Review: No Time To Die

The pandemic has obviously effected the film industry in a big way. Many releases by major studios were put back several times during this period. Some had several dates in mind for an eventual release. But they were forced to reschedule on numerous occasions.

One film in particular that got a lot of coverage in its release process in the film I will be reviewing, and that is the latest James Bond feature. The 25th official film within the franchise has had a large amount of expected publicity. Not just because it is another James Bond release, but it is the last outing as the main character for Daniel Craig.

While rumours of a new Bond has been circulating for far too long, I was hoping that the release of the film will turn into a memorable farewell for Craig as I want this to be amount what's on the screen rather than events happening off it.

I haven't seen many Bond films at the cinema. So I always see new releases in this franchise as an absolute treat when seeing it on the big screen. The others being Die Another Day, Skyfall and Spectre.

This viewing experience ended up being a lot more impactful then expected. You could feel in the chosen colour palette that this was going to have a sombre tone, even with the well executed action scenes coming on an evenly basis.

With the usual travelling to exotic locations, I was noticing a surprising tone of expanded chemistry with many of the supporting cast. It wasn't just the Daniel Craig show. This was probably one of the best ensemble casts in a Bond film. On this aspect, it is up there with GoldenEye, Goldfinger and Skyfall. Many usual as well as new faces brilliantly shone in this. A big surprise was Ana De Armas. A brilliant actor who I had no idea was in this. Despite the short amount of screen time De Armas was given, she capitalised on it perfectly. The perfect mix of looking beautiful and kicking ass is exactly what you want in a Bond film. I can easily see fans pushing for her character to appear in more future films within this franchise. I was also surprised to see Billy Magnussen as I loved him in Game Night. Known more his comedic chops, it was refreshing to see in a more serious role.

Others that put on a good show were Lashana Lynch, who like De Armas has a promising future in this series. A no-nonsense by-the-book approach to her character worked really well when bouncing off with Craig. Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw and Naomie Harris together were the best they've been. Those three together really blossomed in this one, which was great to see.

Lea Seydoux does another solid job, and despite the disappointing amount of time they had on screen, both Christoph Waltz and Rami Malek did well with that they were given. I also have to give props to Jeffrey Wright, Dali Benssaleh, David Dencik and Lisa-Dorah Sonnet. There was an odd surprise actor involved. But I won't say so it can be a nice shock for you all.

With everything nicely building up both in character and story development, it ended with a memorable final act. The ending felt so impactful and I liked they didn't hold back. It was like seeing the end of an old friend. It reminded me a lot of David Tennant's last Doctor Who episode and a particular season finale to a show that I won't mention to avoid spoilers. But if I see any similar comparisons, then I will give props to you for seeing that.

From a technical aspect, the visual effects seamless blended in with the live action well. The score as well as the dialogue does a great job of incorporating one particular previous Bond that actually fits in well with its themes of fate, moving on, trust and growing. As for the usual theme, I think Billie Eilish's style helped give us an idea of what's in store. 

Not many drawbacks to mention. It's not a fun themed Bond. So I can't see it entertaining first-timers to the franchise and casuals viewers. The main one for me was the length. It did not warrant its 2hrs 43mins duration. It could have easily been 20 or even 30 mins shorter. So there were moments that either slowed the pacing down or lingered too much on certain moments.

That being said, I think many demographics that grew up with the franchise will be satisfied with it. It was most certainly a fitting end to the Daniel Craig era and he will remembered as a great Bond and can definitely be up there with the greats.

I had a good time watching this. It was entertaining, the story was interesting, there were plenty of characters to enjoy and that strong ending will certainly have it staying with its target audience for a good while.

I do have a few theories on how certain incomplete subplots will turn out. So it will be interesting to see where this new era of Bond will go both in its story as well as its next 007.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings

While this is officially the second film in phase four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a lot will see this new feature as the real beginning to Marvel's next era.

