Kingsman
A spy organization recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into
the agency's ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat
emerges from a twisted tech genius.
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Writers: Jane Goldman (screenplay), Matthew Vaughn (screenplay), 2 more credits »
Stars: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L. Jackson | See full cast and crew »
Storyline
Based upon the acclaimed comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn,
Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of a super-secret spy
organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into
the agency's ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat
emerges from a twisted tech genius. Written by
20th Century Fox
Kingsman User Reviews
It's
strange when you consider it, how much the Spy thriller genre has
changed and grown because of James Bond, there is not a single Spy movie
that is made that isn't and won't be compared to double 'O' seven
himself. So I suppose it's no surprise that a film like Kingsman had to
be made eventually, so I suppose the reel question is will this make the
Sky fall or just be a quantum of nonsense?
Say what you like
about Mathew Vaughn the man likes his comics. So far out of the 5 films
he has directed, 3 were graphic novels first. Kingsman is one of them.
The man's like the anti-Zack Snyder, he directs films based off of
comics and brings out real issues in them, as opposed to Snyder who
directs films based off of graphic novels and ignores any merit or
comment on the wider world the books make and just makes HIS movies. I'm
happy to say that Kingsman is probably the most fun I will have in a
cinema screen this year.
As I've already said Spy films get
compared to James Bond, so let's begin with that shall we? Kingsman is a
film that is both totally unique and its own movie whilst fully
embracing its British heritage, the films marketing campaign drew strong
comparisons to For Your Eyes Only artwork. The film acknowledges all of
those stupid spy clichés in a way which is both knowing and clever, and
then it ditches them all. The best example of this I can give is in the
opening sequence of the film, there is a glass of whisky, a lot of
people die and there isn't a drop of said whiskey spilt, and at that
moment Kingsman sticks two fingers up at the past and says "we're the
future" and from that second onwards Kingsman is its own movie. The film
successfully reinvents just about every stereotype imaginable in a spy
film.
The villain, who is always central in a spy movie, is
Valentine (played by Samuel L. Jackson). Valentine is a megalomaniac who
wants world domination, all standard stuff so far, he also has a lisp
and is terrified of blood. That's the kind of thing Kingsman does really
well, it sets us up with the standard and transforms it to be unique.
The
film is of course preposterous in the extreme, but I don't care. It was
funny, clever, brilliant and unique. Kingsman has so many pro's to it
that you can easily overlook the minor short comings, because in the end
the film has a baddie who has blades for legs, I mean who doesn't love
that?
What I like most about Kingsman is that even with all its
madness it still manages to have some kind of heart; the entire movie is
kind of a think piece on class war and the importance of legacy. The
movie has a brain and a soul and it has no problem expressing either,
the finale to the parachute problem proves this most for me.
I
would be remised if I didn't mention something about the cast, let get
over the whole "the obvious people are amazing thing" and look forward
to the new comers Taron Egerton (playing "Eggsy") and Sophie Cookson
(playing Roxy). These two talents have come from nowhere and broken
through the glass ceiling, Cookson and Egerton are stars with one film
to their names, and they deserve every single piece of praise that comes
to them. Taron is such an unbelievably versatile young man, he can be
funny, clever, cool, cocky, brash, physical, confident and insecure all
without saying a word or moving a muscle. Also, I loved seeing Jack
Davenport on screen again.
Kingsman is the film this country needed; it's confident and fun, without being disrespectful or full of nasty. In short, Sic.
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Avengers: Age of Ultron
When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it's up to Earth's Mightiest Heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.
