Skyfall Theme Song By Adele

It's James Bond day today, celebrating 50 years of Bond on our screens, so why not listen to the new Bond theme song by Adele below:

Looper

When Joe fails to shoot, he becomes his own worst enemy.

With the eerie silence that falls upon this film, only to be filled by the tick-tocking of Gordon-Levitt’s pocket watch, Looper is a futuristic Sci-Fi that is sure to thrill and leave you stunned, wanting to watch more.

You can read my review in full below:
http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/looper-film-review-when-joe-fails-to-shoot-he-becomes-his-own-worst-enemy/

Here is the trailer:

ParaNorman

ParaNorman tells the frightfully ghoulish tale of a misunderstood boy, Norman, who has freakish hair and the unnatural ability to communicate with the dead...

You can read more about ParaNorman below:

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/paranorman-film-review/

It is a must-see for those that enjoy stop-motion animation, zombies, or who are fans of the horror genre.

Here's the trailer...

Racing Dreams

Whether you are a NASCAR enthusiast of not, this award winning documentary will captivate and inspire...

Read more here: http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/racing-dreams-documentary-film-review/
 

Anna Karenina

A romantic tragedy that foregrounds the theatricality of our lives.

“There are as many loves as there are hearts” – Leo Tolstoy.

You can read the review below:

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/anna-karenina-film-review/

Hysteria

A hysterically funny romantic comedy that is light-heartedly inventive and does not cease to be stimulating with its untold tale.

Hysteria, set in prudish Victorian London, follows a forward thinking young doctor, Mortimer Granville (Hugh Dancy), struggling to establish his career, in an age when the medical establishment is caught up in the act of bleeding and leeching, when he meets Mr. Robert Dalrymple (Jonathan Pryce). Dalrymple is one of London’s leading doctors specialising in women’s medicine and with a waiting room full of upper-class women suffering from “hysteria” he is in need of an extra “pair of hands” to relieve them of their symptoms. Granville is taken under Dalrymple’s wing with the promise of marriage to the successful doctor’s dutiful and proper daughter Emily (Felicity Jones) and the possibility of taking over the practise one day. But just as things seem to be going well for this young doctor, Granville’s hopes are dashed by hand cramps and the meeting of unruly eldest daughter Charlotte (Maggie Gyllenhaal).  

This uproarious satirical comedy tells the untold tale of how the first mechanical vibrator was made in the name of medical science. It would seem that it all stemmed from hand cramps. Alongside this comedic invention, made by Granville’s close friend Edmund (Rupert Everett), the film addresses more serious issues including the first movements made by women to achieve liberation and their regained control of their repressed sexuality. Charlotte, being a social reformer fighting for women’s rights and helping those less fortunate, is considered unruly because she is liberated.

But this heavy topic becomes light-hearted amongst the comedy that unfolds around it. Comedy is deceptively serious as it subverts the situation at which it laughs at. Much of the humour stems from the comments made by the men revolving around their gender assumptions and how old fashioned and absurd they sound to an audience from the 21^st Century. This humour foregrounds how far we have come as a society in the understanding of the male and female body and psyche and ensures that Hysteria is enjoyable to watch.

Despite the predictability that surrounds the narrative structure of a romantic comedy and the ending that could be considered to dampen Charlotte’s fight for women’s rights and independence, this uproarious rom-com, from director Tanya Wexler, will keep audiences entertained by the comedy that stems from such a stimulating topic.

Hysteria is hilariously funny and is a definite must-see. 

Total Recall

With a tough act to follow, Total Recall is not as eye-poppingly charismatic as its predecessor, but it manages to bring this old tale into the 21^st Century.

Check out the review below:

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/total-recall-film-review/

The Expendables 2

The Expendables are back and this time they are “back for war.”

Check out my latest review of The Expendables 2 below:

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/the-expendables-2-film-review/

The Bourne Legacy

Jason Bourne was just the tip of the iceberg as Jeremy Renner takes on the new secret agent action role in this fourth instalment of the espionage franchise.

You can read my film review at TQS Magazine: http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/the-bourne-legacy-film-review/

Brave

Disney Pixar brings us this bold princess fairytale that breaks with tradition.

You can check out the review of Brave at the link below:

http://flaneur.me.uk/08/brave-film-review/

Ted

Are you a fan of Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy or American Dad? If so, you have to check out the review below of Ted, his first feature debut!

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/ted-film-review/

The Dark Knight Rises

There’s a storm coming…

Christopher Nolan’s epic conclusion to the Batman trilogy has finally arrived and it has reached new unprecedented heights.

Nolan has brought us the origin of Batman and Bruce Wayne in Batman Begins as well as Batman's greatest adversary in The Dark Knight Rises. He has given us a dark and gritty portrayal of Gotham and in this defining last instalment he even gives us a critique of our own capitalist ways. This final act brings together the ambiguous loose ends from the previous two films to bring us a conclusion to remember.

Gotham’s reckoning has arrived in the form of the massively hench Bane (Tom Hardy), whose brutal strength and skill is matched and exceeded only by the calmness in his voice.

The Dark Knight Rises picks up where The Dark Knight ended. Batman (Christian Bale), after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes and suffering the loss of a loved one banished himself, alongside Bruce Wayne, to the shadows and has spent eight years hiding in Wayne Manner. However, his curiosity returns when he meets estranged Selina Kyle (Ann Hathaway), who stumbles upon an opportunity to steal something extremely valuable to Wayne. Although he has aged and has old injuries to contend with that does not hold him back.

Batman enlists the help of his faithful ally Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to face his toughest challenge yet. Batman must stop Bane from turning Gotham upon itself as he “gives the city back to the people” by destroying those with authority and social status. The idealist views leave a resounding truth ringing through the air, as it would seem that Bane offers a critic of our very own capitalist society.

