"Big things have small beginnings"

Hello Everyone :-)

I’m the first to hold my hands up and admit that I am easily influenced. Call me a ridiculous product of 21^st century consumerism (because that is what I am) but I am easily amused by well thought out marketing strategies, and recently there hasn’t been much bigger than the ad campaign for ‘Prometheus’. Add to that the fact that I’m massive fan of the first two Alien films (to which ‘Prometheus’ is a prequel, albeit a distantly related one) and you won’t be surprised to hear that I was super-excited about seeing it.

‘Prometheus’ follows Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace), an archaeologist, who, along with her colleague and boyfriend Doctor Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green), discover a series of cave paintings made by several unconnected ancient cultures, the paintings depict a large humanoid presence and the same series of spots in the sky. The two theorise that this is a ‘star map’ leading to the home of what they call the ‘Engineers’ or the creators of life on earth.
With the financial backing of Weyland Corporation the couple, with a number of Weyland employees, go on a two year voyage to moon LV-223, the location their ‘star map’ pointed them to. On arrival the team set out to “meet their maker” and they discover that it isn’t quite the utopia they imagined.

 Oh where to begin…

The first review of ‘Prometheus’ I read was by Mark Harrison whose opinion I trust more than anyone (including his quiff-tastic namesake). My Mad Prophet gave the film a right bashing to the point where I was so upset I considered not going to see it at all and thought I would rather live with my own expectations rather than watch the actual film. I only considered this briefly before I pulled myself together and told myself not to be so ridiculous.

We’ll start with the good.

Michael Fassbender is easily the most reliable man in working in the English-speaking movie industry today. Want a film stealing performance? Then hire him. He’s the best thing in ‘Prometheus’ by a country mile. He makes David fantastically ambiguous in his motives but also a sort of skewed-Pinocchio character, barely able to contain his loathing of his human counterparts yet clearly desperate to be accepted by them, longing to be a ‘Real Boy’.
I really liked Noomi Rapace as Shaw. If you ignore the fact that her accent is clearly ‘English by way of Sweden’ then it’s quite an impressive performance. Shaw goes through the mill in this film, in every way imaginable. Confident and fragile in equal measure, she digs into the same kind of grit that made audiences sit up and watch her in the original Millennium Trilogy films.
A nod should also go to Idris Elba as Captain Janek, the most human and likable member of the crew. Elba does his best with what he’s been given but is criminally underused.

 Aside from David, Shaw and to a certain extent Meredith Vickers (Charlize Theron playing Corporate, ice-cold Bitch quite well), the rest of the characterization in the film is virtually non-existent. The other members of the cast are reduced to mere character stereotypes; the fool, the rebel, the brains; I forgot some character’s names. In any film (let alone a film that resides in the same universe as ‘Alien’) that kind of lazy writing is inexcusable.

Considering it was shot using 3D cameras (meaning the 3D should be better quality) I wasn’t massively impressed by it. I’ve been to see a handful of 3D films and am yet to be wow-ed by this extra dimension in my cinematic experience, be it ‘Real-D’, retro-fitted or otherwise. There were large sections of the film where I took the cumbersome glasses off and the image was unaltered, if anything it was improved because I wasn’t looking at it through the dark filter of 3D glasses. As far as I’m concerned, the sooner this fad dies a death the better.

However, even through the filter of that awful eye-wear, ‘Prometheus’ is beautiful. Many have said this before me and I’m sure many will after but no one builds worlds quite like Ridley Scott. The costumes, the landscapes, the cavernous rooms in the LV-223 base, the sterile cleanliness of the ship, you could take any frame and hang it in a gallery; it’s truly a visual work of art.

As you would expect in a film about finding out how we came to be there are ruminations on mortality, faith, morality; you name it it’s in there. It’s one thing to be a film with big ideas but ‘Prometheus’ smacks of writers throwing everything at a wall and seeing what sticks. This existentialism may not have been a problem had the film-makers decided to tie up some of their loose ends but they don’t, there are just too many unanswered questions for the audience to leave the cinema totally satisfied.

I could possibly live with all of that if the film gripped me in any way but it didn’t. There is no tension in ‘Prometheus’, it is completely devoid of a backbone. The film makers have neglected the stuff that made ‘Alien’ so great (the taut storytelling, the claustrophobic atmosphere, etc.) in favour of ostensibly grandiose ideas that fall apart on closer inspection.

