T he year is 2154 and the divide between the rich and the poor has drastically rifted apart, a message that director Neil Blomkamp showcased in his last directional role in the popular, gritty take on a Sci-fi movie that was District 9.

The gap couldn’t be further apart, the wealthy live on Elysium, a state of the art space station in orbit of the earth that resembles the closest thing to paradise as you could get. The rest of humanity lives on earth, an over populated, polluted and very desolate environment that creates a very believable and realistic world around the main story.

Matt Damon plays Max, an ex-car thief turned factory worker that has always fantasised of going to Elysium, but after sustaining an accident at work he is diagnosed with days to live and this all sets into motion a plan to get to Elysium. Though this involves a metal suit being screwed into his body he still accepts this painful upgraded to his physic in order to survive his radioactive encounter by getting to this space station. The cure? A med bay that is this pod shaped machine that can cure any illness. Delacourt (Jodie Foster), the defence minister on Elysium, shows early on that it isn’t a modest task to get into this Halo-esc space station by ordering that the civilian ships trying to gain admission to Elysium air space be shot down in the opening segment of the movie.

This is only the second film from the directing hand of Blomkamp and it’s clear that he feels strongly about the real world separation in class in today’s society. District 9 used the South African slums to present this message of separation in society and this is implemented into Elysium. This movie uses the social gap and lack of medical care available to the deprived to show problems that take place in today’s world.

This time Blomkamp’s second film is set in Los Angles, the world is just as gritty as has a clear resemblance to that of District 9. Earth is over overpopulated and ravaged by disease with robot police roaming the landscape inflicting their harsh and brutal justice at will.

This is a Sci-fi movie, but not one people may be expecting. The majority of the film is set on earth with only a small proportion taking place on Elysium. The world still looks fantastic, the gritty futuristic landscape immerses you in a believable world with the other technological and more perfectly looking environment (that on Elysium) being equally beautiful.

The lead in this film, Max, is a likable character and is used as the test dummy to showcase Blomkamp’s harsh world to begin with; his arm is broken by a police bot for simply making a sarcastic joke. Max appears vulnerable to begin with but there is a character arc in this movie and eventually you witness this transformation of Max turning into the Bourne of the future. Though this isn’t an action film as such, there are still action sequences that take place after Max’s metal suit is screwing into his body. Damon’s performance is believable and it is entertaining to watch his character arc progress through the movie.

Delacourt is this evil and manipulative woman yet still doesn’t feel like the main antagonist in this film. This crown is awarded to her henchman, Kruger (Sharlto Copley). Though Foster’s performance is good in creating this villain her character doesn’t appear that of a challenging role to play, she always feels undercut by her henchman and had she had a more of a physical role in this movie, rather than at the end of a phone to Kruger, then perhaps you would feel a more menacing depth to her character.

Sharlto Copley’s villain on the other hand is fantastic. He isn’t a typical villain yet still being a violent hitman. You really feel as though this desolate atmosphere has bled into Kruger’s soul, shaping his personality into a cruel intimidating figure. Sharlto Copley is the stand out by a mile in this movie (that’s not to say Damon or anyone else didn’t do a good job). The transformation from his character in District 9 (a vulnerable and puny office worker to begin with, though his character arc changes over the course of that movie), to that in Elysium is impressive. Before going into this movie I was sceptical to whether casting Sharlto Copley as a villain was a great idea but it has proved a worthy decision.

This isn’t supposed to be a follow on from District 9 yet the comparison is inevitable for people who have seen it. District 9 was hailed as a unique great Sci-fi movie, but where District 9’s unique story felt a breath of fresh air Elysium still only feels like a good summer action film. It still doesn’t quite live up to Blomkamp’s first movie, but it still shouldn’t be missed. Matt Damon in a robotic suit acting all Bourne like is a recipe for success, with the fantastic Shalto Copley’s villainy added to the mix then its inevitable that you will feel satisfied when leaving Elysium.  

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A fter watching ‘Only God Forgives’ one thing was clear and certain in my head, this movie is sure to create a divide in people’s perceptions of this movie. The majority of people who will see this movie will leave thinking that Only God Forgives is one of the worst movies they have ever seen, creating confusion at every turn and leaving the cinema completely baffled, the small minority of people on the other hand though will feel satisfied that they have just witnessed a beautifully crafted and very unique story that is completely different to anything that is currently out there. I can understand why some will love this film and why the majority won’t.

