12 films of 2012

SO, with 2012 drawing to a close in a few hours, I felt that it would be a good chance to list my 12 films of 2012 (surprise surprise). In no particluar order:

1.The Dark Knight Rises
I think anyone who knows me understands my love for the caped crusader. With the huge success of The Dark Knight, Nolan returned to finish the trilogy with The Dark Knight Rises. Bale's performance in this film was as good if not better than Heath Ledger's portrayel of The Joker. The story concluded one of the greatest trilogy's of all time and of course, we can't not say how good Tom Hardy was as Bane and how beautifully hot Anne Hathaway was as Catwoman. Brilliant Brilliant film.

2.Avengers Assemble
The Avengers was a great super hero film. In my opinion, there hasnt been many Marvel films as good as the first Spider-Man when that hit the screens. The Avengers really left me ready for more and I am very excited for the sequel due out 2015. The film was a great treat for the family and smashed the box office. Marvel doesnt get better than this.

3. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
After so much anticipation, I finally got to see the film adaptation of the book I loved as a child. Though its only part 1 of a new trilogy and 6 chapters worth of The Hobbit book, it still took me back to the great world that was brought to life by Jackson when he released The Lord Of The Rings. Freeman's performace as Bilbo was excellent and the Riddles In The dark scene is one of my favourite scenes in cinema.

4. Argo
I didnt know what to expect of this film but I can say I'm extremely glad I went to see it. The trailer did the film no justice as I just didnt feel it when i saw the trailer. Ben Affleck provided an incredible and emotional tale with an excellent performance as well. The whole film was breathtaking and was really intense. Argo was one of my surprise packages of the year. Awesome.

5. Lawless
Tom Hardy was back on the screen after his excellent performance in The Dark Knight Rises. Lawless brought a brilliant story of brothers who became outlaws by fighting the incredibly hated Guy Pearce who was outstanding in Lawless. The level of hate I had towards him was due to his brilliant performance. Shia LeBouf is one of my least favourite actors and I found him bareable, which is a bonus!

6. Looper
Well, I think this is my favourte film of the year. If its not for Gordon-Levitt and Willis's performances its for the fact that for the first time in years we had a child in the film who was brilliant at acting! I have to say, I have gained a little man crush on Gordon-Levitt and he made a great young Willis. The film was incredibly clever and was a good brain thinker, top notch.

7. Skyfall
Im not a Bond fan at all but my god Skyfall was ace. It was everything i wasnt expecting. having seen previous Bond films, Skyfall seemed to have stripped back all the Bondness and make a very emotional and excellent film. Daniel Craig is one of my favourite actors and this performance was 10/10. The film left me saying the word 'bloody' or to pronounce it 'bladdy' in every sentence. Skyfall is definitely on my purchase list.

8. 21 Jump Street OR Ted
I'm going to let you guys decide. I loved these films and found them so entertaining. of course Ted was going to be received well, I mean, a talking swearing racist teddy bear?! That has success written all over it! 21 Jump Street had the only good performances from both actors Tatum and Hill as I find them both eye gougingly painful.. But Jump Street was highly entertaining and so I can't decide..

9. Sinister
The best horror/thriller of the year. Hands down. Sinister was so tense and heartpounding. Ive reached an age now where scary films make me uneasy, its mainly the films that arent gory and just have so much suspense. Sinister did this brilliantly but was also very clever at the same time. This was a hell of a lot better than Para 4, more shocking, more graphic, more scares!

10. The Grey
An early 2012 film but a brilliant film. My favourote actor Neeson trapped in the arctic, being hunted by wolves! What more could I ask for?! The Grey was a great thrill ride which at the end left me with a lump in my throat. I loved how we learnt more and more about these characters as the film progressed and Neeson's performance was of course excellent.

11. The Cabin The Woods
This was ace. I saw the trailer and though it was going to be another typical film about people being hunted in a cabin etc bla bla but this film was far from it. It brought every horror film you'd ever seen and put them into one film giving the audience a new view on these films. Avengers Assemble director Josh Whedon has had a great year and this was the start of it!

12. End Of Watch
Been awhile since we've seen a police film with two strong performances from the main characters. Gyllenhaal and Pena bring a great bond and strong relationship that made this film so powerful. Another emotionally and action packed film that made my back up plan of joining the police force so much more tempting!

There we have it, my 12 films of 2012. 2013 has some good looking films such as Gangsta Squad, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, Star Trek Into Darkness, Man Of Steel etc etc but 2012 for me has been the year of films!

shits and giggles

so since the start of July I've been living in Sheffield after a year of being at uni. Big move for a very homely guy like me but theres been a lot I've seen, heard that I've not blogged about.

