#and of course the cinema and CGI was top notch

[prideprejudce]

all this hype on Oppenheimer for MONTHS and the actual movie was just kind of…….ehhhh

[henryharvinblog]

Master The Art of Visual Effects with Henry Harvin’s Courses in Delhi

Today’s cinema allows us to experience some magnificent worlds that are simply impossible to exist on Earth. Well, thanks to VFX, otherwise called visual effects.  You may have noticed that VFX technology is now used in gaming, commercials, and even websites to some extent and is no longer limited to movies. Therefore, the demand for VFX artists is growing enormously. If you aspire to be a visual effects artist, read the blog and learn how to master the art of VFX through visual effects courses in Delhi. 

A brief understanding of visual effects:

Visual effects is a technique that involves adding special effects to a movie with the help of a computer. These effects aim to add something imaginary and make it look real. These visual effects are added to a recorded movie and not while filming. To be precise, you must have noticed the green screen behind actors while shooting a film, these screens are removed during the post-production stage to add the imaginary effects in the background. In a nutshell, VFX combines live-action footage with manipulated or enhanced pictures to create realistic scenes. 

How to create VFX?

Movies can inspire us to become visual effects artists or supervisors; however, they cannot teach us the technique that goes behind them. Therefore, enrolling in an animation course is crucial to learning the principles, tools and techniques of visual effects. Well, the good news is, today there are plenty of institutes offering animation courses. 

Looking for  Visual Effects Courses in Delhi?

VFX is a fantastic career choice if you are passionate about understanding the technology that goes into creating spectacular, realistic movies with the help of CGI. Enrolling in a visual effects course in Delhi is the first step towards making a career in VFX because proper training in this field is crucial to making it big. Moreover, you can become a certified VFX Artist by completing the course. However, choosing a reputable institute is essential. To the best of my knowledge, Henry Harvin is one of the finest platforms to enrol for visual effects courses in Delhi. You can check out “ animation course Henry Harvin” for further details.

Why Henry Harvin?

Henry Harvin is one of the leading ed-tech companies that started in 2013 to provide training and advisory services. It has branches across many states in India, one of which is Delhi. It has seen magnificent growth since its founding and today provides more than 800-course programs in 27 categories. Henry Harvin offers world-class course materials and top-notch faculty to transform the growth of individuals as well as organisations. Additionally, famous publication houses like Hindustan Times, Times of India, Aaj Tak and many others have applauded Henry Harvin for its uniqueness and quality. Above all, it won awards like the best corporate training platform. Therefore, Henry Harvin is among the best institutes to take Visual Effects Courses in Delhi.

Features of Henry Harvin’s Visual Effects Courses in Delhi:

Their visual effects courses are designed as per the current industry and studio standards. Precisely, they follow an AVGC industry-recognised course curriculum

Learn from expert faculty with studio experience

Collaborative projects and assignments are conducted by the animation course Henry Harvin to give you a practical learning experience.

They conduct regular studio visits to provide a better understanding of the technique

You get an opportunity to interact with world-renowned studio experts through seminars, workshops, and online sessions.

Get expert guidance to understand show-reel development.

For a better learning experience, the gaming and animation course Henry Harvin conducts regional, zonal and national level competitions for students.

Their unique job portal and placement support team provide 100% placement assistance.

Events and Engagements for VFX Students at Henry Harvin:

VANTAGE:

 This event facilitates seminars conducted by experts in visual effects and animation, where you get to see their career journeys and understand the scope and future of this field. Therefore, this is a perfect platform to transform your vision into reality.

ANIVIBE:

This is an Annual National Student’s Meet conducted for students so that they can interact with stalwarts of the VFX industry and get inspired. 

ZONAL STUDENTS COMPETITION:

This event allows you to showcase your best to get awarded and nominated for Radiance, which is a national awards event. Hence, it is a perfect stage to showcase your creativity. 

RADIANCE: 

It is an annual awards evening where Indian and International animation experts honour students for their outstanding contributions to VFX, design, animation and gaming. 

Therefore, if you are looking to master the art of visual effects, then Henry Harvin is your place. 

Career Benefits of Taking Visual Effects Courses in Delhi:

Through the course, you can acquire the skills that will help you create beautiful visual effects for video games, movies or TV. 

 For a better understanding of the principles of composition, colour, and animation one has to enrol in visual effects courses in Delhi

In addition, the visual effects training helps you learn the usage of industry-standard software like  Nuke and Adobe After Effects.

Furthermore, you will learn video editing, motion graphics and visual effects along with animation.

Whether you wish to become a VFX artist or a supervisor, the visual effects courses in Delhi can help you advance your career.

Conclusion:

To sum up, taking visual effects courses in Delhi improves your skill sets that can be applied in various sectors. The tools and techniques that you will learn through this course will enhance your creative-thinking abilities while improving your knowledge. Therefore, enrol in Henry Harvin’s visual effects courses in Delhi. 

[sunshine304]

I agree pretty much completely with this. The pacing of MMFR is more relentless and very tight, while this is a bit more sprawling - there's a lot more world building and character building in this.

The action is used a bit more sparingly, but is still absolutely top-notch and breath-taking (that super long sequence with the tank attack OMG) and I'm also glad to say that the weird CGI look of the trailer is almost non-existent in the finished movie. The colouring is also gorgeous and feels absolutely in-tone with MMFR.

The character work by everyone is amazing, but the stand-outs are of course Anya Taylor-Joy and Chris Hemsworth - the latter letting loose as an unhinged maniac, the former doing Charlize Theron's iconic performance justice. I can also understand now what Taylor-Joy meant when she said she'd never felt so alone when making a movie: she has very few lines of dialogue and also many scenes where she is indeed - alone. While Hemsworth is usually surrounded by Dementus' biker gang, Furiosa spends a lot of this movie isolated. Also, from the shooting of MMFR we know that the way Miller does these movies is often quite confusing for the actors as he does very short sequences that seem extremely disconnected.

The final product is absolutely worth it though. The movie also ties in neatly with MMFR which I really liked.

Please go see this awesome movie, it would be a shame if it did bad numbers. Y'all want cool and unique movies and whine about the "Marvel'isation" of cinema, but then don't go and watch those cool and unique movies (see "The Fall Guy", which is amazing and got completely ignored).

Highly recommended.

[kendrixtermina]

So, “Coco”

One of my sisters was visiting and suggested we watch it

First I wasn’t overly hot on a children’s movie but the point was to do something fun together with my sister and BF, and he likes CGI stuff

My sister pulled out a quick documentary video about “Dia de Los Muertos” and the whole symbolism & aesthetic of it; That’s when I genuinely started thinking that this may have potential... It’s kinda like goth but also the total opposite of goth

The movie delivered. The Aesthetic was top notch, thorough & unapologetic in the music, the cultural references, & the visuals 

In itself it’s very straightforward, archetypical & simple without ever veering into overdone. Very basic fantasy (if taken from a different pool of myth than the usual castles & dragons), classic hero’s journey and a well executed Hegelian Dialectic where the apparent false dichotomy between following your dreams or sticking with your loved ones is crushed in t5he end because, family is supposed to support you & your loved ones can be your greatest inspiration

I kind of called it from the start that Hector was Miguel’s real ancestor (My sister, of course, got the “how” right) - an early hint that he’s a Dad shows up when he suddenly & unexpectedly turns all “reasonable adult-ey” when it turns out Miguel’s family is looking for him. And all along, he just wanted to see his daughter. Awww. 

