The Impossible

Cast: Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland and Samuel Joslin

Director: J.A Bayona

Release Date: 2012

Running Time: 1hr 53 minutes

Genre: Drama

Rating: PG-13

Format: Amazon Prime UK

Synopsis:

The incredible true story of a family who were caught in the terrifying Tsunami that hit Thailand in 2004! 

Nothing could prepare the world for what happened on December 24th, 2004, when a tsunami hit Thailand. One can only imagine, how absolutely terrifying it must have been! This is a very underrated movie! Sadly, it didn't make all of it's money back at the box office, but believe me, this is really worth watching! This is the incredible true story of a family that survived the 2004 tsunami! Starring Naomi Watts and Ewan McGregor, both of their performances are truly remarkable! Ewan McGregor's performance is so genuine and real that you can't help sympathizing with his character, the heartbreak, the fear, it's written all over his face.The storyline naturally, is an emotional roller-coaster from beginning to end. It'll make you cry, believe me it will! Tom Holland delivers an incredible performance for a child actor, Lucas is a real hero!

Making a film about such a sensitive subject is difficult, however what's unique about this one is the real Spanish family were involved through out the whole of filming. I'm not entirely sure why they made the family British in the movie? The storyline is pretty self explanatory to be honest, when the tsunami hits the family are separated, some sequences are a little bit graphic, so just as a warning for those that might find some scenes a little bit sensitive, especially if you have children. Real family member Maria Bolen, also help to write the storyline, in assuring that it was as accurate as possible. Despite the movie being about such a sensitive and frightening subject, it's also incredibly inspiring too!

The dialogue between Lucas and his mother is very real and emotional, what do you do in a circumstance like that? Run for you're life! Fight for survival. This movie really puts every disaster movie to shame. The emotion that comes from each actor is just incredible. Their amazing performances are really what make this movie so real and haunting! Real on the edge of your seat stuff, the suspense is truly thrilling! The colouring and the lighting works beautifully with the set and the storyline, bringing the story to life! Their injuries are haunting and graphic, the make up department certainly deserve the highest praise!

It's really quite spectacular, where do you even begin to reenact something so real? Beautifully shot in the real location in Thailand at the hotel that has now been rebuilt. Naturally, the wave sequences weren't shot there. That is, of course what makes the set design so impressive! It looks real, genuine, it's terrifying to watch! I really love how Director Bayona has chosen to use close ups and POV shots to emphasize what the characters are feeling on the impact of the wave! What's most impressive, about the way the film is shot, that at times you'd honestly believe you were watching real footage or a documentary. The wave sequences are frightening to watch! Each scene has been fantastically shot and looks amazing in each and every frame.

Beautifully edited and perfectly paced, thrilling from beginning to end! The fact that Director J.A Bayona has chosen not to use that much of a score really works well with the storyline, the film allows audiences to focus more on the actors and the action that's taking place! The lack of score allows the movie to feel and look very real! A very underrated movie. A real eye opener!

5/5 stars

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr, Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow and Tony Revolori.

Director: John Watts

Release Date: 2017

Running Time: 2hrs 13 minutes

Genre: Action

Rating: PG-13

Format: Theatrical Cinema Release

Synopsis:

Months have passed since the events that took place in "Captain America: Civil War", Peter Parker and his mentor Iron Man try to balance his life as an ordinary teenager in Queens, New York and fighting crime as his ulter-ego superhero Spiderman! 

One of the most anticipated movies of the Summer, is finally here! Spider-Man: Homecoming! This is by far the best adaption of the Spider-Man comics so far. Tom Holland was beautifully cast as Peter Parker, I honestly could not think of a better actor to play him. If I am honest I really enjoyed "The Amazing Spider-Man", they were good films, but sadly they weren't linked  in with "The Avengers" and "Captain America", this one ties in very nicely behind "Captain America: Civil War", we see a very different side to Peter Parker in this film. Tom Holland really brings out this cartoon like quality to his character, there are moments in the movie where it almost looks like you are watching a cartoon, which when a movie is based on a comic is top notch! It's fantastic.

