Thursday 10 October 2013

Book review: The Prince Of Thorns & King Of Thorns

Little book review


Recently i picked up these books from Asda (other supermarkets are available). The covers along intrigued me nice art work with is risen in certain areas to make it stand out.

Prince of Thorns

Synopsis 

Before the thorns taught me their sharp lessons and bled weakness from me I had but one brother, and I loved him well. But those days are gone and what is left of them lies in my mother's tomb. Now I have many brothers, quick with knife and sword, and as evil as you please. We ride this broken empire and loot its corpse. They say these are violent times, the end of days when the dead roam and monsters haunt the night. All that's true enough, but there's something worse out there, in the dark. Much worse.


From being a privileged royal child, raised by a loving mother, Jorg Ancrath has become the Prince of Thorns, a charming, immoral boy leading a grim band of outlaws in a series of raids and atrocities. The world is in chaos: violence is rife, nightmares everywhere. Jorg has the ability to master the living and the dead, but there is still one thing that puts a chill in him. Returning to his father's castle Jorg must confront horrors from his childhood and carve himself a future with all hands turned against him.


My thoughtsIts not a great paced book very slow to get into but at least the character was intriguing enough to keep me interested, it did lack in details some times to get to another part of the story or finish the chapter. but considering it was the author's first novel then i was impressed and happy to see what else can produce in years to come.

If your into fantasy give it a go see if its for you.



King of thorns

Synopsis 

To reach greatness you must step on bodies, and many brothers lie trodden in my wake. I’ve walked from pawn to player and I’ll win this game of ours, though the cost of it may drown the world in blood…

The land burns with the fires of a hundred battles as lords and petty kings fight for the Broken Empire. The long road to avenge the slaughter of his mother and brother has shown Prince Honorous Jorg Ancrath the hidden hands behind this endless war. He saw the game and vowed to sweep the board. First though he must gather his own pieces, learn the rules of play, and discover how to break them.

A six nation army, twenty thousand strong, marches toward Jorg's gates, led by a champion beloved of the people. Every decent man prays this shining hero will unite the empire and heal its wounds. Every omen says he will. Every good king knows to bend the knee in the face of overwhelming odds, if only to save their people and their lands. But King Jorg is not a good king.
Faced by an enemy many times his strength Jorg knows that he cannot win a fair fight. But playing fair was never part of Jorg’s game plan.



My thoughts

It was a slow slog through out the book, the book is set in to setting a 4 year old event and the wedding day of Jorg which also happens to be siege day.
There was times when my mind would wonder as it didn't have my full attention due to continually jumping to and fro the events, however it picks up in the end and pays off but even the end could had more detail in it and felt it missed a few things out to be explained.


The next book has got really high remarks and reviews which i hope isn't over hyped but i will be reading it as i have to finish off the trilogy and see what happens to Jorg if redemption is possible.



Not the most interesting review i know but hard to get passionate about something stale.


Metallica : through the never

What's in the bag


As a Metallica fan, this has two different reviews it has a gig review of 9/10 and as a film its a 2/10.

So this film is odd cause from the trailer it looks like there is a gig on and a roadie has to go out and get something for the band and whilst he is out he runs into a riot and has a series of events.

The film is about 80% about the concert with the songs tying in to the events that happens to the road and is also symbolic to what the songs are about. The film is about a roadie (Trip) who takes a pill ,and has a bad trip. He has to go and pick up a bag from a lorry which has run out of fuel, he runs into a riot between the police and a rabble, stops someone getting hanged from a man on a horse in a gas mask and gets chased by a posse, he then gets beaten up and has a face off against the horse man.


It seems whilst this is going on the gig and all going to plan but stuff starts going wrong when bad things happen to trip and stuff breaks but yet they continue to play.

Like i said i enjoyed but not from a film view but as a gig. The most irritating part of it is we just don't know what is in the bag and from what i have searched on the net for no one from the band know but the guy who plays Trip, this will drive people nuts. 

See it if you are a fan if not then your choice

Tuesday 13 August 2013

Dinner at Village Inn

Pub Food



This here is my first food review.

