The Fast and
Furious 6 wastes little time bringing the gang back into the fold
when former nemesis Hobbs offers them the chance to gain their
freedom. With all the vehicular warfare you expect, this instalment
brings together a surprisingly cool London, numerous trashed Vauxhall
Astras, and an abundance of moments that will leave you both gasping
and laughing. New villain Shaw doesn't get much time to shine amongst
the ensemble cast but brings a certain class to proceedings.
Completing its metamorphosis from street racing to crazily absurd
action; what other series can claim their sixth entry is their
strongest?
Super Duper Stuff
Just my opinion.
Sunday, 19 May 2013
Friday, 17 May 2013
The Great Gatsby in 100 Words
When Nick Garraway moves to the fictional West Egg and befriends
the elusive millionaire Jay Gatsby, little does he know the impact it will have
on him. Baz Luhrmann’s visuals, mixed with
a thumping Jay-Z soundtrack, gorgeously convey the 1920’s decadence and splendour,
which is bolstered by the most charming and damaged central performance (plus smile)
from an actor since The Artist’s Jean Dujardin. DiCaprio’s quixotic attempts to live in the
past show us the darkness hidden behind the whiskey, fast cars, and jazz.
Dishonesty abounds as façades crash and dreams are dashed in an entertainingly
strong but long adaptation.
Saturday, 11 May 2013
Batwing #20
This issue answers the question that’s been on everyone’s mind: Who is Batwing?
Only having had a passing knowledge of the previous incumbent, I thought I'd be pretty open to a new Batwing and wouldn't take umbrage to a replacement so early on in a new titles life.
Batwing #20 proved me wrong with one line. When the subject of a new Batwing is raised, and Alfred questions Bruce's thought process, he points out that he was always his first choice. What a slap in the face for those who have purchased the previous 19 issues? You had just as well tell them they wasted their time!
On top of that they've replaced a guy who had real issues and wanted to clean up his own part of the world with another perfect young specimen who could be whatever he wanted to be. He has two degrees! He's an MMA fighter! My goodness it just sounds so clichéd. Where do they find all these people? It's only one issue in but I see nothing that I haven't seen from other members of the Bat-Family.
At least his new suit is cool, with a distinct Batman Beyond feel. Plus there was plenty of action which was decently choreographed. But as an issue that seemed perfect to jump aboard, I wanted a story that would really get its hooks into me and make me want to find out more about the new Batwing. All I got was a hollow story that seemed to want to maintain some semblance of continuity before going on to do its own thing. Why bother sending the new Batwing to Africa, when he has no ties and no investment?
On this outing I don't feel much investment either.
Only having had a passing knowledge of the previous incumbent, I thought I'd be pretty open to a new Batwing and wouldn't take umbrage to a replacement so early on in a new titles life.
Batwing #20 proved me wrong with one line. When the subject of a new Batwing is raised, and Alfred questions Bruce's thought process, he points out that he was always his first choice. What a slap in the face for those who have purchased the previous 19 issues? You had just as well tell them they wasted their time!
On top of that they've replaced a guy who had real issues and wanted to clean up his own part of the world with another perfect young specimen who could be whatever he wanted to be. He has two degrees! He's an MMA fighter! My goodness it just sounds so clichéd. Where do they find all these people? It's only one issue in but I see nothing that I haven't seen from other members of the Bat-Family.
At least his new suit is cool, with a distinct Batman Beyond feel. Plus there was plenty of action which was decently choreographed. But as an issue that seemed perfect to jump aboard, I wanted a story that would really get its hooks into me and make me want to find out more about the new Batwing. All I got was a hollow story that seemed to want to maintain some semblance of continuity before going on to do its own thing. Why bother sending the new Batwing to Africa, when he has no ties and no investment?
On this outing I don't feel much investment either.
Batman and Red Hood #20
The
massive fallout from the recent events in BATMAN, INCORPORATED take
Batman to the very limits of his sanity…will The Red Hood pull him
back—or push him over the edge?
Batman
and Robin has been a really solid title, so once (spoilers!) Damian
was killed off in the pages of Batman Incorporated I had concerns
over the direction of the title. Last months issue, featuring Carrie
Kelly, dealt with denial and gave me hope that it wasn't losing its
way.
Sadly
#20, featuring Red Hood and focusing on anger, does very little to
move things along and ultimately just feels pointless. As a story it
lacks focus, with the pair attacking a base in Africa and basically
shouting at each other for most of it. Instead of any real
development, it just peters out with Jason leaving Bruce on his own.
The
title is clearly going to move around and use every character it can
(next month is Batgirl and the month after Catwoman), but it just
feels as though they felt a need to use Jason and thought “Jason's
angry lets throw him in”. Strikes me as clutching at straws whilst the
editors and writers figure out what they really want to do.
On
the plus side I am keen on the cover, and the art is solid as we've
come to expect, with a very Punisher-esque Bruce.
Overall
though, Batman and Red Hood just feels as though it is treading
water, and that's a shame as it's been a great title so far. That
earns it a reprieve for the odd duffer, but I hope it find its feet
again soon without a full time Robin.
Star Trek Into Darkness in 100 Words
Star Trek
into Darkness moves along at warp speed through a journey with the
simple question of how far would you go for family?
Whilst Benedict Cumberbatch surprises
no one with the high calibre of his villain, the films centre is the
relationship between Kirk and Spock; both funny and touching. This
trek hits all the high notes, though only in the broadest sense, and
not particularly darkly. Those looking for depth and more than a
passing glance at most of the cast will be disappointed. But Abrams
knows how to deliver on fun and spectacle and doesn't fail us.
