187, Wrath of the Titans

You only have to look back at Blog 30, way back in April 2010 to understand that regardless of the critics opinion, I was a Titans fan.  Growing up as an illiterate child in a literate household my only bedtime reading salvation was a book entitled 'Myths & Legends'.

Night after night (and you have to understand that this was a time when TV had 4 channels and a bedroom TV was only for celebs such as Russel Harty & Benny Hill) I would see myself to sleep with tales of Perseus, The Minotaur, Cyclops, Beowulf, Grendel etc and dream of Greek Gods looking down from on high, commanding prayers from mere mortals to allow them the power to keep under lock and key the Titans that would destruct the world given half a chance. 

Even though Critics slated the first movie I still found it easy to apply sincere gratitude for some of my childhood memories being finally projected onto the big screen for all to enjoy and the thought of a sequel -well, lets just say that this film is by far in my Top 3 of 2012 anticipated titles behind the last Batman movie and The Avengers but did it uphold my childhood ambitions of greatness?

Well, Yes.  Although not all would agree.  Firstly, lets get this whole 3D thing put to bed right now. 3D has been around since forever & in many guises but its fair to say the most recent carnation is by far the best but its still sadly only an afterthought.  The first Titans movie was a disappointing 3D experience and the lure of a potential 'Real 3D' is what we all dream of - this does not have it.  Again, as an after addition it only adds depth of field and to be frank, 2D will be just as impressive so from a non-critics, critics eye - only pay for 3D if its advertised as "Real 3D" (as the Avengers will be) and you wont be disappointed.

So after 4 paragraphs its actually time to talk about the movie.  I Loved it!  It starts a good 12 years after the first one with Perseus sadly widowed (possibly from Gemma Arterton but I'm not sure) and living the life of a lowly fisherman with son in tow, still in contact with daddy Zeus but by no means taken the godly throne he is so entitled too. The story follows an uprising in the Heavens where Perseus's half brother Ares defies Zeus and works with Hades to release Kronos, father to the brothers three and the plan to bring persecution back to the mortals and destroy earth.  Perseus, cousin Agenor, Queen Andromeda and a whole army of followers set off to bring down Ares and Hades with  a surprising result to bring peace to earth as we know it, and that's all your getting - no spoilers here!

Worthington, Neeson & Feinnes all return (brave move) to rekindle their roles and this time the female presence sees Arterton swapped out for former Brit 'Bond' babe Rosamund Pike (OOOOoosh!)  In addition to the aforementioned cast its Toby Kebbell (Garsiv from Prince of Persia) who gets my nod of appreciation for his slightly comical portrayal of Poseidon's son and like minded demigod Agenor.  A brilliantly cast role and one that manages to add a few chuckles along the way.

But here's the real good bit - being only 99 minutes long it does not take too much time to get going and the introduction of a Cyclops, Minotaur and finally, Kronos himself as the 'baddies' are nothing short of utterly spectacular.  These were my childhood villains finally visualised as I expected them to be and not a fleeting snapshot as the Kraken was in part one but long, sweeping shots that held prowess on the 70ft screen in front of me, each one offering a awe inspiring gasp from my hidden child within.

From the second Perseus mounts Pegasus on his quest my heart started beating double time.  Cyclops was my favourite mythological creature of all time, and they give us three of the bad boys!  Then the Minotaur - only in it for a few minutes but exactly as I expected to find him, in a labyrinth with no apparent way out, Superb. Finally, Kronos himself, father of the Gods - exactly portrayed as he was in my mind and seemingly replicated from the Titans edition of the P.C classic, Age of Empires (The Titans) - all of my dreams were coming true!

I'm getting over dramatic but my love for these stories just wont let me hear a bad word against them.  Even the surprising portrayal of lost God Hephaestus, played by the utterly brilliant Bill Nighy managed to add further elements of unexpected humour to our pretty bleak story of loss and trauma and I for one loved every minute of it - even though the 3D was dismal!

Forget the press, forget the cash or the stigma surrounding this one - if you're like me and you like your blockbusters big and bold then this is a great story. 

I must admit thought (sheepishly) that even I still have to rank this 3rd on my list of potential great 2012 movies - The lure of the last Batman by Chris Nolan or even the culmination of every great Marvel hero which has come to pass over a decade of movie incarnations, together on the silver screen is just too much to wish away the top spot to a dodgy 3D sequel - Sorry.

Most importantly & like it or not, its way better than part 1, so for the die hard fans among us (and there is one like minded soul who I know will read this, Mr Box!) don't let the critics put you off - step forward and enjoy - I certainly did!

186, The Hunger Games

I am convinced that Hollywood keeps bashing out these literary movie incarnations just to make me look silly!  Okay, so maybe those 'in the know' in Hollywood don't actually know who I am but again I am faced having to write a blog based on the first of a trilogy of novels I had never heard of while the rest of the known world seems to be already in love with and, in awe of the stories written by Suzanne Collins that chart the plight of a population from a not too distant future in North America, now split into 12 Districts after a historic revolution.  Having lost, as seeming punishment each District must annually offer up one boy and girl (against their wishes) aged between 13 & 18 as a sacrifice or 'tribute' as they are known to attend as contestants in the Hunger Games - a deadly seek and destroy game where only one can survive to the applause of the city residents. 

