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.

So many death jokes.

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of The Secret Life of Pets

I do have to say this year feels like The Year of Animals with films like; Zootropolis, Finding Dory, Sing, Angry Birds, Ice Age 5, Kung Fu Panda 3, and of course The Secret Life of Pets. All of these are trying to be their own cog in the bigger clock and it is beginning to feel a bit samey. Nevertheless, out of the ones I have seen I've laughed and cried and I have definitely been entertained.

Before I begin this review, I would like to say I am not the biggest fan of animated movies; I would much rather go and watch a live action film. However, I did thoroughly enjoy The Secret Life of Pets. In three words, I would say it was entertaining, amusing and accurate. Each animal had the typical traits you would expect, from the dogs obsessing over balls and the cats sitting anywhere they can fit (Chloe sits in a small bowl at one point). 

This film sees a terrier named Max's world turn upside down as his owner brings home a new dog. This new dog happens to be Giant. His name is Duke and at first the two animals don't get along. After a series of events the pair get sucked into the sewers where a cult of neglected animals plan to take over the world. These animals don't like pets so Duke and Max become the enemy and the adventure ensues ending with, of course, a happy ending where Max and Duke are friends and the, once evil, bunny finds a loving home. Now you are probably thinking, that sounds like every other family adventure movie out there (which it is) but what I really enjoyed about this film was the individual characteristics displayed by the animals. Nothing was left out, just like Zootropolis finally put headphones into the animals ears, this film showed exactly what dogs do when they see a squirrel in a tree. Bark at it until it goes away. 

To review an animated film, in my opinion, is much harder than to review a live action one. With live action you are physically seeing the acting and the effects but with a film like this all you can really talk about is plotline, voices and detail. To me, the plot line was cliche and I feel like there was way too much mention of death. I know in our day and age we have become desensitized to the notion but to use it as a means for a laugh in a children's film, I find, is slightly inappropriate. I mean did that snake really have to be crushed 4 times? Also, when Duke found out about his owner it didn't upset me or emotionally connect me to the character because I had seen it coming from the overwhelming amount of times death had been mentioned.

In terms of the animation itself, it was amazing; not to as high a standard as Zootropolis but then again The Walt Disney Company is the God of all animation and detail. Having said this, I did really like how the hair on each animal made it seem like you could feel the animals texture just by looking at them. Also, there was a moment when the animals are driving a bus around the city and on the back is a poster for Sing (a nod to the upcoming film by the same name). Acting wise, the voice actors matched their respective animals perfectly and Kevin Hart as Snowball was deeply amusing and I have never related with a character so much. Cute and fluffy on the outside, deadly on the inside.

Overall, I found the movie fun and entertaining but I definitely believe it's for the younger generation who won't understand the death jokes and instead just see the exciting adventure that is wrapped up in this 90 minute animation. 

Thank you for reading,
Haynes.

Unicorn loving, butt kicking CIA agent.

*WARNING SPOILERS*

A review of Central Intelligence

My last review was a rather negative one on the sequel to Independence Day but luckily this film was honestly a delight to watch so my review today will be positive... I promise. 

As soon as the film began I was hooked into the title sequence that showed code and hacking abilities which would later become a prominent part of the narrative. To be honest, I wasn't thinking this film was going to be much, maybe a couple of laughs here and there but I couldn't have been more wrong. I rarely laugh out loud in cinemas because I don't like to annoy those around me but the jokes that were coming from the characters were perfectly times and truly witty. 

Central Intelligence sees two high school "friends" reunite after 20 years to solve an international conspiracy. Dwayne Johnson played Unicorn loving, butt kicking CIA agent Bob Stone, while Kevin Hart took on the role of an innocent Accountant (Calvin Joyner) who felt like a disappointment. After Joyner accepts Stone's Facebook invitation the accountant turned CIA accomplice gets mixed up with a plot to sell dangerous information to the highest bidder. 

I have always loved Kevin Hart's comedy and he definitely didn't disappoint in this film. If he wasn't verbally making a joke he was displaying comedic expressions through his face and body. Timing is everything when it comes to comedy and they really hit the nail on the head. Whenever a joke occurred it would take a few milliseconds for you to understand and then when you did the laughing began. While I walked into that theatre fully aware of Hart's comedic palette, I was not expecting Johnson to be as funny as he was. Again he performed brilliantly and I loved how one minute he could seem sweet and innocent talking about 16 Candles and the next moment he is kicking the arse's of jerks that try and stand up to him. In addition, whenever he was doing any action sequences he usually did it with a big grin on his face and constantly pumping out humorous remarks. 

Talking of action sequences, I didn't realise they were going to be as good as they were. I thought they would centre in on the comedic side and leave out any actual action. Again, I was wrong. From bar fights to explosions. The action and comedy was perfectly mixed to create great scenes that I shan't forget. One moment that was perfect was just after Stone had been tortured; he went to high five Joyner on their bold escape but Joyner wasn't greeted with a high five, instead a broken finger. Johnson's character didn't think much about it and just put it back into place (all while smiling). Hart's reaction to the prosthetic trick was priceless and got many laughs and gasps from those around me.

I want to end this review on a high note so I am going to say the negatives now. I know, I promised for positivity but this wouldn't be a complete review without criticism. I didn't dislike much, I have to say, but there were two things that bugged me. At the beginning of the film Johnson's character is only 16 years old and going by his birth name Robbie Weirdicht. As The Rock is 44 years old, and really can't pass off as a 16 year old like Kevin Hart can, special effects were used to superimpose Johnson's face onto Vine star Sione Kelepi. Now, yes, I know how hard it is to do immaculate CG animation but I just felt that what was shown didn't really draw me into the younger version of the character as much as I wanted. 

Furthermore, I love a good plot twist, as much as the next person but the amount of times I have seen a partner die in a Spy film and then be brought back to life is disheartening. As soon as his fake guts splattered the elevator door I said to myself "Yeah he isn't dead". Also, it being Aaron Paul basically confirmed the twist as he is a rather big actor who wouldn't have been invited onto the film to do just a matter of seconds worth of acting. Having said this, Aaron Paul delivered a great performance and spoke a line that really made me laugh. If you know Paul you know he played Jesse Pinkman in the critically acclaimed Breaking Bad. Within that show, Paul gained a reputation for saying the word "bitch". If you ever hear someone doing an impression of Paul I can promise you they will say that taboo. Anyway, back to Central Intelligence. Near the end of the film a fight ensues and Paul's character says that famous line. A soft chuckle escaped my mouth as I understood the reference and a few others in the cinema joined me in this understanding. Of course, my mum (who knows nothing of the series) just looked at me like I was crazy. 

Now, I come to the end of the film. An actress that I think highly of, for her comedy and performances, is Melissa McCarthy and to my surprise in the reunion scene she played a previously mentioned character by the name of Darla. Unfortunately, she was uncredited but her performance was nothing less of what you would expect and it was a really nice surprise to see her in the film. 

Finally, the amount of references didn't stop at "bitch"; I lost count of how many times I laughed at a perfectly timed reference. However, there was one line which really stood out and made me and the rest of the cinema loudly proclaim our joy. In the last few minutes of the film. Joyner wears a suit and Stone turns to him and says "You look like a black Will Smith". It was such an unexpected, stupid line that it took a few seconds to grasp (like one of Tim Vine's puns) but when it hit I couldn't stop laughing.

Overall, I highly enjoyed this comedic masterpiece and I am contemplating going and seeing it again in the next few weeks. If you want to spend a couple of hours non stop laughing go and watch Central Intelligence, I promise you won't be disappointed.

Thank you for reading,

Haynes.