PODCAST: Film Focus Episode 53 – Avengers: Infinity War Spoiler Discussion

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 spoiler-heavy discussion on Avengers: Infinity War.

Anyway here’s the episode 53:

I’ve done already done my posted my original review, however, unlike most reviews I do there is a written and audio-based review. But I felt that because Infinity War would be a film I would be naturally excited about, I wanted to make my main review audio-related so that you all could understand my feelings towards the film in its purest form. And I also had so much fun recording with Drew that I felt like a written review would come across a bit redundant. However, that recording wasn’t the only episode recorded, as we also did a spoiler-based discussion talking about all of the major talking points from Thanos to the funniest scenes and character interactions to the character deaths and what the end of this film could mean for the MCU going forward.

Now I actually dropped this episode online last week, but because of timing issues I didn’t share it on my blog, plus I feel like a fortnight is plenty of time to wait before busting out the juicy spoilers haha. So yeah if you’re curious to hear the fun, interesting and fun thoughts on Infinity War from Drew and I then you’re in the right place. It was one of my favourite episodes of the podcast so far! 😀

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! 😀

 

Avengers: Infinity War Spoiler-Free Review

Howdy ladies and gents of the internet, how is it going? So yeah this review is up a little later than I had wanted but let’s just say I had a hella busy weekend, but putting that aside, I am finally here to share with you my thoughts on the latest Marvel Studios, Avengers: Infinity War! Now I did consider doing a written review, but I feel like my podcast would be able to better describe my feeling about the film in a more vivid and raw manner. So my review will be presented via my podcast Film Focus and features a returning guest, my homie Drew from Drew’s Movie Reviews.

Anyway here’s the episode 52:

Now I will admit this review was largely unscripted and since we were trying to avoid spoilers, there is a fair amount of vagueness to our comments, that being said we do cover a good deal of material in the story, character and presentation departments highlighting the highs and lows of the film, and generally just gushing about how much we liked the film haha. It is a good listen and I hope that you’ll enjoy the episode because I know Drew and I had a lot of fun making the episode. 😀

If you haven’t checked out my podcast before you can find it here: https://soundcloud.com/film_focus

So have you seen Infinity War and if so what did you think of it? Did it meet or exceed your expectations? OR were you disappointed? Drop your thoughts in the comments section below and I’ll see ya in the next review, until next time, laters! 😀

 

EPIC REVIEW: Captain America: Civil War (Spoiler-Free!)

Howdy people of the internet, so after waiting two painstakingly long days to get back to my laptop I’m here to give you my review of Captain America: Civil War. I’ve seen the film twice in IMAX (once at the midnight screening and again on the same afternoon) and I’ve had a lot of thoughts in my head about this film, and a lot of it is spoiler-based, but I’m going to try my hardest to be as vague and spoiler-free as possible. Alrighty then, let’s begin. 🙂

So the story can be described as the following:

“After another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to enlist the services of the team.”

What should be clarified straight away is that Civil War is definitely Captain America 3 first and foremost, as the story furthers what we learnt in The Winter Soldier, but it also acknowledges the larger world of the MCU by introducing most of the main heroes so far, but also adding new characters and stories in this film. What I loved more so than anything else was that there was drama, real drama and it was material that was raw, emotional and effective. This is easily the most layered and emotional film in the MCU to date dealing with the themes of freedom, accountability, revenge and friendship being handled in a realistic and captivating manner. Not only do get to see Captain America try his best to keep his best friend safe, and butt heads with Iron Man with their different ideologies, but also see our heroes weigh out the pros and cons of their actions, pick sides based on their beliefs and clash. It was not only interesting, it was also complicated morally and ethically too. You’re given both sides of the argument and luckily both sides are effective at what they’re trying to convey, you’ll probably be conflicted during and after the film ends as well. If I have any issues with the story it was probably just a few changes in some of the character motivations which would have elevated the film a little more, but I have to hand it to the writers and the Russo brothers for juggling so much material and making it work in a coherent and stylish manner.

