Leonardo DiCaprio was born on this day in California in 1974 – can you believe DiCaprio is only 39yrs of age? since his film debut in the scifi comedy Critters 3 in 1991 DiCaprio has established himself as one of Hollywood’s acting Elite, amassing 3 Oscar and 9 Golden Globe nominations – DiCaprio has already worked with the likes of Spielberg, Cameron, Mendes, Scott, Nolan, Eastwood, Tarantino and Scorsese (5 times) not bad eh! – The 3 movies pictured above in my view are Essential Leonard DiCaprio – they’re not only great films but they demonstrate Leo’s acting talent and his willing to portray diverse and interesting characters on the screen – recent performances have seen DiCaprio star as Calvin Candie a ruthless plantation owner in Tarantino’s Django Unchained and Jay Gatsby in Baz Luhrmann’s epic remake of The Great Gatsby – later this year reunites DiCaprio for a fifth time with director Martin Scorsese in The Wolf of Wall Street a true story based on the rise and fall of wealthy stockbroker Jordan Belfort, if the trailer is anything to go by then this will be another great Leonardo DiCaprio movie….
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GRAVITY 3D – (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Cast – Sandra Bullock & George Clooney – on his last flight before retiring Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) and Mission Specialist Ryan Stone (Bullock) have to work together to survive an accident in the darkness of Space – VERDICT does Cuaron’s sci-fi thriller live up to all the hype? well in a big screen cinematic blow your mind with visuals kind of way YES it does! – only a handful of films using the 3D format have successfully worked and due to the film’s spectacular setting, Alfonso Cuaron’s GRAVITY is one of the best I have seen and that’s saying something since the majority of the film’s 3D was converted from a 2D lens post production – from the film’s opening scenes, I felt a unique sense of floating as I was looking down 600km to Earth, you would be forgiven for thinking that the film was shot on location, the effects are truly that good and the 3D element only enhances that immersive experience – obviously Sandra Bullock will receive a lot of the plaudits and rightly so, she was terrific, rarely leaving the screen during the movie’s 90mins run time, her range of emotions in those close up shots were pretty realistic and I felt for her character as she tried to survive the perils and complete emptiness of space – overall Alfonso Cuaron’s GRAVITY is all about the visual, forget about it’s predictable script, stick those 3D glasses on and let Cuaron take you on an unforgettable ride, a ride that creates the illusion of isolation, claustrophobia and one of complete and utter helplessness – pay the extra few dollars for that 3D screening and enjoy the show….
THE LAST DAYS ON MARS (2013) – Movie Review ★★★½
Cast – Liev Schreiber, Elias Koteas, Olivia Williams & Romola Garai – a research team on Mars have nineteen hours before rendezvousing with their lander to take them home when a crew member’s discovery leads to an infection that turns it’s host into some sort of zombie like killing machine – VERDICT like most films that are based around an isolated scenario, it’s the character development that allows you to connect and get sucked into that particular environment, BUT in Ruairi Robinson’s feature debut there’s no real time allowed for character building, when this alien infection starts picking off the crew members one by one you find yourself not really caring who lives or dies – in my opinion the film could have done with another 30mins run time, fleshing out some of the characters and building the movie’s tension before that inevitable final killing spree – the illusion of Mars is captured perfectly by shooting on location in Jordan and that alongside the delightful camerawork are some real positives – THE LAST DAYS ON MARS is an enjoyable scifi yarn that draws obvious inspiration from the likes of Alien and 2001: A Space Odyssey but due to the movies mediocre script and it’s short running time your left with the nagging feeling of what could have been….
WE’RE THE MILLERS (2013) – Movie Review ★★★¾
Cast – Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter & Ed Helms – a low level pot dealer gets robbed of his drug stash and money and in order to pay his debts to a local mobster he undertakes a job in transporting drugs across the Mexican border – to do this he decides to bring in the help of a fake family and that’s when the fun really begins VERDICT before watching anything with Jennifer Aniston I immediately think the worst, since playing Rachel in Friends back in the mid 90s her film career has been a mixture of the average to pretty dismal – but are we about to see a change? – We’re the Millers is not only one of the surprisingly fun films of 2013, but Aniston gives a performance full of gusto, sex appeal and delightful charm, very reminiscent of her days back at Central Perk – my favorite scenes in the movie include the couch kissing scene between Rose, Casey and Kenny, the garage strip scene and of course the Tarantula bite on Kenny’s genitals that reminded me of Ben Stiller’s Something about Mary – Rawson Marshall Thurber, the movie’s young director has lots of promise, he’s not only managed to get the best out of Aniston, but he’s crafted a really enjoyable comic romp that’s full of likeable characters and fun scenarios – overall We’re the Millers is well worth a watch!