So the fiancée decided that we should go out and celebrate my latest job promotion and that i could choose any pub i want. A little while back i drove past a pub that took my interest called The Village Inn at the Park Gate area. 
So that is where we headed first impression were at a high, the décor was modern pub and it was very spacious and relaxed feeling. What impressed Gael was the fact that not only did have books on a book case but they sell them too if you found one you liked.
The pub serves a nice selection of ales which seems to vary weekly which is always nice to try something different. The menu is pretty big which was nice its nothing special just normal pub grub.


So for starters we had a ploughman's sharer platter which consisted of chicken liver and pork parfait, breaded brie wedge, garlic mushrooms, creamy mushroom pie and potato wedges. We generally go for a sharer starter as its kind of intimate and when Gael cant finish i clear up. The only thing that wasn't that god was the pie as it was microwaved (yup heard the ping) it was soggy they could have put it in the oven just to firm it up a bit.

Main courses as there was so much normal food on there we decided to go for a burger each, Gael had the Lamb and oregano burger which looked  little dry from where i was sitting but she seems to enjoy it. I had the ultimate burger which consisted of 2 burgers, montrey jack cheese, bacon, and a fried egg. At first glance it looked impressive the size was huge but the egg was cooked solid if you put a egg in a burger i wants to be runny. The next thing i realised was that the chips were not that fresh as if they were cooked and left on the hotplate for too long, not crispy and warm. We didn't end up finishing the mains as we were going to give pudding a go.

we gave ourselves a 20 minute way for the food to go down and make some way for pudding. i fancied a bit of tiramisu but darn they didn't have any so settled for spottie dick ( take a minute for the laugh) and Gael had the crumble and custard which she wasn't too impressed with for when she has crumble she likes a nice layer of crumble so the custard can sink into it, however what she got was a piss ass layer spread thinly. Mine was okay nothing special.


Overall not too shabby very middle of the road pub probably looking at a 3 out of 5 it was a good thing the company my other half supplies is great and the the pub looked nice.

thanks for reading
Dave

Friday 9 August 2013

The Baytown Outlaws

The Grindhouse film


Plot

After her ex-husband Carlos shoots Celeste three times in the gut, it's time to play dirty. In the fight for her godson, Rob, she hires three outlawed and redneck brothers to bring him back to her. But nothing can be that simple in the South. What begins as a small rescue mission rises to a southern battle royal. This odd team must shoot their way through gorgeous female assassins, Native American hunters, Federal agents, and a whole lot of metal coming after them, while protecting Celeste's innocent child.

My thoughts

Typical Grindhouse film with the grubby look lots of blood and violence and lets not forget the half naked ladies that always appear in this type of films. 
So in this film the good guys aren't your typical heroes in fact you would be quite surprised about their morals. 

The opening scene i knew i would enjoy this film with these characters i never thought you could cheer on rednecks so much. The two groups of mercenaries are great having their own personal touches to their fractions. Hell even the police chief was different to what we normally get. 

One of the reasons i got this film was for Billy Bob Thornton and to be honest he is not even  it that much but when he is he plays the arsehole that he plays so well.



The Soundtrack for this film is great throughout the whole film.
Easy casual watch with not many big names i the film but a load of faces you should recognise from television, I'd expect a sequel from this easy.



Thanks for reading
Dave

80's fims & Tango and Cash



Tango and Cash mini review


Plot

Two rival cops from L.A are set up and to solve who set them up have to work together.


My thoughts

So i got sent this from love film on Blu ray and i tell you what considering this is late 80's this film look good and has been converted quite nicely. This film is full of trops however considering the age i'd say that they set the standard or trends to which some films will follow. 

This is my first viewing of the film i know probably could have seen this sooner  but never crossed my mind. The comedy and chemistry from the two characters are fantastic and they really do bounce off each other. Now cut to present day and i have recently The Heat (Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy) who are also two dysfunctional cops who cant work together with opposite styles and i will tell you what Tango and Cash is a much better film.

The one thing that i didn't get from the film was how Cash a L.A cop has a James Bond Q branch shit going on. With the Gun boot and the RV van of death.


The music that was going on in the background was typical 80's film stuff and it reminded me especially of Beverly Hill Cop which was a nice touch.