With the cast they were all brilliant, and while some stood out more than others, everyone has a reason to be in the film and have their moments to shine and some of the best moments in the film are just with characters talking and interacting. Firstly there’s Chris Evans who was brilliant as Steve Rogers/Captain America, he’s a faced with difficult choices, and yet found a way to be just as heroic, charismatic and true to his beliefs while also being a leader and friend to his allies. Robert Downey Jr. killed it as Tony Stark/Iron Man, just when I thought I’d seen everything from this character, we find out there’s still more to learn. In this film Stark was very still very humours, but also passionate, vulnerable and driven and while he seemed like the bad guy, at the same time you understood his viewpoint. Scarlett Johansson  was wonderful as Black Widow, it was cool to see her character more in line with The Winter Soldier version where she was intelligent,logical and showed off her skill set on and off of the battlefield. Sebastian Stan also did well as Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier continuing to be an interesting and tragic character with good ties to Steve Rogers, and speaking of ties to Steve, Anthony Mackie also did a great job as The Falcon, their bond continued to grow and get tested with the appearance of Bucky and I liked how funny Falcon continues to be.

Oh and Black Panther, dear god, he was brilliant! Chadwick Boseman was everything I wanted him to be and everything, as T’Challa/Black Panther he was intelligent, driven, honourable, tenacious and when he threw down, damn! He was insanely athletic, flexible and animal-like and I adored his treatment in this film. Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen as The Vision and Scarlet Witch were brilliant, I love how they had developed a grew since Age of Ultron, but found new hurdles and personal issues to fight through, Vision continued to have a lot of funny and thought-provoking dialogue, while Scarlet Witch had a good few light-hearted and dramatic moments that developed her character in great ways. Jeremy Renner looked like was having a great time as Hawkeye and I really enjoyed his scenes, the same could also be said for Paul Rudd and Don Cheadle as Ant-Man and War Machine, both of them bring back what you loved about their characters and have great moments in the film.

William Hurt’s performance as Thunderbolt Ross was also great, he’s changed a great deal since The Incredible Hulk, but I really enjoyed his role as the government official attempting to keep the Avengers in check. It was great to see more of Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter as she had more to do and had a good few memorable moments in the film, and Martin Freeman as Everett K. Ross was delightful and tough and I’m sure we haven’t seen the last from him, and the return of Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow/Crossbones while brief was really cool. Daniel Brühl as Baron Helmut Zemo was interesting, while he’s not utilized in a conventional way and won’t please fans of the comics, I thought his role was very smart, though I believe the film would have worked without him. And finally Tom Holland as Spider-Man, holy crap! Marvel Studios nailed it! If you’re like me you’ve seen Spidey done five times and he’s been done well in certain areas but not completely comic book accurate. But here he’s the most accurate Spider-Man the to date with right balance of action and humour. He’s introduced in a logical and natural way, and seeing Holland as Peter Parker inside and out of the suit was delightful as he felt so fresh different to the actors who’ve come before him.

When it comes to the presentation it was pretty solid. Visually the film is very nice, the cinematography is great with some wonderfully shot action sequences, good editing and wonderful CGI. The fight scenes are some of the best in the MCU so far with really creative, acrobatic and versatile action for everyone involved whether they be superpowered or not, and there’s the much-talked about epic fight sequence in the airport which for me was one of the most beautiful fanboy moments I’ve ever seen. It was like a comic book come to life in the best way possible. However I will say for everything I liked, I will say that the shaky cam in some of the fight scenes was a little chaotic, and the visual effects in certain parts of the film felt a little lacking in detail and didn’t mesh as well with the live-action footage, but those are nitpicks for sure. As for the film score, Henry Jackman returns to compose and his score definitely feels in line with Winter Soldier, but was also a little more dramatic and heroic than before. However this score while it works within the film, it didn’t have any standout tracks or a theme that I can remember like some of Marvel’s previous films.

