Guardians of the Galaxy

If you are a comic book nerd, then you probably know all about the Guardians of the Galaxy. Thanks to Marvel studios, now the general public is also well aware of these five individuals.

With the success of their main superheroes, I’m sure Marvel took quite a risk in producing a film based on a comic book that is not really well known outside of the comic book fandom. The question is: did their risk pay off?

The film tells the story of the Guardians coming together for the first time. We have Peter Quill AKA Star-Lord, a human who steals an orb and is unaware of its dangerous power. Gamora, an orphaned girl and step daughter to Thanos and ultimately switches to the good guys. Drax, a massive, muscular warrior who wants vengeance for the murder of his family. Groot, a tree-like humanoid who is simple minded and a gentle giant. And finally Rocket, a genetically engineered raccoon who is a bounty hunter and a lover of all manner of weapons.

These five characters team up together in the unlikeliest of ways in order to stop Ronan, the film’s antagonist, from causing total destruction with the aforementioned orb.

Thanos also has more screen time in this film, who is Thanos you might ask. If you were patient enough and waited till the end of the credits of The Avengers, a post credit scene played out which showed a hulking monster with a chin that would put Don Martin to shame. He is Thanos and will most likely be the main villain in The Avengers 3.

Guardians of the Galaxy is indeed a fresh instalment in the Marvel universe, it definitely is a fun movie and has plenty of hilarious moments. The movie is also quite silly at times, yet this was intentionally done as to make it more fun and to show that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. This doesn’t ruin the movie at all as there will be guaranteed laughter. The soundtrack to the film is also quite catchy and most of the music comes from Peter Quill’s Walkman which contains a wide variety of music that was popular in the 80s.

Performances are really stellar and the film has quite a strong story thanks to decent script writing. The movie is also really colourful which gives it that comic book feel. The two main stars are definitely Rocket the Racoon and his partner Groot who’s only lines in the whole film are: I am Groot.  

So to answer my earlier question; yes, the risk Marvel took paid off tremendously.  The movie is fun, humorous, a fresh take on the usual filming style of Marvel films and an unofficial inclusion into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

So with that in mind, Guardians of the Galaxy gets a galactic 9 out of 10

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The Nut Job

The Nut Job is an animated film starring the voices of Will Arnett, Brendan Fraser, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl and directed by Peter Lepeniotis.

The film revolves around a rather proud, selfish squirrel named Surly. He likes doing things his way and as a result he is constantly butting heads with the rest of the rodents who live in a massive oak tree. That is until he is responsible for accidentally burning down their home. Which ultimately results in him being banished from that area for good.

At the same time, a sub plot runs congruently with the main plot which deals with a bunch of crooks planning to dig their way into a bank. They have opened a shop across the road from the bank as a front. The shop sells nuts and this is where the two plots meet. While the crooks are trying to break into the bank, the squirrels are trying to break into the shop and get the nuts for themselves.

Now firstly this movie isn’t produced by Disney or Pixar and you can clearly see it in the animations. While it isn’t terrible and still watchable, the animation is just not on par with what you see in today’s animated films. 

After watching this film I decided to check Wikipedia to see what other reviewers said and this film has been universally panned. Almost every critic hated it and for good reason, they complained about character development, a thin plot and called it charmless.

However, I do agree with them on that aspect from an adult’s point of view. But to a child, this is pure gold. Trying watching this movie through the eyes of a child or put a child in front of this film and you will see pure entertainment and enjoyment.

As this is the main target audience of this movie. Families can of course watch along and the average movie goer will find a few laughs, but kids will get the biggest kick out of this movie.

So with that in mind. The Nut Job gets a salted 1 out of 10. And for the kiddies view point: The Nut Job gets a cracked 7 out of 10

Vampire Academy

Way back in 2001 we met Harry Potter, a young innocent boy who found out he was a wizard and was sent to a special school for wizards. Then in 2010 we met Percy Jackson, a young innocent boy who found out he was a demigod and was sent to a special school for demigods. So what’s latest trend of films to clone the Harry Potter franchise? A special school for vampires.

I’m talking about the latest teen target film Vampire Academy, starring Zoey Dutch, Lucy Fry, Danila Kozlovsky and directed by Mark Waters who also helmed Mean Girls.

Instead of going through the usual formula of being introduced to a young innocent girl and then attend a special school for vampires, we’re thrown straight into the vampire school with the characters already established.

Vampire Academy also tries to incorporate a Game of Thrones style of storytelling by focusing on different types of races all at war with each other.

This is the main focus of the film, as we meet Rose who is a Dhampir (half human, half vampire) she is also a guardian and must protect her friend, who is a princess, from the Strigoi, who are the evil vampires. Rose and her friends belong to a class of vampires called the Moroi; they’re the good guys.

