Logan



 

Hello dear reader, well they say all good things come to an end and with a few possible exceptions, which I’ll get to later, Logan marks the end of Hugh Jackman playing the Wolverine and also the last time we will also see Sir Patrick Stewart taking on the mantel of Charles Xavier, or ‘Wheels’ as he’s more affectionately referred to by Mr Pointy Knuckles himself. Back in 2000 Bryan Singer directed what was to be the first of many mutant movies and he set the ball rolling on what has become a very successful franchise. Now, it would be almost unthinkable to try and suggest anyone other than Robert Downey Jr to play Iron Man and the same is true for Logan. Wolverine IS Hugh Jackman and Hugh Jackman IS Wolverine. The two are now permanently linked together and it’s futile to try and think of one without the other. In the same way that Jekyll had his Hyde, Sherlock had his Watson and Ant-Man had his Dec-Man. The Wolverine Jackman combo is now truly set in stone as a pop culture icon that isn’t going to be forgotten about anytime soon. So just think, if it hadn’t have been for a substantial overrun and scheduling conflicts on John Woo’s Mission Impossible II, then the last seventeen years could have looked very different. Yes, though it pains me to say it, if Mr Woo had been able to deliver the aforementioned film on time and on not had to deal with the reshoots Paramount had asked for, then Dougray Scott would have been lighting up the multiplexes across the globe as the man with the mutton chops, spandex suit and a one size fits all tin opener.  And, if you don’t know who he is, it’s probably because he wasn’t able to play Wolverine seventeen years ago and has spent most of the last two decades on the periphery of Hollywood A-list, trying very hard to get in…

So back to Logan. It marks the ninth X-Men movie to date, or tenth if you Include Ryan Reynolds Deadpool and apart from Deadpool, Hugh Jackman has been in, popped up or cameoed in (delete where appropriate) every single one of them. To be fair, he was mentioned in Deadpool and, albeit briefly, Ryan Reynolds does walk around in a Wolverine mask for a while but it would seem that the character of Wolverine is inexplicably linked to all things X-Men and you can’t make a movie about mutants without him.  The good news is that Logan is not like anything that has come before it and although its directed by the same man who directed the last standalone Wolverine film, which by the way was cunningly titled ‘The Wolverine’, James Mangold has taken the film in a completely different direction to its predecessors. This was been widely regarded as a good thing as the common consensus re ‘The Wolverine’ is that it sucked so much it could and indeed should have been called ‘The Dyson’. 

Towards the end of 2016, just as the first trailer for Logan was about to be released, James Mangold tweeted a picture of one of the pages from the Logan screenplay and there, within that one photo, it revealed the tone and direction the movie was set to take. That one page of A4 shows Logan dropping the F-bomb and more importantly, hidden within the exposition there was the following little nugget of information “Basically, if you’re on the make for a hyper choreographed, gravity defying, city-block destroying, CG fuckathon, this ain’t your movie.” So not much of a grey area or wiggle room there then. Thanks to Deadpool and its adult R-rated approach, Logan was going to be allowed to pick up where Wade Wilson had stopped, taking the very violent and foul mouthed baton and running with it at full pelt.

So, what about plot I hear you ask. Well, in its simplest form Logan tells the story of a man who’s worn out. A man who has paid his dues and then some and just wants to live the quiet life, under the radar, not bothering anyone and trying very hard to make sure no one bothers him. Set in the year 2029, we find Charles Xavier being looked after Caliban, played very well by the head shaven Stephen Merchant and Logan working as a limo driver to help pay the bills and medical costs to keep Charles deteriorating mental health and brain quakes under control. In this not so distant future we find a world where new mutants are not being born and the ones that are still alive are being hunted to the point of extinction. Now this causes one of my few niggles with the film Logan. The reason for there not being any new mutants being born is very much one of those ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ explanations. It almost seems like a throwaway line the writers have used to paint themselves back out of the corner they so deftly brushed themselves into. As well as dealing with Charles health problems Logan is having to also negotiate with his own failing health. It would seem that the adamantium that was inserted into his body, all those years ago, has been slowly poisoning him and Logan’s ability to heal has been slowly slipping away. Due to Charles having this brain episodes, which effectively paralyse everyone with the immediate vicinity when they happen, they are having to lay low in a Mexican compound, just south of the border. Everything seems to be going well and then a young girl and her nurse/mother gate crash the story and convince Logan to take them to a safe area, just across the Canadian border.

