Review: Iron Man 3

Robert Downey Jnr. is back as the iconic Tony Stark and with more gadgets for you to enjoy. 

Firstly, this is definitely one of the better '3' films in any modern franchise. It picks up straight from the Avengers and goes up another gear from Iron Man 2. The intro to the film made me smile a lot as it brought back a hit song from the 90's, and I reckon it will be back in the charts in the next few weeks. 

The opening few scenes gave you a great reminder of how great the first Iron Man was and showed a lot more on Stark's recent past before Iron Man. It gives us a good enough intro to the villains involved and sets you up nicely for the events that are yet to come.

The flow of the movie is solid and the build up slowly cranks up. There is an odd twist that does end up with amusing results about two-thirds of the way through, but it was not what I was expecting. In the end it did make sense, but that part felt a bit silly in my opinion. But that's you would expect from a superhero movie.
A lot of the best scenes are packed with CGI as usual, but they are impressive to say the least. The climatic scene was a typical over-the-top finish that will please many audiences and it pleased me in a lot of the scenes. The setting of the climax confused me as I felt it had nothing much to do about the intentions of the villain. But like most 'in your face' action movies, you just have to go with it.  One bit that I thought was completely pointless, was setting it during Christmas. Thankfully, I found out afterwards that director Shane Black usually sets his films during that particular holiday.

The performances were as you would expect from the previous two. Downey Jnr. shows us the great mix of Stark's funny side and his passionate side. Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts and definitely more bad-ass than ever in this one. It was nice to see Favereu back and of course Don Cheadle as War Machine or 'Iron Patriot' as he is known in this one. Guy Pearce pulls off a solid villain as does Ben Kingsley who continues to never ever top his epic performance as Gandhi. 

Overall, I did enjoy a lot of it and thought it was better then I was expecting in many parts. There is a top amount of action, a lot of funny moments that will get big laughs. There were just some silly bits that I reckon could have been improved, but it did not dampen my spirits when it came to the credits. This will get a lot of box-office numbers and could be the first 2013 film to surpass the one billion dollars mark. It is better than 2, and almost as good as 1. It is worth watching, especially on the big screen. I did not see it in 3D, but a lot of scenes I could tell would use 3D to its best effect.

As usual, with it being a Marvel film, there was the post-credits scene. It was not an important one to do with a Avengers, but it was an enjoyable few seconds that does actually feature a fellow Avenger.

Rating: 7/10

My Top 10: Musical Films

When done right, a Musical Film can be your biggest guilty pleasure that you could easily watch every day. The best Musical Films usually contain memorable song and dance numbers that will stick in your head for a long time and occasionally actors and actresses surprising the world that they can sing.

I do love a good Musical, like I said when it is done right, it is just pure brilliance right in front of your very eyes. Musical Films these days are more appealing to teens and usually feature kids their age, and in my opinion they are not great. The classics in the 50's and 60's is where the Musical genre was at its best, when actors were also well known dancers and singers.

A couple of films that I sadly had to not put in my top 10 is the brilliant West Side Story and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
I've only recently seen West Side Story and I can see why this won Best Picture in 1962 at the Oscars. It is an American icon and has been watched my billions. Once you've watched this, you'll see how post-modernism changed the world. It may be a musical, but there are some dark and serious messages being told in this epic. The score is obviously jaw-droppingly good, the set designs are spot on and it could well have the best end credits effects of all-time. I tired so hard to convince myself that as good as this is, there are sadly 10 other musical films I felt were better.

As for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, it sees Dick Van Dyke stars as hapless inventor Caractacus Potts who manages to find success in a flying car. Watch out for leading actress Sally Ann Howes performance. Such a brilliant voice and I'm amazed that I have not seen her in anything else.

Thankfully, there are a few terrific films with a musical theme that were made in the last few years that do feature in my top 10. Here it is:

10) White Christmas - Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye star in this wonderful musical romance about two successful singers and dancers that team-up to organise the must-see event in order to a failing company.

It has everything you want in a Christmas film, great fun, amazing songs and dances, lots of comedy and embeds the true Christmas spirit.

9) Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street - Tim Burton's amazing vision of Benjamin Barker a.k.a Sweeney Todd.

As usual, a Burton film featuring Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, but they still manage to put on a show that wows audiences.

Even with the terrible singing of Alan Rickman, it does not give enough of a dent to stop the success of this modern Musical.