Now this might all sound sort of enticing and it might sound good enough to watch, but this film is downright 

terrible.

The plot is just horrible, so is the thinly written script. I honestly could not feel a connection of any kind with any character due to some shoddy performances. The movie takes constant swipes at Twilight yet the irony is - and I never thought I’d say this - Vampire Academy makes Twilight look like a masterpiece.

The film’s main audience is obviously teenagers, especially teenage girls trying to fill the void now that the Twilight fad is thankfully over. However, the film fails to connect with audiences and although I’m no teenager so I have no authority over this claim, but the fact that this movie has bombed worldwide seems to be a good indication.

Mark Waters also tried to incorporate a Mean Girls type of theme again in this film, however, Mean Girls was brilliant due to good script writing and the whole point of the movie was the stereotypical teenage girl behaviour. Vampire Academy had nothing to do with that but Mark Waters tried to add some conflict which just adds more unnecessary weight to the plot which ultimately slows the movie down.

Vampire Academy is a film which tried to enter a niche market and ultimately failed and the disappointing performance at the Box Office has sealed the coffin on any potential sequels.

So with that in mind, Vampire Academy gets a blood clotting 2 out of 10

Captain Phillips

Captain Phillips is a drama thriller starring Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi and directed by Paul Greengrass.

The film is based on a true story about Captain Richard Phillips who was taken hostage by Somali Pirates. Phillips wrote a book detailing his ordeal and the film is based on that book.

Now on to the movie itself, which starts off departing from the Port of Salalah, and sails through the Gulf of Eden in order to get to Mombasa. However, once they near the Horn of Africa, the ship is attacked by pirates, which is eventually boarded. I’ll stop here so as not to give too much away.

The acting in this film is extremely powerful, especially from the movie’s two lead actors, Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi. The tone in the film is perfectly paced, although the film does slightly drag out a bit in the first 20 minutes of the third act. However, the movie is able to capture the tension beautifully, you feel as if you are able to identify with the plight of Captain Phillips, all huddled on a small lifeboat with four armed pirates surrounding him. And you begin asking yourself, what would you do in that situation?

Again a round of applause must be given to Barkhad Abdi, who is a native Somali. Although he has been living in the States for some time, his accent is perfect and of course his native language. He isn’t the only one though as his co actors, all native Somalis now living in the States give incredibly convincing performances which gives you a glimpse of the dangers that ships go through in those waters.

The film also tries to pull on your moral heartstrings by touching on the reasons these pirates do what they do, which of course explores themes of survival and how far would you go to support yourself. However, the film doesn’t justify nor condone the pirating actions, but just leaves the idea there as a little afterthought.

So with that in mind, Captain Phillips gets an anchored 10 out of 10.

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Bad Neighbours

Bad Neighbours is a comedy starring Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco and directed by Nicholas Stoller.

The film tells the story of Mac and his wife Kelly (Played by Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne), they are a young, happy family with a new born baby.

The couple seem to live in a relatively peaceful neighbourhood, that is until they get new neighbours which turns out to be a frat house.

Mac and his wife are OK with this at first seeing as they discussed the rules with their new neighbours regarding noise levels for the sake of their baby. But of course this doesn’t happen and the constant partying and noises leads Mac to declare war on the frat house. Which of course leads to retaliation from the varsity kids and neither will budge as both parties naturally want to come out victorious.

When I first heard about this film and read the premise, I was quite excited to watch this film, as I do enjoy most of Seth Rogen’s films, even though the continuing theme of marijuana and partying is getting old, and I thought this movie had potential to be a really funny movie.

Alas this is not the case. Although the movie does have its laughs, and there are plenty of them, I was expecting way more, especially when it came to the whole at war with each other concept.

Now I know that this is a stoner movie in a sense and it shouldn’t be taken too seriously, seeing as this film doesn’t take itself seriously, but when it comes to the performances, there were just some terrible moments. One example is both Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne delivered some really shoddy acting when talking to the varsity kids for the first time. The scene was supposed to depict them trying to act cool in from of these kids, but it really just bombed and from there I sort of lost respect for this film. however, at the opposite end, performances from Dave Franco and Zac Efron were really not too bad at all, I would go as far as saying they outperformed the lead actors in this film.

I really enjoyed Stoller’s previous film, This Is The End, and even though that movie was also not meant to be taken seriously, the whole concept and tone was way better and generated some great comedy.

Again, I know this isn’t a movie to be taken seriously, but at the same time, it just felt like something was missing and this is not one of Seth Rogen’s best films. If you are a fan and would really like to watch this movie, then I would suggest that you wait for the DVD.

So with that in mind, Bad Neighbours gets a not so neighbourly 5 out of 10

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a post-apocalyptic film starring Andy Serkis, Gary Oldman, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell and directed by Matt Reeves.

