point out that it’s not a film I actively dislike. It just never really captured my imagination and on the whole the three films have always just left me cold.
So where does that leave the new Mad Max: Fury Road film? Well basically it leaves it in a very good position. It’s been thirty years since Mel Gibson’s last outing as Max and as the saying goes ‘Time cures all ills.’ This film is not a sequel and it’s not a prequel either. You can call it a reboot if you are one of those people that need labels, but that’s not really one hundred percent accurate either. Tom Hardy has now taken on the mantel of Max and you could say it’s a very inspired piece of casting. In the same way that Heath Ledger being cast as the Joker raised several eyebrows throughout Hollywood; Mr Hardy wouldn’t have been at the top of most people’s lists when it came to looking for a replacement to the now out of fashion Gibson. Sure Hardy can do action and can also bulk up as and when he’s required to do so but he can also act and act well when he’s asked to do so. Roles in Inception and Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy are just two great examples of what he can do when his part is script driven and not reliant on action and special effects.          

So that brings us to the film itself. Where to start, where to start…
Well at its most basic and fundamental level it’s a two hour chase movie with a half time change ends and attack the other way feel to it. It really is that simple. Although simple does not even come close to describing what George Miller has brought to the screen here. We have very strong characrters, including a full on female co-lead played by Charlize Theron who gets equal billing on screen with Mr Hardy. A vehicle budget that seems to be endless and visual pallet that is at times breath taking. The story of Fury Road is one of the right guy, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

The plot that this one hundred and twenty minute maelstrom is hung upon is as follows…
Theron’s character, the fantastically named ‘Imperator Furiousa’, decides that she’s had enough of the local head honcho ‘Immortan Joe’ and the way he runs the Citadel (think Milton Keynes, with less roundabouts and a hosepipe ban). So whilst out on a run to collect some bullets and gasoline in the War Rig, Furiousa takes off in the wrong direction with a very precious hidden cargo on board. Joe, played by Hugh Keays-Byrne doesn’t take to kindly to this course of action and sends his entire fleet of vehicles after her and HIS War Rig. Now it should be pointed out that Max, who has been captured by a gang of ‘Lord of the Flies’ wannabes, ends up being strapped to the front of one of these vehicles in what I can only describe as the fastest bloodmobile you’re ever likely to see this side of a sober mind. Things of course don’t go well and before you can say ‘oh look, Max & Furiousa seem to be battling for the same team’ they end up battling for the same team.
And that basically is the premise for the movie. Furiousa has a plan to get her cargo to the safe and promised ‘green land’ and Max, not wanting to have anything to do with his previous captors, decides to help. Mostly because he has no other options available to him but largely down to the fact he is a man in pain. A man haunted by a past that won’t leave him alone and by visions that jar at his humanity. Max is very much a man of few words; he prefers to let his actions do his talking for him. He never seems out of control and always seems to have a plan to deal with whatever is thrown in front of him. Imagine a hurricane with Max conducting proceedings from its calm and tranquil centre, whilst all around him there is chaos and destruction. Good versus bad in a fight to the death. A winner takes all post-apocalyptic fairy tale gone bad if you will.

As for the action sequences themselves, well they certainly will be unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. We have custom machines that quite simply look like the stuff of nightmares. Monster trucks on steroids and cars on tank tracks, to name but a few. Tribes and clans who live by their own and set of rules. A sort of ‘We’re here, we’re fear, get used to it’ kind of deal.   I’ll finish up by saying this. If you are yet to see Mad Max and it’s on your to-do list, I recommend you see it on the big screen. Or if you are going to wait for it to show up on your telly box, please watch it in HD if you can. Your eyes will thank you for it later. It has a very good ensemble cast including Nicholas Hoult, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and the aforementioned Hugh Keays-Byrne, who was also in the first Mad Max film as Toecuter. It’s also the first action film to come along in a very long time that has very strong female characters. It has even drawn criticism in some quarters for doing so. But to those who you who don’t like a level playing field I say this “I myself will carry you to the gates of Valhalla… you will ride eternal, shiny and chrome!” Or to put it another way, grow the f%#k up.
George Miller has already confirmed that there will be a sequel to Fury Road called ‘Mad Max: The Wasteland’ which should, fingers crossed, be with us at some point in 2017. All I will say to that is “Oh what a day, what a lovely day!”