Lets just aknowledge that the idea of having an epic adventure with your ancestors and meeting all those people your parents and grandparents told you about is just really, really cool; Every family has some branches they know less off than others

Let’s appreciate the Derpy Dog Spirit Guiude with the ludicrous pidgeon wings

It had a neat little political commentary without being ham-fisted and staying within the boundary of “good life lessons for kids”, but there was a certain #MeToo subtext there... like, you can’t put something like molestation in a childrens movie, but the basic point of how your heroes can turn out to have done awful things is prolly a good message to show to little boys, especially with how it didn’t stay a secret in the end but got outed to the world by the old ladies’ words

How deep is it that it’s named for the old granny; Also, how in the epilogue you saw the baby cousin, kinda implying how the family tree/ history continues to grow

When the great-great-grandma sang it sounded just like my mom’s old records

The physical humor with the bones was neato. (as my sister pointed out, there was not a single lame fart joke, the humor was very organic rather than forced or annoying)

So pretty! I mean in the end film is a visual medium. My sister lost it over the look of the afterlife/purgatory place

With trump out there and so much hate mongering, its really good for Latin American kids to see their culture in a cool and awesome light

So, 8/10, but I like to reserve 10 for mindblowing stuff - If 10 is not “best movie imaginable” but “it did everything a [genre] movie is supposed to”, it would be more like 11/10. It’s good that this exists, especially in these times.  

Bonus: Here are some impressions from my littlest sister, an actual grade schooler and hence in the actual target demographic: 

music very catchy

She liked/ found relatable how the MC has a big family just like herself, which isn’t common around here; Same for them speaking Spanish (our parents grew up in Cuba so they speak it at home sometimes)

She thought it had a really cool adventure story (not something that occurred to me)

She went to the cinema 3 times to watch it, and now they’re gonna buy it on amazon, too. The other 2 sisters both stressed how much she loved it

[yougotcrit]

Re-Crit: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) - 10 Years Later

I have a fairly long list of films that I consider for these articles. Each of them is significant in their own way and worth the effort to write about, but none more so than Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). And that’s because no film has tainted a director’s career or done more harm to the nostalgia of millions of fans since George Lucas and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999). It had been 19 long years since Steven Spielberg and George Lucas had last collaborated on one of cinema’s most iconic characters with The Last Crusade (1989), and audiences were finally being granted a fourth (and if IMDB can be believed, unfortunately not last) adventure starring Harrison Ford. The result became one of the most universally hated and embarrassing movies ever put to film. How did it go so wrong?

It’s difficult to single out a specific reason for the film’s failure; there’s just so many! But it may have something to do with the film’s weak story. Indiana Jones, handsome archaeologist and adventurer extraordinaire, has become an old man, bumbling from one scene to the next. To make up for the age difference, the writers included a young and sassy sidekick for Indy, which worked so well for him in Temple of Doom (1984). But let’s make this sidekick his actual son and then send them on a goose chase for a nonsensical Macguffin about aliens that goes absolutely nowhere. Featuring Soviets as the villains. Honestly, the brief escapades mentioned about Indy’s deeds during WWII would have made for a much more interesting story.

But the film is riddled with production problems as well. Despite promising to keep Kingdom of the Crystal Skull more in line with the previous films, director Steven Spielberg opted for an extensive use of CGI and sound stages, which did the film no favors. The result is an extremely non-immersive experience that appears incredibly fake. One infamous scene comes to mind, as our heroes are racing through the jungle via all manner of vehicles, and at one point, Indy’s greaser son begins swinging from vine to vine along with a troop of monkeys, a la Tarzan. And if I’m not mistaken, an army of giant fire ants devours a man in this same sequence. Nothing but top notch special effects for Mr. Spielberg.

Of course, I couldn’t discuss this movie without bringing up the elephant in the room, the moment that will forever live in infamy, a moment which the franchise nor the fans will ever be able to live down. Indy in the fridge. Or more specifically, Indiana Jones surviving a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator lined with lead. And to top the scene off, upon surviving the experience, a disoriented Indy collapses out of the fridge, face to face with a CGI gopher. It’s unlikely, it’s campy, and it’s downright stupid. But honestly, the scene is a great indication for how the rest of the film would go, and how the audience would feel at the end of it all.

There’s a great many other things wrong with Crystal Skull, but they pale in comparison to the above mentioned flaws. And yet, despite being such a disaster, I hear they’re in the works of another Indiana Jones film due in 2020. Glad to see that those responsible for this train wreck have learned from their mistakes. Or, as Comedy Central’s “South Park” has suggested, perhaps Spielberg and Lucas just enjoy having their way with Indy, in a non-consensual sort of way.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,

You Got Re-Crit

(Like what you read? Then Share! Or Like! Or Follow! Or leave a Comment! Didn’t like it? That’s cool too! I’d love to hear feedback! Have a suggestion for a Re-Crit? Post a suggestion!  Be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube as well! Thanks for reading!)

[daisychainblogs]

the shape of water - a review                            ***

Toro is the child on the playground gleefully screeching “fight, fight, FIGHT”. The twist? It’s only you in the boxing rink.

The opening few minutes of Guillermo del Toro’s latest flick showcase its most powerful personality traits. Its immediately gorgeous cinematography, paired with Elisa’s exact (and somewhat x-rated) morning routine reassures us that Toro is once again out to play the twisted matchmaker between a world of fantasy, and one of legitimate human unpleasantness. 

There are only a handful of straightforward points to make about TSOW. First, the acting: which is straight up fantastic. Sally Hawkins’ Elisa is truly electric; silent only its most literal sense, Hawkins’ portrayal of Toro’s central character screams its emotion from start to finish. The actress’ panic stricken attempts to persuade friend Giles – Richard Jenkins’ own charming triumph -  to aid her in the film’s pivotal prison-break sequence should be used as her emotional portfolio henceforth. Any actress with the ability to present such a variety of cutting feeling – and without the use of a single spoken word -  is going to make any audience sit up and pay attention. Goodbye Paddington Bear. 

Equally straightforward in its success is the TSOW’s use of CGI. As a die hard anti-computer generated anything kind of girl, my strong reservations concerning Toro’s approach were proved wholly unnecessary. The aquatic man is truly a marvel, and I happily toss my hands up in submission to this particular use of computer generated effect. Zero complaints here. 

 But now is when things begin to get a little complicated. To begin with, there is the issue with TSOW’s very narrative: the immediate subject matter of this Oscar Winner being inherently tricky. A woman falls in love, and subsequently conducts an explicitly sexual relationship with, an aquatic creature. Granted, said creature is - for all extensive purposes- human shaped. Human shaped - with fins and scales to boot. But the viewer  (or this viewer at least)  still can’t help but wonder - would a woman, no matter how alternative in lifestyle, no matter how isolated from society, really feel attracted to an animal? Fondness – absolutely. But attraction?

Of course I know that I am missing the point. The Beauty and the Beast narrative always was, and always is, one grand metaphor. Love has no boundaries; those who don’t fit into society are never truly alone. But somehow this particular retelling proved somewhat hard to swallow. I wish I didn’t have a problem with this element of the film – it makes me feel entirely ignorant -  and to criticize a film for fulfilling its ultimate narrative objective should not, and can not be done. We wouldn’t condemn Star Wars for including too many outer-space scenes. And we shouldn’t even begin to critisize Guillermo del Toro’s work for its very essence.

In a way, I applaud the film’s cultivation of confusion. Because isn’t this the whole point of the original fable? To teach us to re-examine our selves – to recognize our prejudices and tackle them head on. And perhaps the director would smile and pat himself on the back if he heard of the confusion – the self analysis – that his piece had stimulated. TSOW certainly gives us a peculiar sense that Guillermo del Toro might back the child on the sidelines of the playground gleefully screeching “fight, fight, FIGHT”. But this time it’s only you in the boxing rink. 

