nick-sultana

worldwide and for years as well it has taken so long to get a film adaptation made for the big screen. Though the character was featured in the weak X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the appearance of him wasn't considered worth it as his appearance had been altered and wasn't given the proper character treatment to win over the fans. Finally, after years of development hell. Ryan Reynolds reprises Deadpool in the way that sticks true to it's source material and the results are worth the ticket price and time to watch.

I won't give away too much on plot details but it does play out as both an origin story and a revenge plot that breaks away from the traditional 'superhero' movie. It charts the beginning of Deadpool as a wise-cracking, foul-mouthed and really abstracted anti-hero, showcasing how he had earned his powers and what made him become this figure. I think the plot itself is great and it doesn't drag itself once in the film and best of all it doesn't take a whole movie to establish the main character's origin unlike a certain film from last year (coughing "Fantastic Four").

In terms of acting, there are solid performances throughout but the best of the bunch would definitely be Reynolds as Wade Wilson/Deadpool. This is possibly his best performance in film to date, though I have watched Reynolds in other great films such as The Change Up, Safe House, The Voices and even Buried but this role in particular is often seen and considered a 'redeeming role' as previously he had played the role of Deadpool before in XMO: Wolverine and of course the cheesy but bad Green Lantern for DC. His delivery on humour is present throughout and when things get slightly serious he does what he does best and lightens the moment. The supporting cast handle themselves as well as Reynolds, with 'Game of Thrones' actor Ed Skein, 'comic refief' T.J. Miller, 'the more tougher female than Ronda Rousey' Gina Carano and the lovely Morena Baccarin giving their best to keep the story's characters great. Only minor negative to say was the film's villain wasn't given enough polish as to show why he was bad (though we are shown why he's a threat to Deadpool and was just as powerful as he was) but we aren't given a true purpose villain that wants to dominate the world but thankfully Skein does give his best throughout in both terms of acting and stunt work.

Direction is strong from first time director Tim Miller, he keeps the film moving along in a decent pace that's not rushed and the production value set for the film is quality assured as costume design, visual effects and make up are all worthwhile and it's script is pretty polished throughout with humour, exciting action set-pieces and the best 4th wall breaks/ meta humour I've seen in years (the knocks at both Wolverine, GL and even the trouble to get a Deadpool movie made are hilarious in particular) .

Overall, Deadpool is a blast of a movie that packs action, comedy and superhero cliché's into one and even pokes fun of not only itself but breaks the 4th wall in wonderful ways. Only a fault with its villain in terms of character development, Deadpool will leave you leaving the cinema in the most awesome way possible and stick around after the credits for a cool surprise.

It hasn't been far already into 2016 and there's already a fantastic film that captivates your mind, body and even spirit to break or even open further; and that film to be labelled as a 'Top Film' is The Revenant.

I won't go into much of the film's plot but I'll keep it brief; inspired around the famous Hugh Glass (who has been labelled as history's toughest survivor) it tells his deep and yet engaging adventure that see's him fighting not only for himself but his quest for justice when he is left for dead by an emotionless, careless and even cowardly member of his crew.

What makes The Revenant so amazing is that it's directed by both award winning and critically acclaimed filmmaker Alejandro G Inarritu with his style of storytelling, themes and character that make the silver screen shine. There is so much to take away and grip from this so I'll try to give my best of it all without spoiling it for you; firstly the film's themes include 'Survival of the human spirit', 'revenge' 'God and spirituality' and they help to keep the audience not only intrigued to the plot but the way the characters are seen from our eyes. Importantly, with Leo's character (Hugh Glass) we are shown that he's not only a tough human but he's battling his own demons that push him to be as strong yet broken in his path for revenge. Leo has played many great roles in his acting career but I think that this role is his best and truly toughest to play, it's bound to get him award nominations again as like other years but this is indeed something that the Oscars should deeply consider for him to receive. Tom Hardy is fantastic as well; his character is truly a monster that is emotionless, heartless and really driven for the audience to despise.

Cinematography was outstanding throughout and the locations where the film takes place are 100% real and really captures the realism of the story's setting from wet forests, raging rivers, snowy mountains and isolated trails. So much detail and thought has been put into this and the efforts from both the cast and the crew behind the camera make it seem so believably strong. Sound mixing and editing is strong too, with sounds of birds, winds and even breathing that makes it sound so beautiful but it's is composed soundtrack that makes it seem so emotional and yet captivating, from Glass's visions to even seeing him survive the harsh environment make these worthy candidates for Oscars and further awards in technical achievement in film. Again, we see camera shots that seem a 'one shot take' and even in one sequence we switch from one character to another. The violence is brutal, bloody and well executed and it can be confronting for some.

Overall, The Renevant is a breathtaking, captivating, and brutal but beautifully shot film that has so much to grasp but it will take an open mind to get it's themes and character development. This is indeed on my list (and the first entry) of best films for 2016.

Having been a big lover and fan for Quentin Tarantino's films since witnessing Reservoir Dogs back in the early 2000's, we come have reached to his 8th feature film in his amazing career and now he returns to another 'Western' based film but not a direct sequel to Django Unchained but as an epic, 3 ½ hour presentation called 'The Hateful Eight'. Jay and I (along with some of our friends) had taken the opportunity to watch this in the glorious Ultra Panavision 70mm print that Tarantino had used when filming this movie (he calls it the 'Roadshow version') and features an overture and intermission segments that appear in this version but the digital release (that's due for release on January 21st) will be altered down to a less wider screen size and loses some of the shots that don't appear well on standard digital formats but most of the plot will still be intact but runs at a shorter running time of 167 minutes compared to the 187 minute version. What makes it so 'glorious' is that the picture format is bigger, wider and the vintage camera system used produces a sharper and clearer image that suppresses today's HD format. The result is an amazing experience that will impress but can be seen at only exclusive cinemas that have his format, so fingers crossed if this does surface on the Blu-Ray release later this year.

The plot is simple and easy to follow in five chapters, we first meet Major Marquis Warren stranded with three dead bounties being transported to Red Rock and hitches a ride with the well-known bounty hunter John Ruth and his prisoner Daisy Domergue who he plans to see hanged for her crimes in Red Rock. John is suspicious for anyone trying to steal Daisy for her substantial bounty from him, and along the trip they also meet Former Lost-Causer militiaman and the supposed new 'Sheriff' of Red Rock Chris Mannix who convinces John to hitch a ride to town in his coach. Having a wild blizzard fast approaching behind them, they stop for the night to get shelter from the blizzard at Minnie's Haberdashery, where other unknown lodgers reside from the blizzard; Bob (the caretaker of the Haberdashery while the owners are on leave), Oswaldo Mobray (the hangman of Red Rock), Joe Gage (a quiet cowboy on his way to his mother's) and Sanford Smithers (a former Confederate general of the Civil War). A suspicious Ruth disarms all but Warren, but it becomes a long night of suspicion, deception and whom to trust for all these eight strangers as who is really telling the truth.

The first act of the film is more of a character build up, where the audience is introduced to the eight strangers where they state where they come from and what is their purpose to the plot. The casting here is well chosen, with Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madson, Demián Bichir and Bruce Dern each playing the leading 8 characters while there is a small supporting cast that handle themselves easily and don't overthrow the leads. The best performances are a tough to pick as all the leading cast gave solid performances, but I give high approvals to Jackson, Russell Leigh, Goggins and Roth for making their characters believable and kept it going throughout the five chapters. The second act of THE picks up more on the brutal, over the top and bloody violence that occurs in Tarantino's films while resolving the plot and getting closer to the climax that gets bold and suspenseful, the results are great but there are moments where it could you make you feel uneasy and quench in your seats. The plot overall is great and carries the spirit of a Western film and as well a stage play but on the screen, but it can be long and dull ride for those who hate dialogue driven films as the violence plays out more in Act 2 but I thought each of the characters were given solid moments of seriousness, establishment and at times humour when needed.