In conclusion Captain America: Civil War was a lot of fun and solid follow-up to Winter Soldier. While it won’t change the game for the superhero genre, it did dive a little deeper into those thought-provoking and emotional territories that the MCU hadn’t fully embraced beforehand, and with some awesome action, an intriguing story and well-developed characters, this is an adventure that people won’t want to miss out on especially if you’re fans of these films and comics.

Rating: 8.5/10

So are you going to see Captain America: Civil War and if you’ve seen it what did you think of it? Please sound off your thoughts in the comments below ane I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

Captain America: Civil War Trailer #2 Review

Howdy ladies and gentlemen, time for another trailer review and today I’m finally getting around to talking about the second trailer for Captain America: Civil War. Now I loved the first trailer and was hyped to see the new one a few days ago, but trust that when it came out I was at work and had to wait until around 11pm which was horrible. I would have reviewed this trailer much sooner but again work has kept me at bay for the last few days, but now I’m finally free to talk about this trailer and wouldn’t you know, it’s pretty damn awesome! 😀

Check out the trailer below:

So first impressions after seeing the trailer, “Forget today, forget tomorrow, maybe even forget my birthday. Get me to the release date of Civil War because I need this film in my system now!”

Just like the last trailer what I love about the footage we get here is that this film at the center of all the action and chaos really feels like a personal story which is focused on the characters. Once again we have Steven Rogers and Tony Stark on opposing sides and the trailer further illustrates their points of view and why each of them is right or wrong depending who you side with. And just like before this trailer includes that tone, where things are serious, it feels like there are pretty big stakes as not only the heroes with be beating the crap out of each other, but with the attack on the United Nations, the return of Thunderbolt Ross and Black Panther’s involvement, it seems like there will a great deal of ramifications felt all over the place.

A lot happened in this trailer so I’ll just highlight a few things:

• Highlighting the events of the past: Having Thunderbolt Ross show some of the heroes the destruction that laid in their wake after New York, Washington DC and Sokovia was really great as it showed just how much damage they’d unknowingly caused and was also a way to communicate to the audience that even in the MCU for the victories there were sacrifices and the heroes have to be made accountable, seeing Scarlet Witch’s reaction to Sokovia and having Steve telling Ross to stop showing the video was a beautiful moment.
• MORE BLACK PANTHER: Jesus, I fucking love this character and I haven’t even heard him speak or do anything besides run, jump, slice Bucky’s motorcycle, have a quick fight with Bucky and get shot at with bullets from a helicopter, but that doesn’t matter, what does matter is that the Panther is a frigging badass and I just can’t wait to see how Chadwick Boseman kills it in this role. The Panther has an elegance and ferocity to him that just makes him look so dangerous and cool and I seriously want to see him kick some ass around about now.
• Ant-Man on the move: This was a fairly brief moment but when Hawkeye shot the arrow and Ant-Man rode it and then leapt jumped onto Iron Man’s armour that was just frigging kick ass. More Ant-Man love is welcome.
• Scarlet Witch overpowers Vision?: This was another blink and you’ll miss it moment, but seeing Scarlet Witch use her powers to bring Vision to his knees was very interesting and pretty much gave us a confirmation that the almighty Vision does have competition in the powers department.
• Cool lines of dialogue!: “You just started a war!”, “This job, we try to safe as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn’t me everybody. But you don’t give up.”, “I’m not the one who needs to watch their back.”, “I was wrong about you, the whole world was wrong about you.” and “I could do this do this all day.” (great callback to The First Avenger) I can see myself quoting this film for a while in the future.

