PODCAST: Film Focus Episode 50 – Tomb Raider Review

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, as some of you may have seen, in 2016 I started a film podcast entitled Film Focus and on this podcast, I talk about various topics in film and reviews as well on a biweekly basis. And the latest episode is a review of the latest video game film, Tomb Raider.

Anyway here’s the episode 50:

I’ve done already done my written review for Tomb Raider, however, as usual, there’s always more for me to say beyond my written material. I basically expand upon my thoughts in terms of what I like and what I don’t, and more specifically how the film relates to the game and what it gets right and what it doesn’t. It was also a fun episode to do because it was my 50th episode so I do get a little crazy at points, but hopefully, that won’t make you want to turn the episode off haha. 😛

As I mentioned before I’ll cover a different topic or review in each episode and since I don’t have much in the way of listeners or promotion, I’m here to spread the word about my podcast. 🙂

You can find my main site on Soundcloud here: https://soundcloud.com/film_focus

Or if you’re on iTunes subscribe and rate me on there: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/film-focus/id1114233892?mt=2

So if you have some spare time on your hands and would like to listen to the ramblings of a passionate/strange man then please check it out, and share it with your friends if they are fans of film discussion. Also, you have any feedback or if you’d be interested in joining in future episodes be sure to let me know, until next time, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: Tomb Raider

Howdy ladies and gents, time for a new film review and today I’m going to talk about the latest video game film, Tomb Raider. Now I could say a lot about this film but I will attempt to keep things brief this time around. So Tomb Raider, where to start? Well firstly let’s just get some background info out of the way:

1. I never watched the Angelina Jolie films because I didn’t have the interest at the time.
2. I also never really played any of the Tomb Raider games until last year when I played the 2013 reboot game.
3. The marketing didn’t do much to convince me that the film would be worth watching. However, I wanted to remain optimistic because the film was based on strong source material.

So with all that out of the way what did I think of the film? It was fine, but it won’t break the video game film curse.

The story in the film involves a young woman by the name of Lara Croft who goes on a trek to discover what happened to her father who went missing years ago and uncover the mysteries surrounding his research. What follows is a journey of action, danger, self-discovery and interesting revelations. What I applaud the people behind the film for is taking so much of the 2013 game and incorporating into this film. The basic elements of the story, key locations and action set pieces were lifted from the game, and while a great deal was changed and streamlined, some of it was effective and I appreciated how much of that content was put into the film… That being said, the film features so many of the basic and cliché elements that made these big budget action-adventure films so average to watch. The story plays out almost exactly as you’d expect with certain twists and reveals you could see coming a mile away, the dialogue can be so cheesy and dull at times, and while some of the humour works, some of it really cringeworthy and there was one scene in the first trailer I prayed wouldn’t make it into the final film and just near the end it showed up and I was very sad haha. 😛 I’m only harsh on the story because the game had such a great foundation to jump off from and while there was only so much time available, certain story and character elements were needlessly omitted or changed resulting in a story that had less of dramatic and emotional resonance.

As for the cast they did their jobs well enough but none of the characters was all that unique or memorable beyond the main character. Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft was fine, she played the stubborn, smart and physically capable girl with issues relating to her past, she’s a fine enough hero with a great body and can handle herself in tough situations, but she doesn’t have that “je ne sais quoi” that makes a protagonist endearing. Dominic West as Lord Richard Croft was decent, though I wasn’t keen on how his character was handled in the story. Daniel Wu as Lu Ren was fine, I wasn’t sure how he’d fit into the overall narrative but it was revealed in a logical manner and I liked his character, but I thought Wu was underutilized considering his good work on Into the Badlands. Kristin Scott Thomas as Ana Miller was fine, and Walton Goggins as Mathias Vogel was okay as the bad guy, he did what he could with the material he was given, but it wasn’t a captivating or memorable villain, unfortunately. From a presentation point of view, the film has pros and cons. Visually, for the most part, the film looks good, most the visual effects are solid (safe for some questionable CGI and green screen), some of the action sequences were cool especially with the chase scenes, and like I said before, seeing several of the set pieces from the game implemented into this film did make me grin. And the film score by Tom Holkenborg was a little lacking in presence and didn’t do much to elevate the action on-screen.

So to conclude, I think most people reading this may think I hate the film but that is not the case. Tomb Raider a is a fine yet unremarkable film. I think there will be varying opinions about this film from fans of the games and those who are not. It does some things well and Alicia Vikander did a pretty good job in the main role, but alas the film’s story, action and characters are very plain and generic, and I think that there was so much material from the game that could have been adapted much better. Anyway, if you’re curious about this film give it a watch, it wasn’t as inconsistent as Warcraft and nowhere near as boring as Assassin’s Creed, but this isn’t the film to usher in the new era of video game films, nuff said.

So have you seen Tomb Raider and if so what did you think of it? Drop me your thoughts in the comment section below and I’ll see you in the next review, so until the next time, laters! 😀

 

QUICK REVIEW: Jason Bourne

Howdy people, hypersonic55 back with another review and today I get to talk about Jason Bourne, the eagerly anticipated sequel to the 2007 film; The Bourne Ultimatum. Now I’ve been hyped yet cautious about this film since it was announced a few years ago, but the duo of Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon gave me hope. So after seeing the film I’m ready to pass judgement!

