Review: Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

2005 saw the first Sin City released. Its  became one of the biggest surprise hits in film of the last decade. The big positives that came out of it was the feeling of the pages literally leaping onto the screen, the old school noir feel to it, the visuals and the level of detail the director and his team did to make sure he remained loyal to the source material and the style of presentation.

Sadly, this nine year wait could well be A Dame To Kill For's downfall. This is by no means a bad or boring movie. But I think we all knew this was never going to surpass or even match its predecessor. A film with such uniqueness and novelty could never match the expectations, it was pretty much inevitable. You see that with many films e.g. The Matrix.

From the very first scene, I instantly kept remembering how enjoyable the first one was. I did not really want to do that, but the opening story did not engage me enough. I was also distracted by unnecessary changes to a certain character which annoyed me.
Thankfully, we got introduced to a new character and an underused one from the previous film. This is where I started to get a bit more interested into what the new Sin City installment could actually do now. As the blood, violence and film-noir tone romped along, I was feeling about more comfortable with this sequel. But I'm afraid the novelty is starting to ware off which I think many will expect and this was looking like to be solid and nothing more.
After a pretty sudden ending to an reasonably entertaining finale, I was having mixed feelings.

Let's start with the positives. The visuals are still pleasing to the eye. The best performances are by the slick Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the amazingly villainous Powers Boothe and the striking Eva Green. There are also some great set-pieces, mainly involving Jessica Alba which was pleasing to the eye.

As for the negatives, its biggest one is its lack of charactersation, the generally underwhelming stories and no iconic moments that will crop up in your head weeks after seeing it.
One character that felt less edgy and a bit detached from the film was Josh Brolin's performance as Dwight. With Clive Owen playing the role in 2005, his performance felt far superior to Brolin which is hard to believe from their previous work. Another performance that seemed to lack was Rourke as Marv. After stealing the show in 2005, he seemed to be a pastiche of himself.

In the end, I felt there were positives such as the interesting new characters, strong visuals, nice set-pieces and a continuing great modern homage to film-noir. But there was disappointing moments, the stories did not feel as engaging, the pacing did not feel as smooth as the first one, some of the returning characters did not develop well, the ending was quite abrupt and it felt a bit over-digitalised.
I was forced to see it in 3D, as I did not have time to find a 2D screening. It is actually a surprising use of 3D which I did think would happen. It did enhance that graphic novel tone which was nice to see, and fair play to the makers for making great use of this technology.
It is reasonably enjoyable, but I think throughout the film you would be thinking how good the first Sin City was and still is. But I am hoping over time that people will ignore the gap in releases and watch it back-to-back and that could make it look better.

Rating: 7/10

My Top 10: Richard Attenborough Films

For about 70 years, Lord Richard Attenborough has become a British treasure and one of the most famous actors and directors around the world.
From his breakthrough in the late 1940's to his re-emergence in the early 1990's, Attenborough has conjured up many memorable performances.

His triumphs as a director have been quite impressive also. With big hits such as A Bridge Too Far, Chorus Line, Chaplin and Gandhi where Attenborough won two Oscars for and the film eventually winning eight.

One film that I will give an honorable mention to that missed out on my top 10, is Guns At Batasi. This BAFTA award winning war drama sees a group of British soldiers caught up in the middle of a war between two African factions. It is quite a tense watch as Attenborough's character creates quite a presence and basically steals the show as he gives us the most memorable character in the entire film.

Out of his 65 films, I have only seen 17 of them. I will rank all of the ones I have seen and give a short review for each of my top 10:

16) And Then There Were None
15) Loot
14) Dunkirk
13) The Lost World: Jurassic Park
12) Miracle On 34th Street
11) Doctor Dolittle

10) Flight Of The Phoenix - Only recently seen this. A group of people crash land in the Arabian desert and they are looking for a way back into civilization.
As the men gradually lose their minds, that is where we see the film shine.

It has a star-studded cast list that include James Stewart, Ernest Borgnine, Hardy Kruger and of course Mr. Attenborough himself.

The script is good, acting is top-notch and the visuals make you feel you are there with him.

A great human survival story that the re-make could never capture.

