(film review) [STREAMING] - Cruella

Emma Stone is a fantastic actor.  I think I knew her from 'Zombieland' back in 2009, a film I loved.  I also remember her from 'Gangster Squad' and she was great as Gwen Stacy in 'The Amazing Spider-Man'.  When I saw her in one of my least mentioned but loved movies, 'Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)', is when I thought to myself, "That girl from Zombieland is really really good".  From then I heard about her performance in 'La La Land' and the Awards she won, she is definitely a natural talent and to think she even came back for 'Zombieland: Double Tap' shows how A-Class she is as a person.  Her performance in Cruella, well the film in of itself, hmmm...well she's great and doesn't disappoint.  I'll Explain.

Estella Miller was born different.  She had different colour hair from birth and was a jovial and rebellious child with a cruel streak.  Nicknamed Cruella by her mother, Estella had a talent for fashion but when Estella's mother dies, this pushes her over the edge where she moves to London, meets Jasper and Horace who become her friends and ultimately help her get a job which will have her designing for Baroness Von Hellman, a Narcissistic renowened designer, head of a prestigious London fashion house. 

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie.  I never cared for 101 Dalmations or the characters of the story.  I understood who Cruella was back in the day but I never cared for her.  Along with Disney giving villains story and to some extent, turning them into anti-heroes, I definitely was not sure how they would deal with the telling of this villain who kills puppies and makes coats out of their fur.  I mean, that would not go down with the kids these days, you know, cancel culture and all that.  You see Disney back in the day were dark and cold in their storytelling, so the retelling of these older films as live action will be difficult and challenging but I had fun with this movie.

I enjoyed this movie because although the child acting was bad, the adult actors were amazing.  Paul Walter Hauser is quickly becoming one of my favourite actors and for me was a standout.  I recognised him from 'I, Tonya' and he was simply brilliant in that.  I then noticed him in 'Da 5 Bloods' and although a smaller part, was just as great as the other great actors present.  But right now, I'll watch anything he is in and his British accent was spot on.  Joel Fry, although I haven't seen him in anything apart from Game of Thrones, he was also decent and somewhat noteworthy as I liked his character.  But without a shadow of doubt, Emma Thompson AND Emma Stone were bar-for-bar, acting-for-acting, the the best parts of this movie as they carried the movie on their backs with a great performance from each other.  They have both won the Academy Awards and it shows.  There is a speech E.Stone does near the end of the movie and it was a great and powerful performance.  E.Thompson's mannerisms as the Baroness were excellent and written soo well.  There came a point where I just zoned into the movie and was sailing on how wonderfully crafted the script was as well as the performances and the look.

The visuals, the outfits the music.  Although a lot of green-screen was used in places as well as some unreal dogs, I loved what they did with some of the "characters" as well as the dogs used.  I'm sure there is a dog named Blinky, which was really cute and the settings, decor and costumes, props and sets for the 70's was soo accurate.  I wasn't born in that decade but seeing the old "hop-on, hop-off" buses really got me in the feels.  I mean, the department store Estella works at, is still there and looks exactly the same as it is in the movie now.  The outfits were stunning and jaw dropping, with some of the gags used for these outfits, beyond creative and amazing.  The music was ok as I wasn't really impressed by it to notice it.  The only real issue with this movie though, is that nobody wanted it AND it isn't essentially WOW!  It's a good movie and enjoyable but it isn't "Wow, that movie was sooo good it deserves an award".  It is more of a "Wow, the movies was great for streaming".  Not to say you shouldn't go out and watch at the cinema, but I feel there is something about it that doesn't quite get there.  Strangely enough, the performances could, but the screenplay/story was average in comparison to the performances that outshone the story which leaves it a little lacklustre.

All in all though, even if you didn't care for the movie or the character's, this is a nice little watch for the kids in the cinema or if you are out and about and you want to kill some times and enjoy a movie whilst out, but if you don't feel like venturing out, you could also watch it on Disney Plus (like me) with Nacho's and Popcorn pre-made and have a lovely evening on the sofa enjoying Disney's ambitious project.

