I'm going to make this a short review, because Die Hard and John McClane need no introduction. To be honest, I can only take my personal feelings with this, as Im not sure what the general view here is. As far as I see it, The first two Die Hard movies are classics. The 3rd is a bit naff, and a lot of people moaned about the 4th, but a lot of people liked it. I loved the 4th one, brought John Mc Clane kicking, screaming and shooting people in the face back into the public eye. I was slightly indifferent to this one from the trailer. And I was right to be.
This movie kicks off with John being told his son is in Russia and hes been arrested. So John flies out there. Then for the rest of the movie, he calls it his vacation. Almost as a way for us to hear John moaning about being in the wrong place, wrong time, as is par the course for a Die Hard movie. Turns out his son is CIA, we learn this early on so no spoiler here. Id have thought though, as a cop and you know, father to his son, John would be privy to this information. But he isn't. So there we have something for him and his son to discuss, throughout all the "killing of scumbags".
And that's one of the main issues I had with this film. John McClane is a wrong place, wrong time cop. Not a scumbag killer or a vigilante. In every other Die Hard, he kills scumbags because its kill or be killed. Here, he actively says it, and him and his son say it, several times. Lets go kill some scumbags! Really John? Is that what its come to?
Plot withstanding, of which is basically poorly written, the action scenes here are decent. Lots of cool shiny action scenes and things blowing up. Which I think for some people is enough. But you know, I remember characterization in Die Hard films. They were not just dumb action movies. They had excellent characters, Villains you really wanted John to take out by the end. And that's another thing this movie lacks, a great bad guy. There's no Hans Gruber here. The plot of this movie rushes along so fast, and is so poorly constructed that the motivations for the bad guy, and the build up to his plot is basically pointless. Its not necessarily short, but it flies by and nothing really happens except for John and his son Jack killing bad guys for the sake of it. Some people are going to like it for all the reasons I disliked it. But then, I doubt they have seen the first 4 films.
I would be very surprised if this doesn't kill off the franchise dead. A true disappointment.
Sunday, 17 February 2013
Friday, 15 February 2013
Warm Bodies
Zombie is the in thing at the moment it seems. Its been the in thing for a while though, but it just doesn't seem to stop. For some its no bad thing, for others they have a real issue with the over saturation. Another worrying trend in films at the moment was kick started by Twilight, and now we have Beautiful creatures. The idea of supernatural teens, and some romance, with a touch of action. Its the in thing at the moment. And here we have Warm Bodies, which on the surface appears to fit this ideal.
Warm Bodies has been advertised as a Zom-Rom-Com. It focuses around a zombie called R, who is played pretty well id say by Nicolas Holt. He seems to be in a lot of things at the moment, but I remember him from Skins the most. He shuffles around on his everyday zombie business until he eats the boyfriend of some girl, and subsequently takes her away to be safe. The two of them develop sort of a bond, which kick starts the other zombies back to life. We see all this in the trailer pretty much, so there's no spoiler here.
The question on your lips, is does Warm Bodies go Twilight on us? Or does it go George Romero?
The answer is, a bit of both. if you look beneath the surface, then you have way more depth than you'd expect. If you just watch it blindly, missing the little bits here or there then you see exactly what the trailer advertises.
Firstly I will say, if you go into this film expecting a normal violent zombie film, then you are going be sorely disappointed. The film is a 12A, which pretty much says all you need to know about the audience it is targeting. It will disappoint horror fans straight away, and its very premise will make the average film buff weep. The idea of a romantic comedy based on a zombie, shown from a zombies perspective is a unique one however, and personally I feel by missing out on this film you are missing the point.
There is a moment in this film which to me explains what its really about, and actually made me punch the sky in the cinema. The zombie R collects things that he finds in the airport he lives in. One of things he collects is Vinyl. I personally have a special place in my heart for vinyl, being a huge fan of music in general and the analog sound. We have a dialogue exchange between the zombie, and the girl Julie, and it may be completely correct but I remember it as:
Julie: Whats all this vinyl? are you scared of mp3s or something?
Zombie: It sounds....better......More....Alive.
