Review : Thor Ragnarok

“Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok, the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization, at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela.”

First of all, I must say how continually impressed I am with Marvels ability to keep a lot of the reveals in their movies a secret, and just how much money they are clearly willing to spend to keep them secret. I won’t spoil any of them here, but let’s just say, they paid probably millions of dollars to allow things to be in the trailer, but not in their final forms. The second thing I want to address is the MCU debut of Taika Waititi, who comes in bringing his personal brand and style of movie making, that both fit and doesn’t fit in the MCU. Prior to Ragnarok, Thor had been, and had been used as the MCU’s Shakespearean elements. This iteration of the character however, is so much more comedic and light hearted, that even thought a lot of previous incidental humor is used here, the characters themselves take themselves so much less seriously. This movie is a blast though, and from its opening, which might be one of the best opening scenes in any comic book movie, to its rip roaring end, Ragnarok is an action adventure roller coaster of laughs. They’re so many new characters here, and there’s also a bit of character house cleaning, that would streamline the Thor household going forward. The biggest stand out of all of these though, is Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie, and her final outfit is honestly some of the most stunning costuming I’ve ever seen. Her character ads both depth to the Thor mythos, while also adding a strong female of colour that we don’t get too much off in these kinds of movies. She also allows for one of the best scenes in the entire movie, and I’d probably cosplay as her if I wouldn’t have to shave my beard off. The new look, new attitude Thor here is also really good, as Chris Hemsworth as an actor has great comedic timing, and being able to flex those muscles a bit was very entertaining. Like most all MCU movies, this one also has some villain problems, and while Cate Blanchett brings an amazing presence and gravitas to Hela, the conseit of making her character the way it was, meant there couldn’t truly be a satisfying conclusion for her storyline. The movie itself does sacrifice some of the substance of other MCU movies, but it definitely sacrificed it for entertainment, and a mass appeal this franchise never was able to attain. Scoring this movie by itself , and as a part of the MCU, are two different things, and that’s maybe the only plaice this movie truly falls down. All in all, Thor Ragnarok is the most fun you’re going to have in a cinema for a while, it just doesn’t reach as deep down as some of the movies we praise as the absolute best of the MCU.

Review Score : 8.5 out of 10

Review : Kubo and the two strings

“A young boy named Kubo must locate a magical suit of armor worn by his late father in order to defeat a vengeful spirit from the past.”

The very first frame of this movie, to the very last, the first words spoken, and the last muttered…this movie is brilliant. Laika, the studio that seems to want to single handed make sure we never forget the mastery of stop motion animation, brings us this new and instant classic. Kubo and the two strings takes on a whirlwind adventure across time and space, full of magic, fright and wonder enough for adults and children alike. Thats definitely one aspect of this movie that really shines, and thats is ability to tell both a story worthy of adult attention, while also being plainly entertaining enough for younger audiences. Kubo is also absolutely stunning in its visuals, and those visuals only barely win over the voice acting here as the most outstanding feature of this film. This movie combines all the best things about film making and story telling, and tells its narrative in a timely manner, keeping bloat to a minimum. When all of these things combine we are truly left with a film that I would call damn near perfect. If there is a movie you are going to see this weekend or soon, let it be Kubo, so these kind of film making doesn’t go away anytime soon.

Review Score : 9.5 out of 10

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Arrival:

What do you get when you mix Close Encounters, with The day the Earth stood still, with the director of Enemy, Prisoners and Sicario, and base it all on an award winning short story? Hopefully, Arrival.After the arrival of different and strange shaped space crafts, the people of the world stand on the brink of world war, with both each other and possibly this new alien treat. A seemingly dark complex re-telling of a story we all know too well.

The movie Arrival looks to give us a different look at what can happens when people are placed into a very stressful environment. The film looks to be down-playing the action movie tropes associated with an alien arrival, in favour for the mental and phycological aspects that may cause men to destroy themselves before the aliens ever get a chance to communicate.

It stars Amy Adams in the title role with Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker in supporting roles. Set to hit theatres November of this year, this movie seemly came out of no where dropping a teaser trailer and then a full trailer the week after. Director Denis Villeneuve did this as his last project before taking on the Blade Runner sequel and should give us a great idea of his take on Science Fiction. Check out the trailer linked below, and let me know if you think Arrival is worth not missing.

Review : Jason Bourne

“The most dangerous former operative of the CIA is drawn out of hiding to uncover hidden truths about his past.”

If you’re a fan of the Bourne Identity series, you probably weren’t too impressed with the franchises lone attempt at moving forward without the definitive Matt Damon, but he’s back, and with a bang. Act one, scene one, and going forward this movie is 100% right back to the same films as the original trilogy. Damon and Greengrass definitely have a really good working relationship, and they understand each other. That understanding really does show when you see the final product here, you really feel like they are picking up exactly where the franchise left of. The story here is also pretty solid, and it does a good job of both giving a real and telling reason to get Bourne out of the shadows, while also giving us some current real world issues tied into the narrative. The movie isn’t perfect, and you can see a definite shift to a new spin in the series to seperate what I’m sure is hoped to be a new trilogy from the old one. The new cast here is also just as good as the old and returning cast, and even the main theme os Moby’s Extreme Ways shows up in the end just when it should, but it is also updated for this new series.

Review Score : 8.5 out of 10

Review : Star Trek Beyond

“The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.”

