Captain America (2011)

Director: Joe Johnston

Cast: Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Hayley Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, Sebastian Stan, Stanley Tucci

Date: July 2011

Plot: Small, skinny but very eager Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a WWII U.S. Army soldier who volunteers to be a part of an experimental military program that infuses him with super-human powers turning him into Captain America. It is up to the First Avenger to use his new found strength to battle the villainous leader of Hydra, The Red Skull (Hugo Weaving).

Trailer - Captain America: The First Avenger

Review: I must confess, when I saw the first teaser for this installment of Marvels pre-Avengers origin story I was very excited despite not reading any of the comics, old or new.

As I took my seat in the cinema, my anticipation and set to the max, hairs on the back of my neck standing upright I was ready to entertained and I was! From start to finish I don't think I looked away from the big screen, definitely at no time did I look at my watch and to see how long was left or how much more I had to sit through.

Personally I really enjoyed the movie for what it was, a blended War/Superhero/Sci-Fi/Comic Book movie. Did it have its negatives, sure, but nothing to stop me from going to see it again if I wanted. There is alot of talk about the film being a US Army recruitment campaign in disguise as an action movie and that it is very emm... America, Fuck Yeah!!!-ish. Honestly though, what do you expect, Captain America was always that type of hero and it is a rare War movie that doesn't show its own country in a good "recruitment" light, so please stop the trivial arguing and enjoy it because that is what I did!

First thing to note is the special FX for pre-Captain America Steve Rogers and the Red Skull... awesome, seamless, pixel perfect and did I say Awesome! I thought Chris Evan was a great choice for the all American American, he plays the part very well. He can play the action hero, has the comic timing to be funny and the charisma to hold an audiences attention for 2 hours. It will be very interesting to see if he can make his character stand out in The Avengers with Robert Downey Jr, Samual L Jackson, Jeremey Renner and Chris Hemsworth.

No surprises from the supporting cast either with Tommy Lee Jones and Hugo Weaving, both great actors who have a terrible habit of stealing every scene they're in, no matter who else is there! Hugo Weaving especially is fantastic as the villain in this story. Even though he has his head in full "Red Skull" make-up for about 60% of the movie you can still feel the characters hate, anger and evilness, which to me is the sign of a very good actor!

To finish, yes, I would recommend this to comic fanboys and casual movie goers alike if not for an entertaining evening at the cinema then to at least start the excitement for the upcoming Avengers movie next year!

Avengers Assemble!!!

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Guess Who's Back!!!!

That's right Ladies and Gentlemen, after a long (very long) leave of absence we are finally making our way back to you, with the intent of bringing you a lot more News, Reviews and Tweets and Views! Please excuse the rhyme!

We have updated the look of the Blog, as you can hopefully tell, and added a few new bits 'n bobs to spruce up the place and make it a lot easier to access and navigate around. let me know in the comments below what you think!

With a healthy, fresh new outlook on film and a backlog of watched/soon to be reviewed movies ready to go, we are hoping to put out more regular content to give you a heads up on what's in-store for you the next time you go to the Cinema or to your local Rental Store.

Along with these and another few changes we are going to make this Blog be all that it can be!

Thanks

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We're Coming Back Soon!!!

Good News... We're on our way back!!!

After weeks of downtime we are finally making our long awaited return.
Estimated back online July 1st 2011...... Watch this space for updates :)

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83rd Annual Academy Awards Winners

Another year and another Oscar ceremony, as usual every looked stunning, except for the odd beard being worn by Christian Bale but there is always one at every ceremony!

This year there were very few surprises with the favourite in each catagory picking up their respective award, with both The Kings Speech and Inception picking up 4 awards each. For me the only exception was the Adapted Screenplay award which I believe should have gone to True Grit and not to The Social Network.

In case you didn't get to see the awards, here is the winners list from last night.

• Best Picture: The Kings Speech
• Best Actor: Colin Firth (The Kings Speech)
  
• Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
  
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
  
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
  
• Best Director: Tom Hooper (The Kings Speech)
  
• Best Visual Effects: Inception
• Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
  
• Best Original Screenplay: The Kings Speech
  
• Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
• Best Cinematogrophy: Inception
  
• Best Art Direction: Alice in Wonderland
  
• Best Film Editing: The Social Network
  
• Best Costume Design: Alice in Wonderland
  
• Best Makeup: The Wolfman
  
• Best Original Score: The Social Network
  
• Best Original Song: We Belong Together (Toy Story 3)
  
• Best Sound Mixing: Inception
  
• Best Sound Editing: Inception
• Best Documentary: Inside Job

So, what do YOU think of the results? Post a comment below and let me know.

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True Grit (2011)

Director: Joel & Ethan Coen

Cast: Hailee Steinfeld, Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Dakin Matthews

Date: February 2011

Plot: Following the murder of her father by hired hand Tom Chaney, 14-year-old farm girl Mattie Ross sets out to capture the killer. To aid her, she hires the toughest U.S. marshal she can find, a man with "true grit," Reuben J. "Rooster" Cogburn. Mattie insists on accompanying Cogburn, whose drinking, sloth, and generally reprobate character do not augment her faith in him. by Jim Beaver

Trailer - True Grit

Review: I had high expectations going into this film as the first movie based on this book (True Grit, 1969 starring John Wayne) was very very good. Thankfully the Coen brothers were able to produce a good film that can stand apart from the original as its own. Since this is not a direct remake it is unfair to compare it like one, both films are adaptations from the same book but both are quite different.

