SouthPawzzz

Hype – is what I felt when I first saw the trailer for this movie, I mean… just look at the movie posters! Look at that photo! Maybe it’s just a thing I have for boxing movies, but damn did that trailer look good. I had only just seen the Creed trailer too, so I anticipate reviewing the two comparatively. I think there’s some sort of trigger in me that makes me weak for boxing movies.

I am fresh from just having watched and reviewed Creed, so I now have a relatively straightforward comparison to make. Southpaw definitely has a more intense fight scene and I would even say there was more than double the drama through the story plot. Gyllenhaal has a more dramatic role to handle where he goes through the accidental death of his wife, which he fails to overcome alone and watches the world around him crumble as he falls into a pit that he eventually has to climb out of. He was perfect for this character with his proven acting range and incredible dedication to beefing up the way he did from a much weakened state in which he transformed himself for in his more eery role as Louis in Nightcrawler. Some could even say the boxing was the background to a dramatic story and that it was a metaphor to him fighting for his live back, fighting for the custody of his daughter after the loss of his wife. The acting was strong in this movie and brought plenty of emotions and progressive character development within Gyllenhaal’s character himself, Whitaker and also between father and daughter.

As I said at the start, I was particulary drawn to the movie by the dramatic trailer hype of a boxing movie where a man is out for revenge of his murdered wife in the boxing ring (how insanely dramatic does that sound already!) But large portions of the movie did drag on and left me checking the time. Jake Gyllenhaal is undoubtedly one of my favourite actors with diverse range; just that there is only so much self-pitying one can do in a movie before you start cringing. Overkill. Nonetheless, I favoured Southpaw over Creed.

Baby Creed

Creed does little to bring back ties with the original Rocky movies besides the name and character references and of course Stallone himself. But don’t let that take away the limelight that Michael B. Jordan is basking in right now, a tremendously talented actor that evidently works hard for this role. There was much hype for myself when I first watched the movie trailer and I really liked the idea of a spin-off movie that had as much promise as any other of Sly’s movies in recent years.

The backstory of Jordan’s character, Adonis was not what I expected. I appreciated that they did little to delve into it too much and the large portion of the movie was Adonis focusing his efforts to chase his dream, whilst overcoming the legacy that his father left behind, brushing away the mentioning of Apollo Creed at almost every opportunity. The movie paced well, even though it was apparent that Jordan had already bulked up well prior to the training montage under Balboa, so there looked like little physical progression. And by no means was the montage as epic as it’s predecessors. One of the main things I had to point out is that I didn’t particularly enjoy the 2 main fights in the movie. They did little to rile up the audience in the intense way that the old Rocky movies did. I mean, the main antagonist of the movie is scouse! He’s also a massive chav who supports Everton!! (Which at this point I began to doubt this movie and its credibility.) Sure, the quality was crisp and details of the cuts and bruises were done well during the fights, but there was something about the camera work I didn’t enjoy. There were many close up shots that showed very little fatigue from the fighters which took the realism away. There was little dramatic emotion in the fights that usually make these types of movies memorable. In terms of awe, the recent Southpaw movie gets more brownie points from me.

Oh I almost overlooked the love story within the movie. It was so lackluster you might just miss it. I more touched when Rocky visited the graves of Adrian and Paulie. Enough said really.

This movie drew more heads through its name alone, but gave the audience a worthwhile watch with some great performances through the main cast. It was definitely no Rocky film, and despite the very well made trailer, I liked the idea of this movie more than the movie itself unfortunately.

Fantastic Four 2015

 

So Fantastic Four wasn’t the massive pile of wank that I was anticipating it to be. But I guess that’s because I was anticipating it to be a massive pile of wank. But upon reflection, it really wasn’t all that great. The storyline was rewritten, loosely based on the original script. The actors were not outstanding and the overall feel to it was just… mild. For a superhero movie, there really wasn’t all that much action. There weren’t any punchlines that we’re so accustomed to with Marvel movies which make superhero movies easy to watch and enjoy. Fantastic Four was lacking in qualities in every area. The background stories of the characters were original and as if we had already known from before, so there was no real development or growing with the audience. The reception of the characters had no depth, making the movie not all that interesting to engage with.