The film is set ten years after the events of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, most of humanity has been wiped out by the ALZ-113 virus, only a handful of humans remain and the apes, led by Caesar, live in relative peace.

That is until a group of human survivors run into two apes that are out hunting. What results is a very uneasy truce and both species do not trust each other and the tiniest mistake made by ape or human could spark an all-out war.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is one of those rare gems in films today. It is absolutely brilliant from beginning to end. Once the humans encounter the apes, you can feel that immediate tension that not only stays throughout the whole film, but gradually rises as well.

A round of applause must be given to Andy Serkis, the man who spent the entire movie in a motion capture suit. He plays Caesar, and he does so amazingly. He is able to capture the ape-like gestures and is able to convey all sorts of strong emotions through body language.

The film also realistically depicts apes as they would behave if they had somehow become genetically smarter. Unlike the original franchise which depicted the apes as more humanoid, both Rise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes kept them grounded realistically, which not only results in some amazing on screen brilliance, but also a terrifying realistic experience.

In essence this is how not only a reboot, but how a sequel should be. The reboot is completely different from the source material, yet the spirit is still there. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was brilliant in starting off the reboot, completely fresh and explained how the Apes became so dominant. This of course then spills over to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, which has a far more grittier and darker tone and doesn’t feel like you’re watching the same movie over again.

One could also compare this franchise to the Dark Knight Trilogy. Tim Burton’s Batman is regarded as a classic film, until Joel Schumacher fulfilled the Joker’s wish and killed the Batman. Franklin Schaffner’s Planet of the Apes is regarded as classic science fiction, until Tim Burton, ironically enough, put his dirty paws all over the film and destroyed it. The reboots, both Rise and Dawn have reinstated the franchise and have made it one of the best in the film’s series to date.

All in all, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a must watch and trust me you will not be disappointed. The only fault I could find in this movie was a very subtle spoiler that was given in the trailer, but you would have had to pay attention.

So with that in mind, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes gets a “Keep your lovely paws on me, you damn fine ape” 10 out of 10

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The LEGO Movie

The LEGO Movie is an animated comedy film starring an ensemble cast of Chris Pratt, Will Ferrell, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Alison Brie and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

The Lego franchise has enjoyed many successes ranging from the conventional building blocks to video games and now its own movie and this is no exception when it comes to a success.

The film tells the story of Emmet, who is just a normal Lego person; he is happy and falls in place with all instructions given. However, he is also the supposed one who is foretold in a prophecy to save the Lego universe from the clutches of the tyrannical ruler known as Lord Business.

I’m going to leave the plot details there to avoid any spoilers and to talk about this film as a whole itself.

First off, the animation is brilliantly done, it’s completely CGI (Save for a few live action scenes) yet it was done in a way to make it look like stop motion animation in order to give it that authentic Lego feel.

The voice acting is of course top notch, although I do feel that Liam Neeson’s performance was a bit too animated and didn’t feel fluid enough, it’s like he was almost restricted. But apart from that, everything was just beautifully acted and gave the entire Lego Universe a life of its own.

The humour is another wonderful aspect of this movie. The gags and one liners are absolutely brilliant. It comes off as something that both children and adults will enjoy tremendously. The whole movie feels really fresh and original. The settings in the movie really stand out, not only do they show off the whole Lego sets, but it gives everything a sense of life and sets it up as a legitimate universe.

There are two comedians I am really not a big fan of, Jim Carrey and Will Ferrell. However, Ferrell’s role in the movie might have just changed my mind about him. He provides the voice for Lord Business and keeps it funny, yet professional. He also appears on camera in the live action sequence yet brings a more toned down, serious performance instead of his usual over the top ranting.

All in all, this a 100 minute Lego commercial, yet it is a fantastic production, it releases your inner child, making you want to pull out your old set and let your imagination run wild.

With that in mind, The LEGO Movie gets a constructed 9 out of 10

Aftershock

Aftershock is a disaster film with horror elements starring Eli Roth, Ariel Levy, Nicolas Marinez and directed by Nicolás López.

The film is set in Chile and after a massive earthquake hits, the darker side of human nature is explored. The narrative is told through the story of three people who are travelling through Chile, they meet three girls, arrive at a night club and once the earthquake strikes, they do what they can to survive. However, the earthquake has also broken the walls to a nearby prison which of course lets all sorts of psychos out on the street.

If you are a huge horror fan, then the name Eli Roth should stand out as one of the pioneers of horror. As he is the one who started a whole new genre known as “Torture Porn” with his films Hostel and Hostel part 2.

Although he didn't direct Aftershock, his name is attached as producer and he stars in the film, which I suppose is a good way to garner attention to the horror fans as any film with Eli Roth should be pretty good.

