Guardians Of The Galaxy (3D / second-pass / SPOILER-FREE)
Cert: 12A / 121 mins / Dir. James Gunn
I think I'm still slightly overwhelmed by this film, so don't have too much more to add from my previous, stunned review (which is also spoiler-free, ftr). I enjoyed Guardians Of The Galaxy every bit as much as before, although some of the initial impact is lessened for obvious reasons. And seeing the film in a theatre where the volume isn't turned up to Deafen The Audience™, means that I actually caught all the plot exposition this time; it still arrives in blink-and-you'll-miss-it bursts, so a second-pass helps here.
The downside today was that there were only 30 or so people in the auditorium, and while the many jokes didn't fall flat, the empty-beats after the gags designed to be filled by laughter are underscored slightly by the lack of an audience to provide it*1. I think the film will be received more warmly by large audiences, so this is a one you may want to brave the Saturday night showings for. And in other grumblings, I still think the soundtrack element is pushed a little too hard, largely because while they're good songs, they're not all great ones.
But you know what? Guardians Of The Galaxy is still an absolutely outstanding movie. At a squeak over two hours, it's not the shortest film in the series but it's at the lower-end, and for director James Gunn to use that time not only to introduce the audience to a wealth of new characters, but more importantly to also get that audience to care about at least five of them? That's quite some achievement. There are a few notable differences from the comic-incarnations of the Guardians, but that's to be expected, and in this case applauded.
I have a little background reading to do before I see the film again, after which the next review will be full of spoilers and nit-picky questions. In the meanwhile, go and see this film.
The business-end: • What's the 3D like? Nicely immersive with no ghosting, although the film will be fine without it.
• Yes, Stan Lee's got a cameo.
• There's no mid-credits scene as such, but The Jackson 5 segment serves the same purpose.
• Yes, there's a post-credits scene, so hang around. One for the old-schoolers.
It certainly is.
I certainly did.
It certainly does.
Go to the cinema for this one.
Er, yeah. Yeah, I will.
I certainly will.
Well, even with a much more sensible volume level this time around, I didn't catch the Wilhelm. If you've heard one in here, be a love and let me know where it is, yeah?.
Without going into spoilerific details, aren't some of the songs on Peter's mix-tape a little… well, inappropriate, given the circumstances of him having it?
*1 Seriously though Cineworld; 8 showings a day? I know it's the Summer holidays, but there's no way they'll all be filled, meanwhile you're scattering your audience when you could be putting the screens to more efficient use, surely?
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Hercules (3D)
Cert: 12A / 98 mins / Dir. Brett Ratner
So as readers of the WoB Facebook Page will probably know, I wasn't expecting great things of Hercules, and dear old Brett Ratner has still managed to slightly disappoint me. Not massively; that's not his style. He just takes it to the line where you think "Oh, Brett. Was this really your vision for the project? Really, though?"
I don't have any real problem with undemanding entertainment in the cinema as long as there's a healthy dose of fun to go along with it. Sadly, the screenplay of Ratner's latest flick seems to have been written as part of a GCSE project and is a completely subtext-free zone, with characters explaining the plot at every turn; to the point where they even explain the emotions that Dwayne Johnson can't emote properly*1.
By the time you add on Herc's super-team of allies; the mystical sage one (McShane), the wisecracking mercenary one (Sewell), the troubled beserker one (Hennie), the girl one (Berdal) and the young funny upstart one (Ritchie); you've basically got a live-action 1980's Filmation cartoon (but with the notable addition of a couple of 'Bastard's and one 'Fuck-Word', to get that 'edgy' 12A certificate).
Chronicling the last of the labours of Hercules (well, so it says - Ritchie's godawful narration mentions the twelve tasks in the opening scene, then only goes on to show/describe three of them*2), the screenplay lurches between mechanical and full-on laughable. At least the cast have the decency to look and sound embarrassed with some of the lines they have to deliver (John Hurt is an exception, see below). The fact that it's "based on" a a graphic novel strengthens the poor reputation that ink-to-screen adaptations already have, and the film betrays its 300-wannabe roots with an animated credit sequence which is marginally more interesting than the film which preceded it.
By no means the most poorly received film to bear the name this year, Hercules is nonetheless an unconvincing effort, made more prominent by the scattering of renowned names in its cast list.
Although the plot-nods to Star Wars and Seven Samurai could be described at best as "borrowing", Hercules saves its most profound cinematic homage to reference The Wizard Of Oz; in that the film displays remarkable courage, but no heart and no brain.
Oh, pretty much.
I laughed more than I was supposed to; that's about it, I'm afraid.
I'd be worried if it does.
Netflix, tops.
