Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) - Film directed by George Miller

 
★★★★★

5 word summary:

Magnificent post-apocalyptic car chase

5 sentence review:

Having not seen the originals, and trying to avoid spoilers, I was not sure what to expect, however Mad Max: Fury Road takes place in an unexplained desolate Australia, where those with the best cars and largest water supplies rule.

We are gifted with interesting characters, all of whom seem to be able to be the star of the film themselves because they are so interesting and rounded - it is even argued that Max pales next to his female co-stars.

I have read (on the IMDb trivia page) that Miller wanted to keep the world as colourful as possible, to counteract the traditional bleak-looking post-apocalyptic worlds that dominate cinema, and this is a spectacular choice.

Max’s world is breath-taking, filmed in Namibian, the cinematographer has made full use of the vast expanses of uninterpreted land and sky, as well as enhancing this with a non-naturalistic colour palate to emphasise some scenes.

The film doesn’t fall down on plot, but it can be described simply as a car chase, and you wouldn’t be far wrong; however the reasoning behind the car chase, and the events that occur during it, mean that this film never feels boring.

5 good things:

1. Feminism!

2. Cinematography

3. Casting

4. Prop design (cool cars)

5. Action sequences

5 bad thing:

1. ‘Witness me’ (there were tears)

2. Things weren’t fully explained   

3. Some Australian accents were suspicious

4. Max looked like Bane for a significant portion of the film

5. The sequel isn’t out yet

Lucy (2014) - Film directed and written by Luc Besson

★★★☆☆

5 word summary:

Female limitless with more violence.

5 sentence review:

 

I can't say this was a good film, and certainly not to the standard I would hope from Besson, but it did make you think and you could see that there was an attempt to make a more intelligent film than the normal action, unfortunately Christopher Nolan already accomplished this with Inception.

Some people have called this film feminist because of the 'strong female character' but it isn't really because he cast one of the most beautiful and famous actresses (hardly a risk there) and she was only 'strong' because of circumstances beyond her control, so it's just a normal film.

The plot was interesting, as said in the summary very similar to Limitless, but I felt as though it became absurd because Lucy developed psychic powers which she could use perfectly immediately, as this film is based within a 24-48(ish) hour time period, and I felt as though we should see more development than just, 'Boom! I know what to do.'

The ending of the film was odd, and Lucy says, 'Life was given to us a billion years ago. Now you know what you can do with it,' and I've got to be honest, I really don't; the ending was far too ambiguous and, although my Dad and I discussed the film all the way home, we still didn't reach anywhere near a conclusion to what the film was trying to tell us. 

This film is worth a watch because it's difficult to fully explain, and it's great to discuss, but you do leave the cinema thinking 'eh?' rather than 'oohhh!' (Articulate as always).

5 good things:

1. Not set in America (although filled with Americans)

2. A lot of other languages other than English spoken and nationalities other than American cast.

3. It was short.

4. Unadulterated violence!

5. Dinosaur!

5 bad thing:

1. What was the message?

2. The kiss.

3. Some clichéd decisions in acting/directing (such as the glasses lowered to glare at the dog moment).

4. Less sci-fi, more magic.

5. I would have preferred the whole film to be like the time travel scene.

Doctor Who - Series 8, Episode 1: 'Deep Breath' (2014)

★★★☆☆

5 word summary:

Good start but not great.

5 sentence review:

I wasn't too excited for this episode, not because of the change of Doctor, but because I felt as though this was going to be too try-hard for the first episode to impress, and it was over-done but still enjoyable.

This episode contained a lot of familiar faces, phrases, even plots and for me that isn't clever and referential but instead, lazy.

The new Doctor, Peter Capaldi, is great but that was quite expected because he's a talented actor and a fan of Doctor Who so his acting comes from a place of immense experience and passion.

The plot was a little bit flimsy, robots occasionally killing people to rebuild themselves doesn't seem like the biggest problem the Doctor has ever faced and certainly not one that requires 5 people to team up to solve.

It certainly wasn't a spectacular opening to the series but there were some major positive points and hopefully the momentum will build into a wonderful series.

5 good things:

1. Love a dinosaur.

2.  Capaldi seems like a good choice.

3.  Capaldi's outfit is wonderful.

4.  This Doctor and Clara work well together (I especially liked their conversation in the restaurant)

5. Matt!

5 bad thing:

1.  Not so much continuity as just repeating fan favourites because he wants to make the fans happy.

2.  I'm a bit bored of the slapstick sontaran and interspecies lesbians, give them a spin-off so I don't need to see them in the show so often.

3.  The newer version of the theme song.

4. The ending was enigmatic, s that necessary right at the beginning? Give us a little time to adjust and not have to wonder.