Wednesday, 1 May 2013
Iron Man Three in 100 Words
In looking to improve my own writing, I've been speaking to fellow writers over at Flickering Myth and decided to try and write a review in 100 words. Was I up to the challenge?
Kicking off Marvel’s ‘Phase 2’, Iron Man Three is not only packed with action and witty banter, but subverts your expectations to great effect. Following his heroics in The Avengers, Tony Stark is a troubled man. His erratic behaviour threatens his relationship with sweetheart Pepper and brings the full force of The Mandarin upon him. Sans suit for most of the film, Tony’s relationships (new and old), entertain as well as propel the narrative. Proving that post Avengers you don’t need the whole gang to thrive, Iron Man Three shows real growth; for the character, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What did you think? Let me know.
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6418225/?claim=k566m3huse5">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Kicking off Marvel’s ‘Phase 2’, Iron Man Three is not only packed with action and witty banter, but subverts your expectations to great effect. Following his heroics in The Avengers, Tony Stark is a troubled man. His erratic behaviour threatens his relationship with sweetheart Pepper and brings the full force of The Mandarin upon him. Sans suit for most of the film, Tony’s relationships (new and old), entertain as well as propel the narrative. Proving that post Avengers you don’t need the whole gang to thrive, Iron Man Three shows real growth; for the character, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
What did you think? Let me know.
<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/6418225/?claim=k566m3huse5">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>
Labels:
100 Words,
Iron Man 3
Thursday, 25 April 2013
Iron Man 3
Director
– Shane Black
Running
Time – 130 minutes
So
here we are. The beginning of Phase 2 in the Marvel Cinematic
Universe. If that wasn't a big enough deal on it's own Iron Man 3 is also
the film that has to follow the $1 billion+ juggernaut that was
Avengers Assemble. Can it hope to follow up on that level of success?
Yes
it can, just not in the way you’d expect.
A
bold move was made straight away when John Favreau stepped down; to
be replaced by Shane Black for co-writing and directing duties. Many
of you may know that Black (Hawkins in Predator!), has worked with
Downey Jr before, in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. That film proved a
successful combination, as Black’s witty writing perfectly
complimented Downey’s natural charm. It was no fluke, as the combo
is again a strong point, though not in the same way. Tony Stark is
struggling here, with a lot of his ego being stripped away after his
wormhole experience with The Avengers, and Downey Jr really adds meat
to the character and shows us sides of him we haven’t seen in his
previous three outings. No gurning drunkenly in his armour here.
That’s not to say the film doesn’t contain humour. There is a
fair bit of it. It’s just not always where you think it will be.
It’s
extremely difficult to write about this film without going into
spoilers. It’s so rich in detail and plot points that you would be
forgiven for thinking it was too busy. Some characters do not get as
much time as you’d expect but the script is tight (A 2 hour 10
minutes movie in a world where nearer 3 hour films are increasingly
common), and everything comes together not only neatly, but answers
the main questions the film poses in a strong manner.
As
previously said, Downey Jr adds more facets to his character as he is
stripped of his usual accoutrements. In a few ways I'm reminded of
Batman Begins, as the film is really centred on him and his growth.
However, he isn’t the only cast member bringing his A-game. Of
particular note are Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce as The Mandarin and
Aldrich Killian, who both provide fully resolved characters with
understandable motivations behind their questionable actions. Gwyneth
Paltrow again stands by Stark’s side as Pepper Potts; who has now
moved in with him. Not all is well however as anxiety attacks
suffered by Tony following the Battle of New York threaten to create
a schism between the couple. Hiding himself away, he has created a
series of different armours to keep distracted. Maybe there isn’t
so much of the banter we’ve previously seen between them but that
isn’t to say the great chemistry we've seen in previous films is
still present and correct.
A
re-branded War Machine (now the Iron Patriot) has more time than he
did in Iron Man 2, which is great to see as Don Cheadle has struck up
a realistic, brotherly relationship with Downey Jr. Their characters
bicker and banter just as you’d expect a pair to when they’ve
known each other this long. Hopefully we can get more of his
character in future films. A spin-off or maybe Avengers 2?
Sitting
through the credits to get to the now-obligatory end credits scene, I
couldn’t help but notice how many people worked on the effects for
this film. It clearly paid off, as both the practical and visual
effects are amazing. This is most clearly shown in a spectacular
free-fall sequence that you will have glimpsed in the trailers. It’s
hard to figure out what was performed in reality, even if you’ve
seen the various videos and images pre-release. That is surely the
highest compliment it can be paid.
Iron
Man 3's central question is - Does the armour makes the man or the
man make the armour? Not only is this answered emphatically, it is
answered by a fantastic cast whose characters challenge our hero to
show not only how far he has come, and how much further he can go.
From drunken genius playboy to fully fledged superhero and
responsible man, Downey Jr is Tony
Stark. His multiple picture deal with Marvel has expired, and though I feel its
doubtful he won't return; if this is his swansong it's a great way to
go.
A
high point in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and not the film I
expected at all; Iron Man 3 is a more mature comic book film, whilst
still retaining all the adventure and humour we’ve come to expect.
Hopefully it’s a great indicator of where Marvel is heading with
their cinematic adventures. This may become a 'love it' in the future.
Painful
Poor
Disappointing
Average
Good
Great
Love it
Labels:
Don Cheadle,
Iron Man 3,
Review,
Robert Downey Jnr
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