Not been on my blog for awhile so I'm just going to ramble on. Living in sheff is GREAT, seriously I couldnt ask for anything more. Living with some terrific people full of terrific banter. Downside so far... the smoke alarm going off at crack of dawn two nights in a row. Was all resolved, its now of the ceiling and on the floor ha winning! Living in Sheff has made me appreciate things I took for granted. For instance, people in Sheff need to learn how to pour a proper pint. I like a good head. Regardless if its not on a pint. Now, it wouldnt be a blog if i didn't mention any films or music but to be honest I've seen a hell of a lot of films since my last blog regarding The Dark Knight Rises..

So many films have been released lately that caught my attention. Ted, The Watch, Total Recall, The Expendables 2 I could go on. I found Ted a good laugh, story was fun and I felt the acting in the film was ok at a push. Ted just sounded like Peter Griffin, but what can I say bad about that? Everybody loves Peter Griffin. Comedy films have been quiet lately, I've seen some horrific films such as Magic Mike that really should never be shown to any males. Seriously, I thought it was going to make me grow a vagina. Back to comedy, and The Watch was released recently. I was looking forward to this film purely for Richard Ayoade from The IT Crowd. Again, the film was a lot of fun, story was a little questionable but we cant have it all our way. Biggest surprise was The Expendables 2. After the first one I thought yeah be cool for a sequel but after seeing trailer it basically said CHEESE all over it. However the cheese was the best part of the film. Beautiful references towards most of the best films these stars have been in. Total Recall was the biggest dissapointment for me. Nothing against Farrell mind, he put up a decent perofrmance just the story did NOTHING for me. I know this remake was more towards the short story but I just felt like I remember nothing from that film what so ever. Following this, I think its best to get The Bourne Legacy out of the way. I'm not THE biggest Bourne fan but I felt this film should never have been titled a Bourne film. Maybe a cool spin off name would've been better. Regardless of the name, the action was decent but the story was draining me. Others will disagree but meh, wasnt for me. Back to Mr McConaughey and we have Killer Joe. I have to say, this film was extremely good. Matthew McConaughey has been in terrible films (Magic Mike) and yet this film made me see the sheer class he actually has and when he's in a film with a good story he can actually have a great performance. The Possession, story decent, few scares. Wasn't as bad as The Pact which was an absolute right joke. Terrible film terrible story. Theres probably some other films ive seen that I cant remember but I'd rather press on to the main film I was extremely impressed with.

Lawless. My word this film was brilliant. Hardy once again had me admiring such a top class performance. 2012 is definitely his year. Following The Dark Knight Rises, Hardy is still fairly beefy and if I'm honest I dont want him to go back to his smaller build in films like This Means War (again, awesome film). Shia LeBouf is one of my least favourite actors (Nick Cage is top of that list) but in Lawless he puts on a decent performance. The whole film has emotion and class showing the division between the country boys and the city law. Guy Pearce needed more of a notice on the promotion of this film. Pearce took the role of Special Agent Charlie Rakes and made him the most awful cruel and souless character I've seen on screen in a very long time. It's been awhile since I've seen a charcter and wanted the worst to happen to him all the way through. Lawless is probably my film of 2012, ending the rivalry between The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises.

Yesterday I saw Dredd 3D. Looked atrocious from the trailer but wasnt the worst film I've seen this year. Beats Total Racall put it that way. Some good looking films coming out later this year; Taken 2, Looper and The Hobbit are my top 3 to see.

Back to living in Sheff but still on the topic of films. My housemate Leah reccomended Leon to me starring Jean Reno, Gary Oldman and a very young Natalie Portman. This film had been brought to my attention from a friend back home but I never had time to rent. Low and behold I move in with leah and she owns a copy of it, boom. So anyways, watched it and its absolutely fantastic! Oldman as a baddie is awesome I seriously need more of this in my life. Reno's performance in the film reminded me of a Liam Neeson performance in films like Taken. Though, of course, Leon was before Taken, I still couldnt help but apprecaite the story and the bond between Reno and Portman in the film.

I briefly want to touch on music. I have heard the new Billy Talent and The Scripts album and both of them are massively dissapointing. First, Billy Talent need to go back to how they were when they released their first and second album. It seems that they just cant be assed with rock anymore and thought their songs sound better without the oompht. The Script, to me, have sold out. Ever since Danny O'Donoghue was on The Voice and became bezzies with Will.I.Am. its like the script have just changed all together. The album doesnt sound like The Script. First album was ace, second was good, third is forgettable. I want to hear an album thats going to make me go 'my god what is this beautiful piece of work' because lately, I find myself being dissapointed with artists releasing albums. Please if anyone has any reccomendations fire away.

And there you have it. Blog done for another short period.
Someone once said I get too into films.. well, I'm doing a drama degree so surely thats a good enough reason why I do.. Isn't it?

The Dark Knight Rises

Eight years on, a new terrorist leader, Bane, overwhelms Gotham's finest, and the Dark Knight resurfaces to protect a city that has branded him an enemy. (iMBD)

FINALLY, the moment I had been waiting for arrived. Following the announcement of the sequel shortly after the release of the huge and successful 'The Dark Knight' back in 2008, Bale and Nolan return for 2012's hugely anticipated 'The Dark Knight Rises'.