5. Did they have to kill the dinosaur?

Top 5 Movies of 1990-1994

1. Schindler's List (1993)

Heartbreaking films aren't normally my favourites but this is magnificent. The director, actors, writers are all amazing so it would be difficult for this film to not be amazing. The Holocaust/Nazi topic is quite overdone and can often be clichéd/forced but this film offers a slightly different perspective (because it is not a Jewish or Nazi story but about a man who lies between the two) and is genuinely emotional. It's also a beautiful film, almost entirely black and white, that is immensely affective and the cinematography aids the story. A film to beat all films.



2. The Lion King (1994)

Hamlet with lions, I don't know how this was pitched but I'm glad Disney decided they could work with this crazy idea. Indisputably one of Disney's best films and I would consider it to have the best sequel as well (which if you haven't seen please watch). It's got music, happiness, sadness, betrayal, a monkey; it's got everything you need for a great animation and film. Everyone knows this film and  have yet to meet someone who doesn't love it. It's a classic and deservedly so.



3. Leon: The Professional (1994)

I only recently watched this film and was shocked by how amazing it was. It's another film with fantastic acting (Natalie Portman...wow!) and direction so it has a solid base before the film has even begun. It's a dark film with a lot of dark humour (the best  kind of humour) which relates an enjoyably balanced film. This is probably the one film I would have adored a sequel, but I'm pleased there wasn't one because I'm sure it would have fallen to the curse of the disappointing sequels. It's a great introduction into French films because it's written, directing and staring French men, however it's all in English, lovely.



4. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

A bit of an odd one but a very very good one. It's creepy and strange but thoroughly enjoyable. Amazingly stylised, (throughout the whole film I am fixated with the way Jack walks) made with figurines on tiny sets, that idea pleases me. One of the best things about this film is you are all but legally obliged to watch it at both Halloween and Christmas, so you're guaranteed at least 2 yearly viewings. Weird and wonderful.



5. The Shawshank Redemption

I recently read the book and I am shocked at how similar the two are, this is one of the most truthful adaptations I've seen. It enforces the simple moral of perseverance within more complex and delightful sub-plots and stories. Throughout there are morals about various facets of live, such as the importance of simple pleasures, and this is done in such a way that the film never feels preachy. This film is ridiculously highly regarded n the internet (number 1 on IMDb) but rarely considered many people's actual favourite (as today) but it certainly is worthy of its praise, if not quite such high praise. Hopefully everyone has seen Shawshank and I would recommend the book if you haven't taken a look at that yet.

Top 5 Movies of 1995-1999

1. Toy Story (1995)

For a girl who still loves her teddy bear, this film is eternally magical to me. Such as simple premise based on a thought that every child has, about their toys coming to life when they're not around, it is difficult to believe this film would be the phenomenon it is. Toy Story is quintessentially Pixar due to its heart, comedy, creativity and celebration of childhood. I hope every parent is, at some point, sitting their child down and watching Toy Story with them because every child needs this film in their life. It's happy and heart-felt and perfect.



2. Anastasia (1997)

The greatest Princess who sadly wasn't immortalised by Disney, and I wish she had been because I would love some Anastasia merchandise and rides in Disneyland. I always forget that she was actually complicit in a con before accidentally discovering her own authenticity, so you can't say any of these characters are role models, but they are loveable. This film can also boast about having, what I consider, one of the greatest song with Once Upon a December, it's so hauntingly beautiful and a bit of a change for a children's film. I like a film with a non-talking animal side-kick (Pooka the dog) but also a talking animal which is explained by magic (Bartok) because it adds a little of realism but also emphasises the magic of the film. It's another film that all children need to see because it teaches you how to be plucky, confident and that maybe (just maybe) you could be royalty.  



3. Truman Show (1998)

The only live action film that made this list! It's a cautionary tale for the TV obsessed masses and for those who just keep going through the day-to-day motions rather than 'living'. Although I'm not entirely behind these messages (and I'm not normally a Jim Carrey fan) I do love this film. Carrey's much subtler than normal performance as Truman shows what a good actor he really is. You'll look at the moon a little differently after seeing this film.



4. Mulan (1998)

Possibly the most marvellously feminist Disney film with a warrior woman who is better than the men, lovely. One truely spectacular thing about Mulan is that she isn't a typical 'strong female character', she isn't overly cocky and self-assured (which seems to be the more common form floating around) but instead is unsure of everything expect her desire to help her family and therefore she has to work for her success, (again) lovely! Mulan is a role model because she shows that you can defy expectation (from your parents' to strangers') and if you work hard you can achieve anything, which a lot of 'strong female characters' don't necessarily show, because they often show a woman who is naturally dominant rather than one who must improve and try. Other than being feminist, this film is beautiful, from the animation to the soundtrack, and balances funny and heart-felt with the skill of the best Pixar films (helped by great actors like Eddie Murphy). I've said it before but, I hope every child is shown this film because it's important and amazing.



