cinema

Jack Reacher : Never Go Back may not have originality on it’s side and it may not contain loads of superhero CGI but what it does have is Tom Cruise a guy who oozes passion over his craft and knows how to deliver an action movie, create an entertaining vibe and make you clap after the end credits – Never Go Back is a movie based on the 18th book in the series of Reacher novels written by Lee Child and see’s Tom Cruise return as Jack Reacher an army vet come drifter looking for an easy life but find trouble at every turn – Cruise reunites with his Last Samurai director Edward Zwick for this sequel a film that follows in the same vein as it’s 2012 predecessor, a reasonably small budget of $60 Million, gritty realistic action scenes, a well oiled script and an exciting young cast that includes two fabulous ladies Cobie Smulders and Danika Yarosh who not only match Cruise in the running stakes but hold their own kicking ass in the action scenes, and along with the ladies Patrick Heusinger who plays The Hunter a mercenary who will stop at nothing to kill Reacher and anyone who stands in his way – the fight scene with him, Turner and Reacher in the kitchen is bone crunching and so epic I just wanted it to go on a bit longer – Overall: it’s not always the case that movie sequels work but Jack Reacher : Never Go Back delivers, it’s not quite as good as the first but it’s damn close, it’s wildly entertaining and whets the appetite for a third in the series….

When the movie starts up and we are first introduced to Richard Brake‘s sadistic abomination watching as he slowly utters the words “Hello, they call me Doom-Head” you know instantly that Zombie is back and his latest feature 31 is gonna be a whole lot of dark and twisted movie fun – it’s the way Doom-Head continues outlining his plans to his most recent, helpless victim that is not only brutal but is executed in a calm, truly horrifying manner that sucks you in and allows you to think “damn this is gonna be tense” – 31 is possibly the most bloodthirsty of Rob Zombie’s movies to date and after the let down that was The Lords of Salem it’s great to see this warped filmmaker returning to his roots and just like his earlier work The Devils Rejects and House of 1000 Corpses I’m expecting this new depraved slice of insanity to gather a cult following – the film is not only directed but written by Zombie, it was made on a crowdfunded budget and brings together a casting of familiar faces, some of which you may recognize from not only previous Rob Zombie movies but cultist horror movies of yesteryear – if your a fan of this director and his style of gory terror then 31 will appeal, it captures the haunting mood of Rejects, the carnage & horror of Corpses and immerses you into a blood soaked vision of torture, murder and a deadly race of survival as the clock slowly ticks down….

Recent Watch: Don’t Breathe (2016)

Posted by absolutebadasses on September 10, 2016

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: actors, cinema, Daniel Zovatto, dont breathe, Dylan Minnette, Fede Alvarez, film, filmmaker, heart stopping, horror, horror movie, horror movies fan, horror night, house, Jane Levy, killer dog, movie fan, night of horror, scary, Stephen Lang, visionary. Leave a comment

I wasn’t totally convinced by Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake but his latest the low budget thriller Don’t Breathe is a different animal – I’m sure my heart actually stopped for a brief second whilst being terrified by this darkly intense and at times brutally twisted horror movie – Alvarez really makes use of the house interior, his camerawork adds so much to the scares and along with Stephen Lang’s deranged victim come tormentor this is one creepy ass movie that will scare you senseless – do yourself a favor and don’t miss this on the big screen….

I’m always a bit dubious of this constant obsession of film remakes but David Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon is an absolute beauty of a movie- one of them rarities a picture that’s actually better than it’s 1977 original – the cast is sublime especially Bryce Dallas Howard and the wonderful Oakes Fegley who plays Pete and in both cases I could not have imagined better, the CGI of Elliot is magical, it really is the stuff of fairy tales, combine that with the breathtaking scenery & it’s fantastic well written script and you have a real cinematic treat, a picture that evokes memories of the classic Disney movies of yesteryear – Pete’s Dragon is a heartwarming, magical movie that will make you smile and bring out the child in you…..

