Review Roundup - A Night At The Opera

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - ROGUE NATION (2015)

Brian De Palma's revival of the 60s TV series feels like a long time ago, and well that's because it was. Nearly two decades later this franchise is still going, and somehow they've managed to really pick up the pace with the last two instalments giving it all renewed energy. The 1996 feature remains a class act, and in a lot of ways it's one of those 'better than you remember' type films even if the plot has always been a little convoluted. It remains a slick action thriller with plenty of memorable set pieces and stylish direction. 20 years later... a lot has changed. It's bigger and louder, and the shifts in tone veer into comic relief a lot more frequently. And yet the double crosses, ticking clocks, high tech facility break ins and those Lalo Schifrin chords are all still here. They are still reinventing that burglary on a wire scene in new ways. Luckily the mixture of old and new creates something that really works despite them saying 'disavowed' far too often and failing to avoid the same old plot about agents on the run from their own agency. Considering this is the forth sequel, this is definitely in realm of 'better than you expected'.

Scorecard

NOVEMBER

FILM OF THE MONTH: Ikiru ☆☆☆☆

Review Roundup - Catching up

2015 (SORT OF) RECAP

With time in the year running down it's time to do a quick look at all those features I have forgotten to get into. Some would probably have been given a place under bonus reviews or even features to themselves at some point - but didn't ever make it due to one reason or another. It's going to be a mixed bag in terms of content, genre and of course quality but this is as good a time as any to get into things which have been overlooked. I think most of the blockbusters have already been covered recently so while a few here are larger names there are some which have had less hype or brand marketing. As I untangle my brain it's probably apt that two of these involve thought power and mental faculties... a couple of entries are from last year. So this is sort of a cheat but there you have it, let's get stuck in before this is all left unsaid and falls into the memory dump.

Review Roundup - Hive Mind

ANT-MAN (2015)

Perhaps fitting the title, this latest addition to the Marvel cinematic branding plan appeared without a lot of fanfare. Being released post Age of Ultron probably didn't help but it's a strange time in which new origin stories in the traditional sense have not been told for several years and even Guardians of the Galaxy was still a team up movie at heart. There was also some controversy surrounding the production as many will be aware, as after almost a decade of involvement director-writer Edgar Wright dropped out of the project just before filming due to creative disagreements that have not been discussed openly. Adding one more character to the roster shouldn't really have been an issue at this late stage but there was a sense that this represented another risky proposal to the studio, particularly with the oddball nature of the story and its comedy style. But at the same time it also had the potential to add something new in terms of what can be done with visual effects set pieces - with the right kind of imagination shrinking characters down on film has been done well several times in the past. However the feeling that this has all been done before, along with the shadow of changes being made to the story at the last minute are noticeable issues that disrupt the fun to be had here.

Review Roundup - I Know Now Why You Cry

TERMINATOR: GENISYS (2015)

I guess at this point I have to look at this one out of some kind of obligation, or maybe it's just a sort of morbid intrigue to see how low things can get. With that title it's not hard to imagine what's in store. Like the Die Hard series it was already on its last legs by the forth instalment. So to add that last straw another round of robot action only vaguely resembling James Cameron's original film has been thrown together, because they can I suppose. They even include Jai Courtney here just to make the comparison in quality obvious, which was nice of them. The series which was once kind of clever and included some great characters is now pretty much free of any character at all, and badly wants to be seen as thought provoking science fiction but instead is packed with nonsensical techno babble and time travel sub plots that are just laughable. Studios beating a dead horse is always unpleasant to see, and this is no exception.