If you haven't seen the film give it  punt its an easy watch just like the that are of films were.

The 80's 



We just don't make films like this any more!
These were the films i grew up on well that and the 90's. These film were just easy watches you just sat down and switched off and let everything happen on the screen. No hidden messages or over elaborate plots, an action film was exactly that guns and explosions with the hero getting the girl no twists. No one cared about the graphics or hidden easter eggs hell not even the acting in some cases.
Cause you know Arnie's and Stallone's first few films were as wooden as shit.

Like i stated earlier these films set the trops we see now days hell most films are re made from the plots from films of the 80's. Thats because original ideas in Hollywood is running at a low.

Thanks for reading feel free to leave a comment
Dave

Monday 5 August 2013

The Wolverine : spoliers!

My review on everyone's favourite Hero


Synopsis

In modern day Japan, Wolverine is out of his depth in an unknown world as he faces his ultimate nemesis in a life-or-death battle that will leave him forever changed. Vulnerable for the first time and pushed to his physical and emotional limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than we have ever seen him before.



My thoughts

This film is the film comic fans wanted first time round with it following Logan on his journey in Japan and following closely to the comics. Its a slow burn to be honest with not being your usual super hero movie with some themes behind the film of death,trust and honor. The film is a soul searching film for its a journey he must take to get this full potential. That said i was bored!


The film starts slow an.d its not very gripping we see him struggling to come to term with his life after the X-Men and him losing Jean Grey even if she wasn't really his in the first place, we see him getting on with the wild life more then people as he has kind of cut himself off from humanity slightly. As he is also a animal we see him connect with  dying bear and goes hunting for the hunters, which leads him to the woman looking for him. She manages to persuade him to go to Japan and meet his old acquaintance who dies and then the film basically becomes a body guard film where he is protecting the man's granddaughter whilst she is being hunted to draw out wolverine.



The film has a few good action scenes especially the train fighting scene which i thought was done very well to use the moves which Logan would definitely use. Its weird to see not many mutants in this film with just two on top of the main character; the viper was great and very well played however what i dint understand was why she was there and her motives for doing the things she did it made no sense. i did like the parasite which she put in wolverine to slow down his regeneration powers which made sense and humanised him.

SO Jean Grey we see a fair bit of her appearing in his hallucinations giving him pillow talk really which is really his guilt for killing her really and by the end of the film he lets go of her.   


The overall plot of this film was to rob Logan of his Regeneration powers so that Grandad can Live forever its a Lame motive for a film to be honest always a trope where someone wants to live for ever.
So to get the power this guys tries to assassinate his own granddaughter. Thats pathetic. He builds a big samurai which to be honest could have been built by Tony Stark it looked like a iron man suit in the end.

Big props to Hugh Jackman who looked his best in this film who took diet advice from The Rock to bulk up!


The more i think about it the less i like it so thats the last 2 Marvel films i feel have been crap you need to sort it out losing your grip.

feel free to disagree but thanks for reading
Dave

Fast and Furious 6: the car jumping spectacular

My Fast & Furious 6 review


The plot


Hobbs has Dom and Brian reassemble their crew in order to take down a mastermind who commands an organization of mercenary drivers across 12 countries. Payment? Full pardons for them all.




My thoughts

Lets be honest since The Rock has been in these films it has put life back in to a well needed franchise. It seems to me there was not much driving in this film as the others and more fighting and planning attacks on the enemy.
we begin with where everyone is and what they are up to, and out all all of those The Rock has the best entrance. The first race/ driving sequence is fantastic i can not fault it was very exciting. The hand to hand fight sequences are fantastic and invigorating to watch the and everyone gets a piece of the action including the females. We get some great comedy from Roman and Han which i wouldn't mind seeing in their own film.