'The Dark Knight Rises' had a lot of pressure in my eyes. Being a huge Batman fan myself, its hard to say that the film wasn't under the pressure due to the commercial success of 'The Dark Knight' and the fact that 'The Avengers' did so well when released this year. Though I thought 'The Avengers' did so well, I can honestly say that 'The Dark Knight Rises' IS a hell of a lot better! (and that's not me being biased). To me, all Marvel films are 'family friendly' and aimed at a specific younger audience which also allows the older audiences to bring out the kid inside them. It goes without saying that they're made through the fun and 'cheesey' lines that makes them so good! With DC, there isn't any restrictions to what they can do with these films (my point being is that Stan Lee has a lot of say in the Marvel films that are made). Christopher Nolan has took the comic book hero Batman and made a trilogy that can only be described as possibly the greatest trilogy ever made.

I have to take my hat off to Nolan, he and brother Jonathon have clearly thought this film out. The film being 2 hours and 45 mins isnt even considered a negotive. To be honest, I wish it had been 3 hours + long. The vision that Nolan has shown to us over the course of these 3 films, is a reflect of how heroes can exist even when everything seems lost. When you hear or read about Batman, you instantly think of another film about some guy going round defeating enemies and yet even though this guy does so, he's also a symbol for people to believe in and that its not just 1 man who can be this symbol.

Bale's performance in the film is terrific. I was really impressed with how he made Wayne and Batman this broken man who had to rise from the shadows and become The Dark Knight. Back in 2008's 'The Dark Knight', Bale was over shadowed by the incredible performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker. Now, with The Joker out of the equation in this film (and thats not me saying its good that Ledger isnt here now to be in the film) Bale steps up to the mark and prooves to audiences he's still the great actor he is. I could write a pragraph about each individual actor/actress in the film. Tom Hardy's portrayel as the terrorist Bane was just immaculate. There had been a lot of talk revolving around Bane's voice. As you will have seen, Hardy has a big ass mask strapped ever so tightly to his face which therefore affected the hearing of his voice. Wasn't my concern at all. I watched the first 8 mins of the film when it was shown and I could hear roughly what he said, but I knew Nolan would do something. Nolan has his head screwed on properly. Why would he risk the biggest film he's ever made being criticised over something so small like Bane's voice? Nevertheless, Hardy's muscle tone was increased and Batman had an enemy that could inflict as much damage to him as Batman to criminals.

The most surprising part for me was Hathaway's performance as Catwoman. I'm not that big on Hathaway and when she was announced, I didn't know what to think. To be fair, I shouldn't have doubted it as I did the same when Ledger was announced as The Joker and look how that turned out. Hathaway was a great addition to the film and the people who I've seen it with have all said the same about her performance. The entire cast was incredible; Gordon-Levitt, Caine, Freeman, Oldman and Cotillard. Each character had a big significance to the film, some bigger than others *cough cough*.

Unfortunately, the film was shadowed with its own darkness with the tragedy of the shootings in Denver, Colorado in America. My thoughts go out to the famalies effected by them.

'The Dark Knight Rises' is easily my film of 2012. Nolan has been fantastic in making these films. He's created a Batman that no one could ever dream of creating. Rumours have it that Warner Bros. are considering a reboot not long in the future and all I have to say is good luck with that. They can take a new direction with this and I'll support it all the way but Nolan's trilogy will always be seen as THE Batman.

"You'd be crazy to miss it" - Heat

The Amazing Spiderman

Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner. (IMBd)

First there was Spiderman, then a second and then a third. Granted, the first film directed by Sam Raimi was a hit. It made kids love Spiderman however; I always detested Toby Maguire as Peter Parker. Now, in 2012, Marc Webb brings us The Amazing Spiderman and it is truly amazing. With the reboot originally planned to be a 4^th instalment, I’m so happy that it was re-drafted and rebooted. The Amazing Spiderman has literally remade the face of Spiderman.

Andrew Garfield has an exceptional performance as Peter Parker, capturing everything that he is in the comics, you listening Mr. Maguire? Garfield’s performance has left me astounded as to how well he actually was. Not saying that Garfield is a poor actor, he’s been in some good movies, and some, well, questionable ones (The Social Network). The Amazing Spiderman not only has a great story but a great villain. It just all felt right and that Webb has really worked at this. Rhys Ifans plays the terrific Dr. Curt Conners who was briefly touched upon in Spiderman 2 and 3. This time, Conners is the centre of attention; his history with Peter’s father and the fact that he transforms into a huge lizard being on the top spot in this film. Garfield and Ifys play off one another and just always seem to have a connection throughout, whether it’s a chat or attacking each other.

My main concern with The Amazing Spiderman was the use of CGI. From the trailers, it looked as if a lot of this film was relying on special effects and that was a worry. However, it’s not! This was a huge sigh of relief. There is use of some great camera angles and action shots. The 3D as well isn’t a gimmick. Having seen the film in IMAX 3D, I can’t have a say on what just 3D version of the film is like. In IMAX however, it was bloody marvellous.

