Rev Stan's film blog

Review: Pacific 'Yawn' Rim

Synopsis: Dinosaur-esque monsters are mutating in the earth's core, breaking out and rising to the surface attacking humans and wreaking terrible damage. Humans develop huge robots to fight them but due to their size their have to be piloted by two humans whose brains are synched.

Stan's thoughts: Against my better judgement I went to see this drawn by Guillermo del Toro's name at the helm and a good excuse to escape to a cold cinema on a very hot day. And while it has the visual flourishes I associate with del Torro it has none of the heart, darkness or cleverness.

A visual feast it is style over substance: predictable plot, cliched characters and script. There is nothing new, surprising or unexpected. If you want two hours of monsters and robots bashing each other you'll love it and a lot of people seem to so just ignore me, I'm off to watch Pan's Labyrinth.

Ratings

• Stan's: 55%
• IMDB: 53%
• Metascore: No score given
• Rotten Tomatoes: 48%

Recently seen

Man of Steel

The Iceman

Behind the Candelabra

Byzantium

The Great Gatsby

Mud

- See more at: http://film.revstan.com/#sthash.oHZdaIfT.dpuf

Ratings

• Stan's: 38%
• IMDB: 79%
• Metascore: 64%
• Rotten Tomatoes: 67%

Recently seen

Summer in February

Man of Steel

The Iceman

Behind the Candelabra

Byzantium

The Great Gatsby

Review: Bad Benedict in Star Trek: Into Darkness

Synopsis: Captain James T Kirk volunteers to go on a dangerous mission to take down baddie John Harrison after he kills his friend and mentor.

Stan's thoughts: No one is more surprised than I about how excited I got over seeing a Star Trek film. There was this incident when I was a teenager which involved a video taped copy of my favourite Mel Gibson film and an episode of Star Trek the TV series which my Dad was a fan of. Needless to say it spawned what was to be a life long hate of anything Trekkie until JJ Abrams got involved with the first film back in 2009 and I was won over.

Throw in one of my favourite actors, Benedict Cumberbatch, playing a baddie and I was almost clapping when it started.

*potential spoiler alert* And it didn't disappoint. BC could only play a highly intelligent villain, the sort of villain that keeps you guessing and secretly has you rooting for him even though you know you shouldn't. I do hope he makes a reappearance in a future film - I'm happy to lead the rescue party.

The rest of the film is a nice balance of action - fistycuffs, shoot-outs and space ships - drama, tension and laughs. A confident and quality follow up to the first film and I can't wait to get my hands on the DVD and watch the extras.

Ratings

• Stan's 82%
• IMDB 84%
• Metascore 74%
• Rotten Tomatoes 90%

Recently seen

I'm So Excited

Iron Man 3

The Place Beyond the Pines

Olympus Has Fallen

Oblivion

Spring Breakers

Good Vibrations

In The House

Review: Iron Man 3

Synopsis: All you really need to know is that Iron Man goes after a big baddie

Stan's thoughts: Love the Iron Man films primarily because of Robert Downey Jnr's cocky and brash Tony Stark. He's sharp and funny and as always entertaining to watch. As usual Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and Col James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) act add emotional and physical support  but there are some new villains in the form of Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) and The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley). Kingsley is having such fun in this film he is a joy to watch and steals several scenes.

My only slight niggle is the final big battle quickly descends into big roberts bashing each other which gets a little bit tedious after a while but it is a minor grumble.

Overall, just good, disengage brain, sit back and enjoy fun film.

Ratings

• Stan's 72%
• IMDB 78%
• Metascore 62%
• Rotten Tomatoes 78%

Recently seen

The Place Beyond the Pines

Olympus Has Fallen

Oblivion

Spring Breakers

Good Vibrations

In The House

Trance

Review: Forgive me, I have sinned, I liked a Gerard Butler film (Olympus Has Fallen)

Synopsis: North Korean terrorists have invaded the White House and taken the American president (Aaron Eckhart) hostage. Former presidential protection agent Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) is the only man on the inside who can save the day.

Stan's thoughts: I know, I know just reading the plot you can hear the cheesy, american-trailer, voice-over man but while this is as contrived and exaggerated as you'd expect I was actually gripped. The reason, I think, is because the terrorists were quite clever and quite brutal, dispensing with hostages without a blink so that there was a sense of jeopardy. And it was quite fun watching the president completely wrong-footed.

I'm not going to think about it too much because I'll just be able to pick it apart and it will spoil the immediate enjoyment I felt in watching it. Mindless action that was an entertaining couple of hours and no one was more shocked than I about that.

Ratings

• Stan's 63%
• IMDB 71%
• Metascore 40%
• Rotten Tomatoes 48%

Recently seen

Oblivion

Spring Breakers

Good Vibrations

In The House

Trance

The Host

Reality

Review: Charm and Stanley Tucci in Jack the Giant Killer

Synopsis: The giants of legend were banished weren't they? A beanstalk, a farm boy, a princess you know the story except this one has an evil, power-hungry suitor added for good measure.

