Avengers: Age of Ultron - Review

Avengers: Age of Ultron Review

Director – Joss Whedon

Stars – Robert Downey Junior, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans

As everyone predicts, Age of Ultron will probably be the biggest film of the summer, if not 2015. This is largely due to Marvel’s efficiency at marketing and overall stranglehold on the blockbuster market. Since the first Avengers way back in the distant past of 2012 people have been waiting for another hit of the gag filled, action packed, epic cinema experience. So as I waited in line at the midnight showing I was slightly hesitant about what was to come, although I have enjoyed most of Marvel’s exploits I have to admit the First Avengers felt boring and slightly overdone. I was unsure about the way they could revitalize this group of near indestructible heroes and give us a real fear for their lives.

Age of Ultron started out strong, it dives right into the action showing our heroes battling foes in a glorious montage, reintroducing these characters and showing how much they have changed and developed since their inception. As the film progressed I realized that Marvel were being the most tactical and cleaver than they had ever been, as they were centering much of the plot around Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. Hawkeye is known to most as either that guy with the bow and arrow or everyone’s least favorite Avenger. Personally I always backed him from the start; however after introducing a complete back-story and family for him it seems that he is now everyone’s favorite character (Posers). You have to hand it to Joss Whedon, he effectively gave Renner more screen time than Robert Downey Junior, and people loved it. Much in the same way we see Bruce Banner (hulk) and Black Widow begin to form a close relationship, and they to are given center stage to play this out. Given that none of the trailers showed quite how predominant these subplots would be, it’s amazing how effectively they worked. Other characters appearing were Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen) normally referred to as ‘The Enhanced’ by most characters, these two wreaked havoc for the Avengers alongside James Spader’s Ultron. As the main antagonist, Ultron worked extremely effectively, he was too powerful for each character alone, thus making a reason for all to unite despite growing differences. As a whole the film was darker to its predecessor, it showed the cracks that could easily form between these people and how Ultron literally could ‘tear them apart, from the inside.’ The films finale delivered what everyone wanted and more, it gave us a sense of believable danger and left us with a sense of anticipation for the next installment.

Overall Age of Ultron has to be one of Marvels finest ventures yet, it will take its place alongside; Guardians of the Galaxy and the Winter Solider to highlight how great Marvel can be. Although at times it felt like there was maybe too much going on, and with slight battle fatigue setting in it was hard to follow some of the sub plots. However the Ultron even shows how clever it is when it pokes fun at itself, in the films climax we see Hawkeye and Scarlet Witch speaking in the midst of the action, she stares at him and states ‘This doesn’t make sense.’ To which he replies ‘The city is floating, We are fighting robots and I have a bow and arrow…none of this makes sense’. This sums up the best of this franchise, its not afraid to see how ridiculous it can be in the middle of its most dangerous moment.  Age of Ultron was fantastic but you can’t help but want just slightly more, it doesn’t help that Marvel have released their schedule for all their future movies, which slightly detracts from the will they, wont they die? When you can clearly see that all the actors have signed on for another 2 or 3 movies. This is an almost petty comment, as we all want to know when the Avengers will next assemble.

RATING 4/5

Whiplash (2015) - Review

Whiplash (2015) – Review

Director – Damien Chazelle

Stars – J K Simmons, Miles Teller, Mellisa Benoist

Director Damien Chazelle has just hit the ripe old age of 30,  ‘Whiplash’ is his first major directing gig and he has guided it to the silver screen almost entirely by himself. His efforts have earned his film 5 Oscar nominations and J K Simmons win at the Globes for Best Supporting actor. Not bad for a film that was on nobody’s radar until people began seeing the first few screenings. From now on the future looks exceptionally bright for Chazelle, Simmons and Teller, but what about ‘Whiplash’ why all the fuss about someone playing jazz drums for almost 2 hours, sounds boring right? Well as it turns out not so much.

Whiplash has to be one of the best films of this year, and it’s not even the end of January yet. It’s a bold statement I’ll grant you, but something about this magnificent piece of filmmaking draws you in and holds you to your seat for every single second. J K Simmons acts as a prestigious music teacher who everyone fears (for a good reason), yet someone who everyone wants to be taught by. Miles Teller who is already becoming a very well known presence in Hollywood proves that he is a future star with this dedicated performance, as Andrew who is willing to give everything to become a legend. ‘Whiplash’ when described almost sounds dull, I mean really ‘you want to see a film about a guy playing drums whilst Spiderman’s boss shouts a him?’ Well no, not really. But when you begin to see this amazing story played out you realize that this will become a cult classic and re-watched over and over again. J K Simmons brings his A game here and as an audience member you almost begin to fear this psychopath and what he will do to the students at his disposal.

Overall Whiplash has shown that smaller Indie films have so much more heart than certain over produced Hollywood blockbusters. It manages to exhaust you and throw you around until the finale where you are so emotionally involved that every shot, every beat is another moment so masterfully created that you never want it to end, but when it does the pay off is so welcome it means you can breath and take a cold shower after this roller-coaster of a ride. Whiplash isn’t a film that will be forgotten, it’s thrusting fresh young filmmakers into the spotlight and showing that J K Simmons is truly a marvelous actor. If this is the next generation of film, then we have a lot to look forward to.

