Review: Captain America: Civil War

After the huge success of Deadpool, the pressure is certainly on for the three other Marvel films to match or surpass their success. Especially when two of them are fairly established franchises.

Their latest release is probably the most anticipated of the four as we see Captain America return for a third time. The films centered on Steve Rodgers have probably the most held together films within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I really like both The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier and the character of Captain America played by Steve Rodgers has become my favourite Avenger by far. However, the majority just consider The Winter Soldier to be the only good Captain America film and also one of the best films out of Marvel.

As usual, I have avoided the trailers for this as I was going to see this whatever it was going to show me.

Even though this is officially the third Captain America film, the marketing campaign has it looking more like a third Avengers film. Another marketing device their team has created is whether you are on #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan. I think you can work it out that I am all about Cap.

Thankfully, it is first and foremost a Captain America film. But with some lovely bits of Avengers action in it as well.

The first half sets us up nicely with some interesting character development as we see why the lines are being drawn within The Avengers. There are great tie-ins with The Winter Soldier which was helping me confirm that this is a pure Captain America film. It was also great to see characters that we already know so much about still have depth that we did not know about.
Into the second half, and the film-makers have deserved to go into all-out action. However, not only do we get the showdown that we wanted. They are still giving us an interesting character study of everyone involved at the same time.

Civil War probably has some of the best action I have seen in a Marvel film. It was so much better then I expected. One big reason that I loved the action a lot was thanks to the build-up, the tension and the great character development we see in each Avengers member.
As for the big battle royale moment that we have been waiting for. It is great to watch and is a wonderful highlight. You can tell the directors love the source material as they were showing some interesting match-ups throughout this set-piece that ended either jaw-dropping or very funny results. For me, Ant-Man stole the show in that particular set-piece, and I hope you agree with me once you have seen it.

With another over-blown ensemble, there was always the potential of the too many cooks in the room cliche. Thankfully, it gave a nice balance for everyone to have their moment on screen much like in Avengers Assemble. Chris Evans continues to show that he was born to play Steve Rodgers. Robert Downey Jnr. was more subtle this time as Tony Stark, but still played his role well. Sebastian Stan really stepped it up for me as The Winter Soldier which was great to see. Elizabeth Olsen and Emily VanCamp were probably the best of the other supportive roles. For the small period he was on screen, Paul Rudd was great and made me want to see more of him. It was also great to see more of Anthony Mackie's character compared to his virtual cameo in Avengers: Age Of Ultron.
One character lots of people were intrigued to see, was Tom Holland as the first Spider-Man we have seen in a film being made by Marvel Studios. He could well possibly be the best on-screen Spiderman/Peter Parker we have seen so far even though he is on screen for a short while. I will still have to wait till his own film comes out before I start confirming that previous statement.
Another new character was Black Panther. It was an ok introduction to Chadwick Boseman. However, I did not feel I knew enough about him just yet. But thankfully, we will be getting a solo Black Panther film in a couple of years time.

Even though I was 'Team Cap' at the start. You do feel both sides opinion throughout the film and struggle to pick only one side. This film really makes us show our heroes become vulnerable and flawed and it makes you question them like we do with our real-life celebrities.

Despite are heroes facing-off, we still managed to get a villain in this. But sadly, this ended up being my biggest negative. Like with nearly all Marvel villains, he did not provide any real threat and you will easily forget him after seeing the film. In fact, I might go all-out and say that it was the worst villain we have had. However, it was nice to see Daniel Bruhl play the villain as I am a fan of his work.

Despite that, it ended up being the type of superhero film that gave me hope in a genre that many feel they are getting bored by. This is certainly getting me excited for the next batch of films coming are way.
The 2hrs 27mins duration flew by for me. Whilst having similarities with Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. Civil War has a tone to make it an enjoyable watch compared to its DC counterpart that felt like an endurable watch.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo continue to show us that superhero movies can have depth, can have layers and most importantly be a great watch at the same time. We saw it with The Winter Soldier, we now see it Civil War and these two talented directors have now got both Infinity War films to contend with which is becoming Marvel's grand finale. Well all I can say is that Marvel is safe hands when this dynamic duo is at the helm.