The emphasis on identity still continues to be playfully negotiated throughout this film, especially with the introduction of a hyperfeminine Catwoman, known as The Cat. Hathaway delivers a critical performance, but seems to lack a certain audacity that Michelle Pfeiffer gave to the role in her unforgettable appropriation of Catwoman in Tim Burton's Batman Returns (1991). Bale and Hardy also deliver fantastic performances, emphasising that there is more truth in the mask than the face beneath it.

Christopher Nolan’s epic finale is nothing less than epic as it is hard to imagine it any other way. Nolan playfully raises the idea that we are not bound to our bodies, but, rather, it is our memories and actions that define who we are and who we can become. This is done through the hypermasculine Bane as he points out that "it does not matter who you are what matters is your plan." This idea that identity is fluid and can be 'put on' is foregrounded in all of Nolan's films and leaves a subtle, yet, playful sense of ambiguity surrounding the identities of the characters.

Despite the lack of The Joker and the plot twists and turns that the last instalment offered, Nolan ends the epic conclusion to the Batman trilogy with a film that rises to an unprecedented height as he raises the bar for superhero films.

You are definitely in for a show tonight.

Cinema of the World

If you are interested in World Cinema and like to learn about different cultures and ways of writing and filmmaking then you will be interested in the articles I have written below. 

Here is a guide to the most influential Lusophone authors:

 http://globalartscentral.com/gacs-guide-to-the-most-influential-lusophone-authors/

Here is a biography of Carolina Monte Rosa: 

http://globalartscentral.com/a-closer-view-carolina-monte-rosa/

Are you a fan of independent films? Do you enjoy performances from charismatic, powerful and emotional actors/actresses? Do you yearn to watch films bursting with creativity? Then you will like Carolina Monte Rosa.

Here is a guide to the five most influential Lusophone films: 

http://globalartscentral.com/gacs-5-most-influential-lusophone-films/

Here is a biography of Maríla Rocha:

http://globalartscentral.com/closer-view-marlia-rocha/

Are you interested in independent cinema? Would you like to watch films which explore different aspects of human life as well as explore the various landscapes of Brazil? Sounds appealing? Read our profile on one of Brazil’s best independent film makers Marília Rocha.

The Source (La Source des Femmes)

This fable about the tradition of the water source is not just about the need for running water, but rather, more about the struggle between tradition and modernisation. In times of change, this fable challenges the traditional values of the household in a Moroccan village as the women take a stand to be heard.

You can find this review at the link below: 

http://globalartscentral.com/a-closer-view-the-source-la-source-des-femmes/

This is definitely a film  to watch, so do not let the subtitles put you off, or you will be missing out!

Thanks and enjoy!

Killer Joe

This sadistically dark, yet vibrant thriller from William Friedkin will leave you tense and shocked.


You can read my review for Killer Joe at the link below:
http://flaneur.me.uk/07/killer-joe-film-review/


This is definitely one interesting and uncomfortable film to watch!

Electrick Children

Electrick Children is an eccentric, yet gripping, Indie teen drama that deals with the coming of age story from a completely different approach.


You can find this review at the link below: 
http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/film-review-electrick-children/

Thanks and Enjoy!

Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap

“Hip hop reinvented everything”

Ice-T is a world renowned rap icon and has sold millions of copies of records. He has had huge success in the art of rap and has brought us this documentary, which he has directed and presents, that asks the one question that never gets asked to rappers, “How did you do that?”

The Art of Rap is a personal journey for Ice-T as he delves into the roots of the music that saved his life. This definitive documentary portrays how rap is all about craft and skill, as it is an art form and is unique to the place in which it is crafted. Ice-T takes us on a trip around America, starting in New York, in the Bronx where rap first started, to Detroit and then LA, showing us how rap has developed in each place to portray a different message of a different way of life. 

Along the way, this documentary features exclusive interviews and freestyle performances by some of the greatest names in rap, including; Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Caz, Nas, Mos Def, Eminem, Chuck D, KRS-One, Run-DMC, Dr.Dre, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. Each rapper is presented with the question of how they do their work and each individual gives a different answer to how they write their lyrics and what rap means to them. Some write their lyrics as a story, others in a systematic way. What is clear from all of their experiences is that rap is a skill, as you have to have originality. Most of these rappers write lyrics from their own experiences in life and, therefore, their raps are very personal to them.

It was made clear that rap came from the culture in which these people live in, as many of the beats that were once used to rap against were Jazz records. Rap simply gave a voice to a new generation and it even crossed the boundaries of colour, which the film beautifully represents with its multicolour scenic shots of the cities lit up at night. Hip Hop became the voice for anyone that needed it. One of the rappers, Common, stated in the film that “the joy and beauty of being a Hip Hop Artist is that you can truly express who you are and truly be who you are.” For many of the rappers interviewed in this documentary, rap helped to save them in one way or another.

This documentary tries to redefine how people think of Hip Hop, as one of the main problems with such an aggressive form of music seems to be that people do not respect it as an art form. Thus, this documentary gives the public an opportunity to see how rappers craft their lyrics and how much history this music is steeped in. However, the film does not delve very far into the social impact and context of rap which also means that the interviews, where the same questions are asked each time, do get slightly repetitive as not much context is given alongside these.

Despite this, the documentary remains informative and eye opening as it gives rap a soul. It gives people an opportunity to try and understand the art of rap and hopefully a new found respect.

Opens in cinemas nationwide on 19 July 2012.

