Corpse Bride

Cast: Johnny Depp, Helena Boham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Albert Finney, Richard E. Grant and Christopher Lee.

Director: Tim Burton

Release Date: 2005

Running Time: 1hr 17 minutes

Genre: Animation/Family

Rating: PG

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Victor Van Dort is practising his wedding vows in the presence of a deceased young woman when she rises up from the grave assuming he has married her. 

Victor Van Dort and Victoria Everglot are set to get married. However during a rehearsal, Victor finds himself unable to remember his vows. Worried he will shame his family and his soon to be wife, he wonders off into the forest to be alone, practicing his vows, he soon finds himself in the underworld, married to someone else! Tim Burton has an exceptionally unique approach to directing, more so when it comes to creating animations. His creative style is certainly unforgettable. Burton's style however is not everyone's favourite. I am a huge fan personally! Burton's unique approach to animation involves puppets and thousands of individual animated frames. The combination of the two is incredible, making his animations very different from everyone else.

Johnny Depp stars as Victor Van Dort, an incredible actor often associated with Tim Burton in "Alice in Wonderland" and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", Depp is fantastic. Victor desperatly wants his soon to be wife's parents to accept him into the family and accept him as Victoria's husband. Shy and nervous, nothing seems to go right for him. Helen Boham Carter stars as Corpse Bride, an actress also often associated with Tim Burton. Corpse Bride finds herself in the arms of Victor, hearing his vows, she believes they were for her, believing them to be married. Fans of Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" will find themselves enjoying this.

I really love the dark approach that Tim Burton brings to all of his films and animations. Gothic with a hint of steampunk. Stop motion animation sadly is a bit of a dying art. However when done right it looks absolutely stunning! To some degree I love that Burton continues to use it, allowing himself to have a Director's trademark. You certainly won't find an animation quite like it. I love the symbolism behind the storyline. I won't spoil that for now though. Although Burton doesn't use musical elements in all of his films, it does work rather well, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and this could quite easily be in the same Universe. It's a dark story, the songs aren't necessarily songs you are going to find yourself singing over and over, they do however work alongside the storyline very well. Explaining elements of the story and the characters.

The animation is gorgeous, I love the difference between the underworld and the real world. In the real world, the animation is very dark, browns, greys and creams. Is this to indicate how claustrophobic Victoria feels in being forced into marriage. She has no freedom? Corpse Bride reminds me of Sally in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" to look at. Burton has chosen to use the same gorgeous sea blue colour for her animation. The underworld is full of extravagant colours. Green, blue and cream backdrops for each scene. The characters of the underworld are also a beautiful blue colour. Are the bright colours in the underworld to signify the freedom that Corpse Bride has? Freedom to do whatever she wants? Danny Elfman wants again delivers a stunning score to a Tim Burton film. The score speaks for itself and could easily tell the story on it's own. The movie isn't all sad it has happy and fun moments too. The songs are great.

If I am honest, this movie isn't going to be for everyone. Tim Burton doesn't appeal to everyone. I tend to find people either love it or hate it, really. Those who loved "The Nightmare Before Christmas" will most likely enjoy it! Suitable for children of all ages, but possibly a bit scary for very young viewers who don't understand the animation. Otherwise a great family film for Halloween! Short, but sweet! Johnny Depp and Helen Boham Carter in all their glory!

4/5 stars

Jungle 2 Jungle

Cast: Tim Allen, Martin Short, Jobeth Williams, Lolita Davidovich, Sam Huntington, LeeLee Sobieski and Frankie. J Galasso.

Director: John Pasquin

Release Date: 1997

Running Time: 1hr 45 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

An American remake of the French movie "Little Indian, Big City", Michael Cromwell discovers that he has a thirteen year old son Mimi-Siku who was raised in the jungle and brings the boy to New York City, turning his life upside down in the process. 

An American remake of the successful French movie "Little Indian, Big City", the storyline is very accurate apart from the city in the original was Paris, not New York. Michael Cromwell (Allen) is a Coffee Trader in New York City. Michael is getting remarried and must settle his divorce however his ex-wife Patricia lives in Canaima National Park, Venezuela. Little does Michael know that he also has a thirteen year old son Mimi-Siku. Mimi-Siku is told by Chief of the village that in order to become a man he must get fire from the Statue of Liberty, so Michael takes him to New York with him to meet his fiance and introduce him to the big apple. Michael doesn't warm to the idea of having a son at first, all he really cares about is trading coffee with his colleague Richard Kempster (Short), making as much money as they possibly can! However it doesn't take long for Michael to realize just how much his son means to him when they find themselves in a spot of trouble.

Michael is played fantastically by Tim Allen, his character is very arrogant to some degree however it's nice to see his character become more down to earth as the film progresses. Richard Kempster played excellently by Martin Short, a fantastic character actor, one we sadly do not see much of these days. Both were in their prime in the mid nineties. Richard lives with his wife and two children Karen and Andrew. Richard and Michael both find themselves in a spot of trouble during the course of the film. There may even be a romance between Karen and Mini-Siku. Mimi-Siku is played beautifully by Sam Huntington most recently he played Jimmy Olsen in "Superman Returns" alongside Brandon Routh and Kate Bosworth. As a child of course, he was a Disney star! Sam's performance is excellent, his character is a free spirit, having grown up with a tribe in Venezuela he finds himself overwhelmed in New York. Not understanding quite how dangerous a city can be.

This is a Disney movie, please don't go in expecting some sort of masterpiece. It's a wonderful family film, one that you can put alongside "Casper" and "The Addams Family" as a fun film to watch on a rainy day. That doesn't mean to say that the movie isn't worth watching, the storyline is good, it's fun, humerus and exciting in places. If you're a single parent you may find it tugging on your heartstrings a little bit. The relationship that Mimi-Siku soon develops with his dad is lovely, the two eventually become very close. It's one of those wonderful feel good family films that everyone can just enjoy! I say family film, the movie does have a PG rating and for good reason. Nothing serious, very, very mild violence, it's never put into practice but it is threatened.

Shot briefly in Venezuela, but mainly shot in New York City. Cinematographer Tony Peirce-Roberts has captured New York beautifully. Stunning shots of The Twin Towers (Ground Zero) and The Statue of Liberty, it shows New York City at it's best. Michael and his fiance Charlotte live in a gorgeous New York penthouse with a stunning view of the city. Richard and his family live in a gorgeous big house on the outskirts of New York. The film is full of tropical fish, monkeys, Tarantula's, snakes and white cats called Coco. A stunning score, that coincides with the film perfectly. I love the transition in soundtrack from Mini-Siku in Venezuela to him being in New York. The score goes from being very tropical, windpipes are used for example, then to New York with a very modern Americanized soundtrack. I love how it shows the transitions between countries.

Jungle 2 Jungle is a fantastic family film that everyone can watch! Tim Allen and Martin Short are absolutely hilarious and work as a great pair on screen!

5/5 stars

Jack

Cast: Robin Williams, Diane Lane, Brian Kerwin, Jennifer Lopez, Bill Crosby and Adam Zolotin.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola

Release Date: 1996

Running Time: 1hr 53 minutes

Genre: Comedy/Adventure

Rating: PG

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Jack suffers from an unusual ageing disorder that means he ages four times faster then the average human being, he enters fifth grade for the first time with the appearance of a 40 year old man! 

Jack (Williams) suffers from a very rare condition called Werner Syndrome meaning he ages four times faster then the average human. Werner Syndrome is a very real condition. Due to his condition Jack has never been to a real school, naturally his parents are very protective of him., worried that other children will make fun of his appearance.Ten years later, home schooled by Mr. Woodruff (Cosby), Woodruff decides that it might be best for Jack to attend a real school, to make friends, to interact. The late Robin Williams delivers one of his most remarkable roles of 1996! How does one prepare themselves for a role that involves them playing a ten year old child when they are a fully grown adult? I'd imagine the same way Tom Hanks prepared for his role as Josh in  the smash hit eighties movie "Big", how do you learn to be a child? By learning from children of course. How do they interact with one another? What do they think about? How do they see the world? Quite the challenge I can imagine.