 The second, equally perplexing issue I had with this film, was its hard-to-put-your-finger-on-quite-what-it-is sense of over generous ‘glossiness’. Anybody familiar with Toro’s early work , most notably his deliciously violent fairy- tale-slash-horror, Pan’s Labyrinth, will remember the ravishing rawness inherent to Del Toro’s early steps. The violence was truly repulsive; the fantasy elements possessed a sense of strange authenticity . Toro was like the Angela Carter of foreign film, and gave us Magic Realism at its absolute best (hint – it’s not really interested in the fairies). 

Its now been 12 years since Toro graced our screens with his wide eyed fawn and pink skinned devil complete with fully detachable peepers. The biggest, most peculiar problem with TSOW is it’s new Hollywood sheen. The violence, despite being graphic in content, seems somehow more rehearsed; the fabulous apartments in which Elisa carries out her everyday routines are just a bit too enviable. It seems a strange thing to criticize a film for somehow looking too good. But when one recalls the sense of razor sharp brutality found within the Labyrinth walls all those years ago, perhaps it can make just a small amount of sense. Guillermo del Toro delivers an accomplished piece of cinema once again– it’s just a shame, somehow, that he is responsible for it.

It would be wrong to begrudge Toro’s latest work its recognition and award season success.  it is certainly a handsome film; the cinematography is top notch, the CGI surprisingly inoffensive, and the cast entertaining and accomplished in equal measure. The only catch is that you are left wondering if,perhaps ,TSOW may have been a better film had it been made ten years ago.

[joehertler]

30 Modern Horror Movies For Your Spooking Pleasure (Updated for 2018)

Dearest Friends and Fellow Rainbow Seekers,

as you may know, I am rather obsessed with horror movies. Over my lifetime, I have submitted myself to thousands of hours of horror cinema, but such extended exposure has come at a cost. It is true that I sometimes lose sleep over the fear of grinning demons sitting at the foot of my bed, or perhaps finding the bloated corpse of a drowned girl crying in my closet. But dark thoughts, as such, are typical to those who willfully endure the macabre. As a horror fan, nothing is more terrifying—or more gratifying—than clammering your way through the black swamp of terrible movies in search of the diamonds in the rough.

I have done the work for you, dear reader. I have hunted through hundreds of faux haunts and I have identified those that are genuine. And if you’re willing, I would be honored to serve as your guide through this realm of dark cinema. A concise list lies below, consisting both of films widely recognized, and lesser-known cult classics. They are united only by their modernity and their overall awesomeness. This is a list of films to be watched by all fans of cinema. So I urge you, dear reader, to call your significant other (or the one you desire to be your significant other). Then, put on your favorite onesie, and get ready for spookiness!  Because the night is dark and full of terror—and you deserve to be spooked by those films most worthy of spooking!

The Babadook - 2014 [TRAILER]

This might be my favorite on the entire list, so I'm gonna stick it right here at the top. But really, if there's one movie on this list that you should watch, it's the Babadook. Sure, you might have to suspend your disbelief on a few occasions, but it's totally worth it. It seems so rare that horror movies transcend their linear plots into something deeper, but the Babadook succeeds to descend to wonderfully cerebral depths. Without spoiling too much, the plot centers around a mother, grieving the loss of her husband, and her ADHD trouble-child, who come across a creepy kids’ book. An emotional and psychological haunting ensues that dares viewers to venture into the realms of depression and mania.

Let the Right One In - 2008 [TRAILER]

I've been bored of Vampires since Harry Potter, but this little charmer bit me right in the jugular. The plot centers around a boy who befriends a young female vampire—and yes, for you vampire loving people out there, it does get kind of romancy (in that innocent kid way). Apart from the totally on-point acting, the film maintains an oddly delicate balance of emotional tenderness and intimacy to total blood-chugging brutality. It is easily the best vampire movie to date, and if Swedish subs aren't your thing, there's an American version, Let Me In, that is equally as good.

It Follows - 2015 [TRAILER]

With one of the most original plots I've ever experienced in a horror movie, It Follows is being touted as one of the best movies of 2015. It's a film best left to experience without outside influence, but I can say that this film will be well enjoyed by those who appreciate speculation, interpretation, and subplots involving the exchange of STDs. It follows tread along a straight forward plot, but contains a wonderful amount of depth to sift through afterward. The film also has top-notch acting and is beautifully shot (much of it shot in Detroit). Make sure you see it with a few friends so you can talk about it afterward!

The Orphanage - 2007 [TRAILER]

I love me a sad, creepy ghost story, and there's something even better about them when they involve dead children. Like many of the films on my list, The Orphanage, produced by Guillermo Del Toro, has just that. But in all seriousness, this film has a wonderfully emotional story that’s rarely found in the horror genre. It's a well-known classic amid fans of the horror genre, a film that masterfully builds writhing tension to evoke its scares.

Lake Mungo - 2008 [TRAILER]

Lake Mungo offers a long-winded but mature examination of loss and grief. Its presentation is almost dreamlike, with a plot that focuses on the horrors experienced by a family after the drowning of their daughter. Lake Mungo exceeds as a film in the way that it relentlessly builds upon a wrenching sense of dread. Made with a tiny budget, but supported by solid acting, this film is surprisingly believable and captures the vulnerability, isolation, and confusion experienced after the unexpected death of a loved one. Simply put, this movie is completely terrifying, yet contains almost no cheap scares. It's a 100% unrelenting, slow-roast dread that doesn't let up until well after the credits.

REC - 2007 [TRAILER]

The original REC is a deliberately fast-paced film that sandwiches its doomed characters between compounding layers of dread, resulting in of one of the best modern horror films in years. The pseudo-zombie plot derails right from the get-go, and later smashes into the supernatural for a terrifying climax. But the disgusting monster at the end? That takes the cake for one of nastiest creepers ever to make it into cinema.

The Curse (Noroi) - 2005 [TRAILER]

There is a goldmine of Eastern horror out there, and the Curse represents the genre as one of the best. It's a Japanese, low budget, faux documentary, that—amid scenes of complete ridiculousness—manages to be completely and dreadfully effective. Noroi presents an engrossing, slow-burn mystery that carefully leaks the details of an ancient demon-curse. If you're interested in venturing into classic eastern horror, definitely check this one out.

Kill List - 2011 [TRAILER]

In some ways, Kill List tries to be a deep character study (and I'd say for the first 45 minutes, this might hold true), but then it’s quickly upstaged by an eerie crime drama, which later transforms into a totally effed cult-terror-gore-fest. Somehow, it all seems to work together, leaving you with a disturbing, yet surprisingly thought-provoking mess to discuss with your friends. This is a film to be viewed with others, and I highly recommend it for those who love cults, mysteries, and gore.

28 Days Later - 2002 [TRAILER]

While I wanted to avoid the obvious choices for this list, I couldn't leave out 28 Days Later, because...Well, it's just too good to ignore. With fast zombies, sympathetic characters, and incredible production, Danny Boyle has created one of the best pieces of apocalyptic horror ever made. You’ve probably already seen it, so you might as well see it again.

The Descent - 2005 [TRAILER]

The Descent stars six women, all part of an extreme adventure club, who decide to explore the creepiest cave in the entire world. In this cave, of course, dwell terrible, fanged, amphibious slime creatures who have an affinity for jump scares and standing directly behind the backs of the characters...but the real horror of this movie is the cave. The movie absolutely excels in conveying intense desperation and suffocating claustrophobia. Despite solid reviews, I had low hopes for this movie, but ended up really enjoying it. Highly recommended.

Cabin in the Woods - 2012 [TRAILER]

Horror fans tout Cabin in the Woods as a modern classic. Is it particularly scary? No. But it does provide an ample serving of self-aware humor and cliche-bending twists. I don't care much for self-aware horror movies, but Cabin in the Woods does it right, offering one of the best works of pop culture entertainment that the horror genre has ever seen.

