It was a quiet month of cinema visits. The nice weather proving to be too much of an attraction. Altogether I managed to fit in a massive SIX films! And three of them were actually released in June. Oh dear...
World War Z, Man of Steel, This is the End, The World's End, The Wolverine and finally The Internship.
Disappointing. I'm not just talking about such a measly number of films but the films themselves. I had high hopes for many of these films but left the cinema underwhelmed mostly. So here are a couple of stand out opinions of my own.
Most Disappointing - The Wolverine
The Wolverine was supposed to be 'the film' fans were waiting for after the last disappointing Wolverine film (X-Men Origins: Wolverine). For me it definitely wasn't - with a silly and CG heavy third act, a slow second act and a love story which felt crow-barred in (perhaps for the ladies?) - it was another mediocre Wolverine film.
Don't get me wrong, there were some great parts that grabbed your attention sometimes: Yukio, a flame-haired mutant with some wicked moves, who proved to be a handy sidekick to 'grumpy old man' Logan (she could have done with a bit more screen time after being ungraciously dumped when Logan ran off with Mariko); a fracas taking place upon the roof of a speeding bullet train; some wonderfully choreographed samurai fight scenes: and of course the backdrop of Japan, ranging from the neon streets of Tokyo to the serene landscapes around Nagasaki.
All the things mentioned above made this one better than the 'Origins' film, however it's not the 'brilliant and exciting' film I was expecting it to be.
Pleasantly Surprised - The Internship
Product placement (or product harassment in this case maybe?) aside, The Internship was smart, warm and kept the laughs going throughout. Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson reunited eight years after Wedding Crashers and the double act pull off the 'all-conquering misfits' well. Surrounded by a great supporting cast, and the obligatory cameos, this comedy is great for lifting the spirits and giving a few belly laughs.
Google play a major part in the film and prove themselves to be good for a laugh too. Although it's hard to believe the outcome, except that they had to give it the Hollywood ending didn't they?
And now a quick run down of the other films this month.
World War Z - The trailer did not do much for me with all the CG zombies however in the film they played a much smaller part which was good. I could see two main story arcs in WWZ - the human and the zombies - one of which was left a bit open (I presume for a sequel that is now in the works) and the other which was given the typical happy Hollywood ending. I did enjoy picking out the scenes filmed in Glasgow though!
Man of Steel - Having heard many less than complementary reviews of this film from friends I wasn't expecting too much going in, however I actually enjoyed most of it. The final act seemed a bit much (was there anything of Metropolis left?) with the two super-beings facing off, which meant the human element of the story was lost between the rubble and, I assume, body parts. Michael Shannon played the different take on General Zod very well and was a highlight for me.
This is the End - A fun and chaotic ride through the burning Hollywood hills and stars. With everyone playing an over-the-top version of themselves it wasn't hard to believe the concept at the start. Got a bit silly (more so than usual) into the third act however a certain dance routine brought it all back together at the end! I enjoyed this immensely as a leave your brain at the door
The World's End - Another one I was slightly disappointed with although perhaps I was expecting too much considering my love of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. This film is tonally very different from the others in this loose trilogy and the third act was weird, to say the least, with a climax that was both a little disturbing and sobering (ironic, as most of the film is based on a pub crawl). It was still filled with pop culture galore and certain scenes were reminiscent of early work including Spaced.
Title Film - Slow Burn (2005)
Starring Ray Liotta, LL Cool J, Mekhi Phifer and Jolene Blalock.
A district attorney is involved i a 24-hour showdown with a gang leader and is, at the same time, being manipulated by an attractive assistant district attorney and a cryptic stranger.
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