"The Fault In Our Stars"

Right from the start, you get the message. This is going to be no sickly sweet young teen romance story, nor will it end happily, but what is clear is that this is a well made movie, and it is evident why it has taken the box office by storm.

Hazel is a young girl dealing with cancer. In order for her to get out of the house, and also to try and express what she is feeling, she goes to a Cancer support group, more to apease her parents than anything. The head of the group is a God loving nut, and she clearly finds it tiresome attending. But there could be some entertainment from winding up one of the newest members, Gus, who has come partly for himself, as he too has cancer, but mainly he is accompanying his partially sighted friend Issac.
Hazel finds Gus to be very cocky, and she takes pleasure in having fun with a battle of words with him. But soon a friendship does develope. They find out more about each other, discovering each others likes, trading books. Which leads Hazel to lend Gus a book which she regards as her bible. He too finds the book a revelation.
She has tried on numerous occasions to contact the author, but with no joy. Gus however proves to be more successful, and they decide to have a trip to Amsterdam, to meet the author.  The trip does not go to plan. Prior to the trip, Gus had always been more infatuated with Hazel, than Hazel with Gus, she being happy to just stay as friends. But the short break changes that, and their love for each other starts to blossom.
But a secret is told, and we discover that one of the two teens is more seriously ill than we imagine, and the inevitable starts to unfold.

I am sure there are so few people in this World who have not been affected by cancer, whether it be themselves or a family member. So certainly there will be many who have something to relate to with this film.
Director Josh Boone does a great job, admirable considering he is a relative newcomer, making the film engaging without being too sombre or too over sentimental. There are some good performances in the film from seasoned veterans like Laura Dern, as Hazel's mother, and Willem Dafoe as the author that Hazel and Gus seek out.
But top marks to both Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort, playing Hazel and Gus. They really convey a sense of friendship, love and loss with great performances. A very minor quibble would be that maybe they are a few years too old for their roles, but that aside it leaves little wonder why it has been so successful, and fair play to a film on such a small $12 million budget that can do te business that this movie has been doing.

Have the tissues at the ready.....8 out of 10

"Locke"

This review may seem late in coming, but I missed it first time round, and thanks to something our local Cinema chain does, I was give the chance to this movie.

I have to start by saying that I cannot recall in recent memory of having been so misled by a films trailer. Watching it, you see a desperate man, alone in his vehicle, clearly under immense pressure, having some very heated phonecalls. And considering that the film is just him in the vehicle, and dealing with this pressure, the sense of confinement would surely make for a very tense and atmospheric film.

It is still tense and atmospheric but not to the level that was indicated in the trailer, and certainly not through the reasons that one was led to be the cause of his bad night.
Dont get me wrong, the film is worth watching as it is a vehicle, forgive the pun, to show the great acting talents of Tom Hardy who does a great job of man under pressure. The lead character should be in the circus with howmuch juggling he has to do.
Naturally with his making a lot of phone calls, there are several well known names doing the voices for these various characters, and i have to say that some may find more fun in identifying the unseen cast. I was surprised by some of the names I saw in the end credits.

Good but could have been so much better...... 7 out of 10

RIP - Eli Wallach - A Tribute

Just found out about the sad passing of an amazing actor - Mr. Eli Wallach.
A truly remarkable man who was still acting well into his 90's.
Such a versatile list of films within his CV, from the films that he made his name in, like the spaghetti westerns of the 1960's, to comedy opposite Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in the highly amusing "Tough Guys", and returning to crime with his wonderful appearance in "The Godfather Part III".

And even into his tenth decade he was still stepping in front of the camera, whether on the small screen appearing in smash hit "Nurse Jackie", or back on the big screen with movies like "Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps" and "The Ghost".

A lesson to us all, a man who clearly loved the profession that he was in, and carried on right til the end, thank you for so many great movies....Rest In Peace Eli

"Edge of Tomorrow"

 A science fiction, alien version of Groundhog Day, is what we have on offer here.
Tom Cruise plays Major William Cage, a soldier, who spends most of his time in this battle with the aliens, avoiding battling with the aliens. He is constantly able to avoid being sent to the front line but nos his lack of combat activity finds him being seconded to a Unit which is going to be deployed into action. He stands out like a sore thumb, and does not get on well with his fellow soldiers. Soon enough they are dropped via aircraft into the thick of it, and Cage promptly engages one of the alien creatures known as mimics. Both die in the fracas, and as the creature dies, this special alien type bleeds onto Cage, and the next thing he knows, he wakes up alive and well. But back on the base before they have left for battle.
It seems this particular alien has special qualities, that can allow a human to relive the past day, and if need be, the events can be altered. Should he die, he will just go back to that same day, but if he is hospitalised and his blood is changed then he will lose the ability.
The arrival on the battlefield is a massacre and the aim is to kee reliving the day, and use the information to get away, and stop the alien attack.