Since the beginning of these new Star Trek movies, people have been drawing a line between those who watch the movie as either fans of the old school Star Trek, or those new to the franchise. And in that separation, was an idea that you had to be one or the other, and this movie really does prove to us, you can be both. Above all of these last three Star Trek movies, I think I can safely say two things about Beyond, that yes it is the best of the franchise and that yes it blends the old and the new the best also. I can also safely say, I think this is the most FUN I’ve had at the cinema so far for the summer, and that fun is what’s going to impress new comers to the franchise, while the movie does also give fans of the older series a lot to see and feel. This movie also gives us the best look yet at the classic interpersonal relationships that we knew and loved from past Star Treks, while also portraying them in a manner that people, even people who’ve only seen this third instalment can understand and appreciate. If you get the chance, this is most definitely movie you should give a chance, especially if you want to have a good time. Grab some pop corn and enjoy this one.

Review Score : 9 out of 10

R.I.P Leonard Nimoy & Anton Yelchin

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Kubo and the Two Strings:

Rooney Mara, Matthew McConaughey, Charlize Theron, Ralph Fiennes and George Takei are just some of the talent lending their voices to this up coming animated action, thriller, adventure movie from Laika Entertainment, the people who brought us movies like ParaNorman, The Box Trolls and Coraline.

Kubo and the Two Strings looks to take us on a whirlwind asian inspired adventure full of music, magic and wonderfully strange and beautiful characters. Staring a young boy named Kubo, with certain magical abilities and a supporting cast of warrior beetles and guiding monkeys. Laika is known for their distinctive and beautiful and painstaking stop motion animation and hand made character puppets, that give their work not just a unique and signature look and feel, but also helps them stand out in an animation world dominated by 3D computer animation.

Kubo looks to hit theaters later this year, and hopefully make a big splash with critics and audiences alike. If you’re a fan of animation, and want to see more than just the typical, then make sure and give this movie a look in a cinema near you. If you’re just a fan of original stories and unique story telling, Kubo and the Two Strings should be just the kind of movie that you don’t want to miss!

Trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWMyKZyIFnA

Review : The Nice Guys

“A mismatched pair of private eyes investigate the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles.”

What do you get, when you cross great writing, great acting, and extremely well done directing?  You get a great movie like The Nice Guys. A lot of people might not know what this movie is, or what to expect from it, and to be honest I wasn’t sure either going in. This isn’t a comedy, or an action movie, or a mystery thriller, its actually all of them. When this movie needs to be funny, its very funny, when it needs to be serious and have real stakes, it genuinely does. It does just about everything it has to do extremely well. It keeps a good ebb and flow that goes up and down but never seem to race or slow down, but rather it just builds you up and down and takes you for the ride. This is most definitely an adult movie however, but it never seems to take it to a distasteful place. Something also has to be said about the chemistry between Russel Crowe and Ryan Gosling, whom both happen to be really great actors to begin with, but together they pull of something really great here and definitely worth your time and money. If you want to see something a bit different, right now you can do no better than The Nice Guys.

Review Score : 9 out of 10

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Macbeth :

Depending on where you went to school, most of us are familiar with one of the most famous of the Shakespeare plays, in Macbeth. There have also been numerous film and television adaptations of the source material over the last years. This Macbeth however, is a bit different. Staring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard ( who plan to re-team for Assassin’s Creed next year), and is directed by Justin Kurzel. You may not be familiar with that name, but if things go to plan you will as he is also meant to helm the same Assassin’s Creed project that hopes to bring back some respect to video game movies.

We all know the story of Macbeth, so i won’t waste any time going over it again. The things that really sets this movie apart, are the cast, and the style in which the movie is being done. Never has Macbeth seen an acting cast, up to the same quality AND star power of this up-coming one. Fassbender is now a house hold name for his blockbuster work, but also takes the time to do some more real deep acting projects like Slow West, 12 Years a Slave and even Shame. Cotillard is an academy darling, who has done everything form win Oscars, to acting in mega franchises like the C. Nolan BatMan trilogy.

This is also set to be one of most stylized Macbeth movies ever, from a visual aspect. The project features a lot of production values, in filming on location in England and Scotland. The film itself has a very gritty and dark over all theme and a real feeling of death and danger, presented in a package both stunning to look at, and also something that ads to the over storytelling here.

So what do you think? Is this new Macbeth too much for you? Or are you on board and agree that this one is one to NOT miss.

Top 10 Superhero Movies Ever!

Here is my list guys of what I think are pretty much the best movies ever made in the genre of Superhero or comic book movies. Let me know what you think, do you agree with my list or is there something you think should be on here? Cheers.

10. Watchmen

9. X2: X-Men United

8. Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

7. Captain America 2 : The Winter Soldier

6. Spider-Man 2

5. The Incredibles

4. Ironman

3. X-Men: Days of Future Past

2. The Avengers

1. The Dark Knight

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Chappie :

Set to come out shortly, ( March 2015 ) Chappie chronicles the story of what it truly means to be a sentient being vis A.I. It’s most definitely a story we have seen and heard before in one way or the other, but coming from the mind of director Neill Blomkamp, with his specific style and aesthetic can most certainly bring something really special to this tale. The film also features Hugh Jackman, and Sharlto Copley who had worked with Blomkamp before to great effect in both District 9 and Elysium. This kind of grimy sic-fi is what Blomkamp has really made his name on, and he is a master at world building. So what do you think? Does Chappie sound like something you shouldn’t miss? Did you know about it and are you eager to see it? Here is the most recent trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7lBDHaY4M0