Cinema Review - Now You See Me (12A, 115 Mins)

Synopsis: An FBI agent and an Interpol detective track a team of illusionists who pull off bank heists during their performances and reward their audiences with the money.

Verdict: this is definitely a film that needs to be seen to be believed but don't watch too closely - just sit back, relax and enjoy.

As proven by previous heist movies, such as the Ocean's trilogy, the cast need to have good chemistry for the audience to enjoy the film. Now You See Me has this in bucketloads with Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher really vibing off of each other after their previous partnership. The tension between them is palpable with Woody Harrelson providing the right balance of charm to Eisenberg's smarm, which really helps to keep the audience hooked as the plot progresses and the stakes heighten. Also who knew that Dave Franco was such a good actor? For me he really shined amongst such a star-studded cast that could've dwarfed him very easily.

The plot is the only hindrance here. What starts out as a very straight-forward heist movie spirals out of control as the movie progresses with several twists that you won't see coming. Whilst this makes the film a breath of fresh air from most of the other releases this summer, some of the implausibilities and conveniences (Eisenberg putting trackers on everyone involved in the performance... really?) may leave some unimpressed. It also resulted in a slightly anti-climactic ending which was disappointing given that I was hooked from the very start - Fisher's very first trick had me on the edge of my seat! Despite this there's a lot of fun to be had thanks to some ingenious uses of magic tricks such as firing playing cards as weapons.

If you're looking for a couple of hours of escapist fun this summer you could do far, far worse than Now You See Me - just don't go expecting an intelligent drama.

4/5

Cinema Review - Man Of Steel (12A, 143 Mins)

Synopsis: A young itinerant worker is forced to confront his secret extraterrestrial heritage when Earth is invaded by members of his race.

Verdict: this is a significant improvement over the disappointing Superman Returns however that's not to say that it's a perfect instant classic.

The problem that this film was always going to suffer was associations and comparisons to other superhero movies. Despite being produced by Christopher Nolan it was nowhere near as dark as his Batman trilogy, it doesn't have the uber-violence of Zack Snyder's Watchmen nor does it have the sizzling sexual tension found between Tony and Pepper in the Iron Man films - so where does this film fit into the pack? Whilst now and again coming across as a rather generic sci-fi movie (primarily in the early scenes on Krypton, not helped by Russell Crowe's very posh English accent), Superman is not a human who become as superhero, he is an alien trying to find solitude amongst humans. By focusing more upon this aspect, Man of Steel takes a while to get it's feet off the ground but once it does it really soars.

The first hour is a very slow burn here. The story takes us from a ridiculously OTT but nonetheless stunning apocalypse of planet Krypton where Superman's birth is dwelled upon for too long. At this point I was worried that it looked too much like a naff sci-fi (something I'm not particularly a fan of) because of glaringly obvious green screen. 

It's not until Zod comes to Earth that things really get going. He is the real fun in this movie and whilst his reign of terror isn't exactly in a league with The Joker, it prevented this from being bland and even though the backstory is a little overlong it does provide good reason for why he does what he does. With some spectacular set pieces chronicaling the destruction of Earth, your blood will really get pumping. The only flaw here is the overly prolonged final showdown between Zod and Superman (or should I say Hopeman?) that lasts near enough 10 minutes. Whilst it is still exciting, you can't help but shake the feeling that you know how it's going to end anyway - they're not exactly going to kill off Superman when Warner Bros. want a new franchise out of this.

It is clear that this is being used to try and entice people back for more. With as brilliant an actress as Amy Adams playing Lois Lane you'd expect her to have more to do here and have good chemistry with Henry Cavill. Instead she just runs around after him for a couple of hours and it's not until the final scenes when we see a glimmer of what to expect in the now confirmed sequel featuring Batman! 

Throughout you get the feeling that this was really only intended to be the start of a new franchise. With a distinct focus on Superman's origins the action doesn't really get going until the final hour or so, meaning that 143 minutes does feel like a bit of a slog at points. However there's still plenty of fun to be had here and signs of even greater things to come.

4/5

Cinema Review - Despicable Me 2 (PG, 98 Mins)

Synopsis: Gru is recruited by the Anti-Villain League to help deal with a powerful new super criminal.

Verdict: as a massive fan of the first film I had been anticipating this for months, more so than most of the other big summer releases, and it definitely didn't disappoint!

Following on from the first film with Gru now being a good guy I wondered where the film could go. The novel idea here was really incorporating the minions into the storyline more without it being a detriment to the central characters. The twists that the plot takes mean that unlike Scrat in the Ice Age films they don't feel like they've been dropped in for no apparent reason so it flows very well and it isn't overlong so by the end it doesn't feel like schtik that's been worn thin (watch out for a rendition of YMCA that should have you in fits of laughter!). 

The excellent voice cast involved help to bring the energy to the film. With comedy stars Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig involved you are guaranteed good comic timing with energetic charm. The three sisters are the heart of these movies though and are as sugary sweet as in the first one, even if they are given a little less to do this time despite there being a questionable love interest for Margo - there is another brilliant gag involving their soft-toy unicorn despite the fact we don't hear the classic "it's so fluffy I'm gonna die" line again.

