Film 83 - The Equalizer

The Equalizer - 27/09/2014

After their amazing team up in Training Day, Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua join forces in The Equalizer.  Based on the TV series starring Ewar Woowar (Edward Woodard without the D's), Denzel is a normal, easy going guy with a past and someone you do not want to cross.

When Chloe Grace Mortiz's lady of the night character is brutally beaten by her Russian pimp, Denzel goes to pay him a visit and ends up starting a Russian Mafia vendetta that keeps going further up the line of command.

I did enjoy The Equalizer, but think that there could have been a good 30 to 40 mins cut from it.  It felt like it could have been a TV show and split over 4 or 5 40 minute episodes.  It seems as thought the Director had a bucket load of ideas and just kept throwing them in. 

The climax in the Home Depot had remnants of an early 80's horror movie, with all power tools being used as weapons, but the film had gone on far too long at this point.

The Equalizer himself, gets involved in far too many cases for the main plot to progress smoothly enough, but then when it does pick up the plot again it is great fun.  The Russian Clean Up man is brutal and makes a great bad guy, but the henchmen must have been bought from Generic Henchmen.com, they are stereotypical and just fodder.

Clare and I had booked our little puppy in for a hair cut, and were getting close to the appointment time.  I could feel the end of the film coming so said to Clare, it will only be 10 mins at least.  30 minutes later the end was still coming and we were subsequently late for Chewie's cut.

Film 82 - Before I Go To Sleep

 Before I go to Sleep - 20/09/2014

I am a sucker for a good thriller, and especially an amnesiac thriller.  

Nicole Kidman awakes in her bed but not in the body she thought she had, waking up next to a person she does not recognise.  Apparently, according to Colin Firth, this is how she has woken up for the past 14 years after a terrible accident she cannot retain memories from one day to the next but remembers everything up until her fateful night.  Each morning, Colin Firth has to explain who he is, how they got married and other shocking revelations that surface as the film progresses.

Then there is Mark Strong, a doctor who rings her every morning, after Colin goes to work, to let her know that she is keeping a video diary every day and hides this away from her husband.

As the film progresses you start to question everyone's motives.  Why is the doctor always meeting in low-lit car parks, why is the husband always revealing something new that seems insignificant at the start.

The three leading actors all do a perfectly fine job, and the story is very interesting, with a few good twists and turns along the way (as with all thrillers, so no spoiler there), the last 5 minutes are a little daft, but they can be forgiven.

A decent amnesiac thriller, not up there with the likes of Memento, but good at what it sets out to do.

Watching the trailers before the film, the new trailer for Annabelle was shown.  Clare was freaked out by this trailer, as were several others in the audience.  In the trailer there is a scary sequence with a small girl running at the screen.  At 2am, Clare decided to nudge me and wake me from my slumber only to tell me, "The little girl wants to come in" and then roll over and go back to sleep.  That is one thing I didn't want to hear 'before I go to sleep'.

Film 81 - A Most Wanted Man

A Most Wanted Man - 19/09/2014

When Half Chechen, Half Russian Issa Karpov seeks asylum in Hamburg after an undisclosed torture the German and American Intelligence Agencies become anxious to his actual means and cause.  Based on the John Le Carr book this film is a far from an interesting, exciting and tense film you can imagine.  I found myself nearly dozing at many points, and struggled to keep my eyes open.

Due to Philip Seymor Hoffman's untimely passing I feel this feel will receive more positive praise than it is actually due, and I may be called for not being sophisticated enough to understand the underlying subtext of the film, but I am sorry, it was just plain boring.

The ending to the film is really weak, really anti climatic, in fact it doesn't really end, just stops.

I was hoping for a Bourne film or something similar, what I got was a a stale film trying to be something it is not.

Film 80 - Pride

Pride - 18/09/2014

Set during the Miner's Strike in 1984, a group of gay men and one lesbian form the L.G.S.M. (Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) to help raise funds and provide food.  Based on the year and stereotypical view, the gay group are initially not well received.  Set in a little mining village in South Wales, the locals are not too accommodating when the LGSM turn up with their donation, but when the group realise that they are there to help with no prejudice, and have been on the receiving end of abuse for many years a kinship is formed.