Gene Wilder (1933-2016)

Posted by absolutebadasses on August 29, 2016

Posted in: Views. Tagged: Blazing Saddles, cinema, comedy, film, gene wilder, Hear No Evil, movie, richard pryor, See No Evil, Stir Crazy, Willy Wonka, young frankenstein. Leave a comment

“If science teaches us anything, it teaches us to accept our failures, as well as our successes, with quiet dignity and grace” – in his career Gene Wilder has made me laugh like no other actor has, his movies such as Stir Crazy, Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, See No Evil, Hear No Evil and of course Willy Wonka continue to this day to make me smile, cry with laughter and think of the world a much better place after watching them – thank you for entertaining us with your own brand of humor and stardom and you can be sure that someone somewhere is watching one of your movies tonight and raising a glass or two and more than likely spilling it as they begin laughing like a banshee… may you now rest in peace… well that’s if Feldman, Pryor and co will let you 🙂

War Dogs is the unbelievable true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who somehow manage to land a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America’s allies in Afghanistan – This film is certainly a change of pace for Hangover director Todd Phillips, War Dogs is peppered with delicious humor, stunning cinematography and genius casting but it’s also a pretty dark, intense picture that will have you shaking your head in disbelief at what actually went on, and although some of the story the film is based around has been slightly changed for movie purposes what actually follows is an incredible ride, a ride that’s not only witty, compelling and utterly riveting but one that’s scary as hell – Overall: to spend nearly two hours in the cinema watching a masterclass in acting by Teller & Hill who seem to effortlessly bounce off each other, their energy electric working that insane, exciting War Dogs script was such a joy – two of my favorite scenes from the movie are when the guys travel to Jordan in an attempt to transport their arms to Baghdad (what follows is not only absurdly funny but it also contains some ass twitching moments), the second scene is when Jonah Hill’s Efraim goes all Tony Montana on some local Miami drug dealers (just one of them magical movie moments where the packed cinema erupts with laughter and you just wish you had a remote in your hand to play that moment back) – I had lot’s of fun watching Todd Phillips War Dogs it’s a gem of a movie and one that I can’t wait to watch many more times ★★★★

Imperium (2016) – Film Review

Posted by absolutebadasses on August 25, 2016

Posted in: Movie Reviews, Reviews. Tagged: cinema, daniel radcliffe, daniel ragussi, defend your nation, FBI, film, film geek, film review, imperium, imperium film review, imperium movie, movie, movie fan, poster, racist ideology, sam tramell, toni collette, White supremacy. Leave a comment

Daniel Ragussi’s directorial movie debut IMPERIUM is a solid, well written thriller with two good performances from Radcliffe and Collette and one exceptionally creepy one from True Blood’s Sam Trammell – the film’s subject matter is no doubt disturbing and is handled well by Ragussi but it’s darkness is too often conveyed by flashing images, often thrown together in a serious of video montages instead of being built into the film narrative, these montages work to a degree but for me personally I never felt Radcliffe’s character was in any serious danger and his cover looked more routine than it should have been – Overall Daniel Ragussi’s Imperium is a good watch and even though I felt slightly unsatisfied with it’s conclusion I would recommend it and look forward to seeing more from it’s director in the future !! ★★★½

You know what they say about the crazy ones…

Suicide Squad: “After the events of Batman vs Superman a secret government agency run by Amanda Waller sets out a plan to recruit imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency”

as film fan’s we owe it ourselves to follow our own heart and not to be influenced by others, we should embrace any movie we watch and if it sucks then say so but don’t ever be afraid to enjoy a movie experience even if other do not……

