Review: Tomorrowland: A World Beyond

Any Disney film, whether it be animated or not always has the potential to be a huge success. But in an era of sequels, prequels and franchises, it is definitely a gamble to go for something original.

We now have their latest live-action spectacle Tomorrowland (based on the theme park within Disneyland), and it is directed by Brad Bird.
He is many peoples favorite director for doing family adventure stories. His filmography includes The Iron Giant, The Incredibles, Ratatouille and Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol.

Most of his work seems to have been set around the 1950's-60's and have a space exploration related story to it. During a time when the imagination and wonder of space was a huge discussion topic, Bird grasps that era with both hands with a handful of instant classics. Tomorrowland is no different.

One thing I liked about the build-up to this was the general secrecy of the plot, which you don't often see with summer blockbuster trailers these days.
I admired that hugely as every other blockbuster seems to give way too much in trailers to reel in the audiences. Therefore, it leaves us very little surprise moments when actually seeing the film on the big screen.

From the start, you can see Bird's hand-prints all over it. It involves a family with each member having an interesting story. The film is going at a romping pace, and there is a great sense of wonder. Everything I like with his films is in this, especially in the first two-thirds. There is a lot of great action set-pieces including one that has so many references to not only Bird's other films, but a lot of classic sci-fi's that we all know. The gadgets used in this were quite impressive and they almost rivaled the one's used in Niel Blomkamp's sci-fi films.

However, the final third is where it starts to lose it. It starts to lose track of its execution and idea, and we start to come out of the escapism. But thankfully, I still think it just about held it together in the end, and I think it is another success for Bird and his team.
The big problem with the final part was probably the script, which lead by Damon Lindelof, who also did the screenplay for Prometheus. That is a film where I think the writing let itself done despite the amazing potential of it.

The performances as a whole were very good. George Clooney play the male lead and was as good as you know Clooney can be. You feel safe when he is on screen and his character is always confident, self-assured and has great chemistry with his much younger co-stars.
Britt Robertson was a solid female lead. Apparently I've seen her in minor roles in some films, but for me this was my introduction to Robertson. She played her character really well, I cared for her and her transformation throughout for film was an entertaining one.
Hugh Laurie contributed well in his minor role. His voice always sucks you in, so props to the casting team for this choice.
But for me, the star of the show is 12-year old Raffey Cassidy. It may be a minor role, but her charm and sassiness was a huge surprise and I can see her being the biggest positive in everyone else's reviews.
It was also nice seeing Pierce Gagnon play a role after his terrific performance in Looper.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It may not be as much of an instant classic as most of Bird's previous films, but it is a welcomed addition.
The majority of the film is brilliantly made old-fashioned family entertainment. Sadly, the final part of the film is a let-down, was not executed and felt anti-climatic. That will stop me from giving a very good grade. But despite that, this is a great story with a real sense of adventure that we know Bird excels in.
Lindelof was definitely the weak link as his track-record with scripts definitely affected the final set-piece. Like in Prometheus, his script seemed to throw up more questions and not be able to answer them.

However, this film felt really inspiring and was a great throwback to those great sci-fi/adventure classics like E.T., Flight Of The Navigator and many others. I'm glad that something new has been made and done well. I remember hearing Brad Bird declining the role as director for the new Star Wars film as he really wanted to do Tomorrowland. I can see why, as his love and determination is poured all over this enjoyable feature. I hope this gets a lot of love and that my review does not see me as a Brad Bird fan-boy trying to defend it.

Rating: 7/10

My Top 10: George Clooney Films

For the past 20 years, George Clooney has become one of the popular actors and one of the big Hollywood sex symbols of the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

His breakthrough came on TV, most notably on the popular American hospital drama E.R. From the late 90's, Clooney started being put on the big screen. The rest is history.
Clooney has been in many films with some of the best directors and has been involved in his fair share of Oscar success.

My top 10 seems pretty set when looking at his filmography. I'm sure there are still some big performances left to come out of him.