On Thursday 19th July 2012, fans will have the chance to witness an extraordinary moment in hip hop history when Ice-T performs with rap legends Chuck D, Melle Mel and Raekwon for a one-off performance at the Hammersmith Apollo to mark the European Premier of Something From Nothing: The Art of Rap. The event will be simulcast live at cinemas across the UK.

Tickets are available for purchase via Hammersmith Apollo, HMV Tickets & Ticketmaster:

http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/event/360048C1F9496566

http://www.hmvtickets.com/events/6503

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World

This Armageddon style rom-com may take a serious tone, rather than a comedic view on the situation, but it is sure to entertain and bring a tear to your eyes....


Check out my latest review here: http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/seeking-a-friend-for-the-end-of-the-world-film-review/

Thanks and Enjoy!

Magic Mike and Ice Age 4 Reviews

I am now writing for Horsham Publications, so if you live in Southwater or Horsham don't forget to read the upcoming publication for the latest reviews of Magic Mike and Ice Age 4 from me!

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: DVD Review

‘Everything will be alright in the end and if it’s not alright then it is not the end.’

A film by director John Madden and based on the book by Deborah Moggach, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a feel-good, uplifting comedy about making anything possible by taking risks, facing our fears and celebrating the changes in life.

This film has an extensive cast of A list British actors/actresses including Judi Dench as Evelyn a newly widowed pensioner, Bill Nighly and Penelope Wilton as Douglas and Jean who endure a crumbling marriage, Celia Imrie and Ronald Pickup as Madge and Norman who are two singletons, Maggie Smith as Muriel who is a bitter old lady and Tom Wilkinson as Graham who is a high court judge with a secret and not forgetting Dev Patel as Sonny who is the charming Hotel owner.

This group of pensioners decide to retire to India, in particular to the Marigold Hotel which is advertised as for ‘the elderly and the beautiful’, as they are struggling to find a comfortable retired life in England and are promised a delightfully picturesque stay in India. However, when they arrive they find that the Hotel is in worse shape than they are and they struggle to find a home in the rubbles. Old relationships seem to unravel as new friendships blossom and the pensioners adapt to the relaxed way of life, spicy food and the locals.

However, despite being set in Jaipur, India, the film seems to focus itself inside the Hotel, rather than amongst the local culture. All that is shown of India are stereotypical images of children playing cricket, a call centre and the manic busy roads. The culture remains unexplored as Bill Nighly talks of a fantastic temple that he visited, yet we never see. Thus, it would seem like this group of pensioners, who as actors/actresses ooze ‘Britishness,’ adapt to life in India but do not actually indulge in the culture or traditions. Since it is focused on two countries that are intertwined throughout history, it is a shame that more was not done in the film to bring together these two cultures. The film feels as though it is trying to represent the cross cultural relationship between these two countries, but unfortunately all that has come from this are stereotypes.

Despite this, the film is enjoyable, if one can overlook these stereotypes. It is a heart-warming and vibrantly colourful comedy which has some hilariously comic scenes and great performances throughout. This film has a great cast that pulls the narrative together, even though it feels like slightly more could have been achieved with their great talents.

This is a film to watch on one of those rainy days when you need something to lift your spirits. 

The Amazing Spider-Man

One of Marvel's greatest superheroes is back and this time he is amazing!

Check out the review of The Amazing Spider-Man below:
http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/the-amazing-spider-man-film-review/

This film is definitely worth watching.

Thanks and Enjoy!

The 5 Year Engagement

The 5 Year Engagement is a romcom that takes a real life approach to relationships.

Check out my review below:

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/the-5-year-engagement-review/

This is a film worth seeing if you enjoy a good comedy.

Thanks and enjoy!

Red Lights

'Truth is an illusion'

This paranormal thriller, by Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés, is full of suspense and ambition, yet will leave you sorely disappointed.

You can read my review below:

 http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/red-lights-film-review-truth-is-an-illusion/

Thanks, enjoy!!

A Fantastic Fear of Everything

You can find my latest review of A Fantastic Fear Of Everything at the website below:

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/film-review-a-fantastic-fear-of-everything/

Thanks, enjoy!

Prometheus

‘Prometheus has landed’

After 33 years Ridley Scott returns to the Alien franchise to bring us a prequel to the terror filled Alien (1979) that stated ‘in space no-one can hear you scream.’

The film returns us to the planet where Alien first takes us. However, the film is not centred on the xenomorphs that the Alien quadrilogoy is based on, but, instead focuses on how they came about and the mysterious space jockey that is featured in Alien. Therefore, if you are expecting another instalment of chest bursting and terrifying xenomorphs then you will be greatly disappointed. There are, however, plenty of other aliens that should quench your thirst for horror. This is a film of paradoxes as it is about creation, yet at the same time destruction.

Prometheus follows, in 2089, archaeologist couple Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) who have discovered ancient pictograms on Earth that appear to them as an invitation to a distant planet. Shaw, Holloway and a team of scientists head to this planet, on a ship named Prometheus, on a trip that is funded by the Weyland Corporation, who has their own agenda for visiting this alien planet. After being cytogenetically frozen, the team arrives in 2093 and soon discover that they are not going to get the answers that they came looking for.

This prequel unravels the mystery surrounding the humanoid space jockey that is found by the crew in Alien and it appears that the space jockey, known to this team as an engineer, is answerable to a lot more than they could have ever imagined. This prequel, as promised by being a prequel, answers many of the questions raised in Alien. However, it would not be a Ridley Scott film if it did not leave us questioning more.

