Review: Sausage Party

I have been quite excited about this one.
The trailer completely caught me off guard. I had no idea it was aimed for adults and that there would be swearing and quite gory moments (in a comedic sense) despite it being an animation. I was certainly excited to see where they would go with this, as I was thinking this could be the Toy Story for adults.

Throughout the film, its intentions are certainly aimed to be controversial. While it may not be a laugh a minute. There is a steady amount of laughter and the rest is covered by a fair amount of religious, social and political satire.
Some stuff goes down towards the end that was completely ridiculous, insane and over-the-top. I laughed at some of it, and the rest was either silly or getting pretty uncomfortable to watch (in a funny way).

Like in the trailer, I liked the concept. It's simple and definitely has the potential to be great and pokes fun at animated films in general. The swearing in the trailer is definitely a hook. But in the film, it does eventually feel like they are just swearing for the sake of it and not much of it means anything. It felt like the writers just went "hey, let's just think of the worst insults ever and use them throughout the movie, because we can." Thankfully, some of those moments still made me laugh.

The voice acting was pretty good on the whole. Seth Rogen was perfect for the lead role. His voice most definitely suited the character. Kristen Wiig was o.k. But I think her voice work did not sound that special. Michael Cera was a nice surprise as I usually find him quite repulsive. Jonah Hill was as good as you know he can be. I did not recognise Edward Norton and Bill Hader until I saw their names in the credits. They both did a good job.  Salma Hayek did well in her minor role, and there were many others that played their parts well.

While it is entertaining. I think it just was being raunchy for the sake of the gimmick, as you don't see it often in an animated film. There are still some shocking and gross-out moments that made me laugh out loud and my overall view of it was a fun one.
I liked the animation, the pacing is pretty good, there were lots of memorable characters and most of the jokes worked.
It is not as consistently entertaining as the trailer suggests. But it is good solid film that is worth your money.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Lights Out

I have seen a fair amount of horror films this year, which is certainly a first for my ventures out to the pictures.
None of them may have been film of the year contenders. But they have all been really interesting to watch, and after seeing the trailer for this latest one, Lights Out is no exception.

I was intrigued by the concept. Not just because being afraid of the dark was a big fear of mine as a kid. But the creature instantly reminded me of a combination of two of my favourite Doctor Who villains, the Weeping Angels and the Vashta Narada. The film originated as a short, and now director David Sandberg has been given the chance to bring his idea to the big screen.

I found it to be what I expect many horror films to be, which is why I avoid them. However, there were some bits that I was surprised to see and ended up having a pretty nice viewing experience. While it does have many scary moments. It has some nice drama to it as we get to know more about are main characters and how dysfunctional they are or have been.

Gabriel Bateman gave the strongest performance. I hope the child actor keeps this going as I am sure many of you know of child actors never seem to make it as an adult. Teresa Palmer was ok as the lead. But I felt her performance felt like anyone could of have done that and I would not have noticed that she had been replaced. Maria Bello had her moments in her supporting role. I was not expecting to see someone like Andi Osho in this. After first seeing her as a stand-up comedian on Mock The Week, it is great to see her have a go at acting and be involved with this particular project. Alexander DiPersia was quite a surprise. Usually his character in a horror film would be useless or in the way. But he managed to be believable, resourceful and one of the more realistic minor characters in a horror film.

While it is nothing worth shouting about, it did not feel generic at all. My biggest positive was the resourcefulness of the characters. You could see that they all had an important job to do rather than just be a throwaway characters that is instantly forgettable or are there for a nice murder scene. That can be mainly thanks to the writing as well as the performances. I hope the writers Eric Heisserer and David Sandberg are given more opportunities with bigger studios that are willing to make the most of their abilities.
Other positives to mention was its cinematography. It was well shot and I noticed there were some nice scene transitions that I would have liked to have seen more of. Its scariness is effective. Its laws within the film are interesting, are put to a fair amount of use and seem to constantly try new things rather than just be a simple gimmick. Another thing that I liked about was the duration. It is nice to see its length be what many movies should really be. It gets straight to its message and gets out while it can.
Without spoiling it, I liked the ending. It felt ballsy and it made the story go full-circle.