Before I announce my top 10, I must mention that I have discounted his roles in South Park: Bigger, Longer And Uncut and The Thin Red Line. Sadly, the roles were for one small scenes in each. So for that reason, I had to dis-credit them within this list.

Out of his 49 films, I have seen 27 of them. I will rank all of the films I have seen, and give a short review for each of my top 10:

27) Batman & Robin
26) Ocean's Twelve
25) The Monuments Men
24) Ocean's Thirteen
23) The Men Who Stare At Goats
22) Intolerable Cruelty
21) The Peacemaker
20) Out Of Sight
19) Confessions Of A Dangerous Mind
18) The Ides Of March
17) The Good German
16) One Fine Day
15) Hail, Caesar!
14) The Descendants
13) Money Monster
12) Three Kings
11) Fantastic Mr. Fox

10) From Dusk Till Dawn - Quite a popular 90's action feature. It sees Clooney team-up with Quentin Tarantino in the leading roles as two criminals seek temporary refuge in an establishment that is run by people that are not who they seem to be.
I remember being completely shocked at the big twist in the film and it made for an enjoyable watch.

9) Good Night, And Good Luck - A tense newsroom drama based on the true events of a journalist taking down an American Senator.

With David Strathairn leading the way, Clooney plays the journalists co-producer.

It's short, sweet and straight to the point.

8) Tomorrowland: A World Beyond - Clooney's latest project as he stars in Brad Bird's latest family adventure.

Clooney plays a genius inventor banished from a place that is looking for hope for the future of mankind.
With the help of new recruit, the future may be saved.

7) Up In The Air - A clever romantic drama that sees Clooney play a man whose job it is to travel the country on a plane to fire people working for big organisations.

But with a trainee shadowing him, his lifestyle is turned upside-down with a potential love interest.

6) The Perfect Storm - I remember the hype surrounding its release. Since then, it is has been getting massively mixed review.

I found it to be very enjoyable. It has a stellar cast and terrific tension and emotion.

It sees a bunch o fisherman get caught up in an unusually intense storm and puts their lives in mortal danger.

5) Burn After Reading - I usually think a lot of the Coens brothers films are very good, but I don't fall head over heels for them.
However, this is one that I would happily watch multiple times.

The plot is quite hard to explain. But the whole tone of it is very funny which some brilliant performances, especially by Brad Pitt.

4) Michael Clayton - A brilliantly tense mystery drama about a lawyer on the run from his firm's fixer after breaking down when trying to defend a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a billion dollar law suit.

It is quite a chase and one that Clooney holds so well.

3) O Brother, Where Art Thou? - The Coen brothers return again, in an odd yet highly entertaining story.

It sees three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a tenacious lawman pursued them.

It is definitely one of the strangest Coen brothers film, and yet it works for me over all the others.

2) Ocean's Eleven - This could well the ultimate heist movie, and is one of the few re-makes that is by far superior to the original.

It sees a group of highly skilled people team up to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

Clooney plays Danny Ocean who leads the group. His past drives him to starting this whole operation.

It is slick, fast-paced and great fun.

1) Gravity - A visual extravaganza set in space that sees a pair of astronauts survive an incident that destroyed their shuttle.

With one (played by Clooney) on his last mission, the other a first-timer (played by Sandra Bullock), they are both left adrift in space looking for a way to get back home.

It is amazing to watch on the big screen in 3D. Even on the small screen, the story and characters are enhanced. It is one of the best films of the current decade.

Review: Mad Max: Fury Road

Up until the start of 2015, I had only ever known of the Mad Max franchise. Now I have seen it. But shortly before that, I had got interested by Mad Max by seeing the trailer for this latest installment. The style and no holds barred tone of it made the trailer the best I have seen for any upcoming film in 2015.
 
Despite hearing that you do not really need to see the previous films to understand this one, I still had the feeling that I needed to see the trilogy. The first one for me was a good revenge story with great action and effective camerawork. The second one (Road Warrior) was more of the Mad Max I had heard of. Set in a apocalyptic future where everyone is battling for fuel, which is essentially Waterworld in the desert. It is definitely the best one of the three. The third and most recent one was not that good, which was a real shame. There is a good idea there, but it seems they just have not told an interesting enough story yet.

