Dawn of the Planets of the Apes (Matt Reeves, 2014) Review

I know! I know! I've been slacking on my reviews. Last week was only a top ten. My lame excuse this time is that I've been moving around a bit. Now that I'm settled, I can get back to more film reviews...hopefully. I think the film Guardians of the Galaxy being on the horizon has put me back into the mood of films after this hectic month. In the mean time, I managed to see Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, a film that wasn't high on my priority list......but looking back after seeing it, it really should have been. This review will tell you why.

10 years after the events of the first film, the virus epidemic has spread world wide and wiped out most of the human race. This leaves a clan of intelligent apes, led by Caeser (Andy Serkis), to build their own civilization by themselves. Things change for the apes when discover a group of humans scouting the woods in search of a dam that can power their makeshift base in an abandoned San Francisco. The leader of the humans, Dreyfus (Gary Oldman), sends the group out again, headed by Malcolm (Jason Clarke), to reason with Caeser and compromise for use of the dam. Caeser's willingness to co-operate causes a stir with his own pack as his best friend Koba (Toby Kebbell) starts to question his decisions and finds his won methods of dealing with the human's presence.

2014 is truly a fantastic year for film. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The LEGO Movie and we can now add Dawn of the Planet of the Apes to that list. Naturally, Andy Serkis is wonderful as he reprises his role a Caeser from the first film and the expanded cast of apes helps make it even more awe-inspiring to see the large amount of well done CGI creations. The choice of motion capture is still a great one and this works well for Koba's actor Tony Kebbell (who replaces the original actor from the first film) who also delivers a strong performance that stands against Serkis. The humans are also well cast. Gary Oldman as the leader Dreyfus is arguably the most sympathetic character in the film. That scene with his photos really was heart wrenching. I was a bit sceptical of Jason Clarke at first since it did seem like he would try to replace James Franco as the "only good human" role but he does find his own identity in this mad world, much better than the likes of  Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Godzilla.

At 2 hours and 10 minutes, I was a bit worried that this film would end up dragging, especially because the trailers didn't focus on much except for the fighting. I'm actually glad that the trails didn't give much away at all. In fact, it manipulates the film to make it look different to how it actually is, especially the portrayal of Dreyfus. I'm also glad it takes a non bias stance on the human/ape argument. Rise of the Planet of the Apes was very one sided by making humans the devil. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes shows that there are good and bad on each side and doesn't make you feel bad about which you sided with....unlike Avatar (the lackluster film, not the god-like TV show).

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a surprisingly mature film considering it involves scenes with apes riding horses firing machine guns..it's as awesome as it sounds. It's unbiased and handles its characters and their development well. Koba is especially well developed. The CGI is also amazing and the acting accompanying this is magnificent. This is another film to add to this plethora of amazing films this year. Here's hoping Guardians of the Galaxy is just as good as the rest of them as it's shaping up to be.

Verdict:
9/10
Apes...riding horses....firing machine guns. That is all.

Top Ten Episodes of Doctor Who

I'm in a very list-y mood (list-y still isn't a word) and I wanted to do another TV show top ten because I guess I'm in another movie drought (I say this just as Transformers: Age of Extinction and How to Train Your Dragon 2 hit the cinemas) and also found this list fitting due to the return of Doctor Who in a month with Peter Capaldi at the helm. I'm hyped as I suspect Capaldi's Doctor will be a much darker and more morally ambiguous Time Lord (perhaps leading to the Valeyard, hmmm?) which is something the series has been lacking in recent episodes. Now, Doctor Who throughout David Tenant's era made up most of my childhood and was my favourite TV show. It kind of saddens me that the series has taken a dive that seems to try to be overly complicated and pleasing to fangirls and maybe I've just grown up seeing as my favourite TV shows now are Breaking Bad, Sherlock and Avatar: The Last Airbender but I have a special place in my heart for Doctor Who.