But let’s talk about that Spidey reveal. I actually had it ruined for me while I was scanning ComicBookMovie.com and it was used in a few thumbnails and I was like “That’s not the new Spidey suit is it?” But sure enough, I watched the trailer, saw Tony shout “Underoos!” And bam, my boy just webs Cap’s hands together, steals his shield and drops in like a badass sporting a slightly modified version of the classic suit with moving eye lenses! Now I have to say I wasn’t too keen on his look at first mainly because it looked so CG heavy and felt like it didn’t look very realistic, though now that I’ve seen the trailer a few more times I’ve definitely warmed to the suit and in the images released there’s actually been so notable levels of detail seen in the suit that weren’t visible in the trailer probably because of the YouTube video compression.

I really like the suit, it’s classic, but updated with a few stripes on the arms and legs, but it’s those eyes that got me immediately. At first I thought this film was pulling a Deadpool and decided to animate them just because that’s how they were in the comics, but when you listen, you could actually hear a mechanical sound at the lenses got smaller which made me certain that this suit would be part mechanical and possibly made by Tony Stark because Spidey couldn’t make something like this on his own given his age and current freshness in the MCU. Either way I’m down with this new version of Spidey, I just hope the suit looks more realistic in the film.

In conclusion the second trailer for Captain America: Civil War has just amplified my excitement so much. All this glorious footage just makes me giddy for not only this film, but the future of the MCU going forward with the storylines and characters who make it out of this thing alive. This film looks so good I can’t imagine it failing, I mean it has to be great right? However I am reminded constantly in the back of my mind about Age of Ultron and how my hype technically ruined that film so I’m being cautious, but damn it’s hard not to be insanely hyped with all this good stuff Marvel’s doing at the moment.

So have you seen the second official trailer for Civil War and if so what did you think of it? Are you more or less excited than before? Please sound off your thoughts in the comments below ane I’ll see ya on the next post, laters! 😀

 

ONE PARAGRAPH REVIEW: Triple 9

Howdy people, today I’m back to give you another single paragraph review and it will be on the Triple 9. If you’ve read this blog for at least just over a month or since January last year, then you would be aware of how much I was looked forward to this film and even after the reviews I saw were average, I wanted to see for myself. So without further ado here we go:

If I were to describe Triple 9 in one word it would be disappointed. Dear god, it hurts me that this film turned out the way that it did because it had the potential to be so much more, when I heard about this film I got so hyped; the genre and premise intrigued me, the cast was insane and the trailers got me SO hyped up, but this was definitely a case of the anticipation outweighing the viewing experience. So what’s wrong with Triple 9? Well there’s a lot of things, but the key elements came down to the story, length and characters, none of it was nearly as compelling or engaging as a thriller film should be. There was all of the regular codes and conventions with of a crime film with questionable moral and ethical choices, betrayal, tension and danger, but it was handled in the least interesting manner. I found that the film had moments of fun, action and good tension, but it was hidden within a story that felt so lacking in charisma and style, around halfway through I stopped caring what was happening, and when the key aspect of this film eventually went down, I felt like it was a little too late. As for the cast, the performances were solid for the most part but none of them were overly impressive. It did hurt that several cast members were wasted especially when it came to Aaron Paul and Norman Reedus, Gal Gadot and Teresa Palmer felt completely insignificant and while I enjoyed seeing Kate Winslet as Irina Vlaslov, I felt like more could have been done to flesh her out and give her more personality. Casey Affleck was alright as Chris Allen, but he felt so dull in this role, Anthony Mackie did his best as Marcus Atwood but I didn’t like his character and Michael K. Williams’ appearance in this film was unexpected, and yet quite interesting to watch. The most interesting characters were Michael Belmont and Jorge Rodriguez played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Clifton Collins, Jr., these two felt the most fleshed out and interesting, but it was mainly down to their acting than anything else. In the end Triple 9, damn, besides some cool action sequences and moments of interest with certain character moments, but the dull story, bad pacing and uninteresting characters made for a dull and sleep-filled experience.