Jason Reitman’s last two movies behind the camera have been top draw – 2009’s Up in the Air and 2011’s Young Adult
Next up Labor Day starring Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin and Tobey Maguire – the film open’s late January and early Feb – here’s the trailer… enjoy
SOLO (2013) – Movie Review ★★★
Cast – Annie Clark, Daniel Kash, Richard Clarkin and Steven Love – Annie Clark playsGillian a seventeen year old girl gets a job as a counselor at a Summer Camp, as part of her initiation to look after the kids at the camp she has to spend 2 nights alone on a remote island, with no camera and cell phone VERDICT the real find of SOLO is most definitely the lovely and talented Annie Clark who you may know from TVs Degrassi: The Next Generation playing Fiona – Ms Clark is not just a pretty face she’s a quality young actress with the ability to captivate and turn an average movie into a good one, hopefully given the right material we could see her as a leading lady in many pictures to come – Isaac Cravit‘s directorial debut in my opinion is not quite scary or dark enough to fulfill it’s potential – the writing is average, slightly predictable and the movies big bad is not quite menacing enough, I also felt not enough was done to capitalize on the film’s remote location, it could have been used to carry more bite and tension but instead I felt it was a mere spectator in proceedings – overall SOLO is certainly not the worst movie I have seen this year, Annie Clark looks like a star in the making and the film’s director is worth keeping tabs on for future projects….
Ender’s Game (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Cast Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Viola Davis, Ben Kingsley, Abigail Breslin & Hailee Steinfeld – Based on the novel by author Orson Scott Card and directed by Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins) Ender’s Game tells of a young, brilliantly gifted kid called Ender Wiggin (Butterfield) who is recruited into a military program by Colonel Graff (Ford) who believes Wiggin to be the one who can save all human kind from the evil alien race known as the Formics VERDICT firstly I must say I’ve never read any of Orson Scott Card’s novels and unlike others who decided to boycott the movie due to Scott Card’s personal views that have been aired recently, I could not wait to catch the film on the big screen – the fact remains that Ender’s Game is an exciting story executed by a talented young filmmaker and delivered by a cast that encompasses some of the very best in young Hollywood and some of our finest movie veterans – the zero gravity scenes in the Battle Room are jaw dropping, the crews vision to pull this off deserves plaudits, along with the actors who worked for a month each having their own member of the famous Cirque Du Soleil team preparing them for their respective roles – all of the young stars in the movie excelled, they not only embraced the physical demands but their acting was top notch too, it was engrossing to watch the likes of Asa Butterfield onscreen sparring with the likes of Indiana Jones and The Mandarin and giving them as good as he got – overall the film is not only highly entertaining & visually superb but it’s a story built around some intriguing characters & ranks up there with the very the best scifi movies of 2013 – don’t wait for the Bluray or Dvd Ender’s Game should be viewed on the biggest screen possible with a jar of pepsi (diet of course) and a big tub of popcorn….
