Thursday, April 25, 2013

MARVEL'S IRON MAN 3 ★★★★½

IRON-CLAD FUN

Australia: 24th April 2013; USA 5th May UK 25th April
Other Countries:
  
Release Information




“Nothings been the same since New York,” laments Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) referencing the thrilling final fight sequence in 2012 Marvel’s THE AVENGERS.  Iron Man fans could say the same thing.  There have been so few great entertainment movies since then we have become accustomed to settling for ‘not bad’ films as good.
Now with IRON MAN 3 we remember why going to the cinema is worth the effort and the expense.  A year after we thrilled to the adrenaline packed and oh-so-clever super hero love fest that was THE AVENGERS, finally IRON MAN 3 day has arrived and nobody should walk away disappointed. 
Sure you can point out plot-holes and yes, there are a couple of draggy bits but it is still 130 minutes of pure fun for anyone over the age of ten.  It’s got the mix of soul-searching and action just right—not an easy thing to do when you think of DARK KNIGHT RISES’ awkward pace.  The baddies are scary-unstoppable à la the original TERMINATOR and the conclusion has a satisfying emotional finale akin to ALIEN.
This one is a safe bet for the studios after the critically acclaimed “THE AVENGERS” set the all-time domestic three-day weekend box-office record at $207.4 million. The film went on to gross over $1.5 billion worldwide becoming Disney’s highest-grossing global and domestic release of all time.
“The exciting thing about IRON MAN 3 is not only is it the culmination of the first two films but it’s also a follow-up to ‘Marvel’s The Avengers,’” says producer Kevin Feige. “It’s one of the first situations where you have a movie that is the sequel to two different films.”
“Early on in the film you see Tony is wearing the Mark 42 and the last time we saw him he was in the Mark 7 and we quickly learn that Tony has been very busy between the time of THE AVENGERS and IRON MAN 3.”
The terrific fun begins from the opening scenes where we learn all is not well in the Stark world.  In 1999 during Tony’s partying days the mistake he makes in ignoring two brilliant scientists Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) have come back to haunt him, or should we say taunt him, in a dangerous way.


Tony also suffers from super-hero post-traumatic stress and Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) who is doing a darn fine job of running Stark Enterprises and maintaining the devotion of the world’s most popular hero is no longer laughing at his boyish humor.

Whilst Tony is off playing with his suits, the Government assures citizens James Rhodes aka “War Machine” (Don Cheadle) wearing a red, white and blue Iron Man suit offers the country protection without the character flaws.
Enter terrorist Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).  He likes blowing up things and creating chaos.  As he says in his supremely brilliant evil-overlord voice, “You will ‘neverrr’ see me coming” and, believe me, you won’t.
Taking terror to the highest degree, even the President’s plane is attacked creating a spectacular air rescue which involved, in its filming, sixty-two airplane loads and over 500 hidden parachute jumps by the Red Bull Skydiving Team.  After challenging the Mandarin our hero finds his world and all his toys destroyed including his suit.  He crash lands in a backwater town where he hunkers down to locate and identity the Mandarin.
One nuance of Kingsley’s Mandarin that remained a mystery until he arrived on set was the voice of the character. Kingsley came up with the voice in the same way he approaches all of his roles; letting things manifest organically. “The voice just came out of me one day when I was working.  I was upset and just rampaging around my hotel room,” explains Kingsley. “The front desk called my room because of the noise and I just came out with a few Mandarin expletives in response and they stuck.”
The rest of the film incorporates the twists and turns and the trademark off-beat humor franchise fans have come to love. There is a load of new technology and suits and some laugh-out-loud scenes with smart-ass kid Harley (twelve-year-old Ty Simpkins).
Next off the ramp in the Marvel franchises is THOR: DARK WORLD releasing October/November.  Ever since the first IRON MAN nothing has ever been the same on the big screen.  And we thank our lucky ‘Starks’ for that.  These Marvel films are entertainment that always lives up to the hype.

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Film Review Roundup 13th April 2013


THIS WEEK'S PREVIEWS

One for the Sci-Fi fans that is a prelude to the fleet of futuristic films landing soon, a kid's film that even the kids don't like and a real life gripping Norwegian adventure.  