Twitter Review:

Fury Road is a game changer. A V8 in a world of bland hybrid wannabe contenders to the throne. A reboot with a twist of clever
#WhoYou?MeMax

Useful Links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392190/?ref_=nv_sr_1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEJnMQG9ev8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woHTUsl66BY
http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/review.asp?FID=137658

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Hello dear reader, well here it is. The only film review that matters. The only opinion that counts and the only ego that has yet to discover humility, how to be humble and more importantly prescription medication. Here in all its glory is my appraisal of what will probably go down in history as the second biggest box office draw of the year. The first being a long time ago in a galaxy far far away…

So it’s been a while since the first Iron Man film back in 2008 and a lot of water has flowed under the Marvel Cinematic Universe Bridge since then. We've had ten films, eleven including this one, and we've seen everything from Black Widows to Pepper Potts and a one eyed leather clad leader who didn't like the idea of dying too much. So, for those of you who aren't fully versed in what the hell has happened and how we got to where we are now you have two options. Firstly you can give up a weekend, sit down and binge watch all that has come before or you can go for option 2 which basically requires you to just sit back, follow my advice and read the following sentence. ‘Please comply with the instructions in Option 1.’

Right, now hopefully everyone is now up to speed and I don’t have to spend the next ten thousand words telling you about story arcs, who now loves who and why the Hulk seems to look different every time I watch him in a film. So, if you’ll permit me, I’ll get down to business.

When Joss Whedon went to Comic Con in 2013 and played a short teaser trailer that announced the title of the second Avengers film would be called ‘Age of Ultron’ two things happened. Firstly the assembled masses ‘lost their shit’ and secondly it broadcast to the world that Marvel penultimate film of phase two was going to be a big one. Ultron for those that are not aware of his back story is a sentient robot that was created by Scott Lang or Ant-Man as he’s better known to the world in the comics. However in current Marvel ethos Ultron is the creation of Tony Stark. An experiment gone wrong if you will. Ultron has similar traits to the Terminator. It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, remorse or fear. And it absolutely will not stop until he has completed what he believes is necessary. However instead of being voiced by an Austrian Oak that has about as much acting charisma as breeze block, Ultron is voice by James Spader. An inspired piece of casting from Mr Wheedon and apparently the only actor he wanted for the role. Mr Spader does do dark and menacing very well. For those of you have seen the TV show The Blacklist you’ll know exactly what I mean. He apparently got a standing ovation from the rest of the assembled Avenger actors after completing his first scene on set. For what is basically a motion capture and voice performance its right up there with Andy Serkis and his Golum. Who, by the way, also gets some screen time as a rather annoying weapons dealer with a very suspect South African accent. That’s Andy Serkis you understand, not Golum. As far as I’m aware Disney haven’t bought Marvel the rights to go and play in Middle Earth, yet. 

So, Age of Ultron starts with the whole gang chasing down the last remnants of Hydra and has them attacking a strong hold in Eastern Europe. Inside is Loki’s sceptre but more importantly and unknown to the good doers gang, also the twins Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are hidden within its walls. Now for legal reasons these twins cannot be referred to as X-Men. Do you understand that? Under no circumstances are you to even think about calling them X-Men. They are ‘Enhanced’ humans and do not bare any resemblance to any characters you may have seen in the Twentieth Century Fox franchise that’s been around since 2000 or any Marvel Comics you may have come across over the previous decades. (They are X-Men, just mention it in hushed tones). The twins, are played by Aaron Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen, which is a little uncomfortable on the eye as they played husband and wife in last year’s Godzilla. They are the linchpin that holds the movie together and without them all the protagonist angst would fall squarely on the shoulders of the nine foot tall robot with the anger management issues. Scarlet Witch has the ability to manipulate people’s minds and their thoughts. This causes problems for all of the Avengers she comes in contact with and ends up driving wedges between them. Very big wedges in the case of Iron Man and the Hulk. And of course Quicksilver, as we saw in last year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past (please remember that their not X-Men) runs around faster than Usain Bolt after a six pack of Red Bull.