RATING 5/5

Written by Joshua Tanner

‘John Wick’ – Moustache Movie Review

‘John Wick’ – Moustache Movie Review

Director – Chad Stahelski

Stars- Keanu Reeves, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe

Keanu Reeves has always been one of those Hollywood actors that you liked but asked why he was there? This is in no way an insult, Reeves always felt above the pretentious nature of many well-known actors. He has always been a great presence on screen from his humble beginnings with ‘Bill and Ted’ to one of the best action films of all time ‘The Matrix’. He has countlessly proved he is an amazing actor whilst also being an amazing person (stories of him giving away nearly all his pay checks from various films to crew members pop up from time to time.) And in the past decade, after the Matrix trilogy ended he became less of an A list actor choosing projects, which while being Hollywood productions were never a huge success. However in this Glorious year so far we have seen the ‘return’ of Michael Keaton and it looks as if Reeves is only a short distance behind.

John Wick begins as if David Fincher was behind the camera; most shots of day-to-day life (drinking Coffee, driving) have a grey tinge whilst also sharp and in focus. These small elements add to the story of a grieving John Wick who is attacked in his home, car stolen and puppy killed in front of him. I mean that’s one way to get the audience on your side, look at ‘I am legend’ they made the whole theatre cry when Will Smith’s loving companion kicked the bucket. To add to that his dead wife gave him this puppy as a final gift, all these make sure John Wick has a valid reason to return to his previous life as a contract killer, hunting down the mobster boss’s son (Game of Thrones’ Alfie Allen) who is responsible. The film continues on this trend when we see John Wick begin to wage war with the ensuing endless men at the mafia’s disposal. All these action scenes are clean cut and successfully executed in a Bourne-esk manor, one in particular is when we see our hero enter a church, which is a front for money laundering, armed with an assault rifle he begins to reign hell down on his enemies (nice Juxtaposition right?). John Wick however has its downfall shortly after here where it begins to lose the story and the feel of realism, it descends into a stereotypical Hollywood action film where the climatic sequence doesn’t pay off as much as you would want it too. The first half of the film is strong and shows a great return of form for Reeves which is refreshing, but after about 45 minutes it begins to repeat this idea of an invincible assassin that doesn’t match the tone of the film. What could have been a solid finale is ultimately washed away with battle fatigue and a sense that John Wick will probably win. Even though John Wick doesn’t deliver exactly where we want it to, it still has great moments and of course it’s great to see Keanu back in his stride.

RATING 3/5

Written by Joshua Tanner

10 Movies we are excited for in 2015 - Moustache Movie reviews

10 Movies we are excited for in 2015

 10.

‘Everest’ – 18^th Spetember

Director- Baltasar Kormakur

Stars- Jake Gyllenhaal, Keira Knightley, Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington, Jason Clarke

Plot-‘A climbing expedition on Mt. Everest is devastated by a severe snow storm.’ (IMDB)

Everest boasts a stellar cast, great scenery and solid adventure for viewers. Gyllenhaal has been on form recently making great choices with his roles and we’re sure this will be another to add to his catalogue. Lets just hope Everest isn’t just 2 hours of climbing in blizzards and shouting to ‘turn back!’ and that it has a heart somewhere beneath the snow.

9.

‘Man Down’ – 30^th October

Director – Dito Montiel

Stars – Shia Labeouf, Jai Courtney, Kate Mara, Gary Oldman

Plot - ‘In a savage post-apocalyptic America, former U.S. Marine Gabriel Drummer searches desperately for the whereabouts of his son, Jonathan and wife, Natalie, accompanied by his best friend and a survivor.’ (IMDB)

An intriguing one here, sounding like a mix of ‘The Last of Us’ and every wife kidnap thriller ever. Again a solid cast and one that will hopefully utilize Gary Oldman (as he has been underplayed too much recently). The casting of Shia Labeouf is a curve ball after his pretty public meltdown, although  it is defiantly a good sign as he has recently stated he wants to play more interesting characters. Lets expect plenty of action as the trio race to save Kate Mara, most probably against Oldman as the antagonist.

8.

Chappie – 6^th March

Director – Neil Bloomkamp

Stars – Dev Patel, Sharlto Copley, Hugh jackman

Plot - After being kidnapped by two criminals during birth, Chappie becomes the adopted son in a strange and dysfunctional family. Chappie is preternaturally gifted, one of a kind, a prodigy. He also happens to be a robot. (IMDB)

Bloomkamp of ‘District 9’ fame is on his 3^rd outing in native South Africa following a trend of tech-themed action. Chappie boasts more of a comedic feel whilst also giving us the similar emotional connection that D9 provided. With the slight misstep of ‘Elysium’ behind him, Bloomkamp will be attempting to provide us with a similar mix of action and drama whilst also tackling the idea of A.I and its place in today’s world. With his regular hero Sharlto Copley at the helm this time using motion capture to portray the titular character Chappie, this is going to be a heartwarming action drama that places Bloomkamp as one of the best directors in the world right now.

