"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

"Olympus Has Fallen"

Mike Banning is a Secret Service Agent, who has faithfully stood by the side of his President. But during routine escort duty, an accident occurs, which results in a personal tragedy for the President. We then jump forward 18 months, the President still struggles to deal with his loss, and Mike now finds himself working in the Treasury Department, unable to work at the Commander In Chief's side, as it would serve as a permanent reminder of what had gone before.

Now this next part of the plot will sound really far fetched, and could not possibly happen in real life. It would seem that there are tensions between North and South Korea, and The Americans have created a buffer zone, a demilitarized area where they have troops to avoid anything kicking off. I mean come on, as if that could ever happen???
Anyway, tensions are on the increase, and the Prime Minister of South Korea has arrived in the US for a meeting. Except he is not alone.

For starters a large plane wages its own war on the good people of Washington DC, and makes a mess of the Washington Memorial. Then various vehicles attack the city also, and entry is gained to the White House both outside and within. The President is housed in a secure bunker, along with the Vice President, Chief of Staff, the South Korean Official and his chief of staff, who is also one of the most wanted terrorists in the World.
Kang, the Korean terrorist, has one simple aim, to lay waste not only Washington but to the whole of the United States of America. As they sit in a bullet riddled White House, he plans to obtain the codes for a weapon system called Cerberus, which when activated will see every nuclear missile in America detonated, leaving the country a vast waste land.

The Secret Service have all but been killed, there is no way to gain entry to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and there is a gun pointing at the President's head......is there any hope?
You bet your bottom dollar that there is. Banning, upon hearing the initial commotion, has managed to gain entry into the White House, and his near impossible task is to deal with the terrorists, locate and rescue the President's Son, who is roaming loose, and also rescue President Asher. But Banning is the best at what he does, and would make Liam Neeson look like a Boy Scout, and that is no small task.

Right from the off, you are on a non stop action ride, which delivers both knuckle whitening action, with a compelling story. The opening nicely sets up the story of the relationship between Banning and President Asher.
The initial attack on Washington is brilliantly staged, you dare not blink for missing a frame of the action, as it unfolds on screen.
There is then the mexican stand off between the Armed Forces and the terrorists, and again this makes for compelling viewing. It all builds beautifully to the inevitable climax.

Director Antoine Fuqua really provides top notch direction, the action comes thick and fast from every direction. He has assembled an all star cast, with the likes of Angela Bassett and Robert Forster manning the Operations Centre, to Aaron Eckhart as The President, plus the always reliable Morgan Freeman as The Speaker of the House. There is a wonderful scene where Speaker Trumbull gives one of the Generals a right bollocking. And of course there is the one man army that is Gerard Butler as Mike Banning. He does a credible job in the role, and clearly this is someone you do not want to mess with, and it is great fun seeing him kick the what not out of the terrorists.

It is especially nice to see Rick Yune as Kang, in that when he is on screen, if he has a gun to someones head, you really do wonder if his target will survive, as Kang has no redeeming qualities, and will kill without a second of hesitation.

I have been looking forward to this film for some time, and for fans who enjoy this, there is a similar film coming out later in the year, which sees Channing Tatum as a Police Officer dealing with terrorists in "White House Down", another action packed all star affair.

Needless to say I enjoyed it immensely, great fun, action coming thick and fast, and all round fantastic movie.......8 out of 10.

"Oblivion"

The distant future.....the Moon was attacked, left in ruins, thus leading to cataclysmic effects on Earth. But the suffering does not end there. Our planet is attacked, War rages, we win, but the price we pay is too high, Earth is uninhabitable. The remainder of the population are taken to Titan one of the moons of Saturn, going to start a new life.

But there are still those who seek to inflict further harm to Earth, they are called Scav's.
Large energy units called Hydro Rigs convert the sea water into energy, and protecting them from attack are Drone units, and looking after them is Jack Harper and Victoria, a team of two who work on maintaining the Drones, Victoria working from their shared workstation, and Jack out on the open road as it were, doing the maintenance, and dealing with any problems with Scav's, and of course they are in constant contact with a main ship which is in constant orbit near Earth.

But on a routine inspection, Jack is captured by a band of Scav's, except all is not as it seems. For they are actually humans, like Jack and Victoria. And Jack is told of what has really happened on Earth these last few decades....but who does he believe?  His trusted team on the Mother ship, or Beech, the head of the Scavengers?  Which ever way he goes, life will never be quite the same on Earth again.

The premise is interesting, not totally new, there are shades of other filsm in there, from "Aliens" to "The Omega Man", and several others, and it would be the latter of the two films where the greatest similarity lies, lone people defending a desolate Earth from a band of scavengers.
The main thing with a film of that nature, whether it be "The Omega Man" or its recent remake "I Am Legend", to have a film dominated by pretty much one or two characters, the film has to be engaging, and sadly this new Cruise film does not deliver in that area. It lacks any major tension, it is literally the two of them working towards fixing non-functioning drones. Oooh how exciting.