The film has been garnering rave reviews especially from critics, and I am seriously puzzled as to why. The film was dull and boring. The groundhog day, understandably became repetitive. The reason as to why the aliens attack is never made clear, it is also unclear as to why they are called Mimics. And don't get me started on the ending.

Disappointing......5 out of 10

"A Million Ways To Die In The West"

What can one say about Seth MacFarlane? Well despite what a disaster he made of hosting the Oscars, he would appear to have a love of the western. And that is the genre that is the setting for his latest comedy.
Albert is a sheep farmer, and he has never really amounted to much. Still living with his folks, but he does have the love of a good woman, Louise, well that is until she dumps him, feeling she can do better elsewhere. So he is feeling understandably low, that is until he meets Anna, who has just moved into town with her 'brother'. She brings him alive, but there is a inevitable downside. She is married, and not to just any old cowboy, but the most terrifying sadistic gunslinger this side of Dodge City, wonderfully played by Liam Neeson.

Will Albert prove his worth when challenged by Clinch in a duel?
How far can an unsheared sheep see?
And just how many cameos can you have in a movie?

All these questions and many more are answered with the comedic style that made "Ted" such the hit that it was. I have to be slightly critical of the fact that a lot of the laughs are seen in the trailer, but fret not as there is still plenty to laugh at. There is some toilet humour which is not for the faint hearted.
But as mentioned MacFarlane does seem to love the westen, as the opening features some stunning cinematography, huge credits done in the style of a 60's western, and a great score. During the scene you would almost be forgiven for thinking you were watching the wrong film.

If you have not seen the trailer, loved "Ted" and like a western, then there is no reason why you will not thoroughly enjoy this latest film, which MacFarlane, starred in, wrote, produced and Directed.
As mentioned there are some cameos to watch out for, and a nice little surprise.

A comedy with some good laughs and a nice western homage......7 out of 10

"X-Men Days of Future Past"

Following on from the events at the end of "The Wolverine", we find that the feuding mutants have joined forces, to try and do battle with an adversary that seems unstoppable.
The sentinels seem to be the all conquering opponent, and there is very little that the mutants can do to stop from having their kind destroyed.
So, in a plot reminiscent of a certain James Cameron film franchise, their aim is to go back in time and avert the creation of the Sentinels by killing their Creator.

It may sound like a brief overview but literally that is all there is to the film. Now the delivery is another matter. We see Wolverine step into his past, meeting up with younger versions of the characters that he knows so well from the current day. At this stage, in the past, there is still some animosity certainly between  Xavier and Magneto, and takes some effort from the others to get them to combine their powers.
There is an additonal strand to the story, and the possible repercussions of the timeline involving Mystique. It all adds to the wonder of this entertaining movie.

There is the whole question of whether the film breaks the rules of time travel, and I am sure if one sat down and gave it some thought it would all become clear as to whether it does. But then one could end up destroying the fun. Best not to think about it too much.
Bryan Singer returns to the Directors chair, and fashions these characters that he so wonderfully brought to life in the original film.

I do really enjoy seeing two great thespians like Patrick Stewart and Sir Ian McKellen on screen together. It is a real treat for any film fan. It is a shame that they have so little screen time. But at the end of the day the film is about the past.
As one would expect there are some excellent set pieces and action sequences, all delivered with great cinematic style, and a delight to watch. There is one stand-out sequence involving Quicksilver  when the gang are seemingly surrounded.
One of the few downsides is that there are so many mutant characters in the series, that as many of them appear in this new film, some have just so little screen time. I know that Wolverine is probably the most popular character, and he had rather taken over the francise, but it would be nice to have some expansion on some the other characters.

A fantastic, Xciting, Xcellent romp with great visuals, and a great cast.......8 out of 10