This list will be sticking to the new era of Doctor Who starting from 2005 with Christopher Eccelston as the 9th Doctor to 2013 with Matt Smith as the 11th because we have yet to see Capaldi in action and I haven't seen enough classic episodes to have a fair opinion of them.
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10. The Army of Ghosts/Doomsday

The episodes that launched a thousand Tumblr pages. Over the past two years, we had seen The Doctor and Rose blossom as an inseparable couple but the time had to come when we saw these two part ways. Many hold this up to be the most depressing episode and it's very easy to see why. That image above sums up the whole situation and the broken look on The Doctor's face gives me chills. I'm not the biggest fan of Rose but even I felt like the series had taken a big loss over the first companion of the new era of Doctor Who. It was a shift in tone and paved the way to the much darker episodes yet to come. We also get to see childhood dreams lived out in a war between Daleks and Cybermen which leads to some great action scenes and it's great to see The Doctor try to compromise under the circumstances. All or nothing is the aim of the game in Doomsday. The name says it all.

9. Dalek

Daleks are in almost every series of Doctor Who now and have slowly become less of a threat because of it. The show seems to enjoy pointing out as many flaws as possible about the supposed "supreme beings". However, Dalek was the first time we saw a Dalek in the new era and it is still the best Dalek related episode so far. At this point in the show, the game is simple. One Time Lord vs one Dalek. No complications, no deus ex machina, just pure fear. The first moments when The Doctor realises what's going on and is as scared as he's ever been should set the bar of what a Dalek's presence should mean. They should be feared and yet, this episode also highlights the fact that they aren't just mindless machines. In fact, they are living organisms for feel and have needs....yet still need orders and a Dalek without orders leads to a one Dalek army. Don't lie, you freaked out when you first saw it levitate up the stairs. While they have been overused now, I can still look back on their first appearance with fondest...even though this episode is now set in the past (this one is set in 2012...ouch).

8. Blink

Doctor Who is a show that, in it's heyday, was infamous for scaring the living daylights out of audiences and leaving them hiding behind their sofas. Excluding the next entry since I didn't even know what Doctor Who was, I have screamed twice watching it. The Forest of the Dead with all that Vashta Narada and deformed gltich people business and Blink for the God damn Weeping Angels. Sure, they have lost their appeal because Moffat won't stop milking them but when they first appeared, you can bet they left an impression. Acting as a 'Doctor-lite' episode as he barley makes an appearance, we see clever mind games involved in guiding Sally Sparrow (believe it or not, played by Carey Mulligan) to the TARDIS as The Doctor and Martha have been ambushed by Weeping Angels and send back in time. Nightmare fuel ensues as Doctor Who adds statues to the list of things we are now afraid of. Don't think that ending didn't make us paranoid.

7. The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances

This was the first time I had ever laid eyes on Doctor Who and it terrified me instantly as I'm sure it did to many. Out of all the episodes on this list, this is the only one I'm going for based on pure fear factor alone. It's notorious for being one of the creepiest episodes and it's easy to see why. Steven Moffat knows how to build suspense, invade our minds and pull all kinds of twists and turns all throughout his double-parter. Also introducing Captain Jack Harkness who would grow so popular that he'd get his own spin-off also didn't hurt. The World War II setting also gives us a unique look and feel that already leaves us feeling on edge because we know bombs could drop any second. This is the go-to episode for constant dread and making us freak out at every gas mask we see...until Team Fortress 2 came along and made them adorable.

6. Midnight

I'm always a fan of "bottle episodes" (episodes that take place in one set with a small cast to save money) because the writers are forced to throw their characters into new territory and nothing gets newer for The Doctor then the events that transpire in Midnight. Set in a tight, enclosed space (already creating tension due to the sense of claustrophobia), Midnight sees The Doctor facing an internal enemy that turns out to be one of the most deadly and most feared purely through exploiting fear of those around it. It's a genius episode that breaks The Doctor's confidence for the first time and pits him against a truly formidable foe that comes incredibly close to causing his demise. Chilling, freaky yet not afraid to throw in a tiny bit of humour, Midnight puts The Doctor in with the most terrifying monsters of all.....scared and irrational humans. AAAH!