Stan's thoughts: No plot twists it's all fairly linear but there are some great CGI giants, quite grotesque CGI giants in fact and Nicholas Hoult's Jack is a charming and likeable lead. A great turn by Stanley Tucci as the baddie suitor - he has some of the best moments.

Visually it's like a grittier version of Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland and borrows some of its humour and tone from the Princess Bride while never matching up to that classic. It's good, harmless, brain-disengaged fun and I liked it.

Ratings

• Stan's 60%
• IMDB 67%
• Metascore 51%
• Rotten Tomatoes 53%

Recently seen

Beyond the Hills

The Paperboy

Side Effects

Oz the Great and Powerful

Welcome to the Punch

 

Review: Oz the Great and Powerful - a trip down memory lane

Synopsis: Have you ever wondered how the Wizard of Oz became the Wizard of Oz, you know the guy with the white beard Toto finds tucked away behind a curtain using trickery to make himself seem big and powerful?  And why good witch Glinda had a bad witch sister Theodora? Well this is the story for you.

Stan's thoughts: Sam Raimi's Wizard of Oz pre-quel has everything you loved from the famous Judi Garland. Yellow brick road, Emerald City, flying monkeys, good and bad witches etc and it's all done with a heavy nods to the Wizard of Oz in its style, costumes and make up. There is even some old stylee-acting particularly in the opening sequence. Which is all fabulous if you were brought up on the Wizard of Oz. 

I don't think Mila Kunis's Theodora is quite as scary as I remember the character from the Judi Garland Wizard of Oz but there is one shot of her flying on her broomstick that did press a few childhood nightmare buttons.

Some great new characters and some mixed CGi - China Doll was fabulous but Franklin the monkey not quite so. It's good, innocent fun a visual feast and a nice trip down memory lane.

Ratings

• Stan's: 68%
• IMDB: 71%
• Metascore: 44%
• Rotten Tomatoes: 60%

Recently seen

Welcome to the Punch

Stoker

Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

Lore

 

Review: Gangster Squad

Synopsis: Post second world war LA is under the control of ruthless gang boss Mickey Cohen. He has the police and the law in his pocket and criminal activity sewed up until the police chief forms a clandestine squad of low-ranking police officers to take him down.

Stan's thoughts: Aside from a stellar cast - Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Josh Brolin, Michael Pena etc - I don't think this offers anything new to the gangster genre. It is entertaining enough - if a little too graphically violent for my liking - but it just all seems a little too predictable and obvious. Maybe it's just the fact that I don't find big shoot outs engaging - lots of chaotic firing, few getting hit - or that you never really doubt what the outcome will be. Good enough but not great.

Ratings:

• Stan's: 55%
• IMDB: 73%
• Metascore: 40%
• Rotten Tomatoes: 34%

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Reviews, reviews, reviews: Ted, Take This Waltz & Bourne Legacy

Ted

On paper Ted shouldn't work - a boy wishes his teddy bear was real, gets his wish and grows up with said bear still as his best friend but the trailer convinced me that it might actually be funny.

And it is, laugh out loud funny but there is still something just a little bit awkward about the story. It almost feels extraneous to the funny bits where the grown man is hanging out with his pot-smoking, drinking, womanising soft toy. His girlfriend basically wants him to grow up, take responsibility for his life and not be so influenced by Ted but can the two friends be parted? 

In balance, the funny wins so I am going to give it 64%. On IMDb it gets 76% with a metascore of 62% while on Rotten Tomatoes it has 70% with 80% of site visitors giving it 3.5 stars or higher.

Take This Waltz

Was really looking forward to this as it has the wonderful Michelle Williams in it. It's about a happy couple Margot (Williams) and Lou (Seth Rogen) who's relationship is challenged by the arrival of neighbour Daniel (Luke Kirby) who falls for Margot. As Margot examines her feelings for Daniel, from a distance, it make her assess her relationship and what she has with Lou.

It is a nicely subtle, gentle film, human in that is resists extremes - none of the characters do anything particularly wrong  and are all likeable - but that's about it. It was  well acted, pleasant, interesting and mildly engaging, slightly long but that is about it. It didn't blow me away, it didn't quite tug on the emotions as it could have but it was nice to watch for a bit.

So I'm going to give it 59%. On IMDb it's got 66% with a metascore of 68% while on Rotten Tomatoes it has 78% and 63% of site visitors gave it 3.5 stars or higher.

Bourne Legacy

What can I say? It's more Bourne but with a different Bourne - Jeremy Renner. The story is essentially the same, those that created him are now out to get him and this time he picks up a female side kick in the form of scientist Rachel Weiss along the way.

