Film Review: FLIGHT (2012)

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: John Gatins
Running time: 138 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Drama/Thriller
UK Release date: 1^st February 2013

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 5^th October 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I heard quite a lot about this one on release; it made quite a splash, even gaining two Oscar nominations. Of course it never played at my local and so I’ve had to wait until now when it aired on TV. Was it worth the wait? Yes, although it’s not one I would have paid full price for on DVD. It does have one or two issues, which I’ll discuss later, but over all, it’s a pretty good watch. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

When pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) saves a commercial aircraft from certain disaster he becomes a hero. But it is not as straightforward as it seems. He has a drink problem and this is going to make life very difficult for quite a few people before the crash investigation is over. His union rep, Charlie Anderson (Bruce Greenwood) and the lawyer for the airline, High Lang (Don Cheadle) do their best to suppress certain condemning evidence against him but at the end of the day it’s Whip who’ll have to testify. The film takes us through his personal journey from the day of the crash onwards. In the hospital he meets a recovering addict, Nicole (Kelly Reilly), who he helps out and the pair of them live together for a while. Eventually though she cannot be around him because of his drinking and she leaves. He is taken to an AA meeting but nothing seems to work. His testimony is coming up and extreme measures are needed to keep him sober, but will it work?

Although I liked this film I did find it a little too long; in fact I have to admit that I watched it in two halves. From a totally stunning sequence at the start I felt it lost momentum for a while, that was until I became embroiled in the drama of Whip Whitaker’s story. It’s quite a tale and an excellent performance from Denzel Washington holds it all together quite brilliantly. I also thought Kelly Reilly did a pretty good job as well. But back to the opening sequence for a moment, for me it ranks as one of the best special effects driven sequences I’ve seen in a very long time and hats off to all involved. Taken as a whole, the film does take the audience on quite a journey and I know for some it couldn’t quite live up to that crash sequence. For me I thought it held together pretty well, mainly thanks to the acting skills of Mr Washington. Over all, definitely worth a watch but don’t get blown away by the crash sequence, there’s a lot more depth to it than that.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.8/10.

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 150,410 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1907668/

MetaScore: 76/100: (Based on 40 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 78/100: (based on 217 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 75/100: (based on 140,800 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/flight_2012/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.paramount.com/flight/
Trailer:

Film Review: IRON MAN 3 (2013)

Director: Shane Black
Writers: Drew Pearce, Shane Black (screenplay), Stan Lee, Don Heck, Larry Lieber, Jack Kirby (comic book)
Running time: 130 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 25^th April 2013

Watched at the Cinema Sunday 5^th May 2013.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE UNINTENTIONAL SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having seen and enjoyed the previous two ‘Iron Man’ films, I though it only appropriate that I complete the trilogy with a trip to the cinema. A balmy Sunday afternoon, I knew it wouldn’t be too busy and I was right; only twenty or so punters, mostly youngsters with a parent or two for good measure. I had a most enjoyable afternoon’s entertainment, but was it a fitting end to this trilogy? Well I’ll tell you after this very brief summary.

Like all the Marvel films this one has quite a complicated plot, so bear with me here. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) discovers he’s suffering from anxiety attacks after the events that unfolded in The Avengers film (no clues here in case you haven’t seen it yet). It doesn’t help that there’s another bad guy in the scene; The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley) who is taking credit for all kinds of odd explosions around the US and other parts of the globe. Also, a former lover, Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall) has reappeared on the scene, much to the annoyance of Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). It seems that Maya suspects her boss, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) is working for The Mandarin. She is about to reveal this when The Mandarin strikes and blows up Tony Starks house. He survives but everyone else thinks him dead. He uses this to re-charge his batteries and form a plan to strike back at The Mandarin. To this end he elicits the help of War Machine (re-branded ‘Iron Patriot’), Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle). But who is really the power behind the throne?

A very well made film with the kind of top-notch special effects as we’ve come to expect from these guys. I’m not going to get into the 2D vs. 3D debate but I have to say I did watch it in 2D and I can’t really see how 3D would have improved it. All the performances were excellent as usual with Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow taking top plaudits (for me anyway). I also have to mention the young Ty Simpkins who plays a kid, Harley Keener, who befriends Tony when he’s ‘dead’. He played his part very well and we can only hope it leads to bigger things for the young man. I did enjoy this one though despite a rather complicated plot and the usual over-the-top fight sequence towards the end it’s definitely worth a look.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 8.2/10.

IMDb Score: 7.8/10 (based on 78,750 votes when this review was written).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1300854/

MetaScore: 62/100: (Based on 43 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 79/100 (based on 288 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 83/100 (based on 140,414 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1300854/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
The Mandarin: Ladies, children, sheep... Some people call me a terrorist. I consider myself a teacher. Lesson number one: Heroes, there is no such thing.