Jack just wants to be accepted, make friends and be like everyone else. He does however start to make friends, has a crush on his high school teacher and graduates from College. The movie is essentially Jack's journey through school, making friends, meeting girls, tackling challenges and living for as long as he can! Heartwarming. Although the acting is incredible please don't go in thinking you're going to get incredible cinematography and an amazing score. It's a heartwarming story that is meant to be emotional, touch your heart, perhaps make you see the world a little bit differently. Robin Williams's performance is just astonishing, his character is so genuine and real, his reactions are true to that of a child. Jennifer Lopez plays Jack's high school teacher Miss Marquez. Lopez has done a lot more acting then most are probably aware. Her performance is very good and I love the natural interaction she has with Jack. Despite both characters in real life being adults, Lopez manages to portray her character perfectly to show a difference between ages.

Eddie, John-John, George and Johnny play Jack's high school friends played fantastically by Adam Zolotin, Todd Bosley, Seth Smith, Mario Yedida and Jeremy Lelliott. The friendship that Jack builds with them as the film progresses is lovely. I love how Director Frank Ford Coppola decided to emphasize more on the fact that children can be so accepting of others that are different, instead of making it an environment where Jack is bullied for being different. Strong moral, don't judge a book by it's cover. The storyline is excellent, it's heartwarming but it has the perfect combination of drama and comedy at the same time. Robin Williams is amazing at creating humour but not pushing it so it's over the top.

Set in San Francisco (Robin William's hometown), it sets the mood for the film beautifully. Like most children, Jack and his friends love more then anything else hanging out in a tree house they built where they get up to all sorts of mischief! The film doesn't just focus on comedy, it focus on serious issues too, Jack's condition progresses as the film goes on, causing health issues for him. He soon learns the harsh rules of life. He can't always have the girl he wants, life becomes more precious then he ever imagined. He soon realizes just how fast he is aging. The storyline is touching and it will pull on your heartstrings. Jennifer Lopez and Robin Williams work beautifully on screen with one another. Lopez really took me by surprise. I love that the storyline dives into real life issues.

Francis Ford Coppola is probably known more for Directing "The Godfather", this is probably one of his most underrated movies. Although it doesn't and never will live up to the standards of "The Godfather", it goes to show what a fantastic Director Coppola is. To some extent a very simple movie, with nice cinematography and a simple production design. Standard film techniques, medium and close up shots. The storyline is the most impressive part. The storyline is what is going to make you remember this movie. William's excellent performance. One of his most underrated roles. Jack is a beautiful film that will warm your heart.

5/5 stars

50 movie tag Questions

I hope you don't mind I thought you guys might want to know a little bit more about me and my love for movies!

1. How often do you watch a movie?

I'm very lucky that my day job starts very, very early in the morning, I finish around breakfast or lunchtime at the latest meaning I have almost all day to watch movies if I desire too. However depending on how busy I am with friends and family it can be anywhere between 1-2 films a day, however I may only review one a day.

2. What movie genre are you particularly fond of? 

It may come as a surprise to some people, but I absolutely love old black and white movies. Norman Wisdom and Jerry Lewis are two of my favourite actors. Norman Wisdom and Jerry Lewis were both known as fantastic comedians back in the early 1960's and 70's. Although Jerry Lewis's movies were in colour, nearly all of Norman Wisdom's films were in black and white. Their films are some of the best comedies you will ever come across especially if it's a genre you enjoy!

3. What was the last movie you watched and liked?

If were talking at the cinema as apposed to a film I have seen hundreds of times on Blu-Ray or DVD, I loved "Logan" starring Hugh Jackman. I'm not the biggest fan of the "X-Men" franchise, however I was thoroughly impressed with Logan!

4. What was the last movie you watched and hated?

There have been a few films recently that I didn't particularly like, but I didn't hate them. However I did review "The Nightmare on Elm Street" collection, I couldn't stand any of them apart from the first film. For the most part they are very boring and not entertaining at all, with terrible acting. I'd happily not watch them again.

5. What is your most favourite movie of all time?

There are so many movies! I'm going to go on the three that I have seen the most which are The Addams Family, Space Jam and Grease.

6. Your most favourite guilty pleasure movie? 

George of the Jungle, starring Brendan Fraser, it's absolutely ridiculous, but it's so much fun and brings back wonderful memories of my childhood. I have seen it countless times, it makes me laugh everytime.

7. What movie/movies have you seen millions of times?

Very similiar to question five, I have seen "The Addams Family" honestly over a hundred times. I even went to see the stage production two days ago. When I was training as an actor at College, I had seen "Grease" approximately 200 times. I quite often have "Signs" on repeat at home when cleaning or tidying as I know it so well. That's another firm favourite.

8. Are you the type of person to watch a movie on it's first day of showing? 

We only have a tiny cinema where I live, so often we don't even get films are on opening day, when we do, we tend to go a couple of days after opening night as it's so busy. I'm always curious to know what other people have to say too. I always go in with an open mind, but it's interesting to hear what people think too.

9. Do you use fandango or do you pre book your movie tickets?

My fiance and myself always tend to pre-book our tickets, so we are guaranteed a space, especially if the film is very popular.

10. Movie house/Blu-Ray or download?

I try and see as much as I can at the cinema, however sadly our cinema doesn't show everyone movie release, only really the most popular films. So I tend to buy a lot on Blu-Ray, purely because they look and sound incredible. We do however have an Amazon Prime account too, I try to watch what I can on there, especially if it is a recent release. I don't illegally download nope.

11. How often do you go to a movie house to watch a movie?

Twice a month if I can, I struggle to see a lot of late night showings as I am so early for work the next day.

12. What are some movies that made you cry?

The Theory of Everything, Toy Story 3, Father of the Bride 2 and The Parent Trap.

13. Do you watch foreign movies? 

I do indeed.

14. What is one of your favourite foreign movies?

Downfall, which is a German movie with subtitles all about Hitlers last days, it's fascinating, very enjoyable. I will try and do a review at some point!

15. Who are your favourite Directors?

James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Jerry Lewis, Christopher Nolan and Mel Gibson.

16. Are you particular with movie score/soundtracks/music? 

I love movie scores, they can tell so much about a story, practically tell you the story from the soundtrack alone. A fantastic score can do so much for a movie.

17. What movie score can be found on your Ipod?

On my spotify, I have the "Mary Poppins" soundtrack on repeat most days and "Beauty and the Beast" two of my favourite soundtracks.

18. Have you ever watched a movie alone at a movie house?

No. I love company at the cinema.

19. What is the best chick flick film for you?

The Princess Diaries starring Anne Hathaway. Mean Girls is also a firm favourite.

20. Is there a movie that changed your perspective on life?

Interstellar. I believe there is so much out there that we aren't even aware of.

21. Your favourite comic book movie?

The Dark Knight. It's fantastic.

22. DC or Marvel Movies?

If I'm honest I prefer to watch Marvel films and own more Marvel movies however I do enjoy DC films too. I'd have to go with Marvel.

23. What are the movies in the Top 10 IMDB that you have watched?

The Dark Knight, Schindler's List, Pulp Fiction and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.

24. Do you ever read movie critic reviews before watching a movie? 

Yes I do. I'm always interested to see what others think about movies. See what is the most popular, most loved by people.

25. What is the best movie adaption from a book?

The Beach and The Hunger Games being the most accurate personally. Sadly most of the time I enjoy the book more.

26. Watch the movie before reading the book or visa versa?

Depending on it's release. I have read a few before their release date and others afterwards. It varies really. I have a lot of books that have been adapted into films to catch up on.

27. What is your most favourite comedy movie? 

Trouble in Store, starring the late Norman Wisdom. I've never laughed so hard in my life. Ingenious.

28. Drama movie?

The Theory of Everything without a doubt.

29. Western Movie?

I need to watch a few more first, sadly the ones I have seen haven't been that good personally.

30. Romantic Comedy?

The Proposal starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock, both are excellent. Great film.

31. Horror Film?

Insidious, I have seen it so many times. the cinematography is incredible, one of the very few horror movies to actually scare me on first viewing.

