X Men First Class: Movie Review

X Men First Class: Movie Review

X Men First Class
Rating: 6/10
Cast: James McAvoy, January Jones, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, Jennifer Lawrence, Oliver Platt, Nicholas Hoult
Director: Matthew Vaughn
So once more back into the X Men breach - and a third attempt at an origins film.
This time though it's from the minds who brought us the truly wonderful Kick Ass.
James McAvoy stars as Charles Xavier, a gifted young man whose life is decided by the altruistic path he forges in nurturing mutant kind and uttering the word "Groovy" as the 1960s progress.
Directly idealogically opposite him is Erik Lehnsherr (a brilliant Michael Fassbender) whose youth is defined by his tortuous treatment as a Jew in the Nazi concentration camps at the hands of Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon).
So Erik sets out to hunt Shaw down and kill him - but when Shaw threatens to bring the world to its knees via nuclear war, Erik and Xavier join forces - along with other newly discovered mutants to try to avert a potential world war three.
What to say about X Men First Class?
Well it's better than some of the more recent entrants into the franchise but it's no massive progression for the series to be frank.

It's more a case of the film once again attempting to restart and reboot the franchise and managing to do so in a somewhat at times limp way - so fanboys of this particular genre be aware...
However, there are some truly impressive things within this latest mutant outing.
Firstly Kevin Bacon's Shaw is startlingly good - Bacon's really delivered the acting goods here with menace mixed with charm as well as incredible screen presence. His is the stand out performance of the film without a shadow of a doubt.

Fassbender and McAvoy also deliver the goods but it's Fassbender who is the better actor bringing a dash of danger to the future Magneto as he heads off on his Bond like quest of vengeance; McAvoy's performance is crippled a little by his character's penchant for spouting pompous dialogue and putting two fingers to his forehead every time he uses his telepathy. In fact it's when these two's relationship is explored on screen you get the better film as you know what's to transpire further down the line.
But some impressive effects are hobbled by virtue of the fact there are more shonky ones on display and on this front the film's somewhat let down.

Jennifer Lawrence impresses as the young Mystique and just about manages to convince us of the inner turmoil her character faces before going bad; Nicholas Hoult brings a tenderness to the character known as Beast but January Jones is simply there as eye candy and to do a slight twitching of the face a la Samantha from Bewitched when her telepath Emma Frost does her thing.
The Cuban missile crisis setting adds little to the plot and, like some of the film itself, is a missed opportunity

Overall, X Men First Class may impress some with its fine acting but fans of the X genre will be disappointed nothing radical is done (aside from some great fanboy pleasing cameos); the rest of us may feel it's time to give the X Men a rest - even though this is rumoured to be the start of a new trilogy. It's not a bad film as it goes and doesn't lag despite its 2 and a quarter hour running time but it's not exactly what you'd expect - or hope for - from a fifth outing from this particular genre.

Barney's Version: Movie Review

Barney's Version: Movie Review

Barney's Version
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Rosamund Pike, Mark Addy, Dustin Hoffman, Minnie Driver, Bruce Greenwood, Scott Speedman, Rachelle Lefevre

Director: Richard J Lewis
Based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel, Barney's Version stars the ever wonderful Paul Giamatti as Barney Panofsky, a TV show producer who's in the twilight of his life.
He's the kind of guy who tells it like it is in places and doesn't suffer fools gladly - but he's prone to making errors in his life - as his numerous marriages display.
But as well as the multitude of highs, he reflects back on his lows too - including the death of his friend Boogie (Speedman) who mysteriously disappeared after an alcohol fuelled row with Barney and whose disappearance saw Barney pursued by the cops for murder.
Over four decades and three wives, we follow Barney and his relationships with lovers, children and occasionally work colleagues. The first ended in tragedy; the second ended when he fell in love with another woman on his wedding night and the third falls apart because of his own fallability.
Barney's Version is an odd sort of film; it meanders as Barney recalls parts of his life as he battles with a fatal illness towards the end. Perhaps that's some of the point of this film that it moves around and is told by an unreliable narrator; but it's an oddly cold kind of film which doesn't really engage on an emotional level.
Granted, there are some wonderfully comic touches and deft moments; and at the centre of it all, there's a ferocious tour de force from Giamatti himself; every emotion is etched on this sad sack's face (incidentally as an aside, if there were ever to be a Droopy Dog film, he would be the perfect jowly choice) and his on screen presence demands you watch. With great supporting performances from the likes of Hoffman as his Jewish dad and Rosamund Pike as the love of his life, you'd expect this to fire on all cylinders.