Director: Joss Whedon
Writers: Joss Whedon, Stan Lee (based on the Marvel comics by), 1 more credit »
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo | See full cast and crew »
Storyline
When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program,
things go awry and Earth's Mightiest Heroes, including Iron Man, Captain
America, Thor, the Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, are put to
the ultimate test as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. As
the villainous Ultron emerges, it is up to the Avengers to stop him from
enacting his terrible plans, and soon uneasy alliances and unexpected
action pave the way for a global adventure. Written by
Marvel Studios
User Reviews
If,
and, where The Avengers failed to captivate audiences, The Avengers Age
of Ultron succeed, and in may ways excelled. There are numerous ways
that this movie could be reviewed. Compared to the first one, or as an
individual movie itself. Generally second movies have always fallen prey
to the sequel syndrome, where the hopes and expectations of the film
are let down; this is not that sequel. The movie itself is so gripping
of excitement that one does not need to provide any spoilers to divulge
just how breathtaking it will leave you, or more so excited. Each and
every scene offers something new. Where the first movie was more about
how the Avengers come to be, this movie shows the mentality and
development of each character and why they are who they are
respectively. The one thing that genuinely makes this film stand apart
is the technology. Again, without spoiling, there are so many parts that
make this a world that can be, but has yet to happen. Alien technology
aside, which is a hard thing when talking about the Avengers, the human
tech has been beefed up in a very realistic and futuristic way. Each and
every fight scene gets better and better throughout the movie, and the
characters themselves make the movie. So many laughs, so many twist,
many where the action was less than a second beforehand, and you are
still asking how and why, but there is no time to think. That is not an
issue though, it all gets explained. The cause for a 9 rating instead of
a perfect 10 is that there are some gaps. Questions of how he or she
got there so fast, almost making it look like they teleported, but that
was not the case. Overall, Avengers Age of Ultron is thus far the best
action movie of 2015, and with respects to Marvel, the best franchise
movie yet. What the future holds for Marvel has yet to be revealed, but
there are clues. When the next movie is released, the battle to save the
earth, to save mankind, will need more heroes than the ones that have
already captivated the theatrical world.
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Guardians of the Galaxy
A group of intergalactic criminals are forced to work together to stop a fanatical warrior from taking control of the universe.
Director: James Gunn
Writers: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman, 2 more credits »
Stars: Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper | See full cast and crew »
Storyline
After stealing a mysterious orb in the far reaches of outer space, Peter Quill from Earth, is now the main target of a manhunt led by the villain known as Ronan the Accuser. To help fight Ronan and his team and save the galaxy from his power, Quill creates a team of space heroes known as the "Guardians of the Galaxy" to save the world. Written by James Hake.
User Reviews
You
might expect a movie studio at the top of its game to play it safe
rather than strike out in new, bizarre directions. Certainly, it's hard
to imagine any other studio giving the greenlight to Guardians Of The
Galaxy - a huge blockbuster movie based on a title unfamiliar to anyone
who isn't a comics aficionado, starring a relatively unknown actor
playing a character most people have never heard of. And yet, Marvel
scores once again with its willingness to head off the beaten track.
GUARDIANS is a fun, fizzy delight, even as it mines some surprising
depths of emotion from its ragtag group of anti-heroes.
Peter
Quill (Pratt) - a human abducted from Earth as a child - has grown up
into an intergalactic thief who has no idea what he's getting into when
he takes possession of a mysterious Orb. Little does he know that Ronan
(Pace) - a genocidal Kree radical - will do just about anything to get
his hands on said Orb, including sending alien assassin Gamora (Saldana)
after it. Gamora, as it turns out, has an agenda of her own. Trapped in
an intergalactic prison (long story), Peter and Gamora are forced into
an uneasy alliance with three other misfits: a brainy, sarcastic
raccoon-like creature named Rocket (voiced by Cooper), a giant tree by
the name of Groot (Diesel), and the vengeance-minded Drax The Destroyer
(Bautista).
The truth is that there's almost too much going on in
GUARDIANS. Not only do we meet a host of characters we've never met
before, on a raft of new planets teeming with brightly coloured life and
detail, we're also introduced to several plot lines all stuffed
somewhat awkwardly into the film. We have Ronan's planet-destroying
aspirations, which are somehow bound up with the evil plans of Thanos -
that creepy purple- skinned dude who popped up at the end of The
Avengers. Peter's kidnappers turned surrogate 'family' are also on the
trail of the Orb, turning up at moments both enormously convenient and
inconvenient to the plot. It all makes sense in the end, but until it
all clicks into place, it can make for a rushed, unsettling experience.
But,
despite its occasionally unwieldy script, GUARDIANS triumphs because of
the gang of scruffy losers (a term that will take on a different, more
heartfelt meaning during the film) at its heart. Director James Gunn,
who co-wrote the script, clearly feels a strong affinity for each one of
these outcasts, all of whom are easily outlaws in some (if not all)
parts of the solar system, each one battling - at least initially - to
save his or her own skin rather than to save the world. It's fascinating
to watch the five members of this unlikely group slowly banter, bicker
and batter their way into becoming a team.
Most joyfully of all,
Gunn never loses sight of the prickly, selfish side of his characters.
