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Creed (2015)
21st Century Rocky
Creed is at first glance just a continuation of the Rocky franchise, however as the film progresses you realise it can definitely stand on its own. With a revitalised performance from Sylvester Stallone and a fresh new star in Michael B Jordan, the film accomplishes the task of getting a new generation excited for sporting movies.
There's plenty of boxing action to keep the audience entertained, and a rich back story with complicated characters. It's well paced and the musical score works well with the movies plot. Stallone gives his best dramatic performance in many years and Jordan shows he can continue to lead in future features.
Whether your a fan of sports movies or not this story has plenty to offer, this is how sports movies should be made.
The Revenant (2015)
Surely an Oscar winning performance.
With the Oscars just a month away, it's time to speculate on whether this will be Leo's year. The film has accumulated the most Academy Award Nominations this year with a very impressive 12, this is enough to guarantee a satisfactory movie going experience for many.
The film is beautifully shot and the action is both dramatic and realistic, however it's the dramatic achievements of the leads that grab the attention. Leonardo DiCaprio gives an emotional and convincing performance as the protagonist on his journey of survival in an unforgiving land. DiCaprio keeps you engrossed throughout the film despite the lack of dialogue in many scenes, and portrays a man consumed by pain, loss, anger and hope all at once. Leo is the current favourite for this years Leading Actor Oscar and my pick as well.
Another Oscar nominated performance this time for a supporting role is achieved by Tom Hardy, playing opposite DiCaprio in some of the films most tense scenes, he keeps up with DiCaprio throughout, proving he too is deserving of an Oscar nod.
The beginning of the film is fast paced with all our lead characters involved, it does however slow down about halfway through and the amount of dialogue decreases substantially, the movie is very artistic and would not be to everyone's taste, there is no comedy to be had here with moments of real despair, however you remain hopeful due to DiCaprio's characters shear resilience in these difficult situations.
A masterpiece in direction and cinematography with almost guaranteed Oscar wins to come. Not for the faint of heart with realistic violence and upsetting scenes, but a real survival story with excellent acting and stunning visuals.
Love the Coopers (2015)
Not what you'd expect.
I stumbled upon this movie over the Christmas period during a family outing. We'd planed on seeing another movie but it was sold out, so we opted to give this film a try. On the surface the film appears to be a generic Christmas comedy, you'd expect a feel good family film with plenty of slapstick and silly moments, however it's much different.
It's the well known and experienced cast that gets you intrigued, and the promotional material for the film makes it appear like a family film. I'd say the film is aimed more towards an adult audience. It starts very slow and the colours are very bland and dark, not at all like a fun filled Christmas film. It isn't long before you realise it's more of a dark comedy. We check in with all the different members of the Cooper family and soon realise they are all having a bad run up to Christmas. Almost a more realistic telling of what many might be experiencing at that time of the year.
The film doesn't really get interesting until the Coopers get together for Christmas, the mood gets a lot more heartwarming and the jokes hit a lot better. The acting is good throughout but some of the dialogue is questionable. There are some thought provoking moments too which led me to feel satisfied by the end. Not at all for younger viewers, the film relates only to the older viewer who understands the dynamics of family life at Christmas.
Overall the film is just average, with a couple of funny moments and an interesting insight into family's getting back together for Christmas. Don't expect to see a Christmas classic, but still worth a watch.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
Lives up to the hype.
The most anticipated movie of the last decade definitely lives up to expectations. The perfect blend of old and new is enough to satisfy even the most sceptical of moviegoers.
The new leads don't disappoint, our new heroine Rey (Daisy Ridley) quickly captures our attention with a mature performance in her first major feature. The story really kicks off when she is joined by Finn (John Boyega) who gives one of the best performances among an experienced cast. The story moves along at a quick pace and is never tiresome.
The story does mirror the original Star Wars movie in many ways, however there's enough new material to allow this movie to stand on its own. The main problems with the film come from the fact that it is the first of a trilogy, many parts of the movie are only there to set up future events, and you could say that there is a lot of fan service with many through backs to the original trilogy. However I feel that the film does exactly what it was meant to do, entertain fans of the previous films while introducing new viewers to the Star Wars universe and getting them excited for future features.
The reappearances of the classic characters add to the nostalgic feel, yet this doesn't take away from the new revitalised franchise. Plenty of exciting action along with tense moments from the new villain Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) make this one of the must see films of the year.
Whether you've seen the previous Star Wars films or not, this movie has something for everyone. And while it delighted me enough to merit a second viewing, it is definitely a great movie going experience for all.