It’s been said that The Amazing Spiderman is the ‘right film at the wrong time’ with The Avengers stealing the box office and the fact that The Dark Knight Rises is just round the corner (a film that I honestly will cry and pre-ejaculate to) has seemed to overshadow this terrific fun fest film. I still think that The Amazing Spiderman has the capability of pushing aside the competition. It is a strong and great film for the family! Sequels are already planned and set for 2014. Maguire step over, Garfield has just put the mask on and done something you couldn’t ever dream of doing!

Linkin Park - Living Things

Track Listing:

1). Lost In The Echo
2). In My Remains
3). Burn It Down
4). Lies Greed Misery
5). I’ll Be Gone
6). Castle Of Glass
7). Victimized
8). Roads Untraveled
9). Skin To Bone
10). Until It Breaks
11). Tinfoil
12). Powerless

Linkin Park return with an impressive 5^th studio album that has been said to be the best since the debut Hybrid Theory in 2000. Though, It doesn’t seem long ago that Linkin Park were releasing ‘A Thousand Suns’, an album that would change the face of Linkin Park and many fans. Living Things provides another direction for Linkin Park. When first hearing the record, I couldn’t help but think that they had literally sat down, pulled out Hybrid Theory and just listened and analysed it. ‘Lost In The Echo’ was a starting point. The point being that this is STILL Linkin Park. A Thousand Suns seemed to take something from Linkin Park, I personally thought it was a mighty album that deserved more praise. Not many bands would have the balls to do what Linkin Park did. With ‘Lost In The Echo’ having the classic LP riffs and Bennington’s screaming, it is a fitting introduction to the album. ‘In My Remains’ is a lovely follower. Harmonies from Shinoda and Bennington bring in that Minutes to Midnight feel before leading us into first single ‘Burn It Down’. The catchy introduction which is essentially Linkin Park steers the song into a great headbobber.

Living Things has received mixed reviews which seem to be leading fans into a sense that Linkin Park aren’t the band they once were. I have an eye for anything, and as much as I love a band I can always express what I think works and what doesn’t. Living Things is brilliant in my eyes. As I’ve said, the album takes you back 12 years to Hybrid Theory but at the same time brings you back to 2012 wheer music has developed. My personal favourite ‘Lies Greed Misery’ has it all. It’s as sexy as Rooney Mara’s pierced nipples in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. ‘I’ll Be Gone’ and ‘Castle of Glass’ both include terrific vocals from Bennington with additional vocals from Shinoda who seems to have done a lot with this record. Being co-producer alongside Rick Rubin, Shinoda is a great visionary who can see when something is right or wrong. What can I say about ‘Victimized’? Even if you have no desire of listening to the record, this 1:46 track won’t take much of your time. If you like a little of LP then go listen. Shinoda starts the sing with a nice verse before Bennington shrieks down the mic ‘VICTIMIZED NEVER AGAIN VICTIMIZED’. An outstanding track that deserves a lot of praise.

Without going off on one, the rest of the album seems to calm down and musically is terrific. ‘Roads Untravelled’ is a lovely addition before the incredibly catchy ‘Skin to Bone’. My least favourite track ‘Until It Breaks’ still has me thinking to myself after every listen. The song starts oddly and continues until about half way when the song picks up. I love the ending to the song but cant see why the song couldn’t have started the same as the end. The final track ‘Powerless’ (which features in the latest Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter movie) is a wonderful way to end. Gives the sense that there is still more to come from Linkin Park. ‘Powerless’ is just a typical and terrific Linkin Park track. Starts off slow before ending triumphantly.

Living Things is a great addition to Linkin Park’s discography. I’ll always love LP’s earlier material but what they’ve given us now is more produced and generic. It’s a great listen and a huge step for music in general. Living Things provides the Linkin Park fans everything they’ve ever done within 40 mins.

Blink 182 - Live at the Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield

Blink 182
PLUS Twin Atlantic and The All American Rejects

SETLIST:

Feeling This
Up All Night
The Rock Show
What’s My Age Again?
Down
I Miss You
Wishing Well
Dumpweed
Always
Violence
After Midnight
First Date
Hearts All Gone
Man Overboard
Ghost On The Dancefloor
All The Small Things
Josie

ENCORE #1
Reckless Abandon (Acoustic)
All Of This (Acoustic)

ENCORE #2
Can A Drummer Get Some (Travis Barker Drum Solo)
Carousel
Dammit
Family Reunion

Yes that’s right, all of the above was included in Blink 182’s setlist at the Motorpoint Arena during Blink’s incredible European tour this year. Having postponed the tour from last July to this June, fans in 2011 were bitterly disappointed, so much that I saw tickets on ebay going for a huge price. I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed with the push back of the tour, though Blink had their reasons. Neighborhoods wasn’t finished, it’s as simple as that. The wait was most definitely worth it!