Suicide Club - 2002 [TRAILER]

With an opening scene of 50+ Japanese schoolgirls jumping in front of a train, I can confidently say that Suicide Club is one of the most hardcore horror movies of all time. The movie follows a wave of unexplained suicides and slowly pieces together a rather nebulous mystery. Answers, however, are few and far between, and I am still not sure if I actually like this movie. But for anyone who is looking for something a little bit darker, this is for you.

Battle Royale - 2000 [TRAILER]

Before the Hunger Games, there was Battle Royale, which happens to be set in a  similar dystopian universe, wrought with unemployment, crime, and malcontent. Each year, a randomly selected 9th grade class of Japanese, khaki-donning schoolchildren are outfitted with exploding shock collars and given an assortment of weapons. They are then forced to hunt each other down until there is only one left. Long story short, it's the hunger games with an R rating, and if I am not mistaken, this controversial child-massacre-gore fest was banned for a time. But for real, this movie rules, topping its big-budget, modern successor with tons of style, as well as a healthy dose of dark, humorous cynicism. If you felt that the Hunger Games didn’t have enough teen gore, then this movie is for you.

The Devil’s Backbone - 2001 [TRAILER]

A haunting allegory of the Spanish Civil War, Guillermo Del Toro's film presents a chilling school house ghost story that stands as a masterfully produced piece of cinema. It's heavily atmospheric, emotionally fraught, and above all else, spooky. This fable is one of Del Toro's best and is a must watch on this list.

Creep - 2015 [TRAILER]

Laced in dry humor, Creep is another slow burner that masterfully builds upon a foundation of discomfort and creeping uneasiness that relies little on jump scares (although, it does not forgo them). The two fold script prompts some of the best acting on this list - and rumors state that much of it was improvised. Creep is proof that you don't need to have a big budget with CGI jump scares to make a compelling horror movie. Did I mention that it's available for Netflix streaming, too?

Gerald's Game (89% RT) [TRAILER]

The plot begins with a dude named Gerald, who, with his wife, depart to an ocean side cabin for a sexy-time retreat. Except their sexy time, in typical Stephen King fashion, goes horribly wrong. Next thing you know, Gerald is being eaten by a dog and she's handcuffed to the bed and then the boogieman starts to come out at night. Hopefully I didn't just ruin the movie for you, but for real, it gets really good - and the boogieman is one of the best horror spooks I've seen in a long time. The wife, Carla Gugino, gives nothing short of a stellar performance, too.

The Witch (91% RT) [TRAILER]

The Witch centers itself around a (Puritan?) family who is banished to the outskirts of the New England wilderness in the 1600s (where an ancient and foreboding evil lurks). Shortly after, the crops die, people get possessed, someone's nipple is eaten by a demon crow, and Satan appears as the family goat, named "Black Philip." Despite what I just said, the Witch bares little, but what it does reveal is absolutely brutal. But the real horror is not what hides in the woods, but rather the evil that makes its way inside of the characters. Overall, it's an exceptionally well made period piece that will marinade you in dread... and thus the Witch is one of my favorite horror movies of all time.

Under the Shadow (99%) [TRAILER]

Under the Shadow is an art house masterpiece that serves as one of the greatest horror movies ever made, yet it is mostly unknown outside of horror circles. The movie is about an Iranian mother and daughter, living in a bombed out Tehran in the middle of the Iran-Iraq war. Her Husband, a doctor, is drafted to serve at the war front and they are left behind when an undetonated missile comes crashing into their apartment building (followed by a superstitious neighbor spouting about how the missile brought with it a middle eastern demon, or Djinn). Things start to get creepy when random items being to go missing, the daughter's behavior becomes increasingly erratic, and the Mother is plagued by horrible nightmares. But most unnerving of all is the isolation and desperation of a mother and daughter trapped in urban chaos.

IT (86% RT) [TRAILER]

An ancient, child devouring evil lurks under the town of Derry, Maine, who manifests itself physically as the apex of one's fears. Over the centuries, It has developed a taste for children (whose fears are easier to conceptualize, apparently), and thus It's preferred manifestation is that of a google-eyed, drooling, and mildly pedaphilic clown named Pennywise. Without drenching this write-up with my slobbering love for this movie, please know that the director and actors absolutely nailed it. The book presents 1200+ pages of historical world building with time-jumping plot lines - and the movie does an amazing job portraying the phantasmagoric and fantastical, yet demon-beleaguered town of Derry. Director, Andres Muschietti and co. deserve every penny of the 300 million dollars it has grossed since release.

It Comes at Night (89% RT) [TRAILER]

It Comes at Night is a psychological slow-burner, relying on the fears of the unknown, of mistrust, and of post-apocalyptic desperation. The plot revolves around the plight of a family, isolated and hidden, in their forest home as an undefined and unnatural blight ravages the outside world. One day, another destitute family comes stumbling into their home, who are cautiously taken in. Paranoia and mistrust slowly begin to boil between the two families, awakening an evil greater than the zombie-esque disease they seek to hide from. It's an unnervingly fantastic film that will stick with you long after viewing.

Get Out (99%) [TRAILER]

You can't have a “best of horror” list without mentioning "Get Out." The plot, which involves a bi-racial couple making a visit to the girlfriend's (white) parent's house, is both sharp and nimble in its often satirical portrayal of racial tension. The over-the-top plot initially focuses on a particularly awkward form of racial envy, which quickly derails into something much more sadistic - all the while tinged with director Jordan Peele's trademark humor. It is a movie that gives hope to the genre and has absolutely cemented itself as one of the best horror flicks ever made.

Train the Busan (95%) [TRAILER]

A father and daughter find themselves fleeing through the countryside (via train) amidst a zombie apocalypse. It's predictable, gory, and over-the-top, but in our cinematic world, over-peppered with every kind of zombie flick conceivable, Train to Busan still explores nuances amidst its campy and relentless action. Simply put, "Train to Busan" is a well-made and exceptionally entertaining film that still offers a dose of originality from within its South Korean setting. Just try not to take it too seriously.

The Wailing (99%) [TRAILER]

In a quiet south Korean village, a strange visitor appears, and soon after people start violently killing each other. In a panicked desperation, the police consult the occult to aid in solving the mythical blight that threats to spread beyond the village's outskirts. The Wailing is best enjoyed without knowing too much, but this phantasmagoric and gritty film is a cemented gem of Korean horror. It has some flaws and is exceptionally long, but the exploration of creepy eastern cult-mythology makes it well worth the trek.

The Banshee Chapter (75% RT) [TRAILER]

A man goes missing after consuming some CIA branded psychedelic research chemicals - and his friend decides (with the help of a gonzo-inspired journalist) that she’s going to track him down.  They acquire the aforementioned chemicals and proceed to smoke them, which apparently allows an evil deity to invade their lives (this particular deity takes the spooky meter and sends it to level 10). The plot is, admittedly, pretty lame, but if you can embrace the campiness, you'll find the movie is legitimately terrifying. I was prepared for a b-movie cheese fest, but for real, this movie is exceptionally spooky.

Hell House (76%) [TRAILER]

A malfunction occurs in an Halloween attraction set on the site of a hotel with a nefarious past, causing the death of 15 people. A half decade later, a documentary crew decides to investigate the tragedy and end up acquiring some tapes of the incident. It's a bit cheesy, but the plot and the acting are pretty damn good for a straight-to-VOD, found footage B-movie. Most importantly, though, is that "Hell House" is extraordinary creepy; completely worth watching for the thrill of horror.