8) On The Town - Another one of Gene Kelly's classics, this time with Frank Sinatra at his side.

A classic tale of a few sailors on shore leave just finding a few ladies to have a good time in New York City.

It is everything you expect from Gene Kelly, top songs, perfect choreography and such a happy tone.

7) My Fair Lady - Been wanting to watch this for years and finally got round to it.

An absolute epic from the same year as Mary Poppins, where a common Londoner becomes a Lady under the tutorial of a professor of language played by Rex Harrison who steals the show, while Audrey Hepburn is the face of this tremendous Oscar winning picture.

6) Funny Girl - Only recently seen this Oscar winner from 1968. This was the famous breakthrough performance by Barbra Streisand who plays singer-comedienne Fanny Brice. Along with Omar Sharif, this is a terrific story that is well told, has a lot of charm and has unforgettable songs.

5) Les Miserables - The latest film to rock the Musical genre. Been on the stage for years and several versions have been released on the big screen, but none have quite made the same impact as this beauty.

Directed by Tom Hooper, he has definitely touched a new audience including myself. Even with the songs, there is a terrific story within. Prepare yourself for the biggest revolution you will ever see.

4) The Sound Of Music - Another Julie Andrews blockbuster, this time set in the mountains of Austria.

This cult classic is a big favorite, especially with the ladies became so huge, I remember them re-releasing a sing-a-long version of it, and seeing hundreds of people in nun's outfits just brought it all back.

Memorable songs as always and Andrews is a joy to watch. Not even the Nazi's could stop her in this one.

3) Mary Poppins - Disney's challenge to rock the Musical world that is not animated, and they succeeded. This iconic film saw the birth of the glorious Julie Andrews and her performance managed to land her with an Oscar for best Actress. Accompanied by Dick Van Dyke, such songs as "Step In Time", "A Spoonful Of Sugar" and the memorable "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" will have you dancing around your house for weeks.

2) Singin' In The Rain - Gene Kelly's masterpiece that features one of the most memorable scenes in film history.

All the big names at the time are involved and the scale of this picture was just unreal, especially in one of their songs "Broadway Melody". Kelly may be the master, but the real star for me was his side-kick Donald O'Connor with this song "Make Em' Laugh". Also watch out for "Moses Supposes".

1) The Wizard Of Oz - Not just a great Musical, but one of the best films ever made. Way ahead of its time, and just oozing with quality.

Lots of memorable songs and everything you could ever want from a family film.

It still amazes me that this was released in 1939 and it is still great over 70 years later.

My Top 100: Superhero Films

For just over 20 years or so, the superhero genre has become second nature when it comes to peoples most anticipated films of each year. A lot of them have just been a decent watch that just brings in the box office, but every so often there are some absolute gems that go into my top films of all-time.

Films based on graphics novels from Marvel or DC are the most common we see at the moment. There are a few that get released outside of these giant brands that can easily compete with them.

The superhero genre has become so vast, my initial post of a top 10, moved to a top 50 and now a top 100. I will rank my top 100-11 and then give a short review of each of my top 10:

100) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)

99) Kick-Ass 2

98) Jumper

97) RoboCop (2014)

96) Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

95) Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania

94) Shazam! Fury Of The Gods

93) The Marvels

92) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

91) Blue Beetle

90) Aquaman

89) Darkman

88) Hancock

87) The Rocketeer

86) Power Rangers

85) Blade II

84) The Punisher

83) Black Widow

82) Black Adam

81) Blade

80) Iron Man 2

79) The League Of Extraordinary Gentleman

78) Hulk

77) Ant-Man

76) Thor: The Dark World

75) Superman III

74) Captain Marvel

73) Super Pets

72) Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

71) Thor: Love And Thunder

70) The Mask

69) Wonder Woman 1984

68) Iron Man 3

67) The Amazing Spider-Man

66) Thor

65) X-Men Origins: Wolverine

64) The Incredible Hulk

63) X-Men: Apocalypse

62) Avengers: Age Of Ultron

61) Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2

60) Chronicle

59) The Suicide Squad

58) Eternals

57) Spider-Man: Far From Home
56) Deadpool 2

55) The Flash
54) Superman Returns

53) Doctor Strange

52) Man of Steel

51) Spider-Man
50) X-Men

49) Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

48) Unbreakable

47) RoboCop (1987)

