Reviews

You're going to want to see this. If you have children, take them. If you have partners, take them too. Even for the greatest Star Wars hater, there is a character that is likable, a story that is worth sympathising or an action scene that will exhilarate.

Felicity Jones and Diego Luna lead the line supremely with a chemistry that simply put, works. The supporting cast is the perfect foundation and includes a team of different personalities that all seem genuine.

Script-wise, it does the job well. Fans will be pleased that much of the original costumes, characters, themes and sub-plots are introduced also.

The pace of Rogue 1 is a stand-out feature of the film. Without entering montage territory, Gareth Edwards manages to find a way to fast-track through different moments and planet in a quite comfortable fashion, easily digested.

The dog fights and battles retain an original Star Wars trademark to them. LucasArts of old. Our cinema audience applauded multiple times and introductions to these moments and to the finale, a testament to how thrilling these were.

Where perhaps the film is let down, is in the score. When the standards set by John Williams has been so high with iconic scores previously written (Rogue 1's score is not a Williams produce), it is easy to understand that this will be so.

In short, there is truly hope with this anthology series if more of the same follows. Meanwhile, I'm merely excited to re-watch this one.

Breaking Bad's finale left a hole in many of our hearts, an empty entry in our diaries and a lost topic of conversation over drinks with family and friends. The question is, did we expect this ever to be filled? With "Better Call Saul" we have found a series with all the ingredients to be "the next Breaking Bad".

The show begins with the most twisted and dark humour that works incredibly well with the otherwise deeply serious story. The story meanders from point to point that we are kept on our toes as what in store for Jimmy McGill, a boy are we in for a ride.

If you thought Bob Odenkirk was great as Saul Goodman, the way he embraces the character of Jimmy McGill is outstanding. Whilst his role in Breaking Bad was somewhat one dimensional, as it was intended, he adds multiple strings to his bow here as his emotional dramatisation of a dogged, street-wise, cowboy-like for-hire defense attorney. The transformation is spectacular and is what will captivate audiences through scenes of nothingness to action-packed twists and turns.

The depth of newly introduced characters is excellent, although do not expect the same level achieved with Breaking Bad, but recall that it took us time to develop our love for the likes of Gus, Hank and Mike. So the next two episodes (3 and 4) are defining to see if Better Call Saul can give us a bit more, a few more engrossing characters and whether it can ever replicate it's Master - Breaking Bad.

High expectations are understandable, given Kathryn Bigelow's dramatic (and deserved) Academy Awards success for The Hurt Locker (2008) and given Jessica Chastain's equally deserved nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in The Help (2011).

What The Hurt Locker (THL) did achieve, Zero Dark Thirty (ZDT) failed to. Emotions were high in THL, it was tense, thrilling and there were pulsating moments that captured beautifully the role of an Explosive Ordnance Disposal team. Much of this had been shown before but Bigelow was able to unlock the human element and add much more emotion. ZDT fails to do this, resulting in a rushed documentary-like picture where no bond between audience and character is formed; where no dialogue is gripping; and where no part of the story is full of suspense or thrilling.

Much thought was put into, and much will be spoken about, the torture portrayed in ZDT. This was ZDT's unique selling point and indeed is, politically or otherwise, thought-provoking.

In today's modern world, I ask myself whether the media does a good enough job in documenting real life events; whether it is the rise and fall of Osama bib Laden or the Tsunami of 2004 that struck Thailand (and other countries). If so, do we really need a film director to cash-in from these events and churn/re-document these out onto the silver screen?

Taking this point further, The Impossible (2012) - the Oscar nominated picture about a family's incredible tale following the 2004 Tsunami, and like THL, told a single story amidst a big event and proved that a drop of a pebble into a still lake will form more beautiful ripples that the plunging of a boulder. Katheryn Bigelow in ZDT, opted for the latter and it ultimately disappointed.

Having thoroughly enjoyed the short but sweet story from The Hunt for Gollum, I was delighted to experience another LOTR fan film - but this time from a different Director and ultimately from a different perspective.