While most of the negative relate to the entire film not being strong enough to be one of the more memorable films this year, I was disappointed to see the creature in this film look very generic.

Despite that, I thought it was pretty solid for a horror film that was aiming for a summer release. It has a great mix of both jump-scares and solid story development. But I don't think it will end up being that memorable or scary enough to make you need not sleep for the next few days.

Rating: 7/10

My Top 10: David Fincher Films

David Fincher is certainly not the type of director to make at least one film every year. The Denver man really picks his projects carefully and we are certainly in for a thrill ride for the most part. The stuff you are expecting from his films is a grungy tone, its usually a mystery story or a thriller and has some very exceptional performances.

The funny thing, is that David Fincher has only directed eleven films. In that torturous number 11 spot is his directorial debut in the form of Alien 3. After being involved in music videos, Fincher was given his break by following on by two of the most successful sci-fi films of all-time. While it is a country mile behind its two predecessors, it is solid viewing. If you're a fan of the franchise, then you will get the most enjoyment out of it.

This top ten sees a great mix of franchise sequels, original pieces and features based off novels or a true story. Check it out:

11) Alien

10) Panic Room - I remember this being advertised when I was a kid. However, I have only seen this a year ago.

It ends up being a solid thriller that is pretty tense for the most part.

It Jodie Foster and a young Kristin Stewart take refuge in their new house's safe room after a break-in with Jared Leto playing the main villain.

9) Mank - Fincher's latest project that tells us the story of the writer of Citizen Kane, Herman Mankiewicz.

While on the whole, it's more style over substance, it remains to be engaging and dramatic viewing, especially for cinephiles like myself.

The story is told in a way that pays homage to Citizen Kane as well as feeling like a standalone, and the performances are very strong. Especially from Gary Oldman, Amanda Seyfried and Lily Collins.

8) The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Based off the popular book novel and Swedish film, Fincher gives us an American re-make that is a welcomed one.

While not being as risky as the Swedish version, there is still a lot to like. Most notably Rooney Mara fantastic performance as Lisbeth Salander.

Also, the choice of song in the opening credits is brilliant.

7) Zodiac - Based off the events of the famous Zodiac killer from the late 60's and early 70's.

It sees a stellar cast portray a film that is not your usual serial killer film. It focuses solely on the detectives. So it may bore some demographics as the pacing is slow.


But the story-telling and development makes this film quite an impressive creation.

6) The Game - A romping mystery thriller that sees Michael Douglas play a wealthy banker given the chance to experience an unusual form of entertainment.

It ends up terrorizing his life and he cannot get out of it.

The pacing, intensity and slick writing really sells this film and ended up being a popular feature with the general public.

5) The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button - Winner of three Oscars and nominated for ten others, this is certainly Fincher's most successful film in terms of awards won.

Brad Pitt plays a strange character that is born old and ends up growing younger and younger throughout his life.

If you loved Forrest Gump, you'll like this.

4) Gone Girl - My film of 2014 sees a wife played by Rosamund Pike disappear, and while the town points the finer at the husband played by Ben Affleck, there is a deadly plan being made.

The beginning as an interesting crime story. Then it turns into a twisted thriller that cranks up many notches. Pike owns the screen and should have won the Oscar for Best Actress in my opinion.

3) The Social Network - I remember being really unsure whether a film about the creation of Facebook would be interesting.

Boy was I wrong! What an utterly engrossing film lead by terrific performances by Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and even Justin Timberlake.

It ending up being a such a thrill ride that I would happily watch again and again.

2) Fight Club - One of the big hits at the very end of the 20th century that has become one of the biggest cult classics of all-time.

It sees a regular office worker looking to do something else with his life. After crossing paths with a reckless entrepreneur, they create something that gets way out of hand.