I doubt I'd expend the effort to vehemently disagree with you, no.
Can't see that happening, but who knows?
I think I heard one buried in the final battle scene where Everything Is On Fire. Although I was hoping there was going to be one earlier when people were getting shot off horses, as that would be the purest use of the effect. Alas, not.
John. John Hurt. What were you thinking? You're cheapening your own brand with this shit, really.
The others? They're made for this b-list stuff, and I know we've all got bills to pay, but I expect more from you.
*1 I'm not trying to be unfair to Johnson, I've seen him be more than adequate on many occasions; but this really isn't the film for him, muscles or not. His character needs to portray grief and regret, neither of which are straightforward at the best of times.
*2 And how come right, how come, we see Herc fighting a massive lion with his bare hands, then later we see him wearing a sort of feline-Davy-Crockett-hat fashioned from a lion which was clearly a third of the size of the one he apparently killed? Did he kill its kittens, too?What an absolute bastard.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Let's not dick around, The Purge: Anarchy is hammily written, exploitative, straight-to-video, button-pushing, revenge pron, based around a concept which didn't quite work last time, and is no more or less convincing in the sequel. The arch sermonising of last year's introductory episode has all but disappeared, and the exploration of guilt, resentment, peer-pressure and pack-mentality has scarpered along with it. All that's left behind are the victims of violence, its perpetrators, and a group of radicals who are going to beat the system by joining in (no, seriously). Director James DeMonaco also hopes you've seen the first Purge film, because he doesn't waste a lot of time in here with the whys, hows and wherefores; he kind of assumes you're here for the murders.
Scattered over the top of this 100-minute melee is some good old-fashioned Capitalism-Fuelled Paranoia™, the likes of which I haven't seen since Society or They Live. Ironically it's not out of place, since there was a feeling throughout the movie that someone behind the scenes was enjoying this far more than me. Do you remember how it felt when you watched Saw II, and noticed that the writing had taken a back-seat while the set-pieces and loud bangs were doing the driving? That. The fact that this un-numbered sequel has landed 12 months after the first one also hasn't escaped my attention, and doesn't bode well for the future.
The only saving graces of The Purge: Anarchy (and even these are debatable) are that 1) whereas the first act suggests that James DeMonaco has some serious issues with both women and ethnic minorities, this is later expanded to him apparently hating all of humanity; no-one, irrespective of race, creed or class, escapes this debacle unscathed, and 2) the screenplay's dearth of ambition creates a morality-free enclosure which it's quite happy to sit contently within; because if you're not trying to make a good movie, you can't really fail, right?
Leaving aside the mechanics of the purge itself, this could be any low-budget, machine-gun-toting actioner with cardboard characters it can't quite bring itself to care about (so why should the audience?). Even with the people and situations we're presented with, there was a better film to be made here, although I'm sure that DeMonaco will keep flogging this particular horse for its sins.
If I seem like I'm being unduly harsh, it's because I'm genuinely quite disappointed. The Purge wasn't a perfect film, but had some interesting ideas and at least asked some pertinent questions about the world we live in. The only question 'Anarchy' asks is 'how much longer can this go on for?'
That's about the size of it.
I jumped when there was a protracted silence followed by a telegraphed deafening noise; does that count?
If it does then it's a worse film for it.
This will be in the £3 basket in Asda in less than a year. You can wait until then.
Strangely, I probably won't. And I have no idea why.
Doubtful.
I didn't hear one, which makes no sense as it's one more scream (and there are a LOT) that the film-makers would have had to source from elsewhere.
Does the Purge take the USA's time-zones into account? I don't think I've seen this addressed in either film. Because couldn't you like, hop over the border for an extra hour's killing come 7am? What happens if you're on the side of the border where it's 6:15am, but you shoot someone on the 7:15am side? What about the US embassies in other countries? They're classed as American soil, right?
No wait, James, answer my questions!
ANSWER ME.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Eddie Martin's intimate documentary about the rise and fall of the world-champion skateboarders, Ben and Tas Pappas, does little to brighten the day of the audience, but my word it engages them. Featuring the talking-heads of Tas and close friends and colleagues from throughout the brothers' careers, the bulk of the film is constructed from archive footage (something which, in skate culture, there is an abundance of) both on and off the ramps.
The first half of the film concentrates on the boys' skating, depicting it as more of a need than a passion, laying the groundwork for their seemingly inexorable fall (which is glimpsed in the trailer, but that's by no means the worst of it). And just as gravity pulls a skater back onto the ramp, when they fall, they fall hard. What shocked me most was that I was previously unaware of these (relatively recent) events. This can be partially explained by me not being part of the skating scene in any way, but even then I'd imagine that if an athlete in any other globally popular and televised sport had gone through the story we see unfolding here, it'd be mainstream-news-worthy.