5. The Girl in the Fireplace

Who ordered their episode that delivers a massive gut punch and leaves you in a pool of your own tears? The Girl in the Fireplace is the episode for you. Something that Doctor Who hasn't really done (as far as I know) is having characters get emotionally invested in a historical figure. Fires of Pompeii did well with Donna feeling sorrow for the doomed citizens of Pompeii (including Peter Capaldi and Karen Gillan...seriously) however it was The Girl in the Fireplace that perfected it. The Doctor, Rose and Mickey travel to an abandoned spaceship to find a time portal that takes The Doctor through to France throughout the 18th century and grows a relationship with Madame De Pompadour. The catch is that what may seem like minutes on the spaceship is years in France. As you might guess, there is only one way it can end and leaves us on one of the saddest notes of the series. 

4. The End of Time

Throughout David Tennant's run as The Doctor, Doctor Who was my life. I was opposed with nothing else and my mind only thought about Doctor Who. I'm proud that I have a show I could embody as my childhood however all good things must come to an end. It's actually quite hard to talk about this episode without talking about the next one on my list but we'll have a go. The End of Time makes us realise that everything The Doctor had been fighting for his entire life was in vain as we see the Time Lords return as a new enemy for him to face in his last days with his rival, The Master, thrown into the mix. What strikes me most about this episode is the ending. Out of the three modern Doctors, only the 10th has regenerated unwillingly. The 9th was proud and with Rose, the 11th was content and with Clara but the 10th was scared and alone. That is a horrible position to but such a joyful and social incarnation to be in during his last moments. The moment that The Doctor regenerates signifies the end of my childhood. After all, 15 is a good age to move on, right?...I still tear up at that scene. A depressing farewell to one of my favourite fictional characters.

3. The Sound of Drums/Last of the Time Lords

I suppose you may be wondering who or what my favourite Doctor Who baddie is. After all, they can make or break an episode. I can reveal that my favourite is The Master. It may seem quite cliche to simply pit a hero against an evil version of himself (okay, there's more to it...he's not the Valeyard) but this is the episode that completely turns that on it's head. The reason this episode works so well can be summed up in it's first scene. The Master has already won. Right as the episode starts, he is already in power and in control. The Doctor has no TARDIS, he, along with Jack and Martha, are on top of the public enemy list and The Master is almost ready to decimate the human population. The stakes are the highest they have ever been and we see The Doctor fall into the mercy of his maniac of a former friend. The Master's insanity is explored with great depth and almost becomes sympathetic if it weren't for the constant barrage of evil and shocking strokes of psychotic torture and desolation. A truly thrilling romp from start to finish that ends on a bittersweet ending thanks for beautiful music and some of David Tennant's finest acting. 

2. Vincent and the Doctor

I may be making myself out to be a David Tennant fanboy with no broad scope on this list. That's only partially true. Yes, he's my favourite Doctor but I still have place in my heart of Matt Smith as the 11th Doctor. I am aware that the best episode that highlights his Doctor is The Beast Below...or The Rings of Akhaten but I will tell you why Vincent and the Doctor does so many things right. It nails what the show was supposed to do in the first place and that is explore time and highlight historical figures as well as explore their real life turmoil in a fresh way. Vincent Van Gogh is played wonderfully by Tony Curran and we see his real life suffering portrayed in a heart-breaking fashion (the ending still hurts) tied in wonderfully to the narrative by making great use of his talent and unique mind. However, there is one moment that lets this episode skyrocket up the list and that is when The Doctor takes Vincent to a museum showcasing his artwork. Whoever chose the music for this scene deserves a bloody raise because I can't hear that song without getting teary eyed. The music, the acting and even the cinematography is beautiful and is probably the most emotional I've ever been watching anything. Yes, I cried....every time. 