Although perhaps in less style, this film packs a fuller storyline with greater substance than its independent predecessor. The romance is multi-layered; the action is smooth; the costumes and settings are fantastic; and the set is beautifully crafted to create the perfect homestead ambiance.

The characters are surprisingly well defined, for such a relatively short feature, and this is complemented well by two outstanding acting performances in particular - Christopher Dane (Arathorn) and Kate Madison (Elgarain).

Other than the above, I loved the script and was also surprised by a subtly professional music score.

All in all, the success of Born of Hope should encourage other independent film-makers to take hold of their own production reins and create individualistic, original and just plain enjoyable fan films.

A film should be based on its performance on screen, not rated in association with what the book offers. I say this as I know many believe the book was more intellectually stimulating and adds value to the film - I haven't read it.

From a purely film perspective, it just seemed totally illogical that the father and son lived in relatively good condition (so much so that they could walk for miles and miles) whilst most of the country were starved to their bare bones. At times, for instance when Theron leaves the house, they claim it to be cold, yet she was dressed in one layer....why? If she'd lived like that for years, why did she suddenly feel "this is no way to live" - implying she craved the luxuries of life. These are questions that just annoy me and are by no means thought provoking.

Character-wise, I felt the film made the boy seemed irritating and stupidly cowardly for someone brought up in that world ("there's nothing you haven't seen before" the father says once).

For acting: Viggo - 8/10 Charlize - 9/10 Kodi - 4/10

One thing I will say is that The Road excels artistically in its portrayal of a life-less world full cannibalism and divided by good and evil (defined by the decision to eat a man to survive). It did make me feel like I was watching a moving picture in between frames, not a TV screen. A great achievement yet unsurprising coming from a Director who happens to be a painter as well.

In answering questions, in being action-packed, in being both romantic and reminiscent; "The End" truly succeeds in satisfying all the needs of us increasingly- demanding fans. It could be said that this episode was actually made for the people.

Almost every key character plays a part in what can only be described as an emotionally draining finale – one that is orchestrated to near perfection, with the exception of a couple of (quite understandably) rushed scenes. Any speck of below-par direction is well and fully compensated by outstanding close-up acting, as we are able to appreciate the stars of Lost on the very top of their game.

This brilliant extended episode confirmed that Lost was not only a show based on the characters but also one that was defined by the intimate bonds between these characters; whether it was the romantic bond between James and Juliette or the rivalrous one between John and Jack. With these two specific relationships, we witness romance and rivalry blossom into love and respect. Indeed it was love that dominated as the overriding theme of this episode and ultimately proving to be the essence of the story as a whole.

The story itself doesn't disappoint either as we are given answers to the most pressing of questions whilst we are kept wondering over the bigger picture. John Locke (the English philosopher) once said, "It is of great use to the sailor to know the length of his line, though he cannot with it fathom all the depths of the ocean." In one sense, Lost gave us the length of the line, but not the depths of the ocean.

Of course without Lost's mystique and inscrutability, we (as fans) will lose our lifelong license to theorise, speculate and debate! This said, Lost attempts to place the audience in the position of a few of the characters – who, like us, are full of questions and perilously frustrated with the Island. These characters may remain in the dark but are at last content with where/when they are.

Most fans will be in mourning as we begin referring to Lost in the past tense but if there is anything we can learn from the greatest TV show ever to be created, it's that to let go is never to forget. Lost will forever be unforgettable.

The End - 10/10.

Why did I like this film? I'm trying to get my head around what exactly made this film so lovable. Was it the romance, the drama or the comedy?

An intriguing characteristic of this movie is that it doesn't seem to really find itself in any specific category of film. It's neither a romcom nor a drama....it's just a story. However to simplify this film is failing to do it justice, especially to a film packed with complex moral undertones and nuances of ever-growing characters, both which create a solid foundation for Clooney's brilliant performance. The characters are all flawed thus relatable and the story is told with such flair and pace that one never seems bored.