This is sadly not the case this time around. The one problem is the characters don’t seem to have any back-story whatsoever, there are one or two who have a very minor backstory but it isn’t enough for us to identify with them. “This is a horror, so why should we care about the characters?” I hear you ask. Well for one, the first 40 minutes of the movie just focuses on them exploring Chile and going to parties, with absolutely nothing else happening. The only reason for this incredibly long exposition is to get the audience emotionally attached with the characters. However, due to bad acting and bad script writing, it just does not happen.

Another problem with this movie is the supposed theme of exploring the dark side of human nature. Before watching this movie, I had a feeling this was going to be on par with The Purge, which also has similar themes. However this is not the case. The escaped prisoners that are mentioned hardly show up, except for one scene, and that scene itself is devoid of all tension. For the most part of the movie, the protagonists have to deal with street hooligans and rioters who were shown as terrible human beings from the start.

The fact of the matter is, this film had a lot of potential, but it is left disappointing and nowhere near what it could have been. Even the gore hounds, who know Eli Roth’s work, will be left empty handed as the gore is quite minimalistic, with maybe one or two scenes at best which will leave you wincing.

The one thing going for this film was the ending. I was expecting a traditional horror movie ending, but was left pleasantly surprised with the little twist.

My advice would be to give this a skip and wait for Eli Roth’s next film, The Green Inferno, which is due for release in September 2014.

So with that in mind, Aftershock gets a mild tremored 4 out of 10

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The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best

The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best is an independent dramedy starring Ryan O’Nan, Michael Weston, Arielle Kebbel and directed by Ryan O’Nan.

The film focuses on a man named Alex, a struggling musician, who is desperate on getting recognition and getting somewhere with his music. His partnership with a fellow musician sours at the beginning of the movie due to his lyrics being far too depressing.

He battles in both his musical career as well as his day job, that is until he meets a fellow musician by the name of Jim. He convinces Alex to join him on tour, playing at a number of small gigs and eventually take part in a Battle of the Bands.

The only problem is Jim doesn't really possess any proper instruments; all he has with him is a whole bunch of children’s instruments which he utilizes on stage.

When most people think of independent films, they’ll most likely be turned off as they feel that it won’t have the same impact as with a movie funded by a major studio. The fact is, this is a fantastic movie. The performances are really solid and you are able to feel the emotion in the acting and particularly in the music.

As I mentioned earlier, Jim utilizes children’s instruments and it sounds really great accompanied with Alex’s acoustic guitar. Which is another great thing about this film, the music is really good. It’s got this really relaxed, chilled vibe and it just has this entire feel-good tone.

In fact, this is a feel-good movie which will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside. If you are a musician yourself or more specifically a guitarist, then this is a movie which should be on the top of your list to watch.

With that in mind, The Brooklyn Brothers Beat the Best gets a strummed 8 out of 10.   

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Transformers: Age of Extinction

Transformers: Age of Extinction is the fourth film in the Transformers franchise starring a fresh cast of Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammar, Nicola Peltz, Peter Cullen returns as the voice of Optimus Prime and of course the film is directed by Michael Bay.

Age of Extinction was said to be a reboot, yet the film takes place five years after the events of Dark of the Moon. Bay did state, however that he chose not to use the previous cast members as he wanted a fresh start to the fourth installment; I suppose that’s his idea of a reboot.

As I mentioned, the movie is set five years after the third film and the Autobots are in hiding, as the government has severed all ties with them and a selected group of CIA operatives are hunting them down and exterminating them. This is all due to nefarious purposes but I’ll just leave it there.

The film also tells the story of Cade Yeager and his daughter Tessa. He’s an inventor but they are struggling financially as he hasn't really invented anything ground breaking yet. That is until he discovers Optimus Prime which sets the plot of the film in motion, which is to basically rally the remaining Autobots, find out who is behind the extermination and try and live peacefully again.

What I didn't like about this film:

Transformers: Age of Extinction is just unnecessarily long, it’s just under three hours and after the halfway mark you begin looking at your watch wondering when it will be over. Now there’s nothing wrong with long movies, provided they’re done well, look at the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Harry Potter films. Yet Age of Extinction just draws out, I felt rather bored and uninspired as the film dragged out.

Although Mark Wahlberg is a welcome breath of fresh air into the franchise, it does take away that human connection that Sam Witwicky had with Bumble Bee and the other Autobots. There is just no emotional attachment between Cade and the Autobots as he just discovers Optimus Prime and then he just goes along with them.

The plot is just far too complex and busy, given the enormous length of this film, not all the loose ends are tied together; this is obviously done to set up a sequel…that nobody wants.

