Showing posts with label Movie Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Movie Review. Show all posts

Tuesday, 27 January 2015

Movie Review: Gone Girl




“What are you thinking? How are you feeling? What have we done to each other?”



If you have a partner, have you ever thought of these questions? If you do, do you have any answers to any of these? In fact, these questions were asked twice by Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck), once at the beginning of the movie, and once again at the end. But despite his “double identity” as both the victimizer and the victim, I don’t think he had the puzzle figured out at all – because he never knew that he was the source of everything, the seed of the tragedy.




Five years into their marriage, the former New York-based writers Amy (Rosamund Pike) and Nick were festering in Missouri after being hit by the cruel waves of economic recession, redundancy and the sickness of Nick’s mother. The initial romance, sweetness and attraction had been worn out by distrust, suspicion and, Nick’s infidelity. Yes, infidelity, the most sinful of all sins in the book of marriage’s vices – one day when Amy was on the street, she saw her husband and his mistress, kissing, hugging, with Nick doing all those little sweet traits that should only belong to her to the other woman. This unleashed the darkest thoughts of a typical “Type A” person: catastrophe, cruelty, and revenge. We didn’t know how and where did Nick hooked up with the twenty-something sexy student in the first place – it might be OKCupid, Bazoocam or even Snapchat – but that didn’t really matter, because what awaited the betrayer was a severe punishment from the icy and villainous goddess whom he had sworn a vow to. She framed a perfect disappearance, a nearly perfect crime scene in their house, and a well-planned fake pregnancy to draw all public attention and hatred towards the man. She manipulated everything as she knew that her fame as the writer of the popular “Amazing Amy” book series would be handy enough. And there she was, driving to a remote area on her own, while her husband was suffering from her vengeance and being accused as the ruthless murderer of his “pregnant” wife…




You might wonder, did the punishment gone too far? Did a disloyal husband have to be suffocated by the harsh accusations from the neighborhood, the media and even the entire America? Well I couldn’t help but believe that was, though a bit out of control, justice be done. I am a woman, and I have no sympathy towards an infidel guy, especially a guy who could even have sex with his mistress in his sister’s house after his wife had gone missing. As what we know from the Game of Thrones, “There is a beast in every man (and woman) and it stirs when you put a sword in his (or her) hand.” If you’re scared, you might want to give yourself and your partner a Type A Personality Test before you plan to tie the knot. And don’t ever attempt to go infidel.

By Jessica Olsen

Thursday, 21 August 2014

Movie Review: Thoughts about Lucy


THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOLERS.  YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.




“Lucy” is everywhere

  
Lucy is no ordinary action-thriller. Nor is it a valid scientific proof to the false belief that humans are only using 10% of their brains. Rather, it is a thought-provoking introduction to philosophy, which discusses the origin of the universe, the notion of time, and the very existence of human beings.



With extremely negative reviews on the web and a so-so score on Rotten Tomatoes, I didn’t have much expectation when I walked into the theater. But when I sat down, I suddenly realized that I was on exactly the same seat in the same house 4 years ago, watching Inception. This strange familiarity just made me anticipate a little bit more about the latest production of the famous Luc Besson, and of course, it did not disappoint.



Lucy, the leading role played by Scarlett Johansson, is a young woman fallen into the hands of some evil gangs based in Taipei. With a packet of synthetic drug called CPH4 inserted into her belly, Lucy is used by the ruthless smugglers as a drug mule. However, the packet is broken during a fight, and the drug is absorbed by Lucy’s body. It turns out that this CPH4 could gradually unlock the full capacity of the human brain – which only 10% is used by “normal” people as claimed in the movie. And soon enough, Lucy gains access to a variety of superpowers, such as telekinesis, mind control and even telepathy. Sounds like a true planeswalker in Magic: The Gathering right? But unfortunately, Lucy doesn’t find it totally appealing when she manipulates people around her; in contrast, she begins to lose patience and empathy towards them, just as the flavor text on the telepathy card says: “The most disappointing thing about learning telepathy is finding out how boring people really are.”



In contrast, Lucy is more intrigued by the vast amount of knowledge gathers in her head, and the fact that knowledge is passed on, generation after generation. In this way, even after our flesh vanishes, “We never really die.”



After unlocking 100% of her neural capacities, Lucy flies backward in time, until finally reaching the Big Bang period, during which the universe is developed. The physical body of Lucy vanishes, leaving only a message:

“I AM EVERYWHERE.”



