Now You See Me Trailer

A trailer for Now You See Me with Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco and Isla Fisher. Out May 31st.

Iron Man 3 Review

Iron Man 3
Release: Out Now
Director: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downy Jr, Gwenyth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce, Jon Favreau.
Genre: Superhero

The long awaited third installment of the hugely successful Iron Man series has finally turned on its thrusters and landed safely in the movie theatres. The movie follows Tony Stark after the events of the battle of New York in "The Avengers"; he is trying to cope with the anxiety that being launched into space and fighting aliens has understandably caused.

This movie, unlike the other two, is more about the man than the machine; throughout the film Stark is continually finding himself without his famous suits and must rely on his intelligence and ingenuity to survive and locate the mysterious terrorist, The Mandarin. Pepper Pott's role is also significantly increased from that of the other films; she is now almost the protector of the vulnerable Stark.

The action and comedy are paced nicely for the most part, although at times it can be jarring and can halt the flow of the movie; yet these moments are rare. The action is excellent, which has not always been the case with Iron Man movies; however, this one doesn't pull any punches. It is also nice to see an increase in the quality of the action. This is good as the film spends more time on the ordeals of Stark than in the other movies. The film manages to be both humorous and emotionally engaging which, for superhero movies, is rare. My major complaint is that the movie takes a while to get moving but when it does, it punches through to the end like a blast from Iron Man's Arc Reactor. While not a major problem with the movie, the changing of the character, War Machine, into a Captain-America-look-alike, was unnecessary and ugly.

An excellent addition to the series with only a couple of flaws, Iron Man fans will not be disappointed...well, maybe with War Machine. Score: 4.2/5

Catching Fire Trailer

The Catching Fire trailer is out, it looks pretty awesome.

The Bucket List Review

Review No. 4


The Bucket List
Director: Rob Reiner
Release: 2007
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Sean Hayes
Genre: Comedy/ Drama

The Bucket List is a heartwarming but seemingly unrealistic movie about two cancer patients who are only given a year at the most to live. They decide to go on a trip to experience the things they have wanted to do before they "kick the bucket".

Nicholson and Freeman are both excellent as the ageing cancer patients; it is only the writing of the characters that let them down. The writing has also been critiqued by famous film reviewer Roger Ebert who was not in favour of the writing of the characterisation of people suffering from cancer. In my opinion this is not to say that the script is not good because it is engaging and ironically life affirming. It teaches us to not be so hesitant to do what we feel we should do.

However, the movie does fall into the trap of a very common storyline; with the inevitable fall out and reconciliation, the attempted twist ending and the two heroes learning a lesson from each other. The pace of the story also slows significantly at points; however, this is okay as we see more of Nicholson and Freeman's superb acting talent.

3.5/5 This is an enjoyable movie that is worth watching; however, at points it does stumble and lull.

Upcoming Movies

Iron Man 3

Release: April 26th
Director: Shane Black
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr, Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Sir Ben Kingsley, Guy Pearce.
Genre: Adventure
Trailer:

The long awaited third movie following summer hit The Avengers Assemble, We return to Marvel's Playboy superhero as he deals with life after the alien invasion of New York and a new terrorist threat, in the form of Mandarin.

Star Trek: Into Darkness
Release: May 17th
Director: J.J. Abrams
Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Cho, Zoe Saldana.
Genre: Si-Fi

J.J. Abrams is taking on the si-fi world at large with the sequal to his hugely successful reboot of Star Trek at the same time as taking on the task of directing the seventh Star Wars film now that Disney has bought the franchise. The film looks to be slightly darker in tone than the last with the inclusion of rogue agent John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch).

Monsters University
Release: June 21st
Director: Dan Scanlon
Starring: Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi.
Genre: Comedy

A prequel to the successful 2001 Pixar movie, Monsters Inc, a film about the buisness of the monsters in your cupboard and under your bed. This time the monstrous duo of one-eyed Mike (Billy Crystal) and the gentle giant Sully (John Goodman) are at university and it turns out their friendship wasn't always steady.

Oz the Great and Powerful
Release: Out Now
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zack Braff.
Genre: Adventure

A prequel to The Wizard of Oz, this time instead of following the adventures of Dorothy, we look into the life of Oscar Digg, a magician who is taken to the land of Oz to find his destiny. Along the way he will meet the witches and cause all their lives to change.

After Earth
Release: June 7th
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Isabelle Fuhrman.
Genre: Si-Fi

Starring the father-son duo of Will and Jaden Smith, this summer Si-Fi sees the two crash landing on earth a 1000 years after ti was evacuated. The dysfunctional pair must learn to work together in order to survive the harsh primal fears of the evolved earth. While I'm not normally a fan of M. Night Shyamalan's work, this movie looks interesting, as with many of the directors movies the audience should expect a twist.

Leon Review

Review no. 3


Leon
Director: Luc Besson
Release: 1994
Starring: Jean Reno, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman.
Genre: Thriller

This film is an excellent example of Luc Besson's signature style. It shows his mastery of seamlessly blending humor with action and tying in emotion.
The plot of the film follows Mathilda (Natalie Portman), an abused New York child, and Leon (Jean Reno), a peculiar Italian "cleaner" or hitman. Taking in Mathilda after a tragedy in her family, he begins to teach her the rules and art of professional killing.

Portman steps up to the role of the damaged child on a path of revenge. She shows convincing emotion and has a charm that makes the audience care for the fate of this girl. Reno is equally likable with his polite manner and awkward walk which is in complete contrast with his profession. This is just one of the instances of subversion of the norm in this movie. Luc Besson is always switching things on the audience very subtly.  One example of this is the fact that the hero is an assassin and the villain is a federal agent. This keeps the audience hooked; always keeping their attention and making sure the pace never drops. This film is an exciting and emotional tale from start to finish.

Norman Stansfield (Gary Oldman) deserves special mention as the chilling villian of the movie. He is always polite and calm however he always gives the sense of a pot about to boil over which makes the instances when he is angered very tense. This politeness that he exudes is similar to the character of Hanz Lander in Tarantino's acclaimed movie "Inglorious Basterds".

5/5 This is a spectacular movie that will keep you glued to the screen. It is certainly one of Besson's best movies.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Review

Review No.2


CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
Release: 2000
Director: Ang Lee
Starring: Chow Yun Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, Chang Chen.
Genre: Action Adventure

This famous wuxia adventure takes the audience on a journey of Chinese myth and culture. The movie is a brilliant show of Chinese cinema; with its beautiful scenery and exciting action, it is a treat to the eyes. Chow Yun Fat is brilliant as the serious and weary master of Wudang swordsmanship, Li Mu Bai. 

This film is less of a Kung-Fu movie and more of an epic story, with martial arts involved. The fight scenes are beautiful and give a real sense of power to the characters. The plot of the movie revolves around three characters as they try and find out who they are. When Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) gives up his sword, Green Destiny; his friend and long time holder of his affection, Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) must take it to Beijing. However, when the sword goes missing, a series of events unfold which will hold knowledge and tragedy for all involved.

The story is engaging, interesting, and the audience feels for the characters. The serious tone of the film is occasionally splashed with funny, subtle remarks and visual humour. If the story has any flaws it is that at one point one of the love stories drags on a little too much; but this flaw is small in comparison to the excitement that will be induced by the rest of the film. It also gives the audience a window into Chinese culture and is great for anybody with an interest in China. The film has many themes running throughout such as, betrayal, love, destiny, responsibly and the innate ability of man (or the Crouching Tiger and the Hidden Dragon).

5/5 A truly brilliant example of Asian cinema; a gripping tale of swords, love and bad haircuts.