Michael Bay just doesn't seem to learn his lesson when it comes to adding comedy. He tried in Revenge of the Fallen to add more comedy and it just failed miserably. So what does he do, he tries again, now he was able to obtain a few laughs but just like his other movies, the timing is all wrong, just isn't needed and it serves no purpose.

There are massive plot holes in this movie. So many events are left unexplained or just illogical, the main one for me was a new power that Optimus Prime suddenly has. It was never used in the previous movies which could have aided him tremendously, yet he only uses it in this film and only at the end of the movie.

What I did like about the film:

Although the movie is far from perfect, it did earn a few brownie points. Bay is known for his over the top action and explosions which is saturated in this film. It does add to the visual brilliance of Age of Extinction.

Apart from the silly dialogue used by the Autobots, the human cast members did offer solid performances. Mark Wahlberg specifically does a really great job in this film and felt perfect in his role.

The main selling point besides the film dripping in action is the CGI. The effects are amazingly done; it feels so real and is a perfect treat for the eyes.

So just a quick break down of this movie, if you’re looking for decent storytelling and heartfelt human emotions, ignore this film. But if you don’t mind a movie forsaking logic and a good plot for over the top action, fantastic CGI, gorgeous cars and enough explosions to make Gordon Ramsey look like a sweetheart, then you’ll love this movie.

All in all, it’s not a terrible movie, but it could do with some major improvements.

Transformers: Age of Extinction gets a Decepticonned 4 out of 10

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Empire State

Empire State

Empire State is an action crime film starring Liam Hemsworth, Dwayne Johnson, Emma Roberts and directed by Dito Montiel.

It tells the true story  of a heist that took place in 1982 where $16 million was stolen from the Empire State Armoured Truck Company.

So we meet Chris Potamitis, who settles for a security guard job after he fails to get into the police department. He is first assigned truck duty and goes out with a partner to collect and drop off money, but after a botched hijacking, he is assigned night duty instead. He discovers that the security at the main building is rather poor which is surprising seeing as it stores millions of dollars.

He decides to take a couple of thousand as he knows the money isn't counted so it won’t be noticed and after he gets away with it, he blabbers to his trouble making friend. This of course sets the wheels in motion to pull off a job and steal all the money in the vaults.

Now Empire State never made it to the theaters and went straight to DVD. When a movie goes straight to DVD it says that the studios just don’t have enough confidence that this film will do well financially and in most cases, this one included, they’re right.

The acting isn't all that perfect, although I have to admit that Johnson is getting better at his job. There also seems to be a few pacing problems as it seems like large chunks of the movie was left out just to get on with the story and due to time constraints.

Then there is the heist itself. This is of course nothing like Ocean’s Eleven or any other heist movie. The robbery is just so simplistic, so anti-climactic that you wonder how true to the story it actually is. Then again is it this simplistic approach and not a grand scheme that does give it that whole realistic feel.

 One thing I did enjoy in the movie was a change in culture. The movie is set in New York so normally one would expect either your typical Yankee or Italian families. But in this case they settled for a Greek family which seems to add a bit of freshness.

So with that in mind, Empire State gets a thieving 5 out of 10

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Mud

Mud is a coming of age drama starring Mathew McConaughey, Tye Sheridan, Reese Witherspoon and directed by Jeff Nichols.

It tells the story of two 14 year old boys named Ellis and Neckbone, which I assume is his nickname as he doesn’t have another name throughout the whole movie.

They come across a boat stuck in a tree, and naturally as any 14 year old would do, they claim it for themselves as their own little tree house. That is until they discover it’s occupied by a vagrant who goes by the name of Mud. (They do have rather strange names in this movie)

What follows of course is an adventure for the boys as they discover his past and try and unite him with his lost love.

Mud was shown at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival and won numerous awards as stated on the DVD cover. This is somewhat misleading which I’ll get to momentarily.

The acting is really solid, the performances in Mud are quite stellar and there is absolutely no fault here and it’s easy to see why Mathew McConaughey won an Oscar, leaving poor ol’ Leo in a dust cloud.  Even the films younger actors, Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland are able to convince you that their characters are real and pull you into their world.

Now this is where it becomes misleading; although the story itself is pretty decent, it is rather slow paced. Granted this is a coming of age story so we are supposed to grow and learn with these two boys but it just seems to take forever to kick off and get somewhere.

The music of the film, although it suited the movie perfectly, was just too much at times and it felt just too American.

And this is why I believe the awards are slightly misleading: To an American audience, I can understand the appeal and the appreciation, but to an international audience the same allure isn't there.

I’m not saying this is a bad movie at all; it’s just not going to be to everyone’s appeal.

So with that in Mind, Mud gets a sweet Southern 7 out of 10

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X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men: Days of Future Past

X-Men: Days of Future Past is the latest film in the X-Men franchise which stars an ensemble cast of Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jenifer Lawrence, Halle Berry and many many more. The movie also sees Bryan Singer return to the helm of the X-Men franchise.