9) I'm All Right Jack - An iconic British comedy about an aristocrat (played by Ian Carmeichel) in search of a career who gets caught up in a battle between his uncle and an aggressive labour union.
Attenborough plays a friend of the uncle who helps persuade Carmeichel's character to find a job.
His moments on screen are few, but they are valuable nonetheless.

8) The Angry Silence - I've only recently seen this and I found this very impactful viewing.

It sees Attenborough play a factory worker who goes against his colleagues during an unofficial strike.

It's themes are incredible relatable and timeless and the performances all over the board are very impressive.

7) The Magic Box - Bit of a hidden gem this one. This tells the story of William Friese-Greene, a luckless British inventor who claims to have invented the first movie camera.

Played wonderfully by Robert Donat, this is captivating biography drama. We see Lord Attenborough play a man called Jack Carter, the husband of Friese-Greene's ex-wife.

It is a solid performance that is part of a bigger picture with Donat taking centre stage.

6) The League Of Gentleman (1960) - A wonderful comedy heist full of the best of British acting at the time.

A bored war veteran decides to recruit a group of his old colleagues to perform a series of perfect bank robberies.

It is highly amusing and is certainly a good watch. Attenborough plays one of the disgraced colleagues and adds his own style to this enjoyable heist that took place years before the original Ocean's Eleven was released.

5) Elizabeth - A very well made period drama that depicts the early years of Queen Elizabeth I, played by Cate Blanchett.

With a star-studded cast list, Attenborough was given the role of Sir William Cecil, the Queen's chief advisor.

It may be a bit 'Hollywoodised', but is still great viewing and was well deserving of its Oscar.

4) Brighton Rock (1947) - The film that put Richard Attenborough on the map.

Playing the dangerous criminal Pinkie Brown, Attenborough's on-screen presence is something quite impressive. His performance really darkens the tone even more than intended and really feels ahead of its time.

After being ordered to murder someone, Brown makes sure that the police keep believing it to be suicide by eliminating all the witnesses.

3) 10 Rillington Place - Probably Attenborough's most chilling performance.
He plays John Christie, a middle-aged apartment manager who in secret kills his customers. However, Christie meets his toughest residents.

With John Hurt being a vital support, this film really surprised me and I will never forget this tense feature.

2) Jurassic Park - Directed by Steven Spielberg, this 90's classic sees Attenborough in his most well-known role.

He plays John Hammond, a man with a vision and has managed to bring creatures back to life after being extinct for 65 million years. However, his newly-built theme park does not go as planned.

1) The Great Escape - Many people's greatest war and British film of all-time and seen as a permanent fixture in Christmas TV viewings.

A group of soldiers in a prisoner of war camp plan for several hundred to escape the German camp in one night.
Attenborough plays Barlett, who frontiers the plan and sets events into motion.

One of the most enjoyable films that never fails on multiple viewings.

My Top 10: Joseph Gordon-Levitt Films

One of the few famous child actors to still make a living in acting. Joseph Gordon-Levitt began his career with various successful TV series such as Dark Shadows, Roseanne and 3rd Rock From The Sun.
During that time he also had a few minor roles in pretty good small budget films and cheesy kids films.

In the first few years of the 2000's, there was little activity from Gordon-Levitt, until in 2004 he returned with an impressive performance in a film that has made my top 10. For the last decade now, Gordon-Levitt has become one of the most popular and sought over young adult actors.
Appearing in a variety of films, from big budget blockbusters, to successful rom-coms and to independent low-budget films, Gordon-Levitt still has many years to come and I am sure his hardcore fans will be excited about that.

My top 10 is pretty good for an actor like Gordon-Levitt, but I can see better films taking its place in the near future. Out of his 52 films, I have only seen 21 of them. I will rank of the ones I have seen and give a short review of each of my top 10:

21) Angels In The Outfield
20) G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra
19) Sin City: A Dame To Kill For

18) Project Power
17) The Night Before
16) Snowden
15) Premium Rush
14) Treasure Planet
13) The Lookout
12) 500 Days Of Summer
11) The Wind Rises

10) Mysterious Skin - The film that re-introduced Gordon-Levitt to the world.

