Films round-up
15 films, so I'd best put them under a cut:
Ant-Man - I went into this with very low expectations, as it seemed Marvel really were scraping the bottom of the comics barrel, but this turned out to be a solid, very enjoyable action film with a lot of good gags. Not quite up there with Marvel's best, but certainly not letting the side down either. The self-deprecating feel helps - Ant-Man is an anti-hero who is well aware that he's a ridiculous concept. Good fun.
Inside Out - One of Pixar's best ever. Really pulls the heart-strings. Full review here.
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - More of the same as Tom Cruise and team take on the Syndicate. This is no bad thing; it's a decent alternative to Bond, with more spies, chases, improbable infiltration plans, double-crosses and hostage situations than you can shake a self-destructing massage at.
Fantastic Four - Unlike Ant-Man, this was a major disappointment. It doesn't seem that long since the last Fantastic Four films (IMDB check: It's actually been 8 years; still seems too soon), so I'd assumed the purpose of this reboot was to tie into the Avengers continuity. Nope, not a reference. There wasn't even a credit cookie or (unless I missed him) Stan Lee. Oh, the rest of it is rubbish too. Don't bother.
Paper Towns - From the trailer, this looked like quite an interesting missing person story. Unfortunately it turns out to be yet another standard teen romance. Despite some decent performances, the mystery elements fall flat and the missing girl our hero idolises turns out to be a selfish bore. There are couple of good Pokemon gags (which the goblin child was amused by when I shared them with her), but that's hardly enough to recommend it.
Legend - Tom Hardy does an outstanding job playing both of the Kray twins. He makes them very different characters and the fact that it's the same actor is never distracting. This film attracted criticism for glamorising the Krays' life of crime in the 60s. It's true that it does to some extent, but it doesn't shy away from the violence and the impact on people's lives.
Everest - A re-enactment of a disastrous 1996 attempt by several tours to climb Everest. A huge cast of characters are put through a gruelling climb. You end up rooting for them all, even though you know many of them aren't going to make it. The scenery is spectacular as you'd expect, shot partly on the real Everest, with the Italian Alps standing in at other times. It's not always easy to tell who's who in all the snow, but you can tell enough that it doesn't really matter. It's an "event movie" probably best seen on the big screen, but still definitely worth watching on the small screen too.
Bill - Horrible Histories does the life of Shakespeare, or at least an "imagined" version of the Bard's early career. The goblin was slightly taken aback by how much of it was made up - I think a little faith in the HH team's historical accuaracy may have been shaken. The gags are definitely aimed at kids, but it's funny enough to be enjoyable for adults too.
Macbeth - A very moody adaptation of "the Scottish play". Michael Fassbender, as you'd expect, is on form in the title role, but everyone else seems to be muttering their lines in a very intense, but monotone manner. This doesn't help in telling which of the various bearded Scots is meant to be which. Don't get me wrong, it's well-shot and there are some clever ideas which I hadn't seen done in other adaptations, but the whole film is basically one note. This makes it a bit dull. I was amused to see Bamburgh Castle once again doubling for somewhere else, in this case Dunsinane. I was also amused to see the medieval TARDIS trick that many filmmakers seem obsessed by these days - To give the castle a grand interior, they shoot the inside in a cathedral (in this case, Ely), making it vastly bigger on the inside than the outside.
Crimson Peak - This year's Hallowe'en offering from Guillermo del Toro. You think it's going to be a by-the-numbers ghost story, with its 19th century setting, haunted manor in the desolate countryside, and dire prophetic warnings. It turns out to be a slightly different story, although gory, atmospheric and still very much in the style of Del Toro's other ghost stories. I know lots of you will want to see it for Tom Hiddleston as a creepy aristocrat with a secret, and why not? The film isn't going to win any awards, and I wouldn't seek it out especially, but it's worth seeing.
Suffragette - A very good Film4 drama about, obviously, the suffragette movement. It's a well-rounded portrayal of the times, with a whole spectrum of attitudes towards women's suffrage shown, from both men and women. Carey Mulligan is strong and sympathetic in the lead role, and Helena Bonham Carter is (a bit) more understated than usual as one of her co-protesters. Loosely based on real events, the main characters are fictional but real historical figures appear as well, most notably Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep in a brief cameo) and Emily Davison (which means you know where this is going...). The closing credits list the year women got the vote in various countries around the world - surprisingly recently in many of them.
The Martian - If I hadn't read the book, I'd give this five stars without hesitation. As it is, it's still a very good adaptation. Apart from a few questionable casting choices, it doesn't get anything wrong. It's missing most of the scientific detail, however, which helped make the book so believable. It's also missing a surprising number of all the various problems and disasters Mark Watney faces, which again makes things less believable but also removes a lot of the sense of danger and isolation. Everything up until the end just seems a bit too easy.
