MOVIE REVIEW: SIN CITY- A DAME TO KILL FOR (2014)

 Calling the original Sin City (based on a comic written by Frank Miller) one of my favourite movies is a bit of an understatement. I loved the style it was filmed in, the stories it told and the whole "bad people doing bad things for good reasons" vibe from all the stories. So to call the latest instalment of Sin City- A Dame to Kill For (from now on called Dame) underwhelming would also be an understatement.

 Dame is set in the same style as the original, telling 3 (or maybe 4, I am struggling to remember) separate stories that are kind-of interwoven. There is the titular Dame story, the story about a gambler trying to win big against a congressman, and a sequel story about Jessica Alba also getting revenge against the congressman who killed Bruce Willis in the first movie. Some of these are prequel stories to the original movie as well, just to try to keep riding on the coat-tails of a better movie.

 The immediate problem Dame has is how much the sequel feels like it has condensed the world. Instead of telling 3 unique stories that might have passing tie-ins to the original, it instead recycles most the characters and locations. Instead of Sin City feeling like a city where anything can happen and anyone can be brought, you are left with a story where everything seems to revolve around the one seedy place. This is in contrast to the original where 3 separate stories were told that just happened to go through some of the same locales.

 Along the way, it also seems to lose the sense of style that defined the first one. Without this style, even the first movie would have felt mediocre. Of the new stories told, the Dame story is the best, and even then it feels like it lacks any real depth. Too often it seems to fall into hero worship of the original characters (such as Marv and Miko), and it never feels like there is any real threat to them. When any of your characters feel like they can blast through the most dangerous henchmen that the most dangerous man in the city can muster, then the gritty style of the original movie is lost, and that feels like a problem for this kind-of movie.

 There are other issues also present. Most of the acting isn't very good. The special effects look decidedly second-rate. The movie seems to go out of its way to prove that the main characters aren't bad people. But this could have all been forgiven if they nailed the gritty style of the original. They didn't so it ended up being quite a bore and easily missable.

 1 out of 5 Waffles To Kill For.

The Magicians

As much as I enjoyed the Harry Potter novels. I always struggled understanding why Harry was a rather slack student. He loves magic, yet never seem to  enjoy school. Sure school sucks, but at least he had magic.

In Lev Grossman’s  book The Magicians he creates a fantasy world that feels more real and rewarding by combining popcorn fantasy and the mundane. It’s like someone wrote a book about all the boring procedural things that make life boring and wrapped it in a layer of magic . Like Law and Order but more interesting because they would solve crimes with magic.

The Magicians is heavily inspired by the Narnia series, with a dash of Harry Potter and a gooey Tolkien centre. The story centre around Quentin and a bunch of kids who attend a college designed to teach them how to use magic, and who later visit a magical world populated by talking animals.  The biggest difference is that Grossman treats his magical world very seriously.

More than anything, it’s about the  revelation that even a world containing magic is a cold, harsh place, where true love doesn’t always conquer all. Being noble doesn't mean you’ll defeat the big bad.  Found that is one of the few fantasy books I’ve read that really ponder the psychology of its world.  

Really loved Magicians episodic nature. Gives the book a brisk pace that leaves you wanting more. Felt it gave the character and you the reader some space to reflect on the protagonist journey.  Each character was given more depth than just your usually cookie cutter archetypes, the young man raised by non-magical parents who discovers a world of wonder, a  smart girl whose super smart yet socially awkward, and a sidekick .

Eventually these characters are fleshed out to include a self-loathing alcoholic, a drama queen and assorted of others personality flaws. Their connections are tenuous but real, the hurt they deal to each other stings, and there’s no Dumbledore to help save the day. Everyone in The Magicians is capable of great damage and great kindness, but not everyone realizes it.

After years of watching and reading about fantasy character that go on amazing journeys, it was refreshing to read one that brought the world of fantasy crashing down to reality.

3.5 out of 5 alcoholic Dumbledore riding a self-loathing Aslan

FRANK

 All it took was finding out Michael Fassbender's face was hidden to get me interested in Frank. A high end hipster drama that lifts above its cultural aesthetic and provides a funny yet poignant film.

Michael Fassbender dons a gigantic fake papier-mache head. With massive anime eyes and a delightful robot voice in this fictionalised account based on a book written by journalist Jon Ronson. Who In the 1980s played keyboards in the Frank Sidebottom Oh Blimey Big Band, in which Frank wore a big fake head and nobody outside his inner circle knew his true identity.

The first divergent from the book is the jumper into a more modern setting. Set in a quiet English seaside town Jon (Domhnall Gleeson) tries to pursue his passion for writing songs. In between working at his humdrum day job, Jon struggles to  write anything even vaguely resembling a half decent couple of lyrics. We watch him send tweets about his songwriting status or more the lack of it, along with updates on what he is eating for lunch. Jon undoubtedly enthusiastic  about this passion, he just can't seem to get it to come together yet.