Miles Teller was outstanding in “Whiplash” so I was expecting plenty more, but was sadly let down. The rest of the main cast are relatively young and show promise in other movies, with Michael B Jordan in mind for the upcoming “Creed”, but regardless, the cast for the original Fantastic Four Marvel movie franchise was a lot more likable to watch, despite the movies also being terrible.

The moment that I was waiting for was the revealing of their “team name” and character names which I felt they were obliged to cram in during the final minutes of the movie. It probably should have made me cringe more, but like I said, I was expecting a massive pile of wank anyway.

Verdict: as shit as Marvel’s Fantastic Four movie. But shit in its own way

The Martian

Matt Damon portrays an astronaut who faces seemingly insurmountable odds as he tries to find a way to subsist on a hostile planet.

There aren’t very many movies I come out of feeling educated, and The Martian has done just that. The best part about it was that it was enjoyable and didn’t feel like sitting through a lecture either. The usual scientific jargon that comes with space travel movies is broken into layman’ terms, hence making The Martian an easy watch for people of all ages (and small brains). For a movie of this type, lengthier than your standard 90mins, at no point did I feel that any of the scenes dragged on. The film was filled with A-listers led by Matt Damon, who makes a light situation out of being stranded on Mars, impaled through the stomach and having to survive against overwhelming circumstances of being alone and on an inhabitable planet.

There are plenty of cheesy lines in this movie as the plot focuses on Damon talking to himself and remaining incredibly positive despite the odds of his survival progressively diminishing over the course of the movie. The tone of the movie is lighthearted and generally very relaxed. It is definitely a hit or miss movie depending on your mood and I was fortunate to have watched it with very little expectations of this movie and pretty chilled. It was by no means as intense as Gravity and never wanting to set foot outside the Earth’s orbit, nor was it artificial and gritty as Elysium where you wanted to be off the face of Earth at the earliest opportunity available. I cannot stress any further that, under the serious circumstances of the character, this movie about survival was somehow just really easy to watch!

Definitely preferred Interstellar to this though because I prefer Matt McConaughey over Matt Damon, but I would still recommend The Martian to anyone and everyone to watch at least once.

Project Almanac

I don’t think time travel could be any nerdier. Project Almanac tells a story of a group of nerdy teenage kids who manage to get their hands on some blueprints to building a time machine. It’s the kind of film that I would have been more thrilled to watch as a teenager, as much as I would hate to admit. Simply put, this movie is about a group of kids acting out the fantasies of most teenagers if they had discovered a time travel device. Abuse it until something goes wrong. The consequences of time travel is a resounding story plot similar to Ashton Kutcher’s Butterfly Effect. Going back in time and trying to “fix” things until everything is so fucked up that for some inexplicable reason, the solution is to eradicate yourself from existence to fix everything. 

…Or at least that’s what I made out of the movie conclusion.

The movie is flawed with your general time travel plot holes. Simply because all time travel movies have some sort of gaping hole in it that doesn’t add up and annoys most viewers who put way to much time trying to piece things together. But you know what, I don’t usually give a shit about it because time travel isn’t possible and I watch time travel movies for the entertainment value of the movie. So kudos to writers who do put the time in to make a feasible plotline out of time travel and also the team for creating all the visual effects. I’m sure they made good use of the budget that they were given. Filmed from a first person perspective trough a handheld camera, even though sometimes it doesn’t make too much sense as to why the camera is still running (such as when the main lead is fleeing the police and proceeds to film his escape). This style for me,does create  the sense of excitement and really does bring out the impressive visual effects.

Perhaps this isn’t a very good review for Project Almanac, but if you like time travel/sci-fo movies, then I wouldn’t dismiss this movie by any means. I didn’t put much thought into watching it and I kinda had a half expectation of what to expect knowing how long it lasted in the box office. There aren’t any big name actors in this movie so that may have swayed my prejudgment of the movie. 