So that was my review, have you seen Triple 9 and if so what did you think of it? Please leave your comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

ONE PARAGRAPH REVIEW: Pain & Gain

Howdy people, time to try something different. Today I’m going to do a review in a single paragraph and it will be on the 2013 film Pain & Gain from Michael Bay. So without further ado here we go:

Pain & Gain is a film that I’m not quite sure how I feel about it. On one hand it was more engaging and watchable then anything that Michael Bay has made in years, though, I feel like the film could have been a lot better if it had handled differently. The concept of bodybuilders running around stealing money, kidnapping and killing among other things is very strange yet enticing especially when you know these are true events that happened in the world. While there are certainly moments of violence and tension, I think the film’s main problem was in its execution of these true events as there was a big focus on humour and Bay’s director traits that felt kind of distracting and I think if the tone of this film was more serious and less stylised it would have benefited better. But that’s just me. Beyond that I actually enjoyed this film a lot because of the ridiculous nature of some of the events especially when it came to seeing the three main characters Daniel Lugo, Paul Doyle and Adrian Doorbal’s antics. Those guys were so foolish and it was interesting and hilarious to see their scenarios play out individually but also together too. Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson and Anthony Mackie had good chemistry and I really liked Johnson as he was so hilarious and different in this kind of role. Tony Shalhoub and Ed Harris also did well as Victor Kershaw and  Det. Ed Du Bois, III and I also enjoyed the appearances from Rebel Wilson and Ken Jeong too. In the end the film certainly an interesting experience but one that could have been better.

So that was my review, I may try something like this in the future, I guess we’ll wait and see. Please leave your comments below and I’ll see ya on the next review, laters! 😀

 

SUPER REVIEW: Captain America: Civil War Trailer #1

Good day to you ladies and gentlemen, time for another trailer review and today I’m gonna be talking about the first trailer for Captain America: Civil War. Now I was starting to wonder when this footage would drop because it’s getting close to Christmas and still nothing had been shown yet, but then out of nowhere I hope up late after midday and found out the trailer had been dropped by Jimmy Kimmel. WHAT!?! And there I am, gotta get online and see it. So now that I have is it good or bad? Well read on and find out!

Check out the trailer below:

So first impressions after seeing the trailer, “Nice, I’m liking this a lot.” The trailer didn’t blow me away but it had many significant details that made me think that this will certainly be one of the most important films in the MCU yet.

What was made immediately clear to me was that this was a Captain America film first and foremost, it had certain plot elements, themes and tonal consistencies with The Winter Soldier which was great. We’ve heard in the news about the film’s large cast and talk of this being “Avengers 2.5“, but so far this looks like Captain America 3, but with elements of Avengers-styled stuff incorporated. And that’s how it should it be. Winter Soldier was great because it had its own story to tell with awesome themes and genre changes added to the superhero formula and that’s one of the main aspects that made that film work so well, and I can only hope that the Russo brothers are able to bring back the awesomeness to the MCU. My only concern is that this film won’t be consistent in tone and may insert too much humour, that happened with Age of Ultron back in the summer, I just pray that the jokes and light-hearted material will be appropriately placed and won’t overshadow the key themes.

There’s a lot going on in this trailer so I’ll just highlight them below:

• Cap and Bucky forever: Looks like Bucky’s public enemy number one now and Cap’s trying to help/rehabilitate/protect Bucky from not only the government but also Tony Stark and possibly some of his other allies. It really helps solidify their bond as friends and shows that these personal connections amongst the heroes will be an important factor when it comes to the superhero lifestyle.
• William Hurt’s back as Thunderbolt Ross: Seeing this character back again made me smile, seems like he’s risen in importance since 2008 in The Incredible Hulk as he’s talking to Cap about him being seen as a vigilante, operating with power in the world without supervision and talk of consequences. It seems he’s one of the key faces in this version of the superhero registration act from the comics.
• BLACK PANTHER: I honestly didn’t notice this guy the first time I watched the trailer, it wasn’t until I saw a trailer review that I noticed him and saw how cool he looked. The mask/helmet looks awesome, not sure about rest of the costume, but Panther’s brief appearance is notable as we see him throw down with Bucky and go running in a chase scene. So clearly this guy is very active in this film so I can’t wait to see how he factors into this film with the story.
• This story is intimate: For all the explosions and chaos, this is really a battle between two friends who have different ideals and end up on opposite sides. The scale and scope of these events are as big as the comic story, but for this film its fine considering the circumstances, plus with certain characters picking sides already things will get complicated.

