"Spike Island"

No before I start this review, in fairness to the film makers and the cast and crew, I had not planned to see this film. I will not bore you with the details but I ended up at the cinema, and wanted to make use of the time and the unexpected return journey and so decided to watch a film, and the only option was "Spike Island" so despite knowing nothing about it, I got a ticket.

The film is a coming of age, meets road movie, as a gang of five lads aim to get to their dream destination, and see The Stone Roses perform at Spike Island. They all have their own home problems, whether it be parental beatings, or watching a parent slowly slip away or unrequited love.
They have also formed their own group, and are determined to get their music to the legendary group, and hopefully get some help on the road to stardom.

For anyone who has a love or appreciation of the band, I am sure that they will love this movie. I have to say that the music, and the whole Manchester scene thing did not appeal to me at all, and had I known in advance, I would not have gone to see the film.
That being said, it was clearly made with a passion, and there is heart at the centre of the film.Lead actor Elliott Tittensor gives a good performance as the young band front man. And the rest of the young cast also do a decent job. One comment, Rob James Collier has to be wearing one of the worst moustaches seen in film history.

Not for me, but music fans will love it................4 out of 10

"Behind the Candelabra"

I have been looking forward to this film for some time. Ever since it was first announced that Academy Award winner Michael Douglas was going to play Liberace, I knew that this was a film that I had to watch. I could see that with some make-up that there would be a resemblence between the actor and the music cabaret star.

With a leading Oscar winner in the main role, and an equally talented Oscar winning Matt Damon playing the love interest, through into that Director Steven Soderbergh, and you get the makings of a highly anticipated film.
The film stars with the music star at the height of career. Living the life that the rest of us can only dream about. It is whilst he is performing on stage that he first meets Scott, the man who is to become his partner for the next few years. Liberace was always so secretive about his sexuality and he brought down the wrath of God upon anyone who would refer to him as being gay. That being said, it never stopped him from enjoying relationships with young men, whether it be a one night stand or something more permanent, as was the case with Scott Thorson.
It is a fascinating insight into the life of a true music legend, both the public life and the very private one. He had no problem flaunting his sexuality when in the privacy of his own home, even in front of his staff, but it was never done in front of the public. And this led to tension between the two. As Lee was happy to stay at home, and Scott wanted to go out, have fun, party. They had a highly sexual relationship for several years, but things started to break down. In the end they seperated.

A lot of what is told on screen is very accurate. There was a bitter legal dispute over ownership of properties when Scott tried to sue Liberace. Seeing the relationship on screen  makes for great viewing. The two lead actors give amazing performances, but for me it is Michael Douglas who gives a career best performance as the man himself. Someone recently commented that both lead actors were too old to play their roles by a good ten years. Certainly that can be said of Matt Damon who is 20 years the senior of when Thorson met Liberace.
But this remains an example of good old fashioned story telling, with a great love story at the centre of it, and two of Hollywood's finest at the top of their game. Rob Lowe is also wonderful funny as a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, who has clearly been under the knife too many times.

So with such a great cinematic experience, it will be nice to sit back and look forward to seeing Michael Douglas get another much deserved Best Actor nomination next January.....oh hang on. Wait a minute. I forgot. All the American studios were total wimps and would not finance a film featuring gay leading characters, and so the film failed to get a cinematic release.
All I can say is thank goodness for Entertainment One, who managed to secure a release in the UK and it has found similar success with other distribution companies for most of the rest of the civilized world.

If this is Soderburgh's final film, then he goes out in style......9 out of 10

"Now You See Me" - Special Preview Screening

I recently attended a special preview screening, one of the perks of having an UNLIMITED card courtesy of Cineworld. The only thing a little different about this preview was that I had no idea which film I would be viewing, as the screening was top secret.

So when I sat down to start watching "Now You See Me", I have to confess that I had not heard of the film and knew nothing about it or who was in it. So it was quite a pleasant surprise to see this new release.

It concerns four street magicians who have never really hit the peak of their profession. And whilst performing for their audiences, they each receive an invite. They are all assembled at an address by an unknown benefactor. And what awaits them?  A set of blueprints.....for the ultimate magic act.

Fast forward a year and the four of them have become the biggest act on the Circuit, commanding massive audiences wherever they are. They sell out, and put together the kind of show that would make David Copperfield weep. They do a most innovative illusion. From their auditorium in the US, they are going to rob a bank in Paris. Seems impossible, but can they pull it off?
Watching all this from his seat with the audience is Thaddeus Bradley, a man who has spent his career debunking the so called master illusionists. And he sits taping the show, yes the audience can record the show, in fact they are encouraged to do so by the four magicians.
There is another important man in the audience, the man who funds the elaborate show, Arthur Tressler. He has become the bank for the four.
They do indeed pull off what seems to be the perfect heist. and this naturally arouses the suspicions of the Federal Authorities. Though their frustration becomes apparent when they can pin nothing on the group. So when they announce their next big gig, the pressure is really on to come up with some answers and more importantly some arrests.