He gives them plenty of rich, emotional moments
- whether it's Peter and Gamora bonding over the loss of their parents,
or
Rocket's ability to read a whole range of meaning into Groot's
extremely limited vocabulary ('I am Groot') - but never allows the film
to descend into dangerously sentimental territory.
In fact, Gunn
pumps up proceedings with a healthy, hearty dose of humour. Films in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) have always been more tongue-in-cheek
than the likes of the considerably more dour Dark Knight franchise, but
GUARDIANS is a heady trip of a different order. It practically delights
in bursts of odd, subversive comedy, and actually dares to punctuate its
most epic face-off with a sly homage to, of all things, Footloose.
Pratt
- so winning in TV's Parks And Recreation - holds the emotional core of
the film together. He exudes an easy, rakish charm that makes Peter
both dashingly arrogant and achingly vulnerable. He's matched very well
by Saldana, who is clearly delighting in the opportunity to play the
world-weary, no-nonsense Gamora - bred into a killer, born a fighter.
The rest of the cast does justice, too, to the film's cheerful swing
from drama to comedy and back again: Bautista brings unexpected pathos
to Drax's occasionally comical determination to avenge his family
against Ronan, while Cooper sounds completely unlike himself - in a very
good way - as a creature who hides a world of hurt beneath his mouthy
exterior. Even Diesel manages to find a great deal of depth in a CGI
character who only communicates via the same languid burst of three
words.
If anything, GUARDIANS is let down by a trio of not
particularly threatening villains. Pace snarls and spits in heavy
make-up, but can't quite rustle up much in the way of nuance or genuine
menace. Ronan is a one-note madman, with so little in the way of
backstory that he automatically becomes less interesting. Thanos, too,
now voiced and performed in motion-capture by Brolin, doesn't get much
to do beyond lounge on his space throne. Only Gillan's cyborg Nebula
manages a smidgen of complexity; even then, she struggles to be half as
fascinating as her conflicted "sister", Gamora.
Before the film
was even released in cinemas, Marvel announced that a sequel would be
coming in 2017. It's a no-brainer as to why. The film is smart, funny
and quite wonderful on its own merits. But, even more crucially,
GUARDIANS is a gamble that pays off handsomely for Marvel. It opens up
the MCU in, quite literally, all directions. Don't be surprised if you
see our more earth-bound heroes heading into space sooner rather than
later. The film also adds a new cast of lovable rogues to the MCU's
roster of characters: a gang who, one might say, are actually all the
more heroic for being people who would ordinarily be running in the
opposite direction from any galaxy-guarding duties. Frankly, we can't
wait to see what they get up to next.
Peter Quill (Pratt) - a human abducted from Earth as a child - has grown up into an intergalactic thief who has no idea what he's getting into when he takes possession of a mysterious Orb. Little does he know that Ronan (Pace) - a genocidal Kree radical - will do just about anything to get his hands on said Orb, including sending alien assassin Gamora (Saldana) after it. Gamora, as it turns out, has an agenda of her own. Trapped in an intergalactic prison (long story), Peter and Gamora are forced into an uneasy alliance with three other misfits: a brainy, sarcastic raccoon-like creature named Rocket (voiced by Cooper), a giant tree by the name of Groot (Diesel), and the vengeance-minded Drax The Destroyer (Bautista).
The truth is that there's almost too much going on in GUARDIANS. Not only do we meet a host of characters we've never met before, on a raft of new planets teeming with brightly coloured life and detail, we're also introduced to several plot lines all stuffed somewhat awkwardly into the film. We have Ronan's planet-destroying aspirations, which are somehow bound up with the evil plans of Thanos - that creepy purple- skinned dude who popped up at the end of The Avengers. Peter's kidnappers turned surrogate 'family' are also on the trail of the Orb, turning up at moments both enormously convenient and inconvenient to the plot. It all makes sense in the end, but until it all clicks into place, it can make for a rushed, unsettling experience.
But, despite its occasionally unwieldy script, GUARDIANS triumphs because of the gang of scruffy losers (a term that will take on a different, more heartfelt meaning during the film) at its heart. Director James Gunn, who co-wrote the script, clearly feels a strong affinity for each one of these outcasts, all of whom are easily outlaws in some (if not all) parts of the solar system, each one battling - at least initially - to save his or her own skin rather than to save the world. It's fascinating to watch the five members of this unlikely group slowly banter, bicker and batter their way into becoming a team.