The cinematography is as beautiful and detailed throughout like the recent acclaimed film 'The Revenant', having watched the 70mm print we can see that Tarantino's camera work captures not only the characters on-screen but the snowy and yet detailed environment of the mountain scenery and cabin location (as most of the film is set inside of the cabin after we are introduced to each of the eight characters). The music score here is composed by the legendary Ennio Morricone (known his musical scores for other westerns such as The Good, The Bad and The Ugly and other excerpts used in Tarantino's previous films) has composed an entire original score that mark not only new work in recent years but the very first film for Tarantino that uses an original score than having to used licensed music and scores from various films. The music plays out as mysterious, engaging and yet at times feels like a horror film but it suits to the film so well that it won not only a Golden Globe for Best Original Score but an Academy Award nomination in the upcoming 2016 Oscars (due for air on February 28th) alongside with nominations for Best Supporting Actress (Leigh) and Best Cinematography (Robert Richardson).

Overall, The Hateful Eight can be seen by some as the weakest work from Tarantino as Django, Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill and even Reservoir still have a huge following and acclaim from fans and citric alike or seen as a great form of film but not as strong as the previous films. I however think that this is a solid presentation that keeps me hooked with character development, plot and the Tarantino quality that I have known of and earns a spot on my list of top films for 2016, alongside The Revenant.

The latest take on the famous British spy James Bond has been pretty worthwhile the last few years, starting with the great reboot 'Casino Royale', the average 'Quantum of Solace' and the best and my personal favourite 'Skyfall' which features the best plot, nods to the original and realistic action. The latest offering Spectre is as dazzling and exciting as its promotional material shows and surprisingly it brings the whole reboot take into a full circle as more of the classic Bond elements from the Sean Connery to the Roger Moore takes, brings the famous franchise for a new generation of fans while giving the much older fans a sense of appreciation and respect.

I won't give a synopsis on plot as Jay has that covered in his view, but in all honesty I thought the plot was indeed entertaining and gripping throughout. It still follows Bond in his grips to do right for his life and lead him where he was meant to be, but his path crosses with an organization called 'Spectre' which holds a sinister plan and brings not only Bond to a surprising truth about his life but the past events (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace and Skyfall) were conducted by the one organization.

In terms of performances, the cast really nailed their roles but I tip my hat to Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz and the lovely Léa Seydoux who give the best moments for the film's character. Though Jay says that Craig doesn't look as convincing or really wanting to be in the film, I didn't take as much notice and believed that Craig was simply doing his best, but maybe wanted to retire from the role as he may not want to be type casted in the genre. Dave Bauista was pretty well tense on screen, with only one line and plenty of muscle he establishes himself as the new 'Jaws' for the latest Bond generation. The nods and connections from the previous reboot films and the original films are so much alive in this film, it gives me hope that the future of Bond may truly be back in form.

The action set-pieces here are pretty much over the top and fun, but try to keep close to the already established action formula as seen in the last 3 films. From shoot-outs, fights on a helicopter and trains, chases and destruction, the film carries a fun spy-action spectacle that audiences know and love, the opening sequence alone was truly the best film openings for any Bond film ever.I know it's far too early to tell or even predict but I think Spectre will indeed earn some award nominations for technical achievements; to provide why it's cinematography, sound editing, mixing, music score and title song are all above great. Sam Smith's vocals for 'Writings On The Wall' may not suit to everyone's tastes but the track does help to set the tone for the story and it's character within.

Overall, Spectre was worth the hype and time to watch. It's just neck to neck with Skyfall in terms of the better value and quality but I can admit that Spectre brings a lot more in terms of nods to the previous films, character and action. I'm going to give it a 9/10 rating and it earns a spot on my top 10 films for this year.

When it comes to movies based on popular videogames, a majority of them intend to fail and get the fanboys of the game source to rave and rant on what's wrong with it and question why it was made. In this scenario, Hit-man: Agent 47 does stand somewhere near there, but it does improve on its 2nd attempt to bring the 'silent assassin' on screen in the best way possible.

The film follows an assassin known only as Agent 47 (played by a great and bald Rupert Friend) who seems to team up with a woman named Hanna (Hannah Ware) to help her find her father and uncover the mysteries of her ancestry. Together, they aim to take down the leader of Syndicate International, a terrorist group who is aiming to discover and create more deadly hit-man that process Hannah's unique ability and are more deadly than the assassin himself.

What makes Agent 47 so redeemable is the fact that it tries to improve on its plot and following the game source material than what the 2007 adaptation did (not to mention that the casting of Timothy Olyphant is mixed for me), it may not have done its 100% faithfulness to be label how game-to-movies are made but it's better than what most people say. The plot itself stays simple and is a no brainer to follow what's happening, but I did feel that the movie itself ran smoothly and kept pace in strong hold but the 96 minute running time is still considered short for my tastes (hopefully in future there will be an extended cut of the film that could help bring the film longer).

The casting range here may or may not seem recognisable but the cast do put on their best performance roles, Rupert Friend (from TV's Homeland) suits better as Agent 47 than what Olyphant's take did. Agent 47 is pretty much an emotionless, ruthless and yet cunning like in the game and Friend sticks close to that with good results. Ware makes a good impression as the female lead, playing a character that is searching for not only her past but embracing the future ahead as she learns more about her 'unique' side. Zachary Quninto plays a decent role as well though other reviewers say that his role was wasted, I won't give away too much but he does give his best on-screen role that's not a waste.

Pros: + Better plot than the previous film + Great performances from Friend, Ware and Quinto + Fun and well-set action pieces that are structured much well better than the first film

Cons: - Short running time, I would have loved to seen the film go longer and see itself expand into something unique- CGI may be clearly noticeable in some of the action set pieces

OVERALL: Hit-man: Agent 47 is a better but not yet best game to movie adaptation to surface in years, Arming itself with a great choice of casting, direction, plot and action, the film is a worthy watch on a lazy afternoon and it's a 'leave the brain at the door' so you can't take it to be full-on serious.

National Lampoon's Vacation is a comedy classic that still stands as popular with audiences and comedy fans alike, screenwriters Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley (who have writing credits for Horrible Bosses) attempt to bring the franchise back to a new generation for this 5th installment (both considered a sequel or even a reboot) and the results are hilarious, fun and really a great nod to its classic forefather.

Vacation is set around Clark's young son Rusty (played by the always funny Ed Helms from The Hangover films and The Office) who is all grown up and is raising a family of his own with his wife Debbie (Christina Applegate), and sons; the shy and anxious older son, James (Skyler Gisondo), and the cruel and mean-spirited younger son, Kevin (Steele Stebbins). Seeing how his family life is apart and aching for a real family connection (especially when hearing about their family's friends holiday to Paris), Rusty decides to ditch the holiday cabin trip and take his family to the same place that his father took him (Walley World) and re-take the road trip to make the most with his family. But in tradition in the Griswold family, chaos and utter hilarity are ensured.

What makes Vacation a worthy follow-up to the classic is the blend of today's crude humour with the comedic style from the original. This results in the film being cruder, much cruder than the original but then again most comedies today are just that but it ticks the right boxes for what can make the fans and audience laugh out loud. From jokes about foreign cars, sex, collage fraternities, loveless marriage and such, it suits the road trip comedy well and makes it seem worthy as its original.

Not only do the original leading characters appear (we see Clark and Ellen in an older state and Audrey all grown up like Rusty) but we get the key elements from the original that made it recognizable; such as the film's original title theme song 'Holiday Road' by Lindsey Buckingham (which as well gets a cover version by country rock band Zac Brown Band in the end credits) and notably the metaphor joke that makes the reboot/sequel stand on its own and being slightly different from the original 'vacation'.

The cast here pretty much nail their roles with what looks like to been a fun film to make; Ed Helms as Rusty Griswold seems like perfect casting as his comedic side always proves to be a hit on screen, Applegate having her great quality talent as seen in both Anchorman films and Hall Pass and notably Chris Hemsworth playing as Audrey's husband who shows not only his funny side but a hilarious moment involving a certain part of the male anatomy. Seeing good'ol Chevy Chase (who is much older now but funny to this day) brings the film to a nostalgic point, he doesn't rely on the present style of comedy but uses his trademark quip that makes him funny.

OVERALL: Vacation may seem at first that comedies will never be original or like its processors that made them classics, but it does have a strong attempt to be fun, hilarious and introduce a new generation of comedy lovers that the age old franchise can still kick it. Just hope there's a sequel in future if the filmmakers consider it.