Now 30 years later, we are back with a fourth installment. However, unlike most recent 80's re-boots, the director from the original franchise is returning also. George Miller began this famous Australian franchise and I am glad to see a director do this and see if this idea can be successful in the 21st century.

When I saw the Mad Max films, I could definitely see an interesting idea in there. But I think the low budget and limited film technology prevented us from seeing how good this could have been.
After seeing the trailer, I was confident that Miller and his team seems to have fully grasped the use of 21st century filming technology.

From the very first scene, you can tell this film is not going to let up on the high octane action. You get dumped straight into this post apocalyptic world and you begin to understand why everyone has gone slightly mad.
It will feel like being hurled straight in the middle of a roller-coaster ride, the engines are revving and the fires are blazing full of vengeance and redemption. This can only be, Mad Max.

We see the continuing adventures of Max and from what I can tell it looks like it is set between Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome.
A lot of new characters are introduced and we get to understand a lot more about how to live in this horrific apocalyptic world.

I can safely say this is the action film we have been waiting for. Its wonderful and eagerly awaited high use of practical effects could be matched by The Dark Knight trilogy from any other recent action films.
We have several rip-roaring vintage chase scenes that brings you straight back into the style of film-making Miller did in the first two Mad Max's. But what makes an action film successful is the addition of an interesting story with characters you really care for.

This has tons of it. From the brutal war-lords, to the inspiring freedom fighters. Fury Road is a white-knuckle ride that needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible.
Everything about it screams grand-scale. This is Miller's baby and it looks like nobody was going to get in the way of his vision that began in 1979. I am so happy that he and his team has made great use of the modern filming technology, and they have made it a visual feast.

But I must remind you that even with those action set-pieces taking place, there is heart to this film with its touching humanistic story.
That story is pushed by many great performances. Despite Tom Hardy playing the main character, this is clearly Charlize Theron's film as she plays the female lead. While Theron leads the way, we do eventually see Hardy shine as the Max we all know in the final third.
Hardy is known for being a big fan of practical effects. Which is mainly why he is involved with films by Christopher Nolan. I think Miller could be a welcomed addition to help expand Hardy's filmography.

I must give an honorable mention to Nicholas Hoult who was a great supportive role. I also noticed appearances by Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley, Zoe Kravitz, Nathan Jones and an unrecognizable Josh Helman. Also, I noticed the actor who plays the main villain looked like someone familiar from the original Mad Max. It turned out I was completely right and felt that that was a nice touch to add something from the films that started all of this.

Overall, I thought it was very impressive, lots of fun and it is definitely the action extravaganza that hopefully sends a message out to everyone else that relies far too much on CGI action set-pieces.
The action does not seem to know how to stop and I hugely admire Miller's enigmatic tone and style as it is something we do not get from many recent summer blockbusters.
The on-screen relationship of Hardy and Theron is touching and is nice relief whilst we recover from one massive action set-piece to the next. The soundtrack is exhilarating and the style of editing really sends you back to the 80's where action were probably at their best. I really hope this gets recognized at the Oscars. The categories that it has the best chance of being noticed in are editing, cinematography, costume design, production design and visual effects.
Despite you not really needing to see previous Mad Max films, there are actually some small hints and references to the original trilogy which was nice to see.

Fury Road definitely needs to be experienced in the cinema, and is probably the first 2015 film that I can see ending up in my top 10 at the end of the year.

Rating: 8/10

My Top 10: Tom Hardy Films

It was in 2011 where we first caught a glimpse of Tom Hardy. But it was really in 2008 where we started to really see his talent as one of the top leading actors of the last 10 years.

Known for mostly playing hard-faced character with a lot of muscle behind them, Hardy is slowly being involving in powerful character-driven dramas.
I can see it only being a matter of time before we see contend for the major awards.

With his acting career only really taking shape from his early 20's, I can see him flourishing long into his middle-aged years.
You will tell from my top 10 that it is already an impressive list. But this guy's career is only just beginning. So be sure to keep an eye on the list over the next few years as I already know he has a few big films currently in the works at the moment.