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(trailer review) - Cruella

Disney seem to be on this journey where they want to go back to their old movies and not only remake them to look more realistic like Lady and the Tramp, Dumbo, Aladdin and The Lion King, but they are also plucking out famous villains from their past to make movies about them and how they came to be.
Disney is a well oiled machine at this point and whilst not everything they do is great, you are looking at a good 75-88% of nothing but great content.  So when I heard about Cruella, I knew i never cared for it as I never cared about 101 Dalmatians, but if the trailer is good and grabs me, then I guess it would be worth the watch.

This trailer didn't do anything for me at all.  Whilst Emma Stone looks amazing, she just reminded me of Helen Bonham Carter more than anything.  Cruella was giving me Harley Quinn vibes and that whole Magic thing she does with the flames in the ball room, I'm not buying it.  I do like the heist vibe I'm getting from the trailer but other than that, I simply don't care for it as it's not really my type of movie, it seems.  But maybe another trailer will have me more invested.

Directed by Craig Gillespie and starring Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry, Paul Walter Hauser, Emily Beecham and Mark Strong,

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(film review) - Zombieland: Double Tap

Around 12 years ago, they mentioned making a film called Zombieland (I even reviewed it - gosh I feel old) and I wasn't sure what to make of it.  10 years ago, they released the trailer and the movie seemed goofy and fun, but I wasn't sure what to make of it.  Saw the movie in December 2009 and as my review stated, I really enjoyed it.  I had been awaiting a sequel to this movie ever since and it had been on hold because director Ruben Fleischer had been busy making films like 30 Minutes or Less, Gangster Squad and the more recent, Venom.  They did try to launch a TV series back in 2013 with Amazon Studios, but the show didn't even get past the terrible pilot as it was that bad.  I watched it and for the most part, it seems they got most of the core elements of the show, but it was just bad, really.  The characters had no chemistry and it just seemed very much like a budget Zombieland.  This sequel on the other hand, something we have waited 10 years for, not only does Ruben address the elephant in the room with it being 10 years, he also doesn't even bother to try and fix the concept of Zombieland, only expand/evolve it and that is BRILLIANT!!!  I mean, if it isn't broke, why fix it?

The film literally picks up 10 years later in real-time and since the events of the first movie, the zombies have evolved.  Whereas in the first movie it doesn't seem there is much civilians left that had survived the apocalypse, the now dysfunctional family have taken residence in The White House.  However, when Little Rock (Abigail) meets a guy named Berkeley (Avan Jogia) and goes missing, Wichita (Emma Stone), Colombus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) go off looking for Little Rock at Graceland, Elvis' home.  On their travels they have a new tag-a-long named Madison (Zoey Deutch) who has been living in a freezer the entire time and once they make it to Gracelands, chaos ensues, of course.

It took me a moment to get into this movie this time around and I'm not sure what it is, but I wasn't fully tuned in at the beginning.  I thought it might be because it has been a long time since we have seen these characters but I actually re-watched Zombieland last week so this feeling I was having confused me.  Maybe I was tied (which I was).  Maybe I was thinking it was 10 years too late and I wasn't invested any more or maybe it wasn't as witty and funny as the last one, but it was, it was witty and funny.  I really started getting into the movie once they met Madison and once we got to Graceland.

The rules are still there and we get to learn a bunch of new ones.  And just like what I said for the first movie, you might need to watch it again for the rules alone, but this film is just like the first one. The family are exactly the same.  Crazy Zombie kills, chaotic, clever and funny dialogue and with the evolved zombies, the humour definitely still fits in the world we had established 10 years ago.  One of my favourite scenes was at Graceland where they meet a 'Doppelganger' family and how that part of the story pans out.

Ruben Fleischer does an excellent job directing with keeping the same tone as the original and bringing back the now very well established cast.  Emma Stone, Golden and Academy Award winner, since the first movie.  Jesse Eisenberg, Golden and Academy Award nominee since the first movie.  Woody Harrelson, Primetime Emmy Award winner, 3 x Academy Award nominee and Sag Award ensemble winner to various movies, it's just great to see that these actors decided that this role wasn't too little for them and a brilliant job done getting back into the roles because Woody, Jesse, Emma and Abigail are excellent.  The film literally feels like 10 years later, we are still with these guys and they are still killing zombies and it's great.