There are a few down sides to the film which take you out of the realm of the possible to the how the fuck can you do that. So some of the issues i have is the first car chase where the rock jumps from a car above on to car below whilst they are going round a corner speed. Then later in the film we have Letty jumping from a tank and Dom jumping from his car to catch her and save her. That Jump is bull shit i didn't know people could fly in this film? I feel like we got cheated out of Letty and her death by giving her amnesia just to fill the plot whole. Once the  other crew found out she use to be with Dom surely they should have just killed her to make sure she can't complicate things. My last big issue is Dom Head butts a guy a bit bigger then The Rock and manages to move him. ER i don't think so he is built ike a fucking tank so no i don't think he would flinch. Why didn't the tank just shoot Dom and be rid of them that would have solved his issue.



Vin Diesels headbutt can move this man!!! BOLLOCKS


As for the final scene just like everyone else who has seen the film i would like to know where this amazingly long run way is.

Overall the film is great fun with plenty of laughs driving and fighting as long as you don't mind switching off and filling in the plot holes your self.

thanks for reading this
Dave

Wednesday 24 July 2013

The Worlds End with spoilers

The worlds End


Synopsis

5 friends reunite to finish a pub crawl which they never finished 20 years ago unaware that they are earth's hope to stop a alien invasion.

My opinion 
So where to begin the film is a classic invasion of the body snatchers but with lots of alcohol, I felt the film started very slow and didn't really grip me. You really don't want to like Pegg's character at all as he feels like a cocky dickhead and his journey through the film doesn't help you like or root for him. The way he plays the character is rubbish i feel like he doesn't pull it off and should sticky to his nerdy characters or wacky ones just not the arsehole type. However my other half thought he looked HOT!?



There is one person in the film that makes it just a bit bearable and that is Nick Frost the man is awesome and can pull off any type of character as he has done a nice selection of films. I felt Eddie Marsan was under used in this film he has amazing acting skills and he probably shouldn't have been in the film as he wasn't used to his full potential. I haven't seen many Paddy Considine but i did enjoy him in this enough to go and look for some of this films.

There is not much to like about this film its not as funny as the other two but does consist of a colourful range of language and as for a end to the trilogy it does not end on a good note, even Paul was better then this and i wasn't a huge fan of that.

The way the film ends was a nice touch as the title doesn't just refer to the last pub, but that nice touch does not bring it up any standards.

The Cornetto blood trilogy probably should have been called the Cornetto fence trilogy, for there was not any blood in this film more like blue ink, i did like the Cornetto reference in this film.

I will not be buying this on blu ray at all which is a shame as i am a fan and wont complete the trilogy on the bookcase. I recommend you avoid this film if you can i was hyped to see this film and i can say that Marketing for the film was great as they made it a film you wanted to watch and was excited to see this film.

Thanks for reading feel free to comment below
David

Friday 19 July 2013

Death race trilogy

Death Race


Synopsis 
In 2012, amid economic chaos and high unemployment, Americans watch by the millions as criminals with life sentences race armoured cars on Terminal Island. Two-thirds of the combatants die but the winner may earn his freedom. On the day he loses his job, steelworker Jensen Ames is arrested for his wife's murder. Sent to Terminal Island, he's offered an out by the steely and manipulative Warden Hennessey - race as the popular mask-wearing (but now dead) champion, Frankenstein, or rot in prison. Jensen makes the bargain. As the three-stage race approaches, he realizes that the whole thing may be a set up - can an anonymous man behind a mask get revenge and win his release?

Death Race is a great idea, good way to control prisons and provide entertainment at the same time its a show that if was real i could get behind and watch.

So as for the film its enjoyable fun carnage but apart from that i wouldn't expect great acting performances or stand out moments. The races are fun and definitely a thrill ride not knowing who is going to die next and more importantly how will they die bad driving or onslaught from a Gatling gun or rockets.

As for the ending its pretty straight forward you saw it coming just a case of how it was done.

So Jason Statham probably got the job for the driving and fighting for being in the Transporters films as its what he does best and well known for its in his comfort zone.
Always a pleasure to watch Ian Mcshane on screen its the kind of film i would expect to see him in not too high profile.

Overall i would recommend this for a casual watch and adrenaline junkies.


Death Races 2



Synopsis
Explores the origins of the first "Frankenstein" car driver, Carl "Luke" Lucas, who died in a race at the beginning of the first film.

