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at the movies: skyfall

October 28, 2012 in movies

I’m a Bond fan from way back so I was really excited to check out the latest instalment in the franchise.

Let me start by saying Skyfall is spectacular, and you should see it. If you don’t want to know anything else, stop reading and just go see it.

Still here? Thanks for sticking around! Daniel Craig is brilliant in his third outing as MI6′s top agent (even if he does seem to be getting on a bit), but the real star of the show is my favourite Bond girl – Judy Dench as M. They make a dynamic duo as they battle a demon from her past in the deliciously deranged hacker Silva (Javier Bardem).

The film is beautifully made, with some gorgeous cinematic moments (my personal favourite was when Silva made his first appearance – you’ll see what I mean). I’m happy to note that I didn’t really notice the product placements either – I actually walked out thinking that Heineken hadn’t appeared once (although the boy did point out that it appeared in a fairly nothing scene, with the label obscured).

This is the first Bond film I’ve seen where I felt he was human – and the story tied to the title of the film is a big reason for that (although watching Bond deal with Ben Whishaw’s young, new Q, may also have contributed). I understand where all The Dark Knight references spring from, and I agree that they are warranted. Skyfall takes a character we know and love to a deeper level, and we can help but fall for it.

Rating: ****1/2

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at the movies: the avengers

April 25, 2012 in movies

The Avengers has to be one of the most hotly anticipated films of the season. It is the end product of Disney’s acquisition of Marvel Entertainment and brings together several pre-established actors-as-heros including Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Evans as Captain America. Hulk attempts to recover from two recent (flop) films with Mark Ruffalo stepping in where Edward Norton and Eric Bana left off. Scarlett Johansson is back as Natasha Romanoff, as is Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

The basic plot of the film is that Thor’s brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) wants to take over Earth and the superheros must come together as The Avengers to save the world. In reality, the plot just provides a vehicle for Joss Whedon’s trademark dry humour and some incredible action sequences. There were moments where the entire audience was laughing out loud in my cinema (and, remembering that I live in Switzerland where audiences are generally rather reserved, that’s saying something!)

The film comes in at 142 minutes, but the pace was kept fast throughout so it never felt drawn out or laboured. I loved it, the boy loved it and the obvious comic fans sitting next to us seriously loved it. This is one of those great films that fuses action and comedy perfectly so if you’re a fan of either genre, check it out!

The Avengers is in cinemas in Australia from today. It will be released on 26 April in the UK and 4 May in the US.

Rating: ****

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at the movies: one day

August 28, 2011 in movies

One Day was the best book I read last year, so I was looking forward to seeing whether the film adaption (starring Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess) would keep the charm of the novel.

The story follows the lives Emma (Hathaway) and Dexter (Sturgess), starting with a one-night stand on their graduation night – 15 July 1988. The story then skips one year ahead to the same date, and the next year, and so on (hence the title), to show what Em and Dex are up to and how their friendship has progressed.

I wasn’t sure how the year-skipping, which worked so well in the book, would translate to the screen. Fortunately I wasn’t disappointed and the boy (who was doing his obligatory chick-flick viewing in exchange for me seeing The Rise of the Planet of the Apes last weekend) seemed to enjoy it too.

Ms Hathaway was surprisingly convincing as a Brit and I loved her version of Emma every bit as much as I loved the character in the book. Sturgess also did a brilliant job of bringing loveable rogue Dex to live.

I would definitely recommend One Day as a good date night or girls night film – it has some good laughs, some touching emotional scenes and a decent plot to boot. That being said, I still preferred the book and would recommend you read it for yourself.

Rating: ***1/2

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at the movies: harry potter and the deathly hallows part two

July 13, 2011 in movies

After ten years and eight films retelling the story of seven books, we’ve finally reached the end of the Harry Potter film journey. It feels like just yesterday that I sat down in the Kensington Odeon cinema to watch the first of the films the day after I graduated from high school.

Enough reminiscing, there’s plenty of that in the trailer/featurette below. The real question is… how was the final film? Was it the epic conclusion we’ve been promised for months through the global advertising campaign?

In a word – yes. As a fan of the books, I felt the magic (pardon the pun) was translated well onto the big screen. There were spectacular effects, a satisfying tying together of loose ends and a few good one liners thrown in to ease the tension.

I can’t imagine you would want to see this film if you hadn’t seen the previous seven but really, there’s no point. If you are familiar with the back story, it doesn’t disappoint.

I should also mention that this is the first film of the series I’ve seen in 3D and while I normally prefer Harry to be the only person wearing glasses in cinema, I was very impressed with the effects. One scene towards the end is particularly powerful, though 3D is used subtly to great effect throughout the entire film.

The boy has been teasing me for bursting into tears about half way through and not stopping until the credits, but I cried just as much in the book so I guess that’s a positive for the film, right? The take home message here is don’t forget the tissues!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two is a powerful and well-executed conclusion to one of the most successful film franchises of all time. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Rating: ****

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at the movies: pirates of the caribbean: on stranger tides

May 27, 2011 in movies

I was always a big fan of the Pirates films but when I heard they were making a fourth film without Orlando or Keira, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. Like most of us, I’m a big Jack Sparrow fan so I figured it was worth the risk.

On Stranger Tides joins Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in London, where he crosses paths with former lover, Angelica (Penelope Cruz). After she forces him to join the crew of fabled pirate Blackbeard (Ian McShane), Jack discovers he’s part of their plan to find the fountain of youth. But they’ll have to beat both the Spaniards and the English, who are being led by none other than Captain Barbosa (Geoffrey Rush).

I won’t lie – the film was a bit disappointing. I went in with fairly low expectations so I still enjoyed it but the boy (who hoped it would be as good as the previous films) hated it. Something was definitely missing this time around and I’m pretty sure it was more than just the two former leads.

If you decide to see it, make sure you stick around until the end of the credits – in usual Pirates tradition, there’s an extra scene as a treat for waiting.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is in cinemas everywhere.

Rating: **1/2

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