Two young men that have had similar troubled childhoods cross paths and together discover a horrible truth.

It is hard viewing, but Gordon-Levitt's performance reminds us how talented he is.

9) A River Runs Through It - Not on the screen for the majority of the film, but plays a vital role in this terrific and moving drama.

Part of the cast that includes a relatively unknown Brad Pitt at the time, this a terrific story about two sons in rural Montana with two polarizing beliefs. But one thing they have in common, is fly-fishing.

8) 10 Things I Hate About You - A rom-com high school film that is surprisingly charming, witty and has a feel-good tone about it.
Alongside the late great Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles, it tells the story of a new kid (played by Ledger) trying to find a guy to date the meanest girl in school.
The reason for doing this task is so Ledger's character can date her sister, and her sister can only date once this mean girl is.

7) 50/50 - One of Gordon-Levitt's most memorable performances.
Based on a true story, it centres around the a man in his 20's who is trying cope with cancer and aims to beat the disease.
With great supporting performances performances by Seth Rogan, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard and Anjelica Huston, this is a really moving drama that pulls the right amount of heart-strings and plays to the biggest audience possible.

6) The Walk - Gordon-Levitt's latest venture and this time it is with director Robert Zemeckis.

It tells the incredible story of wire-walker Philippe Petit's 'artistic stunt of the 20th century' when he walks on a wire between the World Trade Centre towers.

It is solid story-telling that ends with a jaw-dropping climax.

5) The Trial Of The Chicago 7 - Another thrilling and dialogue heavy thriller from director and writer Aaron Sorkin that tells the story of the shocking true courtroom trial of seven relating to a anti-Vietnam war riot in 1968.

It's a well constructed piece of cinema with a strong ensemble cast with Gordon-Levitt being a big contribution as the leader of the prosecution.

4) Lincoln - Director Steven Spielberg's latest directorial duties sees the story of former American president Abraham Lincoln and hiss mission to abolish slavery.

Gordon-Levitt plays Abraham's son Robert and is a solid support for leads Sally Field and Daniel Day-Lewis who won an Oscar for his performance.

It may not have that pure cinema feeling, but there is still that Spielberg feel to it. It probably has the same feel and tone to War Horse.

3) Looper - One of the big hits of 2012. Directed by future Star Wars director Rian Johnson, Gordon-Levitt stars as a man living in the near future where time-travelling is outlawed and his job to kill off people the mob want dead.

It can get complicated and that is what makes sci-fi's like this entertaining, puzzling and highly enjoyable.

2) The Dark Knight Rises - The third and final part of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy takes place eight years after the Joker's anarchy of Gotham City.
While Batman is slowly coming back into action, a old darkness is returning.
Gordon-Levitt plays a young cop who ends up becoming a vital role into bringing peace back to Gotham City.

1) Inception - Not exactly a performance driven film, but definitely one of the best films of all-time.
Gordon-Levitt's first time with Chrostpher Nolan in this complex sci-fi espionage thriller.
Joseph's character is the right-hand man to the top extractor that has been given the ultimate test of implanting a memory into a person and making them believe it is a real memory.
Probably the most intelligent big budget blockbuster we will ever see.

My Top 10: Robin Williams Films

With the sudden and unfortunate death of Robin Williams, I felt I should give him my own send off my celebrating his film career.

For almost the last 40 years, Williams has touched the hearts of many both in a dramatic and comedic way. Robin has created many memorable characters that people have grown up with and will never forget. Being seen as a stand-up comedian, comedic actor and Oscar winner, there will never be anyone like Robin Williams who was always seen as a master of the improv.

When looking throughout his back catalogue, I was amazed at just how good he has been for so long. The list that I have conjured up really shows the success this man has had.

One movie I will give an honorable mention to that is not in my top ten is A.I. Artificial Intelligence. As the voice of Dr. Know, Williams' character became part of an important moment in the story. Despite this being one of my favorite films of all-time, I had to discount it from the list as Williams' time on screen was not enough in my eyes for this film to be mentioned as a top Robin Williams film.