Months have passed since the events of "Captain America: Civil War" took place, Peter Parker is now desperately trying to balance his life and balance saving the streets of Manhattan! Tom Holland is honestly just magnificent through out the whole of this movie. He's immersed himself so deep into the role of Peter Parker, that you wanna believe his character is genuinely real. I am really looking forward to seeing where his character goes in the future! Marvel movies are going to get very interesting from here on wards! The incredible Michael Keaton plays Adrian Thomas/Vulture. His character is very interesting and has a very interesting twist! Not is all as it seems with his character. Keaton delivers a perfect performance.

I'd honestly tell people to start with "Spider-Man: Homecoming" if they wanna see a "Spider-Man" film. The character of Peter Parker is explained brilliantly. I love that his character is this innocent teenager that is obsessed with making Lego death stars with his best friend Ned. He can't seem to get the girl, everyone thinks he's a looser. Then at night, he turns into this incredible Superhero. Tom Holland manages to balance comedic timing and drama perfectly.  I love the friendship that he shares with his best friend Ned, it brings his character down to earth. Only Peter knows he's a superhero, an Avenger!

At 2hrs and 13 minutes, this film never gets too long! This is one of the very few Marvel movies to not bore me at all through out the course of the film. The action sequences are so fantastically, coherently shot, that Director Jon Watts doesn't even give you a chance to get bored! The storyline is captivating, you just wanna know what happens next? What has the next Marvel film set up for it's audience? The sequences between Peter Parker and Vulture are brilliant, the only thing that I would say was slightly irritating was the fact that Vulture reminded me far too much of Falcon and I didn't like how Director John Watts chose to use a character titled Flash in the film. There's no reference whatsoever. I just don't think it worked, considering that named belongs so much to that of DC!

Everything about this movie looks stunning, right down to the special effects! The cinematography by Salvatore Totino is incredible! Peter Parker's Spider-Man costume is fantastic, I love that a few adjustments have been made and we're introduced to Karen, she's awesome and she's makes for a fantastic scene involving Peter Parker. This film really is action packed from beginning to end, I can't stop raving about it. I was so pleasantly surprised! I really warmed to Tom Holland as an actor, he really does make a great Spider-Man. He's charismatic and charming! The friendship that he shares with Tony Stark is wonderful! I can't wait to see where the next Marvel film takes us! This really is the best Marvel movie to date!

5/5 stars

Indiana Jones: The Last Crusade

Cast: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Denholm Elliot, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies and Julian Glover.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: 1989

Running Time: 2hrs 7 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

Rating: PG-13

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Dr Henry Jones Sr suddenly goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, his son archaeologist Indiana Jones must follow in his father's footsteps to stop the Nazis from getting their hands on the Grail first. 

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade! If you've ever wondered where Indiana got his whip, his fear of snakes and his famous hat from, you'll have it explained in this film. Indiana's backstory explains so much! You really get an understanding for his character his behavior and his incredible love for archaeology. Art collector, Walter Donavon (Glover), reaches out to Indiana Jones when they find his father has gone missing whilst searching for the Holy Grail. The grail is much harder to find then they first expected. Before long, Indiana and his father Henry Sr,  find themselves in more trouble then they could ever have imagined! I can not think of two better actors to portray father and son then Harrison Ford and Sean Connery!

The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery is excellent. Sean Connery delivers one of his best performances. His characterisation is terrific. He manages to deliver the perfect balance of drama and humour. The resemblance in terms of characterisation between Indiana and himself is amazing! Their relationship is so genuine. Harrison Ford, keeps getting better and better in his role as Indiana Jones. The more we see of his character, the more Ford immerses himself into his role. I think we also get to see a different side of Indiana in this movie, a sensitive side to him, he has to behave around his father, the late River Phoenix was excellent in portraying Indiana as a teenager. When you compare the two, it's remarkably uncanny, in terms of their characterisation. When portrayed by two different actors, its pretty impressive.