To break this down for the non-literate or anyone over 30 years old, think of it as "The Running Man" meets "The Fifth Element"?  Is everybody on the same page?  Good, we will continue.

Sadly, I was not too taken with it initially but before you lynch me, stating its the next big thing and is going to make Twilight look like yesterdays laundry let me explain why.

Over the past few years I have seen first instalments of The Golden Compass and the Last Airbender, both seemingly quite good but alas, having parts 2 & 3 axed due to a poor turn out in cinemas.  This one though apparently has the legs, taking a whopping $155m in it's opening US weekend alone, 3rd behind Harry Potter Part 8 and the Dark Knight!  So maybe this one wont go away as I initially might have guessed.

I first thought that the kids having to take part would all be treated as prisoners but in all honesty it was the opposite - although a fight to the death and feared in the individual districts its a real heroes welcome for the contenders as they are treated to a fortnight of 'celebrity' during their induction to the media and their subsequent training that sees the overall winner collect great riches and accolades for their victory.  Something treasured by those in District 1 who are trained specifically for the honour whereas for our stars of the movie hailing from District 12 its quite the opposite - an almost certain untimely death and one dreaded among the parents and their kin.

My comparison are definitely accurate, more so the Fifth Element one for the costume, pomp and ceremony from the higher classes which almost mirrors characters seen in the Bruce Willis classic whereas the Running Man part may be better described as Gladiator but you'll need to draw your own conclusions.

The cast is awesome though - the main two contenders from District 12 are the stars of the books portrayed brilliantly on screen by Jennifer Lawrence (X-Men First Class) and Josh Hutchinson (Mysterious Island) with a back room ensemble including Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Stanley Tucci, Lenny Kravitz and an almost unrecognisable Elizabeth Banks (Miri from Zak & Miri make a Porno as well as much more) as Effie Trinket. 

The big news is the cutting of 7 seconds of footage that allowed the classification board to award this a 12A from a 12.  Seemingly to allow a far wider audience into it.  Well, whatever they did actually cut from the final presentation still wont make me take my 8 year old along to see it as its kept a lot of the violence that made this such a winner in the first place.  Kids still die, squirrels still get skinned and Lenny Kravitz still manages to reasonably act quite well which was a pleasant surprise but for any parent, I'm convinced that 10 is about the max for this movie.

Then there's the actual end of the movie.  Having not read the books I cant express my opinion on how closely it relates,  I can tell you it seems wide open for a sequel so it looks like they've not closed it all off in one go and I suppose time will tell if part 2 ever makes it to the big screen.  At this time - none of the cast on IMDB are listed as being in pre-production, at least not this side of 2013 so for all you die hard fans out there, its fingers crossed.

As far as trilogy's go it has potential.  The back story and the characters were believable and well acted.  It was brilliantly cast and I completely bought into the class difference and the games themselves.  As a first try, it did pretty well, but the real test will be if the rest of the story makes it to the silver screen - for that we will have to wait and see.

185, We Bought a Zoo

There is something warm and fluffy about a good true story.  Take 'The Blind Side'.  Now tell me that movie did not make you leave the cinema just feeling bit great about yourself?  I know it did, and the best bit was it was true, okay - probably over romanticised to make it more 'Hollywood' friendly but it definitely ticked a lot of boxes.  Well, We Bought a Zoo should hopefully do exactly the same.

Matt Damon plays a widowed dad, left parenting two kids after the sad passing of his beloved wife.  After a few months of wading in despair, purposely avoiding their old haunts, being daily accosted by the single mum's on the school run with requests of dinner dates and re-heated lasagna he decides to up sticks and move to somewhere new, away from the past and onto greener pastures. 

Damon and his totally adorable 6yr old daughter fall in love with a country pad (against the quite hapless but comedic letting agents advise) that comes with plenty of land and a fully operational albeit closed, Zoo, complete with a full compliment of volunteer staff and a pretty sexy head keeper (Scarlett Johansson).  One set of life savings later and Damon is master and chief of the whole place and sets about re-building it to its former glory with the dreams of a Summer opening and a chance to really make a business and home for his family and those in his employment.

There are so many different plot lines here it does feel that one mans real life could not really be such a roller-coaster from Matt upping and leaving his high paid journalist job to become a Zoo Keeper / Owner to the eldest son, at a point of sheer loathing for his dad who took him away from his friends.  Then there are the loyal Zoo workers, all still arriving daily even without a pay check at the end of the month because of their love for the animals and the moody Zoo moderator who they have to convince to sign off the Zoo for re-opening. 

For me, this many twists and turns did not matter - it was a very enjoyable story and one made better by the brilliant acting of Damon and Johansson in the lead roles but backed up with some pretty impressive performances from the kids (Colin Ford and Maggie Elizabeth Jones) as well as the mostly non-committed brother, played by Thomas Hayden-Church.