I offer perhaps a biased view when it comes to George Clooney – as I tend not to take him wholly seriously, and, for this reason was somewhat dumbfounded by the way he showed he does indeed possess an all-round acting talent – I guess reaffirming that what he achieved in Michael Clayton was not a total fluke! Clooney begins 'Up in the Air' showcasing his typical brand of performance that we have grown to associate him with, contributing to the first 25 minutes resembling an extended version of his recent 'Nespresso' adverts – of course once you watch the film, you'll see that there is nothing wrong with this as it fits the bill of Ryan Bingham rather well. As the story progresses you witness an incredible transformation in the acting; with Clooney slipping from the perfect man to a lost soul in the most subtlest of ways, subtle in a way that makes it believable.

Finally the supporting cast is much more than supporting and there's no surprise that Vera Farmiga and Anna Kendrick have been nominated for Golden Globes in this category. Neither is it any coincidence that all the best/memorable scenes involve the character of Natalie Keener – who, ultimately gives 'Up in the Air' the necessary X-Factor to be Oscar-worthy.

8.4/10

In a world where unnecessary sequels are plaguing the movie world and are seemingly released for little other reason than to milk the 'cash cow', Night at the Museum 2 is a refreshing exception (unlike Meet the Parents 2,3,4...). It's arguably better than the first.

Although better on different levels…The historic characters are not just new and improved but also come with a greater comic value. In what the film lacks in a relatively mundane storyline, it compensates with a wonderful underlying message/moral. There's also a love story again but what struck me as more potent was the greater bond that exists between the rest of the characters; Larry and Jedediah, Jedediah and Octavius etc. The score/music was noticeably better as well, very listenable. Of course the whole picture was far more 'epic' and I, for one, am a fan of this. On the face of this, its a comedy blended perfectly with action like a cocktail of strawberry and champagne – and very much like Tropic Thunder (although on a different level of course). Hank Azaria was brilliant as Kahmunrah especially in the way he could turn from serious evil to light-hearted joker in the blink of an eye. Speaking of which, him and his trio of evil helpers were fantastic together, as am sure you'll all agree.

The one downside is that too many of the best comedy moments were shown in the trailers, so kind of dampening the effect of many of the genuinely funny moments. But there's still enough to keep you chuckling away! So should there be a third? If they can continue to make people laugh whilst rummaging through their popcorn during the action scenes, I'd day why not? After all, what is life without a bit of fun?

Far too often do TV dramas hold answers back until the end of each episode. This, quite obviously, is employed to retain the viewers' attention; very much like a child eating through their vegetables in pursuit of that promised dessert! However Lost is a pioneer in the unpredictable answer-feeding, a method that has given the series that extra edge when it comes to invoking surprise to its max. The Incident does exactly that as it introduces a very unfamiliar yet rather familiar character right from the outset.

The rest of this 2-part episode is very Lost-like in its script; polished to perfection resulting in 90 minutes of captivating and pulsating drama. In keeping with tradition the episode follows the usual framework that has served every one since the Season 1 – flashbacks (or forwards) with characters giving us their reasons for what they are doing. Enlightening the viewer with a sense of purpose keeps you more involved than you would be but also, and more importantly, it stirs up emotion as well. I thought that giving each main character a share of the limelight was in tune with the 'purpose' of the episode – that everyone had a part to play, not just Jack and Locke.

Yet what is Lost without unanswered questions? In what I believed to be a fantastic ending, Lost has kept us talking, theorizing, speculating and ultimately wanting more. What more can you ask?

You will enjoy the minutes spent thinking about the last episode you saw as much as the time you actually watched it. I think it'll capture the imagination of even the usual sci-fi despisers.

This series is certainly showing much promise and will be up there, in popularity, with Prison Break, Lost and 24 as its addictiveness will engulf all ages with totally different tastes.

The acting is brilliant and every episode is very well made with touches of originality that are subtle yet powerful in presentation. The comic book dimension hasn't been overdone and is comparable to the way the Spiderman movies have been produced. The variety of characters IS overdone yet somehow results in adding substantially to the fascination and intrigue!

Original, captivating and ridiculously entertaining!

A MUST see!