Only God Forgives is the second time director Nicolas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling have teamed up after the 2011 hit Drive. Only God Forgives is a story about revenge. Julian (Ryan Gosling), a drug smuggler in Bangkok finds himself trying to track down the person responsible for his brother’s death when his mother flies in from American. Chang (Vithaya Pansringarm) is the person behind Julian’s brother’s death though this is all brought about after Billy (Julian’s brother) kills and rapes a young girl.

That is the clearest way to explain the main backbone of the story without creating confusion. It sounds fairly simple, but believe me it isn’t. Everything in this film requires you to be very analytical and look extremely in depth at what you are seeing on screen in order to know what is going on.

Characters in this movie stand for more than just people in this film. There doesn’t really seem a right side to follow as neither is good. Julian and his mother, Crystal (Kristin Scott Thomas) are trying to get revenge for Billy’s death, but is that really justified because Billy did rape and kill a young girl. Chang on the other hand is perceived as this corrupt cop (though he isn’t- I’ll get to that in a bit) and the person responsible for Billy’s death, so you don’t really see him as the good guy of this movie either.

When you see Crystal on screen you never feel like she is a normal person, you first see her arriving at her hotel and she imminently opens her fiery personality on the woman working behind the reception desk. She seeks revenge and nothing else all throughout this movie, she is never nice to anyone on screen other than Julian and even then she sits there caressing her sons arm creating this unnatural relationship between mother and son. The way she speaks to people and her persistence for revenge it’s clear that Refn is trying to portray Crystal as the Devil.

Chang isn’t a police officer but is always looked up to by the police, they all respect him and never question him and everything he does is justified to the people around him merely due to his status. He is untouchable in this movie and can also just pull a sword out of thin air. Chang isn’t a cop, he is a metaphor for God.

None of this is explained to you either so I can understand why people will get confused. No one will go into Only God Forgives expecting that they will have to look this much in depth at this movie and thus leaving you confused, mainly due to the vast majority of movies not leaving you this much in the dark.

Leaving you in the dark is a big problem in this film. Dream like sequences crop up throughout this film adding to the confusion especially when in certain scenes it is only made clear through Julian’s shirt changing colour. This doesn’t bring anything other than confusion. Another area leaving you in the dark is the obsession with Julian’s hands. These shots of his hands and his fists clenched all throughout, such as the scene when he puts his hands under the tap and the water turns to blood. This is eventually explained in the movies closing stages but again it’s an explanation you need to figure out yourself.

You also never attach yourselves to the characters mainly because they are never developed, this could be due to the characters acting as nothing more than metaphors. This isn’t something I’m a fan of, by not attaching yourself to the characters and with all this confusion this film isn’t an easy watch.

As in Drive, Ryan Gosling barley has any dialog in this film, as expected. He does well in this movie with the script he has been given but isn’t really given as much screen time as you’d expect. The stand out is Vithaya Pansringarm, he really is a sinister character in in this movie. You get this vibe of a god like being walking around Bangkok by the way he slowly walks around everywhere, everything he does is precise and elegant, be it with his sword or his fists. One area that I didn’t understand is the karaoke scenes that happen far too often in this film that occur every time Chang dishes out a punishment.

Music is the main strength in this film, it has to be good when dialog is absent for long periods of time. This techno style of music compliments this dark criminal environment extremely well especially in the fight scenes. An element that is also well worked is when characters are mute, it takes place a few times during ‘Only God Forgives’ when characters begin to talk and all you can hear music instead of their dialog. This is a clever idea that shows that who they are talking to isn’t listening and only focused on their thoughts.

Nicolas Winding Refn has approached this movie with the image of creating Only God Forgives as artistic as possible. This movie does look great, dark atmospheres work well to create this criminal environment. Cinematographer is also excellent, long, slow camera panning shots all add to this art. Everything has its place in this artistic image including light that is perfectly worked to only focus on certain objects in scenes, leaving the rest of the set in darkness.

I’m all for a great artistic film with great cinematography and music but this film isn’t great. Drive’s uniqueness still felt like a great movie, you was able to fathom out what was going on despite a lack of dialog from Ryan Gosling. Only God Forgives feels like it’s trying to be too clever. With characters resembling metaphors you find it hard to understand their actions when you aren’t given much detail into their background, and with a story that jumps from seemingly normal situations to bizarre scenes you will easily get confused. This movie is only 90 minutes but it feels a lot longer than many two hour plus films due to the amount of times you will be scratching your head at what’s going on. This isn’t an easy watch and even when you do take the time to analyse ever moment on screen certain scenes still appear completely bizarre and going to far, especially a torture scene and one scene in particular is when Julian cuts open a characters stomach and puts his hand in there, not a single piece of explanation is given to why this happens or what Refn is trying to portray.