Its a basic Origins story with the first driver to become 'Frankenstein' and how death race came to be the Phenomenon that it was. It starts off weird with before there was racing there was death matches with the same principle that after three minutes weapon pads are active and then the real fun begins.

The film itself does not entertain as well as the first one but its still an easy watch with fighting and watching the cars and the races come alive from the idea of a fighting arena.


The star of this film now is Luke Goss who does a pretty standard job no real breakout performance and some of the other actors who you would expect to find in B type movies.

Sean Bean, Ving Rhames who both i do love to watch and feel right at home in these types of films. And least i forget Danny Trejo who is always a bad ass he feels the role which in the first film will go to Ian Mcshane i cant really get behind Trejo as a mechanic though.

Easy watch definitely watch if you have seen the first film.



Death Race: Inferno


Synopsis
Convicted cop-killer Carl Lucas, aka Frankenstein, is a superstar driver in the brutal prison yard demolition derby known as Death Race. Only one victory away from winning freedom for himself and his pit crew.


This is a cash in this film didn't have to be made at all.
SO pretty much the same cast that left us from number 2, the company who runs death race is taken over by a English billionaire who wants to franchise it. 
Buying up prisons and hoping to have tracks built within a year across the globe.

To see if they can do it they set up an area in South Africa where they can race but there is no track but a set course in a dessert which runs through towns and dunes. Of course the first race comes and someone has to make a run and show the audience that they cant't because they are all tagged with a tracker put into them.
The actions scenes in this are less then the first two films and quite frankly boring with a lot of slow mo put in.


Somewhere in the film is a plot for the team to get free they pull it off in the end and set up the rich guy. Its a bland film with no positives or even great acting .

so highly recommend you don't watch this and stick the first 1 for a good film or both if you want average.

Thanks for reading 
Dave

Thursday 11 July 2013

Book review : Waylander




Okay this book has been out longer then i have been alive!
Published back in August 1986

It a typical fantasy book from David Gemmell with in depth characters and complicated histories.
Most fantasy fans with probably have read this as its been out for so long.

Waylander is a man who has done wrong all his life  sword for hire but this is his story for redemption, he saves a priest who has an impact on this life from this day forward. He ets tasked to get some armour to deliver to a general of an army to help raise moral and bring triumph.
On his journey he meets old friends and new friends who all tie in nicely to help him or go separate ways but have impact on the story.

Its a fast read once you get going there is no stopping, with that said just don't rush to end it because i feel that Gemmell rushed the ending and i didnt really feel it. i men we take days to get to the mountains and then he sums up the last few days in one chapter is a little lazy. But still a good read never the less.

Hopefully i will do more book reviews in future.

thanks for reading
Dave

The Man With The Iron Fists




I have been anticipating this film since i had saw the trailer, then i was let down by Blockbuster as they didn't have it to rent so i looked in the Lovefilm catalogue and they didn't have it either so i was stuck in limbo. i sure as hell wasn't paying for it from HMV for above £10.

So cut to couple months later it was available on Lovefilm. Does the anticipation pay off for this film the answer is Yes!

Okay don't get me wrong this is not a fantastic film it is however a fun film.

The script is pretty good with a revenge story line, all revolving around a small town and the blacksmith.
There is no real stand out scenes or moments in the film however there is one character that i loved more then the others and that is Jack Knife who is played by Russell Crowe and would not mind a spin off film for him. The Gemini twins was great would liked to have seen more off them

Like i said no real stand out action scenes i would have thought there would have been more fight scenes but instead we got more quality fights with unique weapons.

Considering this was Rza first directors debut its a solid start and will happily watch some more of his work. The fact that Tarantino's name was on this probably would have made people to watch this more then if it was just a straight to DVD film.