The plot for the film can be described as the following:

“A decade after his disappearance at the conclusion of The Bourne Ultimatum, Jason Bourne unexpectedly resurfaces at a time when the world is faced with unprecedented instability. At the same time, a new program, Operation Ironhand, has been created to hunt him down while he is still trying to find all the answers to his past.”

What I liked about the story was the following:

1. It was tonally consistent with the previous films
2. It felt relevant to modern times
3. It gave Bourne a reason to come out of hiding and go on the hunt
4. The world felt expanded and was layered when it came to history of Bourne and his ties to the CIA

I will admit that story took a little while to get going and didn’t have the immediate hook that I wanted, however after a key moment early on things shifted into gear and got interesting. From there the film went deep into the history of this film series, yet still presented new issues, conspiracies and dangers that relate Bourne, the CIA and the use of modern technology and privacy. There was a sense of realism, grittiness, intimacy and pressure involved, but what this film really did well was make things personal, not only for Bourne, but for the people he interacted with as well, this added a level of drama necessary for you to care about the characters and stakes involved. It has to be mentioned that this film’s tale isn’t as unique or engaging as the previous films, however if you just want to see more of the same then you’ll be fine.

As for the cast they were all very good. Firstly there’s Matt Damon who returned to great effect as Jason Bourne, the cool thing about Bourne in this film is that he’s off the grid, but still haunted by his past and once he gets involved with Nicky and starts to discover more mysterious behind his past made for some really cool and suspenseful material. Damon felt like he never left this role as was able to be calm and collected, badass and emotionally engaging. Alicia Vikander was the next most interesting character as Heather Lee, as a CIA agent her character was very smart, resourceful and knew how to strategize to sort out the situations she faced. I didn’t expect Vikander to be as involved and as important as she was, but it was a welcome surprise and I actually liked her a lot. Tommy Lee Jones was also good as director of the CIA, Robert Dewey, this guy had an interesting part to play in this film being very self-aware, aggressive, cautious and calculated when it came to his actions with Bourne and the secret operations within the CIA. Vincent Cassel as the Asset was very enjoyable, besides being a badass assassin, he was also driven, cold and ruthless and I liked that Cassel brought a sense of energy and urgency to this character. Also seeing Julia Stiles again as Nicolette “Nicky” Parsons, it was great to see that even after she went into hiding that she was still looking into the past for information and had Bourne’s interests at heart. And finally Riz Ahmed was nice as Aaron Kalloor, his character was very charismatic, likeable and interesting in this role.

Presentation-wise this film was pretty solid. Visually this film was great with wonderful cinematography, and awesome action sequences whether it was the insanely sweet car chases or the well-choreographed fight scenes, the visual style and flair of this series was on-point. Oh and the film score by John Powell and David Buckley was lovely, very energetic, emotional and amplified the action on-screen and brought back the familiar themes that came with the previous films.

In the end Jason Bourne was just what I wanted it to be, a kick ass action thriller that was intriguing, intense and badass. While not as good as the previous three films,  I still had a hell of good time with this film and I recommend it highly.

Rating: 8/10

So are you planning to see Jason Bourne and if you’ve seen it what did you think of it? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments below and I’ll see you on the next review, laters! 😀

 

My Thoughts on the Oscars 2016

Howdy people of the world, today is the day after the Oscars has come and gone so I feel like voicing my opinion about the whole thing in a brief manner because why not? 😀

I said to myself that I wasn’t going to watch the Oscars this year, I wasn’t that invested in most of these films and felt like it wouldn’t be worth my time, but believe that when the time for the Oscars started rolling in around 1:30am over here in the UK I was totally got online to watch it, and while I didn’t see everything, it was certainly a good session.

From what I remembered it was a good watch, unlike a lot of the recent Oscars, this one felt fairly swift, award speeches, sketches and videos were keep short and the overall show didn’t drag and that was great. Chris Rock I also believe was a great host, the dude was super charismatic, charming, funny and everything you’d expect, but most importantly he was able to ride the line between being hilarious but also addressing the more serious issues in relation to the controversy involving the lack in diversity when it came to the nominated films and actors. I also really enjoyed the comedy sketches that he did especially the parody of The Martian and Joy, and the point where he asked several black people about the Oscar-nominated films really highlighted how out of touch the average/casual film goer is especially when it comes to people who’re black. I also really liked seeing Chadwick Boseman and Chris Evans together (yeah I’m hyped for Civil War :D), Daisy Ridley and Dev Patel, oh and Louis C.K. he was so hilarious especially his line about Mad Max winning another award. And I also have to show love for Kevin Hart, once again he was not only funny, but he also handled the “Oscars so White” situation well with the appropriate amount of seriousness and positivity as well, that man knows what’s up. But one of the best moments for me was the appearance C-3PO, R2-D2 and BB-8 taking to the stage, it may have been a throwaway scenes for some, but considering my love for Star Wars it was great to see these lot together.