Nicolas Winding Refn is a good director with a unique mind, proved perfectly from Drive, but the way he has approached this movie feels like he is trying to create a piece of art or literature with hidden meaning behind ever tiny detail more so than a movie. By all the focus going into you working out what the meaning is the movie sort of shoots its self in the foot by creating confusion. You don’t expect to have to do this in a movie and when you don’t know what is going on you begin losing interest. I can appreciate a film that uses amazing cinematography perfectly complimented with a great score but by no means does that mean it’s a great film. Only God Forgives sadly is just that.

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Edgar Wright’s Cornetto gag started way back in 2004’s ‘Shaun of the Dead’, after weeping the rewards from Walls at its premier in 2004 in free ice cream it made its return in 2007’s ‘Hot Fuzz’. Now six years on the Cornetto trilogy has come to a bitter end, but does the finally bring with it those side splitting comedic moments that ultimately made Pegg and Frost famous.

‘The Worlds End’ reunites Simon Pegg, Nick Frost and director Edgar Wright for a third time in this Sci-Fi comedy. The two previous films in the Cornetto trilogy are arguably two of the best comedies in the last decade, but where Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz succeeded in its fresh comedy running throughout the spine of their movies, The Worlds End falls a bit flat. 

‘The Worlds End’ begins showing you the story of five teenage friends, Gary King (Simon Pegg), Andrew Knightley (Nick Frost), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Peter (Eddie Marsan) and Steven Prince (Paddy Considine), that fail in their attempt of the ‘Golden Mile’, a challenge whereby they must drink one pint in twelve pubs in one night ending at the Worlds End Pub. Skipping thirty years later where the friends have all drifted away from both their childhood home town and away from each other, we focus in on Gary King, the childhood leader of the group and now alcoholic, as he sets off to reunite the pack to take on the challenge once more.

On returning to their hometown they soon discover that things aren’t as they remember. No one remembers them and it soon becomes clear that the majority of the town folk are now aliens with the few odd humans trapped inside the small town.

The challenge that The Worlds End mounts upon itself from the start is that it’s a lot harder to attach yourself to the main character, Gary King, as it was in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. Gary King is less likable, he is an alcoholic and all he is fixated on is completing the ‘Golden Mile’. He’s more of a dreamer re-living his childhood memories and hasn’t grown up and got a job as have his other friends. At the same time you get the sense that his friends are everything to him, but due to the lack of compassion you see from his character towards his friends and by learning about his actions during Andrew’s incident you soon realise that his friends don’t mean that much and are more of a passage to get Gary back to his past memories. You find yourself not really caring what happens to his character by the end of the movie.

The second downfall to this movie is that before it’s even started the expectation for comedic greatness is high due to the success of the previous two instalments in the Cornetto trilogy. It seems bizarre how three comedy films, one horror, one action and now one Sci-Fi have all been wrapped up into a trilogy rather than just being standalone movies. This hype hasn’t really helped The Worlds End as it’s nowhere near as funny, that saying it’s still not a bad movie.

The movie’s opening is quite slow and is more focused on feeding us the story and introducing the characters than making us laugh, a formula not used in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz where the laughs were all throughout. While those two films were hilarious this is just funny in parts.

The middle of this movie is where the bulk of the comedy is situated that will draw a laugh out of anyone with a typical sense of humour. Along with the appearance of a Mint Chocolate Cornetto in The Worlds End, (Shaun of the Dead showcasing a Strawberry flavour, representing the blood, the Blue Original Cornetto in Hot Fuzz, representing the police and The Worlds End showing a Mint Chocolate flavour, representing the Aliens) you also get the wooden panel fence gag that was present in the other two movies. Though the gag is now nine years old, they are all slightly tweaked and it will still create a laugh. The middle is bar far the best part of this movie for both entertainment and comedy.

The final segment on the other hand isn’t so great. The story becomes very confusing and almost absent from comedy with only a few brief comedic moments. It could have been executed better with an alternate story ending.