Fast & Furious has become a huge recognizable name in action, today it stands as a huge box-office hit for distributor Universal Studios. With this anticipated seventh installment, they have pulled out the big guns on action, fun and surprisingly emotion as the series reaches new heights and its trademarks that make it recognized.

The film lifts off where the previous 6th outing left, Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) and crew are home in America having securing their amnesties and living their lives in peace with loved ones: with Toretto still helping his love Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) regain her memories and O'Connor adjusting to fatherhood to his growing son. But this peace will be shattered when one of their own is killed by the target cross-eye of Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) who is avenging his brother's demise.

James Wan may be known for his contributions to horror-thriller genre (Insidious, The Conjuring, Saw and Death Sentence) but his direction and view of an action genre film is indeed an strong impression that left me and audiences in excitement. Wan proves that action is driven on speed, choreography and style and this makes F&F7 a worthy example of this. The action sequences are all big, loud and pack plenty of eye candy for action fans; from a rescue mission on a moving bus, building jumping, shootouts, fistfights and an explosive climax that takes place in an urban city. Practical stunts, assisting CGI and well-choreographed eye on detail make F&F7 worthy contender for visual effects and stunt awards in the coming year.

Casting as always is close and fun in the F&F series, with Diesel, Walker, Rodriguez, Gibson, Bridges, Brewster and Johnson sharing the leading formula that makes their characters seem so likable, with Johnson, Russell, Hounsou, Emmanuel and Statham proving great supporting roles. But sadly here it is final acting appearance of the late Paul Walker (who had died in an unexpected event) which left the film in a stand-still and its cast and fans worldwide in deep sadness. The film was delayed for a year and a half but the result was something that would touch not only the audience but its crew and cast. The final scene indeed left people crying in the theater but it was a touching and emotionally connected moment that hasn't been seen in film in some years, it made me feel both sad and touched and feeling that the F&F series had ended perfectly as it won't be the same without Walker.

Pros: + Exciting action sequences that overthrow the over-the-top action seen in the previous installment. Fast cars, mega destruction, brutal fistfights and big guns make it seem an action lover's wet dream

+ Improvement on plot, using the trademark franchise style that has overtaken since the 4th installment) and this story line is need more exciting and entertaining than any of the previous films

+ The final tribute to Paul Walker was touching, moving and something that makes the series end on a beautiful note

OVERALL: Fast & Furious 7 is not only a fast driven action ride but in terms of quality, production value and emotion it proves to be the best of the series and one of this year's best films to have seen. It's only a thought now to see how Mad Max: Fury Road (releasing on May 14th 2015) will overthrow the action and car stunts that F&F7 has established a strong impression among audiences, but regardless this film will indeed be on your to 'see list'. Walker would have been deeply proud of how the film turned out in the end.

As we enter the last film for Phase 2 for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we are taken on a smaller scale and enter the world of Ant-Man. When first announced, Edgar Wright was to helm it but creative differences took the opportunity for Wright to bring his vision to life. However, Peyton Reed took over and Wright still had writing and executive producing credits and helped make the troubled film entertaining as its source.

Ant-Man introduces Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), a former criminal who is recently released from prison and only now wishes for a life free of crime and to be closer to his daughter but his past still manages to affect this life in terms of relationships and work. Looking to be a better figure and support himself, he takes a small heist that ends him in get caught again but gaining the interest of inventor Hank Prym (Michael Douglas in top form) and his daughter Hope (Evangeline Lilly). Prym then offers Lang a chance at redemption when his protégé Daren Cross () is on the verge of inventing and manufacturing a suit that enables size capacity and strength for war purposes, an item that Prym himself has created and kept safe from falling into the wrong hands, thus Lang is offered to wear this and help pull a heist that can stop Cross from enabling danger into not only their lives but the world around them.

Storyline was great with the contributions of Edgar Wright and Joe Cornish and supporting material from Paul Rudd and Adam McKay, the plot features a heist theme that makes the film set to a tone and genre (similar to what The Winter Soldier did, mixing political thriller and the superhero genre together) and packs a lot of humour and slight emotion throughout. The humour is what makes the characters likable, and actor Michael Peña (who plays as an ally to Lang) helps to deliver some of the best moments of the film's comedic side, same with Rudd and Douglas.

In terms of visual effects in the MCU, Ant-Man features topping visuals that make it seem Oscar worthy for consideration. When Ant-Man has the capabilities of being small, what we see on screen is purely visual, imaginative and epic on a big scale, this is possibly a mixture of built sets, CGI and cinematography that make it seem so possible and realistic. The costume designs as well were top notch, with both Ant-Man and Yellowjacket's designs being close to the source material and keeping in tone of the realism of the MCU. At times, the pace of the film reminded me of the first Iron Man film where the origin of the hero was developed and kept character development present.

Pros:

+ Casting is great, all the performances from the leading and supporting actors were all spot on and there was strong character development from Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Lilly and a great villain role from Corey Stoll

+ Impressive and epic visual effects, costume design and music score was just right for the film

+ The humour is just there throughout, preventing the film to go down a dark path and keep it fun for younger audiences

+ The post-credit scenes and various MCU easter eggs were just exciting and gave a great glimpse of Phase 3 and what's yet to come

OVERALL:

Ant-Man is indeed exciting, funny and unexpectedly doesn't take it self seriously (knowing of the comic's origins) and does top over Age of Ultron in terms of humour. Ignore the critics dishing the hate on this film, it's worth the price of an admission ticket and pure entertainment for families and MCU fans.

Disney & Pixar have made some worthy films that have become well known to audiences of all ages, but the last few releases haven't reached to the quality and standards they had established (in which the last great film they had made is both Up and Toy Story 3). With their latest offering, it is safe and proud to say that Inside Out establishes them back in the game of quality storytelling, animation and heart its concept.

Inside Out explores the mind of a young girl, in her mind we are introduced to the emotions of Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Anger and Fear. They have the roles of controlling emotions that they see through Riley's point of view via headquarters, deciding how she reacts to them (for instance; if Riley was to be happy, Joy would have the controls to do so) and as well they collect 'core memories' that store into the long term memory of Riley in which we are throughout the film shown with moments of happiness, love and set her personality. However, when Riley's family makes a big move to the city it changes the roles of the emotions in Riley in which set off an adventure when Joy and Sadness (an emotion that is often pushed aside) are out What makes this film so well perfect is the mixture of imagination, heart and literally emotion; a concept like this may seem at first impossible to create for the screen but Pixar have come from out and beyond to create an original piece of work that is both open, inspiring and really makes us look in a new way of how our emotions and personal life experiences happen. The animation and use of the right colours for the characters is great and when I mean colour, the emotions themselves have specific colours that represent them as how we understand them. For instance; Joy is yellow, Sadness is blue, Disgust is greens, Fear is purple and Anger of course is red. Each of them has individual personalities that help to establish their roles; Joy is happy, bright and positive that makes Riley seem loved by those around her The emotion that the film carries throughout is further than what Up had already shown us (the well-known and acclaimed 'Married Life' sequence is beyond to what animated films can do to the heart strings), the film makes us personally understand not only the characters on screen but to personally relate to our own life events and personal experiences. The filmmakers have carefully observed on how emotions drive us, in particular Sadness plays a major role in the story that makes us wonder why we can't be sad throughout life but why it's important to be sad when the time comes. In particular, a key moment towards the end of the film pretty much got me and the whole audience (families, couples and even elderly people) in tears and yet understand in our own personal lives the times we get sad. This is a major point that I deeply thought was brought up perfectly and though the much younger kids may not have got it's point but I think from time to time as they grow up they will get the heart of it.

Emotion aside, there are lighter moments when humour is present and gets the audience to laugh out loud. The character Bing Bong (an imaginative figure of Riley's earlier years) gives this best when he pops up in the plot, but as well Anger, Fear and the emotions in other human characters provide such humour and even discovering moments in our minds. The humour works very well in the film and it helps to keep the audience on a brighter side.

Inside Out is not only a triumphant return to quality storytelling for the filmmakers, but it's both original and engaging for audiences to relate to. Bringing a new way to understand human life and our mind capabilities, the film is perfect for children, adults or even anyone young at heart. This is the best animated film for 2015 and it has a very strong chance in becoming Best Picture in the 2016 Oscars.