My only negative is it does feel a little long.  I'm not sure of the exact time but I was getting a bit fidgety towards the end.  If you like your love stories though this will tick a few boxes.  There are relationships all over the place mainly between Damon and Johansson but more distinctively between Damon's son and Johansson's niece who works there 'off the books' and does come across well as the naive country girl and who falls quite deeply in love with our moody city lad.

The absolute star of this movie though is not the Lions, Bears or Tigers.  Its not even Matt Damon or Scarlett Johansson but its the remarkably adorable performance from Maggie Elizabeth Jones.  This is her first credited role and I challenge any of you not to have the total "Ahhhhh" factor when she is on screen.  A great little talent who defiantly shone through against a pretty impressive A-list.

Again, there are bits that seem to have been over romanticised but it even 50% of the story is true then its quite a compliment to the Mee family who too this day, still run, maintain and live at the Rosemoor Wildlife Park in California. 

What does make me chuckle though - and will do to long after this day are the critics / fact finders who actually take the time to write the following;   'The movie continuously refers to the zoo's upcoming opening day as Saturday, July 7, 2010. July 7, 2010 was actually a Wednesday'.  Really?  Have you nothing better to do? 

See it and love it - This is a great great family movie.

184, 21 Jump Street

Back in 1987, 21 Jump Street was an American TV show that ran until 1991 starring Johnny Depp and a team of young, undercover cops specialising in youth crime, predominantly posing as school kids.  Skip forward 25 years and this movie re-make has gracefully stayed completely true to the original in a way that makes it a privilege to be reincarnated, rather than a cringe worthy attempt to re-kindle an old classic.

What makes this movie 'do-over' stand out from the rest is its immediate and repetitive jibes at itself, even with a line by Channing Tatum stating "its just another ploy to re-do old programs" or something to that effect, but when you actually get into it the pairing of a noticeably thin Jonah Hill and the normally wooden Channing Tatum bouncing off each other like squash balls in a wooden box it becomes a complete joy to behold.

Okay, so maybe that's a bit too gushy for a comedy but from the immediate outset we are identified with stereotypical genres and characters that defined High Schools since at least the late 80's.  The cool jocks and the nerdy geeks are easily recognisable in Hill and Tatum and the 'Eminem' likeness is quite spooky! But our unlikely BFF's, although despising each other through School end up on the same police academy training and using each other talents, form a pretty solid bond that's almost too realistic but in no way creepy or dull. 

When our two slightly deluded cops are bounced to Jump Street to work undercover in the newly re-formed division of high school infiltrators its Ice Cube in his most stereotypical role to date that acts and commander and chief and the immediate expectation of them reprising their own high school lives is all but guaranteed until our heroes discover that the high school kids of today aren't womanising meat heads but 'cool' stands for eco-diesel and 'Save the Planet' while the geeks are blowing up stuff and hacking phones - all of a sudden, a normally shy and retiring Hill becomes "Too Cool for School" and Channing's normally Witty one liners and hit first, speak later attitude is seen as an embarrassment to modern living so roles are spun on their head and its Hill who turns player while Channing has to settle for science class and both are hilariously thrown into unfamiliar territory.

The plot is a simple one, detect and investigate an in-house drug circle and bring down the suppliers and dealers but that does seem to take a total back seat to the laugh out loud humour presented to us by Hill and Channing in what for me, is there combined best efforts to date (although the sitter was pretty good as well).

Alongside our too 'wannabe' super cops though there are some other great characters to keep an eye out for like Channings Science teacher who takes an instant 'over friendly' liking to him and the slightly odd romance between Hill and one of his class mates could be determined as slightly creepy, him being a fully grown adult n'all but it seems to go by the by. 

The laugh out loud moments are pretty much all handled by Hill and Channing which for me, opened up a side to Tatum I'd not seen before.  He's done Romance, Action (if you can call GI-Joe action?) and now comedy - I am not sure where he's aiming for - jack of all trades, master of none? But for me this was a stand out performance and although still a little wooden, seemed to adapt well.  

I could quite easily script out every scene, every moment that made me chuckle and quite happily watch this over  again but that would spoil the fun so do yourself a favour and pop along yourself.  Keep a look out at the end for a brilliantly executed nod to the 1987 original and if like me you are looking for a movie to renew your faith in cinema after John Carter almost took away my will to live then this will get your comedic juices well and truly flowing.

183, John Carter (3d)

What does $250m get you nowadays?  Well, Roman Abramovichs' Yacht will set you back $590m so that's out of the question but a private island is on the cards, so are a few Veyrons and a fleet of Gulf stream G6's and it goes without saying that you can comfortably live on KCF for the rest of your life, you'd even get $200m change from Tamara Ecclesteons pad but one thing you wouldn't want to do is be the person responsible for forking out this much on making John Carter.  Sadly though, someone did and whoever you are, P45 springs to mind!

I so wanted to fall in love with this movie, it had everything from the beefed up Led Zeplin soundtrack on the trailer to stars including Mark Strong, Taylor Kitch & Lynn Collins (both from Wolverine) & Dominic West taking the lad roles, backed up with voice performances from Willem Dafoe & Thomas Hayden Church as a few of the 12 foot aliens it seemed that all of my Sci-fi dreams were coming true. 