46) Teen Titans Go! To The Movies
45) Ant-Man And The Wasp

44) Constantine
43) Black Panther
42) Wonder Woman
41) Megamind
40) Hellboy
39) Thor: Ragnorok
38) Spider-Man: Homecoming
37) X-Men: Days Of Future Past
36) Captain America: The First Avenger

35) Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness
34) Batman

33) Spider-Man: No Way Home

32) Spider-Man 2
31) Kick-Ass
30) Hellboy II: The Golden Army

29) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

28) Incredibles 2

27) Logan
26) Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

25) Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse
24) Captain America: Civil War
23) Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
22) Iron Man
21) X-Men 2
20) Big Hero 6
19) Glass
18) Zack Snyder's Justice League

17) Shazam!
16) The Lego Batman Movie
15) Deadpool
14) Batman Returns

13) The Batman
12) Guardians Of The Galaxy

11) Avengers Assemble

10) X-Men: First Class - The best of the Marvel films in my opinion, and one of the most surprising films I have ever seen. It was the best reboot possible. It overflows with top performances from a huge batch of actors playing our favorite mutants. Michael Fassbender was the highlight for me as Magneto, but there is more than enough other performances to make you give this film multiple viewings.

9) Superman - To some people, this is the film that laid the foundations to today's superhero franchises.

Christopher Reeve is the perfect portrayal of both the son of Jor-El and Clark Kent.

Also the casting of Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor was a stroke of genius and the two actors just produced a rivalry that people still love today.

8) Avengers: Endgame - The culmination of 12 years of work came to the most epic climax within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

After the events of Infinity War, it is up to the remaining Avengers to exact revenge on Thanos and correct the mistakes they made.

For many people, this is the blockbuster of a generation.

7) Avengers: Infinity War - Mine and many others favourite installment within the MCU.

It sees the Avengers back with many more allies trying to stop the villianous Thanos from killing half the universe.

The execution of the action, comedy and shock factor was nothing short of phenomenal. It's a tough order with so many characters involved. But the Russo brothers did a fantastic job.

6) Superman II - Terrific for its time and still enjoyable now.

It may seem just a classic good vs evil flick, but the content that is produced is constantly flowing at a pace that just amazes you.

Some terrific performances, especially by Terrence Stamp as the evil General Zod coming to get Superman, with a few friends at his side.



5) Batman Begins - The first of Nolan's trilogy blew people away with this reboot of the Gotham City vigilante.

It was a new experience for fans of superheroes and it was for the best as this was the birth of one of the best trilogies in movie-history.

4) The Dark Knight Rises - The third and final installment of Nolan's trilogy and ended with a bang.

New villains, new gadgets and yet still the same terrific movie-making.

It will take a brave director to reboot the Batman franchise, because I cannot see this current one being beaten.

3) The Dark Knight - After the success of Batman Begins, Christopher Nolan's vision continues to ground-break this genre.

Featuring my favourite supporting actor performance by the late Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight brought a whole new audience to this highly successful trilogy.

2) Watchmen - A totally different approach to the superhero genre.
Director Zack Snyder kept very close to the award winning graphic novel and actually made an ending that was better than the comic I felt. This also contains what I think is the best opening credits of all-time.

1) The Incredibles - We may have Marvel and DC, but Pixar reigns supreme with this incredible family animated adventure.

Despite no comic book history, this 2004 blockbuster became one of the most popular films of the decade.
It's wonderful story-telling, interesting characters and highly enjoyable tone, this is certainly one of Pixar's many classics that will stand the test of time.

Review: Oz The Great And Powerful

First of all, I am big fan of the 1930's classic 'The Wizard Of Oz' and the 80's loose sequel of 'Return To Oz'. Sadly with this one I did not have big expectations as the trailer looked like it would just be another solid family film with nothing special.
It is hard to create a film that can still give charm and happiness to billions of people for almost 80 years, so it definitely had a lot to live up to. 

In a nutshell, I felt this should have been great and powerful, instead it was o.k. The plot and ideas where there to be used to its greatest effect, and as much as I like director Sam Raimi's style, for me he did not make the most of what was given to him.
It felt as if, they were only interested in the box-office numbers, rather than keeping the legacy alive and well.

