Film review - Captain America: The First Avenger

In some ways, this is as perfect as a comic book movie can get. The story is told properly and patiently, and action serves the story, rather than the other way around. To those who are concerned about the title's implication of American flag-waving patriotism; worry not- this isn't that movie. If anything, it's parodied.
The visual effects are pretty flawless, even when Chris Evans's head seems a little too big for his body (in the early scenes), you can never see the join or begin to imagine how they did it.
The cast are all great, and Evans himself is particularly excellent, showing a real emotional journey, proving he's more than a pretty bod. The characters are sympathetic, and the period detail is captured beautifully, reflected in both the score and pace.
Which brings me to my reservations. The pace is SO leisurely that I'm not sure I'd enjoy it as much on a repeated viewing. Once you know how tab A fits into slot B, you lose the suspense that's kept you watching, but there's not much bang to keep you occupied either.
Also, I tended to switch off when Hugo Weaving's villainous Schwarzenegger impression (and sidekick Toby Jones) came on-screen. They're just not given much to do- Villains really need to do a bit more than plot in a lab to get me interested.
But I'd highly recommend it, and am more excited than ever to see The Avengers next year. Speaking of which, sit through the credits...

Film Review - Cars 2

I'm on record as being a bona fide Pixar fan. Some may consider me biased- A Bug's Life, Cars, WALL-E, Ratatouille and even Up! all have their critics, but I adore them all. It certainly sours my opinion of rival animation studios' work (in particular the massively over-rated Shrek). But, for the first time, it's worked against them.
Their consistently brilliant output has been unrivalled, giving us colourful characters, visuals, dialogue and stories, all with an emotional wallop. The original Cars movie, despite its undeserved "boring" reputation, is no exception to this rule, and I'd encourage anybody to re-evaluate it. But yet... Something's missing in this sequel.
I can't put my finger on what, but there were times when the frantic action on-screen left me restless, rather than excited. We were all struggling to remember the new characters' names afterwards, and at times I could tell what was on-screen was amusing, yet wasn't finding myself laughing.
Whereas Cars was a beautiful, leisurely film that knew how and when to crank up the excitement, Cars 2 is as beautiful, but keeps its foot on the accelerator, so maybe it's this absence of light and shade? (How's that for mixed metaphors?)
The only emotional moment (a Pixar trademark) came early on, with a reference to the late Paul Newman's character from the first film- but this only has an emotional resonance BECAUSE of the first film.
Maybe I was in the wrong frame of mind, but I must agree (partially) with the critics- Pixar have delivered their first true disappointment.
But is it bad film? Not in the slightest. Visually, it's a feast. The intricate blink-and-you'll-miss-it details are all there, and the scenes in Tokyo and Milan are breathtaking. For the first time in ages, I wish I'd seen the 3D version of a film. The animation and design are flawless, and the themes in the score are wonderfully tongue-in-cheek, referencing spy movies of the past. Unfortunately, however, the sound mixing is off. There are times when the music could have added impact to a scene, but instead we get just a generic spy music backing track, overpowered by sound effects and/or dialogue.
Hopefully my opinion of Cars 2 will improve on later viewings, but for now it appears that this may be the first time Pixar won't appear in my annual top 10 films. At least Disney gave us Tangled this year.

Film Review - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

As always, there are a few crucial moments I would have done differently (I may elaborate once the film's out), but to criticise this film as an adaptation of the final section of the book is to be picky in the extreme. They make enough changes for the film franchise to make sense, with a few surprises (mostly pleasant) for the initiated too. Whilst we've all been waiting to see The Battle of Hogwarts, the film-makers have decided that the story is the most important part, and does take priority over the spectacle. For that, they are to be commended, so a lot of the action is off-screen (or background). As for the cast, they've matured nicely, the surprise stand-out being Matthew Lewis as Neville, and the no-surprise stand-out being Alan Rickman's Snape (although Maggie Smith does get to upstage him at one point!). I laughed, I cried, I stamped my feet with excitement, and I can't wait to do it all again next weekend. Oh, and the 3D conversion has proven to be a complete waste of time and money. Not one moment requires it, and there are several mis-shapen faces that require its absence. Even that can't spoil this awesome movie, but save your money, see it in 2D.