Prometheus takes an existentialist view on the world, as it questions our origins and our faith.  The crew are on a mission to uncover the formidable question of where we come from, a question that was avoided in the Alien Quadrilogy. The name Prometheus has its origins in Greek mythology as Prometheus was a Titan God who created man out of clay and stole fire from Zeus to give to humans, which lead him to be punished. In the film the ship Prometheus brings the humans to their creator which in turn unleashes fire upon them. Again, this film returns us to the great paradox of life, the fact that with life comes death and with creation comes destruction, sometimes without meaning.

It would seem however, that Michael Fassbender’s performance as David, a robot, steals the film. David appears to be one of the most interesting characters in the film, as his lack of empathy makes him eerily un-human despite his appearance. This is contrasted against Noomi Rapace, who questions her humanness as she is unable to procreate, well to a certain extent.... This film is embedded with philosophical, religiously challenging questions of where we come from and what determines us to be human. The abjection caused by the body horror, featured in all the Alien films and Prometheus, create this post-human body that raises these question of identity.

Prometheus is a film that will get you questioning your values and beliefs as it takes an existentialist view on our lives and purpose. The film may answer some of the questions raised in Alien, but it will definitely leave you asking more. What the film lacks in chest bursting alien action, it makes up in a well thought out plot, full of twists. This thrilling, suspense filled film will have you gripped from the start and is definitely worth watching. 

The Avengers Assemble

Joss Whedon, the director of Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Cabin in the Woods, brings us the movie blockbuster that we have all been waiting for. The Avengers Assemble follows a group of superheroes, including Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), The Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow/Natasha Romanov (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), and Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), as they have to learn to work together and overcome their personal differences in order to save the world. It would seem though, that their world is not the only world that is in need of saving, as these Marvel characters were first introduced during the great depression in America, therefore their return signifies a time of need.

The Avengers are brought together by Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the director of S.H.I.E.L.D a peace keeping organisation, in order to track down the tesserat, a powerful energy source which acts as a gateway to the other side of space. The tesserat has been taken by Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Thor’s brother and he is using it to allow an alien army to rage a war and take over earth. This is where the Avengers come in. They have to learn to overcome their own egos in order to form an alliance and bring their strengths together if they stand a chance in defeating Loki and his army from space.

All the avengers, with the exception if Thor have dual identities and their essence lies in their alter egos, as it is who they become when they put on their costumes, or ‘suit up’ as Iron Man calls it, that defines who they really are. They are, however, considered to be vigilantes in society as they bring with them destruction and chaos. Set in an sub-urban landscape the avengers becomes signifiers of social anxieties, as they can be read to represent unruly adolescents, especially the Hulk who embodies the pubescent teenager as he gets big, hairy, angry and his voice deepens. These unruly adolescents are considered to be dangerous and volatile and the cause of the destruction to the city. Does this sound familiar, with all the recent riots that have occurred?

This unsettled environment is a breeding ground for anxiety and suggests that society today is in a volatile state, as recession takes hold and people are fighting to survive with rising unemployment. It feels like we are under attack and people, therefore, loose hope in the authorities. Therefore, people look to other places for answers and in The Avengers the people look to superheroes. This is a film about finding an identity, which is made pretty explicit by the costume of Captain America. He symbolises America and suggests a need to return to tradition. The actions of Captain America suggest that there are certain American-centric views surrounding this film.

Despite being an abstract fantasy film about superheroes and villains, The Avengers is fully grounded in our reality, as it deals with many of our social anxieties that we otherwise would not deal with. This genre of film is in constant play with social issues and anxieties, which make them even more interesting to watch.

The Avengers brings together some of comics greatest superheroes and creates a fantastic film that must not be missed. With action, suspense and even comedy this is definitely one of the best films released so far this year. It’s an awesome film that is enjoyable for all. 

Snow White and the Huntsman

‘Is the fairest of them all’

Snow White and the Huntsman’s first time director, Rupert Sanders, brings this fairytale into the 21^st Century as the film grounds this story evermore into our reality.

Check out the review below:

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/snow-white-and-the-huntsman-film-review/

Thanks and Enjoy!

Moonrise Kingdom

You can find my review of Moonrise Kingdom at the web address below:

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/moonrise-kingdom-film-review/

Enjoy!!

MIB3

Below you can find a link to my review of MIB3, a film based on the idea that we live in a Universe determined by causality.

Enjoy!!

http://www.tqsmagazine.co.uk/here-come-the-men-in-black-men-in-black-3-film-review/

The Dictator

You can find my review for the dictator at this web address below:

http://www.dailyonline.co.uk/the-dictator

In this review I discuss the controversial issues that this film deals with as it uses comedy as a way of negotiating these.

Enjoy!

The Dark Knight Rises

The press is picking up for the ever imminent release of the end of a legend, The Dark Knight Rises and there is a new trailer out that will make you very excited!

Christopher Nolan entered this franchise in 2005 with the release of Batman Begins. Nolan took Batman into ever darker territory as he explored the making of this legend. Tim Burton directed both Batman and Batman Returns in the early 1990’s and created a dark, troubled Gotham with a mysterious and dark vigilante. Burton created a Batman that expressed deep anxieties and fears, but Nolan takes it one step further. Nolan manages to do this alongside grounding Batman, ever more, into our reality.

In The Dark Knight Batman faces his oldest nemesis, The Joker, as in Batman directed by Burton. However, Nolan creates a Joker that is particularly unstable and psychotic, more so than Jack Nicholson’s performance. Heath Ledger creates a man who has been engulfed into psychosis and, therefore, has no reasoning to his actions. This leads you to wonder what Nolan has done with the character of Bane in the ultimate end to this legend.

The Batman films that Nolan has directed are based on identity, as Batman states in Batman Begins:

“It is not what is inside you, but what you do that defines who you are.”