One added note. There is a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene. Both are ok, but nothing highly exciting.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Hush

This is only the second Netflix Original film that I have planned to see. What's even more rare is that it is a horror, and I'm sure many of you know how very few horrors attract me to see at the cinema.

Whilst hearing good things about it and the concept sounding quite interesting, I thought I would give this chance. Especially when 2016 looks to be the year to discover the years best horror films for yourself. I have already done well with finding Goodnight Mommy, The Witch and Green Room.

I can safely add this one to the roster of really interesting horror films released in 2016. The first 20 minutes sets you up for a unique twist on the home invasion sub-genre. I really liked the concept and how it was cleverly introduced. It really makes you think of what would happen in real life if this situation occurs. It also used that concept with modern technology which added to the tension in the opening third of the film. Another part of the film that was enhancing the concept was the sound design. You will understand the sound design would relate to the concept once you have seen it.

There are moments of either slowness or generic horror. But the slick cinematography and directing can still make it look fresh underneath the main idea of the story.
The second half goes down some unexpected paths that again are executed really well. It included one clever moment that had proper fooled. Props to director Mike Flanagan and his team for that particular scene.
As for the finale, I liked it and I felt it rounded the story off well.

The cast is one of the smallest I have seen, but they all played their part really well. Kate Siegel as our leading character was great. She felt believable, easy to root for and every moment she did a bit of action, I felt like punching the air and wanting her to succeed.
The villain in this film who I will not name for reason that will be explained in the film played the role well and felt really well developed. The character felt more cunning then threatening. It felt like they were playing games with our main character which definitely gave the character some intelligence which you don't see in many horror villains.

If you look at my rating, my review does not seem to match my rating. The reason I am giving that particular rating, is mainly due to the good stuff not being strong enough to give it a higher rating. Bar the idea, the concept is not ground-breaking my general feeling  just seemed to fit into the rating I have given it. Also, there was one moment towards the end that felt like a big plot-hole.

I think you can tell that I am really championing this one. It is good fun, well acted and the directing is great. You can definitely that Flanagan loves this particular genre. His style definitely had me on the edge of my seat for pretty much the whole film. I liked the twists that were being made including that I don't recall seeing in any horror film so early into it. It definitely gave the film a different look about it.

This films shows that with a small cast, little dialogue and a simple concept with an added interesting idea can become really good films, and this one most certainly is. Also, its short and snappy duration of 81 mins was nice to see. I liked films that have a good idea and are straight to the point with it, rather than over-longing it to 2 hours or more.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Louder Than Bombs

This was the film that looked to have a very profound theme when I saw the trailer. However, I saw the trailer quite a while ago and was struggling to remember I chose to watch this. Therefore, I decided to not re-watch it and then see the film itself to remind why I chose it.

Now that I have seen it, I can now see why the trailer intrigued me.

This is certainly the type of film that could get a different response from everyone as it explains an event that we can react in many different ways.
Also, the style of editing was very similar to a film that I have recently seen called Demolition. It pretty much covers the same subject matter and is edited in the same sort of way. Mixing in scenes from the present, past and having the occasional dream sequence seems to be a winning recipe and is one I can watch all the time.

However, I did not feel as captivated with this as I was with Demolition. But it remains a fascinating watch with some top performances.

I had seen very little of Isabelle Huppert. So little in fact, that I do not remember her at all. However, Huppert gave such a memorable performance and ended up being the biggest draw in my opinion. Another actor that I have seen so little of that I have pretty much forgotten is Gabriel Byrne. His performance was terrific and he gave us such an interesting and troubled character and it was great to watch him develop. Devin Druid was a great scene stealer also.
Despite being the biggest name in the film, Jesse Eisenberg was sidelined in what was a solid supportive role.

The whole thing reminded me at times of films like Demolition, as previously mentioned, Donnie Darko (which weirdly both star Jake Gyllenhaal) and American Beauty. They all have that tone which gives that slight sense of dreaminess between being awake and asleep.
That type of tone may look self-indulgent for some people, which I am fine with. I did not see that. It felt poetic, hypnotic and it won me over in the end.