With most of the Best Picture Nominees in the Oscars this year, there is a lot of hype behind the movie and this is no different. Yes True Grit is a good film, I am not a big western fan but I did enjoy the film but reading some reviews I am led to believe that this is supposed to be the best film of the past decade, which its not.

Hailee Steinfeld is very good, she puts on a very believable performance as the no-nonsense, hard talking 14 year old Mattie Ross, at times you are rooting for her and others you want to slap her, but that's the character and it is portrayed well. Hailee is definitely one to look out for in the future, fingers crossed she doesn't go down the Rom-Com road!

Jeff Bridges is fantastic, there is no other word for it! Stellar performance in a role that almost seems like it was written for him. He is gruff, likable and a kind of anti-hero that we all love. It really is a huge toss up between him and Colin Firth for Best Actor at this years Oscars!

Matt Damon is a bit of a let down for me, and it is through no fault of his own. I think it was just bad casting! He is not weathered/aged enough to be in a western. As a comparison, Daniel Craig is only 2 years older but looks like he fits in the western environment in the upcoming Cowboys and Aliens. Also, that moustache is just comical! Performance wise, Damon does his best and holds his own in scenes with Bridges and Brolin but I think he should stick to the more clean-cut action movies.

Overall the film was a good watch and is definitely one you should see in the cinema because I feel it will be a long time before you see another good out and out western on the big screen!
A deserving 8 out 10 from me.

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Toy Story 3 (2010)

Director: Lee Unkrich

Cast: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Ned Beatty, John Ratzenberger, Michael Keaton, Don Rickles, John Morris

Date: July 2010

Plot: Andy is finally going to college and decides to put Woody and the gang into storage in the Attic but they are mistakenly sent to a Day-Care Center. Now it is up to Woody and Buzz to bring the toys back home.

Trailer - Toy Story 3


Review: It has taken 15 years for the Toy Story story to come full circle and it has been a great ride! We were first introduced to Woody and Buzz back in 1995 and now they are back in their final adventure. In Toy Story 3 we find Andy all grown up and ready to go to college, having packed away all his old toys he can't bring himself to throwing away his childhood friends and decides to put the gang in a box in the attic for storage but a mix up in boxes and bags means that Woody and the gang are donated to a Day-care center.
The Day-care toys are led by Lotso, a pink, fluffy, huggable bear who has a hidden sinister side that we find out about when Woody says they need to leave and go back home.

This movie was one of my favourites from last year, the story seems to have had everything, there was adventure, comedy, romance and genuine connection with the characters. Even though it is an animation movie, it pushes the boundaries of a 'kids' movie to a movie that can be enjoyed and beloved by everyone.

There is the same fun and adventure in this film as there was in the first two Toy Story films but this one does have the feel throughout that it is the ending of the story, this is backed up by the fantastic and emotional scene at the end between Andy and Bonnie in the garden. Still almost brings a tear to my eye!

I don't want to say too much about this because I don't want to spoil it for you, but at this stage if you have not seen this film there is something wrong with you!

It is great, and frankly about time, to finally see an animated film be nominated and considered for an Oscar. I doubt it will win but it has set the bar pretty high for animation films to come.

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The Social Network (2010)

Director: David Fincher

Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Bryan Barter, Rooney Mara, Armie Hammer, Joseph Mazzello, Justin Timberlake,

Date: October 2010

Plot: The indepth look at the founding of the social networking site Facebook and how it led to one of the most publicized lawsuits in recent history.



Trailer - The Social Network

Review: It was only a matter of time before someone decided it would be a good idea/ran out of real ideas and make a film out of an over popular website! Granted, Facebook had a slightly more interesting birth than most websites and it almost definitely has more members but is that a real reason to actually make a movie?

Yes, I am slightly biased because, well, I don't like facebook and am not on it. It is my own preference, facebook did nothing to me! And it is not like I'm anti social-networking... ehhh this is a Blog (And don't forget to follow the twitter)!

My problem is that I thought there were more/better ideas out there for a movie! I like going to watch a movie to laugh, to be scared and entertained all in the comfort of a large box of popcorn, this though, for me was none of those things.

I have spoken to many people who did enjoy this film, but they can never tell me why! Was it Jesse's portrayal of the socially inept, genius Mark Zuckerberg or was it the tale of a college student who managed to create a social networking site from his dorm room? or was it simply because Justin Timberlake is in it!

The Facebook story is worthy of a lenghty magazine spread or even as Zuckerbergs Biography but as a movie, and especially one that is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars...

Yes there were a few entertaining moments and Jessie Eisenbergs performance was good but I don't understand the hype! If you look at the box office figures for 2010, The Social Network doesn't even break the top 30! Reference.

Anyway, I apologize that this review is more of a rant but I had to get that out!!

Personally I didn't really enjoy the film, I felt it dragged a bit from time to time, the characters were hard to relate to and the ending was very anti-climatic.

If you are cool and follow trends you will probably have seen this movie because someone on Facebook told you too and you may even have enjoyed it. But can you you tell me why you enjoyed it?

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