Let's go fluff some scumbags...

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of War on Everyone

A comedy that left me laughing half-heartedly, War on Everyone was a film I had been anticipating for months now. My main reasoning behind my excitement was of course Alexander Skarsgård, after seeing him in the summer blockbuster Tarzan and from the HBO Vampire show "True Blood". However, the film looked promising and interesting considering it's a different genre to what I usually watch.

The film itself sees the bad cop/ worse cop narrative play out with Skarsgård and Peña at the helm. These two cops push their level of authority to get what they want but when they push the wrong people, events don't go as planned. The "wrong people" are led by Lord James Mangan (Theo James) an upper class Englishman who has too much money and too little conscience. Of course, the Englishman was the villain in the story dominated by Americans. Keeping with the idea of stereotypes, so many filled this film that it lost its comedy element pretty quickly. Now that being gay is accepted more easily, a new victim has to be chosen. Unfortunately, that victim is the Trans community. Sometimes I just feel like a joke against a community already struggling isn't needed and there was definitely one moment in particular that was rather pointless and not helping the trans cause. 

The plot itself was rather confusing and I still don't know what everyone was talking about but I can say I got the gist of the overall storyline. This is definitely one of those films where I don't like it for the plot but instead the way it is presented to me. Dutch angles were thrust into my brain every now and then which I highly enjoyed because it perfectly conveyed the twisted domination of the cops. Transitions were abrupt yet fitting. For example, a hand was centred in on at the end of a scene before cutting to Peña's character playing the piano and focussing on his fingers. Another moment which was highly enjoyable was the tracking shot of James moving through his mansion. We follow him from the aftermath of his endeavours in bed and see him move down a grand staircase (stopping for a quick kiss on the way), pick up a sword and end standing in front of a man he intends to decapitate. The movement was flawless and real did well to put you in the scene and feel the pompous power radiating off of Lord Mangan.

The jokes themselves were rather forced resulting in only slight laughs from me and other audience members. However, I would like to remind you that I rarely laugh out loud in cinemas (as I don't wish to be one of those obnoxious people (we all know who I am talking about)). Having said this, the jokes that did succeed in making me giggle were the ones that hit quick and just screamed stupidity. One moment that stands out is when the cops go to interrogate a man working for Mangan. He makes a gesture where he lifts his arms slightly to convey power but Skarsgård's character makes a joke out of it and mocks the man by repeating the same movement (but more like a chicken) before running after the man who is rather confused. The scene is rather hard to explain, as you can tell from my poor description but it was so simple and effective in breaking my cinema rule.

Overall, I think I did enjoy the film but not for the plot. Instead, I will be filing this feature under "movies I like due to the way it's made". If you wish to spend 97mins watching a film that is slow but beautiful in it's presentation then I highly recommend War on Everyone.

Thank you for reading,

Haynes

The perfect internet safety video

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of Nerve

It's been a while since I saw this film but it hasn't left my thoughts at all. I have never been so tense and on the edge of my seat as I was while watching this very modern film. Its morales and characters were so relatable that I couldn't help but think: this could happen to me.

The film itself is about a girl named Vee (Emma Roberts) who decides she doesn't want to be the "perfect" goody two shoes anymore. She winds up playing an online game called Nerve which allows for watchers to dare players into doing whatever they can think of, all for a cash prize. Vee signs up to the game as a player and ends up doing the most stress inducing and utterly horrifying dares, ending with her being shot.

Now, don't worry, she doesn't die and I think that is why I loved the film so much. I honestly did not know if she was dead or alive. Usually I can see the end of a film coming from a mile away but this film succeeded in sitting me in the dark and keeping me there. Part of me hoped she had died, just so a stronger message could be put across to the internet users of today but the sheer idea of truly not knowing caused me to feel extremely nervous. Something a film has never done before so I congratulate it for that.