The animated short 'Lava' that screens before the feature is amazing and different to the comedic shorts from previous years, having more heart and soul and a positive message about love and happiness told through song and colourful animation in detail.

When a few years back, Australian director George Miller announced a new Mad Max film would be in the works but sadly it would have taken over 25 years for the project to fly off the development stages (as there was issues with production, locations and even script development over the years) but this year was the year audiences would finally see it on the screen in this final completed work. The question is for all fans was; would it be worth the wait all these years to happen, and would it be worthy as its original trilogy? The following summary below pretty much sums up the wait and anticipation had really paid off for both the fans and the filmmakers.

Fury Road is a worthy wild action ride that packs punch, value and high quality into the trilogy that was established previously, it can be considered both a reboot and a sequel but this enables Miller to expand the wasteland universe and to further the life of the 'Road Warrior' Max. Having seen the trilogy countless times, we are immediately aware of the production value it should carry, but with the film having the biggest budget to use (beating the trilogy's separate budget values), Miller crafts not only an epic film in action and storytelling, but in terms of value, concept and direction he gives us a shining feature that stands strongly and respectively for the fans of the franchise.

Casting in the film was great, in particular marks the first time that a different actor has filled in the shoes and duty of portraying Max and that actor was Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises, Lokie, Bronson and Inception). At the time when it was announced of his role, fans both agreed or disagreed with this casting choice as he was of British decent and it was Mel Gibson that defined the role as iconic for both him and the franchise. With Hardy, he gives a solid performance that makes us feel that Max has still strong after so many years past since Thunderdome, and pulls it off without no flaws that makes him solid like Gibson. Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron plays as Furiosa, a character that seems to take the leading action role as much as Hardy but there has been criticism from various anti-feminist groups that she is more dominate and more action-oriented than Hardy's character on screen and thus making fans feel that Max is a secondary character. From my perspective, this is a false fact as Max does play a major role throughout the story; as he's assisting with Furiosa's journey of redemption to bring the women into a safer world, without Max's assistance she may not have survived Joe's ambush and violent attacks to stop her.

The supporting cast includes the talents of Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Warm Bodies), Hugh Keays-Byrne (From the original Mad Max), Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Abbey Lee, Nathan Jones and Megan Gale to name some, in which all play great performances in their roles. From my eye, Hoult makes homage to the Gyro Captain (from Mad Max 2) that's in the form of his wild boy character Nux while Byrne's Immortan Joe is dominate as the villain and bares the similar voice with Bane (played by Hardy ) with tension and pure bad buy quality (there's barely any bad dialogue from him or any of the characters).

In terms of action, Fury Road is indeed a major contender for action quality that matches not only the quality from the previous films but takes it further in terms of stunts, practical effects and choreography work. From explosive crashes, high-wired acrobats, jumping and moving along moving vehicles and fist fights on top of tankers, the film does it with amazing eye for detail and realism using practical effects and stunt people whilst using minimal CGI to assist the action or landscape. The fast and clear camera work and editing makes the action sequences seem so beautiful, brutal and flat out insane that it leaves the recent Fast and Furious films in the dirt and in shame.

Cinematography, sound mixing, editing and practical effects are all top notch throughout the film, Miller and his crew give the action, story, its characters and its deserted environment a style that has been missing from the genre for sometime (though a few today have occurred to be solid examples such as The Raid 2, Furious 7, Kingsman and even some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films) but Miller reignites both the genre and his style of filmmaking that make it seem possible for the film to get Oscar worthy consideration in 2016; which would be nominated for best cinematography, sound mixing/editing, visual effects and possibly direction. The amazing cars featured (including the signature Interceptor) are all real, detailed and seemed so based from the minds of Miller and his design team and it's a true fact that 350 vehicles were used in the film, but who knows how many of them were destroyed during the making of the film (I hope the future home entertainment release will feature a behind the scenes look into this and the production values).

OVERALL:

Mad Max: Fury Road is an epic action ride that delivers solid entertainment for both action fans and fans of the original trilogy, Miller has taken so many years to get this franchise back on the screen and the results we see are the best we've seen in filmmaking and the genre itself. This is perhaps my favourite film I've seen alongside Age of Ultron, CHAPPiE, Kingsman: The Secret Service and Birdman but this film stands at the first position and earns itself an 'Seal of Approval' for quality entertainment.

When it was confirmed that a sequel to The Avengers was in the pipeline for Marvel Studios, the question that surrounds the film was' Will it overthrow its first film?' and by golly it does with amazing results. Avengers: Age of Ultron is not only one of those anticipated films that have expectations from every Marvel fan but it does tick the boxes for what the general audience wants to see. Just weeks after the release of Fast & Furious 7, AOU will have its chance to become a hit with fans and the box-office.

AOU takes place after the events of the previous films (Iron Man 3, Thor 2, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier) with The Avengers fighting the baddies that plot to dominate the world, but without the assistance of S.H.I.E.L.D with being destroyed (see Winter Solider to further explain this). Wanting to help the battle for peace further, Tony Stark and Bruce Banner develop a program/A.I. tech that will protect and serve the world but a particular source used causes a birth of a villain in the form of a robot and artificial technology named Ultron. This places the heroes not only in a battle to stop him, but they will encounter threats not only from him but from allies and future events.

Firstly, the storyline itself goes into bigger, darker and epic depths than what the previous film had and the location settings make it redeemable that they fight not only for one country but for the world the heroes live in. In terms of 'darkness' we are shown some dark pasts and future events, a villain who is hell-bent on exterminating the human race and perhaps confrontations between the heroes themselves on who is right, true and loyal to the code. Casting here is in top shape with the likes of Downey Jr., Evans, Hemsworth, Johansson, Renner and its supporting cast all providing great back-up to the character development and on-screen chemistry.

The visual effects are much like the amazing quality of not only from the first Avengers film but the previous MCU films that made them so acclaimed. The design of Ultron in particular was great, it made me believe that character was a threat and his personality is both dark and ruthless which makes him a best Marvel villain to appear in the MCU to date. The action set pieces are all choreographed to great detail, ranging from invading a castle of HYDRA operatives, an epic street fight between Hulk and Iron Man in the streets of Johannesburg city and the climatic stand-stand between good and bad make it all entertaining for action fans and comic book enthusiasts.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is indeed bigger, better, darker and more spectacular than its first film but without losing its trademark style of humor, storytelling and characters. It indeed places a spot on my Best Films list for 2015 and even now I wish that the 3rd Phase would kick off as I want to see how further it can go if it sticks to its cinematic formula.

For more of my reviews, check out MovieNerd91 via movienerd91.weebly.com and Facebook 'MovieNerd91'

When it comes to true story films, there are times where film-makers try to add more or less into what really happened in the event being told. In this case, Clint Eastwood's American Sniper has already contracted not only positive acclaim but a stir of negativity and controversy that surrounds the way Kyle was really like in life. Some say he had lost his mind in the war for peace while others say he was caught up in the emotional aftermath after service but Eastwood has stated that his film is "the biggest anti-war statement any film can make," and said that "the fact of what war does to the family and the people who have to go back into civilian life like Chris Kyle did"

What AS tells is the true life figure Chris Kyle who served as the American military's 'lethal sniper' who has made more kills in his duty of tours during the Iraq war period after 9/11. It chronicles how Chris became a true American to protect his homeland and the aftermath of serving his tours when he came home to his small growing family, leading up to the final hours of his life.

Pros:

+ Bradley Cooper's portrayal of Chris Kyle is indeed a new height for his career, he gives a performance that can be described as gripping, tense and at times

+ The action sequences are all done well, but at times it can be tense, violent and confronting for some.

+ The emotional connection between the main character and his family, that the final scene that will either break you or make you undecided.

Cons:

• The controversy that surrounds it, it can make the film an exaggerated lie or truth to what Kyle was like in reality but again it is showing what war can do on people on the front-line and home.

OVERALL: Despite the controversy it has gained by writers , the film is indeed a strong acting showcase for Cooper while leaving audiences both open and more aware of the effects of war on human kind. Go in with an open mind and see for yourself for what you would think that made Chris Kyle a 'lethal sniper' for this country. If you had liked The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty and Machine Gun Preacher (not a war film but somewhat similar to Kyle's story) you will enjoy this.