Out of his 38 films, I have seen 21 of them. I will rank all of the films I have seen, and give a short review of each of my top 10:

21) RocknRolla
20) Venom
19) This Means War
18) Star Trek: Nemesis
17) The Drop
16) Child 44
15) Capone

14) Venom: Let There Be Carnage
13) Lawless
12) Legend
11) Bronson

10) Layer Cake - A wonderful crime thriller directed by Matthew Vaughn. It sees Daniel Craig lead as a cocaine dealer being given two tough assignments on the eve of his early retirement. It is British gangster at its best.

We see a early developed Hardy as a minor role, but it is still a notable enough role to be included in this list.

9) Dunkirk - Christopher Nolan's latest feature that portrays one the infamous Dunkirk evacuation during World War II.

It is both impactful and highly visceral. Nolan's non-linear style of story-telling still manages to work.

Hardy stars as a Spitfire pilot providing air support during the evacuation.

8) Mad Max: Fury Road - Hardy brings back a character that introduced us to Mel Gibson.
Director George Miller returns to make a Mad Max for the 21st century and stays true to his previous three installments.

The action is raw, crazy and beautifully made. But unlike other Mad Max films, there are some real depth and a lot more interesting characters.

7) Black Hawk Down - A bit like Layer Cake, this is Hardy in a small role. But it is enough to make this top 10 list.
This is Ridley Scott's highly successful war thriller. It sees a group of American soldiers rescuee two of their own, who are taken hostage by a Somalian warlord after their helicopter crashed on enemy territory.

6) Locke - A snappy 85 minute drama set only in a car.

It sees Hardy play a construction manager having to drive off during the biggest part of his working career.

The film sees a series of phone calls change his life forever.

5) Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - A bleak spy thriller that we do not see a lot these days.
Based on the classic John Le Carre novel, it sees a semi-retired MI6 spy (played by Gary Oldman) ordered by his boss to uncover a Soviet spy working within their own organisation.

The cast is the cream-del-la-creme of British talent at the moment. Hardy plays a helpful informant to Oldman's character.

4) Warrior - A sport film that manages to make Rocky seem like a slap in the face compared to this huge uppercut of a film.

Hardy plays a former boxer returning from the army being trained by his Dad to compete in a mixed martial arts tournament.

His path manages to make a collision course with this older brother. It is engrossing viewing that really makes you want to achieve big in your life by the end of it.

3) The Revenant - Hardy's latest venture, this time in a supporting role. But his performance is a real showstopper in this brutal drama about the events of frontiersman Hugh Glass (played by Leonardo DiCaprio).
With the high-quality cinematography and landscape to contend with, Hardy gives such an intimidating character whilst giving us another classic physical performance that only Hardy can do.

2) The Dark Knight Rises - The final part of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy.
Eight years after the events of the Joker's anarchic movements within Gotham, Batman is forced into exile.
That is until a new threat played by Hardy arrives and he is set to dramatically deform the entire city.

Anything directed by Nolan means high-quality story-telling with some interesting ideas. It never fails to impress me.

1) Inception - Director Christopher Nolan's masterpiece that sees a near future where taking valuable information by sharing peoples dreams is one of the most dangerous jobs.

It is highly ambitious and Nolan does what he does best and creates possibly the iconic film of the decade.

Hardy plays a minor as a dream conman. His suave personality gives the film a nice bit of added class.

My Top 10: Samuel L. Jackson Films

Probably one of the most popular and likable actors of the last 25 years, and yet he is more known for being in a supporting role. Samuel L. Jackson is usually cast as a bad-ass or 'no holds barred' character that steals the show.

For anyone that has not seen any film involving Mr. Jackson, you will sometimes see him in a gangster film. But mainly, it will be action blockbusters or films directed by Quentin Tarantino. Lately it has been superhero films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

My top 10 is pretty impressive and the list looks like it is set in stone in terms of the films that have been released.
Before I show my list, I must mention that I will not be including Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Inglourious Basterds. This is because we only hear him narrate a few scenes, or appear briefly in one scene.

