Stars (vocally) Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, Jonathan Groff, Santino Fontana with Ciarán Hinds and Alan Tudyk Directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee Superb Disney Animation feature which is a return to the full-blown musical. The first time since The Lion King (according to their publicity material) that the songs are incorporated into the story rather than just be incidental. There's also brilliant use of 3D and don't miss the opening Mickey Mouse short. Click on through for the full review on Berning Along.
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Stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Plummer, Jena Malone with Lenny Kravitz, Stanley Tucci, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Donald Sutherland Directed by Francis Lawrence In summary, the follow-up to The Hunger Games is almost similar in terms of a story flow, but it is driven by strong performances, particularly from lead star Jennifer Lawrence. Lots of eye candy in terms of design work, an expansion of what was set in the first movie. Decent action beats punctuate throughout and despite a slow start, it has a strong enough finish that would leave you demanding for the next instalment. Full thoughts over on my WordPress blog, Berning Along. Stars Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore. Gabriella Wilde, Portia Doubleday, Alex Russell, Ansel Elgort and Judy Greer Directed by Kimberly Pierce It would be hard to do a review of this new iteration of Carrie without drawing comparisons to the original adaptation by Brian dePalma back in 1976. Back then, Sissy Spacek played the titular character, Carrie White, a young girl on the edge of womanhood who also discovers that she has telekinetic abilities. Back in 1976, this played out as a horror movie. Here in 2013, this plays out like an off-shoot of an X-Men movie, albeit a touch on the gory side. Still, since director Kimberly Pierce has set out to adapt Stephen King’s novel as much as dePalma’s version was also an adaptation of the novel, albeit with certain limitations, the 2013 edition is squarely a remake. The beats are almost the same although it may seem that the R rating was not fully utilised. Sure, the sensibilities then and now are different. Current star, Chloë Grace Moretz, was only 15 during filming while most of the ‘teens’ back in 1976 were played by actresses over 20, which allowed more risqué shots then. The use of technology on display is also evident and incorporated into the plot itself, reflecting the state of bullying in today’s high-school environment. That is probably something the writers and director might have expanded a little more on, but did not, probably to stay closer to the source novel. The role of Carrie White itself might have been a challenge for Miss Moretz, especially after turns in Kick Ass, Kick Ass 2, Dark Shadows and especially Let Me In. It’s not that she has that aura of vulnerability to convey the quiet, reclusive and insecure Carrie in the first half. Instead, she relies on the physical side of acting, keeping her arms closed or crossed, hunching over and keeping her head down, all of that slowly loosening up as the movie progresses to the inevitable Prom scene (see the trailers). Then, it’s full gestures with arms motioning for action as a representation of her unleashed power. This, in comparison to the quiet rage and subtle gestures used by Sissy Spacek. And it’s not to say that Moretz did a bad job, as she more than adequately carries the movie on her shoulders. It’s just different. She genuinely is one of the better young actresses around. It’s just… it would be very interesting to see what Elle Fanning would have done with the role. On the other half of the double act, we have Julianne Moore as Margaret White, Carrie’s ultra-religious mother. Now less a Bible thumper that was Piper Laurie in the 1976 edition, but somewhat unhinged in a self mutilating way this time around. The character still comes across as an ultra-religious nutter, perhaps a little too much. Still, Moore does fairly well with the role, and there are those moments where the caring mother figure does come through, enough to show that Carrie and her mother are somewhat dependant on each other to a certain extent. The rest of the young cast appear to run through the motions with Portia Doubleday perhaps struggling a bit to play the main baddie, Chris Hargensen. Not quite menacing and more spoiled brat comes to mind. The kind who believes she can get away with anything. Maybe that’s what they were going for here. As mentioned earlier, it’s less of a horror movie and more of a twisted super-hero movie. A more recent comparison might be rather excellent Chronicle (2012), which would make a decent double feature paired with this movie. With the source novel and the original movie being supposed ‘horror’ classics, this version gets marketed the same way, and I doubt it would do the movie any favours. The sensibilities today are different and in that context, a movie like this wouldn’t really be classified as a horror movie. A drama, perhaps. Maybe as far as a light psychological thriller. There is blood, of course, and some gore, but I doubt it’s anything more shocking than what one might see on an episode of CSI. Still, the cast and crew manage to present a decent movie that might stand on its own. The production values are good, as are the effects. They definitely managed to do more than dePlama who was restricted by budget and technical restrictions of the time. It might even get some young movie fan to seek out the original 1976 edition or even the 2002 TV Movie edition with Angela Bettis in the title role. Stars Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford, Hailee