32. Sports movies?

Does "Rookie of the Year" count? I love it.

33. Sci Fi?

Blade Runner. Alien and Interstellar.

34. Action Movies?

The Terminator, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and Logan.

35. Who is your favourite movie couple?

Kate Winslet and Leonardo Dicaprio.

36. Any movie character you can relate to? 

Pocahontas. I've got you thinking now haven't I?

37. If you were to only watch five movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?

The Addams Family, Pocahontas, The Goonies, Space Jam and Blade Runner.

38. War Movies?

Hacksaw Ridge. One of the most impressive war movies I have ever seen to date.

39. Your least favourite movie of all time?

POV films like "Paranormal Activity" and "REC", not a fan.

40. Have you ever watched a movie based on the lead actress or actor only? 

Anything with Tom Hanks, I will always watch.

41. What movie you expected to be good and wanted to be good, but fooled you?

Judging by people's responses. Paranormal Activity.

42. Favorite movie character of all time? 

Fester Addams from "The Addams Family" to be honest I just love Christopher Lloyd, he's incredible.

43. Favorite movie villain?

Darth Vader.

44. Any movie sequel you are still waiting for? 

Avatar, I cannot wait to see what James Cameron delivers next.

45. Ever made a movie review? 

I'm not sure, what do you guys think?

46. Star Wars or Star Trek?

Star Trek!

47. Right think of any movie, what comes first? 

Interstellar. I am currently in the middle of a review for it.

48. Favourite movie lines?

"If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you guys are gonna see some serious...shit" -  Back to the Future

"I am Groot"  - Guardians of the Galaxy

"Stop blowing holes in my ship" - Pirates of the Caribbean

49. TV series, Books, Movies, Computer Games in order of interest?

Movies. Books. TV shows. Computer Games.

50. Lastly if your life story was to be made into a movie, who would you like to portray you, who would be directing and what would be the title? 

Director Christopher Nolan, Actress Christina Ricci and the film would be tilted The Other Side,

Poseidon

Cast: Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Jacinda Barrett, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum and Jimmy Bennett.

Director: Wolfgang Peterson

Release Date: 2006

Running Time: 1hr 34 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: Amazon Prime UK

Synopsis:

The luxurious ocean liner Poseidon capsizes on New Years Eve, after being swamped by a rogue wave. Those left alive, must fight for the lives as they attempt to escape the sunken ship. 

Based on the book of the same name by Paul Gallico. Adapting a book to film can be quite the challenge, more so when it's a remake. How many remakes can you do before your audience gets really bored? Modernizing it doesn't necessarily make it better either. It's New Years Eve and everyone on board is celebrating in full force, when a tsunami sized wave hits the ship, capsizing it! The thought of a massive ship capsizing is pretty haunting! On board are passengers, Mayor of New York City Robert (Russell) is on board with his daughter Jennifer (Rossum) and her fiance Christian (Vogel), Robert isn't happy with the idea of his little girl getting married, forcing him to be more then a bit protective with her. Also on board are single mother Maggie and her little boy Connor, stowaway Elena, gay architect Richard Nelson (Dreyfuss), waiter Marco and drunken gambler Lucky Larry.

Kurt Russel is a very well respected actor, however over the past couple of years, the films he's starred in haven't quite lived up to that expectation. This is one of them. Russell's performance sadly isn't one of his best, although ironically he has one of the strongest performances in the film. The relationship he shares with his daughter is very broken, it is not known where her mother is, or whether she is alive. His daughter Jennifer wants a life of her own, to settle down. Rossum's performance isn't fantastic, there is absolute zero chemistry between her and Mike Vogel who plays her fiance Christian. A strong performance however does come from child actor Jimmy Bennett who plays Connor, Bennett delivers a very impressive performance. Richard Dreyfuss is an actor most are probably familiar with when he starred in the hit movie "Jaws", Dreyfuss plays architect Richard Nelson, recently split up with his boyfriend, Nelson hopes to make things better before the New Year, however the love is not returned. Nelson's only power now is to get off the ship!

The original storyline itself is not at fault, but more so the screenplay, written by Mark Prosevitch. As I mentioned before modernizing an old story does not always go down well. Although it hasn't been modernized too much, it sadly does not have the same excitement that the original movie had. The characters aren't as strong, there was a fair amount of tension between the characters in the original film, although each character in the remake appears to come from some sort of broken background, it sadly doesn't quite work the same. The storyline also feels very rushed, we're introduced to the action a little too soon, preventing audiences from understanding characters and their motives.

Ironically the special effects in the original film (1972) looked far more impressive, with a film that is only eleven years old, it really is quite a disappointment. The cinematography itself really isn't too bad, however due to poor special effects, it doesn't look it's best. The underwater scenes looking the most impressive. The production design is very good and works well, the actors work well with that they've got too. Unfortunately each scene doesn't look particularly well shot, the actors don't always look good in frame. Due to poor filming, a few scenes look rather messy, unfortunately leading to no suspense or excitement. Given the storyline, it's really very disappointing and sadly does not live up to the expectations of the original movie. The score however does work well with the storyline and the scenes in which they are used. Only a few people survive, the fight for survival is very high, the score has quite a heroic feel to it. This is not the end for them!

Sadly, nowhere near as good as the first and certainly not one of the best remakes produced.

3/5 stars

The Green Inferno

Cast: Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Daryl Sabara, Kirby Bliss Blanton and Richard Burgi.

Director: Eli Roth

Release Date: 2013

Running Time: 1hr 40 minutes

Genre: Horror

Rating: 15

Format: Amazon Prime UK

Synopsis:

A group of student protesters, travel to the Amazon rain forest to save it, and soon discover that they are not alone! 

Justine and her friend Kara get coaxed into joining an activist group, who plan to travel to the Amazon Rainforest to record themselves chained to tree's and bulldozers to make a strong point about destroying the Rainforest, however before long the group find themselves in more trouble beyond what they could ever imagine. Director Eli Roth, is very well known for his horror movies, "Hostel" and "Clown" being favourite among very many horror fans. I am thoroughly impressed that Director Eli Roth also wrote the screenplay. It's very rare these days that you find a horror movie that truly has you on the edge of your seat. This most certainly does. What defines a great horror movie? Gore? A story so terrifying that you can't sleep at night? Eli Roth manages to balance out both perfectly. Starring Lorenza Izzo as Justine, a freshman who wants to help Woman's rights, the activist group don't take to her kindly, believing she wants to help for all the wrong reasons. Izzo's performance isn't oscar winning however she takes to her role very nicely, her character has a fair few twists.

Unfortunalty the same could not be said about Daryl Sabara who plays Lars, most will probably recognize Sabara from "Spy Kids", although he hasn't changed much, his acting has gone drastically down hill. I find it very hard to believe what his character says and for the most part, his acting comes across as very cheesy and unprofessional. What's most impressive is Eli Roth had a real Peruvian tribe star in the film. You don't get much more genuine then that. Their performances are remarkable considering they had never seen a movie nor had they ever been photographed in real life. Despite the other actors giving pretty poor performances, the locals were most certainly the stars of the show! I love the authenticity and I really love the great effort that Eli Roth went to in order to receive it. Although the storyline is fantastic, it's also a little bit predictable in places, but not enough to have you knowing exactly what is coming next.

Filmed in the Peruvian Rainforest, the set naturally looks very real and genuine. It's very simple but it works brilliantly with the storyline. You don't always need flashy set designs to make a film look excellent. The cinematography is okay, however I don't really like the use of shaky cam in a few scenes, it takes away the authenticity a little bit. It almost ruins the scenes. Not for the faint hearted, this is extremely gory and for some viewers might be terrifying. Chances are if you can tolerate "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" you will be able to tolerate this. Die Hard horror fans are going to love it! The Special effects are extremely impressive and some of the best I have seen in a very long time! It's no surprise that Stephen King enjoyed it! Eli Roth makes sure his audience only see little segments at a time, what will happen next? Will anything happen next? Real on the edge of your seat stuff! Full of twists and surprises. The score is simple, but it's enough to invoke fear on you. Gory. Absolutely terrifying!

