Reviews

Big Denzel! Oh and Ryan Reynolds, who (whoda thunk it) guards a safe house for the CIA when a criminal (Denzel Washington) comes to visit, turning his life upside down.

So little happens in the first five minutes, but then so much in the first ten. It catches you off guard somewhat. Reynolds' uncertain jitteriness alongside Washington' calm coolness is at times hilarious, yet so fun to watch. Although Washington is considered the experienced criminal, rookie Reynolds puts up a pretty good fight (well he is like twenty years younger, not that you'd know it).

I think the makers of the film hoped by adding a football game half way through that it would turn it into the perfect guy film. Well I can honestly say that, I am a girl and I enjoyed it. Thing I learnt from this film? I never want to be in the CIA.

The story begins with Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) talking about his father, anyone that has seen the trailers will know that Oskar's father (Tom Hanks) goes on to die in 9/11. It is the story of how he deals with this loss and his many fears.

We gather early on that this boy is not quite normal, with his tambourine and rolled up corduroy trousers, he's basically a male version of Harriet the Spy. Tom Hanks, however short his part, is lovely in his role and Sandra Bullock (who plays Oskar's mother) is so convincing, I cried. I understand that it's a tricky subject to deal with, but the boy is just so frustrating!

It really is a moving story, Hanks and Bullock are great, but that boy... It should be called Extremely Loud & Incredibly Annoying.

Satyrical genius. It introduces the new story very well by having a puppet grow up with a human family and looking into the perfect world of the Muppets, only to see it all collapse. So obviously, he needs to save them in order to be part of their family... Obviously.

The opening songs are insanely cheesy, but knowing Jason Segel's back catalogue of work, it makes it OK. You know he's just taking the mick. This along with the characters taking to the audience makes it the perfect parody. There is some shameful self-promotion from Disney with the likes of a Cars 2 poster in a couple of background shots, but thats OK too (this time it's just because I like Disney).

It's packed with 80s nostalgia, so many cameos (Dave Grohl and Mickey Rooney included) and tonnes of laughs. Get on it, if only to have Mahna-mahnam stuck in your head the rest of the day, maybe even week.

Liam Neeson has been known to fight Nazis, the Sith, Batman, kidnappers and the White Witch, naturally, there was only one thing left to fight. Wolves, obviously. After the plane Ottway (Neeson) and his crew are travelling on crashes to the ground, the survivors must outrun wolves on there escape to civilisation. Exciting stuff you may think (MAY, think).

Certain elements of the film seem to have been given some thought; the way the survivor's hair blows in the bracing wind creates an air of oncoming terror and there are undertones of religion. However, when the characters try and get sentimental, it just seems so fake. It is after all a manly man's film, let's just leave it at that. It is a lot scarier than I had anticipated, but it was the anticipation that scared me, when the wolves finally rear their ugly heads, they were just as fake as the sentiment. A couple of red LEDs in the dark along with gruff panting, does not a convincing wolf make.

Liam Neeson has become some sort of hero in a lot of boys eyes, but alas, he is no superhero. He is no longer a Jedi, so shouldn't be able to defy gravity like one. It's a shame that instead of pitying the survivors of the crash, all I could think about while watching the film was "wow, these wolves are organised".

After Mallory's (Gina Carano) team turn against her, she is forced to go rogue and fight anyone who crosses her, even Channing Tatum. The fight with Mr. Tatum is immense; after lurching for her across a diner, he slams her head into the counter. Who said chivalry is dead?

Gina Carano comes across very stiff, she is playing a Black Ops soldier but it looks like she took inspiration from the lifeless soldiers of Call of Duty. The fight scenes are impressive at first but then seem unconvincing and overly rehearsed, maybe they were learning dance sequences from Channing in-between takes. The soundtrack is very Ocean's Eleven-esque, and after looking at who composed the music for Haywire, I can understand why: same guy.