As for the award winners I was happy with most of them, but some stood out more than others. Here’s the main winners I was happy about was:

• Leonardo DiCaprio Winning Best Actor: This was it, this was the main award I was looking forward to, I really wanted to Leo to win this because the dude’s fought so hard over the last few years and after all that madness he went through acting on The Revenant this had to be his time, and it felt like a victory not only for him but for all of his fans too. I really liked his speech, he seemed so grateful and gracious and his speech while a little long, it was important and needed to be said.
• Brie Larson Wins Best Actress: After I saw Room I knew this girl was my first choice for best actress and I just hoped the academy would see sense and give her the Oscar and luckily that came to pass. Larson’s speech was perfect as it was short and yet acknowledge a great deal of people.
• Ex Machina Wins Visual Effects: This was the biggest surprise, of all the awards this could be one of my favourite outcomes. I seriously thought this film had no chance considering the titans it was up against (Star Wars, Mad Max, The Martian), but it really did show that the academy appreciated the most subtle and unique approaches to visual effects, and Ex Machina had some of the finest realism applied to robots in the longest time.
• Alicia Vikander Wins Best Supporting Actress: While I still haven’t seen The Danish Girl, I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about her performance in that film and I’m glad that she got the award.

The full list of winners can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/29/movies/oscar-winners.html?_r=0

The only award I was gutted about was Best Supporting Actor, I would have loved for Mark Ruffalo, Tom Hardy or Sly Stallone to win, however, it went to Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies, and while Rylance was good in the film, I don’t think he was really as emotionally engaging as the other actors I mentioned. I really wanted Ruffalo or Stallone to win considering how amazing their performances were, but alas it wasn’t to be. Oh and I guess I should be happy about Mad Max: Fury Road getting so many awards, 6 in total including the technical ones, though I was gutted to see that The Force Awakens got nothing though.

In conclusion the 2016 Oscars was a good turn out, I was happy for most of the winners including Leo DiCaprio and Brie Larson and with the awareness of the lack of diversity this year I can only hope that things will improve when the awards season swing around next year.

So what do you think of this year’s Oscars? Did these films deserve to win or not? If you watched it this year did it live up to your expectations or were you disappointed? Leave your comments below and I’ll catch ya later. 😀

 

SIMPLE REVIEW: Ex Machina (SPOILER FREE)

Howdy ladies and gents, time for a fresh film review and today I’ll be talking about Ex Machina. This is a film I only found out about around a month ago because of the posters showing at my local cinema, but it was after I saw the trailer and heard Oscar Issac was in the film when my interest got raised. Recently there’s been a lot of praise about this film, is it warranted? Well read on and find out in this condensed review!

The story for this film can be described as the following:

“A young programmer is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I.”

This is a thriller mixed in with science fiction and it is a wonderfully done in a story that is familiar, yet unique, intriguing and unsettling. What I loved was the fact that from the beginning  there was something in the air that felt off. There was a creepy atmosphere with great deal of tension and suspense. The film gets you to look at every detail and consider the possibility from the perspective of each of the characters and then it becomes a game to find out who is telling the truth and who is full of shit. As the film progresses and certain aspects come to light things get very dark, disturbing and different very quickly, and while I suspected some of the story elements that came to pass, there were certainly unexpected aspects that I did not see coming which was great. For all its dark elements they are moments of humour and there is one sequence which was one of the best things I have experienced in any film in a while.

When it comes to the cast they are all incredible. Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb is awesome as this young man who comes into interaction with Nathan and Ava and has a life-changing experience getting to know them. Caleb is bright and intelligent, but is also fascinated by Ava and questions what Nathan’s intentions are. Gleeson is an actor I’ve grown to like since his days in Harry Potter and here is so calm, cool and dramatic. Oscar Isaac as Nathan what a great performance. Nathan is a man with ambition, he’s smart, confident and charming, however he is also uncompromising and mysterious. Isaac delivers what could be his best performance to date, he goes from being laid back to funny to intimidating and everything in between and he handles the role with such charisma that he is hard to take your eyes off of him. Alicia Vikander as Ava is fabulous, Ava is the AI created by Nathan and stays within a specific area of his house. She’s super smart, but is also curious about the outside world and gaining human interaction. Vikander is incredible, she walks the line perfectly between being robotic and being human, whether it be the way she talks or walks has just enough humanity to be realistic.

In addition to that the presentation was lovely. Visually the film was beautiful with a good use of colour, great shots of the outdoors and the CGI was very stylish and realistic. And the soundtrack by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow is cool and adds the atmospheric and creepy nature of the film.

In the end Ex Machina is a smart, chilling and well-executed and it is one of my favourite films in recent history to deal with artificial intelligence and how it interacts with humans. I highly recommend this film, the story is great and the performances from the three main cast members is brilliant.

Rating: 8.5/10

So have you seen Ex Machina and if so what do you think of it?  Whatever your thoughts are be sure to drop them in the comments below and I’ll see you on the next review yo! 😀