Despite the positives not being strong enough or be as emotionally impactful as some other similar films, it is still a good watch. When a film about dealing with grievance works, it can be a great watch.
It had characters that I cared about and it was interesting seeing how different they all were despite being family related. All of them leading a double life was captivating viewing.

The small amount of comedy it has made me chuckle and could be important in its likability for everyone. This could be a great film to lift your spirits if you feel you are at your lowest point.

This is the type of film that I think may get under peoples skin in a good way and I hope it does.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Green Room

Despite not seeing any of his previous films, I have been excited for Jeremy Saulnier's latest feature for some time. I have been hearing good things about it from London and Sundance Film Festivals.

Beforehand, I did manage to see the film that made me first here of Sauliner, Blue Ruin. A lot of people like it. I did not think it was as good as people are saying. But I still thought it was a solid revenge thriller.

As for Green Room, this definitely has a more excited premise and Saulnier ups the violence a bit. There is also a couple of well known actors involved in this in the form of Patrick Stewart and Anton Yelchin. Like with all Saulnier's films, he does back down on the violence and it is never gratuitous. The second half does have moments where the peoples decisions seemed out of character. But I was still on-board with what was going on-screen.

The performances were really good overall. Yelchin leads and plays the under-dog role really well and gives us a character we can root for. Patrick Stewart is great also. He gives us a villain that may be dangerous, but never shows it and is always cold in the decisions he makes in the film.
Loads of great supportive roles by most notably Imogen Poots, Alia Shawkat, Joe Cole (not that one) and Callum Turner. It was also great to see Macon Blair return after playing the main character in Blue Ruin.

I definitely enjoyed this more than Blue Ruin. But I still feel we are only seeing hints of how great Saulnier can be. He continues to make films that look to end up being cult classics. While Blue Ruin was a slow-burner, the pacing is much more fast-paced and romping at times. It is really well shot and the grungy look of it seems to fit in well with the directors style.

The violence is brutal and stomach churning at times. But it all means something and is an integral part to the story. Speaking of the story, the script was pretty good and it is becoming an underrated success for Saulnier's films. The characters were given a surprising amount of depth to give them all enough time for you to care for them. However there were some parts of the dialogue that felt forced and forgettable.

Despite still feeling that Blue Ruin and Green Room are not as good most people say it is, I will still be interested what Saulnier makes next. He is a director that seems to be out of his time period. His genre based films fit more into the films that were being made in the 70's which is great to see. We need more directors like Saulnier and I will be interested to what his next project will be.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Son Of Saul

I have been really excited for this for sometime now. From the intense trailer, to it winning Best Foreign Language Film at this years Oscars, it has obviously been doing well for itself. Now, it is finally being released in the UK and if you check on IMDB, us and Ireland are the last two countries to get a theatrical release of this highly acclaimed Hungarian War Drama.

Despite it being set in a prisoner of war camp, it did not solely feel like a Holocaust movie at all. It was more about human morality and necessity.

Also, the style of camerawork is quite unique and makes you feel like you are right in the middle of it all. The effectiveness of that gives the film legs and real meaning compared to most war dramas. The production value is very impressive. It almost feels like a documentary, or the makers just went back in time and landed in the middle of the Holocaust.

It is definitely one of the best foreign language films of 2015. On initial reaction, I did not think the story was that intriguing. But eventually I was growing into it. However, I was more impressed with the performances and the look of it.

All the performances were great. They felt genuine and fitted in the tone and setting so perfectly. Obvious praise goes to the lead played by Geza Rohrig who was great as Saul. The mix of innocence and drive of his character was great to see develop before our very eyes.

The technical qualities this film has I was not expecting to be so strong. I liked the claustrophobic style of cinematography. It showed the brutality of the concentration camp really well. It truly feels like hell on earth.

I would probably not have given this the Oscar, but there is still a lot to like about it. It felt like what a prisoner-of-war film should, gritty, visceral and hard-hitting at times.
The story structure will have you having to fit all the piece by yourself. There is certainly no spoon-feeding in this story.