My anticipation was at its highest, that was until I watched the 'Review Show' on the BBC(?), Oh Dear.  All my hopes melted quicker that an ice cube in the Sahara as it was dubbed poor, long winded, over priced & badly acted with most of the cast wondering why they signed up for such a donkey of a movie.  The problem was it should have been awesome so what went wrong?

Well, its long - 2hrs in length and you really feel every minute of it with the first 30 minutes all set back in the 1800's during the American Civil War.  I was not aware of the stories so although for people like me this needed to be explained, half an hour of slow, ploddy dialogue was just too much. 

By the way, there is a plot which probably does need some recognition and it sees our hero, Carter (Kitch) on a search for his fortune and on the run from the confederate army when he comes across a resident of Mars hidden in the cave of gold he so eagerly seeks - after a quick fight, Carter find himself transported to Mars where he almost instantly discovers that due to his size and weight, the gravitational pull has given his almost superhuman like strength and an ability to leap phenomenal distances.  After a short time, Carter is captured by a tribe of 12 foot alien beings and once his abilities are discovered he becomes a leader of their armies and goes into battle against Sab Than (West) who is hell bent on capturing one of the last remaining cities, marrying the princess and destroying everything.  It's up to Cater and the band of Tharks to work with Princess Deja (Collins) & her dad, Tardos (Ciaran Hinds) to bring an end to Than's rule.

So, that's the story, simple enough and with the money spent and the special effects it should have been nothing short of spectacular but I have to agree with the critics, even with my highest hopes wanting to ignore the reviews - I too fell into a trap of disappointment and loathing by the time the movie was even half way through.

The sad thing is, I cant put my finger on exactly what was so bad - the effects for the White Apes and the spaceships was as good as lets say the Phantom Menace and the cast have each excelled in previous movies but all together with a drawn out script and too long getting anywhere it just seems like a slow, laborious rumble in the sand and one I could have easily done without.

The adaptation, from comic book author Edgar Rice Burroughs will undoubtedly have its admirers and if your one of those then this may be everything you dreamt it would be, but maybe I was expecting a little too much, wanting it to be the next Star Wars but I was way off target.  For me, too much time was spent in the 1800's and it just seemed to drag on for an eternity with nothing really seeming to get going, the battles over too quickly and the cast looking like they made the biggest mistake of their careers - not to mutter the fateful words 'Water World' but this makes the Kevin Costner mistake almost rectifiable.  Oh, and my final note - as for the 3d, WASTE OF MONEY!

Sorry Disney, normally an admirer of your work I feel the money that went into this could easily have been better spent buying the population of South Korea a Big Mac each (if my maths is right!)

182, Wanderlust

There are few things in life that are certain, luckily one of them is that at 43yrs young, Jennifer Aniston is still looking amazing and knocking out comedy classics at your local multiplex quicker than you can save up the cash and afford the petrol to go and see them and Wanderlust is no exception.

Teaming up with Paul Rudd again after the very funny Horrible Bosses, our Hollywood starlet plays an out of work entrepreneur, sadly though yet to find her niche market but nevertheless, loved up with boyfriend (Rudd).  The pair appear quite happy and content with their Manhattan lifestyles and soon buy a box apartment in the East Village which is overpriced and undersized and for a few days things go fine until Rudd is made redundant and the pair have no choice but to move in with Rudd's brother, a self obsessed Muppet who's living in ignorant bliss of his uselessness.  On-route, our happy couple accidental come across a commune where they spend an exhilarating night that opens their eyes to a whole new world. 

After a few days with the brother the pair cant wait to get away and in desperation head back to the commune as full time residents in a free love and drug fuelled environment which on the surface is all peace and love but after a few weeks they have to deal with each others expectations & temptations.

Its not just Aniston and Rudd that will make you smile in this - there are great performances from Alan Alda,   the beautiful Malin Akerman, the over hairy Justin Theroux and the very naked Joe Lo Truglio and with these four combined with a host of other equally funny commune residents this movie does tickle all the right spots.

What this movie does is manage to brilliantly is just emphasis what city dwellers are prepared to put up for their own little slice of high profile existence compared to the more rural, carefree, hassle less lives of the Forest dwellers - fair enough, the free love and drugs will not be to every ones taste but some of the morals are well received and there is no doubt that this movie is a sweet little romp in the hay with a number of laughs thrown in for good measure.

I do have to admit that I am slowly coming around to Pull Rudd, Aniston had me won over from the early days of Friends but for Paul its taken a while and it was only since Horrible Bosses that I've started to warm to him but with Aniston in tow the pair bounce well off of each other which definitely helps.

Its 91 minutes long and a great little time filler so if you've nothing else on and want a great giggle at someone elses expense then make a point to check this movie out.

181, One for the Money

It was only recently while watching Steven Segal classic 'Under Siege 2' that I noticed his 15yr old niece looked vaguely familiar - and much to my surprise it was a young Katherine Heigl, way back in 1995 in only her 4th movie did our Hollywood sweetheart impress under Segal's wing and 17 years later with titles such as Knocked Up, 27 Dresses, The Ugly Truth, Killers and most recently, New Years Eve under her belt, Heigl is fast becoming the 'Cameron Diaz' for a new generation and her cute naivety wins over audiences time after time.