Big Ass Spider (2013) – Movie Review ★★
Cast Greg Grunberg, Lombardo Boyar & Ray Wise – whilst receiving some treatment for an insect bite at a local hospital an exterminator (Grunberg) gets in the middle of the military & a bunch of scientists that are tracking and attempting to kill an alien Big Ass Spider – VERDICT – sadly the best bits of Mike Mendez’s B-Movie homage are left to the camp and it must be said dreadful visuals, you know the ones I mean? the Spider chasing a car down the road, the Spider rampaging into a team of bikini clad volleyball players and last but not least the Spider ascending a tall building in almost King Kong style – I usually adore these type of B-Movies, all tongue-in-cheek and mostly lots of fun, especially the ones that include some sort of mutated insect or an alien being hell bent on destroying earth but sadly Big Ass Spider did not take me on the ride I had hoped it would – it is 80mins of very bad acting, horrible visuals, some wasted onscreen talent (Ray Wise) and some terrible comedy dialogue – Overall Big Ass Spider will not be joining the likes of Eight Legged Freaks and Arachnophobia in the ranks of decent, well done Spider flicks, instead it will joining the likes of Sharknado on my list of movies that shall be forgotton & never revisited…
Movie Action Heroes
Around the age of eleven I was like many kids my age discovering the world of the movies, my dad would bring home some videos and we would spend many a family evening watching some of the action movies I have grown to love and appreciate even more as the years go by – I remember the summer of 1985 and my first experience of a Stallone movie on the big screen, my uncle had taken me to see Rambo: First Blood Part II in the local town, and it’s a day I will cherish forever, it was my first taste of an action hero at the cinema – hearing the cheer of the crowd as one of my heroes did his thing was immense – I was only 14 that year and the effect Stallone and Arnie had on me growing up was huge, they were my first real action hero crushes, my fascination of all things MOVIE came from watching and being inspired by these two action stars – their haul of movies during the late 70’s, 80’s and early 90’s included Rocky’s, Rambo’s, Terminators & Conan films, Commando, Red Sonja, Over the Top, Predator, Total Recall, Tango & Cash, Running Man, Cobra and many more – over the years these two cinematic giants have set the bar high in the Action Genre, their huge muscular physiques, magnificent screen presence and their ability to deliver delicious film quotes that were plentyful in the movie scripts of their day, have helped enhance both their repertoires making Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger the complete Action Hero Package that I doubt in my lifetime we shall see the like again…
MAN OF TAI CHI (2013) – Movie Review ★★★¾
Stars Tiger Hu Chen, Keanu Reeves, Karen Mok and Simon Yam – making his directorial debut “Matrix” star Keanu Reeves takes us to China – Tiger Chen is an exciting young Martial Artist who get’s noticed by Donaka Mark (Reeves) and is lured into being his champion in the lucrative underground world of the “Fight Club” – Sun Jingshi (Mok) is a police officer trying to bring Donaka to justice after one of her undercover operatives suddenly disappeared VERDICT I had lots of fun with this movie, very reminisent of the old Bruce Lee movies back in the 70’s, visually superb, performed with a stylish flair and delivered in breathtaking fashion by it’s stars – Tiger worked as a stunt man on “Crouching Tiger” and the last two “Matrix” movies and judging by this performance in this movie we could be seeing more of him as the actor rather than the man behind the scenes, he’s the complete package – as for Reeves his first movie behind the camera was impressive and as an actor he plays the villain with a delicious swagger – overall I really enjoyed Man of Tai Chi the cinematopgraphy and action scenes were flawless and Reeves love letter to the East was a terrific one!
Escape from Tomorrow (2013) – Movie Review ★★
Stars Roy Abramsohn, Elena Schuber, Katelynn Rodriguez, Annet Mahendru, Danielle Safady & Alison Lees-Taylor – Escape from Tomorrow is the debut movie from writer/director Randy Moore and was filmed on location at Disney World and Disneyland without Disney’s permission – the film is set around a family’s last day on vacation at the parks, from the moment Jim White (Roy Abramsohn) gets that call on his balcony about loosing his job everything starts to slowly spiral downwards into a creepy Lynch-esqe film of weirdness that just keeps getting weirder VERDICT we’ve all done it, sat through a movie and then commented “what the HELL was that all about?” well Escape from Tomorrow is that movie – Randy Moore’s film is a quite unsettling, quite unpleasent Disneyland ride that may get some cult-status for it’s dark material and black & white neo-noir style, but overall it’s a film I failed to enjoy and one I certainly would not recommend….