When the name Christopher Nolan comes to mind, we think of Memento. The Prestige, Inception and the Dark Knight Trilogy as films that changed, challenged and kept audiences in awe of what each of those films bring. But his latest offering is indeed not only up there with the best sci-fi themed films such as Inception, Gravity and 2001: A Space Odyssey (as it plays an inspiration for Interstellar along with other acclaimed science fiction classics) but one of the best and original pieces of film made this year.

I'll try not to give too much away but the story is centered on a not too distant future where the Earth has become unsustainable for the human population; dust storms scour the land and mankind itself has reverted to crop farming for food but with little luck to boot. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) is widowed and once was a NASA test pilot and engineer but resides now as a crop farmer alongside his teenage son Tom, younger daughter Murphy (or 'Murph' as her nickname) and father-in-law Donald. Murph believes that ghosts are trying to communicate her and they have given her coordinates of a possible location to discover, but it leads to secret NASA group lead by Professor Brand (Michael Cane) who theorizes that a possible wormhole discovered orbiting Saturn could lead to possible new worlds for human colonisation and asks for Cooper's help in leading the expedition along with his daughter Amelia (Anne Hathaway) and 2 other NASA astronauts. The events that follow take off will lead to an adventure like no other that's visually spectacular, emotional and engaging.

As said, Nolan has topped this works with this marvelous gem. Being based by theoretical physicist Kip Thorne's work, Nolan gives us the scenario of human life in another universe and taking 4 years to write the most realistic script alongside his brother Jonathan, the final result was indeed different to what I and others were expecting. The direction as always is spot on as already seen in his last films; he takes story seriously, pace is steady but never broken and characters are never wasted in his vision. The amount of time that was taken to be convinced on screen was a long journey for Nolan and his crew through financing, development, writing etc but the end result was indeed captivating and a step up in terms of science fiction in film.

The casting and performances are all fantastic; these include Oscar winners Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine and Jessica Chastain and a surprising appearance of another one (but I won't be revealing this).The supporting talents of Wes Bentley, Topher Grace, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck and the voices of Bill Irwin and Josh Stewart are all . McConaughey in particular has amped up his acting roles since his role in The Lincoln Lawyer and only this year won best actor for Dallas Buyers Club, he gives not only a realistic depiction of man losing not only his reason for existence but yet redeem it all for the sake of mankind, but he conveys emotion, hope and yet convincing enough to be the film's hero. Hathaway similarly does this as well with excellence and has driven herself to be involved in captivating films since Les Miserables, expanding her acting range. The topping performance of all (in my opinion ) was Jessica Chastain, since seeing Zero Dark Thirty she can be incredible in drama driven roles and breathing life into her characters so I'm betting she will get Oscar attention alongside McConaughey and Hathaway.

Music here is incredibly captivating and who else to deliver this is award winning and highly acclaimed composer Hans Zimmer (a favorite of mine to listen to). To describe Intersellar's score, Zimmer says that "The textures, the music, and the sounds, and the thing we sort of created has sort of seeped into other people's movies a bit, so it's time to reinvent. The endless string (ostinatos) need to go by the wayside, the big drums are probably in the bin" and like '2001' the music is beautiful and plays a role in the story's emotion. Visual effects here are becoming more CGI than practical but Nolan highly prefers the practical magic and minor CGI to bring the realistic effect. The use of miniature effects, built and designed sets and production are all in for Oscar worthy attention, and this was possible because of visual effects team Double Negative.

Overall, Interstellar is a captivating, engaging and emotional film release of the year and only a year after 'Gravity' had changed the mold on science fiction, but Interstellar adds more with its concept, cast, music and atmosphere that creates a beautiful journey to the unknown that will indeed earn Oscars wins in the next awards season.

Revenge driven films have always been a top notch example of action and/or horror films, consisting of a storyline where a main character undergoes a dramatic, traumatic and yet sometimes violent ordeal against a person or a group of attackers that leave the victim left for dead and loss of a loved one, only to have survived and is now driven for justice and set on taking down the attackers with vengeance. John Wick is one of those films and not only has that formula but it does give it a fresh take with a well-written script, polished performances and well staged action sequences.

Directed by stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski (alongside David Leitch) in their first directed feature film, they both know how to handle an action flick in terms of direction, pace, realism and quality. They indeed use the best out of the well written script from Derek Kolstad, who ensures that not only is the action present and moving the story along but the character development and pace are taken seriously for the audience to follow and connect. Story goes that John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves, who is indeed back in top form not since Constantine) is a retired hit-man who is grief of his recently deceased wife and is coping with the gift of a dog from her to help John with the pain and loneliness. Whist out for a drive in his 69' Mustang, he comes across Losef (played by Alfie Allen from TV's Game of Thrones) and his mates who offer to buy his precious ride but John declines and sets off his way. But soon after, Losef and co invade his home and brutally beat him, kill his dog and steal his ride. Having survived, John sets out on vengeance on Losef, but when he discovers his background history to his past employer (Michael Nyqvist in bad guy form again), the war between two sides erupts into revenge that only one will live.

The action sequences as mentioned are in top polished presentation, consisting of fast kinetic fist fights and shootouts. The use of practical stunt work is in favor rather than use CGI for the impossible and the results from its director are clear from experience. One of the best sequences of the film is the club house, where John attempts to kill Losef and his protectors by single handily taking them on one-by-one. The character of John in particular is ruthless and deadly throughout the film and Reeves pulls this off with ease, it looks like a mix of the latest James Bond (Daniel Craig), a dash of Jason Bourne from the Bourne films and Bryan Mills from Taken all rolled into the one character. But there is emotion with him, as you see in the first half hour of his fall from peace and again it lacks with most revenge driven films.

The villain is the opposite but the cunningness, determination and will to stop John is indeed there, and the magic of Nyqvist brings this to the screen (he was the main villain in Mission Impossible 4, but he is much used better in this film). The supporting cast includes the talents of William Dafoe, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Adrianne Palicki and Dean Winters to name a few and they all do give the film justice.

John Wick is a surprising return to the 'Revenge' genre and it has indeed suppressed what The Expendables 3 should have been (not to say that it bad) but in terms of story, action, character and presentation it's indeed worth the ticket price to see it and I highly recommend it for action fans of Taken, Faster and Dead Man Down.

Sin City was a film that brought not only a visually nor style crime flick but indeed one of the best non-Marvel/DC comic adaptations in film terms. 9 years after being in 'Development Hell', it gets a sequel to further adapt more story-lines and characters. I will admit at first that it's not better or worse than the first movie but it does bring a strong sense of fun, story telling and more 'Tarantino' styled characters. Before its release in Australia recently, I have read reviews that claim that it's not good, poor and yet some where mixed or open-minded. Being a fan of the first one and the graphic novels, I can admit I was not disappointed.

The story-lines featured this time are the following (in order);

"Just Another Saturday Night" - Marv wakes up in a middle of a car wreck, with no memory how he got there. He retraces his steps that lead him to a violent pursuit

"The Long Bad Night" (Part 1) - Johnny arrives in Sin City, looking to win big at the local gambling club. Playing against Senator Roarke and others, Johnny uses his skills to win but comes a price when he crosses the line of who 'wins' first.

"A Dame To Kill For" - Set years before the events of "The Big Fat Kill" in the first film Dwight is fighting for a life of peace and sobriety, but instead is lead into big trouble with his ex-lover Ava who claims that she wants to be free from her abusive husband.

"The Long Bad Night" (Part 2) - After undergoing the abuse and assault of his winnings, Johnny sets for payback of his own and confronts the demon with a surprising twist.

"Nancy's Last Dance" - Struggling to cope with Hartigan's death after the events of "That Yellow Bastard", Nancy is driven to kill Senator Roarke as revenge but must tackle her demons and Hartigan's ghost (who appears to Nancy's mind) who is trying to convince her not to avenge him.