The vinyl thing harks back to a simpler time, where music was back to basics and analog. Before mp3s, we had CDs, before CDs, we had vinyl, and you know, I think if there was a zombie Apocalypse and the internet went down, then Vinyl would endure assuming anybody survived. (on a side note, the music in this film is old school, and pretty much fantastic throughout)
But it does go a lot deeper than that, maybe not necessarily in the film, but my interpretation of what bits here or there say within the film. Its about how we have all people lost the will to communicate...because we communicate too much. In the 90's we would pick up the land-line, and meet up, rather than discuss things over Facebook etc. The theme of technology, and what the world would be like without it is very prominent. A character even at one point says " If the internet was working, I would look up whats wrong with you".
The concept of a world where there is no technology and we have to start again from scratch is to me an appealing one..people talking to other people just because. The zombie in the film has to learn how be a human again, without all the technology we take for granted. And for that, I feel that this film really had its heart in the right place. Other people will pick faults in this because its not really a typical zombie movie, but to be honest, thats not really the point. The movie makes you feel good, and almost makes you long for a simpler time. And I cant recommend it any more than that.
Warm Bodies has been advertised as a Zom-Rom-Com. It focuses around a zombie called R, who is played pretty well id say by Nicolas Holt. He seems to be in a lot of things at the moment, but I remember him from Skins the most. He shuffles around on his everyday zombie business until he eats the boyfriend of some girl, and subsequently takes her away to be safe. The two of them develop sort of a bond, which kick starts the other zombies back to life. We see all this in the trailer pretty much, so there's no spoiler here.
The question on your lips, is does Warm Bodies go Twilight on us? Or does it go George Romero?
The answer is, a bit of both. if you look beneath the surface, then you have way more depth than you'd expect. If you just watch it blindly, missing the little bits here or there then you see exactly what the trailer advertises.
Firstly I will say, if you go into this film expecting a normal violent zombie film, then you are going be sorely disappointed. The film is a 12A, which pretty much says all you need to know about the audience it is targeting. It will disappoint horror fans straight away, and its very premise will make the average film buff weep. The idea of a romantic comedy based on a zombie, shown from a zombies perspective is a unique one however, and personally I feel by missing out on this film you are missing the point.
There is a moment in this film which to me explains what its really about, and actually made me punch the sky in the cinema. The zombie R collects things that he finds in the airport he lives in. One of things he collects is Vinyl. I personally have a special place in my heart for vinyl, being a huge fan of music in general and the analog sound. We have a dialogue exchange between the zombie, and the girl Julie, and it may be completely correct but I remember it as:
Julie: Whats all this vinyl? are you scared of mp3s or something?
Zombie: It sounds....better......More....Alive.
The vinyl thing harks back to a simpler time, where music was back to basics and analog. Before mp3s, we had CDs, before CDs, we had vinyl, and you know, I think if there was a zombie Apocalypse and the internet went down, then Vinyl would endure assuming anybody survived. (on a side note, the music in this film is old school, and pretty much fantastic throughout)
But it does go a lot deeper than that, maybe not necessarily in the film, but my interpretation of what bits here or there say within the film. Its about how we have all people lost the will to communicate...because we communicate too much. In the 90's we would pick up the land-line, and meet up, rather than discuss things over Facebook etc. The theme of technology, and what the world would be like without it is very prominent. A character even at one point says " If the internet was working, I would look up whats wrong with you".
The concept of a world where there is no technology and we have to start again from scratch is to me an appealing one..people talking to other people just because. The zombie in the film has to learn how be a human again, without all the technology we take for granted. And for that, I feel that this film really had its heart in the right place. Other people will pick faults in this because its not really a typical zombie movie, but to be honest, thats not really the point. The movie makes you feel good, and almost makes you long for a simpler time. And I cant recommend it any more than that.
Saturday, 9 February 2013
Wreck It Ralph
Its been an interesting life being a gamer. Personally, I remember owning an Atari 2600, with Pac man, Galaxia, Q'bert, and many more. And with this started a passion for games. I grew up through the Mega-drive era (used to borrow games from blockbuster for the weekend) the N64, the Dreamcast, and then the the PlayStation era. In the 90's we had our own TV shows, even with cheat codes for the latest games, and then mainstream acceptance died out for a few years. Video games were accused of being violent, and It was an odd wilderness to be in, still being interested in a passion that's been labelled by the press and demonized etc. few years go by, games carry on making money in the background and growing then suddenly COD comes along and we have billboards the size of buildings advertising the latest games. An especially violent game in its own right, as popular as the latest films with huge advertising budgets. This in turn has made Gaming become a pastime for every guy/girl in the country, and not just the hardcore fans that were there in the start. What I would never have expected however, is a Disney film that advertises itself a love letter to the games of yore.