Days of Future past starts off in the not too distant future, where an army of mutant hunting robots known as Sentinels are exterminating both mutants and humans.  A plan is hatched to end the war by sending someone back in time to 1973 to stop the inception and creation of the Sentinels, thus creating peace and altering the timeline to what we know today.

Wolverine volunteers to go as he is the only one who will be able to survive. He travels back in time where he has to meet up with a younger Professor Xavier and convince him that he is from the future and alter the timeline. And how do they send him back in time? Well these are mutants we’re talking about and we know that their powers come in all forms, from the plausible to the outright bizarre.

What I didn’t like about the film:

The first 20 minutes into the movie had a few supporting characters who really didn’t deliver a solid performance. (I’m basically just nit picking here just to give my review a bit more volume. In truth it’s brief and hardly worth mentioning)

The absolute worst part of this film is there is no Stan Lee cameo. That’s right folks, since the insurgence of Marvel films in the early 2000s, Stan Lee has made a cameo in every single movie; except Days of Future Past.

He claims it was due to conflicting schedules that he just wasn’t able to make it to the set. However, he also “jokingly” claimed that it was a marketing ploy to make one question whether you had seen Stan Lee or not. Thus you buy another ticket and watch the movie again just to find out. In all honesty, I came close to doing that as I couldn’t remember seeing him. Sadly, he is left out in this movie.

What I did like about the film:

Everything was just amazing. The juxtaposition of bright colours in the dreary future just looked so stunning. Hugh Jackman played Wolverine to perfection as did every other cast member in their perspective roles.

The visuals are absolutely mind blowing. There’s an entire slow motion sequence that isn’t just pure brain candy, it’s also quite funny.

However, the highlight for me was the inclusion of Peter Dinklage in this movie. He is of course better known as Tyrion Lannister from the hit TV series Game of Thrones. We’ve grown so accustomed to seeing his as a Lannister that it’s quite refreshing to see him in a different role which he of course nails with perfection.

Now I do urge you to watch the movie till after the credits as there is an awesome post credit scene which sets up the sequel X-Men: Apocalypse, due to be released May 27, 2016. A movie I absolutely cannot wait for as I would love to see Singer’s interpretation of Apocalypse. He is of course The X-Men’s greatest threat as he is basically extremely powerful and also…immortal.

So with all this is mind, X-Men: Days of Future Past gets a mutated 10 out of 10

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Delivery Man

Delivery Man

Delivery Man is a Dramedy starring Vince Vaughn, Chris Pratt, Cobie Smulders (Robin in How I Met Your Mother) and directed by Ken Scott.

The film tells the story of David Wozniak, a man who works in the family butchery as a delivery man. He is rather irresponsible, is heavily in debt – $100,000 to be exact and discovers that his girlfriend is pregnant.

With a brief synopsis like this it would be safe to assume that this is just your average, generic feel good comedy that for some reason stars Vince Vaughn. However, there is more to this film as about 20 minutes into the movie David is visited by a lawyer. It is then revealed that during his student years he visited a sperm bank and gave 693 donations. The result of this generous donation: he is the father of 533 children. 142 of those have started a lawsuit to force the clinic to reveal who their father is.

What I didn’t like about this movie:

There’s not a lot to complain about here really. The only few gripes I had with this film is it did have its rather soppy moments which just went overboard. Then there is Cobie Smulders who plays David’s girlfriend. In all honesty, her performance wasn’t really on par as what it normally is.

However, this biggest problem I had with the movie were some serious plot holes. I cannot really delve into them as I don’t want to give important scenes away but there few a few moments when something happens and you’re immediately left scratching your head and wondering how in the world they were able to get this right without explaining what happened. This is of course coupled with his girlfriend’s reaction at the end of the movie which is completely far from believable.

I’m pretty sure most of the stuff was explained through deleted scenes which are sadly not available on the DVD release.

What I did like about this film:

It’s really nice to see Vince Vaughn in a different genre for a change. It feels fresh and although his performance wasn’t perfect, it was pretty decent. This movie also has some pretty funny moments but at the end of the day, it’s a really sweet film with a really sweet message.

With that, Delivery Man gets a heart-warming 6 out of 10

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Grudge Match

Grudge Match

Grudge Match is a sports comedy film starring Robert De Niro, Sylvester Stallone, Kim Basinger and is directed by Peter Segal.

The main premise of this film revolves around two aging boxers who were big in their day, they were and still are complete rivals. However, when the boxer, Henry “Razor” Sharp decides to retire, his opponent Billy “The Kid” McDonnen is left frustrated as he wanted a rematch. So we then fast forward 30 years later, both Henry and Billy no longer box due to their age, but an opportunity arises which finally gives Billy the chance to have his final match with Henry.