Just missing out on my top 10 that deserves a mention, are Jumanji and Mrs. Doubtfire. The former is one of the big family actions films of the 90's, Williams play this boy that gets caught up in a mysterious board game that will change his and many other peoples lives. It is a lot of fun and usually gets multiple viewings over time.

As for the latter, it is seen as one of Williams' most recognised role, this film sees a trouble father looking to win back his wife and kids by creating the ultimate alter-ego.
For every generation since its release, it has continued to amuse and entertain everyone and could well do so for many more generations to come.

Out of his 69 films, I have only seen 29 of them. I will rank all of the ones that I have seen and give a short review for each of my top 10:

29) Old Dogs
28) License To Wed
27) The Angriest Man In Brooklyn
26) Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb
25) Night At The Museum 2
24) Jack
23) Nine Months
22) Toys
21) Flubber
20) Night At The Museum
19) Bicentennial Man
18) Happy Feet 2
17) The Face Of Love
16) Robots
15) Man Of The Year
14) Death To Smoochy
13) August Rush
12) Jumanji
11) Mrs. Doubtfire

10) Patch Adams - I get the hate for this. But there is a healthy fanbase for this lovely comedy drama.

Williams is in his element where he plays a medical student, who uses laughter as the best medicine.

Sure its over-sentimental, melodramatic, sappy, especially in the final act and quite far off the actual true story. But every so often, it works for some people. This film certainly does it for me.

9) Happy Feet - Not one of Williams' most well known roles, but his performances as Ramon and Lovelace is a solid one.

But it is in this list because of the interesting story that gripped me. In a world where Emperor Penguins find their soul mates through song, one new born cannot sing and finds an alternative that changes the way his group live.

8) Insomnia - Quite a change to your usual Williams role, but his performance in Christopher Nolan's crime thriller is one I will not forget.

When a local teenager is killed in a town where the sun does not set, two homicide detectives are sent to this town and already suspect one of the locals as the killer.

7) The Fisher King - Finally managed to check this out, and this comedy drama was worth the wait.

After being the cause of a tragic incident, a former radio DJ seeks redemption by helping someone who suffered because of him.

While Jeff Bridges is great as the lead, it's only until Robin Williams enters is when every aspect of the story is enhanced.

6) Awakenings - Finally got round to checking out this 90's biographical drama.

A fascinating and moving story of how Williams' character joins a hospital in the Bronx to help several unresponsive patients.

His comradery with Robert De Niro is great to watch and they both bring across the message of the story with rewarding effect.

5) Hook - A big guilty pleasure of mine and I am sure many others. Directed by Steven Spielberg, Williams plays a man who seems to have forgotten his childhood and what it was like being a kid.

When his children get kidnapped, a number of mystical characters help him along the way to help him remember.

4) Dead Poets Society - Quite an inspiring role by Williams as he plays an English teacher who aims to push his students and reading the poetry and teaches how to seize the day.

Winner of Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, this is a must watch for any film fan.

3) Good Morning, Vietnam - Probably Williams' breakthrough performance that saw him become a worldwide star. Williams plays the central role as a DJ who is assigned the US Army Forces network in Vietnam.

His unorthodox style of presenting begins to shake things up within the Army itself.

2) Good Will Hunting - The film that saw Williams collect the biggest honor any film actor can achieve, an Oscar. Also an Oscar winner for Best Screenplay and nominated for Best Picture, this story tells of a janitor who has a gift for mathematics. When struggling to find his path in life, he consults the local psychiatrist.

1) Aladdin - A big Disney classic from the 90's sees Williams be the voice of a genie that has been released by this man living in the slums who is trying to win the heart of a princess. It is everything you expect from a Disney film and Williams completely improv performance steals the show and really changed the film into becoming one of the great films of that decade.

My Top 10: Alfred Hitchcock Films

From the early 1920's to the late 1970's, Alfred Hitchcock has made a staggering amount of films and has been known as 'the master of the suspense'.

When I came across his films for the first time about four years ago, I was just amazed at his style of film-making and how a lot of his films look to be timeless. A typical Hitchcock film will consist of, interesting characters, a lot of tense moments, a cameo from Alfred himself and an abrupt and sometimes poor ending.