I recommend this film for a fun relaxed feel not a serious watch so please enjoy, if your not sure watch the trailer.



thanks for reading
Dave

Wednesday 3 July 2013

In The Name Of The King 1 & 2 review

In the name of the king: a dungeon siege tale


The plot



Set in the kingdom of Ehb, the story follows Farmer (Jason Statham), who was adopted by his village. When Farmer's wife, Solana (Claire Forlani), and his son leave to sell vegetables at the town of Stonebridge, Farmer's farm is attacked by creatures called Krugs. With the help of his friend and neighbor Norrick (Ron Perlman), he travels to Stonebridge where his wife and son are. Before he arrives, the Krugs, controlled by the wizard Gallian (Ray Liotta), kill his son and capture his wife. Farmer, with the help of Bastian (Will Sanderson), his brother-in-law, and Norrick sets out to find and rescue his wife. The King's nephew Fallow (Matthew Lillard) is conspiring with the wizard Gallian to take over the kingdom led by King Konreid ('Burt Reynolds' )

So where to start on this disastrous film, I struggle to think of any good things to say.
The cast in this is pretty big with Jason Statham, Ron Perlman, Ray Liotta, Mathew Lillard and Burt reynolds.

This was Jason Statham's way into the fantasy genre and you will also find it currently his last. The man cant do fantasy his acting skills don't do well here he far to serious and not believable as a warrior or adventurer. You can kind of see why he sticks to all the hand to hand fighting films ect as its outside of his skill.

Now to the man i have lots of respect for Ron Perlman this is the type of film I expect to find him in as this is not his first B type movie. He is made for this genre of films and find him to be great into these types of roles generally out shining everyone else.


The film is made after a video game series so it has lore to follow and i cant comment on if it follows the story to that of the game as i never played them. 
However it does have a Lord Of The Rings vibe to it and could havet rode on it cape tails but it didn't.
CGI in this film is terrible and all looks like it is shot on green screen. Action scenes look pants and very fake and some of the dialogue just takes you out of the film.

The antagonist in this film is Ray Liotta who plays a evil warlock type character whilst he is not a believable warlock magic type of person he does play the bad guy very well in any film but here still not so much.

In what kind of film does the evil warlock seduce a wizards daughter, how can she be so dumb as if she didn't know that her father had a nemesis. ITS DUMB!

Budget for this film was about 60 million and it has grossed about 4 million which makes this a big flop which does make you wonder how on earth it got a sequel. 

This whole film is dumb and can not recommend this to any one unless you want them to suffer.



In the name of the king 2 : two worlds





The plot

Granger - a warrior in medieval times - is sent on a quest to fulfill an ancient prophecy. Venturing through the now war torn Kingdom of Ehb, he teams up with an unlikely band of allies with the goal of slaying the leader of the "Dark Ones". Fighting against all odds, they must free the land from the grasp of the evil tyrant Raven and save the world.


Hmmmm where to begin if a sequel film has time travel in it then its doomed from that basic fact however if no one from the original film is in it and it stars Dolph Lundgren it too is doomed.

The one thing this film did better then first film was it didn't have much CGI in expect for the crap dragon and it looked like they actually shot on site or used sets.

There is no big names in the cast except Dolph so no great performances, the dialogue again is bland and where it is a time travel/portal film the use of modern language being used in a mystic world (trope).

The not so hidden twist is that the bad guy was the one who sent him on the quest.. dum dum dum. its a very short lived film with no real meaty juicey part of the story any where and the final fight is pathetic.

The only real connection to both of these films is the lead character is the heir to the kingdom and they just dont know it. Other then that you would not believe they were in the same world.



The budget for this is 4.5 million I can't say how much it grossed as cant find it however the budget for this is what the last one roughly made, which i had to chuckle at. 

Just to give you all the head up expect a third film god knows how or why but know this he or she will be heir to the throne. SHOCKING right?

thanks for reading
dave

Thursday 20 June 2013

Tough Sh*t book review

A book by Kevin Smith


This book was a great read it focuses on all aspect of his life and some of his work.

This is his advice book for us.

Some of the stuff he talks about is the ideas for his films and working with his peers and the big cooperation that brought his first film and other indie film makers Miramax.
The Miramax chapter is quite interesting giving you more insight into the world of film business and  how they operate.

You know how cool you think some actors are well there is a nice chapter on Bruce Willis and you might change your opinions about him after it.

Its hard to think that even big time directors lose inspiration and creativity well this sir did but he bounced back after he was inspired by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky and his life's work. Fair play to him it shows that we all are inspired by different people.