Hereditary (89% RT) [TRAILER]

Cemented by Toni Collette’s wonderful performance, Hereditary is easily the best horror movie of 2018. The movie presents one menacing sucker punch after another as it rips apart the ground beneath the security of home. Both devastating and anything-but-subtle, Hereditary is recommended to those who like ancient demons, candle lit seances, and the occult.

A Quiet Place (95% RT) [TRAILER]

A Quiet Place’s plot, both affecting and inventive, throbs with (at times) agonizing, hold-your-breath tension. At the core you will find a family of four, struggling to survive in a world inhabited by invasive, sound-sensitive creatures who would prefer the extinction of humans. John Krasinski serves as both director and acting lead, which is good news for those of us who could care less for the recent stream of superfluous action movies he’s been producing.

A Dark Song (91% RT) [TRAILER]

Brooding and methodical, A Dark Song is set-piece pagan horror at its finest. It features only two characters: A mother in mourning and an arrogant occultist whom she seeks the aid of. The duo lock themselves in an old mansion to enact a lengthy and risky ritual, one that (ideally) results in a wish being granted. The acting is both fantastic and believable as the characters, in typical horror movie fashion, make mistakes that send them into a descent of madness. It’s witchcraft-gone-wrong; a slow burner with the relentless dread and chaos of a waking nightmare. This is one of my all time favorite indie horror movies. Highly recommended. 

1922 (89% RT) [TRAILER]

Unreliably narrated via the confession of a father who murders his wife (and who also ropes his hesitant son into the act), 1922 is a brooding tale of a man driven to madness by way of guilt. There are no jump scares to be found, as the movie favors the father’s slow-rot suffering and his futile and increasingly desperate attempts to bury his festering guilt. Psychological horror at its finest, this King adaptation is another excellent addition to Netflix’s diverse and original collection of horror movies. The Ritual (71%) [TRAILER]

While imperfect at best, this B-movie, set in northern Sweden, provides an interesting set (creepy, frost-dusted hinterlands) inhabited by four bros and an imaginative monster who’d prefer they were hiking somewhere else. Ankles are sprained and tempers swell as the friends become increasingly lost amidst a forest of their misjudgment. This movie is the definition of “pretty decent” with enough substance to hopefully see you through to the “less than decent” finale. 

[kaoarika]

Wrote a bit about this on Twitter, but GUESS WHAT MOVIE I WENT TO SEE ON THE CINEMA THIS WEEKEND.

Of course, potential spoilers... although, in general... it’s the Benizakura arc. I mean... it’s kinda spoilerish? Now that the manga is already ending?

It was a pleasant experience although, I would like to point a couple of things: I went to the last day (a Sunday) of exhibition, in the first showing, which was, as pointed in my ticket, at 1 PM. We were like... 5 or 6 people, including me, so... I don’t know how well the movie made through this festival. I remember reading somewhere that the anime movies didn’t do well when they were shown (two years ago, although I DO consider other factors, too, as lack of promotion- I would have gone to see them... if promotion was more present, but LOL no one of my IRL acquaintances LIKE Gintama-, and availability -a.k.a. going to the other side of my city w/no transport whatsoever except spending much more on public transportation than a freaking ticket- so... it’s very obvious Gintama isn’t an exact mainstream title that may do well in Mexico.

However, other factors may have influenced too - I went on a Sunday, and at 1 PM. Almost a Matinée showing, too.

Anyway.

I was amazed that some distributor may have shown interest in this, tbh. WAY too soon (7.14 is when the roadshow STARTED in Japan) even, although somewhere in the official page of the movie it was mentioned that the movie WOULD DEFINITELY be shown in the American continent.

The movie was pretty good?? As expected from Fukuda Yuuichi, who I previously enjoyed his work on Yuusha Yoshihiko and the drama adaptation of Aoi Honoo. Most of the comedy was top-notch, and the actors do KNOW how to time their comedy acts while balancing out the drama aspect of this storyline, which, obviously, is Benizakura-hen, once again.

I cannot complain that much about how this arc was chosen over a proper introduction (although in usual Gintama fashion, ACROSS ALL MEDIA, the cast joked about this same fact), but with much more reason, this is the arc that the roles of important characters are introduced and Gintoki’s past and present clash, and of course, it has a long term effect on the series. Kind of amusing watching this movie with the proper future context (I wasn’t the only one there, tbh... people behind me were talking loud about manga spoilers). It would be very interesting if there was a sequel... probably adapting another arc -crosses fingers, PROBABLY for Yoshiwara in Flames... although the one with Itou betraying the Shinsengumi would be interesting -again, Kiheitai present, but also introducing Bansai who was absent here... although I’m pretty fuzzy if he played an important role in Benizakura, too *it’s been a long time since I read the arc*.

Then again, the adaptation had its own issues, I guess? I cannot complain about that either... then again, it’s not one of my favorite arcs of the series... most of the things I have issue with, are in origin. But there were a bit of few missed chances. I mean, Gengai has a past thing with the Kiheitai... Otose WAS mentioned (but not seen)... although maybe I’m losing something there a msitranslation somewhere? At the end of the day, the subs that the movie had were somewhat bad.

META REFERENCES. WHAT. I’m pretty sure I lost some of them, lol. There were a few directed to Oguri (Gintoki), to Hashimoto (Kagura)... to the same series, for freaking hell... Nice, nice.

This is mostly personal opinion, but I enjoyed this adaptation even more than the AnKyou movie that I went to see last year. I know it’s like comparing apples to pears (different tone of story, different directors), but then again... as an adaptation, I think this is how you CAN make it, while trying to put original content (pretty sure the whole Henpeita part was played with a much more humorous tone here than in the manga/anime... then again, he is played by Sato Jiro, and I’m certain it was mostly ad-libbed... see the whole Buddha talks in Yuusha Yoshihiko and TELL me they aren’t ad-libbed), too. Not that I’m biased, btw. I was... mostly dissapointed in how the timing was managed in the AnKyou movie (and the fact that they DID announce the entire cast at the start, only promoted a few of the actors who had “relevant roles” in the movie(s), besides some key scenes... tell me, did the rest of the 28 students* -besides you-know-who- did something MORE useful than just a couple of scene of wonders or being shells of their original counterparts? because from all the cast that was announced in the Gintama one, THEY ALL DID SOMETHING) because at the end, they decided to tell a 21 volume manga story in 2 movies of 2 hours each. Heck, I liked Suda Masaki here as Shinpachi EVEN BETTER than his Karma.

To people who judged pre-release of the movie: I get it. The anime seiyuu cast is and always will be our beloved characters of this series. For some of you it has been a decade, almost a decade, five years, etc. You cannot hear them and seeing them act with another actor or voice in minds, but the actors DID a good job. No matter how they don’t look as “handsome” as their original manga/anime counterparts (which is one of the most... “what” complaints I saw here when I explored the series tag), they really became the essence of their respective characters. Oguri was a good Gintoki, and using the Suda example, while Sakaguchi Daisuke will always be Shinpachi in my mind and heart, he was also incredibly good at being and ACTING like Shinpachi.

Heck, even a couple of the voice actors reprised their roles in the movie? Takahashi Mikako was Sadaharu (I wasn’t that much bothered by the CGI... I mean, it’s Gintama, and I can pass it on...) and Yamadera Kouichi was Shouyo-sensei’s voice (with an actor stand-in). And I’m kinda certain that one of the initial amanto cameos is voiced by Sugita (anime!Gintoki)??? There isn’t too much “bad blood” even if it’s just an industry standard. (There were even seiyuu cameos in some charas BOTH in Aoi Honoo and Yuusha Yoshihiko, just saying).

While my expectations on the SaiPSI movie aren’t very high, I DO expect a pretty fun and decent movie. If Gintama proved to be something, based on my previous experiences, then there’ a high chance it will be fun. Again, both are directed by the same director. Trust me on that one. 