The London born director will probably be seen as the greatest director to never win an Oscar. Nominated 5 times, I and many others always seem shocked when we hear of his record at the Academy Awards. Despite that, his films are high up in many peoples lists of great films of all-time and this top 10 could be one of the best I've ever made.

Great films that have sadly missed out are To Catch A Thief, Spellbound, Notorious, Suspicion, Rebecca, Saboteur and many others.

Before I announce my top 10, I must say that if you are reading this and never seen or not watched many of Hitch's films, then I strongly recommend you do.

Out of his 56 films, I have seen 30 of them. I will rank all of the ones that I have seen and give a short review for each of my top 10:

30) Topaz
29) Torn Curtain
28) Secret Agent
27) The Wrong Man
26) Jamaica Inn

25) Sabotage
24) I Confess
23) Foreign Correspondent
22) Lifeboat
21) The Trouble With Harry
20) The 39 Steps
19) Marnie
18) Frenzy
17) The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956)
16) To Catch A Thief
15) Suspicion
14) Spellbound
13) Notorious
12) Rebecca
11) Saboteur

10) North By Northwest - When a simple working man gets mistaken for an agent by foreign spies, he is pursued across the country looking for a way to survive.

With some memorable scenes and lead by the magnificent Cary Grant, this is seen as one of Hitchcock's greats.

9) The Lady Vanishes - A real oldie and probably the breakthrough film that recognised Hitchcock's talents as a director.

When travelling across Europe, a young lady notices a passenger is missing and she gets help from several other passengers to work out this mysterious disappearance.

8) Strangers On A Train - An important film for me personally as it became the 3,000th film that I have seen. I am glad that I chose this one.

Being released almost in the middle of Hitch's 20 year strong purple patch, this definitely has all the things you know and love with the master of the suspense's film-making.

When an odd stranger bumps into a tennis star, a theory about murder is discussed, and then suddenly becomes a real plan.

7) Shadow Of A Doubt - I will never forget this first time I saw this. With its terrifying performance and the unforgettable and haunting performance by Joseph Cotton, Shadow Is A Doubt is a chilling tale.

When a young woman discovers that her uncle is not who he claims to be, it is up to her to reveal his true identity.

6) Rope - Famously set in real-time, Rope is a remarkable achievement for its time and by Hitchcock.

When two friends murder one of their classmates, they decide to hide the body in their apartment and invite his classmates friends to challenge the perfection of their crime.

5) Dial M For Murder - Only recently seen this and have been wanting to for the past couple of years.

When a husband discovers his wife is having an affair, he hires a hit-man to conduct the perfect crime.
But when things go wrong, he has to resort to Plan B.

4) Rear Window - A really interesting subject that Hitchcock has chosen.

When a photographer injures his leg, his time off consisted of him spying on his fellow residents. Over time, he begins to suspect that one of his neighbours has murdered his wife.

A great presentation into the world of voyeurism.

3) The Birds - This film really changed me and I feel it to be one of the greatest films I have ever seen.

When a wealthy lady meets a potential boyfriend, she follows him to a small costal town, where the suddenly the birds for some reason start attacking her and soon the whole town.
With one of the scariest finales I have ever seen, I will never look at birds in the same way ever again.

2) Vertigo - Another chilling a tense presentation as we see James Stewart and Kim Novak take on the leading roles.

When a retired detective that suffers from acrophobia investigates the going on of a friends wife. Over time, he suddenly becomes a bit too interested in her daily life.

1) Psycho - Hitchcock's masterpiece. This big hit from 1960 changed the way of film-making.

When a young secretary steals a large amount of money, she goes on the run and stops at this remote motel ran by a strange character that is dominated by his mother.

With one of the most memorable scenes in film, Psycho will be seen as a timeless classic.

Review: Guardians Of The Galaxy

For the last few years, the new release of a Marvel film is always seen as one of the big film events of the year.
Usually we have had three to deal with, but this year we now have four brand new installments.

However, this one is something completely new to the Marvel cinematic universe and not a sequel or prequel.

We have the ultimate band of misfits that is also considered to be the B-team Avengers. They consist of an outlaw, an assassin, a mad man, a tree and a raccoon.