The storyline resembles that of the first one, "The Temple of Doom" was very dark in comparison. Very much like the first, George Lucas and screenwriter Jeffrey Bohem were very clever to not force religion down our throat. It has just the right amount to make the storyline mysterious and interesting. The action sequences are amazing! If you're looking for a non-stop action movie, then this is it! Although "The Temple of Doom" is my favourite in the series, this is by far the best one! It's certainly a close runner up. It really is an adventure from beginning to end.

Visually it's very similiar to "Raiders of the Lost Ark", the cinematography and the lighting and very similiar. The action is fantastically coherently shot. Harrison Ford and Sean Connery always look amazing in frame, with Director Spielberg choosing to film close ups of them frequently. The set design is incredible, it's imaginative and exciting and works so well with the storyline. I love all of the little twists and turns that the movie takes, one minute they are in Venice, then they are in Germany and finally in Petra, Jordan to find the Holy Grail. It's fantastically adventurous. It's honestly everything you'd expect from an Indiana Jones film. The special effects are very clever and look great! The stunt sequences are smashing, what's most impressive is that Harrison Ford reportedly did most of his own stunts.

Perfectly well paced and brilliantly edited, John William's incredible score just adds to the magic of the film! John's fabulous score really adds to the mood of the film, it's dramatic and very exciting and works well with each scene that is in. The music ques are timed excellently alongside the action sequences. I can watch this film countless times and everytime it's just as good as the first. The best in the series, definitely worth a watch for any die hard adventure fan!

5/5 stars

Indiana Jones: The Temple of Doom

Cast: Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw and Jonathon Ke Quan.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: 1984

Running Time: 1hr 58 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

Rating: PG

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Indiana Jones finds himself in India, this time to help a desperate village find a mystical stone. Jones agrees and stumbles across a secrete cult plotting a terrible plan, in the depths of an ancient palace. 

Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom! Director Steven Spielberg states that this is actually a prequel to "Raiders of the Lost Ark" being set a year before he goes searching for the Ark of the Covenant. Set in 1935, Indiana Jones is on his next quest this time he teams up with nightclub singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw), and twelve year old pick pocket Short-Round (Ke Quan), after their plane suddenly crashes they find themselves in an a small Indian village, where the village people believe that evil spirits have taken their children away, after a sacred special stone was taken. Indie, Willie and Short-Round also find themselves in a booby-trapped tomb, where Thugeee is trying to rise again, once more, believing that with the power of the stones, they can rule the world!

Personally, I found this to be the most adventurous out of the series. I really love that it has a darker tone compared to the other three. We see a very different side to Indiana Jones, we learn that he brought Short-Round into his life after he caught him trying to pick his pocket. (don't worry folks, no spoilers)  both his parents were killed in the Japanese bombings. Indie really takes him under his wing and it really shows on screen. The chemistry between the two of them is great! Willie Scott is a very interesting character, naturally she teams up with Indiana Jones after the club she was singing at is attacked and boards the plane with him, in the hope that it will take them both to Deli! This is where everything changes and they find themselves in India.

The chemistry between Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw starts off pretty rocky, for the best part of the film, he finds her to be a pain in the ass! Is Willie his love interest? Essentially? Their relationship through out this movie is so up and down, you just don't know. Indie always get the girl though doesn't he? Harrison Ford as ever delivers a fantastic performance, this is the only film, where you don't really see the Professor side to him, he is all out archaeologist in this movie. He's  so enthusiastic, he really cares about the people in the village and wants to find out what happened to the stones. His character is very adventurous, you just want to follow him along for the ride! Harrison Ford makes a very convincing archaeologist I must say! Johnathan Qu Kuan is excellent as Short-Round, completely fearless his character adds a lot of humour to the film.