My only critique of the movie is that, I would have liked to see the rules clearer as they do pop up obscurely throughout the movie and the lack of one of the zombies they named during the first act.  Other than that, if you enjoyed the first movie, this film continues with no bumps and no displacement since the 10 years.  I'm also glad the didn't try to do anything too outrageous that would have taken you away from the world of Zombieland and out of the film, although that Leaning Tower of Pisa part was teetering on the edge.  Just like the first one though, I would definitely watch this one again.

(film review) - Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)

I have read a lot of columns and articles revolving around a lot of what people have been stating about this film. Apparently it is a parody of sorts of the main actors life. And after viewing this film, I guess I am at liberty to say, I somewhat agree. To an extent of course. Fortunately, this film came out a lot later over her in the UK due to it's limited release in the states.

You need to be of a certain age to remember Tim Burton's Batman It starred Michael Keaton and Jack Nicolson. These days, people only talk about Christopher Nolan's Batman and if you are lucky or unlucky, you might have caught Val Kilmer or George Clooney's Batman. Although Nolan's Batman Trilogy was great, Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns were great films, however, Keaton didn't return after Returns. They are deemed by most, the original Batman films and arguably, Keaton was the best Batman, EVER! Obviously this is subjective and open to debate. It came out in 1989 and although I can proudly say that I didn't see the film when it came out, I did however watch it on my cousins VHS.

This film is about a man named Riggan Thompson (Michael Keaton) who is a washed up hollywood actor trying to get back on track to where he used to be in life. Infamous for playing the role of Birdman, a fictional superhero character which has grossed him popularity and success decades earlier, Riggan wants to reinvent his career by writing, directing and starring in his own Broadway Production. His best friend and lawyer, Jake (Zach ) tries to help him where he can and give him good advice while he is struggling with the production involving problems with the actors. Riggan employs Mike (Edward Norton) a method actor to help resolve this issue. Riggan also struggles with his daughter, Sam (Emma Stone) and the relationship they have together, not to mention that the grand opening is in a few weeks, the previews have been terrible and an influential critic promises to write a negative review, just because she doesn't like Riggan. It is a lot to take in and deal with for Riggan, not to mention the good old glory days being Birdman. Is it time for the Birdman to resurface?

Not to give too much away, this film is an oddly laced black comedy where the location is set on and around the set. Cleverly directed with very clever screenshots. When you go to watch it, I want you to count how man times the camera changed angles. Now I don't mean pan into an angle, I mean change. Film does it all the time, however, this film comes across like one long consistent shot that continues moving. A bit like what Gravity did, but I felt that this film was soo much better due to the dynamic characters and how they used the technique. There is soo much things going on and soo many clever things to see, hear and laugh at. You might even cry during the course of this film, but if you find yourself unable to get into it, you must enjoy the actors and their efforts to bringing their characters and this screenplay to life. Excellent. From the trailers, you aren't particularly shown what this film is about other than a few laughs here and there and a fight, but once you watch this film, you WILL enjoy it. If you don't, I dare you to leave halfway through the film. The actors deserve their nominations for awards, the director and the film. Brilliantly written and directed. I can't really think of anything else to say other than go and see it. It's really really good! Quite possibly one of the best films I've seen this year. I know, we've just started.

(film review) - The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro

I chose this title because it made more sense after watching the film. However, before I get into it, I want to point out a few things first. I have been following these comic book movies for a while now. I try to get enough information about these films, their potential storylines, the heroes and the antagonists. Spider-Man's marketing was relentless and barely stopped for a breather. From shooting, set pics, clues, mythos, potential enemies and the future of Spider-Man. With that said, Marc Webb IS directing a trilogy. Spider-Man's universe is going to be dynamic. So dynamic, they have planned future films after the original trilogy when that is complete with two spin off films and Spider-Man 4. Yes, as I said, dynamic.