For this particular screening, I got to see this in 35mm. If you not aware of this, this is the old format that films used to be presented in. Then it went to 70mm, and now it is digital projection. If there is one near you, be sure to see in a format that fits in well with the period.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Eye In The Sky

It is not often that I choose to watch a new release in the same week of its release date. I remember doing it for Looper, and now I can add another. I had not even heard of this film. But all the reviews that were coming in had me interested and the trailer looked promising as well as a stellar cast.

Well, the first half got me totally on-board. I was interested in the characters, the situation, the tone and ideas it was addressing with not just modern-day warfare but with near-future warfare as some of the technology used is actually being tested right now.

However, the second half brings something into the main situation that I just was not a fan of. I get what they were trying to do, but I'm afraid it down-graded my enjoyment of it. Thankfully, there is a ballsy finale that I am glad they went for to make it a complete story.

While most of the action is about how the legality of air-strikes work and political propoganda, it was tense nevertheless. There is rarely action on-the-ground. But there is enough to keep everyone happy whilst concentrating on the big idea that the makers are going for.

By far the biggest draws in the performances are Helen Mirren and Alan Rickman in his final on-screen performance. I find Mirren to be constantly terrific and holds the film together really we. In an almost Captain Ahab-esque performance excels in a lead role that we do not see from her that often, especially now.
Despite that, this film will be remembered for Rickman's supporting role. Trust me, this is not a sympathetic comment to say how great this man is. The delivery of his lines brought a smile to my face and even made me laugh as he was the only bit of comedy throughout. Even his final speech was a really moving send-off. I would happily see this again just to see that scene again, as it was a real highlight.
Other notable performances were Aaron Paul, Jeremy Northern, Iain Glen and it was great to see Barkhad Abdi get another role under his belt after his terrific debut in Captain Phillips.

Eye In The Sky is really good in places but good for the most part. Sadly, that twist halfway through just did not please me at all. Director Gavin Hood who also did Ender's Game seems to make films that are stacked on ideas, especially in warfare. I am more than happy for Hood to keep doing this as I like his ambition whether is totally works for me or not.

I really liked the technology used in this, especially when the bits that may look sci-fi to some people may soon be truth in a few years time. Mirren and Rickman are the big attractions and well worth the price of admission. It is very watchable and gripping, especially in that great first half. It never plays safe and goes into some interesting and topical subjects.
If you are unsure whether to go and see this or not. Then watch it for the memory of Rickman, which is what the film dedicates it to at the start of the end credits.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Demolition

I did not know what to expect with this. I wanted to see it as I like really like Vallee's previous work such as Wild and Dallas Buyers Club and Jake Gyllenhaal was the lead. I really like Gyllenhaal. The choice of his films does have a lot of variety. But he always seems to shine in his roles.

By the end of it, I did not want the movie to end. It has been a whilesince that has happened.

When you break it down, the film sounds pretty odd. Yet, it remains to be compelling viewing and I was overwhelmed by it. It is one of those films that you just don't realise will entertain you despite the plot not sounding like something that would. While the film does go off into weird and off-beat tangents. It still felt natural and managed to not detract me from my overall enjoyment and it ended up being a pleasant surprise.

The performances were pretty good on the whole. Gyllenhaal as the lead is fantastic. You can tell he is having a lot of fun with this role and the dialogue that he is being given. With all the brilliant performances lately, Gyllenhaal is slowly becoming my favourite actor today. His on-screen relationship with Naomi Watss was believable and her performance really helped move the film along. Youngster Judah Lewis was great and his scenes with Gyllenhaal were the best bits of the film. The only other performance worth mentioning was Chris Cooper. An understated performance but one worth praising.

The terrific script manages to make these characters really likable in an odd sort of way. The dialogue gives us so many random and awkward conversations and discussion topics that manage to captivating viewing that sometimes end with hilarious results.

This ended up being a pleasant surprise and a film that I would happily own. Vallee and his team continue to impress me. The style of editing he has in his films manages to make us appreciate his vision with all of his chosen projects.