1. Human Nature/The Family of Blood

For many years now, I've been parading about claiming that Vincent and the Doctor is my favourite episode...that is until I stumbled upon this masterpiece when re watching the show. This is the episode that cemented The 10th Doctor as my favourite fictional character. We are shown an impossible vision of The Doctor living a human existence with no memory of his life as a Time Lord and having to deal with real human issues having now been torn down to our level. Love, loss, regret, pride. It conveys that, while from another world, he is still human at heart. The parallel's between The Doctor and John Smith make for wonderful commentary and are introduced to an enemy clearly out to destroy The Doctor's livelihood and everything he cares about as well as being introduced to Joan Redfern who works alongside John through is identity crisis in an archaic but lovely setting. In a way, it proves that anyone can make a difference and there is true power stored in even the smallest man. This is a truly inspiring episode but it's the ending that solidifies this as number one for me. The Fury of the Time Lord. One thing is for certain: Don't. Mess. With. The Doctor. He is a force to be reckoned with. He's labelled as the Oncoming Storm for a reason. This is the episode that makes me realise that he isn't really a hero...but in a good way. Hero is a label, it's just a title. The Doctor can antagonise, he can save galaxies and entire civilizations, he can destroy people's livelihoods through one sentence or action. A major case of "Be careful what you wish for" tied up with a perfect ending that pulls together aspects from earlier points in an effort to say "this was going somewhere". A well thought out, beautifully written episode that captures the true essence of The Doctor and the show as a whole. And two Game of Thrones actors helps.

Also the Scarecrows were cool.

Honourable Mentions:

Love and Monsters

The Doctor's Daughter

Silence in the Library/Forest of the Dead

The Rings of Akhaten

The Sontaran Stratagem/The Poison Sky

It would appear that from all these episodes that Series 3 is evidently my favourite. I can't quite make that claim but it certainly delivered some tremendous episodes, didn't it. 

How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dean DeBlois, 2014) Review

If it weren't for The Croods or Turbo, I would say we would be in Dreamworks' equvilant of the Disney Reinnesance. How to Train Your Dragon, Megamind, Kung Fu Panda 2, Puss in Boots and Rise of the Guardians, all great films. Mr. Peabody and Sherman was also a good one but can they continue their streak of great films with their new sequel to How to Train Your Dragon...called How to Train Your Dragon 2. Probably....because it's another Dragon film and Dreamworks are great at first sequels...not so much later sequels but we'll get there eventually.

5 years after the events of the first film, Berk is now a land where dragons live freely with people. While Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) and Astrid (America Ferrera) are exploring a new land on their dragons, they are attacked by dragon traps led by Eret (Kit Harington), son of Eret, who works for a madman named Drago (Djimon Hounsou). Hiccup attempts to reach Drago and reason with him to stop his growing dragon army but is ambushed along the way by an unknown dragon rider who holds a long kept secret from Hiccup. 

I went into this film with one big fear and that is that the original had the surprise factor as no-one had a clue of how amazing it would be but, this time, we had expectations high for an even more amazing film. Dont' fear though because this film delivers impeccably and is another example of Dreamworks creating some of the best animation films out there. I knew things would be okay with David Powell returning to provide the spectacular soundtrack as he did before. How to Train Your Dragon always had an amazing soundtrack and the sequel continues this trend. We also get some great voice acting from the veterans of the first film such as Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler but new additions such as Kit Harington and Cate Blanchett fit in extremely well into this universe and I hope to see them in later installments.

The main thing that these films boast are it's incredible animation. Heck, even the TV series the film spawned looks great! This one ups the ante of everything on screen (one moment even gave me a Pacific Rim vibe) with a much larger scale. It made me realise that Dreamworks could do a good Shadow of the Colossus adaptation since this borderlines that. The detail one the characters and dragons is commendable and is Dreamworks' best looking film to date. It's a shame I can't see 3D since I'm sure this would look incredible with the great flying sections and use of scale and perspective. The plot is also a step up. The heart of the first film was the developing relationship between Hiccup and Toothless which is still evident but they threw in some complications in order to test their relationship. The second half of the film had me constantly on the edge of my seat as I had no idea where it was going. I almost thought we'd be left on a cliffhanger.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is an impeccable feat in animation. Dreamworks continue to prove that with every Turbo or The Croods, there is a film like this to balance everything out. Beautifully animated, wonderfully scored, well voiced and kept me on the edge of my seat throughout. All I can say is...good luck beating this Disney...because Big Hero 6 doesn't look like it's going to. How to Train Your Dragon 2 is so close to as perfect as a sequel can get. Good job to everyone on board.