The acting is very good from everyone, even the cameo appearances from Pierce Brosnan and David Bradley. The stand outs though are Martin Freeman, Pegg and Frost. Freeman has become a greater actor over the past few years since his acting in ‘The Hobbit’ and TV show ‘Sherlock’, his expertise can be seen in this movie and he delivers a top performance in this movie. Pegg and Frost on the other hand seem to spark when they act alongside each other and fit together perfectly. This extra morale you see makes their performance appear very natural and very easy to watch. Pegg and Frost together successfully constructs this new relationship with each other. Where in Shaun of the Dead they are best friends and Hot Fuzz they become friends they are now two forty year old blokes that fail to re-kindle there childhood friendship all throughout this movie. They both portray it perfectly and it’s great to see how Edgar Wright has changed up their relationship rather than fatiguing the same one first seen nine years ago in Shaun of the Dead.

The only thing that could be faulted with the acting would be somewhat of a spoiler so if you haven’t seen the move yet don’t read the rest of this paragraph and skip to the line starting “Despite”. The only thing that you can really criticise is the reaction from the characters once Oliver and Peter die. Imminently it doesn’t appear natural. You get this second of empathy and then after that the event seems to be forgotten and with Oliver’s sister, Sam (Rosamund Pike), you get nothing.

Despite the confusing ending ‘The Worlds End’ deserves to be separated from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz that ultimately was a tall order to topple. Once you separate the hype factor brought along from the two previous films in the Cornetto trilogy then you still have a decent comedy movie. No it isn’t as good as the two previous films in the trilogy and it isn’t as funny but The Worlds End stands out as a good Sci-Fi movie with a deep story, enriching you in what feels like a more experienced acting performance from Pegg and Frost than seen in their previous collaborations. Comedy isn’t present as frequently as many people are going to expect but you still get those hilarious moments that will bring about a laugh from the majority that see it, mainly during the middle part of this movie.

No it’s not the most hilarious comedy to grace our screens in the past few years and yes The Worlds End feels a step down from Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, but by no means is this a bitter end to the Cornetto trilogy, this is still not to be missed.

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The apocalyptic comedy movie ‘This is the End’ ironically casts light onto what has been a dismal summer of comedy films. This is potentially best comedy movie of 2013 and one of the best of the last few years.

‘This is the End’ stars an all-star comedy cast including Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson with cameo appearances from Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Jason Segal, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Paul Rudd, Channing Tatum and Rihanna. Yes the cast is a mouthful. All of the characters in this movie play over the top and exaggerated versions of themselves.

The characters don’t seem to be up to much, (well other than being Hollywood stoners) and all meet up at James Franco’s house warming party in Hollywood. But before they can let the effects of heavy partying taking its toll (coked up Michael Cera the only exception), they are cast into the biblical judgment day. The righteous are beamed up to the heavens whilst the rest, including the entire guest list at Franco’s, are left to endure the massive sinkholes, giant monsters and fiery atmosphere that now plagues the earth.

With the crew of characters trapped inside Franco’s the comedy is injected into every possibly moment. The hostile atmosphere outside also begins to seep through into the house as tensions begin to arises, mainly caused by the shortage of food and water and not helped by Danny McBride’s trouble making character role.

Though the movie is confined in Franco’s house for the majority of the film you never feel bored. The hilarious gags keep coming with new aspects explored throughout to deny the movie from becoming anywhere near stale. You’ll see the characters giving video logs one moment and then drugged up re-creating a sequel to Pineapple Express 2 the next. Just as you think there isn’t much left to explore other characters are introduced such as Emma Watson and a possessed version of one character present at Franco’s.

This is the End manages execute the perfect balance of horror and comedy. At times tension is created but with a great comical outcome, the scene where Jonah Hill is asleep after his prayer is just one example. Yes you do get those references to other horror films (The Exorcist and Rosemary’s Baby) that are often present in comedy horrors, but ‘This is the End’ has its own take that doesn’t feel forced into the plot.

Something that many comedy movies fall short on is when they try add this short moment of compassion, where you as the audience are supposed to feel empathy towards the main character as they seek redemption. Many comedies attempt this hurdle yet fall, ‘The Identity Thief’ is just one comedy this year that is a casualty of this where you are supposed to empathise for this criminal who destroys lives. Safe to say ‘This is the End’ pulls this off well, you generally do feel this emotional tie that co-writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (collaborated on Superbad together) have injected into the hilarity.

Towards the ending of this movie, and not including the emotive layer added, it doesn’t feel that well executed as you’d hoped. The humour begins to soften as the story unwinds and you won’t find any of those side splitting moments that you experienced during the main bulk of the film. Encountering one more of those at the movies end would have been perfect. Despite this small disappointment it won’t drag your enjoyment of this movie down.

