Author: BRWC

The Hunger Games – Mockingjay, Part 1 (Midnight Showing Review)

Written by Lewis Mainwaring & Benjamin Gummery

Spoiler Free

Mockingjay, Part 1 is the follow up to the 2013 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and is based on the Suzanne Collins‘ novel, Mockingjay, the third and final instalment in The Hunger Games trilogy.

Directed by Francis Lawrence (who also directed Catching Fire) the film stars Jennifer Lawrence as the captivating Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark and Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne. The film also sees the return of Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow – The tyrannical President of Panem who reigns with a ‘cold fist’ (insert laugh here), Philip Seymour Hoffman as Plutarch Heavensbee and introduces Julianne Moore to the franchise as President Alma Coin.

This film follows on directly from the previous film with Katniss waking up to the realisation that District 12 no longer exists and that she is now at the heart of the new rebellions base located in the ruins of District 13.

This is a dystopian communist society run by the survivors turn militant force of District 13 headed by President Coin. Moore turns in an electrifying performance in this role as a strong female leader not afraid to take tough decisions and makes a worthy opponent to President Snow.

The rebellious themes that run throughout the course of this instalment reminded us of similar themes in Star Wars Episode IV & VI, Equilibrium and also the final instalment of the Matrix Trilogy – Matrix Revolutions.

This instalment also sees ‘Capitol favourites’ such as Haymitch Abernathy and Effie Trinket (played by the fantastic Woody Harrelson and Elizabeth Banks) adjusting to life as rebels and living without the splendour of the Capitol – as Effie puts it she feels like ‘a prisoner of war’ and is finding it very difficult without her bizarre array of wigs and make-up.

The film has several gripping action sequences and jaw dropping moments but this is balanced with a lot of reflective scenes and even some lighter comedy moments. Suffice to say this film held our interest throughout. Having watched the three installments in a triple bill showing (at Cineworld Newport) we can safely say that this franchise remains consistent throughout – and this film easily lives up to the previous two.

Philip Seymour Hoffman sadly died on the 2nd February 2014 at the age of 46 due to a personal struggle with addiction.

At the time of his death, Hoffman was filming Mockingjay – Part 2 and had completed the majority of his scenes. This film pays a fitting tribute to him during the ending credits as appreciated by the audience (and resulted in a round of applause). His performance is among the strongest of his career.

November 20th 2015 will see Mockingjay – Part 2 hit cinema screens nationwide and 2015 is definitely a big year for film releases and sees films such as Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man hitting the screen.

Join the Mockingjay.

Join the Fight.

SEE THIS FILM NOW !!!!

5/5

20th November 2014
Billy Club – Review

When the anniversary of a tragedy that befell a little-league team coincides with the return of an old team mate to town, a group of friends decide to mark the event with a visit to their coach’s old cabin in the woods. The only problem is they aren’t the only ones who haven’t forgotten and it fast becomes clear that they aren’t home free yet.

Some decent, if unoriginal, gore, a fantastic killer design with a savagely realised weapon and, as with many low-budget films in this technologically wealthy age, it’s direction and editing is polished and professional. Something that hasn’t changed since the 70’s, however, is the quality of the stories, characters and acting.

It suffers from some not bad, but mild performances, but they’re made all the more noticeably mild by the lack of character building. They aren’t even really stereotypes from other slashers, they’re just not fleshed out enough to care about the peril they are in.

The big problem is with characterisation, as in almost no existent. This isn’t uncommon in horror, of course, but there is a direct basis of comparison. The killer has real character and a great back story that by the end is really involving, but no one else does and, as most of the film involves not knowing the intricacies of the killer’s story, a boredom sets in that is hard to shake.

18th November 2014
Blu-ray Review: X-Men: Days Of Future Past – Empire Magazine Edition

Written by Lewis Mainwaring

After seeing this film on opening night way back in May, I had this on pre-order straight away.

Available exclusively on Amazon.co.uk this limited edition Blu-ray comes packaged as a hardback book and features the exclusive promotional tie-in covers from Empire Magazine.

Empire Magazine as part of their 25 year celebrations produced 25 inter-locking collectable covers – showcasing various X-Men characters and Director Bryan Singer. In this boxset 23 of these covers are shown – Bryan Singer & Rogue’s covers have not been included in this set.

This latest instalment of the X-Men Film series shows both Magneto (Ian Mckellen/Michael Fassbender) and Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart/James McAvoy) teaming up in a bid for survival against the Sentinels. This film joins together the beloved characters from the original “X-Men” film trilogy as sees them join forces with their younger selves from the past, “X-Men: First Class,” in order to change a major historical event and fight in an epic battle that could save their future.

Without giving away too many of the films numerous plot twists and Easter eggs for the viewer – this film is a must see for any fan of the X-Men franchise but also has wide appeal for non-die hard fans.

The special features included on this disc are:-

* Deleted scenes with commentary by Bryan Singer,

* Exclusive documentaries,

* Gag reels,

* Stills gallery,

* An exclusive sneak peek of Ridley Scott’s upcoming movie – Exodus: Gods and Kings.

Overall I would rate the movie 10 out of 10 for bringing back Bryan Singer to the X-Men franchise. Bryan please never leave again WE do not want another case of X-Men 3 !!!!!!!!