(My movie Pick of the week)
Oblivion ★★★½
Opens in Australia: 11th April 2013
Other Countries: Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS
All the trailers for Oblivion appear to give away the plot and that was annoying me in the lead up to this film.  Turns out, they weren't giving much away at all.  It goes in quite a different direction.  The film feels patched together from other films, like 2001 Space Odyssey, Aeon Flux, Moon, the original Planet of the Apes. There’s even a bit of Mad Max in there.  However, if you haven’t been sitting in a darkened cinema regularly like I have since I was six, you probably won’t notice. It’s big and ambitious but suffers from a very slow middle act.  But as I ponder it even now writing this, I’m sure sci-fi fans will enjoy.  The world building is quite stunning. There is a lot to like amidst a couple of gaping plot-holes and the strange pacing.  
And can everybody please stop telling me how much they hate Tom Cruise when I’m seeing one of his films.  I actually like most of the films he’s in.  You can’t judge a film by the actor I say.

STUDIO BLURB
Tom Cruise stars in Oblivion, an original and groundbreaking cinematic event from the visionary director of TRON: Legacy and producers of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. On a spectacular future Earth that has evolved beyond recognition, one man's confrontation with the past will lead him on a journey of redemption and discovery as he battles to save mankind. 2077: Jack Harper (Cruise) serves as a security repairmen stationed on an evacuated Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying alien threat who still scavenges what's left of our planet, Jack's mission is almost complete. In a matter of two weeks, he will join the remaining survivors on a lunar colony far from the war-torn world he has long called home. Living in and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, Jack's soaring existence is brought crashing down after he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Drawn to Jack through a connection that transcends logic, her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he thought he knew. With a reality that is shattered as he discovers shocking truths that connect him to Earth of the past, Jack will be pushed to a heroism he didn't know he contained within. The fate of humanity now rests solely in the hands of a man who believed our world was soon to be lost forever. (c)Universal 


Adventures in Zambezia ★★
Opens in Australia: 11th April 2013
Other Countries: Release Information   

OUR THOUGHTS
          I am going to let one of my Kidz Review Krew, Bri, review this one.  I agree with her wholeheartedly.  Go see ‘The Croods’ instead. That one is worthy of your $$$.  This one is no adventure.  Over to you Bri

Why I didn’t like ADVENTURES IN ZAMBEZIA by Bri (Aged 10)
I didn’t like ‘Adventures in Zambezia’ because the animation was very poor compared to other movies I’ve seen and it wasn’t based on a very good story. I think that the start of the story was very boring and I almost wanted to leave but then it got a little bit better near the end of the film.  But it still wasn’t good. The ending was better but it wasn’t what I was expecting. I also think that Triggerfish (the production company) maybe could do better with the story and animation because that’s what made it such a poor film.

STUDIO BLURB
Set in a bustling bird city on the edge of the majestic Victoria Falls, Zambezia (or Adventures in Zambezia) is the story of Kai - a naïve, but high-spirited young falcon who travels to the bird city of Zambezia where he discovers the truth about his origins and, in defending the city, learns how to be part of a community. Official Site.


Kon Tiki ★★★½
Opens in Australia: 11th April 2013
Other Countries: Release Information   
In Perth, Australia: See at Luna Cinemas

OUR THOUGHTS
Nominated for best Foreign Language Film for the 2012 Academy Awards, it’s a cross between INDIANA JONES and LIFE OF PI and any other against-all-odds films.  My twelve-year-old son and I found it entertaining but the husband was ho-hum on it.  There’s spectacular cinematography and a few really gripping scenes.  The Norwegian lead Pål Sverre Hagen (seriously how do you pronounce that?) gives a wonderful performance. An incredible true story brought to the screen with great style.  You will enjoy for sure.  All you folks who don’t like reading sub-titles, there is a fair bit of English in this.  Trust me you really get used to them and you’ll miss out on some gems if you say ‘No’ to foreign language.

STUDIO BLURB
Max Manus co-directors Espen Sanberg and Joachim Rønning reteam for this sweeping adventure detailing Thor Heyerdahl's daring attempt to prove that early settlers from South America once populated Polynesia by sailing across the Pacific on a simple balsa wood raft. Rejected by every publisher he approaches to print his unusual thesis, Heyerdahl (Pål Sverre Hagen) eventually decides that the only way to prove it is to make the journey himself as the entire world watches. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi



What have you seen this week? Did you find our comments helpful or do you disagree? Share your thoughts with us.


Saturday, April 6, 2013

Review Round Up 7th April 2013


THIS WEEK'S PREVIEWS

A zany love story that really works, back from the dead-a classic 3D'd & a dud that will steal your money and your time.  

