Update

So I was meant to be going to see Bill today but that didn't pan out so I cant bring my review of that to you guys.
I'll probably do a piece on theme tunes tomorrow.

Thanks for the patience
Joe

What Movies Can Learn From Metal Gear Solid 5

For those of you that are unaware, the video game Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain was released a couple weeks back and the cut scenes are glorious. Each cut scene is done in one sweeping, dynamic shot. Quite a lot like Birdman.

However that's where the similarities to Birdman end. Whilst in that movie they moved and then stayed almost static then moved again, in MGS 5 they are constantly on the move and zooming around the place to give amazing camera shots.

These camera shots are especially amazing during the action, whipping around the environment and showing it from wides, peoples perspectives and various other angles and adds a new level of dynamic-ness that I have never personally seen in a video game cut scene.


This is where the film industry can learn something, normally action in big budget films nowadays is too shaky and edited into oblivion resulting in something that is barely cohesive and incredibly difficult to understand. Possibly the worst example of this ever is the final fight scene in the movie 'Alex Cross'. The entire thing is just a mess that doesn't make any sense at all. ( I will link it below)

If a movie like that just took part of the Metal Gear Solid 5 cut scene philosophy everyone would have a much nicer time, the director, the editor and us, the audience.
Just imagine if movies with good direction to start with started to do longer flowing shots, they would be absolutely beautiful.  For instance if Sam Mendes, an already superb film maker, started to do longer shots for the new Bond movie Spectre, it would be a triumph.


So listen up film makers of Hollywood, stop editing your movies into oblivion and start utilizing the long and even super-long shot. It will make all our lives better, less shooting, less editing, better final product. I rest my case!



Thanks for reading my thoughts on this topic and if any of you are video game player and haven't picked up MGS 5, what are you waiting for!  Its superb.

Link to Alex Cross fight scene:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc_tv86pXZQ



-Joe

P.S I know dynamic-ness isn't a word but I thought it fit well.

Everest: The Spectacle Movie of 2015

Like Gravity was last year, Everest is almost definitely going to the THE spectacle movie for 2015. By that I mean it isn't necessarily the best movie of the year and probably wont win any Oscars (except maybe some technical ones) but it is worth seeing just for the sheer awe of what is presented on screen.

The visuals are what make this movie, the wide shots of Everest are magnificent and literally sent chills up my spine. The cinematography is also done in such a way that the audience really gets a feel for the scale of the mountain to make it seem bone-chillingly high. There are also some amazing shots over crevasses that would give even the best person vertigo, I saw it in 3D as well which only heightened the experience with great depth and crispness to the picture.
The CGI also blends into the movie seamlessly and not once did I question the legitimacy of what I was seeing, be it the peak of Everest or a gigantic snowstorm.


Most of the actors do a good job as well conveying the hardships that one has to go though to actually climb that monster with the best performance given by Josh Brolin (No Country for Old Men, W). He really convinced me that he was this ageing guy who probably wasn't in the best shape to climb Everest and he dealt with the emotional parts well.
Another surprise performance was from Jason Clarke (Terminator: Genysis, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) who I'm not normally a fan of but I thought he handled the part of the group leader Rob very well and was really believable as a man that puts his whole being into keeping these people safe on the mountain.
There were however some not-so good performances in it. Mainly Emily Watson as Helen Wilton, at no point throughout the movie was she convincing, especially during the emotional climax as she spoke with really fake emotional tones in her voice. It was like mediocre stage acting for most of her performance.
Another disappointment came from Jake Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler, Southpaw), not because he was bad in the part, because he never is, but more down to the fact that his character was quite one-dimensional. In fact this is a problem that most of the characters share, while their motivations are clear they never cross the realm from movie character to a real people, which is quite ironic as it is  true story.
I think this is down to the fact that it focuses on so many people, if it had cut down the main characters to about 4 or 5 they could have been a lot more developed making my emotional attachment to them stronger.


Another complaint with this movie, is that since most of it is just set in snow the visuals, whilst spectacular, do get a bit too samey towards the end which subsequently make the movie feel about quarter of an hour too long and a bit fatiguing.  The score didn't do too much to help either. While it wasn't bad it just wasn't memorable either and just blended into the film instead of standing out.

Overall I think that Everest is a well shot and respectfully made biopic/thriller that is worth a watch in cinemas in 3D for the visuals alone but its not something worth buying on Blu-ray or DVD.


Hope you enjoyed another review guys, not sure what my next post will be about, comments with ideas would be useful. Thanks.

-Joe

Best of the Summer: My Picks

Hello again, sorry it has been a long time but a lot of things have gotten in the way of me posting something and to be honest I just got a bit lazy about it.

Anyways, I'm back now with my top 5 movies of the summer, lets jump in at No.5.

Number 5:
Avengers: Age of Ultron.