A fantastic chapter was about his film Red State and how he got investors to back this movie and distributed it himself by selling rights to V.O.D and other companies and touring around the U.S and screening and do Q.A. This had never really been done before and was a big rick to take but it paid off. The film is pretty good too by the way,

Have you heard the story about when Kevin got thrown off a plane well in you haven't your in luck     cause that's included too with is humiliation.

Most of the stuff in the book you would probably already know if you are a fan of his and been following him for a while or even listening to his podcasts which he has many.  

Kevin has always been very vocal and passionate about his wife and child well they both get their own small chapter which shows his love for both, showing not only is he a business man but also a caring family man



The book is a thanks for fans and even if your not a fan if it still read it you may change your opinion about him.

I will always admire this man for his film, books and podcasts efforts and he is an idol to me and goes to show that if you put your mind and will to anything that you can achieve it.



Thanks for reading
Dave

Friday 14 June 2013

Man Of Steel:


MAY CONTAIN SPOLIERS




What can i say after the last superman which was shocking i went into this with a open mind. So its a basic origins story of how superman came to be.

The women i went with were very excited to see Henry Cavill in a skin tight suit and they were not disappointed cause the first few scenes with him in are him topless.

So the film starts on Krypton as you would expect and it goes in to fine detail with why the planet is breaking up and why they need to send Kal-el off to earth they spend a good 15 minutes on the planet giving you a feel for their home planet and the technology they have. It was nice to see Krypton as i have no idea how it would have looked as it was never really portrayed in the other films.

We then follow Clark Kent around going from place to place saving people and trying to blend into a normal life that he wanted as this goes on we get plenty of flash back scenes with life lessons from his parents.The flash back scenes are very cut and paste but i wouldn't expect much else from Zack Snyder.
We also see him struggle as a kid with his powers which is another thing we haven't seen before which i appreciated as a nice touch.

I wont go into the story too much but its basically an alien invasion and humans realising we aren't alone in the universe. Its was good to see how the trusts builds between superman and the army as neither trust each other at the beginning. Its a classic story of to save a race you have to kill a race.

The costumes in this are fantastic love the armour with the Kryptonians wear, as is Superman's suit very cool.

Henry Cavill's superman is fantastic he pulled it off very well and it was nice to have a Clark Kent which isn't clumsy ect to hide his identity.
I found that we didn't really the Daily planet in the film as Perry white was not an important part of the story and we end up following him for a few scenes which we didn't need. As for Lois Lane yes she works there but she could have easily been a freelancer who was trying to sell the story to the daily planet.

The film is very long about 2 1/2 hours it probably could have been edited down and got rid of some of the flash back scenes if you ask me. The music levels were too high in my opinion and a lot of music to help build drama and tension. I never once felt threatened by the antagonist or in real danger it lacked suspense and thrills for me.


One of the big positives of this film is NO Kryptionite in the film and we see a weakened Superman on a space ship which is explained as the breathing system is from their home world which meant that it had kryptionite in. Another thing this film doesn't have is Lex Luthor which is great after the last film but he wasn't completely forgotten as we see a Lexcorp truck. Remember in the original films there was a big ice place called the fortress of solitude where there isn't one any more just a space ship he learns his background stuff from and a plot point too.

The fight scenes were very good and not boring at all good to see him fight with other people with speed and strength that he has. Was nice to see a fight scene with out any slow-mo scenes too.

Trivia: the word superman is only used 3 times

Overall thoughts is it ok not amazing like the Batman reboot could do with losing a few scenes.
6 out of ten

If you are unsure check out the trailer
Thanks for reading
Dave

Thursday 13 June 2013

One-eyed Monster



This film is one big flop





The synopsis
A bunch of people go to the mountains to film a porn film however when Ron Jeremy dies an alien takes over his penis and goes on a killing spree.

Yep its terrible. a friend from hisandhersmovieblog lent it to me as i do like to watch B movies.
This however is suppose to be a comedy horror thriller and it is non of then the horror isn't there no build up or suspense. It sets its self up as a The Thing type of film with no access to help and just the small cabin in the mountains.

There are no funny deaths or to be honest not even that creative deaths.