4/5 stars

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Cast: Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd, Joanna Cassidy, Charles Fleisher

Director: Robert Zemeckis

Release Date: 1988

Running Time: 1hr 39 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Detective Eddie Valiant is a cartoon rabbit's only hope to prove he is innocent, when he is suddenly accused of murder. 

Based on the novel "Who censored Roger Rabbit" by Gary K Wolf, Robert Zemeckis brings the wonderfully animated story to life! Set in Hollywood 1947, Eddie Valiant (Hoskins), a toon-hating detective goes in search of Roger Rabbit, star of the cartoon series Baby Herman and Roger Rabbit by Maroon Cartoons. Roger however isn't much of a star anymore after contentiously bluffing his lines, even worse to find that his wife Jessica has been playing patta cake behind his back. Valiant is given reports that Roger has been accused of murdering Marvin Acme, so he sets off into toon town in search of the real murderer to try and help clear Roger's name. Despite it having a PG rating, the storyline has some very adult content! The cross over of stop motion model animation and real life is absolutely superb. The late Bob Hoskins delivers one of his best performances as Eddie Valiant, a grieving private investigator who would rather concentrate more on his bottle of whisky then his job.

Hoskins acting is excellent, he manages to find the perfect combination of humour and drama. The dialogue between Roger and himself is hilarious. Charles Fleisher is just incredible as Roger Rabbit, the characterisation that he brings just through his voice is amazing. A very underrated actor. Judge Doom (Christopher Lloyd) is a cruel detective from Toon Town who desperatly wants to frame Roger. Lloyd's performance is very impressive. One of the best character actors of our time. He's so versatile. Doom is not the nicest of characters and hides a dark secret. It's hard to believe that on first impressions this movie didn't go down too well with audiences, after the success of "Back to the Future", one would think audiences would expect good things from him? The storyline is fantastic, if there was to ever be a movie that contained every Disney and Looney Tune character, this is most certainly the closest thing to it! It's surprising how many characters there are, be sure to look out for as many as you can!

Director of animation, Richard Williams worked so hard in creating Roger, the character looks fantastic on screen. What's even more awesome is the fact that actor Charles Freisher would dress up as Roger on the set to bring it to life! So much depth went into the animation alone to make it look genuine! No computers were used when making this movie! It's really fantastic! Production Designers Roger Cain and Elliot Scott really deserve so much praise for the incredible set design. What's remarkable is at certain points of the film it's actually hard to tell what's been animated and what is real set design, everything fits into place perfectly. So much creativity, so much to look at all the time. Fantastically shot at film studios in the United States and in England, cinematographer Dean Cundey, the production designers and incredible director of animation Richard Williams have really brought this book adaption to life! Beautifully edited. The whole crew really are a credit to this movie! Back to the Future composer Alan Silvestri starred as Composer for the movie,  despite the film being set in 1947, the score almost has a 20's feel to it, it works very well with the storyline and the characters. So much talent went into the making of this movie, it really isn't one to be missed! Suitable for all ages, although some scenes may be frightening for very young viewers.

5/5 stars

Zero Dark Thirty

Cast: Jason Clarke, Reda Katab, Jessica Chastain, Kyle Chandler, Jeremy Strong

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Release Date:  2012

Running Time: 2hrs 36 minutes

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Rating: 15

Synopsis:

(Thoughts and love go out to those who lost family and friends in the September 11 attacks)

"Zero Dark Thirty" meaning military slang for an unspecified time in the early hours of the morning before dawn.

This is the story about the brave Navy S.E.A.L.S that risked their lives over the period of a decade to find and kill Osama Bin Laden. Jessica Chastain stars as Maya, a CIA operative whose first experience is in the interrogation of prisoners following the attacks against the US on September 2001! Maya is extremely reluctant at first to even be involved in the interrogation process. She's rather single minded when it comes to her work. The interrogation process isn't nice to watch and may be sensitive for some viewers. Dan (Clarke) is the CIA interrogator, while Maya watches on trying to figure out the link between Ammar, Abu Ahmed and Osama Bin Laden. This is essentially a re-enactment. Jessica Chastain's performance is very real and genuine, although she's just doing her job, she's uncomfortable there and is finding the process very difficult. John Barrowman and Chris Pratt make appearances through out the movie as part of the CIA.

Jason Clarke's performance is good, Dan is quite mysterious, he doesn't want to give much away, you're only really aware that he works for the CIA and that's it. You have no idea on his background or where he comes from. Maya is quite closed off from Dan, keeping to herself, only doing what she really needs to do to find Osama Bin Laden. Jessica's (Ehle), character is a little bit confusing, is she part of the CIA or is she simply just a journalist? Or both? It's annoying to have characters not explained properly. There is quite a bit of intertitle between scenes to let audiences know the changes between locations. It's amazing to know how many blackspots there were, just in the interrogation process.  So many men were linked to this one man! It's fascinating and really quite educating. The dialogue is very genuine, there's an awful lot of tension between characters, as there would be naturally, they're doing all they can to find this man! The determination is high! The atmosphere is very strong and intense!

It's certainly not a masterpiece when it comes to filmmaking. Bigelow has relied heavily on shaky-cam shots to emphasize scenes, however it looks more like a documentary more then a movie. Is that the idea? Very unlikely. Beigelow has also relied heavily on close up shots of actors, car tyres, streets, however the close ups are so intense that it practically moves the actors completely out of frame, making for some pretty messy looking scenes. Either you want it to look like a documentary or you don't. A mixture of both just doesn't work. The setting is extremely well portrayed and looks very genuine. This is a very scary environment and it's portrayed perfectly on screen. The editing between shots is also quite messy.  It's not the best looking movie. The lighting is a little bit too dark in a few scenes particularly near the end, when the Navy S.E.A.L.S are sent in to find Osama Bin Laden. It's a smidgen too dark. Unfortunately it doesn't build any atmosphere. It's a shame because naturally the ending is intense and you can barely see whats happening.

The storyline is there, it's just a shame it was really let down by the filmmaking. Fascinating and educating none the less!

3/5 stars

The Magnificent Seven

Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Haley Bennett, Vincent D'Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Peter Sarsgaard.

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Release Date: 2016

Running Time: 2hrs 12 minutes

Genre: Adventure/Western

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis:

In the old west, seven gunmen come together to help a poor village against savage thieves. 

Based on the classic story, Antoine Fuqua brings the fantastic western to the big screen! There's something very fascinating about watching a Western. I'm not entirely sure what it is, is it the time period, the way people used to live? If you ask me, there aren't enough Western's these days. Set in Rose Creek, 1879, the people of Rose Creek are desperatly trying to fight for their town, their land. Bartholomew Bogue (Sarsgaard) wants to take control over the land, selfishly wanting gold! The townspeople employ protection from seven outlaws, bounty hunters, gamblers and hired guns, the magnificent seven! We're introduced to the seven individually, Chisholm (Washington) a bounty hunter, Josh Faraday, a man who finds himself in all sorts of trouble (Pratt), Billy Rocks, a fantastic gunman (Lee), Goodnight Robichoeaux a cocky bounty hunter (Hawke), wherever he goes, Billy goes! Jack Horne (D'Onoforio) a gunman and Red Harvest an Indian.

None of the actors performances really stand out as being fantastic however they do all bring great characterisation to their roles. The most surprising character is actually Emma Cullen (Bennett) a local towns-person who wants revenge against Bogue. Bennett delivers a very realistic and genuine performance. Her character really stands out. Peter Sarsgaard is very good at playing the bad guy, his performance is great, he's selfish and arrogant and goes to great lengths to prove his dominance. The storyline is really good however it takes rather a long time to get going, although I really love the introduction of each character it drags on for bit too long. Most audiences may find themselves getting very bored within the first half hour of the film. It is a little bit disappointing that at almost an hour in, you only just start to see a little bit of action. It's a shame because the storyline is quite captivating. Sadly the scenes just drag out for far too long. It has all the right components, just all in the wrong order! Isn't this supposed to be a Western? I was expecting a lot more action, I must say! The action sequences just aren't there...when it does get going it's nor particularly exciting, even then there isn't a lot happening. The one part of the film where there is actually some action and it's almost as boring as the rest of the film.