With support from Twin Atlantic and The All American Rejects, the night was already promising for a terrific display. Twin Atlantic were first to hit the stage, infront of a semi full crowd who actually could be bothered to get there on time (this is Sheffield after all) they had it all to do. Kick starting their 7 track setlist with ‘Edit Me’, the crowd began to bounce with the upbeat feel  that it has. Other crowd pleases were ‘Make A Beast Of Myself’ and the finale track ‘Free’ which were both exceptional. ‘Yes, I Was Drunk’ (TA’s next single) was probably my most favourite of the set. The slower and more headbobbing track was a track I wasn’t so keen on the ‘Free’ album, though after their display, my opinion was changed. Great performance from the Scott’s.

The All American Rejects followed in great style. Getting the crowd pumping with ‘Dirty Little Secret’ which of course, went down a treat. AAR weren’t as good as I was expecting but I can’t take anything away from them, I own a couple of their records and they are easy listening. Unfortunately, I have yet to hear their latest record but playing new single ‘Kids In The Street’ was the only track of the set I was unfamiliar with. ‘Move Along’, ‘Swing Swing’ and ‘It Ends Tonight’ were all great additions and had echoes of chorus’ from the crowd now growing with every minute passing to Blinks entrance. With great interaction to the crowd and general chit chat with security guards and live team, AAR were exceptional and a brilliant choice for main support acts.

Then came the moment that every 14+ year old in the crowd had been waiting for. The lights went down, and the crowd stared at the curtain in the way of those 3 magical people behind it. The curtain dropped as the first drum beat of ‘Feeling This’ struck revealing a happy faced Mark Hoppus, a stern faced Tom Delonge and the incredible Travis Barker. The crowd couldn’t have reacted aby better. The first 5 songs were crazy as kids were flying everywhere especially to the dark ‘Up All Night’. My only concern was how young the crowd around me actually was. It was unbelievable how young these kids were. This emphasises the impact a band such as Blink 182 has had on the world. Inspiring other bands as well as what they have given the fans. Favourite track on Neighborhoods ‘Wishing Well’ went down a treat but it was ‘Dumpweed’ that made my night. All-time favourite Blink track echoed through the arena as yet again the mosh pits opened and people began to gain self-inflicted wounds. Crowd pleaser ‘All The Small Things’ was obviously a treat, Delonge bringing out his younger mischievous self when changing the lyrics “watching, waiting, mastur-bating”, just beautiful. Having seen Angels & Airwaves earlier this year, I’ve been impressed with Delonges singing lately having seen and heard that his vocal skills weren’t exactly ‘great’. Hoppus and Delonge’s friendship is clearly as stronger than ever. No one can even distinguish a time when these 3 people were at locker heads. Blink was back and better than ever!

Encores are always a thrill, especially when Hoppus and Delonge enter the centre of the arena with acoustic guitars to play 2 tracks that essentially just made the night fantastic. Over the course of the tour, Blink have been playing different tracks (previous nights have included ‘Wasting Time’ and ‘Going Away to College’). In Sheffield, we were treated to ‘Reckless Abandon’ and ‘All of This’ (first time being played since 2004). Barker awaited on stage before hitting the kit for his incredible drum solo. How anyone can say he is not gifted is beyond me. The man is a musical genius, the way his arms move seems impossible. The solo was just beyond belief. If Barker did a solo tour I’d pay anything to go after this display. Hoppus and Delonge re-entered the stage for old classics ‘Carousel’ and ‘Dammit’ before confetti exploded and fell all around filling the arena. Delonge then kept the party going with ‘Family Reunion’. A “shit piss fuck cunt cock sucker mother fucker tits fart turd and twat” was all that was needed to top the night!

Blink’s display was incredible. The support couldn’t have been better and the night was fantastic. They have made the wait for the tour so much worth it. “Blink 182 life. For life”

Prometheus

A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race. (iMBD)

First it was going to be a sequel to the brilliant 'Alien' film in which director Ridley Scott scared the shit out of a hell of a lot of people. Then, it changed to a prequel but not a prequel... confused? Simply, Prometheus is a prequel to 'Alien' but not a direct prequel. Same universe, different direction. Scott returns to the genre that started it all for him in this brilliant sci-fi that couldn't be any more sci-fi if it tried.

Prometheus centres on a team who go searching for our creators. 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' star Noomi Rapace takes centre stage for her second english film. Her performance is quite brilliant and believable at the same time. It's rare to see someone so believable in these types of films. Sigourney Weaver is probably the only other person I can think to compare her to ironically. Though the film essentially has no 'action' as I've heard some people say, it's still far from boring. Impressive performances from Rapace and the incredible Michael Fassbender bring the film up highly. Fassbender's character 'David', an android in which are very familiar with the 'Alien' franchise. Prometheus is a great and intriguing film that provides the thrills, the sci-fi and of course a great story. However, my only criticism of the film was that everything that 'Alien' had was missed in Prometheus. The suspense was never there, I was never at the edge of my seat trying to see what was coming next. The scares were small and the build ups didn't lead me into a fasle sense of security. On the other hand, the score for the film was magnificent. True sci-fi music was on at hand and viewing the film in IMAX blew you away. At times you felt you were too much in the film.