What sounds to be a grim and political film is actually a delight to watch.  Pride balances the tones perfectly.  It is endearingly heartwarming, laugh out loud funny and heart string pullingly perfect.  I sat for pretty much most of the film with a smile on my face, there were times a little tear may have formed as well.  The Female Welsh Choir was definitely one of those moments that really tugged the heart strings.  One of the "Gays" takes a moment to show the "Miner" blokes what they are missing by just standing at the bar and not dancing.  Again, a moment of brilliance that I felt like punching the air, cheering, by the end.

Pride, to sound a little cliche, makes you feel really proud, proud to be British.  Clare and I watched this film on the day that Scotland were voting for their independence, and I think films like this make you realise that together we are a really strong nation.

It is a well scripted and enjoyably acted film with the likes of Paddy Considine, Joe Gigun and Bill Nighy too name the big actors.  The supporting cast is just as lovable, "Dai, your gays have arrived!" is just a brilliant line.

Every character is given enough screen time for you to actually care about them, and actually caring about them gives the story more impact. 

If you enjoy British films and especially Brassed Off, Dagenham or Full Monty then this is a film you will love.

Show your British Pride and go and watch, and when it comes out on DVD or Netflix, watch again

Film 79 - The Hundred-Foot Journey

The Hundred-Foot Journey - 13/09/2014

When we went to watch Chef, I learnt a valuable lesson; if you are going to the cinema to watch a film which the main focus is food....eat before!

100ft Journey sees Om Puri's family trekking across Europe to find the perfect restaurant location to open the "Maison Mumbai" helmed by his son, Hassan, who is a culinary guru.  Just 100ft across the street is a Michelin star restaurant ran by the ever changing accent of Helen Mirren that previously has had no equal.

100ft Journey is an easy to watch film, but it does drag it's feet a little in the middle.  It does exactly what it says on the tin and is an unoriginal, predictable story.  Saying that though, I did enjoy it.

Helen Mirren's chefs are not interviewed but simply have to cook an omelette for her.  If she likes it from the first taste then the chef is hired.  The morning after I was inspired and cooking omelettes for my lovely wife, she approved!

Om Puri steals every scene he is in and is fabulous to watch, his son Hassan is believable as the Michelin seeking chef.  Helen Mirren's accent, as previously mentioned, is all over the place and I am sure she started speaking Welsh at one point.  The love interest is played well.

If you fancy a brain off, easy to watch film then 100ft Journey could be on the list, just make sure you order in a curry or frogs legs before hand.

Film 78 - As Above, So Below

As Above, So Below - 10/09/2014

Back in 2005, my cousin James and I convinced my life-long friend to join us at the cinema to watch "The Descent".  We told her it was a period drama about the descent in to madness.  What we watched was a terrifying, claustrophobic masterpiece that still holds strong today.  Characters you care about and an environment that felt so tight and cramp that there are times you struggle to breathe.  I am also proud to say that I have not seen the sequel (not made by Neil Marshall)

Back to 2014, and I am sat contemplating the lack of decent horror films this year, hoping that my next film, As Above, So Below would redeem the year.

Done as a found footage film, again, a group of explorers, spelunkers, and archaeologists descend into the catacombs of Paris in search of a mysterious stone which legends says is found a the entrance to the gates of Hell.

AA,SB takes a good 40 minutes to set up characters and back story, but I struggled to care about most of the team or their reasons.  The location is definitely creepy and there are real moments of claustrophobia.  As for scares, pretty much all of then are shown in the trailer, so by the time I came to watch the full film there was nothing much left.  I seem to remember only one real jump which came from the "F.E.A.R Alma and her ladders" book of scares.

With all found footage there has to be a reason to keep filming instead of just dumping the camera and running.  As each person's head light is fitted with a camera this problem is mainly dealt with well, however there is also a camera man documenting the expedition carrying round a HUGE camera despite crawling through squeeze holes and dropping down shafts.  Surely there would be a point that you would just leave it behind.

AA,SB is not a bad film, it does what it sets out to do, but there are definitely better attempts out there.