5. Hercules (1997)

An underrated Disney film, or at least one I rarely see referenced, but it is one of the stories that is most easy to relate to for a lot of this generation (similar to Mulan about a misfit to finds his place) but also has some of the best and most unique songs because of the singing Muses as narrators. It was one of the Disney films that I just watched on repeat, again falling in love with the idea that if you try hard and persevere you can achieve great things. We have another feminist character in Meg who is a damsel in distress but she can handle it, lovely!! This film is also fun to introduce you into (inaccurate) Greek mythology, and that's never a bad thing to know about. An animation heavy period of time but these are some of the greats.

Sorry for the silence!

Wow, ok, a hideously long and unexpected hiatus.

No real excuses other than letting things get in my way (like holidays and a summer job) but hopefully I'm back (maybe not with a vengeance but hopefully without months between posts).

I will try to complete my current 3/5 part series, and my rule of 5 will continue in my reviews (as will my cheating brackets).

It's terribly easy to fall out of the habit of doing these reviews, but I love doing them and hopefully I'll be able to pick myself back up again.

Please bear with my fickle and sporadic nature but hopefully reviews will be coming steadily throughout the rest of my summer holidays (which end at the end of September) and then once uni starts again I'll be able to go full throttle because I'll be procrastinating marvellously!

Skruff :)

Top 5 Movies of 2000-2004

1. Lord of the Rings Trilogy (2001/2002/2003)

Possibly the greatest fantasy films ever, I'm counting all three together because they are all from the same original story and are all released in this time period. It's so rare to have a cannon of films which all receive similar praise, even The Godfather trilogy has a fall with their third film, but all three of these films are deservedly considered incredibly. Along with all the best fantasy films Lord of the Rings has great acting, high tech CGI (although it's beginning to look a little dated), a good script and a wonderful soundtrack which combine to make great films but also realistic fantasy. It's rare for a fantasy film to get popular appeal and be recognised by the awards, this trilogy won 17 Oscars in total and get 8.8/8.9 on IMDb which shows that these films are successful in all possibly ways within this industry. Unfortunately The Hobbit films barely compare to Lord of the Rings, but I guess getting a good thing three times around is difficult, let alone trying to make it happen 6 times.



2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

These films keep rolling out but the first is still the best so they really need to stop making more. It's got a fantastic cast of characters from the memorable Jack Sparrow, to the kick-ass Elizabeth Swan but then also the bland Will Turner. Pirates are always fun, as long as they're the fictional swash-buckling kind, and this film creates a wonderfully fun and charming take on the pirate stereotype. It's one of those films where people of any age leave the cinema wanting to hop onto a ship and sail for treasure, and those are the bet kinds of films. You can't go wrong with this film, but you can go wrong with making too many pointless sequels (please stop).



3. Love Actually (2003)

The best rom-com ever, this is the rom-com to end all rom-coms, if you want to watch a rom-com this is the rom-com for you. It's got a great cast, is funny, has multiple plots for which ever type of love story you like, and it's set at Christmas time so there is always an excuse to watch it when the weather get a little cooler. I can't deny that I'm a fan of Richard Curtis, from his films to TV work he's excellent, and this is a good example of the kind of stuff he does, charming, funny and very British. This film also isn't overly sentimental, obviously there are a lot of cheesy moments, but there is also more alternative versions of love. If you want to watch a rom-com, this is the one to watch, whether for your first time or your 100th re-watch, watch Love Actually.



4. Belleville Rendezvous (2003)

A French animation with little/no dialogue but a very catchy song, what could be better? Everyone knows Pixar, Disney and Studio Ghibli but Sylvain Chomet should be another name that people who like animations are aware of. It is odd, be aware of that, there are Mafioso types who melt into each other, a tiny grandmother with uneven legs, and ageing singers who fish for frogs with bombs for their dinner. It's a typical French film where you just have to accept what you're seeing rather than questioning, because then you can enjoy it for what it is. If you're looking for a slight alternative to the more common animations, then this is amazing. 



5. Moulin Rouge (2001)

Not everyone's favourite musical, but as someone who really likes cover song and Baz Luhrmann  this is an amazing musical for me. It's a very pretty film with distracting costumes and colours if you don't like the rest of the film. It's a slightly flimsy plot, about misidentity and passionate love, but there is enough plot to keep you interested in between songs. Seeing Jim Broadbent singing Queen is one of the best thing you will see in the history of film. It's another film that you shouldn't take too seriously and just enjoy it for what it is, Jim Broadbent singing and a lot of bright colours. If you don't like musicals, maybe try this one, if you like musicals I assume you've already seen it.