Although the film may feel like it drags because of the lack of any drive in the story, it is saved by some great photography, stunning visual effects, and an awesome soundtrack, one which I shall soon be buying, it is that good, and is composed by M83. No, I haven't heard of them / him / her either.
The combination of the three combined makes for a film that is entertaining to look at, and yes it does compensate.
The film does pull it back in the third act. It may seem all nice, neat and tidy, but when the story started to come together, and when you see the bigger picture, and all becomes clear, and your enjoyment is enhanced.

Had there been more substance in the opening two acts, this could have gone down as a truly great sci-fi film, as it is the film is good, and many will enjoy it.
Jospeh Kosinski has proved his worth, and followed on from the visual triumph that was "Tron Legacy" with another visually jaw dropping movie. Definitely a talent to watch.
For a man of 50, Mr. Cruise shows no sign of slowing down, and he gives a nice performance, as does Andrea Riseborough. And it goes without saying that Morgan Freeman is always worth the price of admission, no matter what he is appearing in.

Good, could have been great, but visually it will amaze........7 out of 10.

"The 85th Annual Academy Awards" - Recap

So that was The Oscars, and how did the show fair in its 85th year?

It did well. Firstly to host Seth MacFarlane. He was good but he is from being anywhere near as classy and stylish as verteran host Billy Crystal, or as witty and funny as Whoopi Goldberg. He had some nice moments, like his opening comment about the mission to make Tommy Lee Jones smile. Bringing Capt. James. T. Kirk on screen was bizarre, not really sure whether that belonged.

It was an evening with a few surprises, a tie, which we have not seen in almost 20 years, there was a gasp from the audience, which was great fun.
There have been a few near misses with people almost falling on the steps to the stage, but tonight it actually happened. Hugh Jackman was ever the knight in shining armour coming to the rescue of Jennifer Lawrence.

There were some amazing performances. I must admit that by the time the "In Memoriam" section began, I had not realised that Barbra Streisand had not yet performed, so when they showed a picture of Marvin Hamlisch, and then the screen parted, and the great songstress started performing, the penny dropped. Am sure that Marvin would have been very proud of such a wonderful tribute, and from someone who clearly loved him very much.
It was fantastic to see Adele perform her OSCAR WINNING song from the OSCAR WINNING James Bond film "Skyfall", although it was a shame that she was occasionally drowned out by on over-enthusiastic orchestra.

On an individual basis, the night belonged to the legendary Dame Shirley Bassey, her performance of "Goldinger" was quite out of this world. It was a tad disappointing that the James Bond tribute did not amount to more, in that there had been whispers that all six actors would be involved.
Nice that Dame Shirley got the first standing ovation of the night.

Was it me or was Catherine Zeta Jones miming?  Strongly suspect she was. But there were some amazing performances from the likes of Jennifer Hudson, and also the cast of "Les Miserables" in a quite stunning performance. Really brought the house down.

Some of the Presenters fell truly flat on their faces, more so than Jennifer Lawrence. Look at Oscar winner Sandra Bullock, what was she babbling about? But even she was overshadowed by the truly awful Melissa McCarthy and Paul Rudd. Their stint at presenting was dire, and I really wanted them to be ejected from the stage. 

Regarding my predictions, out of the main eight, I got seven correct, so was delighted with that, the only one I got wrong was Best Director.

On the whole, the results went pretty much as expected, there was very little surprise, despite the potential for there to be a few shocks.
Performances were amazing, and it has to rank as one of the best shows for the entertainment, cannot recall many other Oscar Broadcasts where there were so many great artists on stage.
Now the burning question - would I have Seth MacFarlane back as host? The answer would be yes, but only to give him one more opportunity to see if he can improve on his lacklustre MC efforts this time round. He had the potential to be a great host, and it did not show.

"The 85th Annual Academy Awards"

I don't just enjoy the movies, I absolutely love the movies, and for anyone like me, and yes there are others, there can be no bigger event in the year than the Academy Awards - The Oscars.

So here we are on Sunday 24th February 2013, just hours away from the 85th Show, and for me it looks set to be one of the best shows EVER. The results may not be the best, especially if "Argo" wins Best Picture (I Know I keep going on about it), but the show itself will be phenomenal.

For a start we get to see the cast of "Les Miserables" performing on stage. Then performing her Academy Award nominated song, for the first time live, will be Adele, singing "Skyfall". There is a special tribute to celebrate the 50th anniversary of James Bond 007, this will include seeing Dame Shirley Bassey performing, and to top all that, coming back to the Oscar stage, for the first time in almost 40 years is the one and only Barbra Streisand.

So with all that and more, it is easy to see why this will be Oscar at its very best........

My Winners list will be posted shortly.

"The 85th Annual Academy Awards" - My Predictions

Well here goes, as usual I will be compiling two lists of winners, the ones I think will win, and the ones I want to Win. I may also include if I think there could be a few surprises.

Best Picture

I think that it is between these two titles, as much as it pains me, "Argo" will no doubt win Best Picture, but I would love to see "Les Miserables" pull a last minute victory.