Age of Ultron is a complicated film. Its storyline is very much one of those blink and you’ll miss something. At a hundred and forty one minutes it is currently the longest film Marvel Studios have unleashed into the world but at times it does feel like there are bits missing. Whereas the first film Avengers film seemed to be very well balanced and cohesive, Age of Ultron doesn’t seem to be the sum of its parts. It suffers from the same problem that other superhero films have had in the past. There’s just too much going on at any one time. Apparently the first cut of the film was just north of three hours long and for a long time the IMDb page for Age of Ultron had Tom Hiddleston rocking up as Loki and being part of the fun and frivolity. However his name is now absent and although Idris Elba turns up as Heimdall in a very odd dream sequence thingy you do get that feeling that if Mr Whedon had been brave enough to go the full ‘Peter Jackson’ on this film and actually release the longer cut it may, in the long run, have been the better option.

Honourable mentions in the supporting cast category should also go to Don Cheadle returning as War Machine, Cobie Smothers as Maria Hill and Anthony Mackie as Falcon. The latter being criminally under used but that maybe something that is rectified should the longer cut ever make the light of day. The other actor that’s worth a mention is Paul Bettany. For those of you in the know, you’ll appreciate as I do that Mr Bettany has been paying his dues, and then some, in the previous three Iron Man films and in the last Avengers film as the AI Jarvis. In Age of Ultron he actually gets physical things to do. Now I’m not going into spoiler territory here as it’s a big deal but it turns out that Paul Bettany is a rather large gentleman (quiet at the back there, this is a smut free blog). He towers above Robert Downey Jr who as it turns out is on the shorter side of the superhero height scale. I do fear that Mr Bettany maybe on a hiding to nothing with his new role though. In the Avengers universe his new existence does now seem to be reliant on an infinity stone. A stone that I’m pretty sure is going to end up in the infinity gauntlet at some point in the not too distant future. I hope I’m wrong but my get tells me I'm not.

I would like to go on record and say that I really liked this film. It is fun when it needs to be and has a script that is full of the witty one-liners you’d expect from a Joss Whedon script. As you've probably seen from the numerous trailers, there is more than enough action to shake a stick at and Ultron is a great baddie that (spoiler alert) we could well be see again cropping up in the not too distant future. But the main problem is that its a four star film when Kevin Feige and everyone else at Marvel Studios were probably hoping to knock it out of the park with a solid gold five star bat. As I mentioned at the start Age of Ultron will almost certainly make the kind of money that would even make Bill Gates look up and pay attention. The first Avengers film is currently the third highest grossing film of all time, clocking in at an impressive 1.6 Billion dollars and it’s probably made as much again in merchandising (A little hat tipping required there in the direction of George Lucas).

But cinema goers are an odd breed. Just when studio executives think they've got their audience figured out they go and do something inexplicable and throw in a curve ball in from the cheap seats. For example, the most recent Fast & Furious film broke through the one billion dollar mark in seventeen days. That’s faster than Avatar, Titanic and the first Avengers film did it and it currently occupies the number four spot on the all-time top grossing films chart doodah after just five weeks on release. And at the time of writing this shows absolutely no sign of slowing down anytime soon. 

