Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

The last decade or so has seen a real growth in the superhero genre. We are now at a time when we see about four or five films released each year that are inspired by a graphic novel. The company that is leading the way in terms of box office takings is Marvel, who seem to be releasing three or four films each year.

The first installment of 2014 is here and it concerns Captain America who returns after his efforts in Avengers Assemble.
I was pleasantly surprised with Captain America: The First Avenger. I was originally expecting bog-standard filler for The Avengers, but I felt there was enough in there for it to stand alone, despite it being part of something bigger.

As for The Winter Soldier, it seems the Captain America franchise is still proving me wrong. There is a lot of interesting ideas the directors and his team have presented about Steve Rodgers, SHIELD and the development of the Marvel universe.

Most Marvel films usually get the character development in the first feature of each franchise, but this one seems to keep growing the longer it goes on for. You can easily care for these characters as you get to know them a whole lot during the action packed 2 hours and 16 minutes.
As for the action, it is great. It packs a punch and still shows vintage Marvel. There are lots of great set-pieces to indulge in, involving each one of the main characters. But like all Marvels, there is a solid amount of humor to deflect from the seriousness of the action which kept me laughing constantly.

The performances were pretty solid. The chemistry between Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson is probably the best part of it. That is except for one scene with Evans and another character, who both created by far the most moving and emotional scene of the film. Samuel L. Jackson gives us a pleasant and different approach to give us some variety. Robert Redford's arrival on screen instantly gave me a predictable outcome for his character, which came true.

I felt this to be quite grittier compared to Marvel's predecessors and one of the few sequels to do better then its origin story. There is a great mix of action, thrills, conspiracy and adventure that delivers on a grand scale. The First Avenger gave us an enjoyable atmosphere with a nice dash of WWII nostalgia. This one remains to have an atmosphere, but with a new modern feel that still works.

Finally, as with all Marvel films, there is not only a post-credits scene but now a mid-credits scene. I will not obviously not spoil it, but I felt the mid-credits scene was very interesting and builds us up nicely for the next big film involving the Avengers. As for the post-credits scene, it is nothing spectacular but still important enough to see.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Muppets Most Wanted

I did not grow up with The Muppet Show, but I did with their films. With successes like The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Muppet Christmas Carol and Muppet Treasure Island I, like many, just fell in love with these brightly colored creatures.

With the success of their 2011 comeback hit, The Muppets are now touching many hearts of this current generation. Now they are back with their eighth feature film.

When I saw the trailer, it felt a bit too aimed for kids rather than the whole family. But with it being The Muppets, I kept faith in Jim Henson and his wonderful team. I knew Kermit and co. would not disappoint.

As soon as the opening song comes in, I just had a smile on my face from beginning to end. Every song throughout the rest of the film was pure Muppet magic. From a cheesy Broadway musical number to just a fun pop record, every tune is just as enjoyable as the next.

If you have seen the trailer, the plot is pretty basic to understand. So it gives us enough time to spot the many celebrity cameos, the clever references to older movies and the cheeky jokes for the parents.
Even with the simplistic story, it is played off very well and leads to a number of amusing set-pieces. Also, the pacing is top-notch to keep the kids entertained and it switches between the story lines at the right times.

As for the humans, the ratio between them and the Muppets I thought was nicely done. The humans are always there, but never stealing the limelight from any Muppet. The bit that delivered it perfectly, was the chemistry between Ty Burrell's character and Sam the Eagle who definitely stole the show.
With the rest of the cameo's, it is a brilliant game to find them as they are a lot, including some that really surprised me.

Outside of the cameo's, the main roles I felt were played very solidly. Ricky Gervais was quietly charming in his role and you can tell he is a fan-boy and that he wanted to make sure that he did not screw this up. Tina Fey's character was highly amusing for all ages and had great chemistry with Kermit The Frog.

I enjoyed this movie and laughed consistently throughout. It's fun and very silly but can get away with it in a way that only the Muppets can. It may not have the heart that their 2011 film had, but it still has the laughs and that same Muppet magic.

Also, one thing I was not expecting was a short film from Disney Pixar before the feature presentation. I will not say anymore in case I spoil it. But all I will say is, get there early to see this highly amusing animated short film.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Grand Budapest Hotel

First of all, I have never managed to see any film by Wes Anderson, until now. But I have been told to prepare for an over-the-top quirky comedy.

A few of his previous work will be on TV some time this week and after seeing his latest venture, I will definitely be eager to see Mr. Anderson's earlier works.