Now I’ll stress again, this is supposed to be a boxing movie. We have two actors who were both in extremely successful boxing films, that being Rocky and Raging Bull.

However, in Grudge Match, the only proper boxing we see is in the last 15 minutes of this film. The rest of the movie shows these two characters and their intense rivalry for each other. Along the way they meet different people and a former girlfriend of Henry’s which seriously serves no purpose. It takes away the little comedy there is in this film and it feels like a distraction to fill in some time on a very thin script.

 The acting itself is quite laughable at times, specifically from Stallone. Even Jon Bernthal, who plays Shane in the Walking Dead, felt really flat and far from convincing.

The bottom line is, if you want to watch a sports comedy, I might suggest Dodge Ball. It might be silly and not take itself seriously, but it is meant to be silly and not try achieve something it knows is quite difficult in a film of this genre.

If you want to watch a decent boxing movie, the rather stick to Rocky or Raging Bull.

As for The Grudge Match, it gets a low blow 4 out of 10

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Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is a supernatural horror film starring Andrew Jacobs, Jorge Diaz and Gabrielle Walsh. The film is directed by Christopher B. Landon who wrote the movie Disturbia and the last three Paranormal Activity movies.

As per usual, the film follows the whole found footage format just like the other Paranormal Activity movies and has become a staple format in horror movies these days.

In this film we follow the antics of recent high school graduate Jesse and his two friends. Jesse lives in an apartment with his father and grandmother. Below them lives an old lady whom everyone believes is a witch.

Now as you would imagine, Jesse and his friends try sneak into the old woman’s apartment and of course discover all sorts of strange things. This somehow leads Jesse to be possessed by an entity which seems to protect him at first. This entity is of course the same malevolent being that appears in all the films which has fondly been named Toby in Paranormal Activity 3.

But of course this is a horror and Toby is no guardian angel. So as you would have guessed by now, strange things begin to happen to Jesse and his friends and it’s up to them to find out what it is and how to stop it.

What I didn’t like about this film:

This is of course another unnecessary Paranormal Activity movie and it didn’t need a franchise. The first movie was the best and by far the scariest. As it possessed the right amount of tension and of course it had that air of mystery as the audience had no clue what was happening and what would happen next. But as things go in Hollywood, when a movie is a success, studios try and cash in on that success and spew out as many sequels as possible which dilutes the entire franchise.

Another problem is the whole entity. It should have remained unknown and mysterious, but it was given a backstory which became clearer in the third film and is revealed to be a manifestation conjured up by a coven of witches and this kind of gives franchise a stale, predictable feel.

What I did like about this film:

Although it is the fifth in the franchise, it is way better than Paranormal Activity 4 which was just a really dull movie. What made this film feel fresh was the fact that the film makers decided to focus on a Latino family rather than your typical suburban American family as it had in the past. There is also a decent balance of humour as well as tension in this movie and a few guaranteed jumps which is really needed in an aging franchise. The best part of this film is it does get the audience involved by using a clichéd technique of having the character wondering into dark corners and you are yelling at your screen telling him to stay away.

As I mentioned with the tension, this film can be seen on par with Paranormal Activity 3 as this is just as tense and really has its scary moments, which does make it a stronger movie in the whole franchise.

So with that, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones gets a frightening 6 out of 10

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Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is an action thriller film starring Chris Pine, Kevin Costner and Keira Knightly. The film is directed by Kenneth Branagh who also directed Thor.

This is the fifth film in the Jack Ryan franchise (Created by Tom Clancy) but instead of being a continuation, this is a reboot and serves as an origin story which seems to be the trend in Hollywood these days.

So the film starts off on September 11 2001. Jack Ryan is studying at the London School of Economics, graduates and then returns home to serve his country to fight in Afghanistan. However, he is critically injured, spends ages in rehab and is eventually drafted by the CIA to be an undercover agent. He works on Wall Street as a compliance officer, but is of course doing analytic searching for terrorist activity which he of course discovers. His mission now: Travel to Russia, discover the source of the activity and put it to a halt.

Here’s what I didn’t like about the movie.

There are a few scenes in the movie where the script just seems unbelievable and the action is just not on par. Now granted this is an action that deals with covert CIA operations. And there are a couple of continuity errors. One example of this is within ten minutes of Ryan landing in Russia is already targeted by a hit man. The problem with this is he is posing as an auditor and no one knows of his true identity and after this encounter, it’s done and dusted, no one asks questions and everyone believes he is an auditor.  

Then there is the acting chemistry between Chris Pine and Keira Knightly. The problem with the chemistry is quite simple: it’s non-existent. The characters are romantically involved but you just don’t feel it, that connection just doesn’t translate on camera and I think the one main problem is Keiria Knightly putting on an American accent. It just doesn’t feel right and doesn’t really feel natural at all.