As for the performances, I think James Franco was the wrong choice in the lead way as The Wizard.  I have always felt that his performance shows a great actor trying to come out, but most of his performances are just nothing special and even disappointing at times. For the three witches, I thought Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis were solid and I reckon if they had better directing they would have re-created two iconic characters. Michelle Williams showed bits of the old Glinda, but also on the odd occasion showed a bit too much cheesiness for my liking. As for The Wizard's CGI companions. I enjoyed China Girl, her introduction was quite sweet and her whole attitude during the movie was pretty cool. As for Finley the movie, there was an essence of Jar Jar Binks about him.

The visual effects were obviously a big part of this film and style of it reminded me of 'The Imaginirium Of Doctor Parnassus'. But the big highlight for me was the nice nods to the old Oz. I enjoyed the black-and-white style of the real world, and then the screen going wide and into colour as soon as he entered Oz was a nice touch. I liked that they kept to the geography of Oz and The Wizard's liking for giving gifts for his friends at the end.

But sadly, everything just felt that there was potential there but it was not fulfilled. There was a great and powerful movie waiting to burst out. But I'm afraid the wrong people were hired to make it so. They have already announced a sequel to the prequel, so it will be interesting what event will be taking place now before Dorothy arrives.
It is a kids film, and they will enjoy it. But it is too predictable, baggy and cliched to be taken seriously, unlike the two previous visions of Oz.

Rating: 6/10

Review: Cloud Atlas

When I saw the trailer for this, I was very intrigued by it as it looked BIG. Not only was it big, it was unique, probably the most ambitious film I have ever seen and probably the film I think should have won Best Picture and a few more awards at the 2013 Oscars. The last time I felt like this after seeing a movie was when I saw Inception on my 22nd birthday, which was two years ago. I realized I was seeing something that was different, creative, and the latest cult classic.

Usually with my reviews, I just explain my opinions and the central theme. This time, it is just my opinions of it as I feel you just need to experience it yourself.

Cloud Atlas is an amazing piece of film, and what is great about it is that it is one of those films you could watch again and again and find new messages within the central theme. What makes this film even better is that the central theme could differ between each viewer. What surprised me was most of the critics reaction to it. It is hard to say that this is not ambitious. I don't think the critics appreciated it enough, because I think it just did not click for them. One thing that really struck me was some of them saying that it's almost 3 hours duration will put people off. I wonder what they think of the epics from the Hollywood golden era that won many Oscars.

There are a lot of actors and actresses in this, so there is a lot to get through. Tom Hanks films usually go very high up in my top films of all-time, and this one is no exception. I am not usually a fan of Halle Berry in terms of her acting talent. She was a lot more solid in this one then her previous films, but I still think her most memorable performance was in The Flintstones. I know it is a bit of silly family film, but her performance was perfect for her character and quite a presence. Jim Broadbent was the star for me in this and his views of the film show he was really passionate about this story. Ben Wishaw is becoming a fine actor and his performance in Cloud Atlas will surely secure him more future roles. Like Hanks, Hugo Weaving always features in a lot of my top films of all-time. His striking presence always wins me over and his contribution to this film was much needed. It was nice to see Jim Sturgess again after his role in the entertaining '21'. Other great performances to mention were Doona Bae, James D'Arcy and Hugh Grant surprisingly, who was clearly out of his comfort zone and he did that on purpose to show he can do more than rom-com's.

Overall, the main message is hard put into words, and yet I felt it was easy to understand. If you felt it was difficult to work out, the trailer quite literally explains it in three simple words. The just under 3 hours flew by for me and that is always a good thing. It was sharp, well written, and even if you get lost in the film, don't worry a lot of others have and yet they still fell in love with it. 

If you do hate it, then you could create a terrific guessing game to see who is playing what role as there are A LOT of characters.

I am absolutely shocked to the core that the critics are not giving it enough credit. But I am glad that a lot of the general public are saying it is becoming a cult classic. So usually with cult classics, they get better over time, and I hope they are correct. This is the newest film that has entered my top 100 and it almost made my top 20. Yes, it is that good.

Rating: 9/10

Requested Review: My Top 10 War Films

War films have been with us for what seems like forever. They were obviously a big genre after WWII. Since then there has not as many, but every year there is always a solid amount of war action to get your teeth into. It's not always guns on the battle field, there are some very special war films that show a different aspect and send a very different message to expand their audience from many different backgrounds.

One film that I would like to give an honorable mention to is All Quiet On The Western Front. This 1930's ground-breaker really showed what film can do for this genre. With its epic battle sequences and first class acting, this was way ahead of its time. This brilliant story has had many valiant versions, but none have ever eclipsed this one. It is as terrific now as it was in 1930, and you will be amazed at how good it is, despite it being released 85 years ago.