In closing I’ll say this. We've known this film has been coming for a while now. Hell, we've known exactly what the Marvel Studio film release schedule is going to be like for a while now. They've mapped out their entire superhero calendar up until the beginning of 2020. Which now includes a two part Avengers 3 film split over the summer of 2018 and 2019. My issues with Age of Ultron are that this is a flag pole ‘event’ movie that needs to stomp its footprint down in a Marvel Cinematic Universe with authority and conviction. However its footprint is not a giant leap for superhero kind, more of a washed out imprint in the sand as the tide comes in. 

Again I think I should add more to the plus column that I've not mentioned yet. There are strong female characters here that with a few exceptions are written very well. There's a great scene early on in the film where Tony Stark and Thor are playing a fun game of 'Who has the best girlfriend'. Sadly both Pepper Potts and Jane Foster are missing in action. I can only hope the reason for their omission wasn't based on money. The Stan Lee cameo is actually quite funny. The Hulkbuster suit is something I want to put on my Amazon wish list, there are definite and positive steps being taking to come up with fresh ideas for the future and there are already tensions in play for next year’s Captain American: Civil War.

I do however have some concerns over what happens next. I’ve had this nagging doubt for a while now that keeps on chipping away at the back of my brain that I may be getting slightly bored with the whole superhero film franchise and what could be an fatigue and over saturation problems with the entire genre. My much bigger concern is that maybe everyone else is as well. If there are bumps in the road ahead for the entire ‘get cape, wear cape, fly’ and spandex brigade then this could be disastrous for DC  and Warner Brothers as they've only just got their Justice League ball rolling in the direction of the silver screen. There is a distinct possibility that next year’s Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice movie could well yet evolve in to what they call in the wrestling world as a ‘triple threat’ match that has a much more powerful adversary to deal with, the Audience. And if that happens there will only ever be one winner.

In the Red corner…

Twitter Review:

Good but not good enough. Long but not long enough. Buy into Marvel's Avengers but please check the sell by date.

#FeedMeMore

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI3ncqDE5Do

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John Wick

Hello dear reader, well it’s that time again. It’s time to regale you with a story of retribution, death, violence and cute little puppies. The film in question, as you probably all too aware from the bloody great poster above, is John Wick. It’s a film that takes its aggression and carnage and turns them all the way up to eleven. But before I amuse you with stories of hitmen, hotels and baddy Russians I feel I need to go back a few years and start at the beginning.

Over the last five or six years there has been a growing trend in Hollywood to make revenge movies. Someone in tinsel town obviously realised that that particular cash cow hadn’t been flogged to death yet and after what must have been a very long and in depth meeting (yes, that is the sarcasm claxon you can hear in the background) they’ve been pumping them out ever since. We’ve had Liam Neeson playing Bryan Mills in Taken. A trilogy that should have been stopped after the first movie in my humble opinion. Robert De Niro tried the genre in 2011’s Killer Elite. Sean Penn, or captain grumpy as I like to call him, got his best hand cannon out and went to work in The Gunman. The list goes on and on. Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, Michael Caine in Harry Brown, Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.  Hell, even the last Fast and Furious movie falls into the revenge melting pot. The point I’m trying to make is that in the same way that Sequels and reboots seem to be in fashion at the moment, I think the revenge franchise is well and truly grabbing onto the bronze medal position with both hands and is very unlikely to let go anytime soon.

So that brings us back to Keanu Reeves in John Wick. Now even by his own admission Mr Reeves isn’t the greatest actor in the world. It’s unlikely that there will be an Oscar statuette adorning his mantelpiece anytime soon but the one thing he is good at is action films. He can phone these kinds of performances in, and some would argue that he does, without breaking too much of a sweat. Where’s the proof I hear you ask after such a malicious accusation? Well your honour I would like the following to be entered into evidence for the prosecution. Point Break, The Matrix Trilogy, Speed and Constantine. Now before any or indeed all of you Bill and Ted fans rise up against me and send the ’69 Dude’ army to wipe me off the face of the planet I would also like to enter the following for defence. My own private Idaho is by far and away the best performance I have ever seen Mr Reeves commit to the silver screen.  It is head and shoulders above anything else he’s ever done. It’s moving and very poignant. I’d also like to say that I personally have nothing against the man and the aforementioned Point Break does, depending on what sort of mood I’m in, make it into my top ten films of all time.