Though Prometheus succeeded in pleasing most fans, I was left a little disappointed until the final sequence where I literally smiled ear to ear. Prometheus is the ultimate film for scientologists. A good attempt from Mr. Scott and from what I'm hearing of a sequel, it can't be too long before the unanswered questions of the first film will be resolved.

Avengers Assemble

Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. brings together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki and his army. (IMBD)

"There was an idea"... and what an idea it was. The Avengers has surely got to go down as the best Marvel film ever brought to us since the first Spider-Man movie. We have waited since the first mention of The Avengers assembling way back in 2008 when Iron Man hit the screens. Finally, in 2012, five years later, comic book fans, you're average beef cake with the hot girlfriend, and every other human being witnessed the start of something much more than a comic book film.

If you have yet to see Avengers Assemble (please note, I will just call it The Avengers, as it should be called in my eyes) then need to worry about spoilers. The Avengers brings out the best in what the latest Marvel films lacked. There is spirit in the film, and the action is enough to make a geek have a wet dream over for the next few years. The main character I was concerened about was the Hulk. In previous films, the Hulk hasn't exactly been, well, brilliant. The less said about HULK the better. Edward Norton's interpritation in The Incredible Hulk however, was a little bit better but am I the only one that thought 'how can such a huge green monster come from that scrwany guy?'. Mark Ruffalo took the stage to take on the part of Bana and in all honest, he did an incredble job (like the pun there?). It feels that the Hulk actually has some ground to base on with Ruffalo's terrific performance. Performances from Robert Downey JR, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans all worked together beautifully. It's as if God himself had made these actors work together and display pure talent in front of our eyes.. maybe not God, thats a bit too far, perhaps somone like... Morgan Freeman? He's the closest thing we've got to a God. The whole concept of The Avengers is remarkable.

The story goes with Thor's evil brother Loki bargains with a charcater named The Other. In exchange for retrieving the Tesseract, a powerful energy source of unknown potential, the Other promises Loki Chitauri army with which he can subjugate the Earth. S.H.I.E.L.D. bring together the greatest hero's we have in defense of the Earth. The Avengers is full of brilliant one liners that leave you in hysterics even after the film has finished.

Having seen The Avengers five times now (three times in IMAX, once in 3D and 2D, just saying) it is going to take something big for The Avengers to not be named movie of the year. This worries me a little as I am a huge Batman fan and later this year The Dark Knight Rises will be hitting the screens. In all seriousness, if you haven't seen The Avengers, you heven't lived. It's that simple.

Charlie Simpson - The Pilgrimage Tour 2012 (live in Sheffield)

Charlie Simpson PLUS
Sam Beeton & The People The Poet

SETLIST
Parachutes
Suburbs
Thorns
I Need a Friend tonight
Down Down Down
Sundown
Cemetery
If I Hide, Will You Come Looking?
Hold On
All At Once
If I Lose It
Farmer & His Gun
ENCORE
Barricades of Heaven
Riverbanks

A stunning performance from the Fightstar frontman shows yet again the incredible talent that Simpson holds. Performing at a sold out Sheffield O2 Acadamy had a good effect on the show displayed before me.
First supporting act Sam Beeton was a lively character who had it all do, first on infront of a crowd eager to see Simpson. Beaeon's performance was a good display of young talent, interacting with the crowd in between songs and highlighting the warmth in himself. His latest single 'Under the Fence' was a pleasant listen which seemed to be his whole set. It was all pleasant and 'easy listening' if you will. But I have to give Beeton credit as he had a tough job to do and he did warm the crowd up for next the next act. The People The Poet started sharply and the frontman (who I dont know the name of) reminded me of a deeper Caleb Followill from Kings of Leon. Their performance was good and got the crowd pumping and prepared for Charlie Simpson.
Then came the moment that everyone was waiting for, the pumping intro to 'Parachutes' kicked and then the sheer screams from the crowd set sail giving a good opener for Simpson. His debut album 'Young Pilgrim' has been out for a good 7 months and so the crowd delivered great vocals in songs such as 'Down Down Down'. It was great to see the reaction from Simpson as it was smiles all round when the crowd sung back at him 'the nights are so long without you...' and then the echoe of harmonies all round the Acadamy. The biggest surprise of the night was the slight change to the setlist where Simpson played the track 'If I Hide, Will You Come Looking?' from his debut EP 'When We Were Lions' rather than 'Lost'. I was looking forward to seeing 'Lost' beeing played but I was also happy with the slight change. Not many people in the crowd knew the song, but appreciated it none the less. 'All at Once' was another shining song that got the crowd pumping as the incredible drum beat intro suggested that maybe people should find a partner to dance with. For me, the encore was the best part of the night (not because it was the end). Simpson's cover of Jackson Brown's 'Barricades of Heaven' features on his latest EP for 'Farmer & His Gun' and so for him to play this was a nice treat. The song was a lovely feature in his set. Then the finale; 'Riverbanks' which proved to be a great song on the last tour did so again as Simpson and the band go full swing into the outro as drums are pounded, guitars are shredded and heads banging. The ending to this track is always a terrific display of post-rock that Simpson brings in from his Fightstar background.
The Pilgrimage Tour is still in full swing and my advise to anyone is, if you havent got a ticket, make sure you damn well get one!