This limited edition box set is a must have for collectors, die hard fans and is amazing value – currently at £17.50!!!!!

11th November 2014
Terry And Brenda – Short Review

Inspired by the likes of Fred & Rose West and 80’s Video Nasties sleaze, Terry and Brenda shows us an evening in the home of an odd couple and see just how odd it can get.

It’s an effective horror short with some very accomplished performances, especially from Debra Baker who comes across as a Broadmoor Mrs Merton. It does what a horror short of its length should; it gets in, makes an impact and gets out. Unfortunately, it doesn’t hold up to greater scrutiny.

The problem that plagues it’s 15 minute run time is the shifts in tone. Some of the moments are comedic, some disturbing, some horrific, but they never feel like they blend. There’s far more focus on the shocking twists in the tale then how these twists come about, creating more a sense of detachment from each scene than fluid moments.

While the parts are very well achieved and it will definitely unsettle, the conflicting tones create a less cohesive whole.

4th November 2014
3 Super-Heroine Movies Marvel Should Make Right Now

With Guardians of the Galaxy, Marvel proved – as though there had been any doubt – that audiences are excited and eager to climb on board for whatever cinematic adventures the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) has to offer. Such a large and enthusiastic audience begs the question: if the MCU can find success with a film where two-fifths of the hero team are a talking raccoon and a sentient tree, why won’t they give fans a female-led flick?

I know I’m not the first to ask that question and I’m certain I won’t be the last. Tony, Steve, and Thor have all been great, don’t get me wrong, and Peter Quill was an absolute delight, but their stories are only a small portion of the dynamic and diverse group of heroes that make up Marvel Comics’ long-running history. On the off-chance that Marvel execs have simply been too perplexed as to where to begin for a female-led franchise, I’ve compiled a list of surefire leads to get their creative juices flowing in a new direction.

Black Widow

True, Natasha Romanov has graced the screens of three Marvel movies to-date: Iron Man 2, Avengers, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. However, those brief glimpses have made it very clear that the Black Widow has a rich, complex, and nuanced history that heretofore has only been hinted at in previous films.

Fans have long been clamoring for an origin story film for Black Widow, and for good reason: Scarlett Johansson plays Natasha with great power and subtlety, making the audience all the more eager to learn the answers to their numerous questions. How did Natasha become the Black Widow? Why did Hawkeye “make a different call” instead of taking her out as ordered? How did she become part of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

A solo Widow film would certainly raise just as many questions as it would answer, given the character’s complexity, but it would be oh-so-marvelous (pun intended) to finally see the MCU’s take on her origin.

Gamora (and Nebula)

I am certainly willing to admit that I had no prior knowledge of any character or plot point relevant to Guardians of the Galaxy before I saw it in theaters this summer. As previously stated, the film was an absolute delight; however, I found myself wanting more. While we are certain to find out more about our lovably dysfunctional team in Guardian of the Galaxy 2, I found myself wondering less about the future and more about the past.

Specifically, who are Gamora and Nebula? Sure, we learn the bare basics of their identities and origins in Guardians, but their characters felt so untapped to me. How did they come to be the adopted daughters of Thanos? How did growing up with such a “father” figure shape who they came to be? How did they come to – by the end of Guardians – choose such separate paths? What made Gamora so determined to take on guardianship of the universe and what made Nebula so determined to maintain a path of destruction?

Having already dropped the ball by leaving Gamora off merchandise, a solo film fleshing out Gamora’s back-story would go a long way to regaining good will as well as rounding out this brand new branch of the MCU’s ongoing story.

Wasp

Who is the Wasp you ask? Frankly, it’s a shame you even have to ask! Janet van Dyne, aka the Wasp, was a founding member of the Avengers. In fact, she was the one to give the team its name. Cunning and capable, she led the team for many years (Captain America is the only member who can boast about beating her in length of leadership).

Joss Whedon reportedly wanted Wasp to be part of Avengers; it was possible – at the time – that Scarlett Johansson would be unavailable to return as Black Widow. Johansson turned out to be available, of course, and the rest is history. 2015’s Ant-Man is just around the corner, and would be another excellent opportunity to introduce this historic character, as she was the wife of Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man.

Unfortunately, it seems that Ant-Man has preemptively, yet retroactively, fridged Janet Van Dyne via an off-screen, male character’s back-story death. Why? No one is really sure at this point, though there is much speculation that this is to save face for Pym’s character by neatly omitting his history as an abusive husband.

With the movie not yet released, I say it isn’t too late to make a solo Wasp film work. So they want her written out of Ant-Man. That’s fine! Let’s just go with a brave-enough-to-leave-her-abuser divorce. Then power her up and unleash her as a feisty female heroine kicking butt and taking names. Just as Captain America provided a great opportunity to have fun in the 40’s, a Wasp feature would be a great excuse to play hero in the 60’s and 70’s. Moreover, it would be a great opportunity to have Janet cross paths with established characters like a post-war Peggy or a young Nick Fury.

Of course, these are merely off-the-cuff ideas based on characters already (or soon to be) introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With decades of history, Marvel has their pick of awesome ladies to choose from, almost any of which would be equally engaging as a talking tree or anthropomorphic raccoon.

23rd October 2014