John Wick is the story of a man who falls in love with a woman who he thinks is too good for him given his past actions. A woman who makes him realise that there is more to life than being a professional hitman and then promptly retires from the killing business and settles down for the quiet married life and to live happily ever after. The preverbal spanner in the works comes along in the form of a terminal illness and before you can say ‘don’t die within the first ten minutes of the film’ the wife goes and dies within the first ten minutes of the film. This understandably leaves John Wick very upset and heartbroken. However the wife in question has organised a little gift to be delivered after the funeral so that John is not left alone. The gift turns out to be a puppy and with the cuteness button firmly depressed the film continues to plod along. Now the second and much bigger spanner that then turns up are the nasty Russians I mentioned earlier.  Now these pesky East European rapscallions come across John in an out of town petrol station and with the swagger that comes with thinking you’re untouchable enquire how much John’s beautiful 69 Shelby Mustang would cost to buy. Now Mr Wick tries to inform them to the best of his charming abilities that the car is not for sale, firstly politely and then fairly bluntly. John drives away and believes that he’s never likely to ever see these three annoyances again. Unfortunately for John they find out where he lives and then promptly break into his house after sunset and then set about beating him black and blue, killing the puppy and then stealing his car. This understandably leaves John the wrong side of irked and he then sets about hunting these guys down, who indecently have Lilly Allen’s brother Alfie Allen fresh from Playing ‘Man without penis’ in Game of Thrones, or if you want his real character name ‘Iosef TaraSov’ amongst their ranks and without wishing to go too far into spoiler territory let’s just say that Mr Wick is very good at his job.

John Wicks Reputation as a man that gets the job done has almost attained legendary status. When he was active as a Hitman he was a man that hit hard. A man that didn’t take any unnecessary risks and a gentleman that was so good at his chosen trade that he could well have attained a gold medal if killing had ever made it into the Olympics. This reputation is further fortified by the fact that when the Russian trio that stole John Wicks car take it to the local ‘fence’ garage to get rid of it the gentleman in charge of the garage, once he realises who the car belonged to, punches Mr ‘no willy’ Allen in the face.
John Wick is a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously but that said it does do what it needs to very well. It has a tight and sharp script that almost but not quite dips its toes into the black comedy genre. Its directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch are both established stunt men and regarded by Hollywood as being the best at what they do. They both have worked with Keanu before, most noticeably on the Matrix trilogy. They know how action scenes should work and more importantly they know how to shoot them. Some on the set pieces in this film are breath taking. There’s a shootout in a night club that is as good, if not better than, the nightclub fire fight that Michael Mann brought us in Collateral. Its action is choreographed properly and almost stylised to perfection. It has martial arts, attitude and a plethora of on screen weapons that are used to dispatch victims in a quick and timely manner including guns, vehicles and even household items.
What John Wick also has is a very good supporting cast. John Leguizamo, Willem Defoe and even Ian ‘Lovejoy’ McShane rocks up as a hotel owner that has a very strict set of house rules. Without taking up too much screen time they underpin the story and help move the narrative on when required.

John Wick is a breath of fresh air when you consider what has come before it. My only niggle is that we here in good old blighty have had to wait the better part of six months for it to arrive on our shores. I’m pretty sure there will be a sequel and I’m pretty sure that as long as Keanu, its directors and screenwriter Derek Kolstad return it will be a film worth watching.
So if you like to plant your flag in the action revenge category and you think that Taken is a good film. Please go and watch John Wick and see how these films should be done properly.