Stansfield, Abigail Breslin, Viola Davis, Aramis Knight, and Ben Kingsley Directed by Gavin Hood In a way, Gavin Hood manages to show just how good a director he is, delivering a solid movie that has heart and action, that is, after the unfortunate experience of X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Perhaps it’s simply because Hood has a better grasp on the material here, having adapted the screenplay himself. And it would seem that Hood has a good grasp on the material, taking a renowned science fiction novel and condensing it into a two hour movie. Not an easy task at any time. All those ideas and themes that need to be tackled; the elements that need to be included or left out; the changes that need to be made to accommodate the moving picture format. Perhaps the biggest change would be doubling the age of the protagonist and his companions. I’m not going to do a movie and book comparison, simply because I’ve never read the book itself, but I do know that one of the core elements of the story is that Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield) is truly a child within the original story. He’s supposed to be no older than a primary one school child, that’s 7 years of age. In the movie, the characters are in the mid to late teens. The main thrust of the story remains, and that is sending these children into war. It is also within a concept that is quite relevant today, not just child warriors, but the application of games and simulations as tools of training for war. I’m sure a lot of others would pick up on the use of drone warfare that is also quite prevalent within the movie; sitting safely behind a computer console and directing warfare miles away utilising machines and such. Not unlike playing video games. One of the key points of Ender’s personality is subtly laid out in several scenes. Despite being told that he has a penchant for war, force is really Ender’s last resort. His morality is in play, and also often very quickly dismissed by his trainers be it Colonel Graff (Harrison Ford) or his other teachers. After all, when it comes to war, the last thing the superior officers want in a soldier adept at waging war is a moral compass. The morality issue is played out in several conversations, but hardly practised, and we are left with the oft used excuse in any war scenario - the ends justify the means. What would that mean within the movie here is for you to discover for yourself. Much of the movie is focussed on Ender’s training as well as the training of his companions. Ender’s own internal struggle is in play, particularly evidenced by his two elder siblings, the impulsive and fairly violent older brother, Peter (Jimmy Pinchak), and the more moderate and serene sister, Valentine (Abigail Breslin). Which way will he ultimate grow? From a visual aspect, Hood manages to delivers some impressive set-ups throughout the movie, from a zero-G training arena to alien planets and the ultimate battle scenario towards the end of the movie (it’s already in the previews, I doubt I’m spoiling anything there). There are some issues with the overall effects work on show although it’s hardly a complaint. The effects work serve the story adequately. After all, its the characters that drive the story here. Most of the stars deliver very well with the younger stars keeping up with the veterans. My only singular complaint is why they couldn’t get a Kiwi actor for the character who has a Kiwi heritage? I’m sure someone like Temuera Morrison could have done it instead of having Ben Kingsley fiddle with the New Zealand accent. That was a little distracting. Overall, Ender’s Game is a true blue science fiction movie, extrapolating elements of today’s world and projecting it into the future while providing a commentary about it all. Even with the action set-pieces, this is very much a character piece. Stars Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Natalie Portman, Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Eccleston, Jaimie Alexander, Zachary Levi, Ray Stevenson, Idris Elba, Stellan Skarsgård, Kat Dennings, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje and Rene Russo Directed by Alan Taylor From the movie stylings of Kenneth Branagh to the direction of TV (cable / satellite) mainstay, Alan Taylor, Asgard itself seems to have gotten a very good makeover. Taylor is more known for his current work on fantasy epic, Game of Thrones, and he brings that aesthetic with him, giving Asgard a more earthy tone, very lived in, and in some cases, it might even be doubled sets from Game of Thrones itself. That earthy, slightly more grounded aspect extends to the characters and action as well. And that lends itself to the overall plot, which does take us way beyond Asgard, into the nine realms and beyond. A quick prologue sets up the MacGuffin - the Aether - as well as The Dark Elves, led by Malekith (an unrecognisable Christopher Eccleston). The Dark Elves were defeated millennia ago and the Aether was hidden away. Flash forward to the present day, which is about a year after the events in The Avengers, and Thor is busy quelling uprisings across the nine realms, the result of the destruction of the ‘Rainbow Bridge’ at the end of the first Thor movie. Loki (Tom Hiddleston), having been ‘arrested’ by Thor, in locked away in an Asgardian prison. When Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) accidentally stumbles onto the Aether and subsequently gets infected by it, the Dark Elves reawaken and start to wreck havoc in search of the Aether (and Jane by default). Bear in mind that a lot actually happens in the movie, the stakes are raised with nothing less than the destruction of life across they galaxy at