Most joyfully of all, Gunn never loses sight of the prickly, selfish side of his characters. He gives them plenty of rich, emotional moments
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Hell and Back
Two best friends set out to rescue their pal after he's accidentally dragged to hell. Directors: Tom Gianas, Ross Shuman
Writers: Tom Gianas, Hugh Sterbakov, 1 more credit »
Stars: Nick Swardson, Mila Kunis, Bob Odenkirk | See full cast and crew »
Storyline
Two best friends set out to rescue their pal after he's accidentally dragged to hell.
Hell and Back Movie Reviews
"Hell
& Back" poses a sharp contrast in quality between the wealth of its
talented voice cast and the sheer pedestrian mediocrity of its
screenplay. It's amazing that a barrage of talented and proved comics
from the likes of T.J. Miller, Mila Kunis, Bob Odenkirk, and J.B.
Smoove, would subject themselves to something so bland and ugly. From
its choppy stop-motion style of animation, its lack of real creativity
in its jokes, and its miserable color palette, there is a striking
joylessness present in "Hell & Back" that is only highlighted by the
film's lackluster writing.
The story opens in a failing theme-park, largely run by slacker employees Remy (voiced by Nick Swardson), Augie (T.J. Miller), and Curt (Rob Riggle). When Curt borrows a mint from Remy, taking a blood oath to pay him back before reneging on his promise shortly after, the three are sucked into a vortex that takes them to Hell, where they are seen as "mortals" awaiting sacrifice. While Curt is the only one who is set to be sacrificed, for breaking a blood oath, Remy and Augie are also planned to be executed simply because of their presence in Hell as mortals. As a result, they team up with a demon named Deema (Mila Kunis), who is searching for Orpheus, a famous spirit who is said to have saved countless mortals who's souls were doomed to perish in Hell in time before the Devil (Bob Odenkirk) decides to sacrifice the three men.
Despite the high stakes, the film feels like a constant array of tired stoner jokes written by a gang of adolescents that still find using at least two curse words in every sentence is hilarious. Admittedly, however, the film did get some laughs out of me when the small-scale, background jokes took over. Consider the scenes that involve the demons of Hell tempting the souls by having a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut counter. When one of the souls requests a pepperoni pizza, the demon informs him that they only have the Pizza Hut sign up as decoration and they are only a Taco Bell. "Welcome to Hell," the demon says whilst giggling, upon informing the poor soul. This happens a couple of other times in the film and works because of how simply outlandish and ridiculous the scene plays out, in addition to a few scenes of demons looking up the sins of the souls to see what constitutes their presence in Hell.
These scenes are few and far between, however, as the bulk of the film has Remy and Augie bumbling on to random setpieces in Hell, witnessing some crass display of juvenile gags all captured in some of the most visually ugly scenery I've seen all year. With all the lame jokes occurring and the setting feeling so dim and dingy, there's simply very little positivity in this film to keep an upbeat frame of mine. Comedies set in underworlds or places of little hope obviously have difficultly meriting this constant stream of upbeat humor in contrast to the setting, but when both elements fall apart here, "Hell & Back" doesn't have a leg to stand on, frankly.
Finally, there's a real cheapness to the animation here. The stop-motion animation is evidently rushed, as characters, especially when walking or moving very quickly, show a peculiar jerkiness to their motions that indicates that figures' poses were shifted too quickly, and thus, don't appear fluid. This doesn't occur frequently, but when it does, it makes the whole film seem off balance, and, much like the writing, poorly conceived.
I remember hearing of "Hell & Back" earlier in the year and thought it would be something of a box office surprise; we rarely get adult animated films, and if we do, they are usually so obsessed with the idea of being vulgar and animated ("Cheech and Chong's Animated Movie" and "Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie" to name a few) that they wind up being throwaway projects of little merit. I felt that the talented cast of this particular film would crush that stereotype and lift it up to certain quality. Unfortunately, with the startlingly silent marketing for the film and the quiet release, "Hell & Back" will likely join other contemporaries as an experiment that failed largely because of its worst tendencies.
The story opens in a failing theme-park, largely run by slacker employees Remy (voiced by Nick Swardson), Augie (T.J. Miller), and Curt (Rob Riggle). When Curt borrows a mint from Remy, taking a blood oath to pay him back before reneging on his promise shortly after, the three are sucked into a vortex that takes them to Hell, where they are seen as "mortals" awaiting sacrifice. While Curt is the only one who is set to be sacrificed, for breaking a blood oath, Remy and Augie are also planned to be executed simply because of their presence in Hell as mortals. As a result, they team up with a demon named Deema (Mila Kunis), who is searching for Orpheus, a famous spirit who is said to have saved countless mortals who's souls were doomed to perish in Hell in time before the Devil (Bob Odenkirk) decides to sacrifice the three men.