To the average movie-goer, Spider-Man is just going to be another Spider-Man film and people will not understand the contractual agreements these studios who have the rights to Spider-Man and people won't understand why Toby Maguire is not Spider-Man any more, unfortunately. As I stated in my last Amazing Spider-Man review, that film was 10 years too late and this Spider-Man universe is much better and had this been executed way back when, we would be on Spider-Man 8 or so by now.
In regards to the film and it's relentless promotion and if you are reading this before you go out to see the film, I want to make you aware of something before you watch. Not a spoiler per say, but something in which the marketing has advertised which could be misinterpreted.

Firstly, this is indeed Spider-Man's biggest battle. However, with the images displayed with that message, it may not be the battle you were thinking.
Secondly, in this universe, Spider-Man follows very closely to the Spider-Man comics, down to plot twists and storylines which are burrowed from the ultimate universe as well as the comics to provide a "realistic" and "grounded" story. When watching this film, you will need to bare in mind that this is only the start of Spider-Man's troubles.

Peter Parker (Andrew Garfield) is the young intelligent student who had been bitten by a genetically altered Spider which then turns him into a superhuman kid with heightened senses, strength, agility and stamina. Now as New York's friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man, he has defeated criminals and Supervillains as well as juggling his life as a student and trying his best to keep a promise he has given to the love of his life's father after the events of the first film. Realising that breaking his promise is more haunting than he initially expected, Spider-Man battles with this along with the loss of his parents as he still has unanswered questions about his parents disappearance and his father's work/connection to Oscorp. As Peter's childhood friend comes back into town, Peter tries to rekindle his friendship with Harry Osborn (Dane Dehaan) until he is caught in a sticky situation where has has to make some hard choices. With all this going on and his on again off again relationship with Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), Max Dillion (Jamie Foxx) falls tragic to an accident which leaves him unrecognisable and able to control electricity who is now hellbent on destroying Spider-Man.

From loving the first The Amazing Spider-Man (Although it was 10 years too late), this film basically continues where the last Spider-Man left off. Much more colourful, more comic book-like in visuals but still somewhat dark in tone and even the threats come across somewhat real. The on screen relationship between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are great. In my opinion, their story is soo touching that there were a few times in the film I could have been brought to tears. Peter Parker's trouble/stress with his parents leaving, his old friend coming back to town and his aunt doing all that she can to look after her nephew without her beloved husband Uncle Ben is a lot. Although the film wasn't purely made for 3D like Avatar, the 3D element not once took me away from the movie like other 3D films have, like 300: Rise of an Empire and Man of Steel.
The comedy in this film was decent as there seemed to be a consistent tone in the film without coming across too cheesy/corny. The camera angles were also great and the last battle was epic enough. Dialogue was fitting, apart from a time where Peter Parker says, "Don't get it twisted" which took me out of the moment. It didn't feel like it was fitting. Jamie Foxx as Max Dillion was also great. His acting chops, something I have seen before in a previous film but as Electro, Mr. Foxx was quite sinister as well as very smart like his alter ego, not to mention Dane DeHaan's depiction of Harry Osborn.

I would say, DO NOT EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM THIS FILM as most of you would have seen Captain America: Winter Soldier and love it and then compare this Marvel film with that Marvel film. These films are NOT ALIKE.

Sometimes I feel that I have to defend Spider-Man too much etc etc, but in all honesty, although not as good as CA:TWS, this film is a great opening for the future films to come. Yes Spider-Man has his greatest challenge yet and this film did exactly what it needed to do to set up the Spidey Universe nicely. Watch out for the Easter Eggs.

(film review) - Gangster Squad

So, late last year I was watching an IGN reviw about something, I can't remember right now and it was mentioning films to look out for. I believe it was someone talking about Peter Jackson 'The Hobbit', then went on to say, Ironman 3 and a few others I simply didn't care for or remember, but Gangster Squad stood out.
I remember seeing the trailer and thinking, "Damn, this looks interesting" So, I set out to watch it and boy did I find this film, a very good watch.