Harry Potter

With the eighth and final Harry Potter movie about to be released in cinemas, now is an appropriate time to take a look at the most successful franchise of all-time.

With its books, movies and merchandise, Harry Potter has become a worldwide phenomenon that has encouraged children and adults alike to discover and rediscover reading, not to mention packing cinemas and shifting millions of DVDs, all over the world.

I read the first four books in September 2001, after seeing the trailer for the first movie, and was a bona fide fan by the time the movie was released. Each book was re-read before each film's release, the whole series was re-read before each book was released, and each movie's release saw (at least) its predecessor re-watched, both for cinema and DVD releases. So it's fair to say I know them all pretty well.

I've been lucky enough to obtain preview tickets for a screening of the final film this coming Thursday, July 7th, over a week before its official release date on Friday 15th. After that screening, it is my intention to re-watch all previous seven films, and review each with an eye on various particular perspectives;

1. Straightforward film review; how it stands up as a film in its own right.
2. The film as an adaptation of the book; what works, what doesn't, what they got right, what they got wrong.
3. What was changed from the book; what was left out, what was put in, what played out differently.
4. What essential information was left out for the film series to make complete sense.

It's the fourth point in particular in which I'm most interested for this blog.

Whilst I'm currently re-reading the end of Deathly Hallows, I'm noticing that there is so much that hasn't been covered in the films that should have been by now. And I'm not talking about the likes of Snape's relationship with James Potter & friends- it's important in the books, but no longer necessary for the film series to work.

I'm talking about some glaring omissions that have been carried over film-to-film, but never addressed. If you haven't read the books, and aren't confused, then you're not paying attention.

For example...

Peter Pettigrew. From film 4 onwards he's called "Wormtail". Explained in book three, but none of the films.

Harry has a piece of mirror in film 7. Explained in book five, but none of the films.

Film 8 will feature items referenced in book 6, but no films so far.

It'll be interesting to see how much is rectified in their final chance. I'm hoping to clarify what they don't.

Film Review - Green Lantern (2011)

First up, this review will sound negative, but it really isn't. I thought Green Lantern was a good film. It kept me interested and entertained, and the SFX were pretty spectacular. I don't know or care how accurately it portrays the comic, as a film with its own story, it worked. It does not deserve the kicking it's been getting from critics.

And yet. There are a few issues I just need to get off my chest.

I love Ryan Reynolds. He has proper big-screen charisma, great comic timing (and delivery) and a body that makes me want to kill myself. But he has developed a bit of a familiar schtick, and whilst I love it, there are times when it isn't appropriate. He knows this himself, as proven in Buried and Amityville. But here he uses it randomly, rather than in a considered manner, so sometimes it works well, sometimes it feels fake.

We also get the now over-familiar Superfluous Character Syndrome, the honours here going to Blake Lively's blander-than-bland damsel, and the oddly-cast Peter Sarsgaard as a balding, middle-aged doctor or something who gets mutated by evil (or "fear" to be more accurate). When these characters appear, the film has a tendency to slam on the breaks. No comment on the actors per se, just their characters (or rather their lack thereof).

But most importantly, each time you're introduced to a new superhero, you need to know "what's his gimmick?" And Green Lantern's is pretty cool. Basically, he's given the power to bring his imagination to life. And therein lies the problem with this film. Hal Jordan apparently has a very VERY limited imagination. I'm sure he'll grow with time, but it was a bit infuriating to see him consistently defeating bad guys (including enormous planet-devouring entities) by just imagining various weapons and projectiles to throw at them. Not that the film's conclusion isn't satisfying, it is. It's also disappointingly unimaginative.

But apart from that, I enjoyed it very much. I'd watch it again and I'll happily queue to see Green Lantern 2. Although it's looking about as likely to happen as The Subtle Knife.