The Devil Inside

In Italy, a woman becomes involved in a series of unauthorized exorcisms during her mission to discover what happened to her mother, who allegedly murdered three people during her own exorcism - (IMDb)

Finally, after delaying the UK release date twice, I was able to see the movie today and to be honest, I was a tad dissapointed. After all the hype they had made I was genuinly looking forward to seeing it and after, I just felt let down. The film revolves around how a young woman travels to Italy to find out what actually happened to her mother when an exorcism was performed on her over 20 years ago and to also find out if she was actually possessed.
First, the length of the film was questionable; 83 mins? Seriously? I'm not saying I was expecting an Avatar length or The Lord of the Rings but 83 mins is like sitting down and watching about 3 Family Guy episodes back to back. The length wasn't the major concern. I felt that the film was more shocking and graphic than scary. I left the cinema a tad disturbed by some scenes within the film. Thats a good thing though, I mean the film was meant to be shocking other wise there wouldnt be a point to any of the film.
There were moments when it seemed that nothing at all was actually happening and that the characters were just chatting to the camera, however, this was all full of useful information. When the scares started, you certainly knew about it. Watching a girl dislocate her shoulder and then start bleeding from her... well... you know what region isn't at all lovely to watch.
The main character, Issabella, was actually quite good. Her performance was believable its rare in these type of films that we see an actual believable character.
The question I was left asking was 'how much of that film was actually based on true events?' it seemed they had heard of this woman killing three people and thought 'now theres a film'. Its a shame becuase i really wanted this film to be excellent and it was just average. It doesn't shine a light on the paranormal Activity films. The good thing about the film was the actors as in fairness, they were the best part of the film. I was just happy no cults were brought into it.
I have mixed feelings about the film as when it ended I just wanted more. There was a particular moment when I was left with my hand on my mouth as I was so shocked with the scene presented before me. How they got away with it I have no idea.
I would say that if you like an occasional scare then go see The Devil Inside, if you are in a nervous disposition then please, don't.

The 'Love' Project

Love portrays the personal-psychological effects of isolation and loneliness when an astronaut becomes stranded in space and through this, emphasizes the importance of human connection and love. (Wikipedia)

Angels & Airwaves were always a band with an incredible vision. In 2010 they released their 3rd album entitled 'Love' which then esculated the band to releasing 'Love Part 2' and of course the 'Love' feature film which was met with excellent responses worldwide.

Love Part 1 (2010)
At first hearing this album I wasn't quite sure what to think. My first thought was that the band had taken a different turn from 'We Don't Need to Whisper' and 'I-Empire' , both albums I completely adore, but I couldn't decide if it was a good change. First single 'Hallucinations' was very catchy with some incredible lyrics, however, I didn't want the whole album to be like that and from my first hearing, the album seemed that way. Then came the point when I realised that 'Love' was something much more than that.
There are many themes involved within the album such as God, hope and of course love. Part 1 began to shine more and more with every listen. Tracks such as 'The Flight of Apollo' and 'Soul Survivor (...2012)' are beautifully fantastic and highlights the strength of Angels & Airwaves.
The reception of Love was mostly positive, gaining 4.5/5 from Alternative Addiction and a respectable 77% from AbsolutePunk. Love is certainly an album with great connection to the themes it discusses. The Love project, as a whole, had only just begun...

Love Part 2 (2011)
Love Part 2 follows the themes from Part 1 but also coincides with the Love feature film. The album picks up where the previous album left us. The spacey intro to 'Saturday Love' followed by the typical and incredible drum beat that delivers us to a sense of hope but also the feeling that Angels & Airwaves have progressed even further from previous albums. Part 2 for me is a winner. One of the best records I've ever listened to which leads me to say that in my opinion, Part 2 only works because of what Part 1 provided us. Part 2 and Part 1 are essentially together giving the fans a journey through the minds of Angels & Airwaves. The whole album is incredible and is a great listen. 'Anxiety' and 'Surrender' are triumphant which reflects the rest of the album. However, Part 2 wasn't recieved as well as Part 1 gaining 3.5/5 from Allmusic.  I feel that both albums would have been fantastic if they had been assembled together to form what could have been one of the greatest albums of all time. Never the less, 'Love Part 2' is excellent and for Angels & Airwaves fans its a must hear.