Despite not containing the overtly campness that the 1960’s TV Shows and the two films directed by Joel Schumacher, Batman Forever and Batman and Robin, did, Batman still offers those queer possibilities, in the sense in which he goes against the essentialist and patriarchal norms, because he is a hyper-masculine symbol, he has no parents, he works on the outside of the law and has no jurisdiction. Batman proves that identity is not fixed, whether it is concerning gender or sexuality, but that, rather, identity is fluid, non-essential and a performance, much like putting on a mask…

I will not bore you with an in-depth reading into the Batman films, but just be aware that the dark symbol of the bat represents a lot more, as it foregrounds the darkest anxieties in our society, mainly revolving around masculinity. Batman illustrates how the subject is never complete or coherent, as a subject is continually becoming, continually negotiating within itself between reality and fantasy. The films play with this idea through the split identity and the constant ‘putting on’ of identities in the form of costumes. The superhero genre is a cultural phenomenon as genre is a cultural construct.

Batman is, by far, the most interesting of all superheroes and I am excited to see what Nolan has done with him next.

I am also intrigued to see what has become of Catwoman. Michelle Pfeiffer gave us an ironically feminist performance in Batman Returns and so I am intrigued as to whether Ann Hathaway has followed in her footsteps.

The Dark Knight is due out on 20^th July. 

Top Cat: The Movie

Were you a cartoon fiend as a child? If so you may remember the TV cartoon series Top Cat. Well if this sounds familiar then be prepared to feel nostalgic to those days when all you worried about was watching good cartoons. Vertigo Films presents the return of TC and his gang to the screen as Top Cat: The Movie is based on the hit 1960’s TV series from Hanna-Barbara that followed a group of ‘cool’ street cats as they battled with police Officer Dibble.

Top Cat and Boris Johnson at the opening at Leicester Square.

Top-Cat: The Movie had its opening night last night, Wednesday 23^rd May, in Leicester Square and to welcome our feline friends back to the screen after a 50 year hiatus was none other than the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson.

Top Cat: The Movie follows the original characters from the TV series; TC (Top Cat), Benny the Ball, Fancy Fancy, Choo Choo, Spook and Brains. They are back and up to mischief as they are, as always, at war with their oldest nemesis Officer Dibble. The film, however, sees TC and the gang face their biggest threat yet, as Police Chief Strickland moves to town. The gang faces a robot police force and must risk their nine lives in order to save their way of life.

Both Rupert Preston and Allan Niblo, Vertigo Film distributors, stated; "Top Cat is an iconic and much-loved character known by nearly every parent in the UK. We are thrilled to be bringing Top Cat, his mischievous gang and Officer Dibble to a whole new generation.”

The film is promising to bring all the original characters, even including Griswald the Dog and Maharaja of Pookajee alongside the New York swagger that the voice-cast in the TV series portrayed fantastically.  

If you were a fan of the cartoon, or need an entertaining film to keep the kids occupied then this one will hopefully prove to be a ‘tip-top’ production.

This vibrant retro animated film is due to hit UK cinemas next Friday, June 1^st in 2D and 3D.

Prometheus

With the release of Ridley Scott's prequel to the Alien films looming ever closer there is a new trailer to wet our appetites.

However this trailer seems to reveal an awful lot of the plot, despite the attempts to keep the twist and turns hidden. You could probably figure out what is going to happen in this film by watching this trailer. So has the PR campaign gone too far and revealed too much?

Apparently it is in the last 10 minutes of the film are where all the secrets are kept, but the trailer does not hesitate to show us, what seems to look like, a lot of footage from the end of the film. It is an interesting approach to film PR, but I guess we will not know for certain whether too much has been revealed until we are able to watch the film ourselves. I am definitely very excited to see this film after watching this trailer.

You can watch the trailer below.

Dark Shadows

Blood is thicker than water.

We all have our curses and secrets, but it would seem that the Collins family hold the worst curse and therefore biggest secret of them all. Tim Burton brings us another delightfully strange film that is an adaptation of the cult TV series, Dark Shadows that ran in the late 1960’s.

Teaming up with Johnny Depp, Burton’s Dark Shadows follows the story of Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), an extremely wealthy man whose family built Collinsport town after they introduced a fishery to the area. Barnabas was a handsome fellow and during his youth managed to break the heart of a, no ordinary, girl. The girl whose heart he broke turned out to be a witch, Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green) that enjoyed holding a grudge. So much so, that she cursed Barnabas by turning him into a vampire and sending any woman he loved over widows cliff.

Two Centuries later, Barnabas is released from the box in which he was imprisoned by Angelique and returns to the Collins home in the year 1972. Barnabas returns to find that the Collins family and home is not how he left it, but instead the family has fallen into shame, due to what happened to Barnabas, and the family business has all but ceased to exist. Barnabas sets out to restore the family business and reputation, but in doing so angers a desperately in love witch that will stop at nothing to destroy Barnabas if she cannot have him.

The film emphasises that family is the most important thing in life, as Barnabas sets out to avenge and protect his. In true Burton style the main characters all have disturbing backgrounds but it is the Collin’s family home that offers them a safe sanctuary.  This film perhaps represents how strange our world has become, as we live in a place where consumerism has taken over, which is beautifully presented to us by Barnabas encountering a Macdonald’s sign, which he admires in awe. Technology has advanced and families have been broken, but the film pushes the audience to return to simpler more traditional values, the idea that blood is thicker than water sums up the films stance, as it suggests that in desperate times, such as those that we are encountering in society, we must turn to family for protection and strength and embrace those dark shadows that cloud over them.