There is one good thing I could say about Haywire; the locations all look very authentic. Yeh, that's it. So many great actors went into creating this film: Ewan McGregor, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Michael Fassbender, yet what was produced was some cheesy special agent flick with war paint and catch phrases. Too many cooks have obviously spoilt this broth.

Seann William Scott often fits into a certain type, to put it bluntly, silly films. After following his favourite hockey player, Doug (Scott) goes from bouncer at a pub to pro hockey player, seems to fit the bill.

I didn't think much of the film or the story in the first say, twenty minutes. It just seemed to be in competition with the likes of Superbad and dare I say, American Pie. With Doug's best friend Ryan (Jay Baruchel) making obscene jokes every 5 seconds, I couldn't help but role my eyes. When the story moves away from him, is when the film really starts to pick up. We get to see what Scott's character is really like, which is a polite, cute, neanderthal with really hard fists.

Liev Schreiber's character is rather terrifying, creating a great juxtaposition between him and the dimwitted Doug. The camera angles used on the ice show how scary it can be and bring the audience into the match. Now that I know it's based on a true story, I only want to meet the real Doug and give him a hug.

Oh my! I'm going to ruin the ending to my own review by saying I absolutely loved this film! No suspense or skirting around the issue, it's absolutely fantastic.

From the offset, I was transported into a time I wish I'd lived. The theatre was so busy, I had to sit at the back where I could here the projector, which only added to the ambiance. The irony of a silent film documenting the coming of sound is perfect. Sound in film is all we know of today, lest we forget, it ruined a lot of people's careers (Norma Desmond, even though she's a character, is a prime example). Single scenes show the transition of two peoples entire emotions and it's done beautifully, not rushed, just beautiful.

I really have nothing bad to say about this film, I'm giddy just writing about. Not having sound (or even the way they use it in doses) helps you to appreciate the subtleties. Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo are sublime, I even loved the dog. If only films like this could come along more often than a blue moon.

I had a bad feeling from the beginning of this film, that our very own Simon Pegg was going to be the best thing about it (he is hilarious), but it wasn't too bad considering it was the fourth in the series of Mission: Impossible films and generally, I feel that sequels deteriorate the further they get away from the original flick (apart from Toy Story 3).

Expect what you got from the other Mission: Impossible films; new gadgets to awe at, maybe a bit of girl on girl (fighting mind you). Just a heads up, the end sequence is ridiculous, fantasy gadgets is one thing, defying death is another. If you want to leave the cinema mildly satisfied, leave before the end.

I've said before that I like a film that teaches me something. What did this film teach me? It taught me that everyone needs Apple products and BMWs.

I have to say, and I am ashamed for doing so, but I haven't seen the original trilogy or even read the books. I know, slap on the wrists, if not a slap on the face. Yet after seeing this film, I've been looking at buying the box-set of the Swedish version, I'm hooked.

The title sequence seemed to me like a more disturbing Bond, especially with Daniel Craig appearing. I suppose the fact that they were a tad disturbing, should have set me up for a couple of hours of me shying away from the screen, to be honest, I'm not sure I've got the stomach for it. The acting from both Craig and Rooney Mara along with the impeccable story line made me stay.

Apart from the few unsettling moments, it is very frank and candid, creating a funny repartee between Craig and Mara. There's so many questions and so much going on but I never once found myself bewildered by any of it, that's good storytelling.

A week of Marilyn Monroe's life shown through the eyes of a young man, where Monroe is played by an actress who is... not Marilyn Monroe, made me skeptical to say the least. So naturally, I had to see it.

The idea of someone trying to emulate someone as iconic as Monroe made me somewhat squeamish, however Michelle Williams wasn't half bad. Everyone will remember Monroe's little dance in The Prince and the Showgirl, William's rendition of the same scene is enchanting. Her voice may not be reminiscent of the late great Monroe but little things, like the way William's moves her mouth, is quite similar. I felt the same skepticism towards Kenneth Branagh playing Sir Laurence Olivier, but towards the end of the film, I was loving every minute he was on screen, including the stirling line; "Acting is all about truth and if you can fake that, you'll have a wonderful career."