So who – or what – exactly is “I”, or Lucy? A subatomic particle, a substance, or something else? The movie did not answer any of the questions, but that is understandable. Everyone has different responses to those statements, and it should be left to the audience to figure out their own answers. Entertainment-wise, Lucy has got intense and exciting actions, and 90 minutes simply slipped away in the blink of an eye. And just like four years ago, I left the theater with a lot of deep thoughts in my mind, and this is what makes the entire experience nothing short of mesmerizing.

By Jessica Olsen

Thursday, 3 April 2014

6 reasons why I think Captain America: Winter Soldier is awesome



WARNING!! THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR BOTH THE WINTER SOLDIER AND POSSIBLE UPCOMING MARVEL MOVIES.


1) It is brave:  In the first trailer for this movie Robert Redford who plays Alexander Pierce says ‘in Order to build a better world, sometimes means tearing the old one down,’ I had no idea they meant this literally.  Winter Soldier is as much about the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D as it is about Captain America himself.  Essentially S.H.I.E.L.D has been infiltrated by hydra and the only way to stop the infection spreading is to pull it apart and expose it to the world.  S.H.I.E.L.D have been in the background of most Marvel movies to date some more than others so this is a big change that will come as a shock to many moviegoers.  Having it gone (not forever I am sure) going into Age of Ultron is an interesting, smart and in my opinion brave move.   



2) The Winter Soldier: The Winter Soldier himself had to be good.  Viewers had to relate to him and his relationship with Steve or this movie and the future of the Captain America movies just wouldn’t work.  The directors Anthony and Joe Russo have already stated that they see this movie and Cap 3 as a two-parter regarding Steve and the Winter Soldier.  Also Sebastian Stan who plays him is locked into a 9 movie contract with Marvel so it is safe to say we will be seeing a lot of him, (no hardship if I’m honest). For those who don’t know (although it is the worse kept secret ever) The Winter Soldier is actually Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers best friend from the first Captain America movie.  He was taken by the Soviets after falling from a train during World War 2, given a mechanical (and awesome) arm, brainwashed by having his memories striped, frozen and turned into an assassin.   The reason I thought he worked so well here is because physically he is almost unstoppable.  Captain America and Black Widow have a real hard time when they go up against him.  He is stronger, faster and better than them but mentally he is fragile and vulnerable.  There is one scene in particular that was just heart breaking to watch and if you didn’t want to hug him then you just can’t be human.  I can’t wait to see what happens to this character in the future.  Maybe he will remain the Winter Soldier as there is a comic book series devoted to him, or maybe he will become the next Captain America, an idea that I could get behind.



3) Black Widow: For the first time Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow really had something to sink her teeth into.  She had a huge part to play in the Avengers but the spy thriller genre of the Winter Soldier suited her a lot more.  Black Widow has not always acted for the greater good and she is sometimes more spy than hero so it made a lot of sense that she was featured in this movie.  Scarlett Johansson really stands out here and I think it is time for her to have a solo movie of her own.  The fact that so far there has not been one solo Marvel movie about a female character is pretty terrible.


4) Sam Wilson: The Falcon could have been better but Sam Wilson was awesome.  Cool, friendly and funny, Sam is a great addition to the super hero line up.  He also has some great chemistry with Steve Rogers and there are the building blocks in place for a great friendship between them in the future.  Anthony Mackie hasn’t gotten as much hype as Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan (probably because he is new to the franchise) but I really hope that we will see more of him in Captain America 3 and other Marvel movies in the future.

5) The Ass Kicking: There is a lot of action in this movie and most of it is good but what really stands out is all the fighting.  The hand to hand combat in this movie is awesome.  It is sharp, well-choreographed and really adds to the movie.  From Captain America fighting STRIKE in an elevator to Winter Soldier and his famous knifes, all of it looks amazing.  It is less about brute strength and more strategic which is a nice change.


6) Hints of the future: After watching the movie and the post credit sequences my mind is racing with where things could go next.  The introduction of The winter Soldier, Brock Rumlow, Agent 13 AKA Sharon Carter and the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D points towards the story arc of the Death of Captain America where Chris Evans would bow out and Sebastian Stan would step in.  The reintroduction of HYDRA who is in possession of Loki’s spectre could signal all sorts of future conflict for the Avengers and a way to bring mutants into the Marvel Movie Universe (the rights being owned by Fox).  There are many ways this could all go and to be honest I don’t know what will happen but with Kevin Feige revealing that marvel have set out all their movies up until 2028 there are sure to be some interesting things up ahead.