But there are two things that stick out to me:

1. Cap and Tony “used” to be friends: Watching this trailer and hearing from Cap “Sorry Tony, you know I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t have any other choice. But he’s my friend.” And Tony’s reply, “So was I.” Damn, that genuinely touched me. That’s not a throwaway line. You could tell there’s sincerity behind those words. These two have been at odds occasionally for 3 years now (4 come next year), but at the end of the day they’re still comrades, so it really feels like this is something that neither of them want to do.
2. Cap and Bucky owning Iron Man: That final shot of Cap and Bucky basically beating Iron Man into submission was beastly. The way its framed and had not quick edits, just a wide shot of Iron Man struggling to fight back against these two titans, it’s an image not easily forgotten and it’s pretty badass too.

In conclusion this trailer for Captain America: Civil War gives me hope for this third entry in the adventures of Steve Rogers. It felt serious, personal and seems like there will be serious ramifications after the events of this film are over. I am hyped, that being said, Avengers 2 proved that marketing can trick you into seeing a film a certain way and then ending up with a different product, so I’m keeping my anticipation in check until I see the film next May (or April if it comes out early in the UK again). If this film is anywhere near as consistent as Winter Soldier then I’ll be over the moon.

So have you seen the trailer for Civil War and if so what did you think of it? Does it hamper or increase your excitement for this film? Please sound off your thoughts in the comments below ane I’ll see ya on the next post, laters! 😀

 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier Review

Good day to all who may be reading this blow, today is an important day I’m finally able to review Captain America: The Winter Soldier! I have waited for AGES for this film and avoiding spoilers has been a frigging mission for me. But after all the waiting I finally saw it yesterday and I’m ready to share my thoughts. So how did the film fare? Read on and find out!

Set after the events of The Avengers, Steve Rogers/Captain America is trying to adjust to the modern world and while working for S.H.I.E.L.D. he starts to realize that there is a lot of secrets and complications hat come with working for an organization that has so many secrets. Soon a  new enemy emerges known as the Winter Soldier and it require not only Cap, but the help of Black Widow and newcomer Falcon to join in and help.

I thought the story was great, it was action-packed, dramatic, dense, thrilling and complex. There is so much to love in the film like:

• Steve Rogers trying to adjust to the modern world
• The secrets and deceit of S.H.I.E.L.D.
• The introduction of the Winter Soldier
• Getting to know more about Black Widow
• How this film not only links to the past of Captain America but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general

One of the great things about the film is that it doesn’t feel like a typical superhero flick, it feels like a mix between a thriller and a your usual comic book material. If you know of films in the political and spy thriller genres then you’ll totally see elements borrowed from that here and it is used to great effect. The story emphasizes the themes of trust and the price of freedom, plus since this film is all about secrets and lies nothing is black and white, just loads of grey. The Russo brothers do a great job with this film’s direction, it seems like they have a good idea of what Captain America is, how to handle him in film and change things up while giving the fans what they want.

Oh and by the way, there are things in this film that basically change the whole of the Marvel Cinematic Universe forever. I can’t say what they are, but when you see this film, you’ll be looking at everything in a totally different light and will be trying to wrap your head around things for ages after the film ends.

When it comes to the cast they are all really good and there really isn’t any weak links. So let’s start with Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, honestly Cap has gone from being one of the most bland superheroes to being one of the coolest. Evans embodies the character so well now as he feels cool, serious, yet vulnerable and emotionally versatile, the guy really gets to spread his wings and shows off why he’s a badass seeing more of his strength and combat skills in a way unseen before now. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow is also very good in the film, we get to learn more about her, see more layers get stripped away and see more of her personality too. Johansson really does well as this character and I would love to see her continue in this role for a while longer. In addition to that Johansson and Evans have such a great screen chemistry as Cap and Widow whether it humour-based or action related.