Tony Stark: I have a lot of apologies to make... Nothing's been the same since New York. You experience things, and then they're over. I can't sleep, and when I do I have nightmares. Honestly, there's a hundred people who want to kill me. I hope I can protect the one thing I can't live without...

Tony Stark: Dads leave. No need to be such a pussy about it.

Mandarin's Guard: [after Tony Stark incapacitates almost all Mandarin guards, the last one quickly surrenders] Don't shoot! Seriously, I don't even wanna work for them. They are so weird!

The Mandarin: My soldiers are coming. NOTHING can save you!
Tony Stark: We'll see about that.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ironman?ref=ts&fref=ts
Official Facebook Game: https://www.facebook.com/IronMan3GameS?ref=tn_tnmn
Official twitter: https://twitter.com/iron_man
Official Site: http://www.foxsearchlight.com/quills/
Trailer:

Film Review: BROOKLYN’S FINEST (2009)

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Writer: Michael C. Martin
Running Time: 132 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 18

Genre: Crime/Drama/thriller
UK Release Date: 11^th June 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 15^th July 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I can’t remember just how this one got on my ‘To See’ list, but I’m very glad it did. Not well received by the critics but, for me, a worthy watch! A film from the director of Training Day (2001), it has the same gritty quality with an interesting take on the very contrasting lives of three New York police officers. Here’s a very brief summary before I give you my thoughts.

We follow the lives of three very different New York Police officers. First there’s Eddie, a uniformed officer at the end of his career; he just wants to finish his time and retire. He’s is love with a prostitute, Chantel, and wants to take her away from that life. Next there’s Tango, an undercover officer who desperately wants out. He is in with gang leader Cal and things are hotting up as suspicions grow about who is the traitor in their midst. His handler, Lt. Bill Hobarts seems to be dragging his feet while FBI Agent Smith is only interested in the big score. Finally there’s Sal, a detective who works drug raids and has a sick wife who is expecting twins. He desperately wants to move house and needs a lot of money very quickly. Will Eddie find the piece of mind he needs to rest his demons? Will Tango get his promised promotion and out of undercover work? What lengths will Sal go to in order to get the money he so desperately needs? Their paths will cross, but who will survive?... Well, you guessed it, I’m not going to tell you here or the Spoiler Police (Brooklyn Division) will have me on traffic duty (again).

Very well made with that gritty feel to it that Antoine Fuqua is renowned for. A decent score by Marcelo Zarvos, interspersed with rap and other ‘street’ tunes sets the tone. All the performances were excellent; in particular Richard Gere as the world-weary Eddie, Don Cheadle as the street-wise Tango and Ethan Hawke as the up-tight Sal. Wesley Snipes did a great job too as Cal, as did Brían F. O'Byrne as Sal’s partner, Ronnie Rosario. Also worthy of note were; Will Patton as Lt. Bill Hobarts, Michael Kenneth Williams as Red, Shannon Kane as Chantel and Ellen Barkin as Agent Smith. Oh, and look out for a nice little cameo from Vincent D'Onofrio as Carlo.

I must say that the critics must have had a bad day or something when they reviewed this one. I’m usually pretty much in agreement with them, but I think they missed a trick here. Yes, the three threads don’t tie together in a neat bow but they’re not supposed to; that’s life, it doesn’t always go the way you want it to (seldom does actually). The performances are great and there are some really superb visual moments too. I liked the plot, yes, maybe a little haphazard here and there, but not as bad as some would have you believe. For me, well worth a look… RECOMMENDED.

My Score 7.1/10

IMDb Score: 6.7/10 (based on 32,232 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1210042/

MetaScore: 43/100: (Based on 33 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 42/100 (based on 140 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 47/100 ‘Liked It’ (based on 98,882 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/brooklyns_finest/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
Det. Sal Procida: What happened to the cops?
Carlo: Nothin. They were were right even though they were wrong. And I was wrong only *because* that I was right. Ya see? You get that now. You get that, right?
Det. Sal Procida, Carlo: Righta and wronga.

Gutta: Giuliani ain't clean up the city. Video games and television did. That's what cleaned up the streets. Come on, man, 'cause ya'll remember when everybody was outside. If you was two years old, if you was a hundred and two, you was outside.

Det. Sal Procida: Change that skirt. People are gonna start to think we're Catholic only on Sundays.

Tango: I'm a cop, B.

Det. Sal Procida: [in the confessional] I don't want God's forgiveness. I want his fuckin help!