Film review - Senna

I have no interest in any sport, yet still found this film to be absolutely gripping from beginning to end. Emotional, exciting, infuriating, and dramatic. Ayrton Senna makes for a hugely charismatic and likeable lead, and his enthusiasm for the sport (and life) is infectious. Heroes and villains are drawn, and the film makes no attempt to hide whose side it is on (if anything, Formula 1 itself is the biggest villain, its politics oddly reminiscent of the current FIFA situation). However, during the lead-up to the final act, Senna's enthusiasm evaporates, and that smiley lead character disappears. He is replaced by an unhappy, stressed, rapidly-ageing man who is losing his faith in the vehicle he has always understood, as it becomes corrupted by technology. The dramatic conclusion to the story is sensitively handled, and delivered in a way that is surprisingly un-dramatic, but still hits an emotional punch.

The Oscars 2010

I usually rely on pen & paper to make my way through the Oscars, thanks to printable ballots. Thought I'd try blogging instead this year.

Looking forward to it more this year than I have for a while. A lot of great films are up, and a lot fewer films I hated than the last few years. I don't get the Hurt Locker thing at all, but certainly didn't dislike it. I'm rooting for Avatar all the way, and Up.

I'll predict and vote on each category as and when.

Claudia Winkleman hosts the UK coverage with guests David Baddiel, Ronnie Ancona and Mark Dolan. Interesting choices, with only Baddiel absent last year. No party pooper Stephanie Beacham, thankfully. She did my head in last year.

Baddiel didn't even know A Serious Man was nominated. Oh dear.

Over to Angela Griffin on the red carpet. And we're back. That totally wasn't a waste of time.

Now we hear the nominees discuss how they feel. I'm guessing the response is positive. I am, evidently, correct. And now winners' memories. A montage of "um"s over Kylie music. Nice.

We'll be returning to the panel at each ad break.

1.30
And here we go...

As always, can't hear the live announcements to the audience. All the nominated actors are on stage for some reason. Except Matt Damon. Christoph Waltz too. Bastards.

1.32
Neil Patrick Harris. Legen.... Wait for it... Dary! Sound mix is off. Can hear the trumpets over the vocals. Hang on, some of those dancers are from SYTYCD (US)... Cool.

1.35
Hosts Steve Martin & Alec Baldwin lowered from the ceiling. Jokes about Meryl Streep losing. She rocks. All three of them were in It's Complicated. Must see it.

1.41
Ooh the Bigelow/Cameron marriage has been mentioned! Drink! A joke about a Toyota. I don't get it. George Clooney is looking well fucking miserable. Alec's called him up on it.

Twice!

1.45
Penelope Cruz introduces Supporting Actor.
Nominees:
Matt Damon, Invictus
Woody Harrelson, The Messenger
Christopher Plummer, The Last Station
Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones
Christoph Waltz, Inglourious Basterds

My vote: Christoph Waltz
My prediction: Christoph Waltz
Winner: Christoph Waltz
Wow, he named a lot of people!

1.51
Ryan Reynolds introduces Best Picture nominee The Blind Side.

1.52
Ad break. Boy do the audience look bored shitless. They have 4 hours to go.

1.55
Cameron Diaz and Steve Carrell introduce Animated Picture.
Nominees:
Coraline
Fantastic Mr. Fox
The Princess & the Frog
The Secret of Kells
Up

Vote: Up
Prediction: Up
Winner: Up, Pete Docter director.

2.01
Amanda Seyfreid and Miley Cyrus introduce Original Song.
Nominees:
"Almost There" from The Princess & the Frog.
"Down in New Orleans" from The Princess & the Frog.
"Loin de Paname" from Paris 36.
"Take It All" from Nine.
"The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart.

Vote: "Take It All"
Prediction: "The Weary Kind"
Winner: "The Weary Kind"

2.05
Chris Pine introduces Best Picture nominee District 9.

Ad break 2. The panel are happy with Up.

2.12
Robert Downey Jr & Tina Fey introduce Original Screenplay. Amusing intro.
Nominees:
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The Messenger
A Serious Man
Up

Vote: Up
Prediction: The Hurt Locker
Winner: The Hurt Locker, Mark Boal writer.

2.17
Molly Ringwald & Matthew Broderick introduce a tribute to John Hughes, followed by a video montage and then his films' stars appear on stage, introducing his family in the audience. Fair play, what with all the Oscar recognition he got.