Yes ‘This is the End’ is silly and cheesy throughout and at any given moment will add the overused ‘dick’ and ‘gay’ jokes at will, but you expect this formula form this movie and it doesn’t punch above its weight and try to be something more than it is (this is something The Hangover: Part 3 was guilty of). ‘This is the End’ is hilarious throughout and one of the best comedies to grace or screens in the past years and is likely to take the crown of best comedy film of 2013, well unless Anchorman 2 can top the first. The silliness adds to the humour and it wouldn’t be the same without it, coked up Michael Cera isn’t something that will be easily forgotten. One things for sure, if judgment day does arise then James Franco’s house is the place to be. 

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T he Oscar winning ‘Gladiator’, set during the pinnacle of the Roman Empire is a tale of freedom and revenge, taking place during one of the greatest civilizations ever to exist. Though this movie carries a standout score and Oscar winning performance from Russell Crowe, this is all tangled around a somewhat simple structured storyline. Does ‘Gladiator’ live up to the accolade many have given it as being one of the modern greats of our generation?

    Its 180 AD and General Maximus Decimus Meridius (Russell Crowe) is leading the Roman army to victory against the Germanic tribe, one that will prove to be Marcus Aurelius’ (Richard Harris) last. After finally concurring the barbaric tribe in Germania, emperor Aurelius names Maximus protector of Rome, a decision that doesn’t go down to kindly with the emperor’s son, Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix).  In order for Commodus to become emperor of Rome he takes matters into his own hands and squeezes the last remnants of life out of his elderly father. 

After Commodus orders for the execution of Maximus and his family (a decision conjured out of his bitter personality and jealously towards his father’s admiration of Maximus), the ex-Roman general escapes and winds up in North Africa where he is sold to the slave master Proximo (Oliver Reed, who sadly past away during the filming of this movie).

Commodus decides against plans to open work on the sewerage system, one that will put a stop to the plague infesting Rome, and instead decides to re-open the Colosseum games in celebration of his father’s death (though this is mealy a mask as these games are no more than a form of entertainment for  Commodus’s amusement). This lifting of the gladiator boycott in Rome paves the way for Maximus to fight his way to the top so he can seek revenge against the emperor that cast his family into the after-life.

Gladiator does a great job in re-creating an immersive atmosphere in Rome at the height of its power. Director Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) is renowned for his special effects, and the accolades Scott earned from constructing the beautiful dark, Sci-Fi atmospheres in Blade Runner and Alien are kept to good use in ‘Gladiator’ as Scott creates this immersive setting at the heart of the most powerful civilizations in human history.  

Russell Crowe delivers a superb performance in Gladiator that can’t be faulted, a performance that won him an Oscar for ‘Best Actor’ back in 2001. Joaquin Phoenix is sufficient in his sinister role while his on-screen sister, played by Connie Nielsen, adds that much needed emotional depth to the movie. 

It’s the musical score though that is the main driving factor that transforms ‘Gladiator’ from a good movie into a great movie. The Oscar nominated Score from Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard is fantastic and one of the standout movie scores ever created. It’s co-ordinated perfectly to accompany the specific scenes that evoke the spine-chilling emotion. The slow paced, vocal ‘Now We Are Free’ song is put to good use in the more touching parts of the movie and the heated battle scenes fit nicely to the higher tempo of ‘The Battle’. It’s hard to imagine this movie without Zimmer’s score as this is the main highlight that springs to mind when you think of ‘Gladiator’. 

At times Gladiator does struggle from poor lighting, this being in the opening sequences that create this grainy texture to the back drop, (mainly present during the battle of Germania scene, due to the lighting being also concealed behind the German forest).  To accompany this we also get a poor first look at the Colosseum that visually looks far to animated (though the visuals are subsequently better the second time round when Maximus arrives in Rome).

This being said none of these aspects damage the backbone of this movie as this still stands out as a movie not to be missed. The musical score on its own is enough to entice you in this story. This emotive layer created by the score, accompanied by the immersive atmosphere all add to this heroic tale of Maximus defying all odds, to battle against the most powerful man on the planet. By the time the final confrontation comes to a conclusion you are left satisfied, and this exhilarating tale of vengeance is a spectacle not to be missed.

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Skyfall delivers a new take on Bond, with director Sam Mendes changing the formula of the continual, two-part movie story, (as seen in Casino Royal and Quantum of Solance) and instead opting for the exploration of the alien terrain that is Bond’s past. This deeper, darker experience moves away from the typical Bond that we have seen prior to Skyfall; but is this a risk too much for Bond’s 50^th anniversary. 