You may have seen this young girl in the trailers for the film. Clips of her kicking man size butt and basically doing whatever she thinks is necessary to survive have been floating around for a while now.  She is pivotal to the story and without giving too much away she is referred to as X-23.  Now, what isn’t in any of the promotional material you’ll find out there is that there is also an X-24. It’s a credit to all those involved with the making of the film that they managed to keep X-24 well and truly under their hats. It can’t have been easy but the fact that it was such a closely guarded secret meant it was a nice unexpected surprise when it was first revealed on screen.

And there you have it. After three X-Men (the last of which was pants), three Standalone and three wibbly wobbly timey wimey films (the last of which was double pants with cardigan elbow patches on top) both Hugh Jackman and Sir Patrick of the Stewart are done. Both have said that this is the end for them but the good news is I suspect it won’t be the last time we ever see either of these characters on the silver screen. Xavier already has a younger understudy in the form of James McAvoy waiting in the wings and I’m sure they’ll find some way to incorporate him in future X-Men films and lets all be honest here, there will be future X-Men films! Recasting the Wolverine may prove to be a much tougher proposition altogether though. I mean where do you even start?  If it were down to me I’d be calling the respective agents of Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Kit Harington or if you’re a fan of long shots, possibly even Gwendoline Christie. Whoever the powers that be chose to replace ‘The Wonder from Down Under’ they will have some awfully large shoes to fill and the task of effectively reinventing the wheel and whoever gets the winning ticket they’ll also need some fairly strong shoulders to deal with the weight of expectation thrust upon them. In closing I’ll say this. It can’t be a coincidence that the bulk of this story is about people wanting to cross borders to give themselves a chance at a better and safer life. It can also not be a coincidence that the main antagonist in Logan is called Donald. But fear not ladies and gentleman, if Logan tells us anything it’s that the future is bright and it’s almost certainly not orange… 

 

Twitter Review:
Logan is the send-off Wolverine needs & deserves. Violent & vicious with just a twist of compassion.
#X-23IsTheMagicNumber

 

Useful Links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3315342/?ref_=nv_sr_1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DekuSxJgpbY
http://www.empireonline.com/movies/logan/review/

Deadpool

Hello dear reader, Its Deadpool time. A sentence that in itself isn’t that much of a big deal but contained within those three words or, if you prefer, fifteen letters, is a game changer. There have been of course been several Superhero movies over the last few years. The film that really got the spandex ball rolling was Bryan Singers X-Men back in 2000. This was then followed very quickly by Tobey Maguire swinging through the Big Apple, faster than you can say “With great power comes endless merchandising possibilities’. Then Warner threw their hat into the ring and rebooted the ‘Batman’ franchise, with Christopher Nolan. This substantially raised the bar with regards to treating the audience with a modicum of intelligence and realising that action set pieces are all very well but it’s the script and characters that ultimately puts bums on seat. “I’m gonna make this pencil disappear…” 

Then came a long a gentlemen by the name of Kevin Feige shouting to anyone that would listen that “There’s gold in them their hills!” and launched what can arguably be described as the most successful movie series in history. So back to Deadpool and its substantial moving of the goalposts. Why is it a game changer I hear you ask? Well, my awesomely fabulous reader, the answer is quite simple. With the possible exception of ‘The Crow’, there has never been a main stream comic book film released by a studio that set out from the very start to be dark, ultra-violent and have enough bad language to make even Quentin Tarantino blush. And before anyone pipes up and tries to play either the The Punisher or Ghost Rider top trump card, I would like to just state for the record that they both suck so much they should be sponsored by Dyson, and therefore do not count!