Have you ever heard the expression ‘Hot Mess’? If you haven’t, it’s sometimes used to describe something or someone that’s gorgeous but a bit ridiculous. Well ‘Prometheus’ is a ‘Hot Mess’ of a film. It is undeniably attractive but ambitious and ambiguous to a fault, with too many half-baked musings scattered in its wake.
Granted there are some great set pieces, but for every amazing ‘medi-pod’ scene there is a downright ridiculous ‘exploding alien-head’ scene and I’m just not happy with a 50/50 hit to miss ratio in a film with this kind of heritage.
It’s not as big a failure as some would suggest, but having been hyped as much as it has, it’s hard to be anything other than disappointed.

I think I need a bit of cheering up after that so it’s a good job I’ve got some…

 Reasons to be cheerful :-)

1. Four Words. ‘Monster University Teaser Trailer’ :-)

2. OMFG there’s going to be a Fraggle Rock film! EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! It’s not due out till 2015 but I’m excited already :-)

3. Well isn’t this a kid-tastic edition of ‘RTBC’?!?!The teaser trailer for ‘Wreck-it-Ralph’ is out! I wasn't too fussed for this before now but I really like the look of it!

That’s it for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)

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“She stabbed him with the lefty scissors!”

Hello Everyone :-)

Wes Anderson polarises people: there’s no two ways about it. You either love or hate his films, his brand of twee storytelling can be funny, sweet and just the right amount of quirky and sometimes it can be irksome, naval-gazing twaddle. Me? My outlook on Mr Anderson varies from film to film, overall I’d say I like his style but sometimes it’s a bit too precocious for its own good.

So it was with an open mind that I approached Anderson’s latest Directorial endeavour ‘Moonrise Kingdom’.

Our hero is Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman) a 12 year old Khaki Scout from a broken home who meets and falls in love with the equally troubled Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward). The two become pen pals and over the course of a year conspire to run away together. Their disappearance starts an island wide search lead by New Penzance’s Police Captain Sharp (Bruce Willis), aided by Suzy’s parents (Bill Murray, Frances McDormand), Scout Master Randy Ward (Edward Norton) and his Scout Troop.

To my mind, this is Anderson’s best work to date. He has co-written as well as directed all of his previous feature films with varying degrees of success. Sometimes both the script and the directorial vision marry together, other times, like in ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ and ‘The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou’ (both of which are films Anderson co-wrote with Noah Baumbach… just sayin’… ), the end result is a bit hit and miss. ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ has none of that disparity. The script is charming and suitably quirky and fits perfectly with the nostalgic, dream-like visuals.

I love Sam. I love everything about him. I love his hat, his hair, his glasses, his pipe, his speech impediment, I love how he carries Suzy’s bags for her and I love how he’s the coolest geek that has ever lived. Even if you don’t have as big a response to him as I did (and that’s highly likely because I emotionally invest in films more than anyone I know) you can’t help but root for Sam.

Likewise Suzy, in the hands of anyone else I’m sure she would have been totally insufferable but Kara Hayward makes her equal parts rebel, vulnerable and cute, a combination that soon has you on side. Their story is so adorable and the way they interact together isn’t just sweet, it’s believable.
I like how Anderson has chosen to counter Suzy and Sam’s youthful but mature relationship with that of Suzy’s parents who act like children for a great deal of the film. Bill Murray and Frances McDormand are great in their roles and bring a lot of laughs in their admittedly second fiddle performances.
Bruce Willis makes some headway in repenting for his recent bad role choices (Die Hard 4, Surrogates, Cop Out) by being fantastic as the grumpy Captain Sharp. Also Edward Norton as Scout Master Ward and Tilda Swinton as Social Services (yes that’s her character’s actual name!) are sweet and severe respectively.

In all honesty, I’m not surprised I loved this. I’m a hopeless romantic and Sam and Suzy’s relationship is so adorable, it was always going to appeal to my sensibilities. However, what does surprise me is that I love it without any exceptions.

With Anderson’s other films I’ve always been a bit non-committal; I like ‘The Royal Tenenbaums’but I wish it was funnier, or, I like ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ but it loves itself a little too much. However with ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ it’s hard to find fault, I love it just how it is. Highly recommended :-)

So now after all that loveliness let’s have some…

Reasons to be cheerful :-)

1. Finnick Odair casting news! There was a rumour that it was going to be Robert Pattinson and, I won’t lie, that rumour made me blood run cold. The thought that that concave-faced moaper could be playing one of the most pivotal roles in ‘Catching Fire’ was almost too much to bear. Thankfully it’s not going to be him!