(Although there’s now 0 chances that that movie would be released here. Gintama may not be THAT mainstream AND there WAS a release of this, but Saiki???)

(*) In defense of the AnKyou movies, though, let’s be real here: Not many of them received decent development in the manga, either. BUT STILL. Some key elements were lost here??? I mean... adfsfsf.

[the-desolated-quill]

Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes - Review Of The Planet Of The Apes blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. if you haven’t seen this movie yet, you may want to before reading this review)

I really had to steel myself before watching this again. The last time I saw Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes was in the cinema back when it was released in 2014. I bought the Blu-Ray and its been sitting in my cupboard for three years, unwrapped and untouched. I just couldn’t bring myself to watch it again. Not because Dawn is bad. Oh no. The complete opposite. Dawn is an incredible movie. Quite possibly one of the best summer blockbusters in recent memory. It’s because of how emotional, intense and downright depressing it is.

Set ten years after the events of Rise, most of humanity has been wiped out by a virus caused by the ALZ-113 drug. Caesar and his tribe of intelligent apes now live in the Redwoods, but their peaceful existence is disrupted when they discover a group of human survivors nearby. Animosity soon brews between the two factions, as well as within Caesar’s tribe, as the film asks whether the two can possibly co-exist.

I think the biggest reason why Dawn succeeds as well as it does is because of Matt Reeves’ direction and attention to detail. You can tell from watching the movie that a huge amount of effort has gone into how this ape society is constructed, how they communicate with each other as well as how the characters interact with each other and how past events may influence their behaviour. It’s these carefully and methodically thought out details that really help to absorb you into this world and become invested in the characters to the point where you start to forget you’re even watching a movie.

Dawn also puts far greater emphasis on characters this time around. In fact this movie is very different from most other blockbuster movies as well as other movies in the franchise because it’s the characters that define the story as opposed to the other way around, which is rare to see. Reeves puts a considerable amount of time and energy into getting us to form a strong emotional bond with the characters, particularly with...

Everybody loved Caesar in the previous movie, but Dawn takes it to a whole new level. Andy Serkis gives quite possibly the best performance of his entire career, creating a very nuanced, sympathetic and compelling lead. Like with Rise, Serkis’ greatest skill as a performer is the way in which he conveys what his character is thinking and feeling through non-verbal communication. With just a simple grimace or a tilt of the head, he can say more than a 3 page monologue ever could. The CGI has also gone up a level since last time, to the point where you actually completely forget that you’re looking at a CGI character. You don’t even think about it. Caesar is real.

It also helps that the writing for Caesar is top notch, with screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver returning from Rise. After the events of Rise, Caesar has become far more battle hardened and is somewhat skeptical of humans, having witnessed their cruelty firsthand. However he also knows that humans are capable of kindness and good deeds too due to his experience with his ‘father’ Will. This is why he lets Malcolm and the other humans come into ape territory to repair the hydroelectric dam, which puts Caesar at odds with the other apes, most notably Koba (oh we’ll get to him in a minute, don’t worry), and his son Blue-Eyes. Caesar naively believes that apes are incapable of the same cruelty and vindictiveness as humans, only to then learn a very harsh lesson over the course of the film as his utopia slowly crumbles around him. What I especially love is how Caesar initially speaks mostly through sign language like the rest of the apes, but as he interacts more with humans and discovers that apes and humans are both equally flawed and really aren’t so different, he actually starts vocalising more, thus becoming more human.

Of course it’s easy to single out Andy Serkis for individual praise, and yes he absolutely deserves an Academy Award, but let’s not forget the other ape performers who worked just as hard in this movie. Karin Konoval as Maurice the orangutan, Terry Notary who plays Rocket as well as trained the other performers in ape acting, Nick Thurston as Caesar’s son Blue-Eyes, and of course Toby Kebbell as Koba.

Holy shit, I can’t remember the last time I was this scared of a character. Koba is unbelievably frightening, and what makes him so is not just his scheming malevolence or his unpredictability, but also the fact that we can in some ways identify with him. We see him save Caesar and Blue-Eyes at the beginning of the film. We know about his background and how he was tortured and experimented on by humans. We see him have friendly interactions with the other characters. We like and can empathise with Koba, which is what makes his turn to villainy so horrifying to watch. Watching a character we like and care about do these monstrous things makes for very uncomfortable viewing. But at the same time, it doesn’t come from nowhere. He’s not a one dimensional baddie who’s evil for the sake of being evil. Everything he does has a logic and reason behind it. Whereas Caesar has seen both good and bad in humanity, Koba has only seen the bad. He doesn’t trust Malcolm or the other humans and is terrified that something is going to happen to his new tribe. In his own way, he believes he’s acting for the ultimate good, sacrificing Caesar so that he could assume command and do what he feels must be done. Exterminate humanity so that the apes can live in peace. He’s motivated primarily by fear, but also by a feeling of impotence and powerlessness, hence the shocking sequence where he kills Rocket’s son Ash after he refuses to kill a human. At that point you feel as though any moral conscience has gone completely and that he’s gone mad with power.

The conflict between Caesar and Koba takes some inspiration from the conflict between Caesar and Aldo in Battle For The Planet of The Apes, but whereas the Caesar/Aldo conflict didn’t really amount to anything because we didn’t know nor care that much about either of them, the Caesar/Koba conflict is both gripping and nerve-wracking. It’s fascinating to see these two former friends become polar opposites and clash over their conflicting ideologies in a fight that will dictate not only the future of the tribe but potentially the entire planet as well. I was genuinely scared for Caesar’s safety and was on the edge of my seat in the final climactic showdown. Koba’s literal fall from grace was a fitting end after his figurative fall, and he’s easily the best antagonist ever to come out of this franchise. Toby Kebbell did an excellent job in the role. He’s so good at getting under Koba’s skin. i wonder if he’ll get the opportunity to explore and portray other villains in his career.

Oh.

Dawn is such an emotional, intelligent and beautifully constructed movie that it would be almost blasphemous to start criticising it, but alas, as much as I love this movie, I do have one teeny, tiny problem with it. The human characters.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t hate the human characters or anything. They’re not even badly written. I really liked Gary Oldman as Dreyfus. The scene where they get the power restored and he sees photos of his family on his iPad for the first time in ten years made me sob like a tiny child. I thought Jason Clarke did a good job as the main human protagonist Malcolm, and I also liked Keri Russell and Kodi Smit-McPhee as Ellie and Alexander respectively. The trouble is they’re a bit bland and under-developed. Now the human characters being bland compared to the ape characters isn’t exactly a new thing to the franchise. Give me Cornelius and Zira over hammy old Charlton Heston any day. But in a movie where you’re supposed to care and be concerned about both sides, it’s kind of a problem. I just didn’t really care about the humans all that much. In fact in some ways I feel that the humans are a victim of the apes’ success. The filmmakers know we’ve come to see the apes and to see Caesar’s continued development and so naturally they put more effort into that. While Caesar’s story is spectacularly good, it’s a bit of a double edged sword because it does effectively steamroll over everything else. 

I feel one possible solution could have been to strengthen the parallels between the ape and human characters. There are some obvious comparisons you could make between Koba and Dreyfus for instance. Ellie’s attempts to bond with Alexander is similar to Caesar’s attempts to bond with Blue-Eyes, and I wish they could have given that a proper conclusion. As for Malcolm, while I do like Clarke’s performance, I personally feel they should have brought James Franco back as Will and have the relationship between him and Caesar explored further. Using a pre-existing human character would certainly have helped us to form more of a connection with the human settlement, plus you’d have had that history between him and Caesar too play around with. Malcom, while a nice guy, isn’t particularly interesting and seems to be more of a cipher for the audience as opposed to a character in his own right.