With a lot of new characters and worlds to encounter over the next couple of years, it is almost as if we having to reset and see this as more of a new phase one.

Right from the start, new characters, surroundings and even realms were being introduced. There was a nice mix of something new in the tone and vibe whilst still having doses of that vintage Marvel entertainment.

It wasn't until towards the end of the second act when I started to be fully on board with this world and that it could fit and play a integral part in the MCU. The development built up nicely for the final act and had me at peak investment at the right time for me to be excited about how everyone was going to be used in future installments.

Simu Liu did a great job in the lead. His charm and charisma looks to be more for TV shows than cinema. But I still felt confident in him carrying this film to the very end, and I felt he achieved that. I can definitely see him blossom as this phase goes on. Meng'er Zhang was a solid support to Liu and had an impressive physical aspect to her role and showed great skill in her action sequences to make her a believable asset to have. Awkwafina continues to make me more of a fan of hers. I was bit unsure in her early career. But as she as showed more range in her later roles, she has fitted into the tone of the MCU really well and had decent comedic relief with authentic development with Liu as well as her own story arch. I also have to mention Michelle Yeoh as she is acting royalty in my view and I'm glad her legacy has now extended into the MCU.

For our villain, I think Tony Leung did a good job. Marvel has not been the best in creating memorable villains. But I felt Leung was certainly above average. The reasons for his actions were understandable and his chemistry with Liu really helped the story.

There were a couple of nice surprise appearances from characters that I won't mention. But one certainly enhanced the comedic side to the story and nicely tied up a couple of loose ends.

As usual, the visual effects are top notch. With the added spiritual side to the story, some of the creatures were beautifully designed and mixed in seamlessly with the live action. The score by Joel P. West was a nice mix of blending that vintage blockbuster orchestral sound with an ancient Far East vibe to it.

I have to say though that I had issues with some of the pacing. There were definitely multiple moments were it dragged and slowed down. I felt like I had rebuild that investment momentum each time.

It's not an instant classic for me. But it was an enjoyable watch and it built some nice foundations for what is to come. I definitely got a vibe of a lot of similar phase one MCU films. After seeing this and knowing what is coming up next, it looks as if we may be going to the more spiritual, mystical and cosmic side of Marvel.

A final note for the expected credits scenes. There is both a mid and post credit scene. Both are worth staying for.

Rating: 7/10

My Top 10: Movie Dogs

Having a pet is really important in a lot of people's lives. They can comfort you when you're down, give you exercise if they require lots of walking and countless memories when together. One type of pet that is great at giving all of that is a dog.

A dog's loyalty is unmatched and they are there for so many people when needed. Even when they are fighting for their life and their dog gets help from a stranger.

The film industry have showcased the qualities of a dog in so many wonderful and memorable ways over the decades. So much so that it has given us characters that will be remembered with such fondness for all-time.

Some have made us laugh and smile through moments of comedy and some have made us cry due to acts of amazing courage and unselfishness.

In this top 10, I will be rating all of the best dogs in film. This is judged on what those dog characters do in their respective film, their importance and the legacy they have left. For live dogs, the skill in their training will also come into account.

Before I announce my top 10, I must mention quite a few honourable mentions as there were some highly memorable film dogs that I had to regrettably leave out. Unfortunately missing out on my top 10 were Beethoven from Beethoven, Enzo from The Art Of Racing In The Rain, Buck from The Call Of The Wild, Copper from The Fox And The Hound, Lucy from Wendy And Lucy, Bolt from Bolt, Max from How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Fly from Babe, Two Socks from Dances With Wolves, Toto from The Wizard Of Oz, White Fang from 1991's White Fang and Brandy from Once Upon A Time In .... Hollywood.

10) Tramp (Lady And The Tramp) - The first of three animated entries in this list and it comes from possibly the most famous film about dogs.