   After a near death experience James Bond (Daniel Craig) is left in a vulnerable, psychological state rendering his skilled attributes, such as shooting and his vigour at a rock bottom low. As all this is taking place M (Judi Dench) is fighting against both her superiors, who are asking for her resignation and a terrorist, Silva (Javier Bardem) who is trying to get inside her mind via a string of cyber-hacks leading to terrorist attacks including an explosion within M15. All of these factors are added to Bond’s main mission, to find and track down a stolen hard drive containing the names of British NATO undercover operatives.

Skyfall explores a very alien territory in the Bond universe by uncovering Bond’s past such as the death of his parents. We go deep into the history of 007 which keeps the majority of the story close to UK, though in typical Bond fashion his mission takes him traveling further afield such as Shanghai and Istanbul. Though this is a new and risky approach to tackling a 007 film its execution is well presented and the questions that Skyfall generates are answered before the films conclusion.  

The acting is fantastic with standout performances from Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem and Judi Dench. Dame Judi Dench delivers a superb acting performance in her supporting role and this ties in nicely with a story that involves M more so than any other Bond film.

The series that kick started the Bond story back up in Casino Royal introduces the new younger Q (Ben Whishaw) in Skyfall. His acting is good though it’s nothing that stands out compared to other actors performances.

One criticism though is the way Naomie Harris’ character Is presented as it takes a while to warm to her due to the hit and miss comedy she tries to inject into the film.

The overall great acting accompanies a superb soundtrack that was worthy of its Oscar nomination including Adele’s fabulous Oscar wining song‘Skyfall’.

Though Skyfall is executed very well certain areas are lacking that familiar touch that true 007 fans may miss. The traditional car chase scene is ditched in this film for bikes but only briefly used in the films prologue. The lack of car chase scenes, scenes that James Bond is famous for has been absent since the Brosnan era (apart from again a brief scene in the opening of Quantum of Solace), though this isn’t something that should act as a fault as it doesn’t feel needed.  

Though other areas could be criticised for being stripped down such as the lack of innovative gadgets, one of which being merely a radio transmitter, they aren’t really missed. You find yourself too enticed and tied up within the depth of storyline to really miss these aspects.

Bonds 50^th Anniversary feature uses a gripping story that works very well and is more different and unique than any other Bond film to date. It mainly does this by stripping away a lot of the traditional Bond glamour. Sam Mendes opted for a new exciting, different Bond that moved away from the safe formula that people came to love. This fresh take, which focuses on possibly the deepest story used in a Bond film, injects this new life into 007 that gives fans a new experience that doesn’t recycle old materials from previous Bond’s. Sam Mendes’ change-up in Skyfall has created one of the best Bond’s to date. His risk paid off.

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Les Miserables follows Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) after being released from prison for stealing a loaf of bread for his sister’s hungry child. Though he has been released he is given the label of being a danger to society and ordered to report to an officer after a certain period of time.  This results in Jean going on the run as he is unable to get any work due to being branded as a threat. After eight years pass he still has Javert (Russell Crowe) chasing him down.

Jean Valjean then picks up the duties of caring for the young child Cosette (Amanda Seyfried) and bringing her up as if she was his own. As all this is happening the heart of the French Revolution is taking place in the backdrop and the majority of the cast getting heavily involved in this fight for freedom.  

Yes this is a musical film, but Tom Hoppers musical adaptation of what is said to be one of the nineteenth century’s greatest novels is a breath of fresh air and also brings a tale of love, redemption and freedom to the table to create this very unique experience.

This musical is almost all in song apart from a few snippets that are inbetween songs. This is also a progressive tale spanning just under twenty years during the French revolution and you really do get attached to these characters as they are developing through time.

 Les Miserables has a fantastic cast made up of Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway and Helena Bonham Cohen, to name a few, and their performances are truly great. They are all able to deliver the emotion of this tale though their singing very well and I don’t think it would have felt the same had it not been a musical film.

Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway are the two stand-outs in Les Miserables. The raw power and emotion you can see they provide is fantastic especially as this is delivered through song. Some have criticised Russell Crowe’s singing but I didn’t find that a problem and thought he did very well in this film.

The world and atmosphere is very beautiful, emersing you in this very realistic looking 19^th century world. You get the sense of conditions they lived in very well and why they are rebelling against the King.