Firstly, each of the story lines are great in their own way and the perspective of the protagonist to tells the tale is indeed a strong factor that makes both the comics and first film's narratives seem appropriate. The decision to begin the film with Marv's story was cool, as an audience member I thought it was cool that the action immediately kicks of the film and shows that it won't be a shot-for- shot sequel that clones the first film (not to say that personally in a negative way) but I did like how the mixed narrative structure, black and white tone and the beautifully shot comic book styled panels were all back again as it makes the comics alive on screen.

With the characters and development, I can say that it was great and that the casting choices were picked well and they all delivered to their best of their ability. The returning actors and actresses from the first are Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Jaime King, and Powers Boothe while newcomers to the film include Josh Brolin (replacing for Clive Owen), Joseph Gordon- Levitt, Eva Green, Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta, Christopher Lloyd, Jamie Chung, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Meloni and Juno Temple. I did love Brolin and Green in particular, as Brolin made a decent Dwight giving a gruff yet tough performance of the man who fights for peace and justice for his wrongs (though Clive Owen did give a great version previously as well). While Eva Green is no stranger to play as a blood-thirsty bitch (see 300: Rise of an Empire to prove this) but her as Ava was indeed a sight for eyes to witness and does give a bit of eye candy with her body language.

Overall, It's a definite good feeling that the sequel wasn't disappointing at all but it's a bit bad that audiences won't rush to see this because of the 9 year gap it underwent (this caused a bad Box-Office earning for its first week in the US and had people naming it a box office bomb for the year).

But take my word, ignore what others say about it as its a decent sequel that needs to be seen. I just hope maybe it will develop a small cult status for those who appreciated it.

Back in 1954, Japanese filmmakers made a film called Godzilla, it was a move that explores the devastating consequences of nuclear effects on nature and symbolically features a monster figure that would not only bring terror to movie audiences, but it would create an iconic character for the world to love and remember. Being that this year commemorates the 60th anniversary of Godzilla, Hollywood filmmakers thought it was time to bring 'the big guy' back to modern audiences (though it had been done in 1998 with the dreadful and utterly horrible adaptation). It was placed with high expectations that it would be better and closer to its original roots, and filmmaker Gareth Evans (Monsters) delivers the expectations with full quality.

The storyline begins with a flashback, showing how 2 scientists discovering an enormous find in the Philippines before realising that once of its subjects has hatched and fled to sea land. Where else in Janjira a Nuclear Plant suffers an explosion and major radiation leak, causing a massive loss in lives and destruction of Janjira with claims of quarantine and evacuation for the area. This is shown to be a major life-changing event for Joe Brody (Breaking Bad stat Bryan Cranston) and his son Ford (Kick-Ass and Savages star Aaron Taylor –Johnson). Years drift by and both father and son have gone separate ways, Ford is a family man coming hum from his military service and Joe becoming an 'cover-up' investigator, believing that the events in Janjira lead to something much worse to fear and that it was a cover-up. Convincing Ford of this truth, they go to the quarantined Janjira only to discover that scientist Ishiro (Ken Watanabe) is leading a study mission on the found chrysalis that is similar to the opening find but it appears to have awaken and appear destructive. What follows after is an epic race against time that pushes the humans to fight against this and realise the truth of what was found in the Philippines may be the only hope of survival.

What makes this reboot to be so amazing that the fact that it's much much better than the 1998 version that its darker, intense and epic. The storyline for the film was indeed entertaining but some may complain that the character development wasn't strong enough but I personally felt that how the characters developed was fine by me and there was some minor detail in the monster's side. The performances on the other hand were all superb, making them believable and realistic with emotion of the destruction that occurs in the story. Cranston here is still strong just after finishing Breaking Bad and it seems like he wants an Oscar nomination in the future. Themes to the story too are really an eye-opener, one of them being the theme of Man Vs. Nature. Others complain too that Godzilla's appearance is only half but from what I could see it was done excellent. Fans will be waiting for the epic monster fights to appear full on but there are only teases of it in the middle of the plot, but no disappointment will occur when we are given the full fight of the climatic battle of good vs. bad.

The visual effects here are all top-notch and are given state of the art detail. The detailing to Godzilla and the other monsters that appear here as well are so much like the original version from 1954 but in terms of the size of Godzilla, he is REALLY MASSIVE and this has been considered to be the biggest version of the monster in the franchise history. Covered in scars, scales and loud roar (using the original sound wave but re-mixing it to be a big boom) this is definitely proof that Godzilla has the potential to be a strong contender for Visual Effects awards. It is up to the excellence of Pacific Rim, Smaug from The Hobbit trilogy, Transformers and even The Avengers standards.

The Music score here is very impressive, being written and composed by French composer Alexandre Desplat (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1 and 2, Argo and The King's Speech). Godzilla's theme is so much like the very original tune, where the tone of horror and devastation is much like a fearful sound.

Overall, Godzilla is a sight to behold for the fans and movie audiences. Although a bit of background knowledge of the franchise is essential but being a reboot it will hopefully set a promising franchise that will indeed earn a lot of acclaim and praise. A fun watch as well if you had enjoyed Pacific Rim and King Kong.

Been watching the first season of From Dusk Till Dawn on SBS2 for the last few weeks (starting from the very beginning) and tonight it has reached the 10th and last episode of the season. Usually its best to review the show after the last episode but I want to get my word out to audiences and TV addicts out-there.

Being a fan of the cult film, I knew what I was expecting from the show but I didn't think it would be expanded further for a TV based series but it has proved to go quite well. What is new though, is that it features more back-story to the characters and as well takes them further than what the film had already did.

The overall casting is great with the talents of D.J. Cotrona, Zane Holtz Eiza Gonzalez, Jesse Garcia, Madison Davenport, Brandon Soo Hoo, Wilmer Valderrama, Robert Patrick, Jake Busey, Don Johnson and Adrianne Palicki, they all portray their characters with style and respect to the original and the new characters are a worthy addition to the show. The storyline for the overall season is great, delivering the precise key sequences in true form for television and while the back-story and separate story plots the characters undergo are all cool, engaging and original but I will admit that it does kick up a notch after episode 5, this is where the gore, violence and vampire awesomeness is present and further expanding the origins of the vampires.

Overall, if you have loved the original film then you may enjoy this show in your free time if you are looking for something new while Game of Thrones, South Park, The Simpsons (just naming a few small examples of my favourites) are on break or are seeking for new stuff to watch.

Tonight's finale should be great and I will keep an eye for season 2 in 2015.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is perhaps the best superhero franchise to watch on both the big screen and on any home entertainment format, with its epic story lines, heroic characters, big-scaled action and even funny humour in its core. Guardians of the Galaxy take this further than any other comic, and prove it to be driven on what the audience wants; laughs, action, emotion and sci-fi excitement.

Performances here are truly taken to be serious, with the entire cast looking to have a blast to play their role in the film. Chris Pratt at first is an actor that we don't think is action hero material, but seeing him in the leading role as Star Lord was something to remember. He gives not only a personality that we can understand but the humour he delivers is great and his connection with the cast is truly strong in presence. Zoe Saldana as Gamora is a role that not only she plays an green-skinned alien assassin, but seems to be enjoying it further than Avatar. A definite highlight for the film was Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer, having played in only a few small roles with little acting experience he has improved heaps here and gives us one of the comic's best characters to life with humour, emotion and muscle. Bradley Cooper (Rocket Raccoon) and Vin Diesel (Groot) act like the ultimate best friends as CGI created creatures, Cooper is perfect as the voice of the temperamental, funny and weapon welding raccoon, it's a role that he fits perfectly in terms of voice, emotion and character while Diesel's Groot is both awesome and fun, and is possibly his 2nd best role in film. The supporting cast includes the talented Lee Pace (Ronan the Accuser), Karen Gillan (Nebula), Michael Rooker (Yondu), Benicio del Toro (The Collector), Josh Brolin (Thanos), John C. Reilly, Glenn Close and a few more all play their roles with pitch perfect condition and the overall casting itself is amazing!

Direction by James Gunn (director of Slither and Super, and screen writing credits) is great, he delivers not only an eye for detail for what we see and hear on screen but he does manage to drive the humour all the way to the end credits, which is something totally different for a Marvel film. Humour used particularly here is the quotes the characters say, an example can be the Earth lifestyle and culture of Star Lord (coming from an 80's generation) it confronts with the characters in hilarious ways as they have no idea or clue what it means or sounds like. Emotion too is played along the storyline, especially in the opening scene and the revelation of how the heroes are meant to be together. In terms of production, visual effects and sound, it is given a great amount to detail to make the page of the original comics come to life.