7.

Mad Max: Fury Road – 15^th May

Director – George Miller

Stars- Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult

Plot - An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and almost everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. (IMDB)

A surprising divide in support for Hardy and severe production delays meant that Fury Road has been a movie awaited by many with baited breath. Hardy’s Max reportedly speaks less than 20 lines whilst Theron provides us with the crazed antagonist. Fury Road already looks insane, the trailer showed off its multiple fast paced chases through explosions and sandstorms whilst teasing us with solemn moments of repressed anger on Hardy’s part.

6.

Macbeth – TBC

Director – Justin Jurzel

Stars – Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard

Plot - Spurred on by an eerie prophecy of the power he could gain if he were King, Macbeth, an army general, murders Duncan, the King of Scotland, and takes the throne. However, his guilt, and that of his wife, may prove to be their undoing. (IMDB)

With arguably two of the best actors in the world at the moment helming this infamous film it has been greeted with great respect and admiration, however many modern audiences can barely understand Shakespeare let alone sit through 3 hour renditions at the Globe theatre. So it will be interesting to see how ‘Macbeth’ fairs with younger audiences who probably cant wait for another transformers movie, Kids eh? Fassbender and Cotillard are ideal for these roles and they are taking a leap of faith in making a movie adaptation of this classic, many others have tried and failed, judging by the talent it should end up more like Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Romeo + Juliet’ and not Michael Amereyda’s ‘Hamlet’

5.

Avengers: Age of Ultron – 1^st May

Director – Joss Whedon

Stars – Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston, Scarlett Johansson

Plot - When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans. (IMDB)

The Avengers don’t really need an introduction do they? Although the first outing was slightly bogged down with a semi-origins feel to it, Age of Ultron promises to delivery a higher caliber of action and drama rolled into one big explosive climax that will eventually lead to the (Final?) two back-to-back movies and the next Captain America. Expect everyone to be in danger before they eventually win and continue the franchise until they get replaced and start all over again (*cough* *cough* Spiderman *cough*)

4.

American Sniper – 16^th January

Director – Clint Eastwood

Stars- Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller

Plot- Navy SEAL sniper Chris Kyle's pinpoint accuracy saves countless lives on the battlefield and turns him into a legend. Back home to his wife and kids after four tours of duty, however, Chris finds that it is the war he can't leave behind. (IMDB)

Based on the true story of Chris Kyle, America’s deadliest sniper Eastwood hopes to address PTSD and war through Cooper's relationship with his family and friends. This is going to be a dramatic powerhouse performance from Cooper and co whilst also giving us nail biting tension in a variety of battle sequences. This has already gained award rumors which; given the cast and crew's track record is not a surprise.

3.

Jurassic World – 12^th June

Director – Colin Trevorrow

Stars- Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jake Johnson

Plot - Twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park (1993), Isla Nublar now features a fully functioning dinosaur theme park, Jurassic World, as originally envisioned by John Hammond. After 10 years of operation and visitor rates declining, in order to fulfill a corporate mandate, a new attraction is created to re-spark visitor's interest, which backfires horribly. (IMDB)

Chris Pratt? Dinosaurs? Count me in. With the trailer letting us glimpse what to expect from Colin Trevorrow’s Jurassic World it’s easy to get excited. It feels like a long time since we last set foot in dino-infested waters and it looks like its been worth the wait, Pratt had a phenomenal 2014 and it can only get better as he continues to be a great leading man. It’s a shame Sam Neil hasn’t returned to fight raptors and wear a fedora but as long as there is the same king of carnage and set pieces as before no one will be complaining.   

2.

Spectre – 23^rd October

Director – Sam Mendes

Stars- Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Ralph Fiennes

Plot- A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE (IMDB)

Three years on from the most successful bond ever Sam Mendes and Daniel Craig return to the longest running movie franchise for another round of cars, wit and action. Not only was ‘Skyfall’ one of the best movies of 2012 it was also one of the best bond’s. Now we see the most infamous of villains creeping into the picture in the shape of (probably) Christoph Waltz who is a seasoned villain. Waltz has provided us with some of the most tense scenes in recent memory including the ‘Inglorious Bastards’ Opening. Everything points to the fact that this could potentially be the best bond yet.

1.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens – 18^th December

Director – JJ Abrams

Stars- Harrison Ford, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Mark Hamil, Andy Serkis

Plot- A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983). (IMDB)

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past year you would have seen and heard that Star Wars is making a return. One of the most loved and cherished franchises in history is continuing its journey supported by a great cast and director into unknown territory. As you can see there are next to no plot details, with only the teaser trailer providing us with a glimpse of frantic action and ominous danger. Abrams did a stellar job with Star Trek and he looks to continue his Sci-fi Career in style giving us a slightly darker toned look into the lives of Han, Luke and Leia as they begin another chapter of the star wars saga.

Written By Joshua Tanner