Twitter Review:
‘It’s not what you did son. It’s who you did it to…’
#WreakMyRewengey

Useful Links:
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Fast and Furious 7

Well hello dear reader, it's been a few months since I last gave my opinion on a film and for that I can only say sorry. The reason for this is a simple one. There hasn't really been anything released in the last two months that I wanted to see. Having pretty much gone into cinema overload at the start of the year with the major Hollywood studios letting loose their Oscar 'A Game' with such titles like Birdman, Whiplash and Foxcatcher, to name but three, it's been all quiet on the western front for getting on for nearly ten weeks. 

Nothing floated my boat. In fact the closest anything came to even getting my hull wet was Jupiter Ascending and Kingsmen but timing and a desire to play my 'I'll watch them when they get to Sky Movies' Top Trump card prevented me from seeing them. So having a free Easter afternoon at my disposal I took myself off the bench, got back in the game and went to see a charming little film about cars. And just to clarify that last sentence it wasn't a Pixar release and as much as I'd pay to see it, it wasn't a modern day version of 'Driving Miss Daisy' complete with turbo chargers, semi-automatic assault rifles and an anti-hero that sits in the back of cars whilst being chauffeured around from one hit to the next. The film in question is of course Fast and Furious 7.

Fast and Furious 7 as you may have guessed is a sequel. The sixth sequel in fact that Universal have sent out way since the original graced our screens back in 2001. Now it takes a brave studio executive to green light and flog a cash cow seven times and to be honest there aren't that many film franchises that can even boast a seventh film. Sure Bond is up in the mid-twenties now, Freddy and Jason seem to be locked in an eternal battle to see who can make the worst horror film and I'm sure we can all agree that world would be forever grateful for the cultural boundaries and stereotypes that Police Academy 7: Mission to Moscow helped breakdown and destroy. But seven, does the world really need a seven? Hell, even Peter Jackson couldn't make Middle earth stretch that far and he included Elves that didn't exist, Wereworms and Billy Connolly riding a pig whilst drunk, (Billy Connolly drunk, not the pig). The short answer to the previous question is yes and given the money it made on its opening weekend worldwide, north of four hundred million, I wouldn't be at all surprised if there's an eighth, ninth and tenth part in the not too distant future. 

For those not in the know I'll start at the beginning. Once upon a time there was a Los Angles cop called Brain O'Coner, played by the recently deceased Paul Walker. Back in the first instalment Brian is sent undercover to investigate an illegal and underground street racing crew led by Dominic Toretto, Played by Vin 'I am Groot' Diesel. All sorts of shenanigans take place, cars go fasty fasty broom broom, Brian falls for Dominic's sister (obligatory film love interest) and wouldn't you know it by the end of said film or 106 minutes later if you want it in metric, Brian and Dominic become friends. 2 Fast 2 Furious followed less than two years later with John Singleton at the helm but minus Mr Diesel. The plot, such as it is, centred around drug runners in that there Florida and if you've never seen it (and judging from it box office receipts you haven't) you're really not missing much. The third outing for the franchise churned out 'Tokyo Drift', which followed in 2006. Both Walker and Diesel were absent and some would argue that so was the plot. Which by the way, made the second film look like Oscar Material. It revolved around young’uns having to enter races in a Japanese city (I forget which one) in order to avoid going to jail in America. And that should have been that. After diminishing returns and a lack of star power willing to return the whole franchise looked done and dusted. No more fast, no more furious and no more turbo charged alpha male 'living my life a quarter mile at a time'. 

So what happened I hear you ask? I'll tell you. Justin Lin happened. Mr Lin who, whilst directing, was obviously the only person on the third film that even seemed to remotely enjoy themselves wanted to make a forth and he had an idea. I'm not sure it will go down in the annals of time as one of the greatest 'lightbulb moments' ever but the last three films alone have made Universal obscene amounts of money. Just under 1.8 billion dollars at the last count, so I'm guessing it works. The idea in question was a simple one. Instead of just races why not have huge stunts and set pieces using cars. Using this premise Mr Lin did two things. Firstly without anyone really noticing he rebooted the franchise after eight years. Which even by today's Hollywood standards is impressive. Secondly he convinced Mr Diesel and Mr Walker to come back. 