And then there’s Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier, oh how I loved him. This villain here is cold, merciless, scary and relentless, he’s like the frigging Terminator and had an intimidating and screen-dominating presence. And Stan just does such a great job as the character, he’s stepped into this role so well and I he’s just awesome. Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon is an awesome new addition to the MCU. Wilson is cool, funny and capable action man, he’s not just thrown into the film, he is key to the plot and has some cool key scenes. Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce is simply amazing. I knew that he’d be awesome after I watched All Is Lost, but here is great because his character has a lot to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. and the main plot and he was really awesome. And then there’s Samuel L. Jackson who is still killing it as Nick Fury. In this film we get to see more of Fury emotionally and see how he fits into the world of lies and deceit that S.H.I.E.L.D. have created. Jackson is still cool and badass as hell and he has such a good handle on the character that it would be hard to see another person do the ultimate version of the character.

And the there’s all the other people that show up in the film and even if they’re only around for a little while, they still have relevance. Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill was cool, Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow was intense and smooth and Emily VanCamp as Agent 13 did a good job in her role too. By the way there is a cameo of a character that is from a certain TV show, I won’t say who it is but when you see him you’ll know and for me it was a great moment.

As for the presentation MY GOD it is GORGEOUS! Honestly this might be the best presentation of the Marvel Studios films just behind Avengers. The action sequences and scenes are done with such precision, scope and style that you’ll be hard-pressed to fight something you didn’t like. There are fights in the sky and on the ground and it is a mixture of hand-to-hand combat, gunfights, car chases and so much more. The best part for me what the fight scenes, they were some of the sexiest fight choreography I have seen in years, i was tight, well-down, hard-hitting and SO cool to watch. Also the CGI in this film is very clean and works well to give us some of these larger-than-life set pieces. The soundtrack by Henry Jackman is also very good and in my opinion is better one then Alan Silvestri’s score for The First Avenger. While this film doesn’t have any stand-out themes, the music just amps up the action, drama and tension and it just felt so good in addition to what was going happening on-screen. And seeing this come together on a massive IMAX screen just made it SO much better. 😀

In conclusion Captain America: The Winter Soldier just night be the best Marvel film yet! The direction, story, characters and action is simply incredible and this film really does change the game for future comic book films. Forget Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World, this is the best Phase Two film and possibly the best film from Marvel Studios. 2014 films have finally gotten awesome and The Winter Soldier sets the bar really high for future films. Do yourself a favor and check this film out, it is mint.

Rating: 9/10 (Another win for Marvel with a kick ass action-based thriller)

So what did you think of Captain America: The Winter Soldier? Have you seen it or are you gonna see it? And how do you think it stacks up against the previous Marvel Studios films? Whatever your thoughts are drop in the comments below and I’ll see ya on the next film review yo! 😀

 

Anthony Mackie Says He Will Play Integral Role in Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Okay time for another update involving Captain America: The Winter Solider and while today’s news update is only a small one, it’s still worth mentioning. The following article comes from superherohype:

“When Marvel revealed a ton of concept art for their upcoming Phase 2 films, one that stood out was of Anthony Mackie’s character The Falcon in mid-flight. We’ve known for some time that the character would appear in Captain America: The Winter Soldier but in what capacity remained to be seen. In an interview with BlackFilm, Mackie says he will play a big role in the movie.

“I’m happy to say that I’m in a good deal of the movie and I play an integral part with Captain America taking down the winter soldier. It’s great. They started the shoot 2 1/2 weeks ago and once I finished doing press for ‘Pain & Gain,’ I go in and join them. I’ve been doing combat training and fitness training just to get prepared. It’s going to be something and I’m excited for it.”