Pan - A slightly bizarre Peter Pan prequel which bounces all over the place in time and mucks about with key elements - Peter doesn't fly because of fairy dust, but because he's "the chosen one". It's all rather too portentous and blatantly an attempt to recreate the Harry Potter franchise. The guy playing Hook also really wants to be in an Indiana Jones film. It's worth it for two things - (a) Hugh Jackman obscenely hamming it up as Blackbeard; and (b) the mass pirates-and-slaves rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (I'm not kidding you!). Otherwise... yeah, maybe not. It doesn't even show you all the backstory you want to see, leaving things open for a sequel - rather optimistically, given the poor reviews and box office takings.
Spectre - Another very good Bond film. Not up there with Skyfall, but still a whole lot of fun. It's long (two and a half hours), but it doesn't feel it as the action is pretty relentless. The plot doesn't make a great deal of sense, but this is Bond after all. When you've got the amount of globe-trotting, spectacular locations, well-executed action scenes and great cast that this does, it doesn't really matter. Daniel Craig seems very comfortable in the role now; Christoph Waltz is a captivating baddie and can't seem to put a foot wrong as an actor; Q gets more to do this time; Moneypenny is unfortunately sidelined. I'm not too keen on dredging up so much continuity from previous Craig films, but that's mostly because I then have to acknowledge that Quantum of Solace exists. A lot of threads are tied up in this, which lends credence to the rumour that it might be Craig's last outing as 007.
He Named Me Malala - Documentary from the makers of An Inconvenient Truth. It follows Malala Yousafzai and her family in the present day, with candid interviews and the cameras accompanying her as she visits schools in Africa and speaks at the UN. The family's past in Pakistan, up to the shooting, is recreated through news footage and animated paintings, which have an almost dreamlike quality. One thing that's very apparent is that Malala is definitely her father's daughter - He was speaking out long before she did - but also very much her own person. Her brothers are a hoot, complaining that their sister is seen as this great ambassador for peace, but at home she hits them all the time. Ah, siblings! Her mother's story is quite tragic, deprived of an education by a system that didn't care, she now feels lost and is trying to make up lost ground. We also get a scary insight into how the Taliban influences and controls whole populations. But overall, it's a celebration of one girl's determination and the empowerment which comes from education.
Ant-Man - I went into this with very low expectations, as it seemed Marvel really were scraping the bottom of the comics barrel, but this turned out to be a solid, very enjoyable action film with a lot of good gags. Not quite up there with Marvel's best, but certainly not letting the side down either. The self-deprecating feel helps - Ant-Man is an anti-hero who is well aware that he's a ridiculous concept. Good fun.
Inside Out - One of Pixar's best ever. Really pulls the heart-strings. Full review here.
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation - More of the same as Tom Cruise and team take on the Syndicate. This is no bad thing; it's a decent alternative to Bond, with more spies, chases, improbable infiltration plans, double-crosses and hostage situations than you can shake a self-destructing massage at.
Fantastic Four - Unlike Ant-Man, this was a major disappointment. It doesn't seem that long since the last Fantastic Four films (IMDB check: It's actually been 8 years; still seems too soon), so I'd assumed the purpose of this reboot was to tie into the Avengers continuity. Nope, not a reference. There wasn't even a credit cookie or (unless I missed him) Stan Lee. Oh, the rest of it is rubbish too. Don't bother.
Paper Towns - From the trailer, this looked like quite an interesting missing person story. Unfortunately it turns out to be yet another standard teen romance. Despite some decent performances, the mystery elements fall flat and the missing girl our hero idolises turns out to be a selfish bore. There are couple of good Pokemon gags (which the goblin child was amused by when I shared them with her), but that's hardly enough to recommend it.
Legend - Tom Hardy does an outstanding job playing both of the Kray twins. He makes them very different characters and the fact that it's the same actor is never distracting. This film attracted criticism for glamorising the Krays' life of crime in the 60s. It's true that it does to some extent, but it doesn't shy away from the violence and the impact on people's lives.
Everest - A re-enactment of a disastrous 1996 attempt by several tours to climb Everest. A huge cast of characters are put through a gruelling climb. You end up rooting for them all, even though you know many of them aren't going to make it. The scenery is spectacular as you'd expect, shot partly on the real Everest, with the Italian Alps standing in at other times. It's not always easy to tell who's who in all the snow, but you can tell enough that it doesn't really matter. It's an "event movie" probably best seen on the big screen, but still definitely worth watching on the small screen too.