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.brooklynsfinestthemovie.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: THE GUARD (2011)

Writer/Director: John Michael McDonagh
Running time: 92 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Crime/Thriller
UK Release date: 19^th August 2011

Watched on DVD Sunday 1^st July 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is a recent purchase which I was quite keen to see having heard it was well received by the critics. I have to admit it was a bit of a bargain (at £5) for a film that was released over here less than a year ago. That being said, it was well worth the investment; easily surpassing the ‘six laugh test’, a darkly comic look at life in the Police (or Garda) in the west of Ireland. I will tell you more after this very brief summary.

Sergeant Gerry Boyle is a bit of a loner, he is quite set in his ways and doesn’t like anything upsetting the boat. When he’s assigned a new officer from Dublin, Garda Aidan McBride, he doesn’t take too kindly to the situation. A murder has been committed and a man from the FBI, agent Wendell Everett has come to tell them about a drug smuggling operation about to go down in their area. When McBride goes missing, they suspect the drug smugglers; Francis Sheehy-Skelfington, Liam O’Leary and Clive Cornell are responsible. Throw into the mix a couple of prostitutes, McBride’s wife, Gabriela, some bent cops and Boyle’s sick mother and you’ve got all the ingredients for an interesting film. I really don’t want to say any more or the Spoiler Police (Garda Division) will have me cleaning out the cells (again).

Well made with quite a bleak feel to things, particularly the outside scenes, but then again I guess the west of Ireland is a pretty bleak place at times. Great performances all round, particularly from Brendan Gleeson as Sergeant Gerry Boyle and Don Cheadle as FBI agent Wendell Everett. Honourable mentions go to; Liam Cunningham as Francis Sheehy-Skelfington, David Wilmot as Liam O’Leary, Mark Strong as Clive Cornell and Katarina Cas as Gabriela McBride.

I should warn potential viewers that there is an awful lot of swearing in this film, a few may be offended. There is much to admire here, the extremely dark humour of Boyle is countered by the semi-intellectual banter between the smugglers quite brilliantly. The counterpoint between Boyle and FBI agent Everett also works very well. I found it very enjoyable with many subtle comic moments that are not spoon-fed to the audience as in many other films I could name. Over all, I found it very entertaining and was only let down (IMO) by a scene referencing the IRA that I (for one) could have lived without. Even so… RECOMMENDED.

My score: 7.5/10

IMDb Score: 7.3/10 (based on 27,277 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1540133/

MetaScore: 78/100: (Based on 29 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 95/100 (based on 121 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 81/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 21,341 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_guard_2011/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE
Sergeant Gerry Boyle: I'm Irish. Racism is part of my culture.

Sergeant Gerry Boyle: Now I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, these men are armed and dangerous, and you being an FBI agent you're more used to shooting at unarmed women and children...
FBI agent Wendell Everett: Oh, fuck you, Sergeant!

Garda Aidan McBride: I'm on it sarge.
Sergeant Gerry Boyle: "I'm on it Sarge." He thinks he's in fuckin' Detroit.

Detective: Like a donkey fucking a hippopotamus, it's party time.

FBI agent Wendell Everett: You know, I can't tell if you're really motherfuckin' dumb, or really motherfuckin' smart.

FBI agent Wendell Everett: You have anybody you want me to call?
Sergeant Gerry Boyle: Nah, I don't have anybody. Just pin a medal on my body like those boys coming home from Iraq.
FBI agent Wendell Everett: Fuck you again Sergeant.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://www.sonyclassics.com/theguard/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGuardFilm
Trailer:

Film Review: IRON MAN 2 (2010) - Revisited

Director: Jon Favreau
Running time: 120 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi
UK Release date: 30^th April 2010

Watched on Sky+ Friday 27^th May 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I very much enjoyed the first film in this series and was hoping for more of the same in the sequel. Fortunately I wasn’t too disappointed, it lived up to the first one, maybe not quite as good (sequels seldom are), but a fine effort nonetheless. The setting is New York where Tony Stark, having revealed himself as Iron Man and having brought peace to the world, is holding his Stark Expo, an exhibition of technology from all over the world. An idea originated by his father, Howard.

In Russia, Ivan Vanko, brooding after the death of his father, Anton, who had worked with Howard Stark on the early prototype of the power source that now drives Iron Man’s suit. He was extradited back to Russia for espionage and made to live in Siberia. Ivan, now seeking revenge works on a suit of his own. Meanwhile back in the USA, Tony Stark has been summoned before a Senate committee who are determined to get him to give them the Iron Man suit for military use. One of the experts called to the hearing is Justin Hammer, one of Stark’s former competitors when he made weapons for a living. Bringing his friend, Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes to testify backfires on the committee and Stark wins the day, but things are not over between him and Hammer.