Beautifully shot in Arizona and New Mexico, the cinematography is gorgeous! It's just a shame it's the strongest component of the movie. The lighting is perfect, the scenes are shot well and look incredible in each frame! The beauty of Arizona and New Mexico has certainly been captured brilliantly on screen! The production design is extremely impressive, it's rustic, it looks genuine, it feels lived in and it adds to the tone of the film perfectly! It's exactly how you'd picture a Western town to look, with the help of gorgeous cinematography it really looks stunning! There is a stunning dolly shot in the second chapter of the film following Bogue's men racing towards the town, the way in which the movie is shot is certainly not at fault. The costumes are great and look genuine, naturally it works well with the actors and the storyline. In all honesty not the late James Horner's best score, it works well with the storyline but other then that is quite plain and bland. It's an action movie, we want suspense and excitement, the majority of that comes from a well made score. This in fact is no disrespect to the late James Horner.

For a Western, I was genuinely very disappointed. I was expecting far more from the actors, and was certainly expecting far more action, it dragged in far too many places. The storyline is so exciting, as a member of the audience your desperate to know what happens next not sit around for an hour waiting for something to happen. It's a shame!

3/5 stars

John Wick: Chapter 2

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common and Riccarrdo Scamarcio.

Director: Chad Stahelski

Release Date: 2017

Running Time: 2hrs 2 minutes

Genre: Crime/Thriller

Rating: 15

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

John Wick returns once again to criminal underworld, this time to repay a debt, Wick soon discovers however that a large bounty hunt has been put on his life! 

John Wick! The ultimate hitman! John is retired when he is suddenly forced to make a comeback. New home, new dog. It takes off very nicely from where the first movie ended. So what happens when you put a huge bounty hunt on the ultimate hitman? You find yourself in a serious amount of trouble. Keanu Reeves is an actor who has really surprised me over the years, this is the same gentlemen who played Ted in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure", his performance is absolutely incredible! Badass. John, is not a man who you want to be messing with! As the characters in this movie soon find out. Directed by the same gentlemen who also directed the first film, Chad Stahelski. This is a fantastically directed film. If you're into your "hitman" movies, believe me this is the series you'll want to have! I really love that Chad has chosen to show more flashbacks of John's previous life with his wife. We are shown a bit more of his backstory. This is a story about a man who's having second thoughts about his life, does he want to be this badass hitman for the rest of his life? Is this what his wife would of wanted?

I just want to reassure people that his dog does not die in this film, nor is it even remotely hurt. Why put that into movies ah? Santino D'Antonio is a very interesting character, he's charming and he's good looking but there is so much depth to his character, more sinister then what he might first give off. Riccardo Scamarcio is a very underrated Italian actor who I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of. His acting is really very good, I love the characterisation that he brings to his role, he's sinister and very manipulative. He's really got this hitman quality about him. Ian McShane, not an actor I see much of, probably more popularly known in the hit TV show on Amazon at the moment in "American Gods", a good actor if he gets the right role! His character Winston is very interesting. I got the impression he is a hitman, however come the end of the movie I wasn't too sure. What do you think?

I also love how Stahelski has chosen to show subtitles on the screen, and not necessarily for those speaking in another language. It adds a nice little touch to the film. There is the perfect balance of action and natural storyline. There is a perfect amount of suspense and tension, particularly in the second chapter of the film. It all goes down in the second half. The storyline is fantastic and personally far more engaging the then first film. Ruby Rose is an actress who really took me by surprise, her character Ares is a mute, meaning she cannot hear nor can she speak. Her performance is remarkable considering she does not speak a single word through out the entire film. The choreography for the stunt work and fight scenes is extremely impressive. What's more remarkable is that Keanu Reeves does most of his own stunts. Wow. The fight sequences are some of the best I have seen in a very long time.

Beautifully shot in New York City and Lazio Italy, Cinematographer Dan Lausten has done a great job! This is a really nice looking movie! In the second chapter particularly, there are a couple of really unique shots that look fantastic! It really added suspense and excitement to the scene. All of the actors are framed into the settings very well and look great on screen! The production design is great, who doesn't love his car? It suits his character perfectly, although it does get a little bit bashed up in this movie. He's got a very nice modern looking house. There is a really awesome looking scene which involves mirrors, that is all! The costume design is great, he gets a pretty bad ass looking suit in this movie too! Bullet Proof? Bomb Proof? Okay that's going a bit too far isn't it? Trust me, it's awesome! The soundtrack isn't quite as exciting as it is in the fist one, however it's fantastic none the less, I love that the DJ behind the soundtrack made an appearance in the movie!

One of the best action films I have seen in a really long time, equally if not better then the first film! Keanu Reeves at his very finest! Be sure to look out for Chapter 3 in the coming future!

Blu-Ray Special Features:

Deleted Scenes:

Four deleted scenes, that in my opinion dragged the movie down, I agree with the directors choice in leaving them out of the movie.

Training John:

A nice featurette on Keanu Reeves training to be John Wick, really cool!

The underworld of John Wick:

Making and behind the scenes of the movie.

5/5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean 5: Salazar's Revenge

Cast: Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightly.

Director: Joachim Ronning and Espen Sandberg

Release Date: 2017

Running Time: 2hrs 9 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: Theatrical Cinema Release

Synopsis:

Captain Jack Sparrow searches for the trident of Poseidon, whilst being followed by an undead sea captain and his crew! 

Dead Man Tells No Tales! Or if your like myself and you come from the UK, Salazar's Revenge! 20 years have passed since the events that took place in the third movie and a few months since the events that took place in the fourth film. Terrifying nemesis Captain Salazar has escaped from the Devil's Triangle and is determined to kill all pirates at sea. I'm always open minded when it comes to movies, however I was dissapointed. Johnny Depp is a remarkable actor, a truly amazing character actor, although I'm not too sure what went wrong with this film in terms of his acting, there are a few moments at the beginning of the film where he sounds like he is overplaying the drunken pirate, to the point where his character doesn't look funny, moments later it skips to him being his normal funny drunken self. I really got the impression he'd been poorly directed as an actor. Almost told to overplay his role.

This film will answer all the questions you might have had in all the other movies. We see Henry Turner as a young boy and as adult which is quite nice as you understand his backstory. Brenton Thwaites who plays grown up Henry Turner delivers a pretty good performance, I love the resemblance between him and his father William Turner (Orlando Bloom), hats off the casting directors on that one. I was fooled into believing they could be father and son. Carina Smith's (Scodelario) character is very interesting and will certainly come as a surprise to some people. Geoffrey Rush delivers a really fantastic performance, Johnny Depp and himself work beautifully on screen together as they always do. Captain Barbossa too has a few tricks up his sleeve. This movie is definitely full of surprises. Javier Bardem delivers a good performance although I don't really feel like he had that much screen time considering the film is meant to be about his character Captain Salazar. Is he good? Is he bad? Who knows!

Jeff Nathanson has done a good job with the screenplay, although there are a few moments that really dragged the film down and seemed pointless, there are also a few really funny moments, particularly Johnny Depp's introduction, it's ingenious and very funny! The dialogue is really good, I found myself laughing quite a bit more compared to the other four movies prior, something that did actually take me by surprise. There is a lot of humour which works well with the characters. It's just a shame there are a few scenes that shy away from the premise of the film.

Although the cinematography is quite good, I could tell it was not the work of incredible cinematographer Dariusz Wolski but that of Paul Cameron, who also did the photography on "Westworld" and "Total Recall", as I said before, although it's good, there's nothing particularly impressive about it. Nothing really stands out, I'm more inclined to praise the production design, there's a really cool underwater scene in the second chapter of the film that looks very good. It doesn't necessarily look realistic but it works well with the storyline. Nothing really too spectacular. Unfortunately there wasn't anything too spectacular about the soundtrack either. It wasn't engaging nor was it particularly exciting. The weakest in the series in terms of acting and the way in which it's been filmed. I was extremely hit and miss with this film, overall though I was really quite dissapointed. It went from being really good to really bad every other scene. Perfect for those who are big fans of the series!