The storyline is really good, I love all of the little elements that screenwriters Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz added to the plot. It's darker, but it's far more adventurous, I love that you don't know what you're going to see lurking around the corner, are they going to make it out? Will Indiana Jones's trusty hat get left behind? It all just adds to the tone of the film perfectly. I love the mystery surrounding Mula Ram's character played brilliantly by Amrish Puri. Indiana Jones is notoriously famous for hating snakes, Willie Scott is notorious for hating bugs and the outdoors!

It's hard to believe this was movie was produced 33 years ago, even a DVD copy still looks incredible! Steven Spielberg has a way with his movies in making them look terrific, Indiana Jones is a series that never appears dated. Beautifully shot in Sri Lanka, although the storyline is set in India, they were unable to film there at the time. None the less it still looks very convincing and works well with the production design. The palace looks fantastically genuine and accurate. The opening scene set in Macau, China is magnificent, it makes you wonder what he was doing there in the first place? I always feel like there are missing parts of these films that we never get to see. At the end of the day though, that's what makes the movie so enjoyable. There's a real sense of mystery and wonderment.

Can I just say how genuinely terrifying the score is by John Williams, it's not a score you would normally expect from the fantastic composer however it works fantastically. If it were not for his score, certain scenes would not had the same effect. It's frightening, exciting and uplifting, a good score should always be able to tell a story! Although all of the Indiana Jones movies are excellent, this is my favourite and one I'd definitely recommend to people. Despite being a prequel, you could easily view this after watching "Raiders of the Lost Ark", let's face it, most of us have been doing it in that order all this time! Oozing with excitement, a must watch!

5/5 stars

Contact: djtamaramarie@yahoo.co.uk

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, John Rhys-Davies, Anthony Higgins and Denholm Elliot.

Director: Steven Spielberg

Release Date: 1981

Running Time: 1hr 55 minutes

Genre: Action

Rating: PG

Format: DVD

Synopsis:

Indiana Jones, archaeologist and adventurer, is hired by the US Government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the German's do. 

Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark! Set in 1936. Archaeology professor Indiana Jones is in the jungles of South America searching for a mysterious golden statue. Accidentally setting off traps, and entering a world of creepy crawlies, he manages to make it out alive. After returning back to America, Jones hears from museum creator Marcus Brody about a biblical artifact the Ark of the Covenant, the US Government want to make sure he gets his hands on it before the Nazis do! Searching across Nepal and Egypt, he must find the hidden artifact. The adventure that unfolds around him is deadly exciting! A little bit of romance is thrown in for good measure too! Who would of thought archaeology could be so dangerous ah? I sure hope my brother-in law knows what he's letting himself in for! Moving on....Director Steven Spielberg delivers one of the most famous action movies of the early eighties.

Although most will refer to this as an action movie, it really is an adventure film! Harrison Ford is fabulous as raving adventurer and famous archaeologist Indiana Jones. Ford has truly immersed himself into the role of Indiana. A ladies man at heart, Harrison has just the right persona for the role. Fantastically enthusiastic, Ford's performance is excellent. Of course Indiana never goes on an adventure on his own, in Nepal he teams up with bar owner Marion Ravenwood, after finding she has an important artifact he's after in helping him find the covenant. Karen Allen is brilliant as Marion, the chemistry on screen between them both is tremendous. Of course, no good adventure would be complete without a bad guy! Major Arnold Toht (Lacey), is also after the covenant, a vicious man, always dressed in black, even in the hottest of weathers! Karma certainly has a nice way of keeping up with him though! His character is very interesting. Ronald Lacey's performance is wonderful!

