The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

   I have been looking forward to this film for so long. Literally the second The Dark Knight (2008) finished, I was ready for the next film. After four years of anticipation, I am so glad it lived up to my expectations. It was great. I personally think it's the best film of 2012 so far, in a year that has been so good for big blockbusters - Marvel's Avengers Assemble, The Muppets, The Hunger Games etc.
   Despite the opening weekend being marred by the shootings in Aurora, The Dark Knight Rises grossed approximately $162M in North America - a few million dollars shy of the estimate takings, but still a promising start to a healthy return for the studio - after investing $400M on the film's production and marketing.
   So, moving on to the film itself - I thought it was fantastic. I could've quite happily have re-watched it, immediately after. There was not one aspect of the film that I thought lacked in quality. The acting, the effects, the storyline itself were all impeccable, in my opinion. Sure, the storyline was a traditional 'City in trouble, Superhero saves the day' plot, but that's what it should be.
   Nolan as a director was fantastic yet again, he really made the film distinguishable as his. It retained the darkness yet polished style the other two films in the Batman trilogy, also a style that I felt carried through to Inception (2010). Dark Knight Rises, had certain 'wow' shots, particularly the scene in the football stadium - I felt the film got the balance right between C.G.I and real footage, it wasn't over the top like in say, Transformers or other non-stop-action blockbusters. It's also worth mentioning that not only did Nolan direct the film, he also produced the film and co-wrote the screenplay.

Bane (Hardy) and Batman (Bale) get ready to fight in the City's sewers.

   The acting was incredible, Tom Hardy was astonishing as his role as Bane. I personally think that Hardy was as strong as Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight, but I'm not sure many will agree with me. They were two very different roles, but I think Hardy excelled as Bane. The physical aspect of the role, in my opinion gave another dimension to the villain. Whereas the Joker was more psychological, which worked well and Ledger deserved all the praise he got - but I personally felt that Bane was a more straightforward, traditional villain, and I felt it worked well.
   The entire cast was great as an ensemble, Michael Caine proved that even at 79 years of age, he's still a fantastic actor - reprising his role as Alfred. Anne Hathaway was stunning as Catwoman as well, much better than Halle Berry was in the 2004 film, and much more attractive as well - I'm sure every red-blooded male watching the film enjoyed seeing Hathaway in leather, bent over Batman's motorcycle. I am actually struggling to pin-point single actor/actresses in the film, as the entire cast was spot on - Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox and Christian Bale as Batman himself, were all fantastic and looked comfortable in the roles they had made their own in the previous two installments. The last person I will mention is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I personally thought was fantastic in both 500 Days of Summer (2009) and when he worked in Nolan's Inception (2010). Despite not having a huge role to play in the film, he still didn't look out of place in a cast of big stars.

      Anne Hathaway as the leather-clad Catwoman      

   Storyline wise, as I said earlier, it was predictable - yet the plot twists weren't always so apparent. The ending itself will have many people in gasps of shock, especially Gordon-Levitt's final scene - which has the audience wondering of a possible fourth film in the series, if not more.
The final fight scene between Bane and Batman was probably my favourite part of the film, I felt that it epitomised the fight between good and evil - with Batman fighting side by side with the police of Gotham City, as he tries to save the civilians. It showed that despite some of the ups and downs in the trilogy, such as when the Batman is blamed for Harvey Dent's death, the people of Gotham know he's a hero and a good guy after all. There's also an emotional Alfred scene or two which I thought were great, Caine's acting as Alfred is flawless and he really connects with the audience, despite not being in the film the whole way through. I am struggling to find a word to describe his acting in the Batman films, other than 'cute'. To see how much he cares about Bruce Wayne provokes quite an emotional response from the audience.
   All in all, I thought the film was fantastic, I seriously suggest that you go see this film. If it wasn't for The Hobbit's release due in December of this year, I would already say that no other film will be as good as this in 2012. The acting, the plot twists, the camera work, it's all fantastic. I would, however, suggest watching (or re-watching) the other two films in the trilogy, to truly get the most out of The Dark Knight Rises, as there are certain aspects of the film which would be better understood if the rest of the trilogy was fresh in your memory. A great job by Christopher Nolan and a great way to wrap up the trilogy (or set up another film?). I loved this film. 10/10.