And yet, it's a strangely unmoving and emotionally detached piece, which doesn't quite hit the mark despite the wealth of talent involved - it's only because of Giamatti's truly sensational and masterful turn that I made it to the end of the film.

RED: Blu Ray Review

RED: Blu Ray Review

RED
Released by Warner Bros
Rating: M

Call it The Grey Team.

Bruce Willis stars as retired former Black Ops CIA agent Frank Moses, who's spending his retirement days in a big house and phone flirting with pension worker Sarah (Mary Louise Parker).

One day and without warning, a hit squad breaks into his house and attempts to assassinate him - after thwarting their attempts on his life, Frank heads to Kansas to snatch Sarah from potential harm and to try and work out who's trying to kill him; and perhaps more importantly, why.

As the conspiracy begins to unwind, Moses ends up meeting up with former colleagues Joe (Freeman), Marvin (a deadpan Malkovich) and Victoria (Mirren) to try and establish what's going on.

But time's running out - and ruthless CIA Agent Cooper (a brilliant Karl Urban) edges ever closer to tracking them down.
What can you say about RED?

Adapted from a DC Comics series, the film wears its colours on its sleeve within the first 10 minutes as the hit squad goes through countless bullets and destroys Moses' house in perhaps the most explosive and destructive sequence committed to celluloid.

Yet, there's some things to really love about RED - principally, the wonderful performance of Karl Urban, who has grit, determination, steely cool and effortless screen presence; Mary Louise Parker who is long overdue a lead; Helen Mirren with a really big gun (finally putting to bed her image as an English stage dame) and John Malkovich for just out-performing most on the screen. There's also a very cool scene where Bruce jumps out of a spiralling cop car with all guns blazing which is true to the comic book world the film inhabits.

But these are some highs which are balanced by some lows - the plot sags after a while and you may struggle to be as emotionally invested in it as perhaps you should be. However, if you love guns, explosions and a slightly off-the-wall tongue in cheek kind of action film, you'll be happy.

Extras: Audio commentary, deleted scenes, insights, Trivia track

Rating: 6/10

Morning Glory: Blu Ray Review

Morning Glory: Blu Ray Review

Morning Glory
Rating: M
Released by Universal

So it's into the heady world of breakfast television we go with this frothy light comedy piece from the director of Notting Hill.

Rachel McAdams stars as Becky Fuller, a producer on a television news show. Fired from her current role, she ends up being offered the job as a producer on a failing show called DayBreak.
Single and not tied down by relationships or family, Fuller lives for the job and seizes the opportunity thrust her way by Jeff Goldblum's laconic TV exec Jerry Barnes. On her first day she fires weird co-anchor Paul McVee (played brilliantly by Modern Family's Ty Burrell) and suddenly finds she needs a co host for Diane Keaton's Colleen Peck

Enter Harrison Ford's prickly and slightly bitter former news anchor Mike Pomeroy. Once a newsmaker and a newsbreaker, Pomeroy's in the twilight of his career and not willing to sacrifice news values for fluffier breakfast time pieces.

However, when Fuller's told DayBreak's on the verge of being cancelled, she realizes she has to do everything she can to get Mike into the swing of things to save all their jobs.

Morning Glory is as fluffy as the genre it's parodying but it's kept alive by the performances of both McAdams as the annoyingly perky and optimistic Fuller and Ford as the gruff and irritable co anchor Pomeroy.

Unfortunately the end of Morning Glory sinks into a schmaltzy mire (perhaps, inevitably) and the whole thing leaves a bit of a saccharine taste in your mouth - overall, Morning Glory may well appeal more to those in the television industry and the media who'll recognize the egos, the debates and the problems; the rest of us may well be wondering what else is on the other channel.

Extras: Commentary by director; deleted scene - not very much at all

Rating: 5/10 

Let Me In: Blu Ray review

Let Me In: Blu Ray review

Let Me In
Rating: R16
Released by Warner Bros

From the director of Cloverfield comes a shot-for-shot remake of the perfect Swedish vampire/horror film, Let The Right One In.

It's 1980s New Mexico: Kodi Smit-McPhee plays 12-year-old Owen. His parents are on the verge of divorcing and his school life is hell, thanks to daily bullying. He's pretty much your archetypal loner kid who just can't seem to connect with anyone (through no fault of his own).

At the same time as Owen's trying to make his way through a miserable existence, police are hunting an apparent ritualistic murderer who drains victims of their blood. They're at a loss to work out why the victims are targeted and what the motive is.