It would seem, however, that the trailer for Dark Shadows leads the audience slightly astray. The trailer suggests that the film is fairly light-hearted and humorous, when in actual fact the film is much darker and the one liners that are present in the trailer are not quite as funny in the context of the film as a whole. However, do not despair as there are plenty of other instances in the film that gets the audience laughing out loud.

With fantastic performances given by Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer as Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Eva Green and Chloë Grace Moretz as Carolyn Stoddard, this film is definitely worth sinking your teeth into. This fantastically wired story filled with vampires, witches and magic is sure to leave audiences entertained and bewitched.  

3/5 stars

American Pie Reunion

This pie definitely tastes better than the rest!

After watching Jim Levenstein finally loose his virginity 13 years ago in the first American Pie, American Pie: Reunion sees the return of our favourite sex driven teenage boys and girls with one small difference, they are no longer teenagers. The gang are back for their Class of ’99 reunion and end up in the same uncomfortable situations and antics that they were in, in 1999.

The Reunion sees the return of Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan), who have a toddler but are in desperate need of spicing up their, currently non-existent, sex life. Do not despair, however, as Jim’s dad (Eugene Levy) shares some great advice. Meanwhile, Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is a house-husband, who works from home and never misses an episode of Gossip Girl, whereas Oz (Chris Klein) has become a famous sports reporter on TV. Stifler (Seann William Scott) is, well, Stifler, the same rudely obnoxious guy that he was in high school and he manages to get the party started, which includes getting Jim’s widowed dad drunk and telling him to ‘dust off his dick and get some ass!’ You have to love Stiflers way with words! Finch however, seems to be the most interesting one out of the lot with his exotic tales of his extensive travels. However, the one thing that this film does lack is any action between Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Stifler’s mum (Jennifer Coolidge), but the film does find a humorous solution for this.

It would seem that the reunion brings with it an air of nostalgia, as the film takes us back to the first, American Pie, where the legends were born, in Great East Falls. The story is not centred so much on Jim and Michelle, but more the guys as a whole. The film seems to give Michelle, Vicky (Tara Reid) and Heather (Mena Suvari), who represent old flames for Kevin and Oz, a back seat, whilst the narrative focuses on the antics, friendships and troubles of the five main men. The film, therefore, has a very nostalgic undertone. The group drinks a lot of alcohol, attends highs schools parties and get themselves into some horrifically hilarious situations. However, it is Jims’ dad that definitely steals the film this time round, as he reverts back to high school behaviour by drinking, smoking and finding a new lady.

Despite the sexist nature of this film, meaning the reduction of women to objects through the use of the male gaze, the script is tastefully written which makes this film incredibly enjoyable to watch. American Pie: Reunion is laugh out loud funny, to the point where the entire audience in the movie theatre laugh simultaneously together throughout the entire film. This is definitely a film worth seeing if you wanted to give your stomach muscles a workout.

This film definitely contains all the ingredients for making a great pie, as it has; comedy, parties, high school girls, issues with sex, cringe worthy moments, that embarrassing you tube video of Jim from the first film, a surprise visit from Nadia and Jim’s dad, who by far is one of the funniest characters in this film. This is definitely a recipe for success. 

The Lucky One

From the great mind of Nicholas Sparks, who brought us The Notebook (Casavetes 2004, USA) and Dear John (Hallström 2010, USA), and director Scott Hicks comes another heart-warming tale of the need of purpose and belonging.

The Lucky One follows US Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault (Zac Efron) who is stationed in Iraq on his third tour and is caught up in a night raid. The next morning he finds a photograph, lying on the ground, of a girl (Taylor Schilling) and on the back a message that says ‘take care’ with a kiss. The girl in the photograph ends up becoming Logan’s guardian angel as he escapes death numerous times. His journey to find the light in this dark hell has just begun as Logan vows that when he arrives home he will find this girl and thank her for keeping him alive. 

This film sets off to a promising start as you expect that it will be filled with drama and heart break, just like Nicholas Spark’s other stories. However, we are given a disturbed ex-marine who is in search of a quieter life, which is exactly what we get. Logan arrives, with his dog, at the local family-run dog kennel and training centre where Beth, the girl in the photo, lives and works with her Nan (Blythe Danner) and son, Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart). Logan takes a job as a helper at the centre and soon a romance blossoms between himself and Beth. 

However, Beth has many complications in her life, including her ex-husband, Keith Clayton (Jay R. Ferguson), who has a hold over her as he threatens to take her son away if she leaves town or sees another man. The film, unfortunately, then takes a very long time to play out the rest of the narrative and leaves the audience unsatisfied at the end as there are no twists or turns in the narrative just a simple conclusion. Logan’s secret about the photo fizzles out and leaves the film struggling to keep the audience gripped.

The film is saved, though, by the great performances given by Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling. Efron gives his troubled character a depth that is broken and mysterious, but also turns out to be sensitive, a good piano player and chess player and, well, pretty good at everything, while Schilling gives a fantastic performance of a vulnerable broken young lady that seems to have aged well past her actual age. Therefore, the film brings us two broken people who are destined, by fate, to become soul mates. The acting, therefore, redeems the film to a point.

This promising film, about purpose and belonging in this world, starts out to be heart wrenching and romantically touching, but soon starts to slow down to a snail’s pace, which unfortunately makes the film a little less exciting to watch. With such high expectation from the fantastic Notebook, The Lucky One does not prove to be quite so lucky after all.  The Lucky One is a film for a rainy day, when you are in the mood for an easy watch that you do not need to pay too much attention to.  

Mirror Mirror

Who’s the fairest of them all?

Why it must be Snow White!

This year, the film industry witnesses two remakes of the classic fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Mirror Mirror is the first of the two and is still out in cinemas, which will be shortly followed by the release of Snow White and the Huntsman in June.

