2017: A Year in Review

Hello dear reader. Well, when you start looking at back at 2017 you realise that when the dust settles, it more likely to be a cinematic year that is remembered as ‘hopefully’ a watershed moment for equality, rather than anything that happened in front of the cameras. There were, as per usual, the obligatory superhero films. All of them packed to the rafters with anti-heroes and more angst than you’d normally find in a Bruce Wayne therapy session. It was also, by recent standards a fairly quiet summer too. As usual, there were a few tent pole movies that were trying to compete for your hard-earned cash but none that really delivered on either the reputation of box office takings front. Pirates of the Caribbean came and went without much fanfare. As did The Mummy reboot, Alien: Covenant, Baywatch, Transformers: The Last Knight and War for The Planet of The Apes. I don’t know if the lackluster summer was more a sign that people are getting fed up with sequels or if screenwriters are getting fed up with writing them. The only blockbusters that seem to tick the good reviews and money taken boxes were Dunkirk, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Wonder Woman. Although I would imagine Christopher Nolan would disagree with the blockbuster tag for Dunkirk. There were other offerings throughout the year. Baby Driver arrived and proceeded to show La La Land what a real musical was, without ever actually being one. Kenneth Branagh put together a very impressive ensemble cast for his remake of Murder on the Orient Express, all of which were outshone by a moustache that not only defied gravity and imagination but possibly several building regulations as well. Beauty and the Beast continued the to push forward the Disney back catalogue live action remake bandwagon, that started rolling along a few years ago and will shortly be joined by Tim Burton’s Dumbo and Jungle Book, directed by Andy Serkis. Get Out ruffled a few feathers with its subject matter and Darren Aronofsky’s Mother is, I am reliably informed, the ultimate epitome of a Marmite Movie. You either love it, hate it or REALLY hate it. For a slightly less polarizing example of this effect, I would recommend watching The Last Jedi.

So, let’s get down to the meat and bones (vegetarian and vegan substitutes are available) of why you’re reading this. My do’s and don’ts, from the previous twelve months. As I alluded to earlier, there were plenty of ladies and gentlemen, running and in some cases flying around, trying to protect us from all sorts of nasty people and creatures, hell bent of planetary destruction and general naughty step behavior. My runner up for best superhero film of the year would have to be Patty Jenkins Wonder Woman. A great movie that delivered in numerous departments and as long as you’re happy to ignore the films spectacular ‘falling off a cliff’ ending, or ‘Prometheus effect’ as it should be referred to, then you’ll have a great time watching it. The gold medal winner or ‘bestest film that shows people doing stuff that people can’t really do’ type thingy, would have to go to Logan. It promised to be different and James Mangold didn’t disappoint. Not your typical superhero fare. It wasn’t heavy on cgi effects or visual overload. Instead the film concentrated the core of its story around family, doing the right thing and redemption. Hugh Jackman’s had stated prior to the film’s release that this would be his last outing as Wolverine and he left the franchise on a high. However, given that Disney have now purchased Fox and that they know a great cash cow when they see one, it will be interesting to see if the can coax Mr. Jackman back to the part. Especially as he’s given interviews in the past where he has stated that he’d love to see Wolverine and Iron Man on the screen together. It probably won’t happen but given Disney’s ability to add zeros to the end of cheques, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility. If Hugh isn’t for turning then current favorite to take over the ‘pointy claws’ role is Pablo Schreiber, who was last seen playing Mad Sweeny in American Gods and in a quirky twist of fate, is also the half-brother of Liev Schreiber who played Hugh Jackman’s Brother in X-Men Origins: Wolverine back in 2009. Small world eh. An honorable mention should also go to Taika Waititi’s Thor Ragnarok. Which showed that despite an oversaturated market, creative and innovative ideas are still possible and that funny equals money. Most of you will probably have seen Waititi’s, What We Do in Shadows, or at least heard of it. What you should do, if Ragnarok tickled your whimsical bone, is watch the film he made prior to Thor, called Hunt for the Wilderpeople. I can personally recommend it and don’t be surprised if you find it taking up residence in your own personal all time top ten. 

