Hello,
Just wanted to make a quick post, as I haven't in a long while, to say sorry for being so lazy, as it really has been ages since my last post on here.
But thanks to school ending for this term soon for Christmas I'm sure that I'll watch a lot of films, and so there should be more posts then. Recently I acquired an Alfred Hitchcock box set which contains all the classics, so be ready to see some those films being reviewed in the near future.
Check back soon and I hope there will be a new post,
Matt
Right, I know I promised a Lockout review this week but I've been quite lazy and haven't got round to it, so I'm going to make up for it by reviewing the newest James Bond film instead, Skyfall.
So Skyfall, directed by Sam Mendes, is a film I've been waiting for for a long time, well after Quantum of Solace, and that's not to say I knew what the film was going to be, but Agent 007 means so much to me in film terms that I need to get a fix every so often. So a couple of years ago it was revealed that production had stopped on the latest Bond movie due to lack of funding, and I must admit I couldn't have been more gutted.
Then when I heard about the fact it would be out in 2012 I was so happy and then the cast list came out, and I really couldn't wait. So let's get on with the actual film.
There may be spoilers, but I'll attempt to keep them to a minimum.
Firstly, I have to say the theme tune, Skyfall by Adele, is a fantastic song, I'm not a massive fan of Adele and must admit I try to avoid her music at all costs, but Skyfall is just brilliant, it captures a lot of Bond's soul into it while also sounding like a classic Bond Theme. The reason I bring the song up first is because of it's use during the opening credits in which the song is played to dark colours of Bond drowning and running through underground systems and a mysterious Gothic mansion. It's my favourite Bond opening ever, because of it's pure arty-ness and dark feel, it really sets the mood for the film.
Moving onto the action, the film head straight into it, featuring a car and bike chase, and a fight on top of a train that really gets the blood pumping for the film. This is the same for most of the action, it keeps the blood flowing with the right balance of action and drama throughout. I don't want to go to far into most of the action sequences because I really can't do it justice and they're something worth seeing from yourself rather than me describing them.
But something worth raving about is the cast, who, to put it simply, couldn't be better. Obviously Daniel Craig and Dame Judi Dench still manage to portray the fantastic characters that are James Bond and M, and the banter the two share between each other adds brilliant comedy to the spy series.
However, they aren't the only brilliant actors in the film, certainly the man who steals the show is Javier Bardem, portraying the films main villain, Raoul Silva, a man who is intent on ruining the reputation of MI6. And Bardem goes all-out to make his character more than a Bond-villain, which he does spectacularly, and he's one of these villains where you like him as much as the hero and don't want anything bad to happen to him, as a pose to some of the previous Bond villains where you can't wait for them to be killed off. Silva also shares some great banter with Bond himself which had everyone in the cinema laughing as if they were watching a comedy film. I believe that the best thing about Bardem's performance is how he can change the moods of his character so incredibly quick, as in one scene with a conversation between Bond and M he goes from poking fun at MI6 to deadly serious and it's just a fantastic piece of acting, and don't curse me for this, but I believe that Silva is the best Bond villain ever, purely because he provides the right amount of physical damage to Bond as he does psychological.
The Bond-girls are also great for the film, with Berenice Lim Marlohe keeping the element of sexiness included into the film that makes a 007 movie. She does however have quite a short amount of screen time, and a friend expressed his dissapointment in the fact there wasn't a bed scene with her in that he had really hoped for, however Mendes replaced this with a shower scene which is bound to give most men a happy night and good memories.
After speaking to others about the film they seem to believe that the film lacks explosions and actions that most assume a Bond film will be riddled with, and what I can't seem to understand is why, as it has many explosions, and to be honest the car chases are quite short, but all the elements are there and are put together in great fashion.
Directing wise Sam Mendes does a brilliant job on Skyfall, with amazing set-pieces, including Silva's deserted island and high-rise building scenes. A lot of the film also takes place in London and shows off some of the things that makes it so great, such as MI6 and the iconic underground train stations.
The whole crew also take pleasure in including many shocks into the film, none of which I will actually tell because to spoil it would just be stupid, however all I will say is that you won't expect them and they will take you by surprise.
In conclusion I must say that Skyfall, in my opinion, is the best Bond film, and I feel that the lack of funding half way through production was a good thing, as it meant that the crew had to step back and strip the movie down to add more drama, rather than a festival of unnecessary explosions. Which is not to say that there aren't any fantastic stunts, because there really are a lot, there's helicopters, cars, bikes, all things that make Bond, Bond.
Even if you've never been a big fan of James Bond I would still recommend Skyfall because it's just too good, and never boring. When there's a lack of action, the audience are drawn into the drama or the comedy, there's never a dull moment to the film, it's 2 hours and 23 minutes of fantastic entertainment.