After seeing this, I can see why Anderson has a particular fan base. His original look at films is great to see. It will be hard to compare his work with anything else. Also, it seems a lot of famous actors admire his stories and how they are written as they apparently appear in a lot of his other feature films.

In this one, we have Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton, Jude Law, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldlbum, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Saoirse Ronan and many more.
With Anderson's brilliant writing, everyone gets at least one moment in the spotlight, but it is Fiennes that heads this all-star cast. His character and appearance gives the whole film such a charm and the way he gives his one liners makes his performance even more mesmerizing.

If I was nit-picking then I would say some of the quirkiness felt like quirky for quirky sake. But every outrageous moment I just went with, because this was a world I had seen before. I really cannot wait to see what else Anderson has made.

Being introduced to Wes Anderson was a total joy. Seeing his imagination run wild gives me hope on the future of cinema. The Grand Budapest Hotel does have that vintage feel to it and it would not surprise me if Anderson was showing us his homage to classic cinema. After given it a lot of praise, I felt that its biggest positive was not taking it self too seriously, just having a great time and not bothered about going with the rules of straightforward narratives.

Rating: 8/10

My Top 10: Films Of 2013

After what has been a terrific year of films, I have had to narrow my favorites to just 10.

Spring began with a few solid films, most notably Oblivion. There was sadly some disappointing showings from Oz The Great And Powerful and After Earth. Nothing outstanding until in May where I saw The Great Gatsby and one film that is in my top 10. Despite a lot of promising summer blockbusters, most of them were generally disappointing (e.g. The World's End) but thankfully not awful. The only films that I enjoyed the most was Pacific Rim and the wonderfully funny Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa. It was great popcorn fun and surpassed my expectations. Another one that I enjoyed but maybe not in a popcorn way was Before Midnight. The third film in the 'Before' trilogy keeps showing how great the makers writing is. Also the on-screen relationship of Ethan Hawke and Golden Globe nominated Julie Delpy is still cinema gold.
Another one that came out in the summer was Belle. A brilliantly written and performed costume period drama. Gugu Mbatha-Raw stars as a mixed race daughter of an Admiral, who is raised in 18th century England.
Then in October, I started to see some film of the year contenders and a lot of them remain high up in my top 10. Then came the last few months of the year when the award contenders introduced themselves to the world. A lot of them have made my top 10 and some I sadly had to leave out. This included The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, All Is Lost, Enough Said, The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, Inside Llewyn Davis and Short Term 12 for where I thoroughly enjoyed all of them. A final mention should go to Rush. Director Ron Howard shows how good he still is as he portrays the rivalry of Formula 1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda (played by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Bruhl). It is as amazing as the documentary 'Senna' with some great performances that are being recognized in the major awards. I would recommend it for both fans and non-fans of F1.

Despite this being about films of 2013, there were a few very late entries as films that debuted in 2013 has only just been released in the UK in 2014. One, is the highly engrossing, Locke.  When a film has one setting and one actor, and it is done right, it is one of the film of the year. Starring Tom Hardy, it is as good as similar films such as Phone Booth and Buried. There was also the highly interesting Only Lovers Left Alive. With Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston leading the way, the wonderfully visual vampire romantic drama gave us one of the most interesting vampire films in years. Another one, is the final feature film of Hayao Miyazaki, The Wind Rises. A very personal movie that also lacks in the fantasy. Despite that, it's unreal animation, interesting characters and heartfelt story made it a memorable farewell to one of the most successful directors of all-time. It deserved praise by getting a nomination for Best Animated Film at the Oscars.

Before I announce my top 10, I have to say why I am not including certain films despite being released in the UK in 2013. The way I do it is on the worldwide release. These films 'Les Miserables', 'Django Unchained', 'Lincoln', 'Hitchcock', my film of 2012 'Cloud Atlas' and 'Mud' were all released in the UK in 2013, but they are all officially 2012 films as their worldwide release was in 2012. So that is why I am not including these films.

My list may also include film documentaries and TV movies as they are officially seen as films. So don't be surprised if my list contains movies that may not have been released at your local multiplex. One film documentary that just missed out is the Oscar nominated Cutie And The Boxer. Another documentary that I loved was 'Which Way Is The Front Line From Here?' which shows us the life of photojournalist and film-maker Tim Hetherington. There was a terrific TV movie that was shown during the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, and this is An Adventure In Space And Time. It showed the beginnings of Doctor Who and how William Hartnell loved being the first Doctor and it was a terrific portrayal of TV's longest running sci-fi tv series. Also, I felt it would work for non-Who fans as well.