If your a fan of the Comic Book Universe or just love escaping into a movie then you will have a blast with David Ayer’s SUICIDE SQUAD – to quote Derek Zoolander this movie is “ridiculously good looking” it’s a crazy cocktail of ass whooping action, mouthwatering characters (some of which are making their big screen debut) and a rather awesome soundtrack from Eminem’s Without Me, Grace and G-Eazy’s You Don’t Own Me to Norman Greenbaum‘s Spirit in the Sky these tunes only add to the already electric, colorful comic book vibe filmmaker David Ayer has managed to create – at it’s start the movie gives us a brief lowdown on each of the super villains, this is cleverly done allowing even non-fans of the comic book world to grasp a little about these characters – you have Rick Flag the groups leader nailed by the impressive Joel Kinnaman who I loved in The Killing such an underrated actor, Margot Robbie is sensational as Harley Quinn the manic Looney tune, who can look after herself in a scrap and loves her pudding, Margot simply owns the screen, I was mesmerized by her look, her mannerisms and of course her bat shit crazy vocals – onto Aussie actor Jai Courtney and being honest I’ve not always been a fan, but his turn as Digger Harkness aka: Captain Boomerang is completely bonkers & utterly fabulous, his comic bites and action scenes are brilliant and oh yea he has a little fetish for pink unicorns – another clever bit of casting was Viola Davis who it must be said is terrifying as Amanda Waller she oozes presence and inhabits the darkness of Waller’s character so well, don’t forget to stay after the credits for a little teaser involving Waller & Bruce Wayne – and last but not least is Jared Leto’s take on the Joker – it’s wacky, it’s fresh and at all times it’s menacing, that haunting laugh, them silver gnashers and his vibrant green hair has given this infamous DC villain a unique twist, but saying all of this I somehow believe that this will be the one and only outing for Leto which would be a shame as with similarities to Cesar Romero’s Joker Leto’s mastermind, given time could go on to become the greatest of all carnations….

Overall: I have now seen David Ayer’s Suicide Squad three times in the cinema, each time I have left after the end credits with a huge grin on my face – it’s action is insane, it’s casting spot on and you know what I did not think of the film’s editing, film’s rating or whether Marvel are better or worse than DC once (not one single time) I sat there in my seat and enjoyed David Ayer’s vision from start to finish – Suicide Squad is lots of fun and when called upon it’s pretty dark too, damn we even get some surprises along the way, cameo’s from Ezra Miller’s The Flash and Ben Affleck’s Batman both mixing it up with our new super villain friends and don’t forget like most superhero movies these days don’t be quick to look for the exit when them end credits rise – for me Suicide Squad is pure entertainment, a delicious popcorn munching cinematic treat, a fanboys dream, a giddy fun packed comic book movie adaption that allows you to have fun whilst also allowing you to look forward to that universe’s next installment….★★★★

Garry Marshall (1934 – 2016)

Posted by absolutebadasses on July 20, 2016

Posted in: Views. Tagged: bluray, cinema, comedy, director, dvd, film, film legend, film nerd, garry marshall, garry marshall movies, goldie hawn, Happy Days, hollywood, Julia Roberts, kate hudson, kurt russell, mork & mindy, movie collection, movie geek, movies, overboard, pretty woman, richard gere, television, The Odd Couple, writer. Leave a comment

It’s always painful as a film fan to loose anybody you’ve admired in the business, even if that person was from afar and sadly the passing of Garry Marshall is one that hurts like hell – yes I know what your thinking “you never knew the guy so why the sad face?” well let me tell you why the sad face – Garry Marshall was a huge part of my television life, back in the 80s I would watch his classic creations Mork & Mindy, The Odd Couple and Happy Days the Marshall stamp was clear on all these shows, simple, effective and loveable characters that would bring tears of joy to my face, then in the late 80s and early 90s when I became truly addicted to film he delivered two classic film gems 1987s Overboard with Goldie Hawn & Kurt Russell and then in 1990 the romantic Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts & Richard Gere, both fantastic slices of cinema that continue to get replayed in my home on a yearly basis – other much loved films in my collection include his 2004 film Raising Helen with Kate Hudson and the underrated Frankie & Johnny from 1991 that starred Al Pacino & Michelle Pfeiffer – so as you can see Garry Marshall meant a lot (and still does), his film style, his love of the audience, his performers and most of all he above all else his creations made me smile when I needed to smile most and for that I thank him RIP