My conclusion? The concept of time travel here does make plausible sense, so don’t hate it and don’t analyse it too much and maybe, just maybe, you’ll enjoy it too. 

Mind, this movie might not be for you if you suffer from motion sickness. It will fuck you up pretty quick.  

 

Mad Max: Fury Road

If action is what you were looking for, you came to the right place. Mad Max: Fury Road can be described as “hardcore” in more than one sense of the word. With the exhilerating and intense action sequences, special credit must go to the stuntmen and pyrotechnics for rejuvenating a classic franchise and shot in an unforgettably insane chase scene with metal playing throughout, quite literally.

However, there are greater elements of the movie that I must raise. Mad Max is merely a name, and not the central character that Mel Gibson had made him to be. Mad Max: Fury Road is a movie about Charlize Theron and the struggles of Furiosa; the best performance was easily stolen by Nick Hoult. I could not praise him any more for his portrayal of War Boy Nux, and was the outstanding character in this movie, to me. Not saying Tom Hardy isn’t an incredible actor, and even considered as one of the most versatile in many aspects in my opinion. But frankly, I could barely make out a single word he said in this film! (A tad Bane-esque) But what matters when movire is stunningly shot like this one where words mean less than action?

Sure, the story plot is thin, but it carries the characteristics of the gritty world of Mad Max I recall from my childhood. Absolutely bizarre characters, strikingly iconic feel of the wasteland where “survival is key”, that sense of uncertainty and our leading man who may or may never come to terms with himself and this apocalyptic world’s… madness!

Heres a photo of Conan as the flamethrower guitarist in a onesie, because this made me laugh hard.

Deadpool is happening!

After waaay too long, they’ve finally released it. Finally.

Thats right, the Deadpool trailer! Amazing? Yes. Ryan Reynolds, the man crush of man crushes with his beautiful, beautiful sarcasm goes hand in hand with the persona that is Wade Winston Wilson / Antihero – Deadpool.

If you haven’t already, you should check out the teaser trailer first; they released it the day before posting this awesome trailer.

…and yes, of course you have to watch the red band trailer:

Well i’m excited, aren’t you?

Marshmallow Post #2: Nightcrawler (Not the X-Men one. The Creepy Jake Gyllenhaal one)

I’m a movie buff and i’ll definitely be watching a lot more movies and reviewing them on my blog. Give me some movies you think I should watch and we can share our thoughts!

YUMMYMARSHMALLOW

As a movie buff, and a loyal fan of the much begrudged ‘Donnie Darko’ starring Jake Gyllenhaal, I have always held a soft spot for Jake. It feels like we’ve grown up together in the least creepy way possible…

Nightcrawler is a thrilling thriller entailing Lou Bloom (Jake, great name btw), an eager man, almost desparately looking for a job. His attitude is calm and collective, utilising his abilities to steal and assault to obtain the things that he wants and pawns them off. When Lou finally dives into a world of nightcrawling (which I soon learn is the occupation of a freelance cameraman rushing to the scenes of gruesome blood and guts to convert into a living), he finally finds his calling. He gets really weird from here on.

A truly outstanding performance from Jake, a dark, humourous and just sheer creepy character who sidesteps all of life’s morals…

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Marshmallow Post #1: Machine Era Wallet in Solid Brass

A post I made earlier this year. I still like this…

YUMMYMARSHMALLOW

Sleek, light, functional and 100% man. The Machine Era Wallet comes in different colours dependant on the type of solid material you select. Detailed to the precision of the engravings, matched with the practicality of it’s simplistic operating snap band elastic band, this wallet is a must have.

Any complaints? Well, if I did have any then I shouldn’t have this wallet then, as I wouldn’t be a man…

http://www.machine-era.com/products/the-machine-era-wallet Photo by: Uncrate

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3D is Overrated

Theres not many things I enjoy more than going to the cinema. The popcorn, hotdogs, nachos and more importantly, the comfy seats. So why is it that for the last decade all our local cinemas have been marred by 3D glasses?