In One for the Money, Heigle plays a Jersey girl who's out of work, out of love and pretty much out of luck after losing her job as a lingerie sales manager in Macy's.  Desperate for work she hooks up with her cousin, Vinny (I know, corny!) who runs a bail bonds office and Heigl unwittingly sets herself up as a Bounty Hunter, tracking down bail jumpers for cash payouts - her main target - an ex-boyfriend who she has beef with played by Sky 1'sTerra-Nova star, Jason O'Mara.

In her opening hapless attempts at capture, O'Mara comically deals easily with Heigl until she asks one of the offices top hunters, Ranger to assist and as a special ops wannabe takes her under his wing and helps her out when needed - which is most of the time.

Heigl is her normal cute self, only this time upping the ante slightly with a few revealing shower scenes much to her characters embarrassment but again she proves she can do adorable and funny in the same breath.  In addition, she also manages to express a little of her wild side in this with a slight Jersey twang to her accent and a definite swagger in her step.  A new direction for Heigl and a well received one.

As for O'Mara - quite surprised to see him in this after adorning my TV screen weekly in Terra-Nova, I had the same reaction when I saw saw Hawaii 5.0 lead, Alex O'Laughlin appear in The Back Up Plan (2010) so in my mind a TV actor getting a lucky break but in all honesty he coped well and played Heigl's opposition really well.

It does rumble along nicely for 90 minutes this movie with Heigl in almost every scene and some comedy performances from the back-street hookers as her 'ears on the street' as well as her seedy cousin Vinny, his receptionist and an expected performance from movie regular, John Leguizamo.  All in all if you liked Heigl's other movies you can add this to your list as one to watch. 

180, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

From the first time I saw this trailer I knew this would be my kind of movie.  Not an all out action fest as I so commonly admire but a quirky, beautifully shot and colourful romp through one of the most picturesque countries in the world.  Mix that in with some of the Uk's most prestigious talent including such screen legends as Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, Tom Willkinson & Bill Nighy and you have a comedy that could'nt be anything but flawless. 

The aforementioned four actors hold up half of the leading roles in this with the slightly less recognisable Penelope Wilton, Celia Imrie and Ronald Pickup holding the rest.  Although when their credits alone include Calender Girls, Prince of Persia and Nanny McPhee then surely you would have come across all of them at some point.

This movie quickly identifies the viewer with 7 pensioners, each with their own back stories and each with a reason to want out of the UK,  We have a married couple who's concept of a retirement bungalow is more depressing that the 30 years as civil servants it took to afford it, a sweet old dear in need of a new hip on the cheap, a retired barrister who needs to re-find himself, a nan who refuses to stay at home with the knitting needles, a sex hungry playboy (maybe thats a bit too ambitious!) who wants one more night of passion and a widower who just wants people to listen.

Who plays what parts are quickly identified with early on and in my opinion they could have not found seven better actors to portray our leading adventurers.  All of them are stand out winners but everyone who sees this movie would agree that the star of the show without a doubt is Maggie Smith.  By far the oldest, she's in India for the 'new hip' more through desperation than choice and her hilarious lines early on are enough to set the tone for the whole movie.  From her disgust with the local people to her lack of eating anything she cant pronounce she is stereotypical of a majority of old school Brits, which although in some eyes comes across rude, its played out with an air of humour and a slight poke back at ourselves.  

Maybe its fitting then that she's an integral part of the plot and towards the end, its Maggie herself who seems to overcome the most personal hurdles and is instrumental to the success of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  Add in that she's almost unrecognisable to that of her long running alter-ego, Professor McGonagall, its nice to see that at nearly 80 years young she can still out-act some of today's youngest and freshest talent.  The Essex girl shines through!

When in India, Its Dev Patel who plays the excitable and optimistic host to our band of retirees.  Being the youngest of three brothers with each of his older siblings having been a true successes in his mothers eyes Dev has to battle with his overbearing mum, dashing his hopes and dreams and more importantly, not accepting his girlfriend as a potential bride to be but there is no denying that although the facility needs some work - his personality it truly first class.

This movie captures the heart of the audience member as much of that of the Actors in it.  A beautiful country that comes alive with sounds and colours on the screen and all of it is well received by all but one of our magnificent seven who's own story also manages to end up win win for all concerned, although not how you initially expect it too.

This movie has the feel good quality of 'The Blind Side' mixed in with the British comedy element we all know and love that makes movies of this calibre stand strong among its bigger budgeted American cousins and I for one want them too keep making them.

If the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is open for new tenants in 2047 when I retire, sign me up!

179, Safe House

You only have to look back over Denzel's credits to see that its hard to find a 'dud' movie the guys been in.  Time after time, Mr Washington continues to amaze from early outings in Malcolm X and the Pelican Brief to Philadelphia, Crimson Tide, The Siege & The Bone Collector.  Then there was the Oscar win with Training Day and more recent performances in Pelham 123, Book of Eli and Unstoppable have all been fantastic.