(My movie Pick of the week)
Warm Bodies★★
Opens in Australia: 4th April 2013
Other Countries: Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS

Hooray, a paranormal love story with a good script and good acting.  Bravo to Jonathan Levine who wrote the screenplay and directed this kooky kind of love story.  I am watching out for more from him. There is humour and some lovely moments.  It’s a simple story of love can cure all, literally.  Hollywood take note you can make a good teenage film when you want to.  One complaint: that title really sounds like a “Fifty Shades of Grey” kind of story.  Loved the zombies at our preview too.  I want a zombie of my own now.

STUDIO BLURB
A funny new twist on a classic love story, WARM BODIES is a poignant tale about the power of human connection. After a zombie epidemic, R (a highly unusual zombie) encounters Julie (a human survivor), and rescues her from a zombie attack. Julie sees that R is different from the other zombies, and as the two form a special relationship in their struggle for survival, R becomes increasingly more human - setting off an exciting, romantic, and often comical chain of events that begins to transform the other zombies and maybe even the whole lifeless world. (c) Summit

Jurassic Park 3D ★★
Opens in Australia: 4th April 2013
Other Countries: Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS
You know the story from this classic 1993 film.  So, there are no spoilers when I share that the dinosaurs still eat the people.  Some of these re-releases in 3D really show the wrinkles around their edges.  However, Stephen Spielberg has always been a master and ‘Jurassic Park 3D’ proves it. In 3D IMAX you will marvel at the realism of these creatures created with twenty-year-old CGI technology.  Here’s hoping ‘Jurassic Park IV’ in 2014 will prove a worthy successor.  The story of a seriously ambitious billionaire who clones dinosaurs that end up escaping and eating the visitors is still an action-packed thrill ride. 

STUDIO BLURB
       Steven Spielberg's phenomenally successful sci-fi adventure thriller is graced by state-of-the-art special effects from the team of Stan Winston, Phil Tippett and Michael Lantieri from George Lucas's Industrial Light & Magic. The film follows two dinosaur experts -- Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and Dr. Ellie Sattler Laura Dern) -- as they are invited by eccentric millionaire John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) to preview his new amusement park on an island off Costa Rica. By cloning DNA harvested from pre-historic insects, Hammond has been able to create living dinosaurs for his new Jurassic Park, an immense animal preserve housing real brachiosaurs, dilophosaurs, triceratops, velociraptors, and a Tyrannosaur Rex. Accompanied by cynical scientist Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), who is obsessed with chaos theory, and Hammond's two grandchildren (Ariana Richards and Joseph Mazzello), they are sent on a tour through Hammond's new resort in computer controlled touring cars. But as a tropical storm hits the island, knocking out the power supply, and an unscrupulous employee (Wayne Knight) sabotages the system so that he can smuggle dinosaur embryos out of the park, the dinosaurs start to rage out of control. Grant then has to bring Hammond's grandchildren back to safety as the group is pursued by the gigantic man-eating beasts. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Identity Thief (★★)
Opens in Australia: 4th April 2013
Other Countries: Release Information

OUR THOUGHTS 
This is not a funny movie.  The producers and director Seth Gordon should be labeling themselves ‘Comedy Thieves’ for putting two fabulous comic actors, Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy, together and creating this dull, plodding ridiculous film. The film itself needs an identity— it doesn’t know where it wants to sit.  It’s supposedly a black comedy but it’s not—as hard as it tries.  Then it’s a drama, then it’s a road-trip film, then it’s a heist film, and then after all that, we are meant to be moved and have a cry at the end.  I did cry when it kept going for another half hour after the ninety-minute mark. Best line in the film is in the last two minutes.  Whoever wrote that line needed to write the whole script.  Don’t let them steal your movie money.

STUDIO BLURB
         Unlimited funds have allowed Diana (McCarthy) to live it up on the outskirts of Miami, where the queen of retail buys whatever strikes her fancy. There's only one glitch: The ID she's using to finance these sprees reads "Sandy Bigelow Patterson"....and it belongs to an accounts rep (Bateman) who lives halfway across the U.S. With only one week to hunt down the con artist before his world implodes, the real Sandy Bigelow Patterson heads south to confront the woman with an all-access pass to his life. And as he attempts to bribe, coax and wrangle her the 2,000 miles to Denver, one easy target will discover just how tough it is to get your name back. -- (C) Official Site


What have you seen this week? Did you find our comments helpful or do you disagree? Share your thoughts with us.