Love: Feature Film (2010)
Having been desperate to see the 'Love' film for quite some time, I finally managed to watch the film and was taken back by it. The film follows how an astronaut copes isolated from Earth over a peroid of time without communication.
The story is touching to say the least. Before watching the film I had strong expectations as the film had been recieved so well. Tom Delonge (frontman of Angels & Airwaves) had mentioned that he was looking to do a film years proir to the actual release of 'Love' but not even he himself could predict just how incredible the final picture was;
"I can tell you, honestly, the movie is ten times better than I thought it would be. But it’s not meant to compete with Transformers. This is an art-house film and no band has really done this in a very long time. So we’re hoping that we catch some people off guard"
The concept of 'Love' is perhaps its driving force. Its not your average sci-fi flick. Like the albums, 'Love' has something more than just a guy trapped in space. The audience see interviews discussing the main themes of the film which are what the albums are based upon.
The feature film includes songs from 'Love Part 1' which are elegently placed in moments that are unforgetable. All together, 'Love' ,as a whole, is something that many artists could never dream of producing.

In conclusion, Angels & Airwaves are more than a band, they are Poets.

The Woman in Black

A young lawyer travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorizing the locals. (IMBd)

SPOILERS
In a nutshell, the film centres around Arthur Kipps (Radcliffe) who is depressed from the loss of his wife and is left to bring up his son. Kipps is assigned to sell a house on a marsh where he is met by the townspeople who don't give him the warmest of welcomes. When Kipps discovers this 'Woman in Black' he realises that the town are under threat from this 'woman' over the loss of her child.

Having seen this film twice at the cinema, I am pretty sure that the certificate SHOULD be a 12A. There is a lot of talk of how this film 'should be a 15' by viewers and to be honest I can't see why. The film is eery and has its moments where you feel on edge but the scares aren't as 'big' as the Paranormal Activity films or any other ghost/demon related film.
If you go back to when The Others was released in 2001, this film was just the same as The Woman in Black and that recieved a certificate 12. Point made.

On the other hand, the films story line was quite interesting. Not the same as the theatre production but what do you expect when a theatre production is made into a film? Daniel Radcliffe's performance was in my opinion average, I felt that he wasn't the right choice to play the role. Besides, for his first role since the 'Harry Potter' films, it was hard to sit there without making any witty remarks to the 'Harry Potter' films. However, after a few minutes of seeing him playing the character of Arthur Kipps, you start to forget that he was once waving a wand about.

The scares started soft then progressed and got bigger, which for me, made it a little silly and found myself slouching with my hand rested on my head. I found the moments where the audience saw 'The Woman in Black' just standing there without the awful screaming she produces more terrifying than her flying everywhere.
I'm sure many people will disagree with me, but I felt that the film could've been made a lot more darker and scarier had they decided to go for the 15 certificate. Maybe with a different actor playing Kipps this could've happened. Instead, we were left with waht can only be said as a boy in a suit.

The film was average and the scares could have been better. Ghost stories are coming into the cinema more frequently and unfortunately, I think 'The Woman in Black' didn't succeed as well as 'Paranormal Activity' or 'Insidious' did. It's a good adaptation of the theatre production, but I felt they could have done a lot more with the film.

Safe House

A young CIA agent is tasked with looking after a fugitive in a safe house. But when the safe house is attacked, he finds himself on the run with his charge. (IMBd)

Safe House proved to be a film that was a big surprise to me. When seeing the trailer for the film I was more impressed by the catchy song played in the background over the scenes provided. Nevertheless, Denzil Washington and Ryan Reynolds provide a great partnership which makes the film a great success.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to see the film as the trailer seemed to provide all the best scenes, however, I did come out of the cinema very impressed with the film and actors involved and the fact that the film was filmed in South African locations rather than typical New York. The story took a while to fully come full circle (why was Washington been hunted etc etc) but when the penny dropped it all came in to place.

It's hard to say who was better in the film; Reynolds or Washington as both were incredibly strong, it was good seeing Reynolds playing a character the audience weren't mocking or laughing at and he pulled his character off brilliantly (nice to see him not typecasted). Having seen a fair few action films, Safe House is one of the better ones. Washington's character, Tobin Frost, was a character you were undecided about throughout, should you like him or hate him? This was a good starting point for the film, by making him this clever and violent character, the audience is unaware who's side he's on. This was continued over the course of the film, with violent acts on Reynolds and of course the people who are after him, it made Frost a very dangerous character who wasn't afriad of death (this shown at the start of the film where an interigation gets messy). I think this rage and violence from Frost manipulates Reynolds character Matt Weston and therefore his character is dragged into the same boat as Frost.

With 2012 being a big year for film fans, I can't think why Safe House won't be a film that will be forgotten about. Action packed, suspense throughout and cleverly written provides a film that packed audiences will be impressed with.

I'm new..

well, thought i'd create a blog for no apperent reason, gives me something to do when I'm bored or something other than that.
quick not about me; I love films, music, tv milarky etc etc.
hope this doesnt become my life now...