 All pictures used are © Warner Bros Pictures

The Five-Year Engagement (2012)

   I saw this a few weeks ago, but have been soaking up the sun in Rome and genuinely so busy, I haven't had a chance to finish writing my review on it! The film is a typical Rom-com, centered around the relationship between Tom Solomon (Jason Segel) and Violet Barnes (Emily Blunt). The film follows the relationship and the many ups and downs that get in the way, preventing the couple from tying the knot. The film has had a successful box-office run in the States and had a strong opening weekend, knocking Sci-Fi Prometheus of the top UK box office spot.
   I personally enjoyed the film, it had enough up and down moments to be enjoyable, yet maintained the usual basis and structure of a romantic comedy. There are bits that are very predictable and almost exhausted genre conventions, but these are to be expected in any modern rom-com to be honest.
   Super Segel excelled again for me, as I said in my review of The Muppets, I am yet to find a film where he isn't likeable. There are points in this film where he seems to stray from this 'nice-guy' act but it's fairly obvious he's not going to stick to some of the plans he's contemplating. To be honest, even at the points where the character is considering certain things (It's very hard to word this without giving away, literally the entire plot) you feel a sort of empathy towards him and an understanding of why he's feeling like he is, as he's been pushed by Violet.
   The acting on a whole was very good, Emily Blunt was fantastic as Violet. Cute and quirky when she needed to be, but then serious when the storyline needed her to be. As a character though, I felt that Zoe was selfish - Blunt portrayed this well, but it made me dislike the character somewhat.

Winston Childs (Ifans) looking smug in his turtleneck.
© Universal Pictures

   The film also starred the familiar Rhys Ifans, as Winton Childs - a flirty, professor with a 'thing' for Violet. Ifans plays the part well, coming across as smug and condescending. I really took a strong dislike to Winston, which I feel made me side with Segel's character Tom more. As Winston and Violet are getting closer and closer, poor Tom is watching from the sidelines as the creepy professor is flirting with his fiance - all this comes after Tom has literally uprooted his life so Violet can pursue her own ambitions at University. This is why I feel, as nice as the character of Violet is in parts of the film, the audience will tend to side with Tom for the most part.
   There are a few laugh-out-loud scenes, mainly provided by Tom's best friend Alex (Chris Pratt) who reminds me of actor Seann William Scott (Stifler - American Pie etc.) with his down to Earth personality and straight to the point crudeness - such as in the 'girlfriend song' at Zoe and Tom's engagement party. Segel is also responsible for some of the funnier moments too, a personal favourite is after an argument between Zoe and Tom, where Tom throws a sulk afterwards.
   The film builds to a cute finale that has the audience smiling at the end. Like a predictable romantic comedy, things all work out for the best in the end. It's certainly an enjoyable film, and easy to watch. It's not the kind of film to watch with any high expectations, and if I'm honest the entire film is condensed into less than three minutes in the trailer. It's sort of apparent after watching the trailer post-film that literally all the funny parts are in there somewhere - as well as any plot twists. If you're going to see it, try and avoid the trailer.
   All in all, not bad for a rom-com, but nothing spectacular either. Worth a watch - 6/10.