It has only been recently that I wanted to try and see to every film that is up for Best Picture at the Oscars. Thankfully, I just about managed to do it. Only four of those nine managed to make my top 10. The ones sadly missing out are the enjoyably eslow-pace Nebraska, the very interesting American Hustle, the adrenaline-fueled The Wolf Of Wall Street, the brilliantly scar The Conjuring, the moving Dallas Buyers Club, the highly emotional 12 Years A Slave, the powerful drama  Blue Is The Warmest Colour and the tense dark and almost David Fincher-esque Prisoners. I did like them a lot. But sadly, I felt that there were 10 better films in what has been a great year in film, especially for its diversity in stories and presentation of films.

My final mentions go to the highly ambitious Under The Skin that came so close to my top 10. It may not be for everyone, but it felt like one of those films that needs to be experienced. It was immersive from the start and definitely took me and many others off guard.
I would also like to mention the wonderful comedy drama The Way Way Back. It is such a lovely coming of age film that we do not see that often. It is worth watching just for Sam Rockwell's performance alone.

Here is a list of the films that I gave an 8/10, but missed out on the top 10, where films also got an 8/10 but I enjoyed more:

51) Cutie And The Boxer
50) 1: Life On The Limit
49) Muscle Shoals
48) Milius
47) The Double
46) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
45) All Is Lost
44) Which Way Is The Front Line From Me?: The Life And Time Of Tim Hetherington
43) Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa
42) Monsters University
41) The Wind Rises
40) The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone
39) Nebraska
38) The Selfish Giant
37) Inside Llewyn Davis
36) Before Midnight
35) Ilo Ilo
34) The Great Gatsby
33) The Wolf Of Wall Street
32) The Kings Of Summer
31) Metro Manila
30) Starred Up
29) The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
28) Only Lovers Left Alive
27) Enough Said
26) 12 Years A Slave
25) We Are The Best!
24) Locke
23) American Hustle
22) The Conjuring
21) Under The Skin
20) Lone Survivor
19) An Adventure In Space And Time
18) Short Term 12
17) Blue Is The Warmest Colour
16) Belle
15) Dallas Buyers Club
14) The Way Way Back
13) Rush
12) Prisoners
11) Fruitvale Station

Here is my top 10:

10) Blackfish - In a lot of critics top 10's of 2013, this BAFTA nominated film documentary gives you a fascinating insight into the world of captive killer whales.
It centres around an orca called Tilikum and various incidents and fatalities involving trainers at various Sea Worlds, including the biggest in San Diego.
It completely sucked me in, and was totally gripping. There are some incredible scenes that some may find distressing.

9) Star Trek Into Darkness - Despite this poorly chosen title, this highly-awaited sequel of directors J.J Abrams vision of the Trek universe becomes another romping success.

The pace is still frenetic and that is what makes this franchise so enjoyable. With the arrival of a new villain played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Captain Kirk and his crew are in another dilemma.

8) Her - A brilliant late entry into this list. Numerous nominations in the major awards and likely to win Best Screenplay at the Oscars.

This cleverly written love story has a lot of great ideas and brings out great performances. Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlet Johansson's relationship on-screen sucks you in from the moment they meet. Also, it is beautifully shot.

7) Captain Phillips - Director Paul Greengrass is becoming the best action director at the moment, and his latest offering leaves you constantly on the edge of your seat.

Based on the true story of a pirate hijacking, Tom Hanks plays Captain Phillips and along with the performance of Barkhad Abdi as the Somali pirate leader, it is a brilliant blend of top acting and intense action.

6) Saving Mr. Banks - A lovable and highly emotional origins story of how Mary Poppins was filmed and how author P.L Travers accepted for Walt Disney to film it.

Lead by the most down to earth actors Tom Hanks and the BAFTA nominated Emma Thompson, this is a highly enjoyable insight to this heart-warming book that becomes a timeless classic.

5) The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya - Finally managed to watch this at the end of 2015, and was completely overwhelmed by it.

Even with the retirement of Hayao Miyazaki, Studio Ghibli still seem to create more treasured features with the most gorgeous animation and spiritual story-telling around.

4) Frozen - Disney's latest non-Pixar feature that is probably their best work since The Lion King, which was 19 years ago.

Everything just cries out vintage Disney. Great songs, loveable characters, well-paced story and the perfect amount of action, peril and romance.
The family film of 2013.

3) The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug - Part two of Peter Jackson's prequel to Lord Of The Rings, once again it is great to be back in Middle Earth with more tales of adventure from Bilbo, Gandalf and the dwarfs of Erebor.

