CHILD 44 (Daniel Espinosa)

Synopsis In 1950’s soviet a Russia a disgraced MGB agent hunts for a vicious serial killer. Book adaptations are tricky things to get right, for every Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings there’s a Golden Compass or Bonfire of the Vanities. The key to success is to know what to cut and what to keep and this, sadly, is a lesson that the makers of Child 44 seem not to have taken on board. Set in 1950’s Soviet Russia the film mostly deals with the efforts to bring a vicious child murderer (based on Andrei Chikatilo, the Rostov Ripper) to justice and how the investigation is hampered by the Soviet authorities. I say it’s mostly about that because a great deal of the film seems to preoccupy itself with a dozen other plot threads; from agent Leo Demidov’s (Tom Hardy ) troubled relationship with wife Raisa (Noomi Rapace) to his rivalry with an ambitious fellow agent (Joel Kinnaman). These plot threads dominate the first half hour of the film so much that when the murder investigation does start it feels like we’ve jumped into an entirely different film. Nor to be honest, and despite the best efforts of all the principal players, are these plots all that interesting , perhaps as the driving plots of films of their own they could carry a narrative ,but not here. This is a great shame because when the murder investigation does start the film finally starts to pick up pac ,the murderer himself (despite a faintly ridiculous backstory) is truly sinister as we see him stalk his victims as the audience longs for Hardy, aided by an underused Gary Oldman, to bring him to justice. The book Child 44 got very positive reviews, though I have not personally read it, but what works from the page is not the same as what works for the screen. A lesson that the film’s writers seem to have sadly forgotten. Final Verdict 5/10 An interesting setting, good performances are dragged down by a bloated plot.

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Unknown 13:53  No comment

AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON

I have to confess I didn’t think the director, Josh Whedon (Avengers Assemble ,X-men ,Captain America the First Avenger) could pull it off a second time, given the different directions and plot strands of this movie whilst also keeping the momentum of Avengers Assemble going. He has, however, proved me wrong. Obviously his primary motivation with Age of Ultron was not only to keep the momentum going but also to move things forward into new unexplored territory. Following the consequences of one mistake made by Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) the film highlights the team’s spiral into their deepest fears by the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen ). This is all orchestrated by the film’s main protagonist, Ultron (James Spader), who apart from being immensely powerful, also shares Stark’s superpower of pithy one liners. Seeing the team that we last saw standing strong at the end of Avengers Assemble being torn apart is a really effective way of giving the heroes a new type of threat to overcome. We’ve observed them overcome physical threats, now they have to face up to psychological ones as well. Of course there are still action scenes a plenty; one of the highlights being a fight between Iron Man and The Hulk that uses an entire city as the backdrop for the choreographed mayhem. My only real complaint is that the finale, though a different scenario, is not a million miles away from that of the first film (the team fight off hordes of metallic creatures whilst defending a civilian population). Perhaps, inevitably, in an ensemble piece some characters feel underused as if they are only there to tick the cameo boxes. These are, I admit, only small complaints in what is otherwise pure entertainment. If this level of quality is maintained for the planned third and fourth instalments in the franchise then it is difficult to imagine them failing. FINAL VERDICT 9/10 let’s just hope they don’t strike out with number three.

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Unknown 15:48  No comment

JURASSIC WORLD NOSTALGIC FUN OR CYNICAL MONEY MAKER

I have to admit that it doesn't look half as bad as I imagined it. Still time will tell if the franchise has survived or is officially extinct

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CAN KINGSMAN MEASURE UP?

In the second of my new feature Some thoughts on Kingsman from my little sister, Megan. Megan's Channel: www.youtube.com/MeganWatt18

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JOHN WICK GETS SHOT DOWN

A new feature designed to let others give their say on movies . So to kick things off my mum's thoughts on John Wick starring Keanu Reeves.

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Unknown 02:20  No comment

FIFTY SHADES OF MEDIOCRITY

In reviewing films for this blog I have had the pleasurable experience of seeing the good (Captain Philips, Guardians of the Galaxy), the bad (Let’s Be Cops, The Love Punch) and now, sadly, the ugly. This is not a review, I will not be going to see this ‘cinematic masterpiece’, and instead I would like to investigate why this film even exists. The book series by has become extremely popular (which is strange because no one I’ve met admits to reading it let alone buying it) and, as such, a film adaption was inevitable. Using this logic we can expect ‘Playboy the Movie’ next year. By all accounts the film is a rather tame affair; the filmmaker’s having decided to leave out some of the racier, and no doubt anatomically impossible, scenes from the book. Of course given that’s why anyone who has read the book will be reading it for (don’t lie) this means the film has to survive on its plot and characters - and we all know how much attention books in this genre pay to those (cue the plumber and the lonely housewife). In fact where the initial magnum opus actually came from might surprise some people, this book originally started as Twilight fanfiction (non-profit stories posted online using existing characters from other books). Apparently the author got encouragement from reviewers online and so adapted it into her own story. This would explain why the male lead is apparently so unlikable, and come to think of it why the female character is so easily led and wants to have a man boss her around. In a supreme twist of fate when Universal Studios sought legal means to block a pornographic parody of the Twilight movies, the makers of the porno version pointed out that as fanfiction is the public domain it was open to parody (their argument didn’t fly). This is all its takes these days to get a book deal, an internet story which got some good reviews (many of whom may well have been trolls). This is encouraging in its own strange way I suppose but it’s hardly one to encourage the youth of today (work hard enough and you can get your own schlock erotic fiction series!”)

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Unknown 15:45  No comment

FOCUS

Con artists have always had an interesting place in cinema, the “good criminal” who the audience can get behind, likable rouges who pull off daring and clever heists without firing a shot etc. In such films it’s important to make the right casting choice for your charismatic grafter, this can make or break a film and Focus makes the right choice. Will Smith really need a film like this; After Earth (intended as a vehicle for his son Jaden) rapidly became an open joke and did not sit well with fans of the Fresh Prince. Focus does a great deal to bring back the old Smith, the role is well suited for his style of charisma and fast talking. A good decision is having the action seen through a small time thief (Margot Robbie), giving the handy excuse to explain the cons without it feeling forced. This can feel a little forced at times but on the whole lets the con unfold, rather like a magic trick, with the reveal showing the machinations behind the planning. One of the best examples of this involves a set piece at an American football game that ramps up the tension (and the financial stakes) accordingly. The film does falter a little in the middle when a change in time/setting can feel a little like a film within itself. On the whole though the narrative flows well and ends with a sequence of several rapid fire twists that turns many of the events of the film on its head leaving you somewhat dazed. This is the kind of fun crime thriller that I would like to see more of, slick action and witty dialogue rather than loud gunfire and unlikable thugs as our main protagonist. FINAL VERDICT 7/10 A RETURN TO FORM FOR SMITH WHO REALLY SHOULD STICK TO THIS KIND OF THING RATHER THAN HELPING FAMILY MEMBERS.

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Unknown 14:56  No comment