Out of his staggering 123 films, I have only seen 44 of them. I will rank all of the films I have seen, and give a short review for each of my top 10:

44) xXx2: The Next Level
43) S.W.A.T.
42) Deep Blue Sea
41) Snakes On A Plane
40) The 51st State
39) The Long Kiss Goodnight
38) xXx
37) Star Wars: Episode II - Attack Of The Clones
36) Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children
35) The Other Guys
34) Turbo
33) Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
32) Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith
31) The Legend Of Tarzan

30) The Marvels
29) Iron Man 2
28) Captain Marvel

27) Oldboy
26) Kingsman: The Secret Service
25) RoboCop
24) Loaded Weapon 1
23) Lakeview Terrace
22) Patriot Games
21) Spider-Man: Far From Home
20) A Time To Kill
19) Jackie Brown
18) Avengers: Age Of Ultron
17) Unbreakable
16) Black Snake Moan
15) Hard Eight
14) Coach Carter
13) Captain America: The Winter Soldier
12) The Banker
11) The Negotiator

10) Glass - Jackson returns to the final part of M. Night Shyamalan's Unbreakable trilogy where he returns as the deadly Mr. Glass.

This is thrilling, tense and exciting climax to a trilogy that certainly takes on a different approach to the superhero genre.

9) Incredibles 2 - The long awaited sequel to the 2004 Pixar original sees Jackson return as Frozone, a super and best friend to the Parr family.

Jackson's character might continue to be a support, his contributions are still highly memorable.

8) The Hateful Eight - Unlike many of his films, Jackson leads the way in Quentin Tarantino's latest western feature.

When a blizzard in Wyoming brings a collection of people to a cabin, chaos ensues.

Jackson's character is highly entertaining and you instantly root for him.

7) Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese's epic gangster drama that sees of group of friends work their way up the hierarchy within a mob.

It is vintage Scorsese and the performances all-round are fantastic.

Jackson is not in the movie for long, but he still plays an important enough role to be part of this list.

6) Avengers Assemble - The first Avengers film that marked the end of Marvel's first phase of their cinematic universe.
Despite fears of it being bloated with too many characters, director Joss Whedon pulled it off beautifully.
Jackson plays Nick Fury who brought the Avengers together. His leadership is crucial in the film that helps move the film along and sets us up with some nice moments between the Avengers themselves.

5) Die Hard With A Vengeance - The third Die Hard in the film franchise and definitely the best challenger to the original.

Bruce Willis is back as John McClane. An old adversary returns to plot revenge after the events from the first Die Hard.

Jackson gives us a terrific performance as a store owner that ends up getting involved and helping McClane.

4) Django Unchained - Quentin Tarantino's latest installment that sees his Spaghetti Western style of film-making finally be used in the West.
It sees a bounty hunter help a free slave find his wife who has been taken by a plantation owner.
Jackson plays the plantation owner's head servant.
His creepy and slimy performance definitely steals the show. Tarantino really knows how bring the best out of Jackson.

3) Jurassic Park - One film that needs to be seen for the first time during your childhood.

People almost forget that Jackson plays a big supporting role in Steven Spielberg's 90's classic.

Jackson plays the chief engineer of Jurassic Park and delivers some of the most memorable lines within the film.

Everyone knows this is one of the biggest modern classics.

2) Pulp Fiction - Seen as one of the greatest films of all-time and the film that defined director Quentin Tarantino's career.
It sees four stories gradually intertwine. We see hit-men, a boxer, a mobster's wife and a pair of bandits.

Jackson plays one of the two hit men and it is one of his few lead roles. He produces such a presence that his character has become one of the most popular of all-time.

1) The Incredibles - One of Pixar's greatest and most enjoyable films.
We see a world where superheroes exist and live among us.
Whilst superheroes are currently banned, one family is forced to expose themselves to save the world.

Jackson plays a supportive role as Frozone, a superhero who is the best friend to the main hero Mr. Incredible.