Note: Bonus Scene after the credits

3/5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides

Cast: Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane, Sam Claflin, Kieth Richards and Stephen Graham.

Director: Rob Marshall

Release Date: 2011

Running Time: 2hrs 16 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Captain Barbossa and Captain Jack Sparrow, go on a quest to find the fountain of youth, only to discover that Captain Blackbeard and his daughter want their hands on it too!

The worst thing you can do with a huge film franchise is suddenly change the director. A director should know his actors well, his crew well and his set very well. Director Rob Marshall brings us the fourth film in the series. Jack Sparrow is after the fountain of youth! Jack Sparrow has his usual fantastic introduction this time in the presence of King George played fanatically by the late Richard Griffiths. In all honesty it's not Johnny Depp's best performance as Jack Sparrow, this is why it doesn't always pay to have a change in director, Johnny Depp is a remarkable actor, I believe who at fault here is the director whom told him to perform that way. After being so used to seeing Keira Knightly as the leading lady it was a bit odd seeing Penelope Cruz in her place as Angelica, supposedly Blackbeards daughter. I find myself struggling to warm to her character.

Edward Teach "Blackbeard" is played by Ian McShane, Blackbeard was thought to be a very fearsome character in real life who loved frightening his enemies by lighting fuses under his long black beard. I'm not sure that McShane was the right actor to portray him, his performance is good however I think Peter Ustinov portrayed a far better Blackbeard. What's more irritating is supposedly the film is set in 1750, Blackbeard and his crew died in 1718! I know it's just a movie right? Were writers Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio aware of this during the writing of the screenplay? Sam Clafin plays Philip a religious young pirate who is neither here or there when it comes to joining Sparrow's crew. Clafin in good however he doesn't bring a great deal of characterisation to his role. Geoffrey Rush too portrays one of his weakest performances as Captain Barbossa. I know it's been a few years, but it doesn't seem like the same man playing the same character.

I'm almost under the impression that Disney tried to make a movie about Blackbeard but got it historically wrong and then thought they'd add a fountain of youth into the story to make it a bit more interesting? The storyline is good, it just doesn't always make sense in some places, not in my opinion anyway. Blackbeard is somewhat of a stereotype. Blackbeard was a hardcore pirate. His character appears too friendly. I'm not buying the relationship between Angelica and Blackbeard too. Father and daughter? Don't make me laugh. Blackbeard? He looks like he'd fit in more with the rock band Slash!

Onto the positives! Although Gore Virbinski didn't make a return, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski did return one last time. The cinematography is particularly nice, more so in the second chapter of the film. Although the lighting is very dark, which is a little bit annoying, you can barely see what's happening during a few scenes. Otherwise it works very well to enhance the atmosphere. The production design is good, but again not quite as good as the others. Shot mainly in Hawaii and England which makes quite a change to...well...um the Caribbean? Again the the sets feel more lived in and realistic at the beginning of the movie when we are shown King George. Oh, also historically incorrect, King George was born in 1895, I'm not too sure they've thought this through? Oh I know, it's just a movie right? It is good to be historically correct though!

In all honesty not a favourite of mine! Although it carries on nicely from the third movie, it feels slightly like an origin movie too. Entertaining, but not great!

3/5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End

Cast: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom, Geoffrey Rush, Bill Nighy and Jack Davenport.

Director: Gore Virbinski

Release Date: 2007

Running Time: 2hrs 49 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis:

Captain Barbossa, Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan must navigate treachery, betrayal and sail off the edge of the map, to find Jack Sparrow and make their final alliances for a battle one last time! 

At World's End! Now that Elizabeth, Will and Captain Barbossa have rescued Sparrow from the land of the dead, they must face their greatest enemies Davy Jones and Lord Beckett. Now that Beckett has control over Davy Jones's heart he forms a dark alliance with him in order rule the seas and wipe out the last of the pirates. I feel like this one and the latest "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie "Salazar Revenge" are most certainly linked. The 4th installment sort of went off on it's own agenda. Please don't let that confuse you, the correct order to watch the films are the order they were released in. Jack Sparrow doesn't actually make an appearance till almost an hour into the film, his introduction is most certainly interesting. Is he tripping? Is it a dream? A very clever scene. Johnny Depp is fabulous as always. The movie does focus more on Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan in this installment.

Elizabeth Swan is very much a pirate now and considers herself one, Keira Knightly's performance is very good, I still don't quite understand what the deal is with her relationship with Will Turner though? Sound daft? After viewing the 5th installment you'll understand why I said it. Geoffrey Rush is excellent, Johnny Depp and himself actually have serious screen time together this time which makes a nice change. Geoffrey Rush is fantastic as always! In the first film he always came across as such a bad ass pirate who would end up as a bad guy, but as the movies progress you soon learn that he's sort of a good guy really, especially in the latest film. I think his character is rather complex. Is he good,? Is he bad? Speaking of complex characters, for me personally this is the most complex storyline in the series. You need to concentrate otherwise you tend to miss things. I love that we are introduced to characters Ragetti and Pintel more in this film, they work fantastically together and add a perfect amount of humour to the movie.

Although the production design is good, I don't quite think it's as good as the first two movies. Gore Virbinksi has relied heavily on the storyline to make this movie great, that doesn't mean to say the cinematography is awful, quite the contrary, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski has produced gorgeous looking scenes, which work beautifully alongside impressive camera shots, particularly a reverse motion shot of Pintel and Regetti hanging upside down, it's a great scene and looks beautifully shot. Virbinski has relied more on special effects but it works well with the storyline in showing how the story is progressing, they believe their ship will fall off the face of the Earth, it just adds to the magic perfectly. The special effects look really good! It's quite a dark film in terms of lighting design and as far as the storyline is concerned. Therefor the lighting adds to the tone of the film brilliantly. The magic has faded, Elizabeth is no longer this innocent woman who cares for her blacksmith, but now a pirate fighting to keep others alive.

It's a great film, however I do think it's a bit too long at 2hrs 41 minutes, Virbinski doesn't allow his audience to get bored, however certain scenes seem pointless and for me did drag the film down a little bit. they don't necessarily steer away from the movie but personally the film would have worked perfectly without them. It takes a while for the action to get going. The score is good and works well with the storyline, however it's not quite as exciting as it has been in previous films. Although it's entertaining, probably one of my least favourite in the series. I found it to be a bit too dark and a little bit too long.

4/5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man's Chest

Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightly, Jack Davenport, Bill Nighy and Stellan Skarsgard.

Director: Gore Verbinski

Release Date: 2006

Running Time: 2hrs 31 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD: 2 Disc Special Edition

Synopsis:

Captain Jack Sparrow must recover the heart of Davey Jones , to avoid his soul being taken, as other friends and people seek the heart for their own agenda as well!

Your favourite pirates are back again for the second installment in the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise. Will Turner (Bloom) and Elizabeth Swan (Knightly), have been arrested by Lord Cutler Beckett of the East India Trading Co for helping Captain Jack Sparrow, escape from the British Navy. Turner finds out the only way he can release Elizabeth from prison is to find Jack Sparrow, obtain him from his seemingly broken compass and bring it to Beckett. Disney has once again proven that it's fantastic at producing sequels..The best thing you could ever do when making a movie is have the same director/writers/cinematographer follow you on the journey. So many sequels and trilogy's are ruined purely because a different director and writer are involved. Personally the storyline in "Dead Man's Chest" is my favourite in the franchise.

Jack Sparrow makes a grand entrance as usual, this time shooting his way out of a coffin. Johnny Depp reprises his role once again, beautifully. I really love that we see a bit more into his character and who he is as a person. A Captain known by many pirates and woman. Probably one too many. Depp is hilarious. We see into the character of Will Turner a lot more too and find out where his father has been all of these years. It was a nice surprise for me personally. Stellan Skarsgard is excellent as Bootstrap Bill, his character is very mysterious, Skarsgard delivers a great performance. Don't you just love a bit of mystery sometimes?  Characters Pentil and Ragetti played by Lee Arenberg and Mackenzie Crook are fantastic, I really love that we see more of their characters in the second installment. Both very funny in their own right, they bounce off each other perfectly. They really bring the humour out in certain scenes would probably be rather boring without them. This is a real adventure.