If you are happy with the concept and sitting back, disengaging brain and watching the action unfold then you'll enjoy it. If you are expecting anything different or a development of the idea, plot twists etc then you'll be disappointed. It's more of the same and I liked the same so it worked perfectly for a wet Saturday afternoon. 

I'm going to give it 60% based on entertainment value although it would get 20% for originality. On IMDb it's got 71% with a metascore of 61%, while on Rotten Tomatoes is has got 55% with 58% of site visitors rating it 3.5 stars or higher.

Spiderman vs Batman film review

If you are going to 'reboot' a franchise only 10 years after you first started it then surely you take a fresh approach. Get in new actors (check) change the tone and style (X)  start at a different point in our heroes history (X), bring in a new story (check/X) 

And that is the problem. As good as Andrew Garfield is and he has a lot more screen presence, charisma and human appeal than Tobey Maguire, the story just feels too familiar. The style and the tone of the film feels too familiar and I just got bit bored.

Aside from Garfield and new leading lady Emma Stone, between which there is great chemistry, and a new baddie - a badly CGi'd lizard - there isn't anything new. I was hoping that director Marc Webb would do for Spiderman what Christopher Nolan did for Batman when he 'rebooted' that franchise with Batman Begins but no.

It's a real shame because I do like Andrew Garfield and it was worth seeing for him but only once and I won't be buying the DVD.

Meanwhile there is Batman coming off the high that was The Dark Knight with the Oscar  winning performance by Heath Ledger - surely the most inventive performance as a villain we will see for a long time.

Dark Knight Rises had big shoes to fill and it did, sort of. Tom Hardy was always going to have a tough job as the baddie Bane made all the more difficult because he wears a mask over his mouth and nose, and it is quite difficult to make out what he is saying sometimes.

He isn't the Joker and nor should he be but, he isn't The Joker. Neither did he feel as clever as a villain. He's more of physical villain, there is no humour in his character he just wants to batter Batman. 

Without giving too much away The Dark Knight Feels like a very elaborate escape movie. It has the thrills and spills and the ice cool gadgets like the bat bike which I just love, but I just can't connect or feel very much empathy for our leading man. He is just a little too aloof to get a real sense of his sacrifice.

I did enjoy The Dark Knight Rises. It put a smile on my face but it did feel a little long and I'm not rushing to see it again. My ideal would be the colour of Andrew Garfield's Spiderman in the Dark Knight setting but as that isn't going to happen I think Batman easily wins.

Spiderman I'm giving 58% on IMDb it has 76% with a Metacritic score of 66% while on Rotten Tomatoes UK it has 89% from critics and 65% from users

The Dark Knight Rises I'm giving 78% on IMDb it has 89% and a Metacritic score of 78% while on Rotten Tomatoes it has 87% from critics and 92% from users.

 

Reviews round up: This Must Be the Place & Avengers Assemble

This Must Be The Place

Sean Penn doesn't half like to mix up his roles and admire him greatly for that because so few that have reach his level of success do. Here channelling Robert Smith he plays a bored, retired rock star who, on the death of his estranged father, decides to go in search of a man who was a guard at his concentration camp during the second world war.

On the one hand it's deliciously quirky but on the other hand there is there the holocaust/revenge plot and I'm not sure the two sat comfortably together. 

Penn is superb as you can imagine and so is Frances McDormand who plays his wife, although I'd have liked a bit more of her. But Penn's odd and quirky character and how bored he's become with his life just felt trivial against the concentration camp storyline although I was curious as to whether he had got it in him to mete out his revenge.

I'm giving it 65%. On IMDB it has 67% and no Metacritic score while on Rotten Tomatoes it has 69% from critics and 60% of visitors gave it three and a half stars or higher.

Avengers Assemble

In my mind this film is called Avengers Ensemble for reason known only to my small brain but anyway, I loved it. And what made me love it was the humour, it didn't take itself too seriously - it is about comic book heroes after all. I laughed out loud several times. There is one particularly funny moment between The Hulk and baddy Loki which had me giggling for quite a while, but I won't spoilt it.

And I think the fact that the characters had a bit of depth helped tremendously. Much of the humour is derived from a clash of personalities of our assembled super heroes working together for the first time. 

Robert Downey Jr does steal it a little as Iron Man but then I love the Iron Man films and wasn't overly fond of Captain America. (And I haven't seen the rest).

There is going to be a sequel which is predictable and I wonder if they can recreate the humour when there isn't that element of 'meeting fellow super hero for the first time'. I'll still go and see though.

Funny and good fun and I managed to see it in 2D - hurrah. I'm giving it 82%.

On IMDB it's got 88% with a Metacritic score of 69% while on Rotten Tomatoes it 93% from critics and 96% of site visitors have given it three and a half stars or higher.