There is some interaction between the US authorities and an Interpol agent sent over to investigate the Paris theft. But is there more to her than there appears? Why is Bradley so keen to take the four magicians down?  And who is the mysterious benefactor responsible for turning them into magical super-stars?

All these questions and more get answered in what is a wonderfully entertaining caper with touches of comedy. It really does keep you guessing to the end. There are some great tricks on show in the movie, some great performances, Woody Harrelson especially is clearly having a blast, and is the highlight of the multi talented cast.

This is a reall charming and entertaining movie, which proved to be such a pleasant surprise, and a delight to watch, and would like to think that time permits I will get to see again.......8 out of 10

"Man Of Steel"

The cinematic legend began 35 years ago, when Christopher Reeve so wonderfully wore the cape and proved a man could fly. Doing such a wonderful job, you can just about forgive him the final film in the series. Then we had Brandon Routh in Bryan Singer's reboot, and for the record I loved it. I know it gets some bad press, but it was loved here.

Now in 2013, the "Man of Steel" is back.
It certainly has some big time Hollywood talent involved in the production. We have Director Zack Snyder, who has not exactly endeared himself to me, with films like "Watchmen" and "300" neither of which were all that popular. In fact one of the movies I could not even bear to complete watching.
On the plus side, the Producer is one Christopher Nolan, who completely reinvigorated the "Batman" franchise with his stunning trilogy of movies.

So once again we pay a visit to Krypton, at a time before the planet fell.  Jor-El has a new born, the first original organic born on the planet in some time. He is keen to see the child thrive, but is aware that the planet has been plundered for its resources, and will soon destroy itself. His pleas to try and save the people of Krypton fall on deaf ears, So he takes the only action he can, and sends his newborn son on a perilous journey, to the planet Earth.
Before the planet falls, one of its own takes a stand, Zod and his band of followers attempt to regain control those they hold responsible for the planets impending destruction. They fail, and are sent to the Phantom Zone, and Krypton is left to its inevitable fate.
This is a vision of Krypton like none that we have seen before. Forget all that you have seen in the past. There are real wonders to behold.

Kal-El arrives on Earth and is taken in by the Kent family. They raise him as their own, and try to instill their values within. But they know that he is not of this Earth, and do their best to shield him from the Authorities. There is also the internal struggle for Clark, as he knows that he has these special powers, but he could use them to such a degree that people would become of what he can do. And Jonathan is concerned that the people of Earth will become afraid of his Son. So he tries to make his Son only use them in exceptional circumstances, and that does come at a price.

Inevitably Zod and his followers are released from their prison, and follow Kal-El to Earth. With their home world in ruins, they seek to find a suitable replacement, and what better place than the World currently inhabited by one of their own, Earth.
So the battle for Earth commences. And this is where the major letdown of the film also begins. I would wonder if it was ever possible to say the following, but here goes - there is too much action in the film. It is an onslaught of continuous and needless action. Characters suffer, there is a lack of good dialogue. It just reminded me of the major battle towards the end of  "Avengers Assemble". Whether the film makers felt that they needed to compete, I am not sure but that is how it felt.

Henry Cavill has some big shoes to fill, and does so admirably. Though hopefully we will get more of a chance to shine in the next movie. Amy Adams is decent enough as Lois Lane, but her character I feel is one that suffers due to lack of decent structure. Russell Crowe gives a worthy performance to take on the mantle of playing 'Jor-El'. Michael Shannon does seem to do a lot of shouting, and never really seems to be at one when playing 'Zod'. The one performance that really stood out for me was Kevin Costner as 'Jonathan Kent'. The humanity he projects was excellent, and makes his final scenes so moving.

Yes the visual effects are quite stunning, from the visionary Krypton, to seeing the Man of Steel take flight, and then the attempted wiping out of Earth. The score from Hans Zimmer is as reliable as ever, though it does lack that signature tune that became the hallmark of the original movie.
As is becoming alas the norm, the 3D aspect of the film was again a woeful waste of time. I was still happy to pay for the IMAX experience, but the use of the 3D glasses was unnecessary as it proved such a huge disappointment.

All in all a great film, just needs some tweaks here and there......8 out of 10.