The characters that we see on the island where Jack Sparrow finds himself marooned are very interesting, very similar to the Indian tribes living in the Amazon rain forest or on North Sentinel Island, in the Indian Ocean. I love the authenticity of the characters. Tia Dalma is a character that really took me by surprise and upon first viewing initially confused me a little bit. It's clear that Dalma and Sparrow are very familiar with one another. Naomie Harris performance is very authentic and realistic, personally one of the stronger actors in the film. Her characterization is spot on. Bully Nighy is an actor I just love, isn't he fantastic? Nighy plays Davey Jones. He doesn't actually make an appearance until almost an hour into the movie, however I think that adds a real sense of mystery to his character, especially considering how often his name crops up in the first half an hour of the film. Fantastic character actor, his character really is one to look out for in this film. Jones really is the leader of his pact, he's very dominant. Johnny Depp and Bill Nighy work particularly well on screen together. Fantastic chemistry.

One of the most memorable things about this film is the truly incredible production design. The work that has gone into each and every scene to make it look old, authentic and tacky is fantastic. The detail n Davey Jones's ship, the organ that he plays, I love it, it's fun, it's creative, it's different, it looks amazing, especially when Davey Jones is attempting to play it with his tentacles. Who thought of that? You genius. Tia Dalma's cabin, locked away in the jungles of the Caribbean. It adds to the tone of the film brilliantly, as the films progress the more they really do remind me of the ride at Disneyland. I'm afraid it's hard to explain unless you've been there. It really heightens the atmosphere and camera and allows it to look genuine not look like a set. The lighting designers really played a big part too in creating the perfect atmosphere on screen. Brilliant. The incredible make up department that really allowed Bootstrap Bill to come to life.

Set mainly in the Bahamas and St Vincent and the Grenadines, cinematographer Dariusz Wolski has captured both places beautifully allowing for some really beautiful scenes. Beautifully shot, however there are a few moments, a fight sequence on an island that I think was shot rather fast, it  does however fade into a rather humorous long shot Elizabeth Swan pretending to faint in the hope she will grab the attention of Turner and Jack Sparrow. Visually, a very stunning looking movie. The action sequences are most certainly coherently shot though, building up to a couple of very exciting scenes. Hans Zimmer really is a genius when it comes to music, just like the first movie, the score is fantastic. I love how Zimmer has chosen for a fun and inventive score to introduce Jack Sparrow, it works well with the scenes and the character. A fantastic score overall. A highly enjoyable movie!

5/5 stars

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

Cast: Johnny Depp, Keira Knightly, Orlando Bloom and Geoffrey Rush.

Director: Gore Virbinski

Release Date: 2003

Running Time: 2hrs 23 minutes
Genre: Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with the ever so flamboyant Captain Jack Sparrow to save Elizabeth Swan, the governor's daughter, from Sparrow's previous pirate allies who are now the ruthless undead.

Based on the famous ride at Disneyland with the same name, Gore Virbinski brings it to life in an action packed movie! I'm not entirely sure what possessed Disney to turn one of their rides into a movie but it certainly worked and captivated audiences around the world! Elizabeth Swan possesses something that does not belong to her, a medallion that should of stayed in the hands of Will Turner (Bloom), when the curse is released the infamous undead pirates make their return for Elizabeth Swan to get the medallion back so they can live forever! Of course nothing is simple when it comes to pirates. Johnny Depp plays famous drunken pirate Jack Sparrow. An extremely eccentric character who wants nothing more then a bottle of rum in his hands. Well let's face it, what else would you do if you were a pirate? Johnny Depp delivers one of his most famous and entertaining performances to date. Everything about his performance is captivating, Depp is an incredible character actor. Johnny, without a doubt steals the show as Captain Jack Sparrow.

At the time of it's release I wasn't that familiar with actress Keira Knightly, her performance however was pleasantly surprising. Elizabeth Swan is the Governors daughter, she's apprehensively being forced into marriage with Captain Norrington. An irritating gentlemen that to be quite honest is stuck up his own backside. Swan of course has eyes for Will Turner. Jack Davenport delivers a pretty good performance, his character is rather cocky and definitely has a disliking for pirates especially those called Jack. Orlando Bloom is an actor who seems to be extremely hit and miss with his films, "Pirates of the Caribbean" being some of his most famous to date. Is Will Turner a blacksmith or a pirate? Essentially a bit of both, it's lovely to see how his character progresses in the next two films. His performance is good, however I'm not convinced there is a great deal of chemistry between Knightly and himself on screen.

So how exactly does one turn one of Disney's most famous rides into a movie? You get four very, very good screenwriters to write a screenplay for you! The storyline is interesting, fun and very funny. Screenwriters Ted Elliot and Terry Rossio have essentially turned the characters at the ride into fantastic and eccentric characters on the big screen! Disney movies always seem to have this wonderful feel good factor to them, never too emotional, never too scary, never too sinister. The perfect balance of entertainment. The thought of turning a ride into a fun action packed movie is brilliant in my eyes! Made for entertainment and fun, not to be taken seriously! At a mere 2hrs 17 minutes, is it deemed to long a movie for Disney fans? Personally? No. It works.

If you have ever been on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride at Disneyland you will soon know how similiar the production design is in comparison to the design of the ride. Production designer Brian Morris has gone to great lengths to make the set design as authentic to the ride as possible. The set design is quite possibly one of my most favourite things, the detail that has gone into the ships, the gorgeous exterior and interior, maps hanging on the walls, compasses, it's imaginative and brilliant! So much creativity went into making them look like they were lived in by Pirates. Stunning costume design by Penny Rose. Each and every character was exactly how I'd picture a pirate to look. I'm not entirely sure what the fascination is with pirates that we all seem to have...is it the unknown? I'm hooked. I can't place my finger on it.

Gore Virbinski of course directed the film beautifully with the help of fantastic cinematographer Dariusz Wolski who also did the stunning photography on the other three movies in the series. Stunning moments of cinematography that capture the Caribbean in the light that we'd all love to see. Paradise. Gorgeous scenes captured inside caves that aren't too dark, too light, just right in capturing the actors at their best in beautifully choreographed fight scenes. Stunning special effects, crossover with capturing the pirates as living people and as the undead skeletons. Fantastic close ups of the actors individually in scenes. This is a very nice looking movie. Perfectly edited each scene flows beautifully into the next and of course the soundtrack that holds the whole film together, a wonderful score by Klaus Badelt, a theme so famous you'll find yourself humming it for days after viewing.  A highly entertaining and fun movie!

DVD Bonus Features:

Audio Commentary: 

Audio Commentary with Director Gore Virbinski

5/5 stars

T2: Trainspotting

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Johnny Lee Miller, Ewan Bremner, Robert Carlyle and Shirley Henderson.

Director: Danny Boyle

Release Date: 2017

Running Time: 1hr 57 minutes

Genre: Drama

Rating: 18

Format: Blu-Ray

Synopsis:

20 years have passed since the events that took place in the first film. Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie! 

Twenty years have passed since the events that took place in the first film. Renton returns home to Scotland to find Spud trying to commit suicide, Begbie locked up in prison and Simon *Sick Boy* working in his own pub. Although twenty years have passed, it takes off nicely from where the first film ended. The actors have aged considerably, understandable after so long. I don't mean that to sound offensive, it's very nice to see how the characters have progressed, the characters have aged too. It's amazing to see how much film has changed in twenty years. It's unusual to see a sequel after such a long time. So much has changed, box TV's are now flat screen TV's, Iphones now make an appearance, Edinburgh itself has even changed.