Knowing he provides this level of quality, surely everyone goes into a Denzel movie extremely expectant of seeing something awesome, and Safe House is no exception.

Denzel stars as rogue CIA agent Tobin Frost, forced into an American Embassy when he's cornered, carrying a laundry list of American and British corrupt government agents.  Intent of selling the list for a tidy profit to the highest bidder and after being on the run for 9 years for selling out his counties secrets, Frost is deemed on of the CIA's greatest enemies and an agent to be feared among his peers. 

On the flip site, Ryan Reynold plays a disgruntled Safe House operator.  Month after month manning a deserted safe house with no contact or idea of the big wide world around him.  That is until Frost is moved under CIA protection for interrogation to his humble abode but its not long before the goons arrive to capture Frost and its left to relatively inexperienced Reynold to keep Tobin and himself alive, deliver him back the CIA and secure the laundry list. 

So an action movie then?  Definitely.  It pretty much launches into the fray immediately and the pairing of Reynold and Washington is brilliant.  Its gritty, loud, fast and action packed with Washington proving at almost 60 years old he has what it takes to keep up with the much younger Reynolds, although its fair to say that when you compare him to the Alonzo Harris character from Training Day (which is unbelievably already 11 years old) his senior years are starting to gradually show through.

What I loved about this movie was it kept up with the hype.  The trailer is set to a heavy bass line and Denzel proves once again he has what it takes to captivate an audience, as the hero or enemy.  As for Reynolds, well this was probably my favourite movie he has been in so far and a welcome break after the disappointing Green Lantern.  

Other performances from Brendan Gleeson and Vera Farmiga as the CIA insiders matched with Terminator 2's Robert Patrick as the CIA extraction Team Leader are played down in comparison to our main leads but all important.  To round it all off of course there's a twist - nothing says great thriller than a CIA mole and the culprit this time out should be relatively simple to work out but for those interested, no spoilers here!

So, once again Denzel has impressed but more than that, he's made Ryan Reynolds watchable again which cant be a bad thing. 

178, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Seeing as the first instalment of Ghost Rider was released pre-blog in 2007 I feel it only fair that a little explanation be required for what for me, is one of Marvels lesser known heroes.

My Marvel Chronicle Collectors book (sad..) shows Ghost Rider mentioned as far back as 1941 as The Blazing Skull who foreshadowed and was the idea behind Ghost Rider but it was further on in 1967 that the first carnation of the rider came long in the form of a horse backed western hero living in the nineteenth century, appearing as a vengeful spirit & gowned in a phosphorescent suit.  Soon after, this character was renamed The Pantom Rider because in 1972 Marvel recycled the Ghost Rider name for a modern day hero with Supernatural powers. 

Johny Blaze was a motorcycle stunt rider, adopted by Stunt show owner Crash Simpson as a child and ultimately fell in love with Crash's daughter, Roxanne.  When Crash was diagnosed with a lethal illness, Blaze struck a deal with the Devil (or more specifically, the Demon Mephisto) where to save Crash, Blaze would have his soul paired with another Demon, Zarathos, causing him to transform into a flaming skeleton with the power to launch hellfire from his hands, astride a blazing motorcycle.  Mephisto kept his end of the bargain, saving Crash from death by illness however managed to take his life anyway in a Cycle stunt go bad.  Blaze, tricked would then forever be destined to take the form of the Ghost Rider, seeking out the Devils work with the anonymity of being Johnny Blaze by day.

The first movie charts the above transition as Blaze (Nic Cage) comes to terms with being tricked by the Devil and learns the power of the Ghost Rider.  To be honest, I cant even remember if I enjoyed it or not.  What I can comment on however is the sequel, Spirit of Vengeance.  And its sadly not a positive.

I felt the above introduction necessary so you can each understand the story of Ghost Rider and form your own judgement of if is for you or not.  Receiving a significant following in its comic run from the 1970's, Ghost Rider quickly gathered momentum and as a Marvel favourite, the 2007 movie was necessary.  But for my money, they should have left it there.

Lets start on the negatives first.  The sound.  If this was a fault with the cinema then apologies but the level of music vs. dialogue was totally off set.  Heavy Rock guitars blasted out from the surround sound speakers throughout but the dialogue in comparison was almost whisper like, making it very hard to keep up with what was going on from the off. 

Then the plot, from what I gauged we have the Devils son being hunted on earth by Mephisto and the Rider is called into to find the boy first and save him from being taken below.  I may have this slightly wrong as I actually fell asleep in the middle bit - it was that dull! and when I woke up I was a little off point and tried my best to catch up. 

Then there was Cage.  He was just a little nuts.  I am sure that's all part of the act, with this demonic presence taking over him but he cackled and screeched like a banshee during most of the movie and I just thought it was all a bit of a joke.

If I could end on a high though there is one things that's worth sticking it out to the end.  The visuals of Cage as the Rider and the way the special effects are blended in with real time were pretty impressive.  The hellfire and brimstone, flung from the riders molten chains and the way the vehicles driven adopted a devilish persona were awesome and enough to make true fans see past the lame acting and focus on what the movie is about - The Ghost Rider. 