Now to the other end of the spandex scale of excellence. Or if you prefer, the ‘dear god, won’t somebody make it stop’ category. There’s no getting around it and it almost physically hurts to admit it, but the DCEU Justice League film is just a two-hour car crash that keeps on giving. I have always preferred ‘Team DC’ over team smelly pants ‘Marvel’ for one simple reason, Batman. But with the best will in the world, my loyalty is being severely tested. Even if you tilt your head, squint out of one eye and hop up and down on the spot, there’s still no getting away from the fact that the Justice League film is not only a mess, it should be held up as an example to all future generations, to show that you can have all the visual distractions in the world and spend money like you’ve just found Bill Gates wallet on Black Friday but ultimately without a good script, great character development and a story that even remotely comes close to making sense, then you’re dead in the water before you even start. DC and Warner’s need to stop what they are doing, go and sit in a cave together for three or four years, get an equivalent of Marvel’s Kevin Feige to oversee everything work out a story arc and then commission some Aaron Sorkin, Fran Walsh quality screenwriters to produce some material that doesn’t make my eyes bleed. Will this happen? Of course not, but if something doesn’t change, and change very soon, then team smelly pants will be ruling the roost for the considerable future. 

Another costumed ‘do-gooder’ film that I was deeply disappointed by was Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol 2. I was very impressed by Vol 1 and like Thor: Ragnarok, I thought I gave a breath of fresh air to what was becoming a very formulaic brand. However, Vol 2’s over reliance on toilet humour left me feeling like I’d just watched a Carry On film with an effects budget. It could just be me but I just didn’t bond with this film anywhere near as much as I did with the first. Like Justice League, it felt like the story was of secondary importance and that James Gunn’s mission statement was let’s confuse them with the shiny things and then when no bodies watching we’ll use some good old fashioned smoke and mirror techniques to make them forget that the story isn’t that satisfying. Oh, and just to clarify and to make sure no one accuses me of ageism, the shiny things I am referring to here are not the cameos from Sylvester Stallone or The Hoff. Even the inclusion of Kurt Russell couldn’t save this from being a mess but as sure as night follows day and Donald follows Twitter, I’m sure there will be a Vol 3 at some point in the not too distant future and let’s not forget the entire MCU gang will be on show in this year’s Avengers: Infinity War. Which has basically been what the last ten years and 18 films have been leading towards. So, no pressure there then…

So, what about the rest of the cinematic universe? As I mentioned earlier. There were films out last year that weren’t about truth, justice and the American way. IT was a movie that had a lot of people worried, prior to its release. Stephen Kings one-thousand-page book had already seen the light of day as a 1990 TV Miniseries and Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise had become iconic and one of those rare roles that most people would consider untouchable. Thankfully no one told either the director Andy Mushietti or the new Pennywise, Bill Skarsgard, to leave well enough alone and IT has now begun to traumatise a completely new generation.  Luc Besson, twenty years after he unleashed The Fifth Element, came back with what he hoped would be another sci-fi classic, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be that interested in going to see it and it found itself at the wrong end of the budget vs box office take equation. Or to put it another way, it bombed like a bomby thing on national bomb day in bomby land. Of course, not all science fiction films died on their bottom last year. Star Wars: The Last Jedi arrived in mid-December and blew the rest of the competition out of the water. At 152 minutes, it clocks in as the longest ‘sit down, watch & enjoy’ offering Lucas Film has ever produced. What’s really interesting about The Last Jedi is the reaction it got from everyone who went to see it. As I briefly mentioned early, it seems to have a very polarising effect on those who have seen it. My personal opinion on the film has my feet firmly planet in ‘the no so much’ camp. I didn’t like some of the decisions that were made regarding the story and there were plot holes so big that you could flown a Death Star through them. That said the director, Rian Johnson, has obviously delivered a film that has kept the powers that be at Disney, very happy. So much so that they’ve asked him to write, produce and direct a completely new Star Wars trilogy. As is the norm with secrecy and non-disclosure agreements in the Star Wars universe, not much is known about who or what these films will be about but given Johnson’s disregard for what has come before, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if it turned out Darth Vader has a sister, Jar Jar Binks is Supreme Leader Snokes father and he throws in a smattering of Vulcans for good measure. Just to clarify any grey areas or misunderstandings, I am not a fan of what Mr. Johnson did with The Last Jedi. There was however a much better example of how to do science fiction well. In October Denis Villeneuve brought us Blade Runner 2049. A sequel to the Ridley Scott 1982 classic and what could well be my film of the year. Visually it was stunning and had a soundtrack that not only fitted perfectly with what you were watching but complimented the universe that Philip K Dick had created. Unlike The Last Jedi, its running time of nearly three hours, was a pleasure to sit through. Villeneuve has recently had somewhat of a Midas touch with everything he has worked on. His last three films Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049 show how versatile he is when dealing with creating characters and the worlds they inhabit. If you haven’t seen any of these three films then I would urge you to do so. The next film on his schedule is apparently a remake of Dune and I strongly suspect that it will be a much better than the David Lynch version, released back in 1984.