If you’ll indulge me, I’ll just give you a quick heads up on how Deadpool ended up being greenlit in the first place. Back in 2009 Hugh Jackman had his first opportunity to ‘go solo’ and see if he could carry the weight of an X-Man film all on his lonesome. I say lonesome but there were a few other mutants thrown into the mix just to keep it interesting. There was a Gambit, a Sabretooth and even a Cyclops. It’s also memorable for the fact that it’s the first time that Deadpool, or Wade Wilson to give him his civilian name, appears on a cinema screen. The film isn’t exactly remembered as what people in polite society would call ‘good’, and even the the actor charged with bring this Deadpool to life, Ryan Reynolds, has gone on record and said that it’s a bit poo. The film itself falls a long way from being the sum of its parts. Mr Pool is stretched a long way from his comic book routes and to say it was substantially watered down for more palatable tastes, is an understatement. It did however get the ball rolling and a couple of years later Twentieth Century Fox commissioned about five minutes of test footage to see if a Deadpool film could actually be brought to the silver screen and more importantly, done well and not skimp around the edges. This test footage was then somehow ‘accidently’ leaked onto the internet and then fans all proclaimed in one voice ‘more please!’ They basically bombarded Fox, insisting that a film be made and wouldn’t you know it, persistence paid off. Fast forward to late 2014 and once again Ryan Reynolds is back and this time there’s a little gravitas about the whole operation. The Wolverine movie is ignored and this outing is treated as an origin story. 

The film itself is a breath of fresh air. It takes the Superhero rule book and throws it out of the window. It cares not one jot about keeping little jimmy happy and trying to draw in the biggest audience it can get its hands on. Deadpool is squarely aimed at the adult end of the spectrum and to be honest if little jimmy did manage to get in and watch Deadpool, he’d leave a needing about six months of therapy and have a list of ‘why’ questions that would keep even the most caring of parents reaching for the Prozac. That said there are times when Deadpool comes across as a film that doesn’t really know what it wants to be. It’s very funny, has well put together action sequences, doesn’t take itself seriously at all and has some very clever forth wall breaks. However, there are also scenes that wouldn’t look out of place in a Saw film. I got the feeling that the screenwriters, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, just basically decided to throw a huge amount of content at the wall and see what stuck. Tonally Deadpool doesn’t have a smooth ride from start to finish and although I would give it four out of five, it only gets there by the skin of its teeth. There will of course be people out there of completely disagree with on this and that’s fine. Opinions are fine and dandy and it doesn’t mean that I’m right and others are wrong. I suspect there will be people out there in internet land who were looking forward to this film more than Episode VII. There was a lot of pressure and expectation put on its release and it did have some fairly harsh critics to win over. As I mentioned earlier, Deapool is a breath of fresh air and could also be seen as a soft reboot for the genre. As a result of its popularity I suspect there will now be a lot of studio boardrooms, full of executives, having conversations along the lines of ‘we can do what now?’ and ‘Adults also like this stuff, who knew!’ Warner Brothers have already confirmed that the Blu-ray release for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will be a much more violent and darker affair than the imminent cinema release and only time will tell what the world makes of this new angle of attack when it comes to Superhero films.

Marvel has had the lion’s share of the market over the last eight years and has been merrily counting the ALL money generated from Iron Man and his pals. But like a storm moving in from the horizon, Warner Brothers are about to launch their little boat into the water and there may not be enough space for them both to play without there being casualties. Before too much longer we as a planet could find ourselves hurtling towards the Superhero event horizon, with absolutely no way of stopping it. To say nothing of there now being the possibility of each film potential having two versions available. 

But back to Deadpool. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll almost certainly wince and it being one of them there ‘do-gooder’s in spandex’ films, you’ll also sit through the credits for what feels like an eternity, waiting for the sting thingy. This by the way the credit sting is very in keeping with the feel of Deadpool. It’s also worth pointing out that Deadpool has a great cast and a British bad guy called Francis. The Director, Tim Miller has what can best be described as an odds and sods CV but someone at Fox saw something in him with regards to potential and that gamble has paid off. Deadpool, although it does have its faults, certainly doesn’t have any issues with it production of overall visual feel and I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’s asked to take on the directing reigns again. So in closing I’ll say this. Deadpool is one of those films that grabs your attention from the start and takes you on a ride that doesn’t really let up. It’s hard to imagine anyone other than Ryan Reynolds now playing the part and although I don’t think it passes the Bechdal test, the female characters in it aren’t just there to be rescued or viewed as eye candy. If you like your champions of the silver screen dressed in red, having a fairly strong leaning towards the effing and jeffing and a lot of comedy thrown into the mix then Mr pool and company may just be the film for you…

Twitter review:

1 portion on spandex, 67 tbsp of violence, a sprinkling of smut & a metric f%#k tonne of blood & gore. Stir and bake on Hi-Def.