What makes mixed breed Tramp such an important character is his free spirit personality that helps American Cocker Spaniel Lady see the world outside of her owners house, eventually find love and give us possibly the most iconic romantic scene in film history.

9) Gromit (Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit) - A firm character favourite from this British animation franchise, Beagle Gromit is Wallace's assistant and loyal companion.

The more times you watch their adventures, the more you realise that Gromit is the glue to him and Wallace's partnership. Without him, their success would have been very different.

8) Uggie (The Artist) - One of most famous film dogs in recent years, this talented Parson Russell Terrier become a star after his appearance in Oscar Best Picture winner 'The Artist' back in 2011.

His amazing talent gave us many memorable scenes and impressive sequences that many dog owners will appreciate.

That success gave him many major awards including getting his paw prints cemented at the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

7) Sam (I Am Legend) - When you are in a world where a virus has wiped out almost the entire human race, you definitely need a dog by your side for company and protection.

German Shephard Sam showed wonderful and believable chemistry with Will Smith. The loyalty and bravery the dog shows in this film made us heavily invested in their character.

6) Togo (Togo) - Based on the true story of a legendary sled run in Alaska back in 1925, Siberian Husky Togo showed that size and strength does not matter when leading a group of sled dogs.

Tracking through tough conditions when transporting serum during a pandemic, this dog's achievements were perfectly celebrated and executed in this 2019 adventure drama.

5) Hachi (Hachi: A Dog's Tale) - Based on the true story of the Akita dog Hachiko sees a professor (played by Richard Gere) create a special bond with an abandoned dog.

This drama is a big tear-jerker and is the perfect portrayal of a dog's loyalty. It is also worth reading up on the true story once checking this out.

4) Milo (The Mask) - A dog performance that is easily forgotten. While this 1994 action comedy has Jim Carrey and Cameron Diaz taking the plaudits, it is the main character's trusty canine sidekick Milo that has many scene-stealing moments.

This Jack Russell Terrier showed amazing talent during several well executed comedic and dramatic scenes. Also, his friendship with lead character Stanley Ipkiss is great to see develop throughout.

3) Pongo & Perdita (One Hundred And One Dalmatians) - If dog power couples were a thing, these two would be top of the charts.

Their love is unmatched and when their 15 puppies get stolen by the evil Cruella DeVil, the risk that these two take to get them backalong with many other Dalmatian puppies is a proud achievement by many species.

2) Shadow (Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey) - From the popular 90's family adventure, the wise and loyal Golden Retriever Shadow is a dog everyone should respect.

When he as well as American Bulldog Chance and Himalayan cat Sassy feel their lives are in danger, it is up to Shadow to lead them through the American wilderness and back to their owners.

1) Maya (Eight Below) - If you have seen this 2006 family adventure, you will understand why I have chosen this spectacular Siberian Husky to be top of my list.

Inspired by the true story of an Antarctic expedition in 1958, a couple of explorers are forced to leave their sled dogs as they fend for survival.

This is an unreal story of courage, survival and friendship. While the entire dog cast showed wonderful charisma on screen to make them an engaging watch and enhance many scenes, the leader Maya is the one that stands out above the rest.

Review: Space Jam: A New Legacy

With me being in that same generation that was brought up on the original 'Space Jam', I feel this review could count more than ones that weren't.

My first memory of seeing the 1996 predecessor was at school where the teachers did one of their few film screenings in our assembly room. One of them was 'Space Jam' and I remember having a blast watching this with the perfect target audience.

What made it work was that it had that vintage Looney Tunes style of humor, frenetic pacing, a functional underdog story with cool pop culture references for all ages and Michael Jordan doing a better acting job than expected.

After that, it's popularity has grown over the years as my generation has grown older and voiced our opinion of our childhood classics that deserve a sequel within social media.

When I heard this was now in the works, I was naturally excited. But with LeBron James as the star this time, I was a bit unsure as how this would go due to him not being an actor. To keep my hopes up,  just kept saying to myself "if MJ can make it work, King James can". With updated technology, I knew this had the potential of being a success.