Verdict:
9.5/10
Proof the Dreamworks know what their doing and that they can deliver a beautiful, well crafted sequel to an already almost perfect film.

Tarzan (Chris Buckand Kevin Lima, 1999) Review

Yes, I have been absent on this website for several weeks now but now that everything is out of the way, I can get back to film watching and reviewing! Huzzah! I still have another top ten list scheduled for 23rd August but, until then, let's get back to the reviews. It seems fitting that after my Disney list, my next review should be a Disney film. Sounds about right.

After being shipwrecked on an seemingly desert island, a couple face against a leopard labeled as Sabor only to meet their end after an attack. Their baby is left alone in their makeshift home and is taken in by a gorilla named Kala (Glenn Close). the baby, named Tarzan (Tony Goldwyn), grows up as one of the apes with his ape friend Terk (Rosie O'Donnell....that's a name I didn't want on this site) and an elephant named Tantor (Wayne Knight). Things get complicated when a group of human explorers arrive on an expedition to find wild apes. Tarzan saves a woman named Jane (Minnie Driver) who introduces him to her father (Nigel Hawthorne) and their bodyguard Clayton (Brian Blessed). As ne tries to teach Tarzan about human life, Clayton grows impatience and insists that Tarzan leads them to the apes for his own reasons.

There are two things that one comes to expect with an animated Disney film: wonderful animation and a strong soundtrack. Firstly, Tarzan does not disappoint with the animation as it continues the main aspect I loved about Aladdin and The Lion King's animation was the great lighting and colours. Their vibrant and stand out against the great backgrounds although, with Tarzan, its a bit more obvious that all the backgrounds are computer generated. I have to appreciate the new take of Tarzan's movement as he not only swings through the trees but is given much more ways of maneuvering such as grinding down branches and leaping from tree to tree. It looks great and is fun to watch.

The other big aspect is the music (or sound, since I'm going to talk about the voice acting too). Straying away from Disney norm, Tarzan uses non-diegetic music as Phil Collins provides songs rather than the characters themselves singing. In any other Disney film, this would be a disappointment but here it works because Tarzan is a much darker film in the Disney line-up so it wouldn't quite fit in. We have catchy songs and they don't ruin the tone. What's not to like...unless you don't like Phil Collins in which case, I'm sorry. Of course, we can't ignore BRIAN BLESSED! can we? The cast are just great. Yes, even Rosie O'Donnell...but Brian takes the cake because his booming voice has been asking to be animated and here we are!

Tarzan, while not Disney's strongest animated film, holds it's own very well. It's much darker in comparison to Disney's usual style but the lovely animation (mainly the lighting and the colours), strong voice acting and great take on the source material. It's worthy of being part of the Disney Renaissance but it's just a shame that it's the very last one of that era of Disney...god damn it Dinosaur.

Verdict:
7.5/10
Well animated (although those backgrounds are dated), well voiced and all around well put together.

Top 5 and Bottom 5 Disney Sequels

Please excuse the sudden hiatus I've been on. I've had essays piled on me and just fought my way through 3/4 of them with about 75% of the 4th one left. In my spare time, I've been compiling two new lists instead of reviews because I haven't had time to watch films recently (well, films I haven't already reviewed) so let's take a look at my first list. This is my first list, outside of Top 10 films of the year, to be about film since my last one was TV related as is the one after this.

A good friend of mine recently uploaded his Top Ten Episodes of Game of Thrones on his blog dubbed Incoherent Clarity which got me thinking about my text Top Ten list. I was unsure about what to pick however, on my daily medley of Disney songs, it dawned on me. Disney Sequels are always fun to debate because...they're mostly terrible. I therefore put in upon myself to bring you five Disney sequels that are actually worth watching and also the main five you should avoid at all cost!

I would also like to verify that this is strictly focusing on the animated films. If I didn't do that then Pirates of the Carribean: At World's End would already be at the top (seriously I still don't understand the hate to that film) and it also allows us to delve deep into the dark depths of Disney's vault...and bin. These are my picks of Disney's Top 5 and Bottom 5 sequels. This is going to be fun...