10/10 - Best film of 2012, sharing the crown with The Dark Knight Rises.
I am quickly writing this blog to say that (to any repeat viewers of my page) I am very sorry I haven't posted in a lon while, I said that I would write a review on Lock-out but I honestly haven't had the chance to, as it was a tough week at school and I had been quite ill during the week.
I have seen Lock-out an fortunately this week is a half-term holiday (meaning I am not at school for a week) and so hopefully will be able to write quite a few reviews, to make up for lost time.
So I hope that tomorrow I will be able to finally get this review done and watch a couple more movies, which will all bve reviewed.
Check back soon and I hope there will be more material to read.
Thanks as always. M
Also with the release of Skyfall this week I hope I will see it soon when I have the chance to, and there will definately be a post for that.
Sorry that I have put up a post in recent times, school has been rather hard in the last couple of weeks, with a lot of essays and tests to be revising for.
I have been set yet another gruelling media studies essay to do over the weekend, but I have made sure I will have time to watch Lockout (Mather & Leger, 2012) soon, so if you would like to read my opinion on it, check back later and I hope it will be there, if not I give an apology in advance for my laziness, but this media essay has to take priority at the moment.
As I've said before please feel free to comment on any of my posts to tell me that I blabber on too much or that I'm very boring, I promise I won't mind.
Matt
This evening I was fortunate enough to have been invited to see a UK premiere of new in the UK, old in America, film "Hit and Run." The film is directed, written by and starring Dax Shepard, as well as Kristin Bell and Bradley Cooper co-starring.
The basic premise of the film is that Dax Shepard's character leaves his witness protection act to leave for LA for the sake of his girlfriend Annie (Bell), but a chase ensues when Annie's ex-lover, Shepard's old gang and a United States Marshal all come after the couple.
Now as I have said before I am not a fan of rom-coms, but Hit and Run was something else, maybe because with all the action going on you forget that it has a romantic story, as there are some brilliant scenes, many of which feature some amazing car chases, with some cars that are just awesome beyond belief. Quite frankly I feel this movie has the potential to rival the Fast and Furious franchise. Of course I'm just joking, but this film is better than the F&F films.
And it isn't just the car chases that make this film so great, it's a combination of the drama, comedy, romance and just the whole directing of the film with an original story that to be honest I don't think I've ever seen before. There's one scene (which I won't spoil completely) which features a motel room of old people that will have you wide-eyed and cringing for your life, and it's comedy gold.
Hit and Run also has a kick-ass soundtrack that also adds to the greatness of the movie, such as "Sweet Emotion" by Aerosmith popping up when the classic Lincoln first makes an appearance, showing just how bad-ass the premise of the movie is, as well as a couple of classic rock tunes being played during some of the best scenes in the film.
Quite frankly I would have to say that Hit and Run has to be the best comedy film of the year, and highlights the fact that films that are normally seen as having a niche audience can actually be really great, and this is exactly what Hit and Run falls into. There really is something for everyone in this film, and I can't stress enough how I believe everyone should see this movie, it has breathtaking car chases, great laughs, great acting and just a great cast that look like they're having so much fun throughout the film.
For me, this film deserves a 10/10, there's never a dull moment and you'll walk out of the cinema wishing that you could watch it over and over.
Hit and Run drives into UK theaters on 12th October.
Just want to apologise for my laziness as I haven't posted in quite a long time.
Fortunately I have a short school week, with Tuesday as an inset day, so expect a new post mid-week.
I will be off to the cinema to see a film that will be out soon in the UK called "Hit and Run", starring Bradley Cooper and Dax Shepard, so I'm sure that will be my first review, so check back on Wednesday and that should be here for you to read.
Now I don't have much time to write about this genre, and be happy, because I could rant all night about why I hate them so much.
Though I don't mind having an underlying love story in, say, an action film, but there is no need to have one whole film dedicated to being in love. The last thing when I go to the cinema or buy a DVD is to sit through two hours of a two people getting together and being "so happy" in love, only for them to break up, then lo and behold they get back together again! It's the same in every romantic or rom-com film, and personally I feel it needs to stop.
It's like Love Actually, a film many people call a "classic", or what I call a film that could be brilliant but is ruined by a mix of Hugh Grant and pure rubbish. Honestly, I'd been told to watch it because it's "so fantastic", and I really hated it. Admittedly there were parts where I really loved it, such as Bill Nighy recreated Wet Wet Wet's "Love Is All Around" in a Christmas fashion, which would bring a smile to anyone's face.
There really isn't much point on me carrying on about Romance films, there are a lot of films I could reference here for committing the sin of being in this genre, but I'm sure at one point in the future I'll either make a longer post, or (tragically) have to review a romantic film.
So for now keep checking back for more posts, and I will see you soon.