Well it's safe to say it got off to a rough start. It was cool seeing them doing a similar opening credits to the original. But outside of that, I was fearing I could be experiencing a disaster. This was due to the early signs of the story's themes being highly familiar and simple in its execution, the introduction of the villain being pretty poor with Don Cheadle just 'hamming' it up and knowing exactly what type of film he is part of and most importantly, LeBron James could not act.

To add to my fears was the shocking amount of shameless plugging of other properties Warner Bros. own within this film. It felt desperate and lazy on the writing aspect. It looked like the studio was trying to show the audience how cool and current they still are by combining all of their properties and making it look like a poor man's Ready Player One. I must confess, they did create some cool franchise cross-over moments which I am a sucker for.

Thankfully, there was something to fall back once we get into the Looney Tunes side of the story. The animation style was a nice mix of classic and current, most of the visual and written gags felt like vintage Toons and there were nice moments paying homage to some classic Looney Tunes moments of the past to please the fans.

While there were still the same problems from before and the duration started to drag, various parts of the film were keeping me entertained. Such as how they did the Basketball, making it more arcade like in its format.

I'm sad to say that the acting was not that good. LeBron James' performance made me appreciate Michael Jordan's a lot more. As mentioned before, Cheadle was just there for the paycheck and came nowhere to near to Danny Devito's efforts as the villain. Outside of the solid voicework for the Toons characters, Cedric Joe was the only acting positive who was pretty decent for what he was given. Sadly, there was no Bill Murray or Wayne Knight scene-stealing moments from the supporting cast.

The films biggest strength was probably the visual effects. While it wasn't the complete package and it took over the imagery a bit too much, they enhanced certain aspects that the original never could and was great to see. 

I have to give a negative to the costume design, which I was not expecting to do beforehand. It is solely to do with the goings on in the third act. There are a lot of extras that are supposed to be iconic characters from various WB platforms. But the quality of the costumes felt like I was watching a fancy dress party or one of those terrible parody movies from the early 2000's such as Epic Movie or Disaster Movie.

It's definitely not a disaster. There is enough fun and entertainment to make it ok viewing. But I cannot give it a pass I'm afraid. I feel the kids will enjoy this more than the adults. However, I can see this being forgotten quite quickly after seeing it. It's 30mins longer than the original, and I felt every minute of those 30. It did not need to be that long at all.

I was disappointed to see this being a glorified advert about Warner Bros. There was enough material for a it to be it's own thing. For me, what made the original Space Jam a success was that while it came across as crazy and silly. It was coherent and super fun with a comedy style that has been winning audiences over for decades. Stick to the original or go back to the old cartoons.

Rating: 6/10

Review: The Croods: A New Age

It is a strange time to have a sequel to The Croods. It has been eight years since the original got released and I remember it being a solid success both financially and critically.

So I am quite confused as to why it has taken this long for a sequel to arrive.

A lot of people like myself have almost forgotten how enjoyable the first one was.

I remember being surprised how much I liked it. Big positives was the strong family chemistry, the strength of the gags and the pleasing visuals.

I'm happy to say that it was as if they had never left and it was more of the same. 

The opening few minutes felt like a nice reminder of the world and characters that we saw back in 2013. Once that had been covered, I felt pretty comfortable and now along for the ride. I had forgotten how frantic the pacing can get and how fluid the style was. The story was solid enough, the characters all having their time to shine with solid development, the gags were consistently funny and well spread out across the duration and the visuals were bright, colourful, amazing detailed and could well be the films biggest positive. With the added camerawork diving through and sweeping across landscapes, they showed off their visual designs with great confidence.

All the voicework has a stellar cast and all worked well. Nicolas Cage continues to show how great of a voice he has for voice acting, Emma Stone gave a lot of energy to her character, Ryan Reynolds and Kelly Marie Tran had good comradery and Peter Dinklage and Leslie Mann contributed well.