It stars then child Goonies actor, Josh Brolin (I had to say that as I think that is amazing and he has come a long way) as Sgt. John O'Mara who is personally selected by chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte) to take down Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn), a rising to power gangster in post WWII Los Angeles. In order to do this, John must get together the finiest men and form the Gangster Squad in order to help him take down L.A's most powerful figure against his reluctant wife Connie's (Mireille Enos) wishes. To take down Cohen and his merry men, John bands together men of different skills and uses: - Detective Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), Wire-Tapper Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi) & Gangster Killer Max Kennard (Robert Patrick).That is basically it. John heads out to first cripple Mickey's Buiness, then eventually cripple him and put him behind bars.

Now this film is nothing we haven't seen before as I'm sure you know there are hundreds of Gangsta movies based on this era. You know the outcome (unless there is a spin thrown onto it) and frankly, you'd watch it just to see how this Gangster film delivers. And boy does this film deliver. Action, action and action from the moment the opening credits stop rolling. Actually, I don't even think the opening credits were rolling before you saw something happen to this guy. I won't say what. Then Something else happen to another guy. It was all going on, just to show you who was the man about town. Tyranny I believe the word is. And John's assemblement was so well chosen, thinking about it now, it was like watching The Avengers, without the superhero flashy colours and powers and replaced with tommy guns, pistols and sticks of dynamite. Granted the film may not make as much as Avengers did and may not appeal to everyone, but for me, this film was just as good. Serious bits. Sad bits. Sexy bits and ACTION. Through a few parts of the film, i was cheering or making excitement noises like 'Ooooooh' when Athony Mackie did anything. The film was very well scripted, acted out and the direction and flow of the film was steady. No boring or dull moments and a few laugh out loud moments, you know LOL!

If you like gangster films there isn't a reason you shouldn't like this.

(film review) - The Amazing Spider-Man

All people do is, compare. I guess that is how we monitor progression and/or evolve. You start with something then you try to do better. Kinda like making improvements or beating your personal best. If you never knew the story of Spider-Man from the comics, then 10 years ago, there was a film which told you that story. (For a brief description on all the Spider-Man films seek: Pre-Amazing Spider-Man [Tobey Maguire]) In this film, the story is told but in a slightly different way.
The Amazing Spider-Man will be compared to other comic book films as well as the previous Spider-Man films. From what I have read and heard so far, the film is generally getting mixed reviews but mostly positive. However, you will need to bare in mind before watching this film, YOU CANNOT COMPARE THIS TO THE LAST COMIC BOOK/MARVEL FILM (The Avengers), as that is just not fair. Compare this to another remake such as The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk or Ironman 1.

From before this film came out, I understood that this film is meant to be darker than the previous Spider-Man's, but with the film being done via Disney, I kinda questioned, 'How Dark is Dark'? Kick-Ass is Dark! When I first saw it, I was in more shock than anything. The Christopher Nolan Batman's are Dark. However, this Spidey film isn't as dark.

Andrew Garfield plays Peter Parker (The Amazing Spider-Man) who is bitten by a genetically engineered Spider and becomes Spider-Man. However, as well as falling in love with a female from his school, Gwen Stacy (Emma Stone), Peter has great troubles dealing with the "loss" of his mother and father, then his uncle, not to mention trying to seek revenge, stay up-to-date with school work and have a "normal" teenage life. What makes it worse, on the streets is a man turned Lizard, Dr Curt Connors (Rhys Ifans) who is hellbent on his own personal goals.

I wouldn't say it is impossibly to spoil this film as the storyline and plot is very simple. Hero has to save the world against the threat. However, where the film thrives for me is 1, the action, 2, the acting between Peter and Stacey, 3, The way Spidey moves and most of all, the direction.
In this film, you see that Spider-Man is just a boy. I think it's more to do with the backdrop and how dark the background is, plus the directing, but this is emphasized more than ever. A boy in a suit who is almost just like everyone else. You can actually feel his struggles and pain. You feel his weight and the pressure he is buckling under. A little bit like Spider-Man 2, but Peter Parker is under a lot of pressure; tear jerking moments. The only difference I would say about this film and the previous three with Tobey is that, this should have been the Spider-Man film from day dot (day one). Chop and change a few things from the Tobey Spidey and do a little mix and swapping and you'd have a perfect Spidey film. You've kinda seen it all before, so there isn't much of a "WOW" factor but still is a good watch. For me it was simply how Spidey moves as he does much more and much more spider-like. Even elements of steath.