#Shoop

Useful Links:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/?ref_=nv_sr_1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vN6DHB6bJc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hr1YnpLiJC8

http://www.empireonline.com/movies/deadpool-2/review/

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

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

Man of Steel

Hello dear reader. Below is a short statement, a mission statement if you will. Some of you will agree with it however I suspect most of you will think I’m in the minority. Either way I believe the following to be true and no matter what reasoned arguments you want to throw in my direction my belief is unwavering.

“DC is better than Marvel, FACT”.

I can’t remember a time when I haven’t thought DC was best. As far as I’m concerned Batman and Superman have always been the big boys on the block and despite the fact Marvel seem to be cool at the moment and ruling the roost with multiplex box office takings with offerings like Iron Man and The Avengers, they don’t have a “Big Bad” that’s even in the same league as the Joker. Superman is the original comic book superhero and all that follow do so is the knowledge that he is the archetype and always will be.
Now I know there will be people out there practically beside themselves shouting things like what about the X-men, Spiderman or even the Hulk. To them I say this, for every Wolverine, Goblin and Abomination there will always be a Bane, General Zod and The Riddler to put them in their place. That said I’m all for discussions and debate as long as you understand that I will never think you’re right and may call you stupid pants if you try.

Right now I’ve got that off my chest we can continue…

Back in the summer of 2011 Warner brothers announced to the world that they were going to make another Superman film. This coming after the Bryan Singers largely underperforming “Superman Returns” back in 2006. This announcement was further met with raised eyebrows and scepticism when along with the declaration of a new son of Krypton movie they announced that it would be a complete reboot of the entire franchise. Now a lot of people, myself included, hold the original Christopher Reeve and Richard Donner films in very high regard and any attempt to “re-do” them is was always going to be met with a large amount of complaining and disagreements from the uber fans.
Let’s not forget that reboots and remakes seem to be Hollywood’s go to commodity at the moment. The Spiderman man films had a reboot less than eleven years after the original. Total Recall was another that found itself being brought to the big screen again, twenty two years after Arnold first “got his arse to Mars” and within the next twelve months we’ll have more reincarnations of Mad Max and Robocop to play with. So given that this was a big reboot and seeing what failures had come before, somebody over at Warner Brothers had obviously taken a large consignment of brave pills.

So let’s start at the beginning. Warners knew that once they’d given the green light they’d need to find someone who could handle the responsibility of constructing a summer blockbuster. A director who was competent dealing with an action and effects heavy movie. They originally contemplated the idea of asking Christopher Nolan to pick up the megaphone duties as he had done a damn fine job of bringing Batman back to life but given that he was half way through filming The Dark Knight Rises at the time and that he didn’t want to sign up for another comic book franchise, he declined. He did however agree to stay on as a producer.
They eventually settled on Zack Snyder. He had previously given the world 300 and Watchman. Both of these films had been based on graphic novels so asking Snyder to adapt a comic book hero on to the big screen just made sense. With Snyder in place, Nolan producing and a screen play being written by David S Goyer, who had also had a hand in writting all three Batman films, the building blocks were in place to create the perfect storm.
Next came casting. As a general rule the role of Superman, when it comes to films, has always been given to a newcomer. Christopher Reeve got the honours in the initial Richard Donner films and then Bryan singer cast the little known Brandon Routh in Superman Returns. Synder ended up casting Henry Cavil in the pivotal role. Although Cavil wasn’t an unknown he certainly wasn’t part of Hollywood’s “A-List”. His most famous roles being in the TV series “The Tudors” and the lead in the film “Immortals”. He also just happened to have the squarest jaw this side of the Thunderbirds and more than ample frame required to fill the famous costume.
Snyder then added the American character actor Michael Shannon as General Zod. A role made famous originally by the British actor Terrance “Kneel” Stamp. When it came to Clark Kent’s parents, both here on earth and back on sunny Krypton, Snyder cast two actors who have both played Robin Hood, Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe. Now I’m not sure if this was deliberate but I can say after watching Man of Steel that neither actor was required to wear green tights during the entire film there were no bows and arrows used either. Amy Adams and Laurence Fishburne round out the other major parts in the film as Lois Lane and Perry White respectively.