Mirror Mirror, directed by Tarsem Singh who brought us Immortals, has again worked his magic and delivered us this beautifully remade Snow White tale. This tale is loosely based on the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Schneewittchen (Little Snow White), with elements also taken from another of their tales, Snow White and Red-Rose, one of these elements being the thieving dwarves.

Singh has managed to successfully make an original film, with its essence still intact. Singh brings us a crazed alluded Queen (Julia Roberts) who fears growing old; an extremely clumsy Prince (Armie Hammer) who is in constant need of saving; thieving dwarves who wear stilts to make them look like giants and an extremely determined female heroine, Snow White (Lily Collins). The film is brought together with camp humour, with some particularly delightful exchanges between The Queen and the Prince, alongside a narrative that, refreshingly, privileges feminist self-determination and success. It would seem that Snow white is not in need of saving as she is quite capable, after some training by the dwarves, to defeat the evil Queen. The handsome Prince, on the other hand, appears to be very clumsy and is the one saved by Snow after all.

Overall Mirror Mirror is a refreshing take on the original fairytales written by the Brothers Grimm. The film is light-hearted and enjoyable to watch, but unfortunately seems to lack the darkness that the original fairytales hold. This could be due to the fact that this film is tailored to a family audience, as it is a fantastic family film, but for the older audience at times it may seem a little too childlike.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: A Review

From director, Lasse Hallström, and the writer of The Full Monty, Simon Beaufoy, based on the best-selling novel by Paul Torday, comes a fishy tale about much more than just salmon fishing.

Ewan McGregor stars in this British romantic comedy drama, alongside Emily Blunt and Kristen Scott Thomas, as a Scottish Ichthyologist, Dr. Alfred Jones, who is asked to work on a project which will bring salmon to the river Yemen. A visionary Sheikh (Amr Waked) finances this multimillion pound project, as he believes that fishing brings people together and could be the answer to uniting people and countries worldwide. Alfred and Harriett (Emily Blunt), the Sheikh’s representative, must embark upon this upstream struggle to prove that the theoretically possible is, in fact, realistically possible.  However, the over-enthusiastic Press Secretary (Kristen Scott Thomas), from the Prime Minister’s office, is chasing at their heels as she sees this project as a media opportunity to spread some ‘good will’ that will act as a distraction from the bombings in Afghanistan. In this funny light-hearted comedy anything seems possible as long as you have a bit of faith.

This film, however, appears to question more than just the possibility of fishing in Yemen. The Press Secretary, Patricia Maxwell and the particularly vain Prime Minister allow the film to inadvertently criticise Government and their handling of the press, as they only seem to care about image, rather than what is right for the individual people. Humour soon becomes a tool for subverting authority in this film. The media is represented as Maxwell presents herself; cold-hearted, manipulative, overzealous and intrusive. The project for Maxwell becomes all about the press coverage, rather than the intentions of the Sheikh. It is, therefore, the character of Maxwell and the outrageous ways in which she deals with situations that brings out the humour.

The character of Maxwell is contrasted by the Sheikh who believes fishermen to be the most faithful, because they do not dwell on their fellow fisherman’s backgrounds or ethnicities, but share common ground, the fish. The Sheikh, throughout the film, promotes this idea of multiculturalism through fishing. However, this idea, when put into reality, is an upstream struggle, but if one can have a bit of faith, like the fishermen who wait for hours for a bite, and if one is willing to swim against the current, like Dr. Jones, and open one’s mind then it is possible to turn the theoretically possible into the realistically possible, if the right approach is taken.

This philosophically uplifting film, where fish become metaphors for humans, who are in need, now and again, to swim upstream rather than downstream, is a delight to watch. Salmon Fishing is a film about people, rather than fish, however, it does not dwell on these heavy issues that it presents, but focuses on the humour that comes from such a preposterous project and, therefore, is a light-hearted and entertaining romantic comedy drama to watch. It is a film about making the ever impossible possible.

The Pirates! An Adventure with Scientists: A Review

Aardman have done it again, they have produced a fantastically funny, visually stunning, plasticine, stop motion production that will have audiences laughing out loud.

From the maker of Wallace and Gromit comes, the first in a series of children’s books by Gideon Defoe, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists (Lord, UK). Hugh Grant plays his first animated role as the Pirate Captain, as this hapless crew sail the seven seas on the hunt for a booty fit to crown the Pirate Captain as the Pirate of the Year and beat his rivals, Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek). But with a crew consisting of Number Two (Martin Freeman), Surprisingly Curvaceous Pirate (Ashley Jensen), The Albino Pirate (Anton Yelchen), Pirate with Gout ((Brendon Gleeson), a pirate that is really a fish with a hat and a parrot named Polly that is really the last existing Dodo, that all consider the best thing about being a pirate is ham night; we are definitely in for a treat.

This undoubtedly hapless crew, who are useless at plundering and looting, are run by a Captain who only has his super luxurious beard to offer as a symbol of his status as a Pirate, which brings a lot of comedy and an enjoyable plot. Along their quest to steal a bountiful booty the crew encounter Charles Darwin (David Tennant), who happens to be only concerned about the fact that he is unlikely to ever get a girlfriend, and the evil Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) whose pet hate is Pirates!

With five years in production this film was definitely worth waiting for, just for the laughs. With its punchy one liners, this film is definitely worth watching if you enjoy Aardman's subjective humour.

Beyond the Edges of the Frame

With a year full of superhero action, what is actually going on?

Films are products of our society and, therefore, express the views and concerns that are prevalent in our society. Due to this cultural and social attachment, genres are cyclic, as various genres are able to express certain anxieties and opinions in a more inadvertently direct way than others. Thus, when a particular cycle of genre raises its head, one has to wonder why?