Of the list in that article, I’d be happiest with Armie Hammer as the champion Tribute from District Four, he’s pretty much what I envisioned when I was reading the second book, having said that I think the casting people have done a bang up job with the characters so far so I’m sure it’ll be a good fit :-)

2. There’s a Les Mis teaser trailer! As a fan of the stage show I must say I’m pleased with how it’s looking, suitably dark and sad. I am, however, very pleased to see Samantha Barks as Éponine, continuing in the role she played at the 25th Anniversary O2 performance. I'm optimistic :-)

3. Despite earlier indications, Benedict Cumberbatch will not be playing Khan in the new ‘Star Trek’ film says Simon Pegg. So basically… we’re back to square one with that!

That’s everything I have for you today!

Goodbye till next time :-)

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If you go down to the Woods today…

Hello Everyone :-)
As we’ve covered previously, I don’t do well with Horror, but as an ardent film fan I find it very difficult to ignore a film that gets described as a “game changer”, especially when it gets rave reviews from several people whose opinions I trust.
Reassured I wouldn’t have to deal with cinematic induced insomnia, off I trotted (along with a volunteer whose arm I could hide behind if things got a bit scary) to see my second Joss Whedon creation in the space of a week, ‘The Cabin in the Woods’.

So, this is the part of my post where I usually try and give as brief as possible description of the film. In the case of ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ this is going to be ridiculously tricky. All I can say (and all a lot of people have said) is the less you know about it the better. The only facts I will impart are; there are 5 people and they go to a Cabin in the Woods, however things are not always as they seem…

And now to praise it without giving away any of the details… Oh Mr Whedon, Mr Goddard, you have not made my task and easy one!

It’s no great mystery that what you see in the trailer is only a fraction of what the film is about. This becomes apparent from the off, with a highly amusing opening sequence that totally catches the viewer off guard. Take that as a warning shot for things to come. The beauty of ‘The Cabin in the Woods’ is that after those few opening scenes you’ll run a few scenarios through your head and think you have the measure of the film… believe me when I say, you’re not even close to having a handle on it.

This isn’t an actor’s film but the cast have been well chosen and a couple of them are really good. Kristen Connolly puts in a good performance as Dana and Fran Kranz is brilliant as Marty the comic relief (in the same vein as Randy Meeks from Scream albeit not quite as ‘meta’). And Chris Hemsworth takes his top off… (What’s that? Shallow? Who me?!?!)
I’m in love with Bradley Whitford from his days on ‘The West Wing’ but he is great in this. I’m not saying anything else about his character lest I spoil it for you!

As much as I’m sure it was a joint venture between Whedon and Goddard it had Joss’s name stamped through it in like a stick of Blackpool rock. It’s got his dark humour all over it which is really refreshing. It’s not as scary as it could have been for which I was quite thankful, but if you’re a hard core Horror fan you might be slightly under-whelmed by the scares.

‘The Cabin in the Woods’ is an exercise in precision, in every sense. The gags are timed to perfection, the dialogue is snappy, the plot points are delivered bang on time; it really feels like someone took a great deal of care to craft it.

As an admitted Horror-phobe you’d think going to see a film that parodies common horror tropes would leave me nonplussed. Wrong! If you’re a horror nut that’s seen every slasher flick under the sun or (like me) you covered the absolute basics of the Horror genre for your Media Studies A-Level, either way, you’ll know exactly what they’re sending up. I imagine that if I’d have seen more Horror films I may have found it even funnier but I’ve still seen enough to get the references and I was giggling throughout.

I loved ‘The Cabin in the Woods’. If you’re planning on seeing it, leave your preconceptions at the door because you won’t be needing them.

Oh, and, this won’t make sense until you see the film but, we must now all refer to erections as ‘Husband Bulges’.

Now, let’s have some…

Reasons to be Cheerful
1. Read this, the story of a Five year old Avenger! Is it not the sweetest thing you've ever seen in your life?!?! It made my day, it really did :-)

2. "NEWS TEAM... ASSEMBLE!" Oh yes. This is happening!

3. Robert Pattinson will not be playing Finnick Odair in the upcoming sequel to ‘The Hunger Games’, ‘Catching Fire’. Thank FUCK for that! There were rumours, rumours that chilled me to the bone but thankfully it’s not happening :-) Finnick is one of the key characters in ‘Catching Fire’ and Pattinson would have been awful and I would have cried.

That’s all I’ve got for today!