Magnificently directed by Steven Spielberg and beautifully written by George Lucas, the storyline never bores it's audience. Exciting and intriguing from the very beginning. The action sequences are exquisite. The storyline has the perfect balance of action and comedy, with the use of an incredible score by fantastic composer John Williams, it makes for some pretty memorable scenes. What's remarkable is that George Lucas manages to discuss religion in his story without forcing it down his audience's throat. Religious or not, the storyline is very interesting. I love that you generally don't know what's going to happen, until it actually happens! The trailer is a dead giver away unfortunately, however even then it's only snippets of what's to come!

Director Steven Spielberg really knows how to make a movie look good! This film is first rate. Stunning moments of cinematography by Director of Photography Douglas Slocombe, who also worked on "The Italian Job" and James Bond's "Never say, never again", the film barely looks a year old! At 36 years, it looks incredible! 36 years, can you believe that? Why does Indiana Jones have a fear of snakes you say? You may just have to watch the other two films, to have that question answered. Unfortunately for Jones he stumbles across them a few times through out the course of the movie. I really love the authenticity, the setting matches the storyline perfectly. Shot in Tunisia, California and France, the setting looks surprisingly convincing! John Williams exciting score works fantastically alongside the storyline and the setting.  A very nice looking movie! Exciting and thrilling, Raiders of the Lost Ark is film you don't wanna miss!

5/5 stars




Contact: djtamaramarie@yahoo.co.uk

Super 8

Cast: Joel Courtney, Ryan Lee, Zach Mills, Riley Griffiths, Gabriel Basso, Elle Fanning and Kyle Chandler.

Director: J.J. Abrams

Release Date: 2011

Running Time: 1hr 52 minutes

Genre: Sci Fi

Rating: 12

Format: Amazon Prime UK

Synopsis:

In the summer of 1979, a group of friends who witness a catastrophic train crash investigate the unexplained events in their small town. 

A group of friends in a small town in Ohio have their hearts set on making a Super 8 movie, however things soon change when they witness a catastrophic train crash! So what does the title mean? Super 8mm is a format of motion picture photography that was essentially one of the most popular formats for home movies, until video came along. I feel like filmmakers around the globe, could probably relate to this film on all sorts of levels. The idea of a bunch of friends making movies together is excellent! What causes the train crash you say? I'm not going to tell you that! You're going to have to simply watch the "Super 8mm" movie to find out! Charles (Riley Griffiths) is very passionate about filmmaking having made Zombie movies in the past with his friends, he has a new idea. Bringing his friends Joe, Cary, Alice and Preston along for the ride, they get more then what they bargained for.

I love the sense of mystery behind the film. J. J Abrams is very clever in making sure he doesn't give away too much, too soon. Very much like Steven Spielberg with "Jaws", where he makes sure you don't see the shark until half way through the film to add suspense, Abrams makes sure to only give you little snippets, to keep you wondering. What hit the train? What causes the crash? The friendship between Joe, Preston, Alice and Charles is very tight and it really shows on screen. Each child actor delivers a very good performance, the chemistry between Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney who play Alice and Joe is fantastic! I love that despite seeing the train crash they continue to make movies and take inspiration from it! It's interesting that each of them appear to come from a bit of a broken background. Sadly some of the characters do seem a little bit pointless, and have next to no screen time.

Director J. J Abrams also wrote the screenplay, the storyline is superb. Despite not knowing what causes the crash for nearly half of the film, the storyline still manages to keep you intrigued. It's a lot darker the most would probably think. There's certainly more then one twist and turn through out this film. It really has the potential in some scenes to pull on your heart strings. Elle Fanning's performance in particular really defines this movie. Her character stands out, miles ahead of everybody else. The storyline verges on the point of keeping you interested and dragging on for a little bit too long.