We are all eagerly awaiting the release of The Avengers Assemble, The Amazing Spider-man and The Dark Knight Rises, therefore, this year is proving to be a big year for the superhero genre and will definitely go down in history.

However, I can’t help but think that there is more at play here. The superhero genre is a breeding ground for adolescent anxiety as the main characters are often teenagers, dealing with the coming of age and in most cases the lack of a father figure, which is considered to be the reason as to why these teenagers decide to work on the edges of society.

This adolescent theme seems to be prevalent in this year’s films, as The Hunger Games dealt with a dystopian society in which the adolescents where having to change the way in which society is being run. Other films, such as Mirror Mirror, which is out know, and Snow white and the Huntsman, also deal with adolescents and their journey towards adulthood. But why the focus on adolescents? It will be interesting to see what these films suggest about our society today.

However, this is not the only theme that the superhero genre takes into account. This particular genre, with its costumes, is able to playfully negotiate gender identities. Therefore, I am eagerly awaiting the release of these films in order to establish how much things have changed since the last cycle, in particular of the Batman films from the early 1990’s, and what is being suggested in these films of today. 

Source Code: A Review

From the director of Moon (2009, USA), Duncan Jones, comes a gripping sci-fi thriller that will leave you questioning your own illusion of reality.

Source Code (2011, USA) follows Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal), a military fighter pilot who was in a plane crash and awakes to find himself on a commuter train headed for downtown Chicago. However, as Stevens sees his reflection in the window of the train he soon finds out that he is in another man’s body, Sean’s. Stevens soon learns that he is part of a futuristic program, known as Source Code, run by military officials, which allows him to enter the last 8 minutes of a dead man’s memory that is projected into an alternative reality. Stevens is sent back again and again to find the person who bombed this train and stop another imminent attack on Chicago. With not much time, Stevens soon learns that all is not as it seems as he unravels conspiracies and starts to question his own condition of his existence. It would seem that one death is no longer a sufficient price for a soldier to pay for serving his country.

Stevens is an alienated man trying to figure out his purpose of existence. Alienation is a common theme found in Duncan Jones’ films. Stevens did not get to choose his fate and the job he now has to do, as he is being controlled by authoritative forces that he, and the audience to begin with, does not understand. The job that Stevens must do involves finding the bomber of the train, however as he only has eight minutes to do so Stevens soon finds that he must die multiple times in order to gather the information to stop the attack from happening. Thus, the film plays with existential views of mortality, as death becomes a means to an end and by the end of the film Stevens is able to defy his bodily death in his reality. The film also plays with existential views of reality with the idea that we are controlled by an authority that governs us and makes choices for us. This idea defies the views of existentialism, in which a human being is responsible entirely for the choices they make. Stevens however, did not choose his fate but awakes in it.

It would seem that the film makes many comments on our reality, including our relationship with technology. The computer program, source code, allows a person to be in two places at once, which is much like our experience of virtual reality that we get from the web. This plays with the Cartesian idea that we can exist in two places at once, one where our mind is and another where our material bodies are. It would seem that Stevens is able to lose himself, like we are able to, in a virtual reality.

This fantastic film is filled with suspense and takes you to a new level of reality. It will leave you truly amazed and thrilled and definitely wanting more. 

Carancho (The Vulture): A Review

Pablo Trapero’s Carancho is a harrowing portrayal of the endless cycle of corruption, where the only escape from society is death. This film noir is set in the dark corners of Buenos Aires, where vultures prey on the innocent and corruption runs the state. With 8,000 people being killed in road traffic accidents every year in Argentina the film is set up with a dark undertone of death. The anti-hero in this film noir is the vulture, Sosa (Ricardo Darín). Sosa is a seductive, yet, predatory character who chases ambulances to the scene of the crash in order to swindle the victim out of their insurance payout. His seductive characteristics seduce the audience into accepting his shady morals.

Sosa must work for the “Foundation”, an organisation that poses as a charitable law firm that is accompanied by police, paramedics and shady lawyers, as he is a disgraced lawyer and has lost his licence to practice. It is at one of these crash scenes that Sosa meets Luján (Martina Gusman), a paramedic training as a doctor. It is here, in this chaotic warzone filled with noise and confusion that their tragic love story begins. Luján disagrees with Sosa’s work and, therefore, in order for them to be together, Sosa must give up his corrupted practices. However, freedom comes at a price and Luján and Sosa find out the price they have to pay to be together when Sosa must take on one last job.

The “Foundation” represents a corrupt society that is unforgiving, as the closing scene represents how there is no escape from the system, except death, as it is a continuous cycle of events. The audience is thrown into this claustrophobic thriller as they too can feel every punch that is thrown and every crash that happens due to the small spaces in which this film was shot. Carancho offers a gritty envisioning of the shattering nature and fragility of the flesh. The opening sequence with the black and white still shots of the shattered glass with a hand and then a foot foreground this fragility. There is a lot of pain in this film, both caused by the characters themselves but also by circumstance.

However, these intense violent scenes are also accompanied by moments of black humour that occur in a contradicting situation. For instance, a fight breaks out between two supposedly injured men lying on hospital beds that Luján is in the process of assessing in a small hospital room. This fight leads to a riot and Luján and her colleagues must lock the doors to prevent the hoards from bursting through. Gun shots are then fired which leads to a moment of calm again. This unexpected outbreak of violence acts as a way of letting off steam, as the audience is released from this tense thrilling film for a moment.

Carancho is a portrait of a moment of chaos within a warzone where loves blossoms from extreme situations. Trapero’s Carancho is definitely a film worth experiencing.