As for my top 10, I feel it has a nice variety, and yet still shows the brutality of the war genre:

10) The Thin Red Line - I have only recently seen this and was completely blown away by Terrence Malick's 1998 Oscar nominated epic.
With Malick being known for his picturesque features, war has never looked so well shot.

With a who's who of acting talent that could rival the 60's epic The Longest Day, this story based on true events from a soldiers diary is one not to be missed.

9) The Bridge On The River Kwai - Prisoner of war movies are always anti-war movies and usually send a great message.

This iconic 50's film really shows the resilience of the human spirit. It also has Sir Alec Guinness, it is that good.

8) Stalag 17 - The original 'Great Escape' movie. Was really surprised how good this was. A lot of heart went into this.

There is a lot of laughs, but every so often there is a dramatic sense of betrayal within this particular P.O.W camp and it creates a thrilling conclusion.

7) Saving Private Ryan - Another Steven Spielberg classic featuring a never-ending list of top actors showing how important friends were during the war.

Set during and after the Normandy Landings. It is a big favourite with people within the army due to the impressive detail.

6) Gallipoli - Remember first seeing this in high school, and the emotions involved was just over-flowing.

Portraying one of the saddest incidents to occur in WWI and it centralises between a friendship that was only just beginning.

5) Joyeux Noel - One of my favourite Christmas films. This moving experience had me giving out so many emotions. It portrays the Christmas Day ceasefires during several war zones in WWI. It truly shows why War is such a hard thing for us humans to combat.

There is so much heart and warmth within this movie, despite the blood and violence others expect their soldiers to give.

4) Inglourious Basterds - Probably Quentin Tarantino's most perfect work. His terrific cast work manages to strike again in the form of Christoph Waltz who creates one of the scariest characters in modern cinema.

With the constant use of vintage soundtracks, this amazing piece of work also has what I think the best opening scene of all-time.

3) The Great Escape - Possible the ultimate British classic that is always shown during Christmas. It is a terrific family film that has everything you want. Importantly, it has enough violence for the kids to understand this horrible time, but the comedy element involved will definitely keep them hooked.

It also contains so much top acting talent that you will lose count of how many famous actors there are in this.

2) The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas - One of the very few films I cry every time I see this.
I was not expecting this one to hit me with such an impact.

It may be a war film, but not presented in the more traditional way. It is s terrific message that shows War through the eyes of a child. This also begins the already amazing acting career of Asa Butterfield.

1) Schindler's List - The true story of Oskar Schindler and how he saved the lives of many Jewish residents within Germany. A terrific story and perfectly presentation by the genius that is Steven Spielberg.

His nice use of the black and white really adds to the atmosphere well amongst all the high drama.

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

I was not expecting much from The Amazing Spiderman as it is a reboot of a franchise that began in 2002. It is not enough time to reboot a film unless it was a big failure, which it wasn't. 

With it being Spiderman, the visual effects would be the biggest positive from the film. It was as good as the first trilogy and showed a different angle to how Spidey gets around New York.

One of the big questions coming from this was, would Andrew Garfield be better than Tobey Maguire's portrayal of Spiderman/Peter Parker? For me, it was a no. His Parker was no longer the nerd with all know and love. Instead we have a good looking kid, still intelligent but no glasses and not even having a clumsy feel about him.

As for the minor characters. Mary Jane is not there, and neither is his appearances at the Daily Bungle which means no J Jonah Jameson who was a terrific character in the previous three films. This version of Spiderman decides to concentrate more on Peter's parents and what happened to them and why it has made Peter Parker the man he is today.
Replacing Parker's love interest, Gwen Stacey who made an appearance in Spiderman 3. Played by the very beautiful Emma Stone, the chemistry between her and Garfield was pretty good and a decent attempt of Maguire's and Dunst's.

Thankfully the villain was something new. It had been rumored for ages and we will finally see The Lizard/Dr Curt Connors played by Rhys Ifans who is a terrific performer in anything that he does. The tension between Ifans and Garfield is engaging as they try to find if they are who they say they are etc.

The battle scenes between Spiderman and the Lizard are solid and nothing we have not seen before. I saw it in 3D, and apart from a few swinging scenes, it's nothing to shout about.