With a premise like that, most people would think 'How can this be successful with the mainstream audience?'. What director James Gunn and his team have basically done is embrace the bonkers source material and not take itself seriously whatsoever.
You would think that the studios might have asked Marvel to play safe and gone down the same serious dark route with a lot of previous material. But despite the Guardians Of The Galaxy being pretty unfamiliar with the general public, I am hoping a lot of people will praise this, because it deserves to be.

For a story line that has gone to a whole new part of the Marvel cinematic universe, it is pure fun to watch. The pace and tone of it gave me such a delight that it confirmed to me how much of a successful recipe a sci-fi with a swashbuckling element to it makes it so enjoyable to watch.
We are introduced to so many new characters that you would think it would all feel rushed. It did feel like that at times, but only after seeing it. During the film, you seemed to understand the characters but not be insulted with someone basically explaining their motives in such an obvious way on screen.

There are several big positives to come out of this. With this involving a handful of main characters, they each need their time on screen so you can get to know more more. I felt, like in Avengers Assemble, there was a nice mixture of everyone contributing and having their moment on screen.
Chris Pratt holds it all together. His performance as Peter Quill a.k.a Starlord will have people comparing him to Hans Solo in terms of his personality and motives. Pratt gives a wonderful charm to his character that gives us a great mix of arrogance and vulnerability to Quill.
Zoe Saldana never fails as Gamora. Everything she seems to do works every time. There is a surprising performance from Dave Bautista. More known for his accomplishments in the WWE, his portrayal of Drax gave us another interesting addition to the group that produced some great one-liners and many of the laughs. As for Bradley Cooper voicing Rocket, I was actually struggling to picture him doing the voice which is usually seen as a positive as that means you do not see the character as Cooper, but Rocket.
The character Vin Diesel voiced (Groot) did steal a few scenes for me. With the lack of dialogue for Diesel to do, it was a case of the digital artists working their magic to gives such a nice character to engage with.
As for the rest of the characters, they all played their part wonderfully. Most notably, Michael Rooker who at times looked more threatening than the main villains.
When they all interact, there is great chemistry and memorable moments that gives us ideal development for any upcoming sequels.
I have to further praise the director as Gunn never lost sight of his ambitions with this movie compared to others who seem to drop the ball in the final act. With Marvel being known for their tongue-in-cheek moments, Guardians Of The Galaxy produced a new dose of humor. It does burst out with odd moments of comedy and even dares to mention some of the weirdest things to amuse you that somehow work.

The only negatives that I got out of the film were only minor. One negative I can see a lot of people talking about was the villains being seen quite weak. With the villains in this one, I thought they were fine. But I agree, since the performance of Tom Hiddleston's Loki, it is likely we will not find a better villain.
There were also times at the start where it felt a bit rushed, but I think that was because I was still adjusting myself to this new and fairly unknown franchise. There were a few silly bits that I felt were too much for its own good. I know the film was not taking itself too seriously, but occasionally they went a step over the line. But like I said, I am only nit-picking here.

This is definitely one of the best films to come out of Marvel Studios. There is so much going on that you may need multiple viewings to know all these worlds and characters. But for me, I felt it all clicked in the end, which is what the makers were hoping to achieve.
One big thing that makes Guardians Of The Galaxy a triumph is that the group would naturally be seen as a band of losers with no class or charisma. But you can see the director has confidence in these characters and believes in the source material and can see why this group has been such a success in the Marvel graphic novels.
Marvel has certainly created something that on paper looks like nonsense. But they have made it fun, smart and wonderful on its own merits.

If you feel a bit nervous in going to see this, then the best advice I can give is to just go with it. We are far away from Earth in this one and you will not be familiar in the surroundings. But as the film goes on at a romping pace, you get introduced to some ridiculous personalities that you just embrace and want to see more of.

As for the post credits scene, it is one that I am afraid only the graphic novel aficionado's will understand. I was fine with it as I sort of understood why they chose that, but I also felt disappointed. But every time I see something that I did not fully understand, I have to keep reminding myself about Marvel's grand plan that is still in its early years of development.

This has certainly been a great year for Marvel films and I think they saved the best till last. 2015 will have a lot to live up to.

Rating: 8/10