Gunn looks like he's had a lot of research and inspiration from not only the original comic source, but elements of science-fiction in films, particularly with Star Wars for its characters, spaceship battles and story. For example, Peter Quill/Star Lord is a resemblance in personality of Han Solo, Gamora resembles Princess Leia and Groot resembles Chewbacca. The storyline itself is interesting and entertaining for its 2 ½ hour running time, packing in a big dose in humour that will leave the audiences in stitches and quoting the lines that make the film most popular for. The villain is well delivered and there's no shortage of chaos from his army, but it's the heroes that give all the best moments to laugh, cheer and care for.

Guardians of the Galaxy is not only the best film in Phase 2 (alongside Captain America: The Winter Soldier, for its superhero take on the 'Political-Thriller' genre) but one of this year's unexpectedly entertaining films that takes audiences worldwide by surprise, and it has guaranteed a spot on my Top 10 films for 2014. Bring on the sequel in 2017, I hope the universe is taken further.

There have been many takes on the story of Hercules in book and film, but this year we have had 2 different takes; The Legend of Hercules and this one. "Which one was better?" is the question but this review will provide the answer in satisfying reasons why Hercules triumphs better.

Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a The Rock from the WWE) has played a fair amount of action heroes in his career in film, but seeing him portray the mythological half-man/half-god hero was no surprise since he was Mathayus in the 2002 action flick The Scorpion King (seeing it now makes the film look so dated and cheesy) but seeing him now in another similar role has improved him over the years and overthrows TSK. His body though is pretty much bulked up for the role, undergoing a massive training routine at the gym (you would see in his Instagram/ Facebook posts) and the final result does truly represent Hercules's appearance as told in the mythological fables. The supporting cast includes the wonderful talents of Ian McShane (Deadwood), John Hurt (Hellboy and V For Vendetta), Aksel Hennie (Danish action-thriller Headhunters and making his debut in American film), Joesph Fiennes (American Horror Story: Asylum), Ingrid Boslo Berdal (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters) and Rufus Sewell (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter). They all get a decent amount of screen time and provide the story with some great performances, none of them go over-the-top (besides the action on screen) but it looks as though they had fun during the filming production.

Speaking of production, the production of this adaptation is truly close on terms of detail and realism and the cinematography of it plays a big role. The direction of Brett Ratner (X-Men: The Last Stand) is pretty much better than expected, he does give an eye for detail on action, character, story and even set pieces. The locations used in the film are much like the impact that Game of Thrones uses on audiences, they make us want to see the real beauty of it through our own eyes and again cinematography helps this. Storyline itself is well written and composed by the writing talents of Ryan J. Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos, but it loosely follows the graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars by the late Steve Moore but the fault is that the plot is short (for an 98 minute film) and it could have possibly gone longer by adding some more character development, action scenes or even a deeper back story to the hero.

The action sequences themselves are very entertaining and come up frequently when needed, so there's no sight of stopping to keep the audience glued to the screen. There's plenty of swords, shields, chariots, sandals, fire, arrows, sharp spears and CGI assistance to accompany the action, but another fault with it that it lacks the bloody imagery (as violence in Mythology was pretty brutal at times) but I think they aimed the film at a younger audience to keep box-office sales up. Maybe in the Blu Ray release we could get an extended cut featuring more scenes and shots of the action, but I still find it entertaining.

Overall, it's probably the best take on the Mythology muscular hero in sometime and shines a light on the character that can be told right. Unlike the dreadful The Legend of Hercules (with featured a wooden acting hero, too much CGI imagery and a plot that's all over the place), Bret Ratner's Hercules is a definite popcorn action flick that ticks the right boxes for how Hercules should be seen to modern-day audiences. Fingers crossed if a sequel will come in the future.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes was promoted to be a bigger, better and even yet more epic than its last film (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, in which was the reboot of the franchise) and with the great direction of Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In), a truly well chosen cast consisting of Jason Clarke, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell, Andy Serkis and Tody Kebbell and backed up by a great story of emotion, survival and action. Dawn of Apes succeeds to be a worthy sequel of the series by far and it overthrows the previous installment.

The story takes place years after the climatic events of 'Rise' where human life has now become fragile and seems to have nearly wiped out its kind off Earth, while Apes seems to have a place called home among the destroyed human life, with many of their kind in peace and lead truly by leader Caesar. The relationship between Man and Ape here is dangerous, broken and untrustworthy but it may have a chance to reconcile when humans offer for help in getting resourceful power for their collapsed city from the Ape's homeland, dry of resources to survive. At first, it seems unlikely for the humans but Caesar is keen to help them under the promise that they leave his kind alone. What follows next is a battle of emotion, trust, redemption and even determines the future race of both sides; they will face each other with personal experiences, discovered power and fight on till the end.

What I really enjoyed about Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is the fact that it takes the concept of survival further than what Rise of Apes did, Reeves having experienced a sci-fi adventure themed films such as Cloverfireld brings the bleak vision of collapsed civilization, showing the humans as broken spirited but determined to survive while the apes are seen as powerful but face problems of their own as much as the humans undergo. Emotion plays a big part along the apes and human character, showing who is good, bad or even undecided, and Reeves as well brings some big action sequences half way of the film, that makes the tension break further than what it has done already.

Performances here are truly phenomenal and it features some amazing character work from Clarke (in his first leading role for once), McPhee, Russell and Oldman. The ape characters again are truly amazing and are taken slightly further here, with Serkis giving another powerhouse performance as Caesar. Acclaimed visual effects team WETA Workshop help provide the film some truly beautiful yet realistic motion-capture effects of the apes, which proves both to audiences and the film-making industry that they are truly award worthy and are the best in what they do, and Serkis brings an important role in proving motion capture performance along with Kebbell and co. The music score here is composed by Michael Giacchio (Star Trek Into Darkness, The Incredibles and Speed Racer), he brings both an epic and intense score in the vein of Hans Zimmer's work. Lastly the script has a lot of major qualities that could be even considered for awards, showcasing some great moments of tension, heart, action and even bravery that the characters undergo.

Summarise, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is truly a spectacular sequel and as well a box-office hit for winter (Summer for the Americans) and it should get enough attention from the fans of the reboot and even the original film series.

Facebook 'MovieNerd91' for my reviews :)

http://movienerd91.weebly.com/

I know Michael Bay isn't the best film-maker in the movie industry but he can make a lot of money for the production and studio distributors, but I will admit for once that he has made a slight improvement in Age of Extinction. Bringing not only a big CGI-driven action blockbuster but one that has a great cast, enjoyable plot and less to none of what was needed out from the previous films.

The plot is set sometime after the climatic events in Dark of the Moon, where both sides of the Transformers are disbanded and hunted down to keep Earth safe and peaceful though the Government does play dirty a little and use

What makes it a major better film is the following:

* Casting - the cast in AOE is indeed a stand up improvement and all of the cast involved give their best performances. You got greats (Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammar and even the voices of Peter Cullen, John Goodman, John DiMaggio, Ken Watanabe and Frank Welker) and you got the new bunch (Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor) and among a few others.

* Story - The script itself is no Oscar-worthy contender with smart moments, heart and themes but it does keep the audience's attention to the end credits. At least as well there were no plot holes, frequent toilet humour use or even blank characters present.

* Pace of the action - As with all of Bay's films there is an massive dose of explosions, gun fights, car chases that overthrows the lacking storyline, but for once I felt that he didn't rush and only kicked in the action when it was needed. I felt it was a better pace than what the badly presented Revenge of the fallen was made out to be.

Overall, Age of Extinction is indeed both an entertaining action flick for the Transformers fans and a surprisingly improving sequel/reboot but it is not the best flick of 2014. I'm just as happy of the result Bay and the crew have put into it! Go see it when you can :)

Please like and follow my 'MovieNerd91' blog/facebook page for more great reviews; https://www.facebook.com/pages/MovieNerd91/692149864182727?fref=ts

21 Jump Street was indeed an hilarious reboot of the 80's teen cop drama, it packed more laughs and action in ways you wouldn't expect it! It's latest sequel however goes bigger, funnier and even strives to be better than the first (and that's even rare for sequels in films, most fail or even get a so-so approval).