Red Lights (2012)

   The film I went to see this week was Red Lights, a film based on the paranormal and the 'magic' behind psychics. The film stars Sigourney Weaver as psychologist Margaret Matheson and Cillian Murphy as her assistant Tom Buckley.
    Matheson and Buckley are both eager to prove to the world that psychic powers are all myth and that psychics are essentially, con-men. Matheson believes that everything can be explained by science, something which has a heavy emphasis on the film from the start. This theory proves correct as Matheson and her partner foil several fraudulent psychics, healers and ghost hunters - until they are put up against the famous Simon Silver.
   Silver (Robert De Niro) is a famous psychic who has recently come out of retirement, who has a particularly dangerous past, after strange circumstances surround the death of his biggest critic. Even though Matheson warns Buckley not to mess with Silver, Buckley defies her and pursues the psychic regardless. 
   Straight away, I will tell you that this film is a waste of time. When I saw that the film starred De Niro, I expected it to have been of a certain quality - which it was not. Don't get me wrong, it was certainly watchable, I didn't despise the film and at no point did I consider walking out of the cinema, but it was a poor effort as far as the storyline was concerned, in my opinion. The ending in particular, I felt was almost rushed and sort of 'Hey, we've run out of ideas but we need to finish this film, so.. whatever, eh?'.
   The acting wasn't bad at all though, I cannot fault that. Certainly not one of De Niro's best, but still aside from the ending he produced a good enough performance and could not be faulted. I also felt Sigourney Weaver was fantastic throughout, despite not being in it till the end (abruptly and unnecessarily being kicked out of the storyline, may I add). She was probably in my opinion the best thing about the film, but there wasn't much to chose from really. Also, Cillian Murphy - an actor I wasn't too familiar with other than Inception and Batman Begins, was good enough to hold the role he was given, and didn't seem out of place alongside Weaver and De Niro.

Murphy as assistant Tom Buckley 
© Nostromo Pictures

    The ending was the real trainwreck of this film. I can't say much without giving away the ending, which would then render the other hour and a half of the film useless but, what a moronic plot twist. The ending really does make you feel like you've just wasted your time. The film leads you in one direction for 90 minutes, before going the complete other way. It's frustrating to say the least.  
    Camerawork and cinematography wise the film wasn't too bad either, there was several 'jumpy' bits which made you feel like you were in a cheesy horror film, but credit to the director Rodrigo Cortés, the tension was built up in an admiral fashion, and wasn't just scare after scare like most films of that genre.
   All in all, the film was poor. There were certain scenes where the film portrayed itself as intelligent, but these scenes were rare, and hard to find amongst scenes of nonsense and just pure dullness. The concept for the film itself isn't fantastic, there are obvious errors and noticeable plot flaws which make even the most incompetent of viewers could work out. Even De Niro couldn't rescue this one. Worth a watch if it's on television, or in a bargain DVD sale, but don't waste your money on watching it at the big screen. 4/10

Out on DVD & Blu-ray this Week: The Muppets (2012)

Released on DVD and Blu-ray this Monday was heartwarming family film The Muppets. After a successful run at the box office, taking over £17 Million in the United Kingdom alone, The Muppets will most likely top DVD charts as well by the end of the week. The family film is centered around Walter (A very manly muppet) helping The Muppets to save Muppet Studios from being demolished by an oil baron, by hosting one last show.
   This truly is my favourite film of 2012 so far. From start to finish, The Muppets had me smiling, laughing and tapping my foot to the catchy tunes. It really is great. The film stars Jason Segel, as Walter's older brother Gary, who is probably most recognisable as Marshall from American sitcom How I Met Your Mother. I fail to find a film or TV program where Segel doesn't come across as a nice guy, he is instantly likeable. In my opinion, he is one of the main factors to the films success, from his upbeat performance in the first song 'Life's a Happy Song' through to the dramatic, man/muppet realisation halfway through, where Gary and Walter are debating their role in life (note- it really isn't as deep as I've made it sound, it's a family film after all).
   Although I feel Segel stole the show as far as acting was concerned, it would be rude to not give any credit to the rest of the cast. Amy Adams, like Segel, has a seemingly bubbly personality and this is evident thoughout  the film. Adams' character Mary equally shares the limelight with Walter and Gary, and has her own song in which she is displaying her independence after being ignored whilst Gary and Walter help Kermit and the gang repair the studio.
   Another actor to metion would be Chris Cooper as well, his portrayal of oil baron Tex Richman was that of a classic pantomime villain, and the character's hilarious hip-hop style rap makes him a sort-of likeable at least.

