So clearly books get quite the bit of attention from me here and it's literally been years since I properly recommended or reviewed a movie, which is crazy because just as I love allowing myself and my imagination to disappear into the worlds the written word conjures up, I also love the total sensory and emotional surrender you get when you go to the cinema.
Seriously, considering my love of story is great enough to allow me to be enamored by random internet urban legends (see: Slender Man) and games backstories (see: pretty much any backdrop and history for any video game, even those I don't play which, let's be honest, is pretty much most of them), one of my favourite things in the world is getting to sit in that darkened movie theatre and just enjoy incredible stories, amazing performances, the most beautifully composed scores, awesome cinematography and, where it fits, well crafted special effects.
So far this year, I've only seen a few movies at the cinema (oh, Schmoes and other movie hoes, how I envy the sheer number of movies you get to see) but I've enjoyed each and every one. Funnily enough, as I tried to remember what else I'd seen this 2016 it also occurred to me that I went with the absolute perfect people to see each film which only made them more enjoyable.
Eddie The Eagle
What a fun movie! As a fan of Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman (more so after following the Eddie press junkets - what a ridiculously charming pair), I was really looking forward to this movie and I love that it introduced me to a person I'd never heard of before. In '88, I was in kindergarten and I don't recall even caring about the Olympics, let alone the Winter Olympics (and I certainly didn't watch the news, my childhood self shudders at the notion). Jackman has made numerous comments about how well-loved Michael 'Eddie' Edwards was in Australia at the time, but that all flew right over my head so learning about him and his dogged persistence and dedication was really enjoyable and this movie paid him lovely tribute. He even thinks so himself which is a credit to both actors and to Dexter Fletcher who manned the helm on this. Yeah that's right, Spike from Press Gang directed this movie, a fact which only added to my 80s nostalgia watching it.
'You don't have to win to be a winner' is a line Hugh Jackman's credited to a friend who saw the movie and repeatedly mentioned in interviews when drawing out the heart of the movie. Spot on. Eddie Edwards was a dreamer who really fought for his chance to compete in the Olympics and then took on the challenge and all its subsequent challenges with seriousness and dedication. For him, it wasn't about being the best, something he may never be (and ultimately many of us will never be). It was about doing the thing he loved and really giving it the best go he could possibly give.
Yes, this movie definitely had its sports movie cliche moments - the comedic fumbles, the uplifting speeches, the fun training montage - however as many reviewers before myself have said, Eddie the Eagle embraced its light-hearted ambitions to simply entertain you with a great sportsy story. I loved the fact that Fletcher enlisted actual artists from the 80s to bring to life a wonderfully 80s synth-embued score and I loved that he was so intent on taking us on the ski jumps with his crazy shots from atop the different heights, making seeing it in the cinema so much more worthwhile. And of course, the relationship between Eddie and Bronson was made all the more fun thanks to Egerton and Jackman's clear delight in each other's work and company. Seeing this with Ma and my sisters was a great cherry topper because it was definitely a great family flick that was both entertaining and inspiring.
Do I rate? Should I rate? If I could, I'd probably give it a good 4 1/2 out of 5 stars because it was what it was, it loved what it was and I loved it for that.
Captain America: Civil War
The question of responsibility for all the innocent lives lost in every battle is an important one thus the notion of a force being put in place to reign in the Avengers makes absolute sense but at the same time, Steve's doubts as to the integrity of such a force are also completely understandable and these conflicts help to blur the lines between a clear good and bad side in the story. They all have reasons and they all have a point and in the end, they just have to fight for what they think is right and you can't not feel for everyone involved. Every single character in this movie made me give a damn about who they were and what they were trying to do and I was drawn in from beginning to end. Tony's guilt, Steve's love for his friend and everyone around him, Bucky's battle with himself, alongside everyone else's fear, anger and loss pulled this movie far above its (genuinely fantastic) action. Seriously, brilliantly written and excellently acted.
I'll rein in more gush as I could go on a lot longer but to run through moments of brilliance - the recruitment of the teams (bless you. Paul Rudd, my gosh, your addition to this franchise just makes me happy... and Peter Parker!), Bruhl (yes, a second mention - I love this guy), the airport sequence and of course, the revelation about Tony's parents which killed me to watch. I've been a fan of RDJ since the 80s so my faith in his acting is fairly solid and this scene punched me square in the gut.
This one was a happy 5/5 for me. I understand the questions a lot of people have regarding the plot and the motives, particularly Zemo, but it all worked for me so I was thoroughly entertained.
X-Men: Apocalypse
Straight off the bat, the movie has some definite flaws. The pacing often dragged and somehow the cheese felt a bit more pronounced to me, not to take away from the moments of genuine dramatic weight (Fassbender, what an actor), but at times the dialogue definitely had my face scrunching. I was also surprisingly not too impressed by Jennifer Lawrence in this. I wouldn't go so far to say that she was bad this time around, but her acting felt oddly stilted at times and particularly compared to the last two movies.
That said, the comedic moments were enjoyable and overall, I didn't walk away let down. There are some really great sequences and the opening was impressively done. While a particularly frustrating plot point comes in the form of Moira's part in Apocalypse's resurrection, it's easy to let go. I loved the introductions of the future X-Men and Quiksilver being back in the picture was outright fun and made for an awesome scene. It's admittedly weird seeing him as two different actors in two different movies and I have to say, I take Evan Peters' go over Aaron Johnson's though I'm curious what heftier comic fans think of it. And of course, Apocalypse's defeat came in the form of an event that I straight up loved as an X-Men fan.
I'd say about a 3/5 because despite the flaws, my friend and I still enjoyed it and as a fan of the old cartoons, it served up enough to delight.
At this point, Ant-Man is just about to finish as I type - a movie I finally caught on Netflix and am so glad I got to see just before seeing Civil War because it wasn't just entertaining as hell, it also made Ant-Man's part in the movie so much more enjoyable for me. Oh, and go Anna Akana! Loved her bit at the end. Yep, loved this movie. Marvel does some excellent comedy and Paul Rudd plays some excellent Scott Lang.
Another rec that comes to mind that I didn't necessarily see in the cinema would have to be Straight Outta Compton (O'Shea Jackson et al killed this movie and the beat drop at the Detroit concert is now one of my favourite movie moments ever). I'm sure there was a fair amount of gloss over but the story remained compelling and of course, there was the music.
In terms of upcoming movies, there are a good few I definitely want to check out. Independence Day: Resurgence is something I do not intend to miss. The original may have been a 90s movie to the core, but that part of me is definitely up for whatever stories remain of that world. I'm a little uncertain about Suicide Squad at this point, but if the opportunity arises, I would happily check it out. I'm still yet to see quite a lot of this year's Oscarbait - Room, The Big Short and Spotlight are all high on my list and on the more family-friendly end of things, I'm definitely geared to see Finding Dory and the live action Beauty and the Beast (such excellent casting!).
In other words, it looks to be a fun year.