In terms of acting, I was pleasantly surprised by Roberts performance. Over the past few years I have carried a real distaste for the actor but recently I have come to terms with the fact that yes, she may be typecast as the bratty teen but boy can she play it well. Nerve sees her in basically the same role but there is feeling and character there, where in previous roles there has just been bitchiness. In terms of Franco, he brought pretty much the same character to the screen as his one in Now you see me but with more strength and kindness. The other supporting actors all conveyed the perfect height of emotions to push me to the edge of my seat; one scene that stands out in my mind is when Vee's friend Sydney (Emily Meade) is dared to cross from her building to the adjacent one with nothing but an unstable ladder. The hair stood up on the back of my neck as I watched this actor crawl out into the unsafe. It was at this moment when it hit me. This character could fall and die; she wasn't necessarily a main, the story could go on. I ended up with butterflies in my stomach, as I watched with a completely open mind. 

The concept of the film was probably what I enjoyed the most because here we are being offered an idea that is completely possible to execute in our day and age. The internet is unsafe. children and teens can be forced into doing dangerous things all because someone on the internet said to. We all know about The Fire Challenge (which is still going on today). This film really makes you think just how out of depth you can get in this digital age. We all care more for how many people are watching and liking us online that we forget the real world and the real friends we have. 

Overall, I highly recommend anyone and everyone to watch this film. You are being given a perfect internet safety video. Utilise it but most of all enjoy it because at the end of the day it is a highly exciting, nail biting piece of cinema.

Thanks for reading,

Haynes

2nd Time's the Charm

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of Suicide Squad

Okay, so where do I begin? I've seen this film twice at the cinema now. The first time, I was buzzing with excitement from; reading spoiler free reviews, watching cast interviews and seeing promotional pictures EVERYWHERE. Everything Suicide Squad, I wanted to know. In taking in so much knowledge of the film before watching it, I think it allowed me to appreciate the picture more than someone that may not have fallen into the vat of DC publicity. For my first viewing of this new take on Superhero films, I was in 4DX. For anyone that doesn't know what that is, basically the chairs move, lights flash, wind blows through the room, and you even get sprayed with water at times (it's a great experience and I recommend you try it at least once). Anyway, so there I was in my special 4DX seat and it wasn't even 2 minutes into the film before I knew it was going to be good. At the beginning, the DC logo spins and, being in a movable chair, so did I. Then came the first of numerous perfectly chosen and placed songs (the opening number being "House of the rising sun"). The hairs on my back stood up and I just sat in awe for the rest of the film. 

My thoughts from my first viewing were as follows: Great cast, phenomenal effects and fight scenes but what the hell was the plot? My brother had a nice way of summing the film up, "It was so close to being amazing that it was annoying". Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it so, so, so much but the way the plot had been put together was painful to watch at times. It was like they had a folder full of best bits and just tried to put them in some order that would create a hint of a narrative. To say I was confused would be an understatement; I honestly thought that the Suicide Squad were recruited to save Rick Flag, because the actor looked so different from shot to shot (I later found out this was down to the re-shoots and them forgetting that hair grows).

Now move forward in time a week. I had a whole 7 days to reflect on my opinions and read more information on what made the film what it was. In those 7 days my enjoyment of the parts I did understand and like only grew stronger and when it came to the second viewing it felt like I was watching it for the first time. However, this time I knew the plot and I wanted to focus on all the things around the loosely constructed story. Let's just say, I walked out that theatre with a huge grin on my face and the inability to shut up for a good 2 hours. Going that second time allowed me to watch the film and fully enjoy the creation put before me, instead of trying to follow every single element of the plot. If there is anyone out there who is on the edge of liking it, go and see it again. I promise you a second time round will tip you right into the "loved it" category.

It's now been around a week since I saw the film; I'm still reading articles and watching videos (I even bought temporary tattoos that relate to each of the characters). I've been able to gather all my thoughts and I officially want to say I love the film. The casting was perfect and I truly felt each of the actors were their roles. I especially liked Jai Courtney (Boomerang) and of course the stunning Margot Robbie who threw herself completely into bringing Harley Quinn to the big screen for the first time. Her performance was definitely the highlight of the entire film and while there were times which upset me about her character (like the over-the-top "voices in my head" sequence or the fact she was literally the most femme fatale character I have ever laid my eyes upon), I highly appreciated her take on the therapist-turned-insane partner of the notorious Joker. Speaking of the Joker, I can't do this review without mentioning Jared Leto's take on the character. Going back to a more Comic version of the villain, Leto offered what seemed like a more controlled, businessman version. Personally, I did like Leto in the role but I feel like the main reason why a lot of people aren't taking to his performance is because he was cut from so much of the film. If we'd got to see more of him and more of the effort that Leto seemed to put into the role I think more people would have taken to him just like they took to Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight (2008). Not going to lie, I could easily sit through an R-rated Joker film with Leto as the lead.