Here’s some fantastic footage of Gareth Edwards latest Rogue One: A Star Wars Story – this 3 minute clip is an absolute treat for us fans of this universe and whets the appetite for the movies upcoming release in December – the films cast include Felicity Jones, Ben Mendelsohn, Mads Mikklesen, Diego Luna, Alan Tudyk & Forest Whitaker the impression I get from these clips is that Rogue One appears to be more practical film-making, less CGI than say The Force Awakens and more in style of the original Lucas trilogy, the action and storyline looks fabulous and the return of old favourite Darth Vader will get us fanboys buzzing like a turned on light sabre – take a peek at the trailer below and enjoy (I have already watched it 3 times it’s so damn good)

OK first up I never wanted to see this movie made and not because of this nonsense “all female” thing either, I just love the original films, like many they’re part of my upbringing since the original was released back in the mid 80s I must have seen the film 100 times or more Aykroyd, Ramis and Murray are three of my film heroes so discovering that they were doing another film remake and this time it was my beloved Ghostbusters I was at first mad as hell, I wanted to scream the social media house down, I guess I never wanted a movie more than this one to fail miserably but luckily for me like most things I calmed down and accepted that even without my blessing this reboot was going to happen one way or the other – Paul Feig happens to be one of my favourite modern comedy directors, films such as Bridesmaids, The Heat and Spy have all made me cry with laughter so taking the mantle for this remake was a big thing for him and I just prayed, kept my fingers crossed that he was up to the task…..

OK so now I have seen Ghostbusters the 2016 version and I want to share my views with you film fans out there – firstly it has to be said Feig goes above and beyond in respecting the original 1984 classic, he uses the old theme tune, gives cameo’s to the old cast and even dedicates the movie to Harold Ramis at the end credits (a nice touch I thought) – his young cast comprising of Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones and Chris Hemsworth are all fabulous, McKinnon and Jones for me steal the show but in general Feig has managed to cast well all actors adding something to this reboot, Hemsworth is at times hilarious playing the dopey good looking secretary for the team, he actually wears glasses without the glass and keeps tripping over himself & that dancing at the end credits is worth staying around for – I love also the fact that the legend that is Andy Garcia plays the New York Mayor such a great actor and fabulous to see him back on the big screen – the films opening at the haunted mansion was a riot, Kristen Wigg’s character getting slimed is worth the ticket value in itself and them scenes involving Jone’s character in the subway and also the possessed dummy are so much fun, McCarthy being possessed and getting slapped by Jones was hilarious and then of course you have McKinnon just oozing style playing the oddball engineer who creates the teams Ghost busting weapons & looks equally at ease firing them bad boys – Overall: put aside (if you have any) your disagreement for this movie and go and have some fun – Paul Feig’s Ghostbusters is an amusing, entertaining picture, the cast rock & I promise you this movie will bring a smile to your face, my only small criticism is that the last 15minutes could have been handled better, a little OTT but that’s me being picky – Ghostbusters is a real blast !! ★★★½

Edgar Rice Burroughs creation has seen makeovers, there has been a lot of movies based around his character since the very first one back in 1918 – of course I grew up like many watching Johnny Weissmuller most people’s definitive Tarzan swinging through the jungle, his distinctive vocals and great build perfect in portraying our jungle born hero – in more recent times we have seen Tarzan, the Ape Man back in 1981 and Greystoke starring Christopher Lambert back in 1984 – so when I first heard the Harry Potter film-maker David Yates was involved in a new fresh take on this character and had lined up the talented True Blood actor Alexander Skarsgard for the lead I was pretty stoked on the possible direction of this new franchise…….