But there a few problems with this film though. Being a film entirely expressed through song it can be hard to understand certain aspects, as you find yourself constantly having to analyse the words in each song to understand what is going on in the story. This is extremely demanding in a 2hr 40min film and towards the end it can feel that certain scenes could have easily been cut out without taking away anything other than an extra song. Yes I don’t think this film would have been that emotional if it wasn’t a musical, but I thought more dialog in-between songs could have helped you through this movie a lot smoother.

I have never read Les Miserables and I don’t think this film clearly delivers the motive behind Javerts relentless hunting of Jean either. It seems a little excessive for my taste as he goes to all these extreme lengths to catch a bread thief.

One of my favourite characters in this film is killed off very early on in this film as well, which I won’t spoil. I felt that certain characters presence, especially due to the performance they delivered earlier on, could have given an extra edge to the film at its later stages.

Saying that, this film is a great passionate tale and a must watch, all this coming from a person who in the whole doesn’t watch musicals. I truly enjoyed this film but found myself having to watch it twice to fully understand every moment of the film.

Still though this is a great movie and I’d happily watch Les Miserables again. If you love musicals then this will be one of the best you have ever seen and for those who don’t watch musicals I’d recommend you give this a try.  

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‘The Purge’ pitches us into the year 2022 where America’s desperation to eradicate the high crime rate and unemployment infesting society has resulted in the legalisation of any and all crime over 12 hours on the night of March 21^st to the morning of March 22^nd . This event, known as ‘The Purge’, ceases the running of all emergency services over this 12 hour period in order to sustain a low crime rate throughout the rest of the year.

We are homed in on the Sandin family made up of parents, James (Ethan Hawke), Mary (Lena Headey) and the kids Charlie (Max Burkholder) and Zoey (Adelaide Kane). The Sandin family are normally safe, during ‘The Purge’, behind their security system that James Sandin has made his fortune selling to local neighbours. But this year’s ‘Purge’ is thrown into turmoil for the Sandin’s when they are confronted by masked assailants that turn this film, (that is perceived to be horror movie), into an invasion thriller flick.

Firstly believability is a key issue. This movie is flawed from the begging as it fails to emotionally attach you to this concept actually being believable. The idea that in nine short years, (well even earlier than that as this film gives the impression that there has been a few Purge’s prior to this one), ‘murder will be legalised for one day’ needs to have well thought reasoning behind it to help attach ourselves to the story, other than it just saying this event helps cleanse society to release their anger as we all have this violence.

Though this is set in the near future it still feels extremely distant to a realistic scenario where the government allows the legalisation of murder, this is ultimately down to this lack of substance being why it is taking place and what benefit it causes.

The Sandin’s are only involved in this year’s Purge due to one decision, made by their son Charlie, to deactivate the security system and rescue a homeless man being pursued by the mob of masked assailants, that eventually wind up standing on the Sandin’s front door step.

Motives aren’t really well addressed either. The only reason these people, led by Rhys Wakefield’s character, are after this man is that he killed one of their friends. In one scene in this film where the leader of these creepy assailants is talking to James through the camera on the door, he kills one of his friends for interrupting him. This shows he doesn’t really care about his friends and it’s a poor motive to go to all this effort for one man.  

There isn’t any motive either behind a certain characters actions that is already present in the Sandin home when ‘Purge’ begins and we never find out what they aimed to accomplish by their actions either.

The majority of characters are very dumb whited as well. The Sandin’s always seem adamant to split up from each other when there are crazy people out to kill them wandering in their house. On top of this the masked people are just as stupid. They ignore the gun fire taking place from some of the early encounters when they invade the house and continue to search for the Sandin’s like the gun fire is mute, either they are deaf or as big as this house looks its somehow able to mask gun fire shots.  

The masked people also don’t really value their own lives, they seem more adamant giving each other piggy-backs than thinking that there could potentially be a Sandin waiting around the corner with a gun.

This so called horror isn’t one bit scary either. Yes it is creepy at times, but the majority of that comes from before they get into the Sandin home. It’s also predictable in parts such as when that overly used moment of the music becoming mute signals an appearance of an assailant appearing behind one of the characters.  

I wasn’t a fan of the twist at the end either that was again another factor that lacked a believable motive and also executed poorly.

Some of the acting is good in this film, such as performances from Ethan Hawke and Lena Headley, that overall make this experience bearable. Rhys Wakefield also does succeed in creating this creepy character, though in my opinion it would of felt more sinister had he left his mask on than revealing his face.