One day in a snowy courtyard, Owen meets Abby (Chloe Moretz), an apparent kindred soul who, despite initially bonding with Owen, warns him they can't be friends.

But against the grain, the two become friends - Owen drawing strength from Abby, and Abby benefiting from the daily contact with someone her same age.

However, their two worlds are threatened when Abby's truth is revealed ... and what's inside her threatens to boil over.

Let Me In is a superior horror and, quite frankly, given the source material it was taken from, there really is nothing else it could be.

Purists who've seen the Swedish masterpiece will notice how 95 per cent of the film is just reshot from the original and it's simply the location which has been changed.

Yet, that's unfair to simply dismiss Matt Reeves' version. Let Me In works brilliantly because of the three main characters, all of whom put in textured, layered and tender performances. Richard Jenkin proves once again he can't put a foot wrong - his role as Abby's protector is filled with sadness at the horror of the situation he lives in - and his final scenes with Abby are haunting and emotionally charged

Thrilling and frightening, Let Me In is possibly one of the best remakes I've seen all year.

Extras: Commentary with director; making of, FX special, deleted scenes and a blow by blow account of a scene

Rating: 8/10 

Love and Other Drugs: DVD Review

Love and Other Drugs: DVD Review

Love and Other Drugs
Rating: R16
Released by Roadshow

It's back to the heady mid 90s with this new film starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.

Gyllenhaal plays Jamie Randall, a man who has the gift of the gab. This guy can sell you anything with his charm - as well as himself to the ladies. After being kicked out of his latest job, Randall (a med school drop out) decides to enter the world of pharmaceutical drugs sales with a company called Pfizer.

So Randall applies his talents to selling the drugs and staking out the doctors to encourage them to sell their brand of anti depressant rather than Prozac. Throw in Viagra into the mix too and Randall's in heaven.

And that's where Randall meets Maggie (a brown doe eyed Anne Hathaway) who's at the doctor's to get drugs for her stage one Parkinson's disease. But there's an instant attraction and the pair end up having a one night stand.

Randall falls hard for Maggie - but the road to romance is always tough - particularly if both sides have their own problems and demons to battle.

Love And Other Drugs is an odd sort of film - it starts off with tremendous, lusty gusto with wide-eyed Jake charming the pants (literally)off everything that moves. That bravado and braggadocio are pushed even further when he pairs up with Anne Hathaway and the film heads into a sex comedy (particularly with the addition of Jamie's down on his luck, kicked out by his wife brother played by Jack Black/ Jonah Hill cross Josh Gad) complete with plenty of sex, smut and humour.

Halfway through, there's a complete tonal change and it becomes romantic drama with a good dose of obstacles thrown in for good measure.

That tonal change happens so fast (although, to be fair, it's signposted from early on) that you almost feel like you're watching a completely different film.

But, when performances are as compelling as they are from Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway (who have sizzling steamy chemistry), you can almost forgive them anything. Almost.

Extras: Deleted scenes, behind the scenes docos with the actors and an inside look at the pharmaceutical trade.

Rating: 6/10 

Monsters: Blu Ray Review

Monsters: Blu Ray Review

Monsters
Rating: M
Released by Madman

Set in the not too distant future, opening titles explain that a spacecraft sent to bring back alien samples broke up over Mexico in re-entry. The result of that is a series of alien life forms (which look uncannily like squid on stalks) have taken up residence throughout parts of central America and Mexico - and are spreading.

Rather than nuke them, the government's decided that they will let them be - and simply declare zones of the country in quarantine and infected areas.

Enter into this photographer Andrew (Scoot McNairy) - he's desperate to make his name in the media - but is tasked with returning his boss' errant daughter Sam (Whitney Able) back home safe.

Through a series of mishaps, the pair find the only way they can get back to home is via the infected zone - and so their journey into danger begins...
Monsters is not what you'd expect at all - initially you're introduced to the squid creatures early on and so you're never waiting for a big alien reveal, which robs the premise of some of its tension.

Director Gareth Edwards is also a little heavy on the direction - opening shot after shot are simply about the infected zone signs or military fighter jets heading past in the skies. It's a pummeling to set up the world they inhabit rather than subtlety to get the message across

With a lack of real script (most of this is improvised) it's left to McNairy and Able to make it believable and to have you care. The pair are both relative newcomers both have stunning chemistry together (and are now married in real life) - so while there are dips in the film and dialogue which is simply about asking where they are while navigating the grim reality of it all, it's thanks to these two and their tender relationship that you make it through to the end.

Extras:Cast interviews, B roll, trailer and Q&A at Melbourne premiere

Rating: 5/10