There are many great individual scenes in this film and managed to join together really well. The cast is terrific lead by another memorable performance by Gyllenhaal. You can feel the heart and passion in the making of this weirdly wonderful story. Whilst some of the film might make you heavy-hearted. There is a lot in here that will elevate your spirit. It has the perfect mix of being both amusing and moving.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Jungle Book

I was never much of a fan of the animated Jungle Book. I liked it. But I never placed it with the best from Walt Disney Animation Studios. I remember the live-action version from the mid 90's which I recall liking at the time. But I reckon it won't hold up if I ever re-watch it.

As for this "live-action" re-make, I purposely did not look at the trailers. With this getting a lot of positive remarks after seeing the trailer and early reports from America of the film. It sounded like I was in store for a fun film.

Well, I was utterly blown away. The visual effects are some of the best I have ever seen. To think that this was entirely filmed on a set in Los Angeles is hard to fathom. I might even say that it is master-piece in visual effects making as there was not one point that I felt I was not in the jungle.
It will be interesting if the visuals still hold up in 10 years time. This is because where are beginning to see films that is hard to see whether it is real or CGI.

I can see this doing incredibly well as both kids and adults can enjoy this. The story telling is very mature which I was highly delighted with. It may have scary parts that younger kids might not like, but it is a pure fun adventure story with some lovely nods to the animated original.
What I liked about paying homage to it was that it does enough of it to be its own thing also. From the opening and ending credits, to the subtle use of the original theme, to the clever use of the wonderful songs from the 1967 animation.

The performances were all great. Idris Elba was incredibly haunting and such a presence as Shere Khan. Bill Murray was fun and loving as Baloo. Props to the casting team for picking him. Neel Sethi was pretty solid as Mowgli. You can feel his inexperience at times which I was fine with as he was probably talking to no-one on green screen for pretty much all of his scenes I reckon which I can guess is a hard skill to have. Ben Kingsley was also a good Bagheera.
I loved Christopher Walken as King Louie. The design of Louie was jaw-dropping, and the type of character he was was very clever.
The introduction to Kaa voiced by Scarlett Johansson was brilliant. It was really atmospheric and fitted into the character perfectly. It was a shame as this character was massively under-used.

This also saw the last performance in a film by the now late Garry Shandling. He plays the voice of a porcupine called Ikki. Be sure to check out that character when watching.

For me, this will be my definitive Jungle Book and I will be amazed if this version gets trumped in the future. It is interesting to hear that a sequel has been announced already. If Favreau is back as director, then I will be excited to see what they can do to continue the story.
It is also interesting to see that a similar Jungle Book film was announced before this and is still being made with Andy Serkis at the helm. The reception to that will be interesting to see after the release of this.

Favreau has done an incredible job and I am looking forward to more projects that he is doing in the future. The voice work is phenomenal, the visual effects will be involved in possibly winning an Oscar, the music by John Debny was great and I loved the story and tone that they went for. It is a terrific pure family adventure story. I am so happy to have finally seen a Jungle Book film that I want to champion for the rest of my life.

Rating: 8/10

Review: Hardcore Henry

Even with film being over a century old, it is amazing that we can still create brand new ways of presenting a film. In the case of Hardcore Henry, it is showing an entire feature film from a first person point of view.

I decided not to watch the trailer as the concept and some of the people was enough to give me confidence that this in safe hands and that I will get a lot of enjoyment without the needs of a trailer viewing.

It is quite simply one of the craziest films I have ever seen. From the great opening credits to the intense finale, the action is so constant. At times, it does go over-the-top and at times throws the laws of physics out of the window. But on the whole, it is really well developed and choreographed and gradually ups the ante on the action set-pieces.

The first part of the film slowly gets you used to the unique style of camerawork whilst explaining the main premise of the film. Then once its give you that introduction, you hit the ground running in such an impactful way.
It never stops and the camerawork just gives that difference, because if it was done with conventional cinematography then this would probably just a solid action flick.

What I liked about it the most was the cool twists used, especially in the second half. I liked it, because on paper it sounds like a film with a cheap gimmick just to be different. But they also manage to give us a story with interesting use of sci-fi technology that managed to be part of my what could well be one of my favourite scenes from a movie this year.