It’s worth mentioning that Both Amazon & Netflix, both synonymous with producing their own high-end television series, are now starting to create and release films too. Will Smith and Joel Edgerton starred in Netflix’s Bright. An odd film, who’s premise is a world where fantasy creatures live and work side by side with each other. Directed by David Ayer, who is also responsible bring End of Watch and Suicide Squad to the screen, was given the responsibility and a rather large amount of money to direct Bright. The results are a bit of a mixed bag. The idea is a great premise, unfortunately some of its execution is somewhat lacking. The script seemed a little formulaic at times and as a buddy movie there are better examples of genre. Netflix on the other hand loved it. So much so that they have given the green light for a sequel, which should be streaming to a device near you is approximately two years’ time. 

As I mentioned earlier, 2017 is not going to be remembered for its quality of product but more for the tidal wave of people, who decided to say enough is enough, who stood up to be counted and proclaimed with one voice that the male abuse of power, that had been treated as the norm for so long, was not going to be tolerated anymore. Harvey Weinstein became the flash point for this movement and almost instantly other members of Hollywood’s elite were finding themselves under a very bright and demanding spotlight. In an unprecedented move and because of multiple allegations made by numerous people, Ridley Scott replaced Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer in All the Money in the World. Now, it’s not that unusual for actors to be replaced, once a film has started filming. Michael J Fox replaced Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future and Viggo Mortensen took over from Stuart Townsend in The Lord of the Rings. However, to go back and replace an actor and reshoot all their scenes with less than two months before its release, is unheard of. To say nothing of the financial costs to do so. Rough estimates have the final amount coming in at over twelve million dollars. The aftershocks from the last four months will continue to be felt in the film and television industry for a very long time and hopefully we’ve seen the start of a movement that will give everyone the breaks and opportunities they all deserve.

So, all in all 2017 wasn’t what you’d call a great year. It was entertaining in places but towards the end it seemed to feel like we’d just spent twelve months suffering from Déjà vu. There were exceptions to the ‘been there, bought the t-shirt’ doldrums that Hollywood seems fit to inflict on us but not many of them. If you do like your films with a hint of superhero about them, then last year was business as usual and you’ll be happy to learn the Marvel’s current schedule has films penciled in all the way to the end of 2020. If you like your silver screen entertainment to be a bit more cerebral then I suspect that you’ll spend a lot of 2018 avoiding cinema multiplexes and hunting out local independent picture houses more and more. I do hope that the big studios haven’t forgotten that above all else, story is king and despite what you can do with a computer these days, it isn’t always necessary to achieve the best results with a mouse and editing software. The pen is always mightier than the sword. Especially when the sword is composed of polygons and processor power…      

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