When a band with an unpronounceable name comes to town. After witnessing their previous keyboard player go off the rails. Jon has the opportunity to play for a band at an actual gig. Shortly after he finds himself travelling with the band to Ireland to record an album which ends up taking him on a pretty epic journey.

Entranced by the fake head that group leader Frank wears 24/7 ("Would it help if I said my facial expressions out loud?"), Jon becomes seduced both by the guru-like enigma of his mentor, and by the waving hands of theremin player Clara (Maggie Gyllenhaal), who seems able to conjure beautiful sounds and savage weapons out of thin air with equal ease.

Frank is a hard film to easily define and although it manages to remain on the right side of upbeat with plenty of laughs it does delve into the exploration of the creative process within mental illness. Franks states numerous times that he has a certificate. There is also an ongoing battle between art and commerce. Watching the exploits of the band trying to make a album touch on notions of artistic endeavour, originality and the sphere that songwriters and musicians have to encounter in trying to be creative. Which starts clashing with John's own dreams of stardom. Using social media to its full effect.  

This avant-garde performance art band, eventually gathers a huge enough following to get a gig at SXSW.From here the movie takes a dramatic shift. Without seeing Frank's facial expressions, we witness his transformation from mystic/guru to an unstable and socially uncomfortable dude. Striving for likability, but unsure what the term really means. Must artists suffer for their art? Why does society latch onto the newest social media gimmick? What is creative success and why are so many afraid of it?

Watching Frank is like peeling away the layers of an onion. Having question raised about the creative process, while watching the facade fade to reveal a more sinister issue. I was left we a sense of a movie journey. Something I haven't had since, Fight Club ? While Frank may not be for everyone, for those who like their movies to dance to a different beat, it is something rather exceptional.

4 out of 5 strange and wacky insane black comedies

COMIC BOOK REVIEW: LEAVING MEGALOPOLIS (2014)

 Leaving Megalopolis was released in 2014 and is a bit of a different take on superheroes. It is kind-of like an Escape From New York-style superhero tale showing how ordinary people are coping when their protectors turn on them. It follows the story of a group of ordinary people trying to escape a city (Megalopolis) that super-powered individuals have turned into their personal hunting grounds.

 The premise of the story is that Megalopolis is protected by a bunch of superheroes. One day, a dimensional rift opens up and the superheroes all unite to battle some kind of eldritch horror. When they defeat this horror is when the real problems start as it drives the superheroes a bit insane. The heroes now have an insatiable desire to kill once every few hours or so, but also limiting them to the city limits.

 Into this horror, the story follows Mina. Mina is a cop who is trying to find her way out of the city with a bunch of people who are drawn to her in the hopes that they lead them to safety. Mina and her group are trying to escape the city limits to escape the superheroes. In their travels, they meet different civilians and how they are trying to cope with the villains.

 The art throughout Leaving Megalopolis is superb. It really captures the horror of the crazed heroes and the brutality they are inflicting on the population without being too over the top and gritty. The tone of the book is definitely more Marvel Zombies than horror, however. The design of the superheroes also fits in well with the story.

 The story is very tightly woven and very good. You never get the feeling that characters are taking stupid actions just to progress the story, and you can understand all the characters points of view. Whether it is the pragmatic Mina or the people who make deals with the crazed heroes, the story never feels like it is forced. The ending leaves allot to be desired as it doesn't really resolve too much, but as a first-issue an adequate job of setting things up. The one thing that it doesn't set up well are the different characters personalities. Outside of Mina, most of the supporting cast feel like interchangeable cannon fodder for the heroes.

 Overall, Leaving Megalopolis is a story I would definitely recommend. The story is good, the characters are compelling and the art backs the story and tone of the comic without being too over the top. Although it has a few shortcomings, for the most part it a very good first-issue.

 4 out of 5 granite-laden waffles.

MOVIE REIVIEW: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2014)

 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was a film I was going into expecting the worst. From the bad trailers, the seeming focus shift to 'dark-and-gritty' turtles (somehow), the attachment of Michael Bay (who has made exactly 1 movie I liked) as a director and the seeming focus on a bland Megan Fox over the Turtles (as we repeat the mistakes of Shia Le'Bouf and Transformers), this movie seemed to be made to make me hate it.

 After watching this movie, I can easily see how easy it is to be critical of it. From the inconsistent tone shifts (such as the elevator scene leading into the final battle), the poor CGI on Splinter or the convoluted coincidences that ties everyone into the plot, it is an easy movie to hate. Yet, I felt that despite all of this, it somehow comes together to resemble a movie that works, at least on the fun level, by not taking itself too seriously.