He also confirms the design seen in the concept art is reflective of what it will look like in the film.

“They just released pictures of the costume last week. It’s more of a military style tactical costume. He’s more along the lines of Captain America as far as being a superhero as opposed to a true superhero.”

Set to star Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Frank Grillo, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Scarlett Johansson, Toby Jones, Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell, Maximiliano Hernández, Robert Redford and Georges St-Pierre, the story picks up where Marvel’s The Avengers left off, as Steve Rogers struggles to embrace his role in the modern world.”

Well this something both intrigues me but also worries me at the same time. I’m happy to know that his character will be relevant and not just inserted for the sake of having another superhero around. Though I am worried that since he has an integral role in the film how much focus will be on him and how much will be taken from Cap? This is after all a Captain America film, I do hope he doesn’t take a backseat to all of the characters.

Well other than my concerns everything about this film is shaping up well at the moment, Mackie seems to be in the right mindset and I can’t wait for him to join the others on set and start filming.

 

Gangster Squad Review

Alrighty then, Gangster Squad, my first proper 2013 film that I’ve seen in the cinema. I had hoped that this film would be worth my time and not just another one of those hyped up thriller films that actually suck. Luckily this film was pretty good, but I have indeed seen better before.

So the story takes place during the 1940s and ’50s in Los Angeles where gangster, Mickey Cohen owns the streets of the city with his ruthless gang members. However Sergeant John O’Mara along with some other LAPD officers and detectives form a group called the “Gangster Squad unit” who attempt to take back LA from Mickey Cohen and make the streets safe once more. I think the story for this film had a lot of potential because of its subject matter and the fact that it actually happened in real life, however I feel like the story never really reached that peak point. Also I never really found myself emotionally invested in the film at all which kind of sucked for me because most thrillers can engage me pretty well. The writing in this film was a little weak and predictable with me being able to actually guess what certain characters were going to say before they said it.

While the story didn’t hold up as well as I’d hoped, the characters of Gangster Squad were a lot better. Josh Brolin as Sergeant John O’Mara was cool. I liked his no-nonsense approach to things and how he was determined to get his work done, though I found it funny how much I kept comparing him to Tommy Lee Jones throughout the film. Ryan Gosling as Sergeant Jerry Wooters was nice character and I liked his easy-going style. I think that the trailers lead me to believe that he was going to be the leader of the squad more so than O’Mara, but anyway he was good in the film though I wish his character had been fleshed out a bit more. Emma Stone as Grace Faraday was nice though severely underused. Stone looked immaculate in all of beautiful dresses and while her character has relevance to the story Grace is simply there just to get with Jerry and potentially get in trouble Cohen.

Also Nick Nolte as Chief Bill Parker was good too though I had hoped to see more of him really. Easily the best character was Sean Penn as Mickey Cohen. Mickey is a ruthless sadist who will grow his empire at any cost. Another mention goes out to Anthony Mackie as Detective Coleman Harris. I was paying extra attention to him due to the fact that he’ll be The Falcon in Captain America 2, so I wanted to see what skills he had and I thought he was pretty cool and liked the scenes he was in; he was an efficient and essential member of the group. Overall besides Sean Penn being the best character in the film, I also liked the “Gangster Squad” as a whole all of them seemed to gel well together and when they’re acting as a unit creating chaos in the streets and being people up I liked it a lot.

The presentation of the film was alright both in the visual and audio department. The look of the film was nice and some of the camera shots were cool and the soundtrack by Steve Jablonsky is also good but nothing overly memorable.

So in conclusion Gangster Squad is good film, I liked the story but I wasn’t overly invested in it. I was hoping for something a little more in line with Boardwalk Empire or maybe even some like Lawless. I mainly liked this film for the characters involved and the good action scenes. I would still recommend Gangster Squad though, it is a good watch and I was entertained for the most part.

Rating: 7/10

Well there’s my review people, what did you think of the film? Drop me a comment and let me know! Until the next time, later on. 🙂