Bill - Horrible Histories does the life of Shakespeare, or at least an "imagined" version of the Bard's early career. The goblin was slightly taken aback by how much of it was made up - I think a little faith in the HH team's historical accuaracy may have been shaken. The gags are definitely aimed at kids, but it's funny enough to be enjoyable for adults too.
Macbeth - A very moody adaptation of "the Scottish play". Michael Fassbender, as you'd expect, is on form in the title role, but everyone else seems to be muttering their lines in a very intense, but monotone manner. This doesn't help in telling which of the various bearded Scots is meant to be which. Don't get me wrong, it's well-shot and there are some clever ideas which I hadn't seen done in other adaptations, but the whole film is basically one note. This makes it a bit dull. I was amused to see Bamburgh Castle once again doubling for somewhere else, in this case Dunsinane. I was also amused to see the medieval TARDIS trick that many filmmakers seem obsessed by these days - To give the castle a grand interior, they shoot the inside in a cathedral (in this case, Ely), making it vastly bigger on the inside than the outside.
Crimson Peak - This year's Hallowe'en offering from Guillermo del Toro. You think it's going to be a by-the-numbers ghost story, with its 19th century setting, haunted manor in the desolate countryside, and dire prophetic warnings. It turns out to be a slightly different story, although gory, atmospheric and still very much in the style of Del Toro's other ghost stories. I know lots of you will want to see it for Tom Hiddleston as a creepy aristocrat with a secret, and why not? The film isn't going to win any awards, and I wouldn't seek it out especially, but it's worth seeing.
Suffragette - A very good Film4 drama about, obviously, the suffragette movement. It's a well-rounded portrayal of the times, with a whole spectrum of attitudes towards women's suffrage shown, from both men and women. Carey Mulligan is strong and sympathetic in the lead role, and Helena Bonham Carter is (a bit) more understated than usual as one of her co-protesters. Loosely based on real events, the main characters are fictional but real historical figures appear as well, most notably Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep in a brief cameo) and Emily Davison (which means you know where this is going...). The closing credits list the year women got the vote in various countries around the world - surprisingly recently in many of them.
The Martian - If I hadn't read the book, I'd give this five stars without hesitation. As it is, it's still a very good adaptation. Apart from a few questionable casting choices, it doesn't get anything wrong. It's missing most of the scientific detail, however, which helped make the book so believable. It's also missing a surprising number of all the various problems and disasters Mark Watney faces, which again makes things less believable but also removes a lot of the sense of danger and isolation. Everything up until the end just seems a bit too easy.
Pan - A slightly bizarre Peter Pan prequel which bounces all over the place in time and mucks about with key elements - Peter doesn't fly because of fairy dust, but because he's "the chosen one". It's all rather too portentous and blatantly an attempt to recreate the Harry Potter franchise. The guy playing Hook also really wants to be in an Indiana Jones film. It's worth it for two things - (a) Hugh Jackman obscenely hamming it up as Blackbeard; and (b) the mass pirates-and-slaves rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (I'm not kidding you!). Otherwise... yeah, maybe not. It doesn't even show you all the backstory you want to see, leaving things open for a sequel - rather optimistically, given the poor reviews and box office takings.
Spectre - Another very good Bond film. Not up there with Skyfall, but still a whole lot of fun. It's long (two and a half hours), but it doesn't feel it as the action is pretty relentless. The plot doesn't make a great deal of sense, but this is Bond after all. When you've got the amount of globe-trotting, spectacular locations, well-executed action scenes and great cast that this does, it doesn't really matter. Daniel Craig seems very comfortable in the role now; Christoph Waltz is a captivating baddie and can't seem to put a foot wrong as an actor; Q gets more to do this time; Moneypenny is unfortunately sidelined. I'm not too keen on dredging up so much continuity from previous Craig films, but that's mostly because I then have to acknowledge that Quantum of Solace exists. A lot of threads are tied up in this, which lends credence to the rumour that it might be Craig's last outing as 007.
He Named Me Malala - Documentary from the makers of An Inconvenient Truth. It follows Malala Yousafzai and her family in the present day, with candid interviews and the cameras accompanying her as she visits schools in Africa and speaks at the UN. The family's past in Pakistan, up to the shooting, is recreated through news footage and animated paintings, which have an almost dreamlike quality. One thing that's very apparent is that Malala is definitely her father's daughter - He was speaking out long before she did - but also very much her own person. Her brothers are a hoot, complaining that their sister is seen as this great ambassador for peace, but at home she hits them all the time. Ah, siblings! Her mother's story is quite tragic, deprived of an education by a system that didn't care, she now feels lost and is trying to make up lost ground. We also get a scary insight into how the Taliban influences and controls whole populations. But overall, it's a celebration of one girl's determination and the empowerment which comes from education.