I first heard about this film actually in a games magazine, where it mentioned the many references to gaming culture within this movie. It seemed like an odd choice to me, almost too niche. But perhaps I was underestimating the cultural influence video games have had on us. It showed characters such as Bowser from Mario, the purple Rhino from Altered Beast, and several Street fighter characters having a Bad Anon Meeting. The trailer brings you to assume that these sections are a big part of the movie, and this is actually misleading. Having now seen it, I have to say that the references in the movie are indeed great for gamers, but they do not take up a large portion of the film.
Our main plot actually revolves around Ralph escaping his game to collect a medal and prove hes not a bad guy. This brings him to the sweetie based kart game, where he meets a little girl and the main plot actually revolves around him trying to help her win a race, with some side plot about some bug things from Heroes duty that followed him on his travels there.
When the film focuses on the 5 main characters we kind of lose the early game references & characters, and thus they kind of become lost in the ether. I was actually watching the movie in the cinema and realized the audience was almost entirely adults. I also seriously doubt that many people under a certain age will recognise the earlier references and characters. It seems to me that the film didn't really know who its target audience was and this isn't a bad thing on the whole, but the film is not the full on love letter to retro games it proposed to be. It is to some extent and the detail and characters in the background at the start will please many older game fans. But this is a Disney film, and as such it focuses on its main characters, it has a message to bring and it has to appeal to kids the best way it can. Wreck it Ralph himself is a likable character, and so you do root for him but at the heart of it, it is a kids film not a gamers film.
Wreck it Ralph started its ad campaign sometime last summer, and despite it coming out the USA in November, only just came out here. Presumably it was to avoid the big names over Christmas, and its probably a good thing for its viewing figures for it to have no competition. Its a good family movie and I did enjoy it, but for hardcore and older gamers they may not have the patience to stick with it.
I first heard about this film actually in a games magazine, where it mentioned the many references to gaming culture within this movie. It seemed like an odd choice to me, almost too niche. But perhaps I was underestimating the cultural influence video games have had on us. It showed characters such as Bowser from Mario, the purple Rhino from Altered Beast, and several Street fighter characters having a Bad Anon Meeting. The trailer brings you to assume that these sections are a big part of the movie, and this is actually misleading. Having now seen it, I have to say that the references in the movie are indeed great for gamers, but they do not take up a large portion of the film.
Our main plot actually revolves around Ralph escaping his game to collect a medal and prove hes not a bad guy. This brings him to the sweetie based kart game, where he meets a little girl and the main plot actually revolves around him trying to help her win a race, with some side plot about some bug things from Heroes duty that followed him on his travels there.
When the film focuses on the 5 main characters we kind of lose the early game references & characters, and thus they kind of become lost in the ether. I was actually watching the movie in the cinema and realized the audience was almost entirely adults. I also seriously doubt that many people under a certain age will recognise the earlier references and characters. It seems to me that the film didn't really know who its target audience was and this isn't a bad thing on the whole, but the film is not the full on love letter to retro games it proposed to be. It is to some extent and the detail and characters in the background at the start will please many older game fans. But this is a Disney film, and as such it focuses on its main characters, it has a message to bring and it has to appeal to kids the best way it can. Wreck it Ralph himself is a likable character, and so you do root for him but at the heart of it, it is a kids film not a gamers film.
Wreck it Ralph started its ad campaign sometime last summer, and despite it coming out the USA in November, only just came out here. Presumably it was to avoid the big names over Christmas, and its probably a good thing for its viewing figures for it to have no competition. Its a good family movie and I did enjoy it, but for hardcore and older gamers they may not have the patience to stick with it.
Saturday, 2 February 2013
The Last Stand Review
I hadnt necessarily heard much good things for the Last Stand before I went to see it, but I went anyway, its arnie for god sake. Anyway, I still hear a lot of people saying "hes too old" and so on and so forth. but your missing the point here. So what if he looks weary and older, Clint eastwoods looked like that for years and nobody complains. Sometimes an actor can become something else with age. Over the years since hes not been doing films, Arnie has become somewhat of a cult figure. With his quotes "get to da choppaa!" becoming very famous over the internet as a meme and through youtube in recent years. I think people can be too godamned cynical in this day and age. Sure hes old, but damn, he does a good job in this movie.