This movie had a lot to live up to being the sequel to the 4th highest grossing movie of all time (just beaten this summer to the number 3 slot but Jurassic World) and the movie that has essential caused the expansion in modern cinema.
Sadly it wasn't as good as the original due to the fact that its cultural impact has been virtually non-existent so far and also that it had some pretty critical flaws.
One such flaw was it's pacing, it was way too fast, events in the film just kept developing so fast it didn't leave enough time for you to really take in what was going on, which in turn caused somewhat a disconnect between what was happening on screen and the viewer.

The main villain, Ultron, was a missed opportunity as well, he had a good backstory and very interesting character traits that could have made him truly terrifying but because of how much was crammed into the run time (no thanks to that cave section with Thor the studio executives wanted so badly) that he never had enough development to really live up to his comic book counterpart.

However despite these flaws, Age of Ulton was a vastly entertaining movie with exciting action, razor-sharp dialogue and the best character interactions of the series. It also made a surprise hit out of Hawkeye which was a welcome surprise.
  

Number 4:
Ant-Man

In at number 4 we have another Marvel flick, Ant-Man.
As lots of people know, this move went through lots of troubled development and even changing directors half way through and yet still managed to produce a fantastic movie and what I deem to be one of the best Marvel movies yet.
It is a much smaller story that previous phase 2 Marvel movies which really works well with the themes and lets the excellent characters shine.
Paul Rudd is great as Scott Lang, although doesn't get quite enough of his signature humor in there. The real star was Micheal Pena as Luis and really stole most of the laughs.

The villain of Yellow Jack however is sadly forgettable in the sea of excellent characters but other than that no real major complaints, to see more go to my full review for Ant-Man.


Number 3:
Mission Impossible: Rouge Nation

This movie is pretty much the epitome of a fun action blockbuster. Its action is absolutely top notch, sometimes a bit heavy on CGI however, and while the plot may be the same sort of thing that is in every spy movie these days, it doesn't even matter because the real core of this movie is its characters.

The stand out point to this movie would be Rebecca Ferguson as Ilsa Faust. She commands every scene she is in and has tonnes of charisma, even to the point where she can somewhat steal the limelight from Tom Cruise when they are both on screen.
This movie also has excellent pacing and manages to be packed with awesome stunts and still be able to build to a climactic ending that is incredibly suspenseful and even though you know the heroes are going to win, you do doubt it at some points.

There are a few downsides though, such as the previously mentioned over use of CGI in certain scenes that I feel could have been accomplished practically and the somewhat lackluster plot but it's just too much damn fun to care about those things.



Number 2:
Inside Out

Possibly a surprising entry to this list but it was what I would consider only one of two outstanding movies we have had this summer.
It was a very thoughtful story exploring the emotions of a growing child that pretty much anybody over a certain age can relate too somewhat.
Normally with Pixar movies I feel the message is hammered home to viciously to make the kids understand but in Inside Out it was subtly conveyed through one conversation and a few visuals in the ending of the movie.

It is also a fantastic looking movie, the colours are vibrant and the worlds are imaginative. The characters are well designed and have good depth and personality and there interactions are just joyous. The story also builds up well to a finale that is genuinely emotional and makes you just yearn for these characters to be able to work it all out, in a movie where the outcome is obvious that is some powerful film making.

I can only think of a few downsides to this film, but they are more personal preference than anything else really.
For one I thought that Sadness was annoying and secondly the fact it was a kids film meant the events had to move too quickly to keep them interested and it was just a bit tiring most of the time and I just yearned for a slower bit I could catch my breath in.
These don't detract from the film too much and don't stop it being a amazing adventure that anyone in the family can enjoy.

Oh the mini-movie that comes before is utter garbage though.



Number 1:
Mad Max: Fury Road

How can it not be. Action. Stunts. Explosions. Eye-popping visuals. This movie has everything.
Some have complained about the lack of plot however, and whilst I can see why people are saying that I for one think its perfect. It sets up the scene for the beautiful action and lets the characters flourish with what little dialogue they have (which was also a great choice). And throughout the movie things keep developing to keep it moving along at a brisk pace.

One of the less talked about scenes is the one at the end of the second act where the action has stopped and the characters are just talking. I personally think this is the greatest scene in the movie as it gives so much depth to the characters and give a breather from the relentless violence. It also makes the action scene following it more intense as you are now even more invested in it due to your connection to Furiosa, Max etc being heightened by the previous scene.

The use of almost all practical effects was also a genius move, it give the car wrecks real weight and gravitas that wouldn't have been possible if it was CGI. I also makes the movie look a whole lot better, especially with the bright shader that has been placed over the majority of the shots.

Overall this is a pretty much a flawless movie and I can't recommend it enough. GO SEE IT!

I'm going to leave a link to a video i found very interesting about the cinematography of Fury Road, it's and interesting watch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wCrdINidls



Hope you guys enjoyed the new post, sorry about the wait. I'm hoping to do these more often again now, my next post will either be about Legend or Everest.

Thanks for reading!


-Joe