Ewan McGregor is once again fantastic as Mark Renton, his character has changed dramatically since the first movie. Renton is clean and pretty content on keeping very fit. Robert Carlyle undoubtedly steals the show as Begbie. Begbie has escaped prison to return home to his young son and his wife, to be clean? No. Robbery. Robert's performance is absolutely amazing, without a doubt his best performance to date.  Some of the best acting I have seen in a very long time. Simon *Sick Boy* really hasn't changed at all, he's exactly the same now as he was twenty years ago. Johnny Lee Miller too proves himself once again with a fantastic performance. If you really enjoyed the first film you will find yourself on an emotional journey with this one. The storyline isn't as exciting as the first film, however it's still very, very entertaining. You have to go in with an open mind to a certain extent. I personally prefer the sequel over the first movie.

Beautifully shot in Scotland, the Blu-Ray quality really enhances the cinematography in the film. As odd as it may sound the sequel looks more expensive visually then the original did, although supposedly the original had a low budget, what of £3.5,000,000? That's cheap? I know movies that were made with £500,000, now that's cheap. The budget for the sequel was £18,000,000, they raked in at over £33,000,000 worldwide at the box office. For some this will be a flop, it won't be what they expected. It's an emotional journey, these characters have been through hell and back and are finally on the road to recovery.

Underworld's "Slow Slippy" even makes an appearance, it works beautifully alongside the scenes in which it's used. It emphasizes the fact that these characters aren't party animals anymore, they've got to wake up to the real world. They've got children, jobs, busy lives. They can't piss around anymore. In my humble opinion far better then the first one, more entertaining, more gripping, more drama. Perfect for anyone that enjoyed the first movie and wants to go on an emotional journey with Renton, Sick Boy and Spud. Great ending! Highly recommend!

Blu-Ray Special Features:

29 Deleted Scenes:

Thirty minutes worth of deleted scenes, all very good, however they probably would of ended up with a 2 1/2hr movie.

Audio Commentary:

Commentary with Danny Boyle and Screenwriter John Hodge.

20 years in the making: A conversation with Danny Boyle and the Cast: 

Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Johnny Lee Miller discuss both movies and how their lives have changed since making the movies.

Colton Athletic Documentary: 

Choosing endorphin's over addiction, very interesting documentary.

5/5 stars

Trainspotting

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ewan Bremner, Johnny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd and Robert Carlyle.

Director: Danny Boyle

Release Date: 1996

Running Time: 1hr 34 minutes

Genre: Drama

Rating: 18

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Mark Renton is living a life of drugs and alcohol in Edinburgh, this is the story of him desperately trying to get clean whilst being swayed otherwise by his friends. 

Based on the novel of the same by Irvine Walsh.Chances are if you mention "Trainspotting" to any hardcore movie fan the first thing they will rave about is the soundtrack. Underworld's "Born Slippy" became one of the most influential songs of the mid nineties, that still to this day is as famous now as it was then! Starring Ewan McGregor as Renton a young lad that is completely and 100% addicted to heroin. McGregor has truly proven himself over the years as a fantastic actor, this for me though is where it all began for him in terms of his career. For those that have never seen the film, you're probably wondering what an earth can be interesting about watching a bunch of actors pretend to be drug addicts? There's nothing fun about watching them in that sense. The film to some degree is extremely educational and if not for it's foul language and nudity would probably be shown in schools for educational purposes.

Renton (McGregor) is desperatly trying to come off drugs, the storyline is essentially his journey in becoming clean and the struggles that he faces, being influenced by friends. Johnny Lee Miller plays Sick Boy, Renton's friend who to put it bluntly isn't so keen on coming off drugs, he loves the trip, he loves the ride! Both Miller and McGregor deliver incredible performances through out the film. Of course we can't forget about Renton's other friend Spud played fantastically by Ewan Bremner. The characterisation that he was able to bring to this role is actually quite incredible. Bremner is an extremely underrated Scottish actor. Speaking of Scottish actors, I love that Boyle chose to use Scottish actors in a film set in Scotland. Obviously right? Not always. Robert Carlyle is a remarkable Scottish actor, his performance is absolutely amazing. You'll soon find yourself hating his character, not a nice man. A lot more detail goes into his character in the sequel.

The storyline is quite humorous in places, at the same time moments of the film are quite emotional and are a true opener to the eyes of what a drug addict goes through and deals with on a daily basis. Danny Boyle does have a particularly unique approach to directing most of his films, in all honesty you're either going to really like it or absolutely hate it. The dialogue can be a little bit hard to understand at times if you aren't used to hearing the Scottish accent, the language is shockingly foul. It does coincide with the characters quite well though, these are people that don't even care about themselves let alone what comes out of their mouth.

Director Danny Boyle and Cinematographer Brian Tufano have captured unique shots to emphasizes moments where Renton is tripping out, high as a kite. Unique shots shown in his recovery to come off of heroin. The production department have been particularly clever with their set design, Renton's bedroom, the walls have trains all over them, clearly hinting at the title name. Many people will probably wonder about the title name "Trainspotting" what exactly does that mean? It's more a reference to a scene in the novel in which they are asked if they are going trainspottin, an abandoned train station popular for drug addicts. The soundtrack works perfectly alongside the characters and the storyline. Underworld's "Dark and Long Train" works beautifully in a scene where Renton is recovering from a heroin overdose. A very British soundtrack to go with a very British movie. If you're looking for something a little bit different then this might be for you!

DVD Special Features:

Memories of Trainspotting: 

42 minute featurette with Director Danny Boyle, Ewan McGregor and Screenwriter John Hodge and how they went from novel to script to the big screen!

5/5 stars

Manchester by the Sea

Cast: Casey Affleck, Michelle Williams, Ben O Brian, Kyle Chandler and Stephen Henderson.

Director: Kenneth Lonergan

Release Date: 2016

Running Time: 2hrs 17 minutes

Genre: Drama

Rating: 15

Synopsis:

Lee Chandler, a grumpy handyman is asked to take care of his young nephew, when his father suddenly dies! 

Lee Chandler (Affleck) is a grumpy handyman who fixes anything and everything, he's not liked by his tenants and spends his nights alone in a bar, starting fights and wishing he was picking up girls. When his brother suddenly dies he's named guardian of his young nephew Patrick. It's hard to say how anyone would react after suddenly having that responsibility trust upon them. Kenneth Lonergan has captured such incredible realism in the reactions between characters. Casey Affleck delivers his most phenomenal performance to date. Lonergan has chosen to tell the story through a mixture of past and present sequences to explain the storyline and the characters. The storyline by itself is remarkably emotional and touching.

Lucas Hedges delivers a fantastic performance as Patrick, as a teenager he is seriously struggling to come to terms with the death of his father. Michelle Williams doesn't have a particularly big part however she still plays a very important character in the story. I'm not gonna lie the storyline is very depressing, I know that sounds like a horrible thing to say, but it is what it is. At the end of the day it is a drama. The storyline is realistic, touching and very emotional. Casey Affleck isn't an actor I have seen much of however his performance really is truly incredible. His acting supports his character beautifully. He's angry, upset and having to come to terms with the death of his brother.

At 2hrs 17 minutes, the pace of the film is very slow, not a great deal of stuff happens to be honest. It's about the relationship between an uncle and his nephew and how they deal with something very traumatic between them. Lonergan wanted to make the movie all about the acting, don't go in expecting fancy scenes, great special effects and amazing score. Lonergan wanted to tell an emotional story and believe me, he really did! The story will really pull on your heartstrings, especially if you have recently lost someone.

Mainly set around Boston and Manchester Massachusetts, cinematographer Jody Lee Lipes has captured the area beautifully, it has a very real feel to it. The production design has a very real feel to it, the lighting is very dark and dim, it adds to the tone of the film perfectly, it coincides with the storyline brilliantly. The shots that are used are very nice, although I do feel like the editing between scenes is too choppy, almost cutting actors off during scenes, it's hard to say whether this is intentional to dramatize the scene, or whether it's actually poor editing.  This is a very emotional film, it's incredibly realistic. The score is beautiful and gentle and progresses with the film beautifully. It's everything you'd expect from a drama and so much more! It's no surprise it's up for Oscars. It's easily one of the best films of 2016!

I love how the relationship between Lee and Patrick progresses, I love how natural and real it is. If you enjoy Drama's I cannot highly recommend this enough! Casey Affleck took me completely by surprise. Wow. Beautiful and touching.

5/5 stars