The acting is appalling no great scenes either the whole film is flat, it amazes me how this got made couldn't even recommend for a laugh at all.

Avoid like the plague

Wednesday 12 June 2013

Jack The GIANT Slayer






We all know the story of Jack and the bean stalk or do we this film offers a creative twist on to the story and i like it, its a fun fantasy family for everyone including Grandma. Its a light hearted film with humour elements in it.


The synopsis



The ancient war between humans and a race of giants is reignited when Jack, a young farmhand fighting for a kingdom and the love of a princess, opens a gateway between the two worlds.

My thoughts

The cast in this are fantastic with many great British actors and actresses including the lead Nicholas Hoult who delivers a great performance he is a believable underdog, Ian McShane is underused could have done with sing more but the character he was didn't suck you in to liking or caring for. Ewan McGregor is awesome but still feel he is playing a Jedi character his highlight has got to be his crazy hair style. The one character that caught my attention was Bill Nighy as he was the big bad giant he was just a voice actor which meant every time he spoke all i could picture was Davey Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean.
Bryan Singer is the director and as usual he can create an awesome and visual world. hat off to him for this film.

The world and lands that was created was fantastic the giants home land was lovely yet horrid at the same time, as soon as you exited the clouds to be greeted by a big head with water flowing through the mouth was such a nice touch and something i cant forget.


The giants are all unique and you could tell they had fun creating them by personalising them  and their characteristics. The giants we see that have names are pretty cool and work quite nicely in to the story of jack very clever to name some Fee Fye Foe Fumm.

 One of the things i didn't like was royalty wearing Gold plate armour. as a RPG gamer i find this lame and who wears it, its hideous and impractical surely they could have used something more practical after all they are fighting giants. If there is one person who shouldn't wear armour ever is Ian McShane he just looks weird and not kingly at all.

Overall the film held my attention and i wasn't bored always entertained even if some things stood out. i would recommend this film and i will be purchasing this for blu ray as it was gorgeous.

8 out of 10

thanks for reading
Dave

Wednesday 5 June 2013

Bullet to the head.



Ok I know this has been out for a while now but I have only just seen it and I loved it.

Synopsis 

After watching their respective partners die, a New Orleans hitman and a Washington D.C. detective form an alliance in order to bring down their common enemy.


I do think however the marketing for it was wrong pushed as a killer vs killer film.
It flows more like a buddy cop movie where a contract killer teams up with a cop. The film flows really well with these two taking dogs and trying to out do each other.The interaction between stallones character and his daughter is good giving you back story throughout the film which makes you appreciate their relation ship. Jason Momoa's character is interesting but i dont th
ink you get much story on him to be honest but his acting is good and a lot better to watch then that Conan film he did.

 The other reason this film is great is its more like a B cast movie using a lot of under used actors which I found fantastic like Bobby from Cougar Town and mr eko from Lost.

 
The action scenes In this are fun and very entertaining and the axe fight at the end was great to watch. I would recommend this film for a nice casual watch however I dont think your other half will enjoy one for the lads.

thanks for reading
dave

Tuesday 4 June 2013

The great Gatesby old sport review




I want to say first off never read the book or seen the original. That said I loved the film it was visually stunning and kept my attention throughout the film don't get me wrong it was slow in places but I cant see where they would cut scenes out as it all adds up to the greater picture. 

Synopsis 

An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Long Island-set novel, where Midwesterner Nick Carraway is lured into the lavish world of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Soon enough, however, Carraway will see through the cracks of Gatsby's nouveau riche existence, where obsession, madness, and tragedy await



Everyone outs in a great performance especially Leo. Who probably wont get an Oscar nod as its too far away. The director of this is also the director of Romeo and Juliet and I do believe that was a great choice as he has a hand in  forbidden love.The film doesn't have you rooting for anyone really except Toby  character as he has his life ruined by these people who he befriends and does anything to help them out. 
I do believe this is a film for film lovers and not for casual viewers. The film has strong themes running throughout the film of friendship, forbidden love 


 Its very touching and well worth a watch with your lady friend. This film probably wont do that well in box off as it was up against fast 6 and the hangover 3 bad time to release this film
Recommend highly.