Top 5

5. An Extremely Goofy Movie

The weird thing about An Extremely Goofy Movie is that I wasn't even aware of its existence until a few years ago. Growing up, I was a huge fan of A Goofy Movie but I was skeptical upon learning that there is a follow up. I'm glad to say that it holds up very well by keeping what made the first film strong as its focus. The relationship between Goofy and his son Max was always what had be most invested so seeing it continue on into University life made for a surprisingly decent film. I just feel that Monsters University nailed the moral about lie at University much better.

4. The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride

Disney is first and full most an animation company so the quality of the animation in their feature films are one of the most important aspects. That being said, many Disney sequels skimp on the animation just to make a quick buck (someone Planes managed it) however this isn't the case with The Lion King II: Simba's Pride. While not as colourful or fluid looking as the first one, it looks very good for a Disney sequel and continuing the trend of Shakespeare by having this one based on Romeo and Juliet wasn't a bad idea either. Catchy song, memorable new characters and nice animation, this one does well although it does feel a bit too pandering for my tastes.

3. The Lion King 3: Hakuna Matata

So if The Lion King is based on 'Hamlet' and The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride is based on 'Romeo and Juliet', then what is the third film in the series based on? 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead'. Okay, not officially but, let's face it, it is. Acting as a retelling of the first film from the perspective of Timon and Pumba who are still my favourite characters from the first film ever since I was a kid. Maybe you can chalk this one up to bias but, in addition to some surprisingly nice animation (especially for direct-to-video standards), it does capture what it was I liked about the duo. Sure, it relies on fourth wall gags but they do make them work.

2. Rescuers Down Under

The only film on this list to actually be stamped as part of the official Disney film line-up, The Ruscuers Down Under is also the only film on this list to be better than the original. Actually, it's infinitely better. The original Rescuers was boring, life-less and not interesting in the slightest. Down Under ups the ante to deliver an action packed, beautifully animated romp. The old characters are made much more interesting and the new ones offer for a fun and enjoyable ride. The cast also consists of the amazing John Candy (who NEEDED to be in a Disney film) and George C. Scott who brings us another great Disney villain. Definitely worthy of being labelled a Disney classic.

1. Aladdin and the King of Thieves

They got Robin Williams back. I think that should set the record straight. In all seriousness, Aladdin and the King of Thieves could have been released in theatres if they put more budget into the animation. The new characters fit in perfectly into the established Aladdin lore with some actually good actors such as John Rhys-Davis and Jerry Orbach added to the cast. The story is as engaging, if not more, than the original's and has a damn good soundtrack too. I remember all the songs in this film and, in fact, most of the dialogue. It's one of those films I know inside and out. Maybe it's just bias but who knows. You can always tell it's good when not only do they get the full original cast back (minus dead ones), but they put the effort in and bring in some memorable moments (this is probably Robin William's funniest film). Seeing this mixed in amongst the likes of what we have yet to see is saddening but at least I'm hear to say that it's actually worth a watch.

Bottom 5

5. The Fox and the Hound 2 

You may notice that most of the sequels within the bottom five all fall under one word: "Why?". Why do these exist. The Fox and the Hound was one of Disney's best because of the narrative and the ending it had. Granted, they must have realised this as this is a "mid-quel" as it takes place DURING the first film. To throw out the only good thing about this, I would say that I'm glad Patrick Swayze was used in a Disney film(for no other reason than to claim that the four leads in Ghost are all in Disney films) but all I can say about this one is that it's just lame. It's a movie fart. It happens, it's unpleasant but you forget about it soon after. Just watch the original classic instead.

4. Brother Bear 2 

Two things. 1) I don't even like the first Brother Bear film that much to begin with. 2) The first one wasn't even a hit. This makes Brother Bear 2 not only stupid and boring but also unnecessary. One thing we have to take into account is that it's harsh to expect these sequels to be able to get the entire cast back. Robin Williams not coming back for Return of Jafar had an excuse and Dan Castelenetta at least tried to recapture the original's charm. Whether he failed or not is up to you but here we have a new voice to Kenai who shows that the casting directors didn't even care. They didn't put in the effort to find a good replacement. Nothing happens in this film of any worth anyway and with a terrible ending, you won't miss anything by skipping this one or the first one...

3. Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas

You'd think Tim Curry could make anything good. After all, he's been in many duff films and I always enjoy his performance (don't want to tread on the toes of FernGully fans but...I'll get to that one). Another thing, tell me what you like most about the first film? Guess what, it's not in this one. I don't care what you were thinking, it's not here! Blandness is the true spirit of this film. Nothing stands out and in fact I barely remember a thing about it. All I know is that every second this thing dragged on, I was praying to just watch the first one again. I hear that there is in fact a third Beauty and the Beast but I dare not even take a look. From what I've seen...it looks WORSE! 

2. Atlantis The Lost Empire 2: Milo's Return

Just look at it! One look at this film will tell you everything. The animation is absolutely ghastly and looks incredibly stiff. The voice acting is a huge step down from the first which is a shame since I like James Arnold Taylor yet the rest of the cast is the same so...why does everyone seem off? I guess it's down to poor direction. I suppose the most baffling thing about this one is that it really shouldn't exist. Atlantis the Lost Empire was good but it wasn't even a success for Disney so why even bother making a sequel? I hear the reason was because it was supposed to be a TV show...no...no it shouldn't be.

1. The Hunchback of Note Dame II

It's fitting that I just reviewed The Last Airbender because that and The Hunchback of Notre Dame II are insulting, devoid of life, stupid as hell and just a chore to sit through. It delivers character retcons (Phoebus was NEVER the prejudice character...or that stupid), terrible songs, horrible animation and it manages to miss every element that made the first one so good. The villain? Boring and not anywhere as complicated or engaging as Frollo. The subtext? Non-existent. The likable characters? Devoid of life...as I already said. This film makes me so angry that I'm repeating myself. It's one of those cases that I felt I was too lenient in my review and I only gave it a 2! Atrocious. Absolutely atrocious.

So there you have it. Some hidden gems and some real stinkers. We can live in the comfort that Disney hasn't made a direct-to-video (or I guess DVD now) film in a long time. While they have announced sequels to Wreck-it Ralph and Frozen, the former is deserving of a sequel that is welcomed (so much potential) while the latter may have difficulty because Frozen seemed to be a good standalone story it at least it can't be as bad as the bottom 5, right? What's the moral of the story? SHOW YOUR KIDS THE ORIGINALS.....and the top five films on this list.

Oh wait, I forgot all about the Tinkerbell films...MAE WHITMAN, WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO US?!

Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999) Review

I suppose one of the best things about being on my own in University is that I get time to catch up with loads of films that I should've watched but never got round to. I've seen the likes of Chronicle, Se7en and The Matrix since being here but the big ones I wanted to watch were Fight Club and Django Unchained. Having now seen Fight Club, I am prepared to deliver my opinion on what is often sighted as one of the greats!.....if you say so...

Fight Club sees us following a man (Edward Norton) who suffers from mental issues leading to insomnia and trouble at work who attends meetings not aimed at him but he still goes for the sense of release. His life changes forever however when he meets an aggressive alpha-male soap maker named Tyler Durden (Brad Pitt) as the two bond over their strange lust for violence. This leads them to start up the eponymous fight club where men are allowed to just beat the crap out of each other for the thrill of it. The idea catches on as clubs are set up across the country but when Tyler wants to take it the next level, our protagonist is left at an internal conflict based on what's ethical and what's not.

Right of the bat I can tell you that I loved Brad Pitt and Edward Norton here. They work off each other very well and are the sole reason to watch this movie. The film revolves around them so it was crucial that the two leads had to be endearing enough to keep your attention throughout and the duo of Pitt and Norton win with flying colours. The rest of the cast kind of fall into the background. Helena Bonham Carter starts of in a way that it seems like she's a major character. Granted she plays a part but she's put to the side once the real plot starts. Also seeing Jared Leto and Meat Loaf advertised so high up in the opening credits is almost laughable considering that the number of their scenes probably land in the single digits.