Unfortunately, I didn't feel as captivated by Emma Watson's character, Lucy, a character as forgettable as the name. She will always remain Hermione Granger to me. It's a shame that the very same film that made her career is going to be the one holding her back.

As someone that has always been fascinated by Miss Monroe's life, I was excited to see this, if only from a biographical point of view, yet for anyone who doesn't know detailed aspects of her life, some points of the film are just wasted. I seemed to leave the cinema thinking that it was just some guy's claim to fame; I shagged Marilyn Monroe.

We all knew this was coming with a setting up like the end of the last film. Sequels have been popping up more and more recently, they are a sure seller, but this one definitely lived it to it's first instalment.

Guy Richie's signature blue tint is back in force but didn't manage to depress me, the comedy between Robert Downey Jnr. and Jude Law certainly lightens the mood. The angles used for the chase turn a now normal and possibly mundane scene into something new and raw, we move with the punches as the camera swings around. Things that are so often taken for granted in films such as establishing shots, are used perfectly so the only questions the audience is asking are the ones the story has set up.

Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes is bloody marvellous, I'm not afraid to say that he is quite simply perfect and the final fight scene is epic.

I've never seen a film about cancer that was so real, that really said what needed to be said instead of cheesing everything up. I admit, it's a difficult matter to discuss without feeling you're treading on people's toes, but 50/50 does it perfectly.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character, Adam, is shown to be an upstanding citizen; waiting for the green man to cross the road, recycling, didn't drink, didn't smoke, that's what makes it all the more frustrating for him, and us, when he gets cancer. It not only deals with cancer, but Alzheimer's's as well, with some truly heart rendering moments. Look out for the beautiful volcano metaphor and you may guess Adam's (Gordon-Levitt) outcome.

Basically, take your tissues but don't be afraid to laugh, Gordon-Levitt looks more like an alien with his shaved head than he did in 3rd Rock From The Sun. Seth Rogen offers some hilarious moments, including his analysis, "every celebrity beats cancer," and Anjelica Huston is the perfect smothering mother.

To compare America's pastime with something more relevant in Britain would probably frustrate American's the world over, so I won't even attempt it. I thought the topic of the film would be lost on me considering my typically British upbringing, but there is so much more to Moneyball than just the sport of baseball.

Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill bounce off each other so well (I wanted to be sat in-between them chuckling to myself), especially during the introduction of Hill's character Peter, with everything he said seeming to sound like an apology and Pitt's Billy Beane basically telling him to man up. The supporting cast did a superb job of looking dumbfounded when the new strategy of baseball drafting was presented to them, created awkward moments even Woody Allen would be proud of.

The mix of archive footage with the newly filmed, brings an air of nostalgia that's really fitting. Without the back-story of Billy Beane creating the emotional connection we, as an audience, need, there would be no story at all (apart from that of which we could read on Wikipedia), but with this, there is enough narrative to entice even the most British of non-baseball fans.

Nicolas Cage and Guy Pearce aren't exactly my favourite actors, I can't put my finger on why but they both just really annoy me. So I didn't have very high expectations going into this film, thinking that I would be rolling my eyes at every word they uttered. The fact that I enjoyed the film, is either a nod to my ability of being able to withstand irritating people or that it was actually a really good film.

The untimely incident with Will's (Cage) wife (January Jones), was made even more disturbing by the juxtaposition of him playing chess. Such an ugly event opposed to a tranquil game, it worked really well. I did have a little pernickety moment, when Will went to visit his wife in hospital. His character just didn't seem believable, he didn't even ask what had happened to her or how she was. Most normal people would (ok, moment over).

The snakeskin shoes worn by the villain is a great reiteration of the phrase several characters use, "This place (New Orleans) is going to hell," and judging by the choice of the initial villain's footwear, he's going to be the one to take them there.

January Jones shows how to fight back, with her major "girl power" moments and as a teensy feminist, I loved it. Alongside a thrilling plot, I was pleasantly surprised.