2.24
Samuel L Jackson introduces Best Picture nominee Up.

Ad break 3. The panel reveal Baddiel had worked with John Hughes. And is there to plug his new film.

2.28
Carey Mulligan & Zoe Saldana introduce Short Films. I won't be predicting many of these.

Animated nominees:
French Roast
Sleeping Beauty
The Lady & The Reaper
Logorama
A Matter of Loaf & Death

Prediction: A Matter of Loaf & Death.
Winner: Logorama

Documentary nominees:
China's Unnatural Disaster
The Last Campaign
The Last Truck
Music By Prudence
Rabbit a la Berlin
Winner: Music By Prudence.

Live action nominees:
The Door
Instead of Abracadabra
Kavi
Miracle Fish
The New Tenants
Winner: The New Tenants.

2.38
Ben Stiller, in Avatar form, introduces Makeup.
Nominees:
Il Divo
Star Trek
The Young Victoria

Vote: Star Trek
Prediction: The Young Victoria
Winner: Star Trek

2.43
Jeff Bridges introduces Best Picture nominee A Serious Man.

Ad break 4. They briefly predict the next category.

2.48
Jake Gyllenhaal & Rachel McAdams introduce Adapted Screenplay.
Nominees:
Up in the Air
Precious
In The Loop
An Education
District 9

Vote: District 9.
Prediction: Up in the Air.
Winner: Precious.

2.52
Queen Latifah introduces the Governors' Event. Don't ask me. Roger Corman and Lauren Bacall won something. Cue seriously laboured standing ovation.

2.55
Robin Williams introduces Supporting Actress.
Nominees:
Penelope Cruz, Nine.
Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air
Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart
Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air
Monique, Precious

Vote: Monique
Prediction: Monique
Winner: Monique
Cue genuine standing ovation. And then she spoke...

3.01
Colin Firth introduces Best Picture nominee An Education.

Ad break 5. Was Monique being arrogant in her speech? This is for the performance, not the politics??? Does that mean "I won because I was great"? She was, but even so...

3.06
Sigourney Weaver introduces Art Direction.
Nominees:
Avatar
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus
Sherlock Holmes
The Young Victoria

Vote: Avatar
Prediction: Avatar
Winner: Avatar
Yay! Avatar won something!

3.10
Tom Ford and Sarah Jessica Parker introduce Costume Design.
Nominees:
Bright Star
Coco Before Chanel
The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus
Nine
The Young Victoria

Vote: The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus
Prediction: The Young Victoria
Winner: The Young Victoria
She sounded a bit ungrateful.

3.12
Charlize Theron introduces Best Picture nominee Precious.

Ad break 6. Mark Dolan is losing the hosts' predictions competition.

3.17
Steve & Alec do a Paranormal Activity spoof.

3.18
Kristin Stewart & Taylor Lautner introduce a tribute to horror because Oscar loves to ignore it. Errrrm... Okay....? I'm noticing a theme. Spoiler alert aplenty btw. Someone should have pointed out that Twilight is a different definition of horror.

3.23
Zac Efron & Anna Kendrick introduce Sound awards, with a handy video showing us the difference.
Sound Editing
Nominees:
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Up

Vote: Avatar
Prediction: The Hurt Locker
Winner: The Hurt Locker

Sound Mixing:
Avatar
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Star Trek
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Vote: Avatar
Prediction: Avatar
Winner: The Hurt Locker
Uh-oh. A Hurt Locker sweep is looming...

3.28
Elizabeth Banks introduced the Scientific and Technical awards. Which we don't see.

3.29
John Travolta introduces Best Picture nominee Inglourious Basterds.

Ad break 7. They discuss the Hurt Locker sweep. Consensus appears to be "hope not" as Avatar will be remembered.

3.35
Sandra Bullock introduces Cinematography.
Nominees:
Avatar
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
The White Ribbon

Vote: Avatar
Prediction: Avatar
Winner: Avatar
Phew.

3.38
Demi Moore introduces In Memoriam, while James Taylor sings In My Life.
I'd heard of...
Patrick Swayze
David Carradine (met him, not nice)
Dom DeLuise
Ron Silver
Brittany Murphy
Roy Disney
Michael Jackson
Natasha Richardson
Karl Malden

Twitter was not happy at the absence of Farrah Fawcett and Bea Arthur, when Michael Hackson was honoured. Fair play. Bad form, Academy.