Director Marc Webb has done a solid job, but I still do not get why they had to reboot it in the first place. I know that it was supposed to be a Spiderman 4, but it got binned. So why not choose a different Marvel character, or reboot one of the poor attempts such as Daredevil or Elektra.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed The Amazing Spiderman, and I always look forward to another sequel as I'm a sucker for superhero movies. As always, there will be a bonus scene during the credits which will show us who the villain might be for the sequel. I have already heard the rumors and if they are true, I will definitely see the next installment.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Men In Black 3

It has been a decade since the last of the Men In Black series. So it was a chance to make a fresh and new look to the once terrific 90's sci-fi classic rather than the disappointing sequel.
The plot of time travel may have been used already, but not in MIB world. The result is a film that returns to its roots and gives audiences the chance to relive much of what they first enjoyed. Which is a smart sci-fi comedy that embraces everything that is weird and wonderful about our relatively unknown universe.

Will Smith is back as the smart-ass yet weirdly charming Agent J and partnering with the very wrinkly Tommy Lee Jones as the boss that is Agent K. With Jones looking to be on the brink of death, he was probably one of the reasons why they did a time travel plot. With the short air-time of Jones, comes in Agent K's young self played by the talented Josh Brolin. 
With it being MIB, this means bringing in a new villain, Boris the animal (it's just Boris!) who is set out to destroy K's existence by going back to his past.

In terms of Director Barry Sonnenfeld, he seems to have found his groove once again with the zany and icky shenanigans that put him on the map with the original. The general style of it reminded me of everything that made fall in love with this secret organisation. 
The visual effects was impressive especially when making the most of the time-travel plot. Definitely the best performance was Brolin, whose impersonation of Agent K made you thought it was a younger version of Tommy Lee himself. Not far off Brolin's performance was Michael Stuhlbarg as the strange impromptu companion Griffin. This new characters becomes a big help in the past for J & K and I really warmed to this new character and should be involved in any possible future sequels.

The ending was particularly charming as it seemed to have closed the chapter on the relationship between both Agent's J and K. There did not seem to be any hint of a sequel, which is probably for the best. But I am sure everyone would be fine with another installment of this franchise that has now become cool again.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Oblivion

Known by many as the last Hollywood actor that can sell a film by his alone, Tom Cruise is back. The star of many classics such as Top Gun, Jerry Maguire and Mission Impossible has returned to a genre he is very familiar with.

With successes in fellow sci-fi films such as Minority Report and War Of The Worlds, his latest venture might not match the success of those two but it will certainly be an established member of the Cruise collection.

Oblivion is quite simply a solid sci-fi thriller. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, whose only previous film was 'Tron: Legacy' seems to have upped his game and is beginning to learn how to win the critics over. The plot was predictable and has been done before. I could easily compare it to one film, and it would totally ruin the experience. But I won't, as I feel it deserves to be viewed on the big screen. The first half wasn't bad, but it was hard to get sucked in as you have seen everything in previous films. But I was getting involved in the second half. The pace had jumped a level, and despite their big twist being done before, I still enjoyed it and the film was much better and made me smile at the end.

Cruise was great as usual and never shy's away from getting physical. I have never seen Andrea Riseborough enough to appreciate her talent. But her performance was very impressive and she is bound to get more roles in the future. Former Bond girl, Olga Kurylenko was as solid as she was in Quantum Of Solace. As for Morgan Freeman, his role wasn't much, but it was good for what it was.

The big positives are obviously the visual effects, and the music composed by M83. Their song in the credits was just a perfect way to sign the film off, and the song will stay in my head for a good long while.

Overall, it was good enough to watch on the big screen rather then waiting for it to be shown on TV in a few years time. Everything was solid, and there was a lot of things to get your teeth into, especially in the second half.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Hitchcock

For the past year or two I have managed to watched a lot of Alfred Hitchcock's material. He has now become one of my favorite directors of all-time. With classics like Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window and The Birds, I was expecting a nice homage to master of the suspense.

Overall, it was pretty solid. I like the bits honoring his TV show, which I was not expecting. Showing us how he made Psycho did not seem as graphic and intense as 'The Girl' which showed us how he directed 'The Birds'. Anthony Hopkins did a good Hitchcock, but again 'The Girl' wins another round as I thought Toby Jones' performance was better. The star of the show was definitely Helen Mirren as Hitch's wife. I always enjoy watching her presence on the screen in anything.