Fight Club is probably most well known for the amount of philosophy and deep meaning that can be applied and/or extracted. It's a deep, deep film which is one of the best things about it. It would probably be the best thing about it if it weren't' for the last third of the film. Yes, we all know the big twist of Fight Club but, for the sake of those who don't, I won't give it away but I'll just say that it felt very unnecessary. The author of the book even admitted that he came up with it half way through writing it and it shows. A lot of what I was able to apply and take away from it was just thrown out the window. Of course, this gave rise to brand new ideas to consider but, even then, it felt a bit unnecessary....although it leads to some excellent easter eggs and Fight Club becomes one of those films you have to keep re-watching just to see everything.

I've come to the conclusion that Fight Club runs smoothly based on two elements, the lead actors and the depth. While the last third could've been handled significantly better with an twist that was literally thrown in for the sake of it, the amount of good things to come of it are high. David Fincher is clearly a very compotent director with films such as Se7en and The Social Network under his belt and I know people who are eagerly awaiting his next film, Gone Girl, so Fight Club is just another reason for me to show interest in his upcoming projects.

Verdict:
8/10
While the last third could be fixed, there are loads of elements that go into this film that really make it stand out.

Chronicle (Josh Trank, 2012) Review

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I may often complain that there are many genres that have declined in quality over the decades. Comedy seems very samey, Parody has become an abomination of human conception and Horror seems very dried up and poorly implemented as a result of the overuse of 'found-footage films'. It's quite debatable but superhero films are currently on top at the moment so what happens when you apply the 'found-footage' idea to a film chock-full of super powers? Let's find out.

Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHann) is a shy and lonely high school student who has only one friend, it being his cousin Matt (Alex Russell). Andrew buys a video camera to record his daily life both at home and school. Matt decides to take Andrew to a friend's party where he meets Matt's friend Steve (Michael B. Jordan). The trio discover a pit out in the woods with a strange object that knocks them out upon touch. The boys awaken to discover that they have gained supernatural powers to do as they please. Andrew slowly falls into darkness when he relies on his powers to get money for his mother's medicine while Matt and Steve use their powers for good instead.

Normally I hate 'found-footage films' because they normally subtract good characters and intriguing plots for the sake of style however this is where Chronicle stands out. When I reminisce about Chronicle, I don't think about the style, I remember the memorable and likable characters as well as the strongly built up narrative. It takes its time in developing Andrew and his transformation as a person as well as trying to balance his progression with an almost involuntary one for Matt. It's almost a story of 'Cain and Abel' which is a narrative archetype I normally always find fascinating. You may recognise Dane DeHann most recently as the Green Goblin in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and I am proud to see him rise from his strong performance in Chronicle to the mainstream comic book films. The main three are very well cast and it also shows with Michael B. Jordan being cast as the Human Torch in the new Fantastic Four film...waiting on you now, Alex Russell...go out there and be...I don't know, Nova? Nova would be cool.

What I found interesting about the production of Chronicle is that, while I know it has a limited budget, it still looks great most likely as a result of sacrificing the camera budget for the handheld look. I suppose it's clever in that way since it knew where they good drop certain aspects in order to beef up the point of the film and that's the visual representation of the powers the trio gain. In fact, the way that the powers are implemented is also quite unique. Yes they can fly, crush things with their mind and use super strength but it all boils down to one starting power and that is telekinesis which clearly shows that they thought about how to impletent superpowers in the most realistic way I've seen in a film. Man of Steel came close with Superman leaping really, really far rather than straight up flying.

I know most people have bailed out of the idea of the new Fantastic Four movie but with the likes of Josh Trank and Michael B. Jordan behind it, Chronicle has paved the way for it. Josh Trank delivers us a fascinating pioneer of 'found-footage film' that runs with great new actors who I am keeping an eye on. Seeing Dane DeHann and Michael B. Jordan step into mainstream superhero films does make me happy but I do wonder if Alex Russell will join them. I do recommend Chronicle even to people who don't enjoy the likes of other superhero films as, outside of the powers, there isn't much evidence of this genre.

Verdict:
8.5/10
A fascinating story that displays a strong use of character development thanks to great acting and good directing.