Loved or hated this movie? Have an idea where this is going next? Let me know in the comments.

Saturday, 23 November 2013

Movie Review: Catching Fire


Katniss Everdeen has returned home safe after winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games along with fellow tribute Peeta Mellark. Winning means that they must turn around and leave their family and close friends, embarking on a "Victor's Tour" of the districts. Along the way Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering, but the Capitol is still very much in control as President Snow prepares the 75th Annual Hunger Games (The Quarter Quell) - a competition that could change Panem forever.


Catching Fire had a lot to live up to.  The Hunger Games was a huge hit both with audiences and critics and the books have millions of fans expecting the very best from the movie adaptation.  There was so much that could go wrong in Catching Fire including the new arena, the expanding love triangle and the introduction of new, key characters.  Luckily nothing, well very little, goes wrong and Catching Fire managed to improve on The Hunger Games in every way. 

I really liked The Hunger Games, as a movie goer and a fan of the books it ticked most of the boxes for me but the effects were less than amazing and some of the actors were not quite comfortable in their roles.  The opening was confusing, especially for those who had not read the books and it could have used a little more polish.  Thankfully Catching Fire had all the polish but managed to keep all the great things from The Hunger Games.

Catching Fire picks up not long after the Hunger Games.  Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are back in District 12 and barely talking to each other, each are struggling to come to terms with what they experienced in the area.  They are trying to get on with their lives but the ever present and often drunk Haymitch (Woody Harrelson) is a reminder that the experience of the games doesn’t just fade away.  In the capital President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and new game maker Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) are trying to stop the start of a revolution that was sparked by Katniss’ actions in The Hunger Games.

Catching Fire is a darker and meaner affair than its predecessor.  It pushes the boundaries of its 12 rating and there are moments of awful and menacing violence that surprisingly mainly appear out of the arena, as we get to see how very dangerous and disturbing President Snow’s leadership really is.  One moment in particular when Katniss and Peeta visit District 11 the home of their former allies Rue and Thresh is moving and utterly disturbing.   Francis Lawrence has delivered a film that is both exciting and touching.  The arena is not the only place where people are fighting for their lives and we are constantly reminded that Snow will go to any length to prevent his control from slipping.  It is not always an easy watch.

The acting was one of the great triumphs of this movie and is what sets the Hunger Games franchise apart from its other teen counterparts.  Jennifer Lawrence seems to get better and better with everything she appears in.  Katniss is wounded and defenceless in this and the emotional toll is plain to see in Lawrence’s captivating and surly performance.  Other stand outs are Donald Sutherland and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Their conversations about how to ‘end’ Katniss are chilling yet subtle and are some of the best moments in the movie. 

Elizabeth Banks’ Effie Trinket is one of the most improved characters from the first movie.  Here she is given a little more emotional depth and she handles that brilliantly whilst still being her larger than life ‘that is mahogany’ self.  Another improvement came from Josh Hutcherson who has really settled into Peeta’s character.  I thought he did alright in the first movie but he looks much more comfortable here and manages to hold his own impressively.  Catching Fire is where you really start to see what kind of person Peeta is, you see how he is the good in a world full of bad and that really came across well in the movie.

Out of all the new characters (of which there are many) it is Sam Claflin’s Finnick Odair and Jena Malone’s Johanna Mason that really shine.  Finnick and Johanna are my favourite characters from the books so I was nervous that this casting might not work.  Claflin is perfect as Finnick, he is devastatingly good looking, charming, yet manages to show off Finnick’s massive vulnerable side.  If you think what Katniss and Peeta have been through is bad it is nothing in comparison to Finnick and Sam Claflin did a great job at brining that sadness to the character.  Malone is perfect as the potty mouthed and opinionated Johanna and she has some of the best and most humorous moments in the movie.

But it wasn’t all perfect.  Gale (Liam Hemsworth) was given very little screen time and you never got to see the evolution of that character.  It is in Catching Fire where he begins to come into his own but that was muted in the movie version and he was little more than someone for Jennifer Lawrence to kiss.  Also I am still unconvinced that Lenny Kravitz was a great casting choice as Cinna.  His performance is a little cardboard and because of that one of the moments that made me ball my eyes in the books had little effect on me whilst watching the movie.

So many sequels fail to live up to the first movie in the series but Catching Fire is not one of them. It is a million times better than The Hunger Games and is a clear indication that this franchise is not going to falter any time soon.  

4 Stars

 
Images & Synopsis from IMDB

Review by Kate Phillips