Best Director

An easy one...I will be very surprised to if Steven Spielberg does not bag Best Director, and he is also the one I would like to see take home The Oscar.
Michael Haneke and Ang Lee could be potential competition, but I think seeing as Ben Affleck is not nominated (hoorah) then it should be Spielberg's win.


Best Actor In a Leading Role

I don't believe that I am an Oscars expert or anything, but just about the World and his wife will be pretty certain that Ireland's finest actor will be making Oscar History tonight, when Daniel Day Lewis becomes the first Actor ever to have three Leading Actor Oscars. And yes I want Day Lewis to win, but a little bit of me would be oh so chuffed if Hugh Jackman won.

Best Actress In a Leading Role

In a year of what could be many surprises, this Category does seem to be one that is less set in stone. At the beginning it was Jessica Chastain would walk home with Oscar, but now my money is on Jennifer Lawrence, despite her young years. Though do not discount the more mature Emmanuelle Riva, it would be a nice birthday present for her.
Would like to see Jessica Chastain win for "Zero Dark Thirty".




Best Actor In a Supporting Role

For me there is no better choice in this category than Christoph Waltz, who will hopefully gain a second Best Supporting Actor, for working again with Quentin Tarantino. Christoph is both who I think will Win and who I want to win. 
Though don't lose sight of Tommy Lee Jones for "Lincoln".





Best Actress In a Supporting Role

There does seem to be an amount of certainly around this Award, and the fact that the Academy have probably already engraved Anne Hathaway's name on it. It would be a very worthy win, and I am happy to have Anne be in both my Win lists.







Best Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen

For me there is only one winner in the Original Screenplay Award, and he is Quentin Tarantino.
Although I would not be surprised to see Mark Boal take a last minute victory for his work on "Zero Dark Thirty".





Best Screenplay Based On Material Previously Produced Or Published

A tough one this, but I believe that Chris Terrio will win for his appalling work on "Argo".
I would like to see Tony Kushner win for his excellent work on "Lincoln"





So to clarify...here are my predictions for the Big Wins at the 85th Annual Academy Awards

Best Picture - Argo
Best Director - Steven Spielberg
Best Actor In a Leading Role - Daniel Day Lewis
Best Actress In a Leading Role - Jennifer Lawrence
Best Actor In a Supporting Role - Christoph Waltz
Best Actress In a Supporting Role - Anne Hathaway
Best Screenplay Written Directly For The Screen - Django Unchained
Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced Or Published - Argo

And just to finish off, I want to give a big Good Luck to  "Skyfall", and especially to Adele who is favourite to win for Best Song, and I really hope that she does.

It is going to be an unforgettable night, and there could be quite a few surprises.....so here is to Oscar and the enjoyment of the 85th Annual Academy Awards......

"Lincoln"

An epic movie looking at one of the greatest Americans, and Directed by Steven Spielberg in a real labour of love.

The Civil War is raging and Lincoln is under from many quarters to bring an end to the War that has cost so many lives. But he has another that he wants to win, the battle to free those from slavery. He is many votes short from achieving victory for the Slavery abolition. So engages a team to talk with the Undecided voters, and see if they can be swayed.
A deal could be made to end the Civil War, and some have promised to give their vote to end slavery if War is brought to an end, but Lincoln believes that should he end the War, those who have spoken against ending Slavery will vote differently when the time comes, thus he wants to find a way to end Slavery first.

The film opens on the battle fields, with many US soldiers being killed at the hands of other US Soldiers. We see Lincoln addressing some troops, trying to keep morale up. And from here we see the start of his long and difficult journey.
We also see Lincoln the family man, both he and his wife Mary still mourning the loss of their Son, though still with one elder Son hopefully to practice law, and a younger Child Son. Robert, the elder, feels he is letting down his fellow Country Men by not having signed up for his duty. This is something he is keen to rectify, and whilst Lincoln is happy for his Son to follow what he wishes to do, Mary is mortified, and does not want to have to bury another Son. Naturally this leads to tension between the two of them.
The film does concentrate on a specific time frame within Lincoln's life, and I suppose for some it seems like the ultimate history lesson, and though it may come across like that, there is a lot that can be learnt from it. I did not know about Mary Lincoln's mental instability, also that they lost a child so early in life. The film will not be for everyone, indeed during the screening I was at, five people of varying ages walked out at different times.

But what you are going for is to learn about the man, why he is so admired as probably the Greatest American President, the attention to detail, and knowing that you are watching a film made by some of the best practitioners of the art of film-making.

One cannot help feel sorry for both Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field, as I suspect that in any other year, their performances as Thaddeus Stevens and Mary Lincoln would have garnered them additional Academy Awards, but I feel that this time round, there is only going to be one Oscar Winning Actor from the film, and that is of course Daniel Day Lewis, who will make Oscar History, and it would be very well deserved. He is well known for the lengths he goes to when he is in character, and this is no exception. Hard to believe that originally playing the part was that other towering Irish actor, Liam Neeson. It has to be said that the similarity between Day Lewis and Lincoln is quite remarkable.

On the whole a great film about a great man, with a great performance at the heart of it......8 out of 10