Stark now decides to hand control of Stark Industries over to Pepper Potts having discovered his health is at risk from wearing the suit. The papers are drawn up and a woman from the legal department, Natalie Rushman, brings them for signing. She impresses Stark and later becomes Pepper’s assistant. Heading to Monaco, Stark decides to compete in a motor race. He is surprised when Ivan Vanko turns up and destroys his car with plasma whips. Fortunately, Pepper is there with his Iron Man suit and he manages to subdue the Russian. Vanko goes to jail but is later sprung by someone who is very interested in his work.

Returning home, Stark prepares for his birthday party, but with many things praying on his mind he gets drunk wearing the suit and ends up in a fight with Rhodey. Enter Nick Fury who helps put Stark back on the road to recovery and reveal that someone close to him is a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Hammer is due to show the work he has been doing at Stark’s Expo and he has a few things he wants to surprise him with. Things are brewing up for a big fight at the end, but I don’t want to spoil it for you, I’ll just say it’s pretty spectacular and Vanko isn’t finished with Stark just yet.

This is a very well made film with plenty of very well designed and executed special effects. The score is great, but if you put AC/DC, The Clash and Queen in there you’re always going to get my vote! The performances were all good, special mentions go to Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer and Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko. Honourable mentions go to Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, Don Cheadle as Lt. Col. James ‘Rhodey’ Rhodes, Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

I must admit I didn’t much care for the character of Tony Stark at first, he is egotistic and narcissistic. As the film went on he did show he does have a human side though. Justin Hammer is equally egotistic which I found made for an interesting dynamic to this good versus evil story. I also had a problem with America being the centre of everything, yet again, it’s like the rest of the world doesn’t exist! (Apart from Monaco). Although I did find it amusing when Stark is standing in front of a giant US flag projected on a screen with an Australian/British rock band providing the music. But enough of these minor niggles, the film is great fun, not as good as the first one, but as sequels go, it’s certainly watchable. Over all, recommended.

My score: 7.3/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1228705/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/iron_man_2/
Official Site: http://ironmanmovie.marvel.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: TRAITOR (2008)

Director: Jeffrey Nachmanoff
Running time: 110 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 12

UK Release Date: 27th March 2009

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 22nd April 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This film deals with terrorism, in particular terrorist acts performed in the name of Islam. As you can imagine, it’s quite a tricky subject to make a movie about, particularly in this day and age. To a large extent, and going by my limited knowledge of the subject, I think the filmmakers pulled it off. The story follows two characters, Samir Horn, a devout Muslim, and Roy Clayton, an FBI agent, out to thwart the attempts of a particular group of Muslim terrorists that Samir is involved with.

Samir Horn was born in Sudan, North Africa, where he was brought up as a Muslim by his father, who was killed in a car bomb. Having immigrated to Chicago with his mother he became a soldier and trained as an explosives expert. Having served in Afghanistan he becomes radicalised and stays there after his tour of duty is over. The film picks him up in Yemen where he is visiting an old friend from Afghanistan and, at the same time trying to sell them some explosives. The compound is raided by the Yemeni police and Samir is arrested. Whilst in police custody he meets Roy Clayton and his colleague Max Archer, who try to get him to give them evidence of the terrorists in exchange for passage back to America. He refuses and ends up in a Yemeni jail. Here he is befriended by Omar, who was also at the compound and is deeply involved with a terrorist cell. They escape and head to Marseilles, southern France, where another bombing is planned but fails to take place. Meanwhile, Clayton and Archer are monitoring things trying to find Samir. He is their only lead to the terrorists. The group now moves to Niece where Samir successfully sets off a bomb at the American consulate. Moving again to London we get a hint that Samir is not all he seems when he meets a shady character called Carter. The plot then moves across the globe to Canada and then to the United States where a truly terrible act is planned. Samir is now clearly having a clash on conscience, should he follow his faith, or the terrorists. I could say a lot more about this very intriguing film, but I don’t want to give too many spoilers away.

This is a pretty well made film, obviously on a limited budget, but I though it was well shot and some great locations were used. Very decent performances from all of the cast, honourable mentions go to Don Cheadle as Samir Horn, Guy Pearce as Roy Clayton (great accent), Saïd Taghmaoui as Omar, Neal McDonough as Max Archer, Alyy Khan as Fareed and Jeff Daniels as Carter.

As I’ve already said, this is a very intriguing film tackling a very delicate subject, which I thought was done pretty well. It’s quite a taught thriller with plenty of plot twists to keep you watching. It did get a little bogged down in the last third, but over all I thought is was quite an exciting and thought provoking film, recommended.

My score: 6.7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0988047/
Official Site: http://www.traitor-themovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi31719705/