Ad break 8. Avatar vs Hurt Locker. 2-3 so far. SFX will even it next. Avatar is in a league of its own, but Hurt Locker is better made?!??!?

3.45
J-Lo and Sam Worthington introduce Score, danced by SYTYCD alumni! Travis Wall!!!! That awesome Asian guy from Madonna videos and shows!!! Will be YouTube-ing that tomorrow.
Nominees:
Sherlock Holmes
The Hurt Locker
Fantastic Mr Fox
Up
Avatar

Vote: Up
Prediction: Up
Winner: Up
Wow! The actual best score rarely wins. Good for them!

3.54
Gerard Butler & Bradley Cooper introduce Visual Effects
Nominees:
Avatar
District 9
Star Trek

Vote: Avatar
Prediction: Avatar
Winner: Avatar
A no-brainer.

3.57
Jason Bateman introduced Best Picture nominee Up in the Air.

4.01
Matt Damon introduces Documentary Feature.
Nominees:
Burma VJ
The Cove
Food Inc.
The Most Dangerous Man In America
Which Way Home

Vote: I haven't seen any of them yet.
Prediction: The Cove
Winner: The Cove
Wow, Oscar winner Fisher Stevens! Again, Twitter was ablaze!

4.06
Some black guy introduces Editing.
Nominees:
Avatar
District 9
The Hurt Locker
Inglourious Basterds
Precious

Vote: Avatar
Prediction: The Hurt Locker
Winner: The Hurt Locker
Oh and the black guy is Tyler Perry. He's famous in America. (Thanks, Twitter!)

4.10
Keanu Reeves introduces Best Picture nominee The Hurt Locker.

Ad break. David's moved into the lead.

4.14
Pedro Almodovar & Quentin Tarantino introduce Foreign Language.
Nominees:
Ajami, Israel.
The Milk of Sorrow, Peru.
A Prophet, France.
The Secret in Their Eyes, Argentina.
The White Ribbon, Germany.

Vote: The White Ribbon
Prediction: The White Ribbon
Winner: The Secret in Their Eyes.

4.18
Kathy Bates introduces Best Picture nominee Avatar.

Ad break 4454. Countdown to the final four...!)

4.24
Best Actor performance montage. Past co-stars appear.
Nominees:
Jeff Bridges, Crazy Heart. Introduced by Michelle Pfeiffer.
George Clooney, Up in the Air. Introduced by Vera Farmiga.
Colin Firth, A Single Man. Introduced by Julianne Moore.
Morgan Freeman, Invictus. Introduced by Tim Robbins.
Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker. Introduced by Colin Farrell.

Award presented by Kate Winslet.
Vote: Colin Firth
Prediction: Jeff Bridges
Winner: Jeff Bridges

Ads

4.39
Best Actress performance montage. Past co-stars appear.
Nominees:
Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side. Introduced by Forest Whitaker.
Helen Mirren, The Last Station. Introduced by Michael Sheen.
Carey Mulligan, An Education. Introduced by Peter Sarsgaard.
Gabourey Sidibe, Precious. Introduced by Oprah Winfrey.
Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia. Introduced by Stanley Tucci.

Presented by Sean Penn.
Vote: Sandra Bullock.
Prediction: Sandra Bullock.
Winner: Sandra Bullock.

4.50ish
Barbra Streisand introduces Best Director.
Nominees:
James Cameron, Avatar
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds.
Lee Daniels, Precious.
Jason Reitman, Up in the Air.

Vote: James Cameron, Avatar.
Prediction: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
Winner: Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

5.00ish
Tom Hanks introduces Best Picture.
Nominations: see above.

Vote: Avatar
Prediction: Avatar
Winner: The Hurt Locker.
Shit.

5.05
It's over.
Sigh. We have witnessed history. A pub quiz answer has been created.

Apologies for any typos, spelling errors, etc. It's 5am for f***'s sake.

Thrown doll out of pram.

Goodnight.