One scene which really stands out to me is just after Harley has jumped from the crashing plane and she waits for the squad on top of a car. She has lost her "puddin" and in that moment you can see the pain and vulnerability in her eyes. As the squad moves towards her no one tries to fight her or jab a harsh comment at her. Instead, she is the one to offer a broken smile and jump right back into the action. I loved this because it showed the character to still feel emotions. More times than none, someone who kills as much as her would be portrayed as having no emotions at all. Even Dead shot says he "can't feel love and still sleep at night" to which Harley replies "classic textbook psychopath". In that response alone you see Harleen Quinzel still in there and it allows for us as viewers to connect with the character and feel more satisfied when she does see The Joker again. 

I think what DC have succeeded in doing is creating a new team of anti-heroes who we like more than our stereotypical ones. I might be alone in saying this but if there is a Justice League Vs Suicide Squad film, I am rooting for the latter. Hopefully, the sequel will be given an R-rating so it can be darker and show more of the villainous sides to the characters because sometimes they did come across as too nice but maybe thats just how it seems in our desensitised world. You could have killed hundreds of people but if you have a daughter who you help with her math homework, i'm on your side.

Thank you for reading,

Haynes.

Back to Basics

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of Star Trek Beyond

This new instalment took us back to what Star Trek original stood for: An adventure to far off places where danger ensues and by some miracle Kirk and his crew are able to save the day. Previously, JJ Abrams took the helm and rebooted the franchise with Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), grossing over $7 million worldwide. The plots were interesting, the cast were spot on and, of course, Abrams' directing techniques were unique and exciting, as always. 

Star Trek Beyond found itself a new director, in the form of Justin Lin (Fast an Furious (2009)) with Simon Pegg (Scotty) helping pen the script. Right from the get go, you can feel the difference between this film and the previous two. It felt lighter and funnier, allowing for beloved characters to come into the limelight. Sadly, Anton Yelchin passed away just before the film was released but it was nice to see Chekov get a bigger part in what ended up being Yelchin's final performance of the character. In addition, Karl Urban reprises his role of Bones and we get to see his relationship with Kirk and Spock return to its original one. 

In terms of plot, I liked the idea because it was simple and easy to follow. Then, of course, they had to destroy the Enterprise which left me feeling like someone had just punched me in the heart. Idris Elba played Krall (previously known as Captain Balthazar Edison, former commander of the USS Franklin). After being stranded on an alien planet, he used the technology around him to prolong his life. This film sees him set on destroying the Federation so that galactic conflict resumes. Of course, the Enterprises' crew won't let that happen and somehow find every possible way to save the day just in time. 

The only critisicm I have for this film is that Pegg's portrayal does come across slightly too Scottish. All of the stereotypical words that you think of when you think of the dialect are used and when he talks to Jaylah (an alien scavenger who helps the crew) she doesn't question his accent or what the words he are using imply. I mean, considering she learnt English from the few video logs left behind by the USS Franklin's crew, it just didn't seem right that she wasn't confused or even making fun of his accent.

In conclusion, I liked this film as a "back to basics" instalment but I have to admit I preferred Abrams' style and plots just because they felt more exciting and weren't as predictable. However, I will no doubt be buying this on DVD one day to add to my, what I hope won't just be a trilogy, New Trek film collection.

Thank you for reading,

Haynes. 

The perfect ending, for a perfect film.

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of Lights Out

I think I have found a new directing inspiration. In 2013, David F. Sandberg created a short film (just under 3 minutes) called Lights Out. Unfortunately, I watched the short after seeing the feature film's trailer but let me tell you, I have never been so creeped out in the space of 3 minutes; my mum literally screamed. Lotta Losten (Sandberg's wife) takes on the role of a women who, when she turns the light off, sees a shadowy creature staring back at her. Just that concept creeps me out. After seeing that short, I looked at the couples' other work and it successfully spooked me out in such a short amount of time (a feat in itself).