As they approach closer to the Lonely Mountain, we get to see more new places in Middle Earth whilst a dark power is rising at a place that was known to be abandoned and lifeless.

2) Philomena - True stories seem to be the theme lately of most successful films and this one is no different.

An incredible true story of an Irish women played by the immortal Judi Dench looking for her lost son who was adopted from a convent.
With the help of a journalist played by Steve Coogan, this moving and surprisingly funny tale completely struck me and shows how great British drama really is.

1) Gravity - After seven years in the making, director Alfonso Cuaron has created an experience we will never forget.
A story set in space about two astronauts who work together after an accident leaves them adrift.
The perfect use of 3D and ground-breaking cinematography and visual effects around this gripping story has become a milestone for future film-makers.

Review: Philomena

If a British drama made by the BBC is one of the Best Picture contenders, you definitely need to watch it.

Directed by Stephen Frears who is known for doing Dangerous Liaisons and the massively overrated The Queen is now having to contend with this incredible true story.

For those who have seen Peter Mullan's 'The Magdalene Sisters', then you definitely know what this film is about and what your are about to let yourselves into.

Philomena is a pretty simple story to get into, so I can see this appealing to the widest possible audience. But its easy to work out plot has big consequences and heartbreak. As the film goes on, you see different sides of the main characters and the levels of the situation gets slowly cranked up into one big emotional finale.

One part of the story has made this a controversial one and has been seen as an attack on Christianity. I did not feel it was bashing at the religion. I felt they were just highlighting wrongs by certain individuals and left you to make your own judgement.
With so much emotion and sadness, there is still a strange amount of very amusing comedy moments. It gives us a very interesting side to not just the story, but the characters and of course the brilliant writing.

Dame Judi Dench and a serious Steve Coogan are just great. How often do we praise Judi Dench? Pretty much every time she appears on screen in anything. Usually playing hard-nosed characters, we see a more gentle and humerus role. Her performance seems very true and real which always wins over people.
As for Coogan, he is quite a revelation. We usually see him in comedies, but even with the comedy moments Coogan is great at bouncing off the powerful Dench to create one of the top on-screen partnerships of 2013.

Philomena is quite an experience about a story that for many is still going on. One story out of a thousand similar ones. It will leave you questioning your own resilience and it is bound to be a high emotional ride for many viewers. It may not have the wow factor as some of the other Best Picture contenders, but for its all out drama this is certainly something special. Top British drama never fails.

Rating: 9/10

Review: Nebraska

Not exactly the type of film that would get me cuing outside my local multiplex. But since it is up for a few awards including Best Picture at the Oscars, I thought I would give it a viewing.

Directed by Alexander Payne, this seventh feature film is only the second for me by Payne. Despite the recent awards success of his last two projects The Descendents and Sideways, it is one of Payne's earlier works 'Election' that I have seen. It is a very enjoyable high-school comedy starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon and I would highly recommend it.

Nebraska however does not carry the same tone as Election. This a lot more low key and the pacing is quite slow. However, that big difference still does not change my views on Payne's work.

Its stylishly shot in black and white, has a terrific style of acting and a has an interesting story set in a perfectly chosen location. For some of the film I felt left out, I was not involved in the story. I got what was happening, but felt as if I was not going a long for the ride. Thankfully, the majority of the film I felt quite enjoyable.
My biggest enjoyment was the style of comedy and the interesting actors you see along the way.

Lead actor Bruce Dern will probably be talked about the most. His performance is very engaging and the longer the film goes on, the more you engage with this character and want him to end up victorious in his mission. For me the star of the show was June Squibb. I had never seen her before apart in the amazing Meet Joe Black. Every time she is on screen, her character just takes over and you just smile every time she says something. A lot of the comedy moments involve her and I hope to see some reward in the major awards. Will Forte is also nice contribution to bounce off the leads.

The only big negative to talk about was the pacing in the first half. It took me longer to get sucked into this one. But that being said, I did by the end, and what an ending. I was in a cheery mood by the time the credits rolled. The final act is definitely it's strong point and it makes everything else before it a lot more meaningful.

Overall, there is a lot to like. The performances are great, the cinematography and choice of using black and white gives it a great look and mood to the whole experience. But sadly, it lacked something for me. That is not a major fault, I would still give it high praise and recommend it to any film fan.
For me personally, I would not give a Best Picture nomination, but definitely to the performances and some of the technical aspects.

Rating: 8/10