Following their success in busting the high school drug investigation, our lovable but clumsy heroes Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Jenko (Channing Tatum) are assigned to another case of drug trafficking but in collage. Thinking its the same case as their first, they attempt to find the source that leads them to the person responsible but even though they are undercover as college students, they find themselves in some hilarious, emotional and even confronting moments in the process!

What makes 22JS so much better is the strong comedic chemistry that Hill and Tatum bring together, they aim themselves to keep the humour going with a strong flow and know when it is needed. The directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (returning from 21 Jump Street and even The Lego Movie) give detail to the comedy genre as seen in 21JS, they have a strong way of delivering the film's structure and what it is aiming for. The supporting cast too does give all their best and in particular it's Ice Cube (yep, returning from the first movie) that is given much more screen time and humour throughout, and even leads to deliver 22 Jump Street's most-confronting but hilarious scene of the film (I won't give any detail of it but it's a surprise on how it's delivers).

Overall, 22 Jump Street is no failure of an sequel (like The Hangover Part III) and actually proves to be stronger than its first one (which is just as funny to re-watch again and again). Go see it while you can :)

I will admit that The Rover is not the kind of film that will be admired by mainstream audiences, but those who like to have their films to be deep, gritty, tense and yet meaningful will find this an incredible Australian drama to rank alongside not only Animal Kingdom, but America's The Road and No Country for Old Men.

The story takes place in the Australian outback (around South Australia in its hot and blistering atmosphere) in the near future after a collapse. A bitter, silent and loner Eric (Guy Pearce) sees his car stolen by a gang and tries to get it back at all cost which has value to him. Asking various civilians (who are fighting to survive in this world, Eric finds a wounded and yet simple brother of a gang member named Rey (who was left behind after a disastrous robbery) putting both Eric and Rey in a intense trip.

What I really enjoyed about The Rover is the fact that the director David Michôd (Animal Kingdom) chooses to tell a story that appears to be so realistic that it could happen, I felt that the Economic Crisis would have been a major backdrop to the story's setting. Character development and emotion is truly present in this film and both of the leading actors deliver that to excellence. The use of music too is raw in some scenes but when music is played it's not the average orchestra score, it consists the use of sound and deep tones. Lastly as well what makes the film truly beautiful despite the subject matter is the cinematography, the out-lands of South Australia are a sight to behold and the camera shots give a detailed look of the collapsing characters and their environment.

Summarise, The Rover is indeed a beautiful but dark Drama that will be only be seen by those interested in the concept and I hope that the film will go on to win some awards for the efforts of its cast, amazing direction and quality.

I was lucky enough to watch an exclusive Premiere Screening in Sydney with a friend last night, I can honestly admit that it was better than I was originally expecting.

Storyline goes that William Cage (Tom Cruise), a military officer inexperienced in combat, is deployed into a combat mission against the aliens and even against his will. Though Cage is killed in minutes in a spectacular battle sequence that echoes the opening sequence in Saving Private Ryan, he finds himself starting over in a time loop, repeating the same mission and being killed. Each time, Cage discovers and remembers the timed events that he experienced and decides to learn better to fight the aliens, he teams up with Special Forces warrior Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt) to defeat them but he will learn why as well he has this power and that he was not alone.

The storyline was strong all the way and it never loses itself or goes over-the-top, the acting from Cruise and Blunt is both epic and really a game changer for both (people have complained about the lack of emotion in the characters but I can admit it was not needed here much), casting as well includes Bill Paxton, Brendon Gleeson and even Australian actors Noah Taylor (Game of Thrones) and Kick Gurry (Speed Racer) and they all provided excellent performances.

The visual effects are really top notch and even at times remind me of Elysium and even Battle: Los Angeles. The action-set sequences are very well choreographed and are even tense in the opening minutes of the film. The aliens they fight are really incredible looking, scary and even remind me of something out of a Guillermo del Toro film (think Hellboy 1 and 2 or even Pacific Rim). The Exo-Skeleton suits are being more and more awesome whenever they are used in film, I just wish they had invented real ones by now.

Overall, EoT is a movie that will not only enlighten Sci-Fi fans but it will keep the action junkies glued to the screen and if you like or hate Tom Cruise, you may be in for a surprise

Dark, suspenseful, emotional, funny and indeed epic, the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man is a pure jolt of excellence in terms of 'superhero' movies. Just like we saw in the incredible sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the leading hero is pitted by not only diabolical enemies but is faced by personal problems that change the way the story's hero fits into the world.

Continuing on from where the first film left off. Peter Parker may have accepted his destiny to be the heroic Spider-Man for New York but he still faces the mystery of his parent's disappearance and promise he kept to Gwen Stacy's father, being that she had to be out of his alter ego role due to the dangers Peter's enemies can cause both himself and Gwen. Meanwhile, Max Dillon an Oscorp Industries employee who is often outspoken by others, feels alone in the world and is an obsessive fan of Spider-Man who had saved his life in the opening action/chase sequence after the prologue. However is life is soon to be different forever when is he's involved in a bad accident that causes him to mutate into a living electricity generator (becoming Electro) and where else Harry Osborne has returned home from boarding school to find his terminally dying father from a family- hereditary illness and Peter attends to amend their long-gone friendship (despite his current status). What follows next for Peter Parker is an journey that will not only help discover who he is meant to be, but will ultimately alter his life for what he discovers and faces against will have consequences, choices and great responsibility.

TASP 2 goes further in character development than the first movie; it is this installment that defines why Peter has become Spider-Man for a reason. The film-makers here chose to have the origin story expanded here as it plays a big role in the hero's journey; the audience is taken to see why Peter's parents had disappeared on him and for a reason that defines why trust and responsibility are important for Peter. The way the story is presented too is much a comic book; there are many great camera shots that is like each panel of any comic book but only on the screen, never losing itself or leaving any plot holes in the process. If you know the comic book's storyline by heart, you can expect what is coming but as well be surprised by the unexpected.

The love story between Peter and Gwen is interesting all the way, the relationship they share is emotional, touching and deep and the acting chemistry from Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone is strong (and in my opinion Oscar worthy as well if the film were to be nominated). Just don't take it as a cheesy romance at first; it often plays out like a serious 'Drama' movie type relationship but once every while it has its cute moments to share to lighten. But it's near the end that will break the audience's hearts for what occurs in the story, I won't give too much detail but it left me and other audience members feeling sorry for both characters (this could have not been achieved by the acting talents of Garfield and Stone).

The villains too here are as important as the story's hero, two of which have a personal journey that transforms them into the threatening dangers that Spider-Man/Peter faces in the film. These gives the audience a deep insight into why we should care for them or even hate them, but it gave me a feeling that the villains were out to reach their goals of domination and be their own hero in their world. The performances from both Dane DeHann and Jamie Foxx is achieving and convincing enough to make their villains believable and a reason to exist in the story. All the leading and supporting characters in the film all have emotion and wow moments of any kind, and the relationships they all have in one way or another is indeed amazing.

The action sequences here are all intense, dark and very exciting in every way imaginable like in the comics, it seemed like a big step up for the film-makers to top the action sequences as shown in the previous film but giving more punch, realism and quality (though the first film had impressive sequences as well). It may not appear as often as the first one did, but the timing of where action is needed is placed well; as story and character is every bit as important as the original comic source. The climatic finale indeed had my heart racing till the very end, making me glued to the screen as much as its plot.

Lastly, the music score in the film is composed and performed by the always amazing Hans Zimmer (Man of Steel, Inception and the Dark Knight trilogy) but working alongside The Magnificent Six (seems like a new collaboration was formed). All I can say that it is incredible; the music pieces performed in TASP 2 are worth listening to and will definitely stay in your head for days to come. Each of the leading characters in the film has their own music themes but it's Electro's theme that is catchy.

To summarize, The Amazing Spider–Man 2 is both a superior sequel that delivers excellence, emotion, quality and sets the confirmed third film to be anticipating and promising a stronger franchise to come in future. I have already seen this twice and I could see it again and again