Moving back to the feature film, I re-watched the trailer and began to do my usual research (some may call it stalking) on all things Lights Out. I already knew about James Wan producing the movie so I knew it was going to be great and it quickly became my most anticipated film of the summer. Unfortunately, I couldn't see it the Friday it was released in the UK but I did go on the Monday and as I sat there watching the pre-movie trailers it got me thinking. Both Sandberg and Wan created a short film that was picked up and made into a feature, kicking off their big screen careers. Just the concept of that is extremely inspirational to me and has motivated me to start writing my own scripts. 

Anyway, onto the film itself. I bloomin' loved it. Thinking back right now, I can't think of many, if any negatives. The casting was perfect, the cinematography was beautiful, the creature was just the right amount of creepy to not give me nightmares (unlike the one from the original. Jesus, that was scary!), and the plot itself was everything I could have hoped for and more. In addition, my thoughts on run times are "keep it the shortest it can be" and at 81 minutes it was a perfect length. I checked my phone at one point in the movie thinking it had been on for at least an hour but in reality only 20 minutes had gone by. So much is put into every moment and it results in you getting more and more excited because you still haven't got to the big horror ending.

The plot itself was interesting because it had characters that you could relate to and a clever and creepy reasoning behind why the shadowy figure (Diana) was tormenting the family. Plus, the creature wasn't just something that would jump out at you, scream a little and maybe scratch you, it full on ripped you to shreds. It had slasher elements (a genre I am very fond of). In particular, one of my favourite scenes is when Bret (Alexander DiPersia) tries to flee the home and the creature follows him. it's tense and terrifying because he is running from something that can't be seen in the light. He is caught and lifted to what I fully expected to be his back-breaking death, when he grabs hold of his keys, switches his car lights on and Diana disappears, dropping Bret to safety. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time and I truly did believe he had run away for good leaving the family to die. Luckily, he returns, logically having rung the police (who unfortunately do die but hey, at least they brought torches!). 

Of course, with a name like Lights Out, lighting played a huge part in this production and every single light created the perfect effect. Martin wakes up and leaves his room with a candle (personally, I would have just sat in a corner holding the light to me) as he moves outside Diana is waiting in the shadows and grabs his feet. Martin falls to the floor in a beautiful shot where the candle seems to be the only thing lighting him as he is dragged away. Also, the tattoo parlour's red light created a terrifying scene as I could do nothing but watch as Rebecca moved to inspect what I already knew could brutally murder. In addition to the red lights, there were the blue UV ones. I knew, the moment Martin found the UV torch, Diana would be visible when using it so when it came to the terrifying mannequins I couldn't bring myself to look at the horrific face that sprung into view. 

Now to my favourite part of the film. Diana's end. I had guessed that the only way the creature could be killed was by Sophie (Rebecca and Martin's mum) taking her medication. In the scene where Diana threw her pills away I thought maybe Sophie might think about killing herself but it was just a passing thought that I knew wouldn't actually happen cause thats not the stereotype of this genre; the good guys find a way to win without being killed otherwise what is the point. So when Sophie drew a gun to her head I was beyond shocked. I sat and thought no, she wouldn't. As soon as I realised she was going to kill herself I was amazed and excited (not by the idea of suicide but by the breaking of a horror stereotype). Also, the performance by Palmer left my hair standing on end as I put myself in her shoes and felt my heart being ripped out. It was a perfect ending for a perfect film.

I do have one question, however: if you were under your covers with a light, Diana wouldn't be able to touch you but could she just pick up the covers with you inside and kill you anyway?

Overall, this film is in my top 5 favourite films of 2016 (if not all time). David F. Sandberg is joining James Wan as a director I am inspired by and look up to and I cannot wait to see what he creates with Annabelle 2.

Thank you for reading,

Haynes.

Justified nudity

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of The Legend of Tarzan

As films go, this has to be one of the prettiest pictures I have ever laid my eyes upon. I felt like I was watching a beautiful 110 minute nature documentary and experiencing all the wondrous scenery of Africa first hand. In my notes for this review I just wrote "colour grading to die for" and I think that is the only way I could possibly sum it up. It really was to die for. 

The plot itself was rather text book; man kidnaps women, women spits at man, then the women's lover runs in to to save the day. However, I really did enjoy the differences and supporting events around the stereotypical damsel in distress storyline. 

This adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' famous 1912 character sees Alexander Skarsgård in the title role with Margot Robbie playing the sassy, badass Jane (a different take on the original character). These actors were cast perfectly, bringing their own personal characteristics to the characters. Robbie forbids to play weak women who need a man to save them and Skarsgård is well, Alexander Skarsgård he is literally the embodiment of Tarzan (well in my opinion anyway).

So what's the plot of this adaptation? Well, it takes place years after Tarzan first meets Jane; they are now living in London. Out in the Africa, the Congo has been split between Belgium and United Kingdom. The Belgium government have all but run out of money so King Leopold II of the Belgians decides to extract the Congo's rich mineral deposits. Of course, taking from The Congo people doesn't go to plan and they kill a search party leaving one man, Léon Rom (Christoph Waltz), to make a deal with. Diamonds in exchange for Tarzan. The plot enfolds with Tarzan going to The Congo where Jane is then taken and Tarzan has to get her back. This lands him right in trouble and he has to ask his animal friends to help him save the day which ends in a phenomenal sequence where a huge stampede of Wildebeest charge through Boma destroying almost everything in sight. 

In terms of animation (as it is a huge part of making the animals "come to life") it was actually rather impressive and I believed Skarsgård was actually with the animals. The scene where Tarzan has to fight his ape brother has to one of my favourites, as not only was Skarsgård's performance brilliant but there was one moment where, as the fight got more intense, the camera followed their movements and went upside down. I thought it was such a simple yet effective technique and as you can tell it really stood out to me.

As always, you can't really have an honest review without highlighting the negatives and I can really only think of two. One, the amount of close ups became rather overwhelming with almost every 5th shot being right up in the actors face. Now I can understand that close ups are used to show emotion and this definitely was a film where that was needed, and I did feel for the characters, but in my opinion there were just too many. Two, the editing was constant and quick paced. It never really stayed on one shot for long with multiple transitions that were just too fast and too frequent. However, these negatives definitely don't hinder the entire movie and the positives do more than make up for them.

Before I end this review, I do want to show appreciation to the artists who brought this film to life. Usually, Tarzan is half naked in a tiny little loin cloth which reinforces a sense of female gaze. Yet, in this version Tarzan is clothed for the majority of the narrative. Even when it comes to running through the jungle he has a shirt and trousers on. It isn't until his ape fight that he becomes topless (what's left of his trousers stay on) and even then it's only because his shirt and shoes are in the way of his true fighting abilities. I just really appreciated that they didn't just turn Skarsgård into another piece of meat that strips "just because". They gave him a good and justified reason to remove clothing and that means a lot in the media world. To finish I will say, this film may not be the strongest out there but boy does it come close. It is a hell of a picture which I deeply enjoyed and can't wait to see again.

Thank you for reading,

Haynes.

Women are finally taking centre stage.

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of Ghostbusters

What do you think of when someone says Ghostbusters? Do you think of the 1984 classic ghost film starring the likes of Bill Murray and Sigourney Weaver or do you think of this 2016 remake which in my opinion did everything right. Or did it?

As someone born much later than the original's release, I was shown the first film by my parents and instantly fell in love. It had the perfect mix of funny and spooky. The film itself didn't exactly terrify me (the librarian ghost did almost get me though) but now, this new version has increased not only the spooks but also the funny.

Firstly, the hate surrounding the idea of all female leads really angered me. Why can't women be ghost busting badasses? Now, I can understand the upset over remaking an already perfect film (personally, I feel like they should have given it a slightly different name (Ghostbusters:Reborn for instance.) Just something to show that it is in fact different from the previous films and is, in itself, and awesome movie). The women who did lead the narrative were perfectly cast. Melissa McCarthy and Kristen Wiig bought their normal humour which never fails to make me laugh out loud in the cinema (something that I rarely do as I don't wish to annoy those around me). The relatively unknown to me, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones join the comedy geniuses to create a perfect team that couldn't have been pulled off by anyone else. I saw this film at the cinema twice and came to the conclusion that even though McKinnon did play Holtzmann just slightly over the top she definitely holds the title of my favourite Ghostbuster. Having said that, Chris Hemsworth was a pure delight to see embody not only the Ghostbusters "ditzy" secretary but also become the vessel of a very angry ghost. Every moment Hemsworth was on screen left you laughing, whether it be from lines like "did you know a fish tank is a submarine for fish" to him covering his eyes when he hears loud noises.