The only role that is worth mentioning is Sharlto Copley's. The South African is well known for being part of gruesome sci-fi's District 9 and Elysium. I can definitely tell that these are the type of films that he likes being part of. He is given a character that actors love to do. It really expands his repertoire and was intrigued by where it was going.

A few gripes I had with the film. The amount of violence felt exhausting at times. There were moments where you could digest so much violence that I just could not take it all it and was on the verge of becoming over-blown.
As for the unique camerawork. It is impressive to see something completely new and props to that. But there were times my head was hurting at times. It is not quite motion-sickness, but it just gave me a headache. I hope I am not sounding like an old man.

Even though I enjoyed it a lot. In the end, it felt more like a trial for this camera format rather than giving us an interesting film whilst also giving us something new. It may sound harsh, but that's what was my main feeling afterwards.

There is a lot to like though. Copley is great as the main character we see from Henry's point of view. The one scene I have mentioned earlier will be on my mind for some time.
The intense action kept my eyes fixed as it is incredibly fast-paced and it makes you wanting to see every bit of action to see how mad this could get.

I love the idea and I am really happy to see new grounds still being broken within an industry that is over a century old. This could well be the best film for gamers even though it is based off one.

Rating: 7/10

Review: The Man Who Knew Infinity

A movie not getting much promotion despite the trailer feeling like your typical Oscar movie had me both confused and worried. Confused as to why this is not getting enough publicity, and worried as going to see it might explain why it is not getting mentioned. However, with a lot of positive reviews coming out of the film festivals, that was enough to find out if it deserves a mention.

Firstly, I had to search far and wide for a screening of this film. Luckily there were a few times that I was able to travel to. But it was at a cinema I have never been to.

My initial reaction to this was my surprise to see that this was a true story. It is a story that I was not aware of and I think many others will feel the same way.

As for the film as a whole, I enjoyed it but I was struggling to be overwhelmed by it. I don't know why, but it had the feeling of a TV movie at times. That is not a good remark to make. It is really hard to describe the reasoning for my analogy. The whole structure just felt too basic in my opinion for a story that was really interesting. Everything just felt expected and you just knew where everything was going and how it's going to end. Maybe I was just in the wrong mood to fully appreciate it. But I rarely change my mind on the overall felling of a film on a first viewing. All of that does not mean that I do not like it. I am just struggling to see where this has got many people thinking that this is a masterpiece. For me it is an interesting story told as simply as possible.

The performances as a whole were good. Jeremy Irons is by far the biggest stand-out as the main supporting role. His character was really well developed and I felt comfort and almost sanctuary whenever he was on screen. Dev Patel as the lead was pretty solid and kept the film moving along nicely. Also, his screen-partnership with Irons is great to watch and it is well developed especially when both of their characters have polarizing beliefs and speak the same language in the form of mathematics.
Not many minor roles that are worth mentioning. But it was nice to see Toby Jones and Stephen Fry on screen as they always play their roles well.

Despite me not feeling that the good stuff is strong enough, I don't have many massive negatives to mention. There was one moment where I was confused on the time that has passed in the film as there is a scene containing an object that was getting me thinking that we jumped to World War II despite the film beginning in 1920. Thankfully after a little research afterwards, it turns this particular object was used in World War I and therefore made sense as to why it was happening.

Even though a lot of my review sounds negative, I did enjoy this film. I just think that it could have been so much better. I liked the story, I knew nothing about it and I am glad that it is being brought onto the big screen.
It is definitely a crowd pleasing film that will play to the widest audience possible which you associate with a lot of popular Oscar films. However, I felt that the people making this did not do the story justice as it looked like the script could have been more challenging especially it involves mathematics, equations and all sorts. They explain the high-level maths well in the film. But only in very small doses.
It is a shame that this is not getting enough promotion as I think this will please many cinema-goers and get the box office that it deserves.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Victoria

After gaining a lot of interest due to the film being shot in one take. That and the exciting trailer managed to peak my interest to see what all the fuss was about.

The beginning was hard to adapt to. But as your eyes get adjusted to the style of camerawork, you then get involved with some nice character development.

