Men in Black III:
What's it about?
Belated third film in the sci-fi comedy franchise in which Agent J must travel back in time to stop Agent K being erased from history by alien baddie Boris The Animal.
Who would I recognise in it?
Will Smith, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Tommy Lee Jones, Alice Eve, Emma Thompson, Bill Hader.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
After hearing various rumours, such as the production getting underway with only the first act of the script written, I wasn't expecting anything at all good to come of this ... and yet, even with some pretty "meh" reviews, it's turned out better than MIB2. Ironically enough, it's the first act where the film works least well - filled so it is with an awkward lack of chuckles or general interest, but once we're blasted back into the past things get rolling along nicely, if far from perfectly. Josh Brolin (and his entertaining impression of Tommy Lee Jones) steals the movie, while the script is surprisingly not-too-bad considering it was cobbled together on-the-fly by the sounds of it. There's a nice sprinkling of emotion that gives the film a little more weight, and with an entertaining cast of side characters (such as Michael Stuhlbarg's "Griffin", who can simultaneously see all possible futures), it turns out that MIB3 is a good bit of imperfect fun. Alright with many good parts/elements.
Click "READ MORE" below for the Spidey, Pixar, Space Prisons, Wes Anderson's idiosyncracies, and Clint Eastwood hanging out with a Nun...
The Amazing Spider-Man:
What's it about?
Reboot of the franchise (under Sony's roof, thus stopping the rights lapsing back to Marvel) in which a lot of stuff we saw in 2002's film happens again (with different people playing the parts), and the webbed wonder takes on Dr Curt Connor's big bad beasty The Lizard.
Who would I recognise in it?
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Sally Field, Martin Sheen.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Considering there's only a five year gap between Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3 and this re-set, The Amazing Spider-Man didn't enter the world without a considerable dose of scepticism. The Lizard's story unfortunately lacks any lasting punch and feels oddly limp, particularly in comparison to say, Doc Oc from Raimi's Spider-Man 2, and it has its fair share of dangling side plots and truck-sized plot holes, but there's plenty of fun to be hard regardless. From Marc Webb, the director of the ruddy great "(500) Days of Summer", it's the relationship between Garfield's Peter Parker and Stone's Gwen Stacy that sparkles most. The 'character stuff', to put it simply, is all handled quite well and wields a genuine emotional punch, even if Uncle Ben's inevitable fate feels like a cursory rush-job after being handled so well in 2002's film ... and Peter Parker doesn't feel quite so much the neglected nerd of high school (he seems a bit-too cool here, and has sod-all trouble getting the girl). That said, there's some good humour laced throughout, a pleasing sensitivity to most of the characterisation, and it certainly looks the part ... but the action set pieces are strangely flaccid quite often. Hopefully they can work out the kinks for the sequel. On the cusp between alright and good.
Brave:
What's it about?
Pixar animation set in Scotland at the time of Knights in armour, castles, and legends. A Princess seeks the help of a witch to escape her pre-determined future, with unexpected consequences for her mother.
Who would I recognise in it?
Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Robbie Coltrane, Kevin McKidd, Craig Ferguson, John Ratzenberger (voices).
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Apparently it had a slightly troubled production and it was met with some lukewarm reviews, so my interest wasn't exactly piqued - I remember being decidedly unimpressed by the trailer - and yet I actually had a really good time with this flick. It's not up to Pixar's best (any Toy Story film, Finding Nemo, WALL.E etc), but it's certainly not their worst by any means (I was left fairly cold by Cars, and while Ratatouille looked wonderful, I wasn't fussed by the plot at all). Naturally, the flick looks wonderful and has that usual sense of Pixar humour mixed with equal measures of cuteness and danger. It's quite breezy, and has a concise narrative to keep things moving, and while it probably won't bust your gut with laughter, or tug mercilessly on the old heart strings, it's an entertaining and involving ride while it lasts. Good.
Lockout:
What's it about?
A space-bound futuristic rip-off of Escape From New York "from an original idea by Luc Besson". The President's daughter visits MS-One, a super-advanced space prison, to make sure that the frozen inmates are being treated well. She insists on interviewing one of them, and one dimwitted mistake later, all hell breaks loose, everyone's a hostage to 500 violent criminals, and only one man - under the Government's boot - can save the day.
Who would I recognise in it?
Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace, Lennie James, Peter Stormare.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
There's been talk of a remake of Escape From New York for a long time now, but really what is the point? I'd much rather have a new film that essentially does the same thing - and Lockout is such an example. It pinches so many elements from Snake Plissken's iconic adventure (and more from elsewhere) that it can do what remakes do, without needlessly stomping on the good name of the original. Guy Pearce gives good as wise-cracking reluctant hero Snow, the villains are appropriately snarly (if a bit neutered for a softer rating), and it all bounds along at a fair old lick. There's nothing original here, and there's some very ropey CGI early on (unless the videogame-ish aesthetic was intentional), but it's a popcorn movie through-and-through. This sort of flick has been done better elsewhere, but I'd rather have a spunky imitation than a piss-poor remake. On the border between Alright and Good.
Moonrise Kingdom:
What's it about?
Wes Anderson's latest slice of quirkiness (I bet he's sick of hearing that word) concerning Sam and Suzy, two young teens in the 1960s, who run away from home to go on an adventure across the tiny island where they live.
Who would I recognise in it?
Bill Murray, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Do you like Wes Anderson movies? If you do, you'll dig this. Indeed, it's one of my favourites from the gentle master of offbeat comedy and skewed formal staging. Stylish, intriguing, swiftly paced, and thoroughly enjoyable as it exhibits all of Anderson's wonderfully creative writer/director idiosyncrasies (with co-writing duties from Roman Coppola). His films so often feel like a warm embrace and his vision is so hypnotic that you can't help but fall in love with his work, and this is one of his best films to date. Great.
Two Mules For Sister Sarah:
What's it about?
A gunslinger-for-hire saves a not-so-innocent Nun from a grisly fate and escorts her back to a waiting army of Mexican rebels who are staging a war against their French enemies.
Who would I recognise in it?
Clint Eastwood and Shirley MacLaine.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
For a western comedy there's not a huge amount of laughter on-hand, and at the best part of two hours it's far too long for the amount of plot on-show, but the banter between Eastwood (here in 1970 on the cusp of mainstream super stardom, hence his second-billing in the credits) and Maclaine gives good for the majority of the running time. If you're after a classic Eastwood western, you'll probably be a bit disappointed by this one (it's quite light on flying lead until the late arrival of the big finale), but as part of Eastwood's rise to legendary status, it's worth a look for fans of the man's work. On the cusp between good and alright.
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