While the humans are a bit weak, I ind it hard to fault Dawn of The Planet Of The Apes because the rest of it is just so damn good. It’s definitely a worthy follow-up to Rise and one of the best sequels ever made, continuing the journey of Caesar thoughtfully and effectively whilst providing a tense and emotional experience for the audience. Without a doubt, a modern classic.

[spryfilm]

“Tomb Raider” (2018)

Action

Written by: Geneva Robertson-Dworet & Alastair Siddons

Directed by: Roar Uthaug

Featuring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, and Kristin Scott Thomas

Receptionist: “What’s your name?”

Lara Croft: “Lara.”

Receptionist: “Surname?”

Lara Croft: “Croft.”

As we get closer to the lucrative summer movie season in the US there are more and more movies trying to get in early, attempting to make an impact at the box office. The one thing that has been proven by the recent “Black Panther” (2018) release date is that anytime can be a good time for the right movie. Enter the re-booted video game adaption from the best selling ‘Tomb Raider/Lara Croft’ series made famous in the 90s by the iconic game, then brought to life by the then recently Oscar awarded Angelina Jolie, firstly in the successful “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2001) then in the follow up “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life” (2003). Now after a successfully rebooted game it was inevitable that another movie be produced based around this, with the aptly titled “Tomb Raider” (2018), recast with the recent Oscar winner Alicia Vikander. Eschewing the fantasy elements of the first two movies this new incarnation seems willing to settle for a hodge podge of ideas that within themselves never really come off, but it is Vikander who carries this movie on her back, any kind of success can be credited to her rising star power as well as inhabiting the role far differently to Jolie.

The decision making in regards to how this film has been constructed has to be commended in giving Vikander her first real starring role after many turns in character roles, as well as bringing on board Norwegian director Roar Uthaug who while experienced in his homeland has never helmed a movie of this size or importance. What has been an odd, and has to be said unwise decision was handing over the screenwriting reins to the extremely inexperienced duo of Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Alastair Siddons who seem to use just about every cliché under the sun as well as borrowing from any ‘Mummy’ movie from the past ninety years as well as the first five seasons of the CW superhero show “Arrow” (2012–present).

“Tomb Raider” involves Lara Croft who following the disappearance of her father Richard, lives a reckless and carefree life. When she is arrested after an accident involving a police car, Richard’s business partner Ana Miller posts her bail and warns her that if she does not claim her inheritance, her father’s estate will be sold off. Lara reluctantly accepts and comes into possession of the key to her father’s office. There she finds a pre-recorded message from Richard detailing his research into Himiko, the mythical Queen of Yamatai who was said to command the power over life and death. Richard warns Lara to destroy all of his research but Lara decides to investigate further.

Lara travels to Hong Kong where she bribes Lu Ren, captain of the ship Endurance, to sail to an island believed to have once been Yamatai. The ship capsizes in a violent storm and Lara is washed ashore where she is knocked unconscious.

The strength of this movie is in the casting and to a lessor extent the way the director has marshaled the script to easily produce a movie that while mostly fast paced as well as containing some surprises, definitely offers nothing of any real originality but hints at a solid future if this movie makes enough of an impact at the box office or in critical circles. In fact many of the lessor characters seemed destined for a return in much larger roles if the franchise moves forward in the coming years.

This is easily the biggest film that Alicia Vikander has appeared in, you can tell from her first scene she has welcomed the casting as Croft by making herself into a physically imposing specimen through the use of her smallish frame making her interpretation of Croft as a quick footed, quick fisted as well as quick witted hero that can hold her own in any situation as well as against any opposition. What is appealing in terms of this movie is that Vikander is not setting herself up in opposition to the Jolie character, but sidesteps that by creating her own mostly fully developed three dimensional character that solves her Father issues about halfway through the film, unlike the original movie which had them hanging over the entire runtime. In support of Vikander we have a few top-notch character actors that have proved themselves to be most able over the past twenty years including Dominic West, Kristin Scott Thomas, Derek Jacobi and the always-enchanting Walton Goggins. It is imperative when creating a possible new franchise or reboot that they lead actor has reliable talent not only to accentuate their own performance but for the audience to have something to latch onto in introducing a new property. It is Walton Goggins who really shines as the villain of the piece as well as someone who over the years has given more than just arch performances in all his great roles including standouts in “The Shield” (2002-2008) and “Justified” (2010-2015) – here he excels with material that is frankly beneath him, but he rises above it to give one of the better performances in the film.

The picking of Roar Uthaug as director is actually an inspired choice as can be seen by his last as well as his biggest success “The Wave” (2015) which not only balanced a family drama but also was a tense thriller and ultimately part action movie, it also involved some subtle as well as obvious CGI, for a foreign film it was accomplished which explained its success on the world stage. Here Uthaug does something similar in attempting to make “Tomb Raider” all about Lara Croft, painting her as an outsider shunning her family money to make it on her own, in fact in the opening scene we see her as vulnerable but determined, a new millennial woman (but still girlish, complicated by the odd timeline incorporated in flashbacks) attractive to all – there is definitely something political about Croft but it is not handled well at all. Thrown into the mix is a family drama as well as old-fashioned soap opera with a hint of mysticism. Overall “Tomb Raider” is very well directed, with many of the action scenes handled as well as one could expect with budget and geographic restrictions – without having too much CGI – there are for example no training robots or time travel.

All the issues with “Tomb Raider” are around narrative and plot which lands squarely at the feet of screenwriters Geneva Robertson-Dworet & Alastair Siddons who not only are re-telling Crofts origins story which are not a million miles from the original “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” but many elements seem stitched together from other adventure movies as well, as does the ending of the movie which seems to be borrowed from “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life” a far better sequel that does not bear up in the box office receipts of the day. I mean these writers even give Lara her very own Bat Cave in the tomb of her dead family with maps, boxes neatly labeled with the information she requires, not only that after the eight years that have passed all the batteries on the equipment she uses still work, it may have been nice if logic had played a part in this script.

Whilst there is much to enjoy about this film, in particular the casting elements as well as many of the environments used it will not be something that stays with an audience for long which is down to the plot that is fairly feeble. This is not the all knowing multiple language speaking Croft from the previous movies, we are shown someone who is smart as well as someone who wants to make it on her own, although by the end of the movie she is more Oliver Queen than anyone else – I suspect she will get her own Scooby gang if a sequel is to follow. That is not to say that you should steer clear of Tomb Raider, in fact it might be the perfect entrée to the main course that is to follow in the coming months.

“Tomb Raider” is out now only in cinemas.

Film review: “Tomb Raider” (2018) "Tomb Raider" (2018) Action Written by: Geneva Robertson-Dworet & Alastair Siddons Directed by: Roar Uthaug Featuring: Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins, Daniel Wu, and Kristin Scott Thomas…

[kayskasmoviereviews]

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales

Fun fact: The first Pirates of the Caribbean film was the first movie I ever wrote an Internet review for, way back in 2003. Now, 14 years and some 1500 movie reviews later, I’m reviewing the fifth one. Perhaps that fact is why I’ve always had a soft spot for this particular franchise. People have been increasingly negative about each successive film; and, while I admit that they’ve never been perfect, I’ve got a certain enjoyment out of each one, including this latest film.

A lot of the things I like about Pirates of the Caribbean are just sort of built in to the franchise and don’t actually have all that much to do with the particular film’s story or execution. For example: I just like stuff about ships and pirates. I can remember reading a whole bunch of nautical-themed novels around middle school, and for whatever reason I’ve just always liked high-seas adventure stories. In terms of these films, that means I pretty much automatically like the sets, the costumes, the location shooting, and so on. 