The film opens on Krypton but instead of giving us just a quick five minutes there and then shifting the story to our little corner of the solar system, we’re given a long and visually striking battle that sets up Russell Crowe's Jor-El And General Zod as enemies. Zod realises that Kal-El, who is just about to catch the 09:30 express space pod to Earth, is the only one that can resurrect his soon to be doomed race, having been genetically encoded with their Codex. This Codex is basically a blue print for all of Krypton’s future unborn. A race of people who are born and raised to fulfil specific purpose, whether it’s as a soldier, a politician or a doctor etc.
We then find ourselves on earth and the first part of the film basically takes us through how Clark Kent was raised and how he became the man he is today. This is mostly done through flash back and after I while I found this annoying. You never really get a sense of cohesion with the story and where it’s going. This is a shame as I’m sure if these scenes were shown in the right order they’d make for a far more compelling story.
Ma and Pa Kent played by Diane Lane and the aforementioned Costner do their best to raise the child that they have found and although they don’t have much time on screen they give Clark his moral centre. Costner actually gives a very good performance and is under used in my opinion.
One of the major things Clark has to deal with as he’s growing up is being bullied and not being able to use his powers to protect himself. This is due to the fact that he has promised that he won’t reveal that he’s different as his father believes the world isn’t ready for that yet. It’s this promise that ultimately causes his father’s demise as he finds himself in a position that only he can solve.

The Second part of the film deals with what happens once General Zod and his merry men arrive on Earth having discovered that this is where Kal-El was sent. Zod gives the people of Earth twenty four hours to turn over Kal-El to him or face the consequences. As Kal-El or Clark has yet to reveal himself or his powers to anyone, other than Lois Lane and we’ll get to that later, he finds himself at a loss as to what to do. He knows that turning himself over is almost certainly a trap but he also doesn’t want anyone to suffer on his behalf. After some soul searching he hands himself over and faster than you could get Admiral Ackbar to pop up and say “It’s a trap” he realises it’s a trap. However he promptly escapes and wouldn’t you know it finds himself right back in the middle of Smallville (small world eh). What follows is best described at a battle. Between Superman, Zod and the US army as they basically make the town “open plan”. Big old Superman wins the day but before you can say “please, General Zod, don’t go and activate a gravity well over Metropolis” he goes and does just that. The main reason being that he wants to start a terraforming process that will turn the Earth in a new Krypton and apparently gravity wells are all the rage when it comes to villains these days.

The Battle in Metropolis is epic and also isn’t short on the obliteration scale either. Whole skyscrapers are raised to the ground and there’s a lot of unseen death and destruction. Although it’s never really mentioned thousands of people must die during this clash and at times it left a bitter taste in my mouth. The original films put people in danger but you knew that Superman would always save the day.
The ending of the film is also slightly controversial as Superman must break his unwritten rule when it comes to taking life in order to save others. This death and the two previous confrontations do go some way to realising why this film has been given a 12A certificate.
However my main problem with the film is not its excessive violence but rather the relationship Lois and Superman have or for that matter don’t have. They are hardly given any screen time together at all but we are supposed to buy their emotional investment in each other by the end of the film. The have a scene at the end where they kiss and it just doesn’t work at all and falls flat. I hope this relationship gets expanded on as and when the sequel arrives as it is the films main failing. The one thing I will say that does work with the Lois and Clark relationship is that because of events we see unfolding during the course of the film, Lois knows that Clark is Superman. I think it’s appropriate that the time has come an investigative journalist can spot that a pair of glasses won’t do much to hide someone’s identity or alter ego.

In closing I would just like to say that despite its problems Man of Steel is a great film. There are issues that I would like to address, such as, how does he shave? But all in all it’s definitely worth a watch. The Score composed by Hans Zimmer is breathtakingly magnificent at times and gives the John Williams music a run for its money. If you do go and see it keep an eye out for nods to things that may come to pass in future films. There is more than one use of the “Lex Corp” sign and the very eagle eyed should also be able to catch a glimpse of a “Wayne Enterprises” logo as well.

If I were pushed to give this a score out of ten I’d say it was a solid eight. Not the best comic book adaptation to come out of Warner Brother and DC but the groundwork has been laid and I think things will get better. Only time will tell…..