It also has one of the most memorable twists in film history.

1) Se7en - The film that really put Fincher on the map, and in a big way.

Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt play two detectives (one rookie, one veteran) hunting a serial killer using the seven deadly sins as their method of killing their victims.

It's slick, it's grungy, it's tense and it has such a brilliant ending.

Review: Pete's Dragon

I remember the 1977 original well as I used to see fairly often when I was a kid. I remember it being fun and having that Disney magic. It also had some musical numbers, which was the norm back then.

I was a bit unsure when this was announced as I felt the original was of its time and that the transition into 2016 would not work. But in the people involved in front and behind the camera gave me hope that we could have a respectable re-make.

It ends up being that. The tone, story and message that it sends out may have been done a thousand times before. But is that a bad thing, no. It remains to be a solid watch as its heart is in the right place and it has an old school feel to it which was refreshing to see.
It almost had a feel of early Spielberg to it, especially in the final act, and also had a similar tone to a lot of Robert Redford's directed films. So I could definitely the potential of a really good film in here, rather than just a decent film.

I was impressed by the cast that they got for this and they all did their roles fairly well. Oakes Fegley was really good as Pete and does look a lot like the kid who played Pete in the original which was pretty cool. Oakley was quite a draw and very believable. Bryce Dallas Howard was classy and definitely was well suited in the tone of the film and felt like a warm character. I felt Robert Redford had a nice screen presence and you felt safe every time he was on screen.
I was really happy to see Karl Urban as he seems to be great in anything that he does. Like Dallas Howard, he fitted into the tone of the movie really well and played a solid villain (of sorts). I was also great to see Oona Laurence again in a role after her brilliant performance in Southpaw last year. As for Wes Bentley, he was completely underused and anyone could have done that role and it would not have changed my opinion on the film.

I felt the design of Elliot the dragon was quite good. I liked the look, the personality, he made me laugh and on the whole is a really cute and sweet character.

Most of my negatives are minor. The pacing felt too slow for me, especially in the first act. It felt as if they did not have enough of a story to fill the duration and decided to just stretch it out. It is hard to compare it with the original. But I felt the characters in this one were not as memorable nor as well developed. There was also less fun I felt.
But my big negative with it came in the very final scene. I obviously won't spoil me. But it just felt wrong in what they did in the end and in the end just did not make sense at all.

It goes at a gentle pace and has a simple story that everyone can follow. Kids aged between 5 and 7 will probably get the most enjoyment out of it. But it is first and foremost, a nice, heartfelt and pleasant family film that everyone can get on board with.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Suicide Squad

The fifth of six superhero films to be released this year is now here, and it is the third film in the DC Cinematic Universe that so far has under performed.

While I liked Man Of Steel, it had its problems and it could have been better. As for Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice. I had enough of a good time to give it a pass rating. But boy does it have major problems.
Despite all that, the hype for Suicide Squad has remained high. I have certainly been interested by this feature. The cast looks promising, I like the director, and I had a feeling of a Guardians Of The Galaxy attempt by DC.

Then suddenly on the week of the release of the film, there was a fair amount of negative reviews from the critics that has angered many fans. In the end, I was hearing a real mixed bag of reviews. So as usual, I had to wait until I saw it to form any sort of opinion.

I have to say, that it really is a mixed bag of a film. Where to start? Well, despite knowing nothing about these characters and therefore had nothing to grasp and care for this team, they were introducing us to the characters rather well.  The way they introduced most of them was rushed, and yet the right amount of rushed. They were doing enough to make me want to know more, even though I knew I was not going to get that. Also, the presentation looked cartoony and seemed to fit with the general look fairly well.
Then the main chunk of the film is solid action, and sadly a lot of inconsistency in the pacing. Whilst trying to gather A LOT of information, I thankfully still knew what was going on. But when I started to be interested in something, it went somewhere else. It ended up being a bunch of muddled and random action and dialogue scenes just put together that did not mean anything in the lead up to the final act.