I also like adventure films, a genre that I feel is underrepresented in contemporary mainstream cinema. An adventure film and an action film are not exactly the same thing. An action film centers principally on physical action itself as the main attraction, and the characters often have some special propensity for action and violence. Mad Max: Fury Road, the John Wick films, the Fast & the Furious movies, the Bourne movies, James Bond films, Die Hard, Speed: those are action movies, and mostly good ones. Adventure movies feature characters who are not necessarily cops or criminals or soldiers but who, for one reason or another, end up on some sort of quest that will expose them to great peril. The Indiana Jones movies, the Lord of the Rings movies, the original Star Wars trilogy, The Goonies, The Princess Bride - those are adventure movies. It seems like, as a genre, adventure had its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, but has since mostly been displaced by either pure action movies like Mad Max and John Wick or by superhero movies. I’m predisposed to like Pirates of the Caribbean because, as far as I can tell, it’s the only old-fashioned adventure series currently going. (Not that there’s anything wrong with action or superhero movies - they of course have their own merits.)

So, as long as a Pirates of the Caribbean movie qualifies as an adventure movie and has all the pirate-y stuff I like, I’m going to at least kind of like it. Now, there are plenty of valid criticisms to be made of this fifth film in the series. Jack Sparrow possibly seems even more shtick-y than before; some of the jokes get old or don’t land all that well; the young male lead (Brenton Thwaites) is kind of dull and generic (I liked Kaya Scodelario as the young female lead, but it’s possible I was just distracted by her ample bosom, which admittedly didn’t heave as much as I might have liked, but then this a PG-13 movie after all); the plot is in many ways a rehash of the first film; some of the plot points don’t totally make sense; and so on. All fair. But, there’s a lot I found to enjoy about this movie too. There are some genuinely fun and inventive action sequences, particularly towards the beginning; the special effects surrounding the film’s villains are imaginative; the climax of the film looks really cool; the production design and costumes continue to be top-notch; Geoffrey Rush turns in another solid performance as Barbossa, who gets more to do here than you might expect; Javier Bardem is great fun as the villain, whose swirling hair and deteriorating skin are a really cool CGI effect; the score, while largely derivative of the older films’ scores, is still really good; and the film ties up a couple of dangling plot threads from earlier films. It’s not a career high point for anyone involved, but it’s a solidly fun movie that keeps both pirates and the adventure genre alive for another day, and I’m fine with that.

[spryfilm]

“Paddington 2” (2017)

Animated Comedy

Written by: Paul King & Simon Farnaby

Directed by: Paul King

Featuring: Ben Wishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent, Peter Capaldi and Hugh Grant

Henry Brown: Paddington wouldn’t hesitate if any of us needed help! He looks for the good in all of us.

There is no doubt that the release of “Paddington” in 2016 was not only a huge success but defied odds to become one of the best films of that year. When the original trailer was released with not great animation as well as Colin Firth woefully miscast as the voice of our furry hero there was not much to look forward to. But with some time and the recasting of Ben Wishaw as the almost too perfect voice of Paddington the film became a real success story – with a sequel sure to arrive, and it has with bells on. It not only lives up to the original hit, but surpasses it by moving the story forward, with a goal based plot as well as upping the villain stakes with Hugh Grant, here showing why he can play pretty much anything without any ironic detachment that can haunt some actors in similar kinds of films.

The great news is that writer/director Paul King has retuned to not only bring a new story to life but also reinvigorate the narrative with his unique visual style, which canny viewers will recognize from his stellar work on “The Mighty Boosh” (2005-2012), as well as the cast which is rounded out with many of his cohorts from the same show or similar projects. Of course with the first movie firmly planted in peoples minds there has to be something to not only remind viewers of the greatness, as well as uniqueness, and their introduction to Paddington but there needs to be an addition to keep the story fresh as well as the supporting characters real – this has been and King makes it looks easy.

The story begins with Paddington, having settled with the Brown family in London’s Windsor Gardens, has become popular in his community, offering people emotional support in various ways, apart from Mr. Curry who still distrusts him. The Browns have changed in many ways. Mary Brown is training to swim the English channel; Henry Brown does not get the promotion at work he has hoped for; Judy has broken up with her boyfriend, Tony, and has started a newspaper; Jonathan has dropped his old, independent self and has become a classic teenage boy. To purchase a unique pop-up book of London in Samuel Gruber’s antique shop for Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday, Paddington performs several odd jobs and saves his wages over time, finding a good niche as a window-cleaner after a failed attempt as a hair dresser.

When he is just a day away from having enough money for the book, he witnesses it being stolen from the shop by a bearded thief, and is accused of the crime when the true culprit flees after a brief chase. Unable to obtain evidence of the thief’s existence, Paddington is wrongfully convicted and detained. The thief soon returns home, removing a disguise to be revealed as Phoenix Buchanan, an egotistical has been actor who lives opposite the Browns and whom Paddington met at a carnival opening ceremony some days prior and had shared the existence of the pop-up book, which Buchanan had thought to have been lost.

When any film relies completely on a CGI created central character as its hero, as well as acting as the point of view of the audience there is a requirement that everything else looks completely real as well as having a supporting cast that can make you believe that a talking bear exists and is able to interact with the world around him. Of course like the first film, in fact like almost all reasonably budgeted UK based movies, “Paddington 2” has an outstanding cast that is peppered with successful actors in their own right. Starting with Paddington’s adopted families led by Hugh Bonneville and Sally Phillips who lend an authenticity as parents, so much so that you feel they are three dimensional characters that are more than paper thin stereotypes. Then there are the two new major character’s that have been added for this new adventure, those being Hugh Grant as actor (and villain) Phoenix Buchanan and Brendan Gleeson as convict (and Paddington ally) Knuckles McGinty. There are far too many actors to specifically identify as well as many marvelous cameos to go into here, so I will make a few comments about Grant and Gleeson.

It has been a real joy to see Hugh Grant making a comeback (but was he ever away?), which in my mind began with the massively underrated “The Pirates! Band of Misfits” (2012) and continued through to his scene stealing performance “Florence Foster Jenkins” (2016), here he plays what must be an original character creation based I am sure on some unkind descriptions of him or an actor like him. Grant here is not only attempting to make a myriad of characterizations, but he is also being very physical as well as funny, when you think of Hugh Grant the words ‘physical comedy’ do not immediately spring to mind, but he is successful in everything he tries here – much like Nicole Kidman in the first film. Then there is the always-terrific Irish actor Brendan Gleeson who here is playing his part for big laughs as a cook in a prison, his friendship of Paddington has some clear messages for children as well as adults, if only people would be as accepting of everyone as Paddington is we would all be better off. Gleeson is a force onscreen, completely in charge of his performance as well as being brave enough to expose himself to some comedy greats.

The MVP of this movie is definitely Paul King who had only directed one other film, the quirky “Bunny and the Bull” (2009) before writing and directing the first Paddington movie. What King has done is to take his knack of being able to take real life situations and skew them so that they turn to fantasy. The director has applied this to a fictional character, taken an existing property, used the current time as well as a real location, that being London and created a world where a talking bear is the norm, as well as being accepted by the general populace. The other aspect of the film is that while this is a children’s film there is more to the narrative than a simple story, everything within the plot can be understood by young and old so that all audiences can be fully engaged with a story about a talking bear.

Much like the first movie Paddington 2 has so much to offer audiences of all ages, while the first movie acted as a kind of origin movie of sorts, we see Paddington and his entire family moving on from their initial adventure into new places where they have all grown individually as well as a family which all people can relate to. This is highly recommended to all audiences, the CGI is top notch, the performance are all excellent and the action as well as thrills are original but at the same time offer fitting homages to other action movies, something the original did brilliantly.

Paddington 2 is out now in cinemas.

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