If you're a fan then you'll love it, regardless of my comments but if the Ghost Rider is new to you, save your cash for the Avengers - now that's going to be EPIC!

177, The Muppets

The Muppet show as we know it only ran for 5 series.  4 years of fun and laughter between 1976 & 1980 is all it took to get the world hooked on Kermit, Piggy and the rest of Henson's marvellous creations.  I remember it vividly as the drums rolled, the curtain rose and a cute green frog introduced the Muppet Show.  On they marched, stacked symetrically in their tiered arches, Waldorf and Statler mocking from the box as The Great Gonzo was lowered down in the 'O' of ShOw with his trumpet held high and the lure of a celebrity host.  It was enough to make the toughest nut crack.

Well, 119 episodes had to end sometime and once the show closed its doors we were treated to some small offerings / movies between 1981 & 2005 but since then, nothing.

That is until Jason Segal came along.  Co-writing and producing the Muppet Movie that stands before us in 2012 he must have been one serious fan as this is a true labour of love and what he's done is tried do his best to bring back the original Muppet Show to a new audience but the real question is has he managed it?

Well, sadly only in part.  Yes there is no denying the Muppet's were great fun.  ALL the characters are back and aside from the ones you will easily remember there are the ones that you wont.  Beauregard the caretaker, Dr Teeth & Zoot to name a few.

As for the plot, we are introduced to Gary (Segal) and his brother Walter, who is a Muppet.  All quite normal as the Muppet's are obviously 'real' and the fact that Segal is related to one seems to raise no questions, so none are asked and its just 'accepted'.  As they grow older together their favourite show is the Muppet Show, every Saturday night they tune in and Walter soon becomes their biggest fan. 

Years go by and once adult, Gary and his girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams) set off to LA for their 10 year anniversary taking Walter along to see the famous Muppet Studio.  But, as in life, nothing good lasts forever and the Muppet Theatre is a run down scrapyard, the Muppet's all but forgotten.  Walter discovers a plot that wealthy Oil baron, Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) plans to flatten the Theatre and drill for oil unless Kermit and the Muppet's can raise $10mil to save the Theatre. 

Off we go on a trek to collect the now disbanded Muppet's from obscurity and bring them back for one final Muppet Telethon where people call to donate to save the once loved phenomenon (Doo do do doo do........sorry!)

That's the good bit. 

The bit that for me let it down were the impromptu musical numbers played out by Segal and Adams that would have made the cast of Glee cringe.  They were awful!  Thanks to this movie (and I'm being sarcastic here) I have been subject to random outbursts of "Am I a Man or a Muppet" since leaving the Theatre that I cant get out of my head and my daughters regular renditions of Camelia the Chickens 'Forget you' (Cee-Lo Green) are starting to drive me insane. 

Yes they are cheesy but it's then and only then that I remember that this is not specifically aimed at my 35 year old self, but more the 8 year old sitting next to me ...and she loved every minute of it.  And dont worry Amy, I'm sure you'll redeem yourself soon xoxo

Yes this is nostalgic.  When the final section of the movie arrives and Kermit launches the opening scenes to the Muppet Show and the fanfare blasts out and the Muppet's parade on in their rows upon rows of arches with Gonzo and his trumpet I suddenly digressed back to childhood where a Wii was something only done in the bathroom and TV only had 4 channels.

There are some redeeming features though that help claw back some sanity from Adams and Segal's tacky interludes and that's the number of celebs that have also signed up to help out.  Some with actual roles like the brilliant jibe at Devil Wears Prada, complete with bitchy Emily Blunt reprising her same role, Alan Arkin as the Tour guide to the now empty studios and Jack Black, playing himself as Animal's co-sponser in Re-hab but they are the easy ones to spot.  Keep an eye out for a number of far more hidden gems like Dave Grohl (Foo fighters) as Animool, the drummer from wannabe band the Moopets and Zach Galifianakis as Hobo Joe. 

Then there's Selena Gomez (Little 'Miss' Disney), Whoopi Goldberg (Legend), Doogie Howser (Don't know his real name), Ken Jeong (Hangover), Judd Hirsch (Numbers), The mexican kid from Modern Family (Duh! Modern Family!), Mickey Rooney (Old Man) and many more.

These were welcome little additions that made it more of a jovial romp through childhood and an ability to laugh at themselves just having fun - although fun is one thing, but Chris Coopers rap is something I would care never to see again as long as I live - shame on you!

There are moments that the adults will enjoy but there are just as many you wont but for your kids, the new audience to the Muppet's - well its got everything they want and more. 

Lets hope the show comes back on now as a result - Friday (or Saturday) nights have never really been the same since the A-Team, Street Hawk, Airwolf and The Muppets left the stage. 

Some blogs are over in a few lines but as this one took all of nearly 40 years in the making its worthy of a little more web-space.  Hope you didnt mind?

80's TV - we love you!  Long live the Muppets.

176, This Means War

The Words 'Tom Hardy' and 'Comedy' go together like A Nun and a Knocking Shop and based on his previous turns in Tinker Tailor, Inception & TVs, The Take you would not gar far wrong believing Hardy was a one trick pony.  However this movie opens up a side not yet seen from Hardy and in my eyes, one he revels in from start to finish.