Visually, the film is Amazing and you do witness the great heighs Spider-Man climbs, but other than the special effects, the film is just like watching all 3 previous Spidey films with a darker setting. For me, I left the cinema thinking, "I liked that". But as there wasn't anything too amazing about it the film will only apply to Spidey Fans who will enjoy. Otherwise you could wait for the DVD and the directors cut. Don't get me wrong, i'm not sayign this film is shoddy, but I think if Nolan was on the job...

The ending is better though and most definately, there should be more spidey films like this. Providing they get more authorisation for sequels, then they will be albe to expand on Spideys huge catalog of enemies for someone so young, 20ish Spider-Man films could be done and I guess it would be much better to see more and more villains and of course, seeing him in Avengers 2 or 3 would be great! - Go Marc Webb!!!

(film review) - Zombieland

Before this review, I was trying to figure out where I was going to go with it. Yes, the review would be about the film, Zombieland, but as different as the name is, the film fits right in.

Zombieland has no real direction, no real storyline and no real plot. As I think about it, the film has no beginning, nor end. So one would think to himself, 'So, what was the film about?' and the answer to that question is, Zombies.
With all that been said, you'd think this was a waste of time film. Something that didn't quite set out to fulfil it's objective and you wouldn't want to waste your money on the film. But your wrong. Although I have seen computer games such as 'Left 4 Dead' and 'Left 4 Dead 2' with also, not much of a storyline (or detailed one for that matter), the game appears to have more of a storyline than this film, but the film still triumphs as being a really good watch.
I'll explain.
There is a pandemic. We see a post-apocalyptic America, where a zombie apocalypse has been triggered by a virulent form of human adapted mad cow disease. It appears there are only a few survivors. Columbus is a college student on his way to Columbus, Ohio to see if his parents are still alive. Along the way, he bumps into Tallahasse who hails from Tallahasse, Florida (or is going there, I kinda missed that part), who is on a mission to find a Twinkie. They team-up and travel together to only bump into two sisters, Little Rock & Wichita. As you must can tell, these are not real names. There isn't any real names in this film, only places that relates to the characters. The idea is, if someone dies, not knowing their real names means that you are not attached to that person. So in essence, if someone dies, it's an 'Ah well, that sucks. Lets keep it moving' type of attitude. (Liberties - You know, right?)
These two sisters con their way into stealing Tallahasse's vehicle and leave the two guys stranded only to be found later on, on their travels attempting to con another passer-by of their vehicle as the girl's vehicle has broken down. As Columbus calls a truce, they all travel together, go to a mansion to crash and hangout only to then have their vehicle stolen by the girls again in the morning who are on their way to Pacific Playland (a theme park). I guess they were considering they will have it all to themselves, no queues and no people.
But it would turn out that they did have Pacific Playland to themselves and there were no queues and no people who were alive, that is.
As they turn on the lights to the theme park, it attracts all the zombies near by who then start chasing them. Columbus, now having feelings for Wichita (obviously, the place names didn't work), goes after her to express his feelings for her only to be confronted with a theme park full of zombies. I guess, everyone is a hero, right?

As I've said quite a bit about the film but left a lot of it out, you must can tell that the film is a bit 'crazy' in places. For example, Columbus has a set of rules that are comprised of ways to stay alive in-case of a Zombie Apocalypse is to ever occur. This is the central plot theme and are seen as on going gags throughout the entire film.
The list starts at number 1 but doesn't actually have an ending number, but goes up to and possibly past 33. however, not all the numbers from the list are mentioned in the film.

This film is witty and very funny. You may need to see it twice because of Columbus' rules and because of the craziness and hidden jokes that lie within it, but all in all, it is a fun and enjoyable watch. As there could be plans to do a sequel, they may expand on Columbus' list, but keeping the formula of, comedy, blood and guts, it is sure to be a winner.
If you liked Shaun Of The Dead, then you will love this. As they are similar, I can't see why you wouldn't still have a good laugh. Go Watch it!

Trailer: