"Glass" (Preview Screening)

Who would have thought that almost 20 years after the release of the smash hit "Unbreakable" that we would now be watching this third film in the planned trilogy?
I have to say that I never knew that this was planned as a trilogy. The first inkling I got was possibly like many others when seeing the very closing shots of "Split" and the surprise appearance of 'David Dunn', the Bruce Willis character from "Unbreakable".

The two worlds of "Unbreakable" and "Split" collide as we see characters from both films all gear up for the battle of Good Vs Evil, David trying to track down 'The Beast', one of the many split personalities of Kevin Wendall Crumb.
Entering into the fray is 'Doctor Ellie Staple', who believes that she can explain away the so called super powers of Kevin, David and Elijah Price.

Are these three characters deluded and that there is nothing actually at all special about them?
Do they actually possess great powers?

I am not sure whether I missed any reference to when the film is set in relation to "Split" but I read one review which said it was four weeks later, so let's go with that.
David has his own Home Security firm, and is working with his Son, Joseph, and in a nice touch the role is reprised by Spencer Treat Clark, who I always thought gave an astonishing performance in "Unbreakable". They are trying to track down 'The Beast' as four local girls are missing. Using his powers, David does indeed find Kevin, but before a showdown ensues they are both apprehended by the authorities, and put in an institution, under the charge of 'Doctor Staple', along with 'Elijah Price'.
The remainder of the film is pretty in the grounds of the Hospital as the good Doctor tries to explain away their powers. And yes it can get a bit bogged down at times, but one always gets a sense that there will be a big pay-off, that unfortunately never comes.
It is hard to go into too much detail without giving away key plot details.Samuel L. Jackson has recently said that due to world events that the original ending was changed. Would that have improved the finale?  Guess we'll never know.

One thing is certain is that once again James McAvoy gives an astonishing performance. It's not just about finding the right voice and characteristics for each of this personalities, but he changes his body language too in the flick of a switch. It's really impressive to watch. Sadly Willis and Jackson are given very little to do, both performances pale to what we saw in "Unbreakable".

It's a good film, and worth watching for McAvoy alone, and nice to see Willis and Treat Clark together again, but does it have a twist ending?????
I won't shatter your expectations, you need to go see the film......6 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

"Trance"

A new thriller from Director Danny Boyle, fresh from his massive success as Director of the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony.
Simon works in an Art Gallery, as an auctioneer. And his form of employment could possibly help with a little problem that he has...a problem with a certain gambling debt, which is spiralling out of control. In order to clear his money worries, he goes to a Crook, Frank, where Simon can have his money troubles sorted, and Frank gains access to a rather expensive painting.

The painting in question is a rare piece, and is expected to sell for £25 million. With everything synchronized, all goes to plan, the heist takes place, the staff secure the painting, and transfer to a secure drop box, only it will be intercepted by Frank.
All goes swimmingly, til Frank gets the painting home and discovers an empty frame. Understandably he is a little annoyed by this. To make matters worse, during the interception he had to hit Simon on the head with his rifle, and Simon is now suffering from a rather unfortunate bout of amnesia, and has no idea where the he has hidden the painting.

Medical opinion is that no medicine can return the memory loss, and it may take considerable time, but another option is hypnosis. So they find a hypnosis expert, who they hope can retrieve the information they need and get back the painting.
There is very little involvement from the Police in the film, they either believe that the painting is long gone, and will not be recovered, and that it possibly may even be an inside job involving the Gallery manager, but none of that is really pursued.
Ultimately the film looks what unravels once Simon is in the Doctor's chair. What is real and what is in his mind. The strands of the story start to merge together as more is revealed. Did Simon outsmart the crooks? Will he survive to enjoy the painting? Is there a connection between the therapist and Frank?  Do we really care?

After an engaging start, the film soon descends into a murky mess of confusion. All the lead characters have no redeeming qualities, which makes you not care about them, and ultimately the film drags. The film also has a rather bizarre ending...which I will not spoil here.
The film is well photographed, as one has come to expect from Director Boyle, and another of his trademarks is a well composed score, and again here he delivers, but sadly they are about the only two fields where I can compliment.

One of shining examples of British acting, James McAvoy is now on his second film in a row that has failed to be worthy of both my time and money (the other being "Welcome to the Punch"), and hope that he can regain the kind of high quality films that he deserves.  Vincent Cassel is ok as French crook Frank.

Started well, but the film soon put me into a trance......5 out of 10