The Legend of Tarzan is one of the most visually beautiful movies to look at for many a year, from it’s sizzling, easy on the eye cast, it’s sweeping cinematography to it’s epic special effects this is an action adventure jam packed with all the niceties of modern Hollywood, everything about this movie reminded me of the classics of yesteryear, not only big in scale but family friendly, a real rip roaring big screen event that is a delight from start to finish – as actors go Alexander Skarsgard is the near perfect embodiment of Burroughs Tarzan, he’s not only got that athletic physique but he has plenty of screen presence, his muscular frame and chiselled features lend to that image that he was brought up by Gorillas in the African jungle – Margot Robbie meanwhile adds beauty, charm and wit to Tarzan’s Jane and more importantly I guess is their on-screen chemistry it’s hot (very hot) – the film’s villain is Leon Rom played wonderfully by the menacing Christoph Waltz he’s terrific as usual, his piercing eyes and that chain he carries used as a weapon is pretty badass – David Yates also delivered a casting master stoke when bringing onboard veteran Samuel L Jackson his portrayal of George Washington Williams an American who travels with Tarzan to Africa in search of proof that the Belgians are enslaving the Congolese people is a big part of the film’s appeal, he seems to be having so much fun with his role, his one liners and action scenes alongside Skarsgard are brilliant, and was it me or does Jackson look so much younger……

The Legend of Tarzan is a thrilling spectacle, full of excitement, adventure and romance, don’t wait for home media, take a trip to your nearest big screen and allow Henry Braham’s breathtaking cinematography to transport you to another place and time, the African landscape and those who inhabit it has never looked so good – Overall: I really enjoyed David Yates take on the Tarzan tale, he’s delivered an entertaining picture, one that I hope will spawn a sequel or two ★★★★

Nowhere near as magical as its 2013 original but the introduction of the energetic Lula May played by the bubbly & hilarious Lizzy Caplan and Daniel Radcliffe’s turn as Walter Maybry allows film-maker Jon Chu enough intrigue & thrill to pull this sequel out of the bag – and although in my opinion the film contains way too much CGI, not enough practical magic and maybe Daniel Radcliffe’s creepy demeanour was a little underused I still found enough in this sequel to enjoy, have lots of fun with and look forward to a possible third outing for The Four Horseman ★★★½

Olivia De Havilland moved to Paris in the mid 50s and still lives there today – she is in my opinion “The Greatest Actress” to have shone on our screens, a giant of cinema who mesmerised with her beauty and injected energy, passion & commitment to her many roles spanning the 30s through to the 60s – De Havilland had an impressive range of performances in her career appearing in classics such as Gone With The Wind, The Snake Pit, Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte and My Cousin Rachel, she was a Double Best Actress winner at the Oscars for roles in To Each His Own and The Heiress but for me it was her many collaborations with actor and friend Errol Flynn that caught my imagination, she may not have been the main star in these early films but it was her infectious presence, them dreamy eye’s and that swashbuckling attitude in movies such as Dodge City, Captain Blood, They Died With Their Boots On, Santa Fe Trail & The Adventures of Robin Hood that started my love affair with cinema and this British-American actress who took my breath away – so from us here we wish Olivia De Havilland a Happy 100th Birthday !!

Who else loves a good old fashioned alien invasion romp? Well this guy does and Roland Emmerich’s INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE does not disappoint, it’s a flash of 90’s nostalgia, a total blast from start to finish and a devilishly fun movie ride that I wasn’t expecting – from Jeff Goldblum’s one liners, Liam Hemsworth’s dashing leading rogue & the Emmerich blueprint of breathtaking action, earthly destruction & patriotic ass kicking, this is a fine example of why I love the movies, not all films need to have a complex narrative, actors in search of that golden statue or film-makers attempting to baffle you with science, sometimes we the viewer just need to unwind take in some popcorn and be entertained and it’s my view that Roland Emmerich is one of the best out there in feeding me that cinematic treat – Overall: Resurgence is a real visual gem, jam packed with fist pumping action scenes and a young emerging cast that keeps the film’s pace moving faster than my heart beat – Resurgence is right up there alongside it’s ’96 original, Will Smith was not missed one bit and overall a hugely fun night at the movies was had by all ★★★★