Will Smith had probably the best performance. It has been a while since I have seen a Smith performance that says 'film-star' to me, and this one did. A very believable character in Deadshot.
The big draw was certainly Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, a.k.a the most cosplayed character in the history of the world. While she certainly had the look, the delivery just felt off to me. Maybe it was the sub-par writing that was given to her. But I just did not care for or get invested in her character. A real disappointment. But like I said, I really hope it was due to the writing department as I really like Robbie as an actor.
This next one I am still trying to figure out, and that is Jared Leto as The Joker. I am not sure whether he was necessary to be in the film. There are obvious links. But I think that was mainly to be set-up for a potential film in the future. As for the performance, something was definitely missing. I am not sure what, but I saw potential in there. It was always going to be a tough one to do well in, as this was the first Joker we have seen on screen since Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight.

While they are the big names. There were lots of surprising performances by the rest of the squad. Jai Courtney was pretty solid as Boomerang. It is not often that anyone gives praise to Courtney. But I felt he was pretty cool. Jay Fernandez as Diablo has a nice little story and good character moments. I did not think Adewale Akinnouye-Agbaje as Killer Croc would work. But it managed to do that which I was not expecting. He felt like an important part of the team. Props for that.
I was really interested in the history between Joel Kinnaman's Rick Flag and Cara Delevigne's Enchantress characters. They were introduced well and had great chemistry that made me want to know more about them. Sadly that stuff in the first half was it for me and it became wasted, especially for Enchantress. Viola Davis' character was alright and felt bad-ass at times, which I was not expecting.
As for Adam Beach as Slipknot and Karen Fukuhara as Katana, Slipknot barely had any screen-time so I did not care for him whatsoever. But Katana's intro was ridiculously rushed, and yet I managed to be intrigued by her at the end.
But sadly, the main theme with all these characters is that, I wanted to know more about them. We get a brief intro on most of them, and then we're into the action. There just was not enough time to get to know everyone. Sadly, this is where I get to what I think is the real problem for DC films overall.

BvS and now Suicide Squad both look like they are trying to catch-up with Marvel's heavily developed saga. We are therefore losing origin stories and vital character development. This does not mean that I want an origin story for every member, just a few. Individual movies for Deadshot, Harley Quinn and maybe Rick Flag and Enchantress I feel would do well. Then we could have had some nice intros from the lesser known members of the squad in the first act of the film. Instead of just shoehorning them in.

Some positives that were worth mentioning were some nice moments in the film, which were mainly in the first. But sadly, it did not last long as the shift tone kept going up and down like nobody's business. I liked some of small tie-ins with the DC universe. That really made me want to know about the history of all these characters.

Sadly, I've got some more negatives that I just cannot ignore. The comedy just did not work. It might have got a smirk out of me a couple of times. But the rest of it felt forced or just dropped like a lead balloon.
The visual effects were really poor, especially for the main villain. I was certainly not expecting this. The look of one of the villains reminded of the poor CGI in Dwayne Johnson's character in The Mummy Returns all those years ago. One thing I was not expecting to be a negative, was the soundtrack. I love a good soundtrack. But whilst I liked the song choices, it felt massively over-used. It felt as if they were trying to cramp in a song every few minutes. At some points, we had a song for just a few seconds and then we were back into something else. Very strange.

The editing is so choppy and random. You can tell that there are scenes missing here and I would like to know what they were. I can tell that the studio will be like what they were with BvS, "Just wait for the ultimate cut, all your questions will be answered". Just wait. You'll see.

It is amazing that now I have seen BvS and Suicide Squad. They almost make Man Of Steel look like a masterpiece.

In the end, the story did not flow and ended up not feeling like anything. Thankfully unlike Batman V Superman, I could see real potential for a great film in here. This is why I am barely giving it a pass rating. But sadly, the execution was not right, the pacing is too inconsistent and like BvS, it feels like it is rushing to catch-up with Marvel. I'm afraid that I can see every other DC film being made in the future be seen as disappointing, under-achieving and having too much interference with the studio executives. It just looks like a franchise full of trial-and-error. It seriously has to stop right now, because there are good films in here. Just let the directors make their film, and you can get your profits and we can have a good time. Deal?