Goodbye till next time :-)
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"Ma'am, there's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that"

Hello Everyone :-)

No daft pre-amble today. Let’s crack on, here’s what I think of ‘Marvel’s Avengers Assemble’ (just ‘The Avengers’ from this point on because that is a bloody stupid name).

Our story begins in a S.H.I.E.L.D base where Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) has been enlisted by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) to help on a project to harness the power of the Tesseract (previously seen in ‘Captain America’).The Tesseract activates, opening a portal to another world through which Loki (Tom Hiddleston) falls. Loki steals the Tessseract and places Selvig and some of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents, including Clint Barton (aka Hawkeye played by Jeremy Renner), into a trance where they will do his bidding. Loki and the brainwashed S.H.I.E.L.D agents escape with the Tesseract forcing Fury to re-open the ‘Avengers Initiative’ in order to track Loki and retrieve the Tesseract.

Wow. Just WOW!

For starters, someone give Josh Whedon a medal; so many plates and 143 minutes in which to spin them, he does a fantastic job.
Let’s break it down: It was one thing to have to deal with three established characters making sure their respective fans were happy, but it’s quite another to also have to develop Hawkeye and Black Widow into fully formed characters and build the ‘Hulk’ into the franchise after two previous attempts to launch the character, both of which had limited success. You’ve also got to juggle Loki and the Chitauri making sure their motives seem believable, reinforce the character of Nick Fury, make sure you give fan favourite Agent Coulson a fair amount of screen time and introduce Maria Hill to the series. That’s just the characters; you have to make sure the script is funny and has purpose, make sure it looks amazing, sounds amazing and has just the right amount of teasing for further forays into the Marvel universe… Whedon manages all of this with aplomb.

The cast is on fine form. Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr and Chris Evans pick up their roles from the previous Marvel films with the greatest of ease and the three actors bounce off each other really well, balancing the comedic and more serious elements of the dialogue really well.
Tom Hiddleston is great reprising his role as Loki. There’s a definite step-up in the character’s motives from ‘Thor’ to ‘The Avengers’. He descends into full on, world-conquering megalomania quite nicely!
Black Widow and Hawkeye are developed well. Both made cameos in ‘Iron Man 2’and ‘Thor’ respectively and both prove their mettle in this as fully rounded main characters. I like them a lot and hope they get their own spin offs.
Much has been said about Mark Ruffalo's performance as Bruce Banner and (as the Banner calls him) "the other guy". I really liked it and there's no doubt that his is the best interpretation of the character to be put on the silver screen in recent years. He delivers some of the funniest lines whilst keeping a real sense of inner-turmoil.

The action set pieces are, predictably, amazing. They’re big on spectacle and edited really well. It never descends into not knowing what part of what belongs to who but they still manage to make everything look epic. Having said that my favourite fight scene is between Black Widow and Hawkeye and in that there’s no big effects or explosions in that; it’s just well-choreographed, close range fighting that shows exactly why the newcomers are on the team.

Granted the plot is a little bit thin, in the immortal words of Bilbo Baggins it’s “like... butter scraped over too much bread”. Basically the team have to stop Loki making a thingy that will open a hole in the galaxy and bring about the enslavement of the human race… and that’s about it. Suffice to say creating a labyrinthine plot of twists and turns is not the film’s priority.

Even though the plot is a bit non-existent, what I really like is the dialogue. Never has the script of a Superhero film been so witty and fun. Not every comic book adaptation is light and fluffy but also not everything has to be 'The Dark Knight'. It is so much funnier than I thought it’d be and the film is better for it.

I hope this is taken on board by the entire cinematic world. Big Blockbusters don’t have to be lowest common denominator trash. They can be bright, funny, well rounded, well executed films such as this. It’s so awesome it makes me smile just thinking about it :-)

If that's not enough to bring a smile to your face how about some...

Reasons to be Cheerful
1. The new series of Doctor Who will be premiering at the Edinburgh TV Festival this summer. This isn't the biggest shock in the world because it's exactly what happened last time, but hey, now it's official.

2. Kevin Feige has said that of all the upcoming Marvel sequels "Captain America 2 will be most closely associated with Avengers.". It makes sense if you think about it. All the other characters have their own people to deal with but poor, gorgeous, lonely Captain left all his friends back in the 40’s, the only people he knows were in ‘the Avengers’ so naturally they’ll be quite closely linked.

That’s all I’ve got for you today!

Expect to be seeing a few posts over the next few days, I’ve been distracted so I’ve got a few waiting to go up!

Goodbye till next time :-)
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