The most interesting aspect (for me) is that while many of the commentators have been filmed speaking 'in one session', Tas has been recorded on three separate occasions (and judging by his hair in each, with some considerable gap between). What this means is that the crew filming Tas at the start (and indeed Tas himself), wouldn't have known how things would turn out by the final frames. It gives the film a very organic feel; documentary in its truest sense.
There aren't many chuckles in the tale of two lost souls who happen to be the best at what they do, but watching Tony Hawk get his arse handed to him by a guy who's broken one of his ribs but carried on regardless is both inspiring and grin-inducing.
It's rare that a title perfectly encapsulates its film, but All This Mayhem comes as close as dammit.
Fairly.
I did.
Almost certainly.
Probably best to watch at home with the amount of camcordered archive footage they've got going on.
Nope.
I won't avoid it, but probably won't seek it out.
There isn't.
Seriously though, was this all reported on the mainstream news outside of Australia, and I just missed it?
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Dave Green's family Summer movie is being lauded (by the proprietor's of my local, at least) as "ET meets The Goonies". Much like the film itself, this enticement has its heart in the right place, but it's a safer bet to say that Earth To Echo plays out more like a family-friendly version of Super 8 vs Chronicle*1. The in-movie device of the protagonists filming every move they make with an array of cameras is set up early in the proceedings, and if you don't look too closely works very well*2 (even if the use of YouTube-eque captions and progress-bars is horribly jarring to the middle-aged audience in the first act, before thankfully being dialled back as the film progresses).
So, the film follows the three young best friends Tuck, Alex and Munch who decide to document their final night in the neighbourhood as their Nevada housing estate is due to be bulldozed for the construction of a freeway (think Desperate Housewives meets Hitchhikers Guide…), overseen by a construction company who are taking an inordinate interest in the personal telecoms devices of the residents. The strange behaviour of the gang's mobile phones leads them on a 20-mile cycle trek into the desert where they discover a visitor who desperately needs their friendship and help, and in the group's bid to assist their smallest companion they join forces with the feisty yet warm-heartedEmma, upon whom they each have a crush to some degree.
And if it all sounds a bit Spielbergian so far, that's because it pretty much is. The story is told with a lot of compassion, but is ultimately more about the group's friendship with each other than with the extraterrestrial being they help (although the scenes between the young actors and the CGI-space-owl are absolutely amazing - full credit to Bradley, Halm and Hartwig, there). The pacing's a little uneven in the middle of the film, and there's also the feeling that Ella Wahlestedt's Emma is more than a tad underwritten, not arriving until the second act and having almost no backstory, comparatively speaking. The film is told strictly from the kids' point of view, which is immersive when it's just the gang poking about deserted barns and amusement arcades, but this also results in any characters older than they are being drawn sketchily, at best. Anyone who is 'an adult' either doesn't understand or is a larger part of the problem itself. The end result feels more like an earnest movie made by a kid, rather than an adult who remembers what it feels like to be one. And the knock-on effect of that is that the younger audience members will get way more from this than their older counterparts, I think. Not necessarily a bad thing, but worth bearing in mind all the same.
But despite my grumbling, Earth To Echo is still an outstanding achievement. The visual effects are absolutely flawless (and helped enormously by the 'handheld footage' technique whereby you don't have to go for lingering shots for people to over-analyse), and the acting of everyone who's younger than 20 is amazing given that many of their older contemporaries can't seem pull it off that convincingly. The screenplay runs perilously close to using its 'visitor' as a mcguffin, metaphor and general prop rather than a character, but the scenes featuring Echo interacting with the young cast are the film's best, almost as if JJ Abrams had rebooted the Children's Film Foundation.
If your padawans are a little young for Guardians of the Galaxy, this will make a great Summer stand-in…
It's not an inaccurate teaser, no.
For the most part, yes.
For me, not quite; for your younglings, most likely.
The effects look great on a big screen, but the 'assembled footage' format lends itself more to home-viewing.
Nah.
I don't imagine I'll seek it out, but I'll probably leave it on if I stumble across it.
Not that I heard, no.
If Echo can understand human speech and project maps into their mobile phones, why doesn't he just text them his messages instead of letting them arse around with '20 questions' for two hours?
Hmm?
Because it's an adventure movie for the younger audience?
Oh. Okay, then.
*1 By which I mean that no-one gets killed out of sheer spite and/or indifference in this movie.
*2 By which I mean that I only counted two occasions where I was watching the film play out and thinking 'well which one of them's filming that bit, then?'. I shouldn't even mention it but I'm an absolute pedant, so I have. Me mordere.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