As ever there is the 3D or not 3D question here. For the most part I didn't notice it add anything to the visuals and if anything dulled the vibrant, colourful visuals and made some scenes slightly blurry as though the 3D was rushed and therefore a bit botched. However there are some scenes, particularly in the end credits that were clearly intended to be seen in 3D with objects flying at you and all sorts. The animation still looks smooth and incredibly detailed though.

Whilst some of the originality of the first film has been lost, it is still laugh out loud funny and the introduction of some new characters keeps things fresh so that it doesn't suffer from the "Hangover Part 2" effect of being a complete rehash. Definitely a must see for fans of the first film.

4.5/5

Cinema Review - The Place Beyond the Pines (15, 140 Mins)

Synopsis: A motorcycle stunt rider turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.

Verdict: this film may well be one of the best examples of late of a film that has been mis-sold in its marketing, which portrayed it as the Drive/Blue Valentine-esque film that many were expecting. Whilst this may not have been an issue if it was different in a good way, this is majorly flawed. What we have here is a film of three acts - the first based on Ryan Gosling's motorcycle stunt driver, the second on Bradley Cooper's policeman and the third on their two children 15 years later.

The first act is the real strong point here. As ever Ryan Gosling's performance is mesmerising however I am getting the feeling that he's just playing the same role over and over again (socially awkward stunt driver). You really feel heartbroken for his character though as he desperately tries to be a part of his child's life. The bank robbery scenes are very tense and the final payoff has a properly WTH ending that leaves you wondering what could possibly happen next.

After this it all goes downhill. Whilst Bradley Cooper is going from strength to strength he's been given so little to do here that, looking back on his act now a couple of weeks later, very little of it stands out in my mind. The whole crooked cop thing has been done so many times before and without an original twist on the subject, it feels like you've seen it all before. 

The third act is where this film dangerously wavers on the line between artistic indie movie and pretentious nothingness. The main problem is that the two sons are so unlikeable that you don't really care what happens to them. Add on top of that the fact that they were brought together by such random conveniences that it all just seems a bit too ridiculous to ring true. Many people may also disagree with the message this film appears to be trying to put out, that children who don't grow up with their fathers end up being wasters. On the plus side Dane DeHaan proves himself as a rising star.

This was clearly intended to be a performance led film and whilst that works in its favour for the first hour or so, 2 hours and 20 minutes is a stretch too far - especially given that everyone has been given so little to do.

The main flaw with this film is that it starts out so strongly before meandering into such an anti-climax that makes you wonder if such an emotionally draining film was actually worth all the time invested. Ryan Gosling's first act saves it from being a total disaster though. 

Cinema Review - Fast and Furious 6 (12A, 130 Mins)

Synopsis: 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.

Verdict: going into a Fast and Furious film you know exactly what you're going to get - 2 hours of very well choreographed, OTT car chases.

Whilst I'd only seen the first two films in the franchise, this did not detract from enjoying this one despite the fact that my friend had to fill me in on a little bit of backstory. This may be partly down to the fact that there wasn't really much of a plot. For the most part the main plot thread was a pretty cheesy love story and constant references to how they're all family. Despite the fact that some of these scenes left me thinking "do you want some burger with that cheese?", on the whole they were few and far between and actually went some way to humanising the characters and making you care about them.

One of the areas where this film really excels is in the comedy. There were some laugh out loud moments to be had - largely thanks to Roman and Tej larking about. 

Some of the action was literally breath taking, especially in the last 30 minutes  involving a tank AND an aeroplane - as much action as may be found in two instalments of most other franchises. All of this culminates with a bang and the post-credits cliffhanger promises a lot more where that came from. If I say any more about the action set pieces then I may give away some pretty major spoilers.

One of the only flaws with this film is its length. 2 hours and 20 minutes of car chases and explosions was just a teeny bit over-long. Whilst this didn't make it much less enjoyable the mid-section did drag on a little bit.

If bang for your buck is what you're looking for then you're guaranteed a good time!

4/5

Favourite Films of 2013... So Far

So we're just over half way through the year now - what are everyone's favourite films yet this year. As ever this is based upon UK release dates from 1st January to the 30th June!

Film lover Drew Cox said
"Django Unchained cus it has it all"

Film lover Sarah Beattie said
"Oz The Great And Powerful closely followed by The Great Gatsby. The effects were really good and the storyline was really entertaining plus James Franco is still very fanciable. Gatsby came 2nd because of  how underused the epic soundtrack was but the storyline was still very good and moving."

Film lover Emma Duguid said
"Django Unchained cos it's class"

Film lover Laura Le Jeune said
"Despicable Me 2 because it looks awesome!"

Fellow film blogger Caty Alexandre had various options for her favourite film of 2013 thus far
Side Effects
Trance
Iron Man 3
Django Unchained
"I am always so indecisive about what I like more"

Film lover Louise Harris said
"Les Miserables because it is just so freaking awesome and the music is AMAZING!!
And Despicable Me 2 is so funny I'm gonna die"

My top 5 favourite films from the first half of 2013 (in order of preference) you MUST check out:
1. Les Miserables

2. Despicable Me 2

3. Iron Man 3

4. The Great Gatsby

5. Django Unchained