There weren't any major negatives. I was to be picky, the strong I think could have been stronger. It was a perfectly functional one. But if it wouldn't to be great rather than good, there was certainly room for improvement with the depth of the plot.

That being said, I was pretty entertained by it and I think it was as good as the first one. It's a fun watch from start to finish and you'll be smiling when leaving the screen. As mentioned before, the visuals are pleasing to the eye, the gags are solid and not just aimed for the kids.

With both films being entertaining and rewarding viewings, it will be interesting if they go for a third installment. I certainly would not object to another family adventure.

Rating: 7/10

Review: Black Widow

It seems almost a lifetime ago since we had a film released that is part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

With the pandemic pushing many things back, this gave many fans of this franchise time to reflect and revisit one of the most celebrated film series of the last decade. It also saw people checking this universe out for the first time during that period.

Now that many people have caught up, we now have a new addition that has been demanded by many demographics for some time. Given how the central character ended up in Avengers: Endgame, I was intrigued to see when this feature would be set and how it would expand the world and which plot strand would it expand on.

While I felt fairly entertained and satisfied by it, it is a bit of a comedown after what felt like a monumental culmination of twelve years of work in 2019. The story does expand on the central character, and the opening scene certainly sets the tone for a more distressing one. After that, I felt like I was watching something closer to a Jason Bourne film than an MCU film.

Given the character and their background, I should expect all of what I've said. But as the MCU is kind of family orientated, I cannot see this being an accessible film for the younger audience. There is little superhero/fantasy action and instead it's more a solid spy thriller with hints of superhero connections.

For older viewers, I feel this will get a decent reception. But I fear it may be ranked towards the bottom of the franchise with Iron Man 2 and Thor: The Dark World. That does not deem it a bad film in my book. It just won't fell as memorable as many of its predecessors. The story is a solid one, the characters and action kept my attention, the visual effects continue to showcase the improvement in the technology and look evermore seamless and the score by Lorne Balfe fits the setting perfectly.

The cast is pretty stellar and they all did a good job in my view. Scarlett Johansson carried the film as the lead and can still kick some serious ass with some high quality physical acting. I was so happy to see Florence Pugh now part of the MCU as I am a big fan of hers. I felt she had believable chemistry with Johansson and never felt out of place. David Harbour was a nice surprise and gave us a memorable character with an interesting backstory that I hope gets expanded on somewhere.

Rachel Weisz was perfectly fine in her role and supported her colleagues well when needed. While there was a questionable Russian accent coming from Ray Winstone, it was consistent which I do appreciate. His role as a villain was as you would expect with most MCU villains.

I also have to give credit to O-T Fagbenle who was a nice bit of comedic relief and Olga Kurylenko who I always enjoy in a film, no matter how underused.

Notable issues I had with the film was that there were pacing issues in the second half that I felt made the film drag. Seeing the duration being a surprising 2hrs 13mins, this should not have been any longer than 2hrs given the amount of content it provided. Another was an aspect of the MCU that it usually does well in that makes highly enjoyable viewing, the comedy. There are those vintage gags in this feature. But none felt memorable and some did not stick for me.

Overall, it is a perfectly fine piece of entertainment. I was never bored by it. But I fear this may end up being one of my least re-watched instalments within the franchise in the future. There is very little in the action and story that made me want to instantly see this again. But as I was watching it, there was enough for me to give it a pass as it never felt like a wasted journey to the cinema. Given the long wait since the last one, most people are probably hoping for a big re-introduction. I don't feel we got it with this one. But it was nice to see some added backstory to a celebrated character.

I must mention that there is the usual post-credit scene and I was pleased with myself that I got the location of the scene correct. The content was a nice little set-up and teaser to one of the studios upcoming projects that I hope succeeds.