This Means War is a funny Spy flick, not spoofed in anyway as there is a genuine plot line of Mobsters intent on taking our two good looking Operatives but this is merely a background story upheld by a great cast of villains, equally moody and well deserved of being cast as actual villains in any M.I movie or even, a Bond?  This movie focuses mainly on a love triangle where both Chris Pine & Hardy fall for the same lady, Reese Witherspoon who after being single for a while manages to bump into each guy independently and finds it hard to make her mind up, so dates both! 

It does not take long for our CIA agents, who apart from partners are best buds to work out they are seeing the same girl and after deciding to both go for it and may the best man win does the movie embark on a hilarious comedy trip where each uses their cunning, ability and support from CIA Ops to bring the other down - nicely, obviously!

I was really impressed with the who ensemble cast in this one, Pine & Hardy where great together and when you see that names such as Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake & Seth Rogan where also in the running you have to hand it to them for winning over the on the casting couch.

Witherspoon adds a touch of class, looking no older than she did when in Cruel Intentions she is seeming to age very gracefully and at 35 has definitely still got 'it'.  Every comedy nowadays needs an element of Smut and Bad taste (something Bridesmaids opened our eyes to) and this is seamlessly delivered by Witherspoons sex starved friend, Trish (Chelsea Handler) who manages to pull slutty mom like no other, while remaining kind of parent-like throughout.

Hardy's British accent does him wonders in this and the jokes seem all that much funnier when he's in a room of Yanks but that's got to be the appeal and something Witherspoons character comments on early on.  with this and the upcoming portrayal of Bane in Chris Nolan's third and final Batman outing he has topped my favourite British Actors listing, replacing Mark Strong and fair play to him - the once 'C4 Big Breakfast' Model winner has come good.

I saw this in a Valentines pre-screen, before general release and I suppose its fitting as a date movie.  Its got the romantic comedy and 'boys' element your missus will love and for him, guns, gadgets, car's and Witherspoon in her pants - whats not to love,  surely a winner on all levels?

Great casting, great plot and even greater mischief as each try to outdo the other - definitely one of my top 5 so far this year.

175, The Woman in Black

Firstly, lets get one thing straight.  As a 12A I was expecting this to be quite a harmless little roll in the English dales with a few kiddie thrills and spills and my blog would reflect that of a quirky period Brit flick with the once Harry Potter finding it difficult to break his stereotyped image as the boy who lived.

Oh, how wrong can someone be!

Lets start with the Certificate.  In my eyes, at least a 15.  Its not gory, there is no stabbing or guns but its jumpy as hell.  A few brave parents bought their under 10's along but it was obvious they did not want to be there.  From about 15 minutes in the thrills start and its all edge of the seat stuff.  Suspense of who's behind the door, who's going to jump out at the window, what's going to creak, slam or groan.  Who's in the shadows, who's in the mist - when the haunted house scenes are on you literally fall over the spooky elements - they come thick and fast.

Now our star.  Mr Radcliffe.  I was worries he would fail on epic levels in anything other than Harry Potter but he comes across surprisingly well.  Fair enough, he currently doesn't come across as someone lined up for action or comedy roles stick him in a few of these spooky period dramas and his boyish charm and pale complexion may set him up perfectly.  That said, with no more releases due until 2013 he may already be taking his Potter money and retiring with a few movies just to keep the Bank Manager happy, although I'm sure that was covered a long time ago.

The story itself was relatively unknown to me.  Delivered to us by historic horror house, Hammer we step back to the early 1900's and a village troubled with the death of its kin to the once betrayed Woman in Black.  Radcliffe is the newbie Lawyer, dispatched from London after the death of his wife in childbirth to arrange sale of the far from humble abode and his welcome arrival rekindle a spate of deaths between the locals.  Radcliffe's mission, work out what the hells going on and end it before his own family fall foul of the mysterious woman.

What I love about these movies is watching them in a packed auditorium.  The screen I was in was almost full to burst and with that quantity of people you can be sure you're not going to be the most scared person in attendance.  The jumpy bits made me jolt but there's always one screamer and the whole place chuckled along to ourselves as we cowered and quaked.  Occasionally, on a really jumpy bit we got the screams from girls at the back which were always met with further chuckles of appreciation for making the atmosphere just that little more creepy.  Add that to the irregular wafts of air-con adding a chill to the air and it was a fantastic night.

I'm not a horror movie nut and in all honesty, period dramas make me more nervous than a Greek start up business but this was intensely captivating.  Daniel Radcliffe was brilliant and the cast of mainly recognisable Brit actors kept me on the edge of my seat.

Take the kids?  Well, not mine and I don't recommend yours either - under 13 that is.

A great surprise, good story - loads of jumpy bits and from not knowing the story in advance, a surprise at the end.  I cant tell you if its better or not than the stage play as I've not seen it too comment but it totally sucked me in so surely thats only a good thing?

If you're scared of movies like then thats great but in this case, man-up and get out there.  Don't wait until the DVD release - you need the full experience of air-con, screams and finally, the BIG SCREEN!