Scarlett Johansson was very charming as the actress Janet Leigh, and James D'Arcy did a terrific portrayal of Anthony Perkins. He showed how creepy Perkins really is off screen as well as on screen.

Overall, it was a fun movie showing the public how great one of our most famous Brits filmed possibly the greatest horror of all-time. But sadly, I didn't feel it to be spectacular. It was solid enough to be liked and nothing more. A great film for Hitchcock fans. But if you haven't seen any of his films, then don't watch this first. You need to watch his back catalog first.

Rating: 7/10

My Top 10: Animated Films

Animated Films are usually an over-looked genre when it comes to winning major awards. Over-time, some have been given nominations for some serious awards. I hope that animated films gets the success it deserves, but for now, we are waiting.
This genre does not always have to appeal for kids only. There are many more adult themed animated films out there, including a few in my top 10.
Here is my top 10, and all of them are very high up in my top 100 films of all-time:

10) Monsters Inc. - One of Pixar's early features and now recently released a prequel.

Like a lot of Pixar's greats, it is a very emotional one, and yet still manages to create a lot of laughter.

Pixar are well known for their original ideas. The amount in this one is off the scale.

9) The Incredibles - Like, Wall.E, this gem from Pixar exceeded my expectations.

A very impressive story that easily appeals to adults as well as kids. Lots of great family films, involves, families. This one is no exception.

8) The Lion King - Another Disney classic from the 90's and an absolute favourite for many kids around the world.

Everything cries out Disney. Such amazing characters, memorable songs and wonderful story-telling.
The past had Bambi for the tears, this generation were blubbering at The Lion King.

7) Beauty And The Beast - Became the first animated film to get nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars and rightly so. A traditional fairy tale brought to a 90's audience that welcomed it with open arms.

Released during the Disney renascence period. It had everything a Disney film should have.

Enjoyable characters, laughs, drama and of course the odd sing song.

6) Princess Mononoke - Only saw this recently but was expecting big things, and once again Studio Ghibli delivered.

Lots of mythology involved, some terrific hand-drawn animation and another gem from Miyazaki. Had a mix of Avatar and what the Narnia films should have been.



5) Toy Story 3 - Was a bit nervous that it might not match the success of the previous two, but this just blew my mind.

The creators of Pixar became eternal geniuses in my books after seeing this. They kept the Toy Story franchise going and expanded it even more. It introduced a new batch characters and created a wonderful story that had me smiling from start to finish.

4) Bambi - One of Disney's very early creations and still a favourite of mine and many others. A dramatic story of life in the wild and how important friends are.

It is also involves one of the most famous tear-jerking scenes in film history. I won't spoil it, in case you have not seen it.

3) Wall.E - A huge surprise for me. Was expecting another well established part of the Pixar collection. But Wall.E is so much more then that.

There is a heart within this that will never stop beating. It brings a whole new meaning to the phrase 'heart-warming'. It is a terrific story and was so close to being the perfect Pixar film in my opinion. This deserved so many Oscars.

2) Spirited Away - The most successful Studio Ghibli film, and probably the best one to get started on when trying out Japanese animation. Director Hayao Miyazaki has become one of my new favorite directors. His imagination is unrivaled, and making great stories within them is just a bonus.

His vision on a girl being trapped in a world of demons and spirits will open your eyes to a whole new world of new movies to your list.

1) Toy Story - Already talked about it in an earlier post. A groundbreaking film and the birth of the world's most recognisable animated film studio, Pixar.

Such great characters, superb flow of the story, lots of laughs and probably the perfect seller for kids as it involves, toys.

Review: Lincoln

I remember this being the big favorite to win Best Picture at the Oscars earlier in the year. But now, it is just part of the chasing pack.

First, the positives. It was a very well told story of his time trying to abolish the slave trade. The sets were top notch and the costumes couldn't have been better. You were definitely taken back to that era and didn't feel you were watching a film. The performances were amazing, especially by Daniel Day-Lewis and Tommy Lee Jones. You definitely were guaranteed great acting whenever they appeared on screen.

Now for the negatives. The flow of the story did not suck me in me enough to fall in love with it. It was very well detailed, but with the plot was hard to make it entertaining.
You have to give it credit though, as they told the story very well and in great detail. But it is just not entertaining enough to watch it again and again.

Definitely not one for younger viewers, unless you like politics or love American history. I would still recommend it, but only for the one viewing.

Rating: 8/10