CBGB (2013) – Movie Review ★★★¾
“50,000 Bands and 1 Disgusting Bathroom”
Stars Alan Rickman, Donal Logue, Freddy Rodriguez, Ashley Greene, Stana Katic and Malin Åkerman – a historical movie looking at the Punk Scene in the 70s – Talking Heads, Blondie, Patti Smith and The Ramones all started off in this dank & dirty club called CBGB that was owned and run by Hilly Kristal (Rickman) VERDICT Director Randall Miller has the knack of surprising me with small movies that fly under the radar and deliver a fun night in front of the screen – in 2008 it was the brilliant Bottle Shock that also starred Rickman, Rodriguez & Chris Pine and now in 2013 comes a real fun musical trip down memory lane, where a club in New York City known as CBGB gives us our first taste of the Punk Scene back in the 70s – it’s cast along with the music is the movies main draw – Alan Rickman looks to be having a ball with his role as club owner Hilly Kristal even capturing a little resemblence – Malin Åkerman is delicious as Blondie and Ashley Greene gives a fabulous performance as Lisa Hilly’s daughter – overall CBGB is a really enjoyable movie with a fine script by Jody Savin & Randall Miller that captures the mood of the time perfectly – the film also delivers a neat comicbook storyboard effect and along with the the movies subtle comedy and it’s knockout soundtrack it’s one I would highly recommend….
Harry Potter – London Warner Bros Studio Tour
on a trip to London we decided to take in the Warner Bros Harry Potter Studio Tour, having read the books and watched the 8 movies (more than once) we wanted the chance to take a look inside of J.K Rowling’s magical world of castles, dragons, wizards and muggles….
as we entered the Warner Bros Lot and collected our tickets, the atmosphere was electric, we started to notice the fans arriving in Harry Potter attire, gowns from their favorite houses and costumes of some of their favorite characters this was going to be a fun night – after a small video presented by Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint featuring a behind the scenes look the Harry Potter universe the tour group were invited to start the tour and step foot inside the majestic Great Hall of Hogwarts – the scale and layout was exactly as you remembered it from the first movie and at the far end of the Hall stood all the teachers (mannequins of course) dressed accordingly…
the tour took us just over 3hrs in which time we visited so many of the famous haunts that feature in the movies including Hagrid’s Hut. Dumbeldore’s Office, the backlot that featured Privet Drive, the Knightbus, the Ford Anglia and a chance to sample a glass or two of Butterbeer (yum) then onto my favorite part of the tour the impressive Diagon Alley with it’s many shops including Gringotts, Ollivanders Wand Shop & Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour (now if only I could buy me an Owl & get me a magical wand?) – next up was the tours finale the incredible hand sculpted 1:24 scale construction of Hogwarts Castle that took over 80 artists to create and jee wiz it’s a site to behold….
even if Harry Potter is not your thing but you love your movies, then I would highly recommend this magnificent studio tour it’s worth every dollar! not only do you get to see movie sets, props & animatronic creatures but you will get a taster of what goes into the filmmaking process and trust me it’s a truly fascinating world…
The Heat (2013) – Movie Review ★★★★
Stars Melissa McCarthy, Sandra Bullock, Demián Bichir and Marlon Wayans – from Paul Feig the director of Bridesmaids comes The Heat – following a straight & by-the-book FBI agent played by Bullock who has to work with a local Boston cop played by McCarthy to take down a local drug lord and his cronies VERDICT with a budget of around the $40 Million mark Paul Feig has once again hit box-office gold – from it’s 80’s style opening credits The Heat is a deliciously funny action movie that has more laugh out loud moments than many of the comedies released this year – it’s action packed, carries a superb soundtrack and along with it’s two leads is jam packed with quality actors filling it’s cast – of course some of the funniest movie scenes involve McCarthy who is at her cringeworthy best, she is at times outrageously out of control, like a stick of dynamite that is threatning to explode at any moment – not since Lethal Weapon have I witness two actors drip chemistry like McCarthy and Bullock they compliment each other perfectly and make the perfect pairing – overall The Heat is a wonderful female buddy cop movie that is refreshing in it’s crudeness and delightful in it’s rudeness…..
The Hobbit : The Desolation of Smaug (2013) – Movie Banners
Here’s four magnificent movie banners to whet your appetite!
Listening to that drooling Howard Shore soundbite and picturing them rolling hills of the shire and Middle Earth has got me all excited – Peter Jackson’s continuation of J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit lands this December!
absolutebadasses 