© Walt Disney Studios

   Another key point to mention is the soundtrack, Bret McKenzie (of Flight of The Conchords) has writing credits on five of the songs - arguably most of the best ones. From the opener 'Life's a Happy Song' to the embarrassingly catchy 'Me Party' the soundtrack is fantastic and is sure to bring a smile to even the moodiest of faces.
The storyline itself is predictable, but enjoyable. The characters even make fun of it's predictability throughout the film, with several references to obvious plot twists becoming apparent.
   Finally, something I personally feel added to the film was its extensive amount of cameo appearances. The film boasts several Hollywood stars who make an appearance at one point or another. Jack Black is featured throughout, which could make him considered as a main cast member, however I would consider it a glorified cameo at best. If I'm completely honest, I really dislike Jack Black as an actor (and musician) but I found him tolerable in The Muppets, I probably even found some of his parts funny, really. His inclusion in the film didn't make me enjoy it any less, put it that way. Some of the more notable cameos in the film were that of Jim Parsons; Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, who features as the human version of Walter, and Zach Galifianakis as Hobo King, 'Hobo Joe'.
   All in all, I really did enjoy the film, it was fantastic. No matter what age you are, I seriously doubt you will dislike this film. 8/10

Prometheus (2012)

   My first review on this blog is of Prometheus, the Sci-Fi thriller directed by Ridley Scott. The film has had an extremely successful first weekend in the box office, taking £6.24 million in the UK, add in takings from the added bank holidays as well and the figure rises to £9.92 million (more than any of the original Alien trilogy's total gross).
   The film focuses on a group of scientists exploring an Alien planet, in hope of finding answers in regards to the early existence of mankind. As well as this there are a few gory death scenes and a particularly gruesome self-abortion. 
   If I'm honest, I didn't find the film very interesting. I have seen the Alien films before, and enjoyed them, but I felt that this was very loosely connected to the original films. It answered a few questions here and there but aside from that I felt the film was more stand-alone than a prequel.
   I feel this is quite a bad film to start the blog on, as even though it was an enjoyable film, I don't feel I can write an interesting review on it. Story wise, I feel the film was dull and the first hour or so quite prolonged but visually it was stunning. The camera work and CGI was fantastic throughout. The aforementioned self-abortion scene was a highlight visually, no matter how disturbing it was to watch. Yet the storyline just lacked something. It wasn't the gory, gruesome storyline I expected, it was more an hour and a half of build up for a lackluster few minutes of violence. The story doesn't really produce much drama, I felt like it was intended to evoke thoughts of life outside of the Earth and all it really succeeded in doing was relying on predictable conventions of the genre.
   The film starred Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw, who despite a fantastic performance, I felt she didn't have quite the same presence as Sigourney Weaver did in the earlier Alien films. Rapace lives up to the role though, and Shaw's naivety turns her in to an unexpected heroine and the most resilient of the team, battling with the Aliens right through to the end of the film.
   My personal favourite performance of the film has to go to Michael Fassbender as the android, David. Right from his introduction into the film, the character's emotionless personality cleverly has you wondering what his mentality is and at times makes you doubt what his motives are.

Fassbender as David.
© 20th Century Fox 

   All in all, I felt Prometheus was an enjoyable film to watch - sort of. If I had gone to the cinema with hopes of many ties to the original Alien films, I would've left disappointed - as they were few and far between however I did feel that the film worked as a stand alone project and it's affiliation with Alien wasn't really necessary. The first third of the film was too drawn out, and dull in parts. There are a few moments of comic relief, such as Charlize Theron and Idris Elba's flirting scene in the ships control room, but the film left me feeling a bit dreary and unsatisfied afterwards.
  Definitely worth watching, but despite it's stunning visuals, Prometheus is an empty shell. 6/10