Visually, I was expecting a little bit more. The special effects are terrific and look very genuine, the train crash is shot beautifully! However for the best part of the film, the only thing that you actually see are numerous amount of explosions. Sadly I think the trailer makes audiences believe they are going to see a lot more then they actually do, which for most meant J. J Abrams delivered a very boring looking movie. I do however think that Abrams chose not to show his audience a great deal, he wants you to wonder what this thing is! It does add a great sense of mystery to the film, but does it go a bit too far? The production design too, sadly doesn't offer a lot in terms of what this thing is, for a film set in 1979, it seems a little bit too modern at times. Where's the seventies fashion? Sadly, that part doesn't look genuine at all. The first chapter is excellent, the second chapter...not so much! In all honesty, it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I did expect to see the "thing" a lot sooner. I found a couple of the characters a little bit annoying and slightly pointless. I was also expecting more in terms of authenticity for a film set in 1979.

3/5 stars

Dante's Peak

Cast: Peirce Brosnan, Linda Hamilton, Jamie Renee Smith, Jeremy Foley, Elizabeth Hoffman, Grant Heslov and Tzi Ma.

Director: Roger Donaldson

Release Date: 1997

Running Time: 1hr 48 minutes

Genre: Action

Rating: PG-13

Synopsis:

Volcanologist Harry Dalton, arrives at a famous countryside town recently named the second most desirable place to live in America, and discovers that the town has a long dormant volcano, that could wake up at any minute! 

This is a thriller with a dash of romance thrown in! I can remember watching this in my early teens with my older brother, it honestly used to frighten me quite a bit. Looking back, it does seem a little bit daft, however at the same time it goes to show how realistic it is. Volcanologist Harry Dalton is sent to Dante's Peak to investigate a few sudden changes in the mountain's activity. After finding the mountain has incredibly high acidic levels, he informs Mayor Rachel Wondo (Hamilton) and the local town council that the volcano has the potential to blow! Will they evacuate the town just in time? Or will it be too late? Harry must use his knowledge to help save Rachel and her two children. Peirce Brosnan is excellent as Volcanologist Harry Dalton, he delivers fantastic characterisation, his knowledge of volcanoes appears very genuine and realistic. He has a very strong sense of character and it really shows on screen.

Linda Hamilton plays Mayor Rachel Wondo, in between running the town, looking after her two children Lauren and Graham, she also runs her own coffee shop. A favourite among the town's geologists. Hamilton's performance is very good. I love the chemistry between Peirce Brosnan and herself. The two work beautifully together on screen. Jamie Renee Smith who plays Lauren delivers a very good performance as does Jeremy Foley who plays her brother Graham, for child actors they both come across as very convincing. The friendship that they build with Harry as the film progresses is fantastic. Leslie Boham wrote a very good screenplay, essentially this film could have been very cheesy and lost it's audience very early on, however she manages to add a sense of realism to the film without pushing it too far. The dialogue between characters is very genuine and real, a lot of research appears to have been made prior to writing the script, it really shows. Don't be fooled into thinking this is like Mick Jackson's "Volcano" which starred Tommy Lee Jones. Dante's Peak really will have your heart racing at times! The storyline isn't as predictable as you may first think.

Can you believe this film was shot twenty years ago? The special effects for the time were exceptionally good. The cinematography is amazing and really adds suspense to the film. Beautifully shot in Saugus, California, with a few establishing shots of Mount St Helen's, you've really got to give Director Roger Donaldson some credit! Despite it being twenty years old, it still looks excellent today! The special effects team, especially deserve a great deal of credit for their work on this movie. The production design is great and really adds a sense of realism to the movie. It adds to the tone of the film perfectly. The whole of this movie looks so convincing. It's almost hard to believe at times it's just a film, it looks that good! The lighting is great and works well with the production design and the cinematography. There are a few scenes that are honestly very frightening, especially to young audiences. Lava flows, lakes that are instantly turned to acid!

Incredible music composer James Newton Howard delivers a stunning score. A soundtrack that connects to you on an emotional level and manages to tell the story, just through the use of music it's magnificent! I was thoroughly impressed with the storyline, the special effects, the gorgeous cinematography and the excellent score. Dante's Peak really will have you on the edge of your seat! Although it looks dated, it's one to definitely add to your collection!

4/5 stars