The Expendables also helped to bring back the 80s action hero into the public consciousness. Expendables 2 brought back Arnie, Chuck norris, Stallone and a few newer action heroes and reintroduced new audiences to these old school movie heroes. and to follow with that,The Last stand is basically an old school 80s action film, that needs to be looked upon in that light and treated as such.
The plot involves some escaped prisoner thats trying to get over the border, and Arnies little town is what stands between him and freedom. Arnie and his friends hold off the barricade, and the plot itself is pretty much as youd have expected. Whats interesting is how the supporting characters are used in this film. It almost appears like Arnie himself wanted a plot that ensured he didnt have to carry the film, the other guys in this movie get much more overall screen time than arnie does overall. but in saying that, it doesnt become detriment to the movie, the characters are pretty likeable. Johnny Knoxville puts in a fun performance, and the fat mexican guy makes for light comic relief too. They all feel placed well, and I think they had a good time making this movie, it comes across on screen how well they all gel together.
The Last stand plotwise is nothing new, but in terms of execution I feel its one of the most fun action movies of recent years. Its not ashamed to be loud, brash and atypical, and its not ashamed to show its main star kicking some ass. Its a good thing for the movie that the director felt he shouldnt rest upon the fact we have arnie as the star, and we get more backstory, more characterization. This does give the other characters room to breathe. There is a pretty long section of build up for the prisoner escaping however, and I think audiences will struggle to be as forgiving as I was. Thinking in terms of audience, They have gone to this film to see Arnie kick ass, and you do indeed see this, but it takes longer to get there than his films in the 80s. I feel it was a good choice in that it develops the film, but others may see otherwise and just want to get to the meat of it.
Once it really gets going though, we get some of the most fun action scenes from a film in recent memory. Watching arnie kick some ass on screen again really was a joy to see. id also like to mention the humour of the film, I was pretty much laughing out loud throughout the last 40 mins. Great stuff, Id recommend the last stand, but be open minded, leave your brain at the door, and enjoy it for what it is.
The Expendables also helped to bring back the 80s action hero into the public consciousness. Expendables 2 brought back Arnie, Chuck norris, Stallone and a few newer action heroes and reintroduced new audiences to these old school movie heroes. and to follow with that,The Last stand is basically an old school 80s action film, that needs to be looked upon in that light and treated as such.
The plot involves some escaped prisoner thats trying to get over the border, and Arnies little town is what stands between him and freedom. Arnie and his friends hold off the barricade, and the plot itself is pretty much as youd have expected. Whats interesting is how the supporting characters are used in this film. It almost appears like Arnie himself wanted a plot that ensured he didnt have to carry the film, the other guys in this movie get much more overall screen time than arnie does overall. but in saying that, it doesnt become detriment to the movie, the characters are pretty likeable. Johnny Knoxville puts in a fun performance, and the fat mexican guy makes for light comic relief too. They all feel placed well, and I think they had a good time making this movie, it comes across on screen how well they all gel together.
The Last stand plotwise is nothing new, but in terms of execution I feel its one of the most fun action movies of recent years. Its not ashamed to be loud, brash and atypical, and its not ashamed to show its main star kicking some ass. Its a good thing for the movie that the director felt he shouldnt rest upon the fact we have arnie as the star, and we get more backstory, more characterization. This does give the other characters room to breathe. There is a pretty long section of build up for the prisoner escaping however, and I think audiences will struggle to be as forgiving as I was. Thinking in terms of audience, They have gone to this film to see Arnie kick ass, and you do indeed see this, but it takes longer to get there than his films in the 80s. I feel it was a good choice in that it develops the film, but others may see otherwise and just want to get to the meat of it.
Once it really gets going though, we get some of the most fun action scenes from a film in recent memory. Watching arnie kick some ass on screen again really was a joy to see. id also like to mention the humour of the film, I was pretty much laughing out loud throughout the last 40 mins. Great stuff, Id recommend the last stand, but be open minded, leave your brain at the door, and enjoy it for what it is.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)