Despite the high stakes, the film feels like a constant array of tired stoner jokes written by a gang of adolescents that still find using at least two curse words in every sentence is hilarious. Admittedly, however, the film did get some laughs out of me when the small-scale, background jokes took over. Consider the scenes that involve the demons of Hell tempting the souls by having a Taco Bell/Pizza Hut counter. When one of the souls requests a pepperoni pizza, the demon informs him that they only have the Pizza Hut sign up as decoration and they are only a Taco Bell. "Welcome to Hell," the demon says whilst giggling, upon informing the poor soul. This happens a couple of other times in the film and works because of how simply outlandish and ridiculous the scene plays out, in addition to a few scenes of demons looking up the sins of the souls to see what constitutes their presence in Hell.
These scenes are few and far between, however, as the bulk of the film has Remy and Augie bumbling on to random setpieces in Hell, witnessing some crass display of juvenile gags all captured in some of the most visually ugly scenery I've seen all year. With all the lame jokes occurring and the setting feeling so dim and dingy, there's simply very little positivity in this film to keep an upbeat frame of mine. Comedies set in underworlds or places of little hope obviously have difficultly meriting this constant stream of upbeat humor in contrast to the setting, but when both elements fall apart here, "Hell & Back" doesn't have a leg to stand on, frankly.
Finally, there's a real cheapness to the animation here. The stop-motion animation is evidently rushed, as characters, especially when walking or moving very quickly, show a peculiar jerkiness to their motions that indicates that figures' poses were shifted too quickly, and thus, don't appear fluid. This doesn't occur frequently, but when it does, it makes the whole film seem off balance, and, much like the writing, poorly conceived.
I remember hearing of "Hell & Back" earlier in the year and thought it would be something of a box office surprise; we rarely get adult animated films, and if we do, they are usually so obsessed with the idea of being vulgar and animated ("Cheech and Chong's Animated Movie" and "Jay and Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie" to name a few) that they wind up being throwaway projects of little merit. I felt that the talented cast of this particular film would crush that stereotype and lift it up to certain quality. Unfortunately, with the startlingly silent marketing for the film and the quiet release, "Hell & Back" will likely join other contemporaries as an experiment that failed largely because of its worst tendencies.
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The Good Dinosaur
An epic journey into the world of dinosaurs where an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend.
Director: Peter Sohn
Writer: Meg LeFauve (screenplay)
Stars: Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright, Steve Zahn | See full cast and crew »
Storyline
"The Good Dinosaur" asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever
changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs
never became extinct? In this epic journey into the world of dinosaurs,
an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While
traveling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the
power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable
of. Written by
Pixar
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Vacation
Rusty Griswold takes his own family on a road trip to "Walley World" in order to spice things up with his wife and reconnect with his sons.
Directors: John Francis Daley, Jonathan M. Goldstein
Writers: Jonathan M. Goldstein, John Francis Daley, 1 more credit »
Stars: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Skyler Gisondo | See full cast and crew »
Storyline
Hoping to bring his family closer together and to recreate his childhood
vacation for his own kids, an adult Rusty Griswold takes his wife and
two sons on a cross-country road trip to Walley World. Needless to say,
things don't go quite as planned.
Vacation Movie Reviews
If
this movie is about new comedy thing for the American families, I
wonder what is next? Maybe porn-medy? I think producers are overdoing it
and my concern is: are people really enjoying it? Come on, I have been a
big fan of goofy movies, some trash and, OK some language and even
people in underwear or no wear but it used to have a point. Bullying
between brothers, awkward situations and some make believe dirty used to
be put in a context to work and not a free for all or whatever. What
happened to movies like One Flew Over the Cuckoo's nest, Airplane,
Ferris Bueller's Day Off or Beverly Hills Cops? Do you really need to
get that low to justify comedy? I think the world has become a funny
place to be when it comes to humor then. A world where the extreme is
justifiable and offensive is the new sarcasm. I think we can still crack
each other up without needing to get weird. Quality is still better
than quantity but I know "producers" might differ and we all know why:
fast money.
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