 For those unfamiliar with the turtles, they are a bunch of mutated, well, humanoid turtles, who have become ninjas under their master, a rat called Splinter. You have the leader (Leonardo), the Joker (Michaelangello), the smart guy (Donatello) and the tough-guy (Raphael). They live in the sewers and work to thwart the Foot Clan (a gang) under the command of The Shredder (a power-armored ninja). April O'Neil (Megan Fox) is a reporter who is trying to get a major scoop on the Foot Clan and whose father helped create the turtles with the help of the bad businessman (who is trying to get supply and demand under his control ala Iron Man 3's bad businessman).

 What helps make this movie work is it never loses its sense of fun or ability to poke fun at itself. This is mostly through Michaelangello, who has such classic lines as "he is doing his Batman voice" when Raphael tries to do the tough guy vigilante or his unrequited love for April O'Neill. The turtles are constantly spitting out funny one-liners and doing daringly acrobatic stunts and fight moves as the movie hurtles its way through cool set-pieces in the best Michael Bay style.

 But by far, the star of the show ends up being April O'Neill, surprisingly. Although the acting does nothing to distinguish her and she has a convoluted way into the plot, she proves herself to be a proactive character. This is really highlighted at the end, as she suggests a back-up plan in case the turtles fail. She even ends up saving the turtles a more than they help her. It also helps that her character has very believable motivations (an underachieving reporter looking for her big break).

 At the end of the day, it would be very easy to hate the turtles. However, far from being a dark-and-gritty take on the beloved characters, it instead is a very fun take on the turtles. Their is probably slightly too much focus on the human supporting cast instead of the Turtles, but April O'Neill is a compelling enough character and her story ties allot more closely in with helping the Turtles that it works (as opposed to Transformers where it is a boring side story completely divorced from the actual Transformers).

 So when Michael Bay asks, "Were you not entertained?", I can answer "Yes".

 4 out of 5 pancakes in a half-shell.

The Inbetweeners 2

As a massive fan of all 3 series and the first film, I couldn't wait for this. The relatively laugh-free trailer cause me to think “Do we really need a sequel ”. That idea lodge itself into my brain, as the marketing machine started pumping its release, I was losing my interest in wasting my money on it. I’m glad I didn't end up paying to see this stinker.

The film is slow to start, too, with a overly stylised opening setting, where three of our central quartet are set up for uncomfortable misery. Will hates university, Simon’s girlfriend is crazy and  Neil...well Neil is Neil. Not until the reintroducing Jay as a kind of superstar DJ-cum-Scarface, it a fantasy sequence that is deliberately overdone, easily the funniest part of the movie. That’s about 10mins in.

Eventually they make it to Australia.Where the movie spends too much time  setting up borning peripheral characters and relying on stereotypical backpacker perceptions. It was just so dull dull dull, I  even drifted off into a daydream half way through the film. Its really annoying as i love this show, the sequel feels like a cheap throwaway to earn a some extra cash and have a holiday.

As a fan I felt it failed to deliver this was just a crude bland imitation.  What made the TV show so brilliant was the how witty and clever it was. Had lots of great awkward moments that you could empathise with. However the sequel seems to just try and recreate that rather than try and be original in its own right, and as such just leaves a bit of a sour taste in the mouth.  Shame as I was looking forward to watching the four of them together again,  what I got where 4 lobotomized idiots.  

1 out of 5 sunburnt bus wankers.

Movie Review: Lucy (2014)

 Lucy was surprising movie that I really didn't expect to like. It was a good action movie that was well-paced and interesting and, unlike allot of movies these days, didn't try to beat me over the head with a certain message (although it definitely had its themes running throughout it).

 Lucy, the titular character played by Scarlett Johansson, begins the movie as a partying blonde who gets involved with a shady character. After a deal goes wrong with the mob, she becomes an unwilling drug mule for a new drug which happens to be injected into her system. The effects of this drug: it increases her mental capacity from 10% to higher levels, giving her access to a range of superpowers. She then wants to share her new found enlightenment with the rest of the human race through a university professor, Morgan Freeman, who has made a study of the human brain.

 If you can't get over the 'only use 10% of our brains' myth being exploited for this story, you probably won't enjoy this movie. If you can let it go, what lies underneath this is a slick action movie when it wants to be. When it doesn't want to be an action movie, it cleverly subverts the audience expectations as Lucy relies less on violence as her mental capacity and superpowers improves. For example, at the beginning she uses some cool kung-fu and gun skills to escape the mob. However, later in the movie when they line up for a big showdown, she just calmly walks through them.

 The acting here is solid. Morgan Freeman puts in his normal solid performance as the university professor, but Scarlett Johansson really stands out. As she becomes more intelligent, she captures the growing feeling of feeling detached from humanity even as she becomes more enlightened. The only failure of this movie is the lack of a solid villain. They try to establish the the mob boss as the villain, but he never feels like a true threat to Lucy.

 Despite the lack of a good villain, Lucy is a good movie. It is fast paced with good action and a good story. It doesn't let itself get bogged down with philosophy even though it has a message (knowledge is good, ignorance is bad). It is definitely a movie I would recommend checking out among all the big-budget disappointments currently out (I am looking at you Turtles).