Here’s what I did like:

Although the film does have its flaws, it isn’t a complete disaster. There is plenty of action to satisfy the Ryan fans, the CIA fans and the general action movie fans. There is some pretty cool tech used in the movie and you do feel the tension and the excitement when Ryan has to go all covert and sneak into areas that he’s just not supposed to be. This of course keeps you in suspense and you keep asking yourself, will he make it or will he get caught…?

So this is a breath of fresh air into the Jack Ryan franchise. It might not have the same allure as the Bourne movies, nor the tech savvy suave as the Bond films, but the film is still able to capture you and take you on a thrill ride and of course, Jack Ryan fans and Tom Clancy fans will love this one.

With that in mind, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit gets a covert 7 out of 10

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Pain and Gain

Pain and Gain

Pain and Gain is a crime comedy film starring Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson.

Now this movie is directed by Michael Bay and he is a polarised director. Meaning that people love him or hate him. Most people love him because of his high budget films and tons of explosions. He is of course the man behind the Transformers franchise as well as the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles which will be out in August.

But that’s also why people hate him as they say he forsakes decent story telling just to pack a film with tons of action and explosions.

But then we have this film which is slightly different from Michael Bay’s usual style of filming. You can literally count the amount of explosions in this film on one hand, as there is only one explosion in the whole film.

But anyway, lets get to the film, so the movie is based on a true story about a man named Daniel Lugo who is a fitness trainer and works at a gym called the Sun Gym. He is able to recruit two more body builders and forms a gang which later becomes known as the Sun Gym Gang. Basically what happens is they become involved in kidnaping wealthy people, they extort, torture and eventually murder them all for money.

Here’s what I didn’t like about the film:

It was far too silly, some of the humour looked like it belonged on iCarly or one of those silly Disney shows, I just couldn’t take it seriously, Dwayne Johnson is a typecast actor, meaning he suits real hard core action where he is able to take on a more serious role, not in an attempted comedy role. I say attempted as Michael Bay seems to have missed his Mark on this one. He also did Bad Boys 1 and 2 which were quite successful, but for some reason it just doesn’t work in this film. I suppose it has to do with the fact that he tried taking a real life story of tragedy and violent crimes and tried to turn it into something funny, which almost seems insensitive, that and he just had the wrong choice of cast members.

What I did like about the film is even though it is flawed there are some parts in the movie where it is quite entertaining and I was able to let out a chuckle every now and then. I loved the fact that Ken Jeong makes a cameo in the film and is at least able to make his entire segment quite funny. Ken Jeong is the guy who plays Leslie Chow in the Hangover and Senor Chang in the TV show Community.

So with that in mind, Pain and Gain gets a painful 4 out of 10. 

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Last Vegas

Last Vegas

Last Vegas is a comedy starring a stellar ensemble cast of Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline. It’s also directed by Jon Turteltaub who is behind movies such as The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Cool Runnings.

So the film follows the lives of Billy, Paddy, Archie and Sam who are in their senior years and have been friends since childhood.

Now Billy is the only bachelor amongst this group of friends, but he eventually proposes to his girlfriend who is half his age, being 32 to be exact.

So in order to celebrate, Archie and Sam decide to throw a bachelor party in Las Vegas and try to relive their youth just one more night.

Now this movie does seem to have a Hangover type of feel to it if you consider the fact that this is a comedy and it does involve 4 guys going to Vegas. However, this is a more toned down film and nowhere near as vulgar. But I’ll get to that shortly.

What I didn’t like about this film:

There were only a couple of things that just didn’t seem to work. Firstly there’s the music. Now when it comes to music in a film, you technically shouldn’t hear it. The job of the composer and the director is to create a medium that plays with your emotions and really brings you into the film and music is that medium. However, I found some of the songs just a bit too distracting and then in the third half of the film a montage plays out. Best way to describe montage, think of 80s films, they show people training over a long period of time but just shows all the important stuff to speed things along. So in Last Vegas a montage is shown with them getting ready for a massive party, yet the music was just totally wrong and really did nothing for that scene other than just irritate me.

What I did like about the film:

Well, we’re dealing with a stellar cast of amazing actors, so performance wise was just brilliant. The movie is also really funny, there are a couple of slapstick moments and it does get a bit sloppy as it does become sort of a romantic comedy towards the end, but in all the movie is quite entertaining and there will be a number of laughs guaranteed. Now if you are a fan of the dance group LMFAO you’ll be pleased to know that they do make a cameo in this film and it does ensue with some awkward, embarrassing laughs.

So with that in Mind, Last Vegas gets a senior driven 7 out of 10

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