Rating: 7/10

Review: In The Heights

While I was very aware of the hype and heavy amounts of marketing for John M. Chu's latest feature. I made sure to avoid as much as I can as I was already aware of this film back in 2019 and was already hooked when I knew Chu was at the helm.

Despite being excited because of Chu, I have honestly not been too bothered by most of his films. It was when I saw Crazy Rich Asians I could see he had found his calling card. With the addition of his choreographers from his 'Step Up' days involved, I knew the potential was there for a blast of summer with this musical project.

Even though musicals have never left us, they have been making somewhat of a comeback in the last few years. They may not be as regular as they were in the 1930's, 40's and 50's. But the occurrence of them are becoming more regular. With the success of A Star Is Born, The Greatest Showman, La La Land and Sing Street, the right ingredients can make this a global success.

Before I go into film, I must mention that I have never seen the stage musical. So I am reviewing this solely on the film adaptation.

With that being said, I found this to be an enjoyable feel-good watch. 

The vibe had a lot of energy and bounce to it from start to finish. As for the story, I did feel a bit nervous at first as I could see many characters being introduced and was struggling to remember who was who. But as the film went on, the way the film was structured made it easier for me to distinguish the ensemble cast.

Once I got more aware of the characters, I was getting more and more absorbed in the community the characters have and could feel the heat of the city landscape. The sequences got more and more adventurous with the addition of visual effects and suspending your disbelief at times to give us rewarding results and a satisfying conclusion.

The cast do a great job and there are certainly some stand out performances. Anthony Ramos gives us a breakthrough performance as the lead and carried the film really well. The passion, charisma and drive was there for all to see and gave us a believable and relatable character that felt easy to get invested with. Another performance that shot their level of stardom into the stratosphere was Melissa Barrera. Her screen presence showed instant strength and felt like a safe pair of hands from the moment she turned up on screen. Whenever Barrera took centre stage, she carried herself with a fearless approach to her role and had good chemistry with Ramos.

Olga Merediz was a nice surprise as her role could have easily got lost in the mix. But I think her experience of playing the character the stage gave her the perfect foundation to shine in the film format. Leslie Grace's performances amazed me given the fact that this was her feature film debut. The confidence was oozing out of her and it looked as if she had been doing this job for years.

Other performances that are also worth mentioning was Corey Hawkins who continues to expand his skillset with another fine performance, Jimmy Smits who showed he is more than just General Organa from Star Wars, Gregory Diaz who gave plenty in his performance to show he will have a great future in this industry and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda plays a nice minor role of a kind of overseer to the main story which was a nice touch.

With this being a musical, the sound and score is obviously important. The general sound of the film definitely had me transported to that part of the world and I could feel the strong community themes the film was portraying. While the score by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bill Sherman and Alex Lacamoire did not for me have any instant hits, there were definitely a large number of pieces that I can love the more times I hear them. 

One aspect that I felt enhanced the experience and gave it that cinematic touch, was the cinematography by Alice Brooks. Some could have just given the film a more basic look as they already know this story can work on the stage, But Brooks made this worthy of being on the big screen and gave us many interesting angles and sweeping tracking shots during its many dancing sequences.

The only drawbacks I got from a first viewing, was that there were moments of having too many subplots. That could also be in relation to the almost 2hrs 30mins duration, which to me felt a bit too long for the story it was saying.

But as that was only a minor drawback, I felt this was a thoroughly enjoyable experience with plenty to like about it. It sends out a good message of community, family, gentrification, identity and immigration, it's fun, there's plenty of characters to get invested with and the soundtrack will be great to listen to during the summer.

I must mention that there is a post-credits scene to stay for that adds a nice little conclusion to one of its many subplots.

After seeing this, I can see why this was delayed from 2020. This was made for the big screen and every aspect shows you why. This is an accessible film for a mainstream audience. The characters are engaging, the music and general sound is great and the look of it really transports to the hot and sweaty streets of Manhattan. This is ideal summer viewing.

Rating: 8/10