Rewind to 2005. Sure, by the time 3D hit our cinemas, it wasn’t a revolutionary experience. 3D screenings took place before at IMAX theatres or at Disneyland, but the idea of having access to it on all upcoming blockbuster movies was an idea to be lavished at, the introduction would be groundbreaking, notching up our traditional cinema experience to a whole new level. An image of a mid-20th century family surrounding a TV springs to mind, an idea of us humans living in a middle class society having some sort of advertisement trigger and NEEDING what we see other people have.

Unfortunately from time to time (a lot of the time I find), technological expectations come with let downs and 3D was destined to be one of them. I recall my first 3D cinema experience being Harry Potter: Goblet of Fire, prompting viewers by flashing big bold subtitles “PUT ON YOUR 3D GLASSES NOW” across the base of the screen in the remaining 10 minutes of the movie during the epic showdown finale. Impressive. Flashes of lightning bolts shooting out of wand tips towards my face and a tornado of ember flames that I could almost reach out and touch. 10 minutes of excitement was not enough, definitely not enough. I can guarantee it wasn’t worth the money, in fact, it was a complete waste of… however much this “revolutionary” experience was extorting me of my pocket money. Maybe I was still young then, I still held high hopes for 3D and I knew I was going to try it again.

Nowadays we can’t even watch a drama without every local cinema trying to squeeze the pennies out of us by screening only in 3D. Well, living in Hong Kong, there are probably two 2D screenings of blockbuster movies a day; once at 9am on a Saturday morning, preceded by the 12am Sunday morning screening. (Taking into account i’m a working man who works a standard 9-5, 5 day a week job who isn’t quite “radical” enough anymore to mission it to work the next day with less that 4hours sleep). Tragic really, being forced to wear ridiculous thick framed headmounts that strain your eyes whilst watching a 2D movie with 3D texted subtitles. Even at IMAX cinemas, I find that the more impressive movies are best screened in 2D. I swear, the 3D glasses at IMAX cinemas are even more uncomfortable, even kids hate them. So why do we still have these eye exhausting necessities that people aren’t really enjoying? For the sake of enjoyment, will nobody really stand up and just say:

“Hey! how about releasing some worthwhile 3D movies or just stop releasing them altogether”

Maybe its just me and maybe i’m the only guy who thinks this. I might sound like i’m hating, but don’t get me wrong, some movies were made for the 3D experience. Avatar by James Cameron IS a 3D movie and should be watched in 3D to gain the ultimate experience. But then there are many movies you go into watching (mostly superhero action movies by Marvel) which are filmed in such a high quality that there really isn’t any need for the post-production conversion to 3D. Whether this is forced upon the directors or not, I am unsure, but I believe 3D can also have negative effects on the intended outcome of visual effects. So is it possible to have that clear divide between 3D intended movies and 2D only movies? Or must this market be a cash cow that milks us audience because nothing is really ever going to stop us from going to the cinema?

Which brings me on to 3D TVs, costing buyers 25% more than your normal TVs accompanied by equally stupid specs (some even requiring batteries). I don’t watch much TV, but i’m almost certain that there aren’t many programmes filmed for 3D. I can’t even justify the reason why people want to buy one unless they have that kind of money and rather watch their movies on DVD or something. I dunno. Its a luxury technology and not even that luxurious, that people want for the novelty, I guess.

So it makes me wonder, whats next. We already have D-Box, which like the 3D “experience” lasts for roughly 5 minutes before the novelty wears off and your eyes (or body adjusts) whilst watching the movie. Being dangled upside down from the ceilings? Occulus Rift? Perhaps this may appeal to people, but that sad fact is that at this present moment, we’re GIVEN 3D at cinemas and its not really much of a choice anymore…

Let me know what you think in the comments section below.