So what's the plot? Well four women come together to fight the ever growing ghost infestation that plagues in New York City. Sounds familiar right? While it does hold numerous similarities with the original, it definitely has created it's own thing, with its beautifully deep colours and extraordinary effects. Speaking of effects, the ghosts have to be some of my favourite CGI I have ever witnessed. They were both terrifying and beautiful (a perfect mix for this film). Another terrifying image was when the mannequin started to move. As someone who has Automatonophobia (a fear of anything that falsely represents a sentient being) my breathing got faster but luckily Jones lightened the situation with a brilliant reaction that left me wanting to see the scene again. 

No film is without negatives however and unfortunately Ghostbusters has a rather big one. The film feels like it has been edited to the simplest it can be with scenes seeming to cut short and characters reacting to lines either; never said or said in a different order. This editing left me disheartened at times because I wanted to see the things that had been taken out but the film did do well to try to make up for the editing by having glorious scenes like at the beginning, when the tour guide gets led down into the basement and the sounds and images come together to create a heart racing scene which left my hair standing on end or my favourite scene when McKinnon goes solo and has a breath taking, butt kicking fight scene that is probably the most satisfying scene I have seen all year (excluding Bucky flipping his bike in Civil War, of course).

Overall, I highly enjoyed the film and even though the editing did get annoying at points it was definitely worth the watch and I can't wait to watch it again.

Thanks for reading,

Haynes.

Snozzcumbers and Bonecrunchers

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of The BFG

A couple of weeks ago, I went to see Steven Spielberg's new feature, The BFG. I was excited to see a live action re-creation of a classic film which was created as a visualisation of one of Roald Dahl's many masterpieces. Unfortunately, my excitement didn't last long as the film had numerous flaws that I couldn't overlook. My opinion would have probably been different if it had been made by other people but for a Spielberg film distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures I was rather disappointed. 

The two main actors in this were Mark Rylance and Ruby Barnhill. Rylance played the wonderous BFG who brought a perfect performance to the screen which portrayed exactly what you would imagine of the already loved character. His take on the character warmed my heart as I saw the age and loneliness of the character in subtle eye movements and the innocence of the Giant easily came through the speech chosen which Rylance spoke with ease (speech that has affected my inability to speak properly more than before). I truly believed his adaptation. Barnhill played Sophie, a young orphan who gets swept away one night after gazing upon The Dream-catching giant (who she later names The Big Friendly Giant). For a young actor to perform to basically no-one is a hard thing to do so I do applaud her on that but there were moments which I felt were overplayed and very stiff. Appearance wise she was the most accurate Sophie to Quentin Blake's original drawings but on acting alone it seemed she was just reading straight from a script which left me emotionally disconnected from the character.

On to one of the biggest parts of the film, the animation. Each individual animation was beautiful and creative, throwing me deep into the world that Dahl had first created back in 1982. I have two favourite scenes from the film which of course incorporate the special effects. The first being when The BFG takes Sophie to Dream Country. This sequence incorporated colour and effects to create a phenomenal picture. The Dream Tree actually stood beneath water creating a trick of the eye that could only be thought of in a dream. The dreams themselves where balls of light that could transform into the images seen within their individual stories. As someone who deeply enjoys deep colours in films, this scene has really become an inspiration for me because it took such a simple idea and made it sensational. The other scene which left me speechless was when The BFG shows Sophie how he makes the dreams that he places in people's minds. The scene lasted what felt like at least 5 minutes and again the colours were the most prominent part. Images of children dancing and soldiers parachuting into jars filled the screen and I just sat there grinning from ear to ear with joy. 

Of course, there were moments which the animation did waiver slightly. For instance, whenever The BFG picked Sophie up, you could almost see the tracking shots which were used to make it look like the young girl was being carried. Having said this, I do appreciate how hard it is to animate a film like this so it was something I could look past.

While the entire plot wasn't really my "cup of tea", and I did feel like it was more suited to the younger generation (both understanding and rather upsetting for someone who wishes to stay young at heart forever), there were funny moments which did succeed in making me laugh. The main one was when Sophie and The BFG attend breakfast with the Queen of England (Elizabeth II). As the giant is... well... a giant, he is given a pitch fork and a sword to eat his food. The small comical touches were perfect and really brought the scene together nicely and allowed me to really understand what it would be like if a giant just so happened to find itself dining in Buckingham Palace.