Then we suddenly get a tense thriller for the entire second half that definitely ups the ante from an almost Richard Linklater-esque first half romantic drama.

The big sell is the single take. For a duration of 138 minutes, that is certainly an impressive achievement to construct everything so it flows nicely into the next scene and for everyone involved to not slip up on their lines, emotions and reactions. It is quite a challenge to keep this film entertaining without any passage of time moments. In the end, they manage to pull it off nicely.
But what makes this film a great watch is that the characters and story manages to overshadow the making of this and becomes the centrepiece throughout.

The performances are very convincing throughout and get better as the film turns up a notch in the second half. Props to the leading performance by Laia Costa. She is terrific from start to finish. The first half shows us a character with ambition and looking for her place in the world. Then we see a totally different side to her character that makes her even more watchable.
The rest of the main cast lead by Frederick Lau, Franz Rogowski, Burak Yigit and Max Mauff were all great supporting roles.

From a technical side, the cinematography is pretty good, especially in the tense final act. As for the single take, unlike films like Birdman and Rope that make clever editing to make it seem like one-take, this is the real deal. It is hard to imagine how they managed to construct a two hour film that is done in one-take and having to time everything to work within the setting.

The only part that bugged me was one scene towards the end where our lead character made a decision that made no sense in terms what type of person she has been in the film. It just did not feel right.

But apart from that, I really enjoyed this. You cannot ignore the technical achievement that it has created. It absorbs you into the setting and characters. However, having great performances with a gripping story made this more than just a gimmick. I liked the use of the different languages used in this. While our main character can speak Spanish and English, the other characters that she comes across speak German. There is a clever use of the other characters talking in German so that she does not understand what they are talking about, and it informs us what the supporting characters are really like which flows well into the thrilling second half.
This could easily be a great film even without the ambitious technical achievement.

Rating: 8/10

Review: The Huntsman: Winter's War

I thought Snow White And The Huntsman was serviceable at best with some nice visual effects and a good villain role by Charlize Theron. Naturally, I would probably not be interested in a sequel.

But as I am usually a sucker for fantasy and I was intrigued by the trailer and who was cast, I thought I would give it a chance.

I was going in with low expectations and felt pretty satisfied with what I saw. It is better and more enjoyable than its predecessor

The best things about it are definitely the costume designs and visual effects. You can tell hard work has been made with the costumes, especially for our main female characters. They are impressive to look at and definitely fit in with the magical kingdom that it is set in. Whilst admiring the costumes, the visuals around it fits in well and the general viewing experience is a highly positive one for the eyes.

Even the performances managed to boost my enjoyment. As I mentioned before, the casting choices for this film heavily influenced me in giving this a chance. Everyone involved I consider to be reliable choices that seem to make any potentially disappointing film worth watching.
Chris Hemsworth continues to play the hero role well as The Huntsman. His fun and smiley presence makes it easy to root for him. I was really surprised to hear Jessica Chastain was a part of this and this seemed outside of her comfort zone. As a supportive role to Hemsworth, I thought she was perfectly fine on the whole, despite her questionable Scottish accent.
Emily Blunt played the leading villain role well. I have been fond of Blunt's recent performances, especially in Edge Of Tomorrow. She was believable, threatening and even showed enough of a vulnerable side for us to also feel sympathy for her character. Charlize Theron is back as Ravenna, and is great as always. She constantly looks terrifying whenever she's on screen whilst also looking very attractive.
There was also some solid minor roles by Nick Frost, Rob Brydon, Sheridan Smith, Sam Caflin and a nice surprise to see Colin Morgan on the big screen.

The only negative that was noticeable was the comedy used. It seemed out of place at first but managed to slowly fit in as the film went along.

Despite questioning the reasoning into a sequel being made, I was perfectly fine with the mash-up of the two fairy tales 'Snow White' and 'The Snow Queen' to give this sequel some logic as to why it is being made.
Whilst giving this a lot of positives, it is mainly due to going into the film with low expectations. The best stuff is just not strong enough and the content does not bring anything new to the genre.
It is lovely to look at, and the performances keep the film moving. If you look like the fantasy genre, then this will be a fine couple of hours.

Rating: 7/10