Rating: 7/10

My Top 10: Films Based On A Comic Book/Graphic Novel

Comic books and graphic novels have become the norm this past decade. Before, they seemed to be either an acquired taste of a form of literature that many felt was beneath them.
Now they have become more mainstream than anyone could have possibly imagined. We now regularly get a handful of films based off comic book or graphic novel each year.

I have decided to add the phrase 'graphic novel' into this list as it would not just be about Marvel and DC. Also, I have already done individual lists on my top 10 films based on Marvel or DC Comics.

There are a fair few I could happily give an honorable mention. But the first of three that I will give one to, is Guardians Of The Galaxy. Marvel's most ambitious addition to their cinematic universe became one of their biggest hits. Director James Gunn and his team pulled it off nicely. So much so, that we will be getting a sequel in 2017.
That great blend of action and comedy gave a sci-fi with a swashbuckling feel that always seems a perfect recipe for success for sci-fi's with a bonkers story line.

Another, is  Avengers Assemble. The end of Marvel's initial phase in their cinematic universe and the hype was met. Director Joss Whedon and his team gave as a fitting culmination and one of the most enjoyable films of this genre.

The final one will be X-Men: First Class. After the last couple of X-Men films not quite succeeding, director Matthew Vaughn gave such an entertaining prequel to the X-Men franchise, that it rejuvenated it for the better. Vaughn's style fitted the film so beautifully and McAvoy and Fassbender shine as the leads.

Now, here are my top 10:

10) Superman - The film that really begun the superhero genre. Before Christopher Reeve donned the cap, superhero films were not taken seriously.

1978 saw the world's most famous superhero given an incredible production and a story worth finding out about.

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

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

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

8) Avengers: Infinity War - Marvel's latest release and the culmination of 10 years of work.

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

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

7) Superman II - Now that Superman has become a household name within the film industry, a sequel just had to be made.

The action is great, the villains lead by Terrence Stamp are brilliantly played and is entertaining throughout.

Sadly, I have not seen the Richard Donner cut of this film. But I remain intrigued to see what it is like.

6) Batman Begins - The birth of not only the greatest trilogy of this genre, but one of the best of all-time.

Director Christopher Nolan continues to be one of the most important directors of our time by managing to make a Batman film look like an arthouse film with a blockbuster budget.

Such gamble and risk gave us the Batman film we needed but did not realise we wanted.

5) The Dark Knight Rises - The final chapter of the Dark Knight trilogy sees Batman return to save a Gotham city this is on the brink of annihilation.

It is a thrilling final chapter and Tom Hardy's performance as the main villain gives us another highly memorable duel with Batman.

4) Sin City - One of the few films that looked as if the pages have literally leapt onto the screen.

We see the dark and miserable of Basin City with four inter-twining stories involving many troubled characters.

The style and film-noir tone that director Robert Rodriguez gave was quite ground-breaking and remains an important film within the genre.

3) The Dark Knight - The middle chapter to Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and seen by many as the peak moment.

It is also one of the few films that sees the villain become the star of the show. It is mine and many others favourite supporting performance of all-time. Played by the late Heath Ledger, we saw go to places we never imagined.

2) Watchmen - Based on the most celebrated graphic novel of all-time, director Zack Snyder gave us probably the best portrayal of this story that anyone else could have made.

Whilst many people have mixed reviews on it, I found it be a wonderful story with such a unique approach to the genre. It also managed to have an ending that makes much more sense in todays world compared to the novels final act.

1) V For Vendetta - From the same author of Watchmen, we get another heavily layered story that remains to be my number one film of all-time.

Despite being quite different to the source material, director James McTeigue and the Wachowski's such a gripping political thriller, that it works for me every single time.