Twitter Review:
The original Superhero returns. Underwear missing, action isn’t. Synder, Nolan & Goyer oh my....
#TheClarkKnight

Useful Links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0770828/?ref_=sr_1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlOF03DUoWc

The Expendables 2

Let me set the scene. Its 2009 and its dawning on Sylvester Stallone that his days of making money from Rambo and Rocky franchises that he has spearheaded for the last thirty years maybe behind him. So what to do next? The answer to that question was a simple one. Put together a cast of action film icons and go make the best “leave your brain at the door” film possible.
So with that as its premise and starting point Stallone went away and put together a film that he also ended up directing, which included Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lungren, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Terry Crews, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke and the terminator himself Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The film became The Expendables and basically it did exactly what it said on the tin. Lots of bang for your buck, an extremely high body count and enough blood on screen to fill about three Olympic size swimming pools.

The film, although never regarded as a classic in the grand scheme of things, made enough money for the studio behind it to start asking questions that went along the lines of “do you fancy making another one?” and “oh go on, pretty please”. Stallone, having recently checked his new and plumped up bank balance, didn’t have any issues putting the band back together and with the exception of Rourke everyone agreed to come back.
Having broken his neck in the first film Stallone and by his own admission, had taken too much on. So he decided to hand the megaphone duties over to the more than capable Simon West.
This freed Stallone up to come up with a screenplay that needed to be bigger and louder than the first. To say that he didn’t disappoint would be something of an understatement but more of that later.

With Rouke bailing on the sequel Stallone needed some new blood to join the party. Firstly he got Liam Hemsworth, who’s the younger brother of Thor for those of you not in the know. Just don’t expect to see him in the third film as and when that gets made (and it will). Then he persuaded the muscles from Brussels to sign on the dotted line. Jean-Claude Van Dam plays against type as the villain of the piece and what a job he does. Happily sending himself up at every available opportunity. The real trump card for this sequel though has to be the inclusion of Chuck Norris, who seemingly never looks like he ages at all. Norris has for a long time had a “legend” tag that he seems to follow him around and is something he appears more than happy to live up too. If you have five minutes to spare I urge you to head over to chucknorrisfacts.com . It’ll keep you amused for hours!

So let’s get back to that to that screenplay that Mr Stallone put together. The premise of the film is that JCVD is about to get his hands on six tonnes of old Russian cold war Plutonium and the CIA can't let that happen! Put simply this screenplay is appalling! It’s so far past bad it’s ridiculous. It doesn’t hold together in any way shape or form and I think the plot may have been asked to go away politely for a while whilst filming was under way. As for the filming itself, it’s preposterous. So full of continuity errors that I stopped counting after twenty minutes and it makes about as much sense as cheese socks.
That said, I LOVED IT!!! Every gloriously ham acted scene, every absurd and over the top death and illogical decision being made. I sat in the cinema for the entire duration of the film with the largest smile on my face. This may well be the first fan fiction film that has ever been green light and could also be the world’s first one star “must see” action film and although they do get far more screen time for this film it seems the only reason Bruce and Arnold were asked to come back was to commit each other’s trade mark catchphrases to celluloid with their tongue’s both fully inserted into their respective cheeks.

Given the fact that this film seems to have come up trumps and at the box office I can only imagine it’s a matter of time before Stallone receives another phone call begging for him to sit down and write another screenplay that pushes the boundaries of thought, perception and human understanding. But the problem he’ll have is this. How do you trump what’s already come before it? How do you make it bigger and better without actually turning up to the White House and saying “would you mind if we actually invaded Canada”?
And then of course there’s the other issue of who can you ask you be in it that hasn’t already been included. Other than Jackie Chan and Steven Segal there’s no other way to top the action cast list that’s already been put together. I would however suggest that if they do have a meeting where they try to come up with which actors to include, they should think outside the box a little just to keep the ideas fresh and original. An action flick that included the likes of Woody Allen, Ronnie Corbett or even Pingu is a film I’d pay to see!

Twitter Review:
Expendables 2 is a crime against film. No plot, no continuity, no point & for those exact reasons you have to go & see it!
#AMustSeeFilm

Useful Links:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1764651/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQf3YP8p85I