hand. And despite the title, this is still a Marvel movie, so there are moments of levity, decent character beats and some snappy dialogue to balance agains the doom and gloom. I won’t go too much into the plot or story here, it’s best for you to discover it for yourself. The stars themselves do well with Chris Hemsworth leading the way as the title character. Tom Hiddleston continues to steal every scene he gets as Loki with only Natalie Portman getting a short shrift in terms of character. She seems almost incidental to the proceedings.Eccleston really is unrecognisable under the make-up, delivering most of his lines in a different and made-up language to the point that it could have been any other actor in the role. Kat Dennings and Stellan Skarsgård help to provide some laughs while Anthony Hopkins and Rene Russo bring the gravitas. Ray Stevenson and Jaimie Alexander also return to their respective roles while the character of Fandral gets a slight make-over with Zachery Levi taking over the role. Weirdly, Levi was the original choice for the role but a scheduling conflict on Levi’s TV show, Chuck, led to Josh Dallas taking the role. With Dallas busy with his TV series, Once Upon A Time, the role reverted to Levi. Taylor’s direction is less operatic and stagey in comparison to Branagh, taking us to more worlds or realms, and that includes Space. There are interesting design choices where Asgard and technology is concerned, staying partially true to the designs one might expect of Viking Gods, but also acknowledging the technology of a civilisation that’s been around for tens of thousands of years. One scene in particular, when an energy barrier is going up around the Asgardian palace, thoughts of Gallifrey crossed my mind. We tread very closely to the Science-Fantasy worlds of Star Wars here. Brian Tyler’s score complements everything very nicely too. Overall, it is on par with the first movie, perhaps a smudge better at times. The movie is fairly busy although the plot and story is fairly linear. There is enough of a loose end to warrant a third movie (you’ll know it when you get to it. I ended the movie with a huge question on my mind). There are two clips after the movie, The first comes after the main titles, and it is fairly distracting because it completely side-steps everything else that is in the movie. the aesthetic and design is so jarring, even if it’s a cool geeky moment for Marvel fans, and it obviously sets up next year’s Marvel movie. Then post credits, there’s a proper epilogue to the movie itself. So, stick around and applaud the talent behind the screens. And just how cool is the new Marvel Studios logo? Stars Tony Jaa, RZA, JeeJa Yanin, Marrese Crump, Petchtai Wongkamiao Directed by Prachya Pinkaew In a case of ‘How can the same thing happen to the same guy twice?” Kham (Tony Jaa) goes on another rampage in search of his kidnapped elephant, which is pretty much what happened in the first movie (known as The Protector in some Western markets). By the time the plot is underway, you do wonder why the bad guys couldn’t just get any other elephant, because Kham’s exploits from almost five years ago seem to be well known. Ah, but therein lies the reason for picking on his elephant, organised by the mysterious LC (RZA, yes, The Man With The Iron Fists himself), which happens to be two-fold. But then, plot is not a big point for this kind of movie. If you’ve heard of the first movie, and you know the work of Tony Jaa and his directorial collaborator, Prachya Pinkaew, then you know just what to expect- which is a ton of intense action scenes. This time, in 3D, but that’s best avoided. Even in 2D, there are obvious set-ups that are meant to utilise the 3D effect, and they do not look good. In the midst of the action, we cut away to either have a foot or a punch or some debris just come at the screen, and it’s an obvious 3D effect for the sake of having that effect. It does nothing to serve the action except to interrupt the flow. And the action, as you’d expect, is intense with some amazing choreography, stunts and full contact hits. Sure, you might be a little confused when the first major action set-piece kicks in, wondering who are all these dudes on motorcycles fighting our hero over the rooftops (and it goes on a while), but just go with it. We need some very disposable goons for the bad guy to throw at our hero, after all. While there is no stand-out sequence like the 4-plus minute single take rampage from the first movie, the fights here are fiercer, more brutal at times, with Jaa and JeeJa Yanin (Chocolate, Raging Phoenix) teaming for the first time on screen, antagonistically at first until they find their common enemy. The slim story and plot is just meant to string one action set-piece to the next. the rooftop sequence early in the film is a major set-piece with some truly crazy stunts. There are even fights that involve electricity (courtesy of an electrified subway rail and wet shoes- ignore logic, just go with it) and fire. You can’t even really comment on the acting. Jaa basically has two expressions- edgy and explosive- going on, although the BTS reels during the credits would show that they are having a bit of fun with the few ‘acting’ moments. Yanin barely has any lines at all. But again, you’re in it for the action scenes. This is the kind of movie that Hong Kong cinema (primarily led by Jackie Chan) used to do during the 80s to mid 90s at best, but don’t anymore, save for the occasional Donnie Yen flick. The Thais, under the Baa-Ram-Ewe Productions banner (movie fans know which movie they got their company name from), have been taken the action cinema baton and really run with it lately. |
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