Overall, I enjoyed the look of the film and of course the plot is amazing as ever (but that is more thanks to Roald Dahl more so than the film creators). I just believe that if Barnhill was a little more convincing in her role of Sophie I would have enjoyed everything about the film and want to watch it again but unfortunately it is not going far up on my list of favourite 2016 movies.

Thank you for reading,

Haynes.

The long game.

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of Now you see me 2

What a delight it was to watch Now you see me 2. 

Firstly, I want to say I have a Cineworld unlimited card (not sponsored I just think it is one of the best investments you can make) and it allows for you to see as many films as you want for just under £17 a month. Having the ability to see two films and then anything after that being technically free, has resulted in me watching the same film numerous times. 

In terms of Now You see me 2, I watched it for the first time last week and then again last night. I have to say, this is the type of film where the second time you watch it the more you find and understand. Also, I love having the opportunity to have watched a film and taken in the plot and then return to the film a little while later (still on the big screen) and look at how it is made, any obvious mistakes or just if there are Easter eggs to discover. Now you see me 2 definitely has these small enigma codes (puzzles waiting to be solved) and hidden gems to make a second viewing glorious.

This film takes place a year after the first movie's final act; there are now 3 horsemen, due to Fisher being pregnant at the time of filming. The three remaining guys are joined by newcomer Lula (who I enjoyed in terms of both; a character and the actor herself and her influence on the film). Freeman's character is still in jail and Ruffalo still plays the "oblivious FBI agent" (not for long). The film sees The Horsemen return to the public scene and try to ruin yet another exploitative company (quite a lot like the previous film). However, things don't go to plan and they end up in Macau working for a science obsessed individual who has the power to give the team their lives back. In the end, all is well. The magicians trick the bad guys, pulling off a stunning illusion that ends with them finally meeting The Eye.

The first time I watched this I was confused and trying my hardest to work out how they did it but of course like all magic tricks, you look too closely and think you know what is going on when in reality you are looking in completely the wrong place. Each moment was a small trick to make you think you understand, then when all is revealed you are left speechless wondering what everything you saw in the past 2 hours meant. The second time round, I made sure to listen to everything and see everything. I heard the hidden messages when they were escaping through the tube and I paid close attention to what was said during the small illusions in London. For instance, Jesse Eisenberg's character performs the rain trick (at what you are not meant to know as The University of Greenwich) at the end of that scene just before he "does a Dynamo" he says something along the lines of "I did this trick with strobe lights and rain effects which you should remember for our big finale". In hearing this for a second time I knew exactly what it meant and sat there grinning with anticipation.

In addition, the second screening allowed me to see things that I was previously confused about or just missed completely. During the robbery of the computer chip, I didn't understand why no-one cared that the alarms went off when they were leaving. Now I realise, no-one thought anything of it because it was just as the wallet was being passed through the machine (which would alert the machine by itself) that the card was also thrown. Now, there is still one thing I can't seem to understand about that scene. Why would you keep passing the card to someone who hadn't been searched yet? Surely, you would wait till one person had been searched and then give it to the safe person? I just felt like the whole sequence was put in to add something to the film which, don't get me wrong it did, but it kind of defeated the whole point of the scene which was to steal the card without being caught. 

More little bits that I loved were seeing "epacse" written on Dylan's watch (which of course is "escape" backwards). This little message not only indicated to Dylan that he could use the watch to escape later on but also it hints to the audience that Dylan will be able to escape. Also, in the Aeroplane scene, Lula can be heard saying something about being thrown out of the plane which then comes true as the scene plays out. 

Overall, I deeply enjoyed this film, with its clever plot line and all its hidden messages. Personally, I preferred this film to the first but then again the two films are completely different. One was about the magician's shows but two was a more behind the scenes look at how the tricks are created. Finally, I would like to document here that a week before watching this for the first time, I was in Greenwich. I stood where Jesse Eisenberg disappeared into the water and where Dave Franco confused passers by in a market; just being where they stood makes me love the film even more.

Thank you for reading,
Haynes.