Though this film has problems I'm sure there will be many sequels to follow as these low budget and high grossing movies have become all the range today. There is potential for the Purge sequel (when it does come about) to be turned into a good movie, but after seeing 'The Purge' its hard to see how they will be able to change these poor foundations that have been already set in stone.

Overall this unique looking story of murder being legalised for one day had the potential foundations to be great, but due to poor execution and a lack of believable substance going into the main story and reasoning behind why this event is taking place this so called horror is merely just a mediocre home invasion flick.

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It’s back to the notorious cabin, sporting the same evil incubating cellar. Drug addict Mia (Jane Levy), ­­­­­along with run-away brother David (Shiloh Fernandez) and gang of determined friends’ journey to the deserted cabin in an attempt to kick Mia’s addiction. Instead they are greeted with a room of dead cats, a book bound in human flesh, and an evil spirit hell bent on feeding on everyone’s souls, to name but a few of the cabin come rehab’s delightful features. Activities include cutting off your own body parts, reading extracts from a book of the dead after specifically being told not to, and generally having a terrible time.

Whereas The Evil Dead doesn’t have the same absurdity as its original, feeling much more like your average zombie film with the loss of its fantasy edge, it does now have logic on its side, something the original clearly didn’t feel was a necessity for a film.

Unlike the original, we are now treated with the knowledge of why the teenagers have arrived at the cabin, and even who the cabin actually belongs to. Aren’t we lucky. The book of the dead is now also burn proof! So warding off evil is now a bit more of a challenge.

Overall, although a bit monotonous, and with a very ‘things finally seem to be okay, oh no wait they’re not, oh wait, yes they are’ kind of ending, it does not disappoint in terms of gore, and jumpy moments there are plenty!

If watching other humans being slashed to pieces is your scene, you must see The Evil Dead!

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Identity Thief is a comedy that ultimately try’s to combine a slightly mediocre comedic presence with the poorly written idea of humanising a criminal and life destroying profession, the ‘Identity Thief’.

Jason Bateman stars Sandy Paterson, a farther of two and accountant, who is taken advantage off due to his feminine name and gets his identity stolen by fraudster Dianna (Bridesmaids Melissa McCarthy). As things unfold it’s eventually clear that this film is a road trip movie once Sandy realises he must confront Dianna in Miami and bring her back to Denver.

This film is funny at times and Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy give a lot to their performance and do help this film become an enjoyable experience, despite being dragged down by the shoddy plot line.

You see problems unfolding right from the beginning when it comes to the writing. The lack of believability, emphasised even before Sandy heads out to catch his fraudster sets the tone to this film. Sandy seems to be living in an alien world where help isn’t at hand by both his credit card company and the police.

Now here is the first major problem when it comes to believability, the law enforcers, (you know, the people that up hold the law and stop crimes from being committing). Well these crime stoppers ultimately tell Sandy that they won’t help him but do suggest that he kidnaps Dianna and brings her back to Denver so they will arrest her. Quite possibly some of the worst legal advice I’ve ever heard on screen especially from a Detective as well. This sets the ball rolling for the poor backbone of a story that runs through this film.

You also get these cameo like appearances from Genesis Rodriguez and Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. that are chasing Dianna for another fraudulent job she has committed. Those two characters aren’t really given a purpose other than to push Dianna into having a reason to give into Sandy and come back with him. Their roles are overlooked quite frequently and at points you even forget they are still chasing Dianna.

But despite these faults in the story they are only small minor problems that orbit the main downfall of the overall story. This is to try and humanize a criminal that ruins the lives of many for their own greed. The story starts by portraying the selfish and callous lifestyles of the identity thief. The film aims to win you over by trying to convert your perceptions of this character and make you forgive this criminal by justifying the reasoning behind her actions. It’s a poor attempt at an overall plot line and it’s that lack of realism that fails to get the reaction that the story is trying to draw out of the audience.

No it’s not a film that will leave you in stitches and with it being almost two hours long it is stretching the limits of when a film such as this start to drag. Yes the plot lets it down but the silliness does create an enjoyable film though that is funny in parts, the majority of the time this comes from Melissa McCarthy’s character Dianna.

Overall if you are looking for a comedy with a solid story and that is intensely funny then this isn’t the film for you. This films plot is completely hollow due to the lack of believability and strange attempt to humanize the ‘Identity Thief’. Yes this is a comedy and there are funny moments at certain points but the film won’t have you laughing throughout. This film is enjoyable though and is a very easy watch but it’s not something that you should rush out your way to see.  

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