Part four was given the green light and for reasons not really passing understanding it was called simply 'Fast and Furious', (No room here for the definite article thank you so very much). It not only raised the bar considerably given what had come before it and also stopped taking itself seriously. It's safe to say that since this film the Fast and Furious tongue has been pushed so far into its own cheek that you'd probably be able to hang a coat on it. The story for four involved drug running and a big baddy called Braga. But leaving the plot aside it’s the action that helps sell this film and is a forerunner of what was to come. They dipped their toes in the water to see if it would sell and sell it did. In fact it sold to the tune of 360 million, making it by far and away the most successful of the series to date. After this came number five or 'Fast 5' as it was called. This had an ace in the hole. It employed the services of none other than Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson playing a government badass called Hobs. This coupled with another of those completely believable scripts that required the good guys to steal a bank vault in down town Rio and then drag said vault, with its contents still inside, through the streets of Rio in broad daylight. Throw in a fight between Vin and The Rock and you have a film that ticks a lot of boxes on the 'must watch' menu. The sixth film (guess what that's called?) was sure to follow and in 2013 we got another dose of high octane thrills and spills. Now I have already reviewed number 6 in s previous blog so I won't repeat myself here. All I will say is that it's worth watching alone for the sequence with the tank and also for its final set piece on a plane and what could well be the longest runway in Europe if not the world.

So that dear reader brings us upto date and back to part the seventh. Again the plot wouldn't look out of place in a Ripley’s 'believe it or not' exhibition and basically boils down to the fact that the big brother, played by the one and only 'Stath', of the big bad nasty villain from Furious 6, played by Luke Evans, is after the whole gang for putting said brother in hospital. Now the Stath has revenge and retribution on his mind and as his back story unfurls we the audience are told that he's some sort Special Forces assassin ‘gone bad’.  He seems more than capable of doing what needs to be done. In fact he even manages to kill one of Toretto's crew (no spoilers here), puts The Rock in hospital and comes very close to bumping off others as well. As I've mentioned before what sells these films are their action and number seven doesn't disappoint on that score. There's a set piece about two thirds in where a very rare and expensive sports car is driven through three skyscrapers to escape the Stath. No biggy I hear you say but I should point out that the car is not on the ground floor when this takes place. There are fights, more fights, cars parachuting behind enemy lines, helicopter gunships deploying guns, missiles and even a heavily armed drone in the middle of downtown LA and if that wasn't enough to wet your whistle let me try and hook you on a slightly different tangent. One of the main characters in these films is called 'Han Seoul-Lo' and yes you did read that right. 

Now if you haven't managed to grasp the point I've been trying to make about this franchise I'll make it easy for you. These types of film do for complicated storylines what The X-Factor does for producing Grammy award winning talent. These films are never going to win Oscars for acting, directing or best original screenplay. However that should in no way stop you from going to see them and enjoying them for what they are. They are the ultimate in 'leave your brain at the door' and just switch off for a couple of hours. If you are inclined to play catch up before watching episode seven or for that matter new to the whole Fast and Furious extravaganza may I recommend the following course of action. Watch the first film, skip two and three and then start again at four. I’ll finish by saying this. These films are loud, at times ridiculous, are so far past reality at times it’s laughable but if you like the idea of watching what is effectively a live action version of a Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoon with the testosterone turned all the way up to 11 than you’re in for a treat. Go, watch, enjoy.

Twitter Review:

The Rock, The Stath, The Diesel, Surprise Snake Plisskin & an insurance claim that could bankrupt Direct Line twice.

#FastyFastyBroomBroom

Useful Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2820852/?ref_=nv_sr_1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgZlDFnEozw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yGHzXAYFe3c

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