Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Quicky Review - SPOILERS

I have returned from the dark depths of university deadline season with only a few mental scars. So yeah, expect plenty of content over the next few weeks until I get slapped with another essay and a few exams...

Just a quick shout out, don't go announcing a 3rd film before the 2nd has even released. You ruin it. So Friday we toddled into the cinema to watch possibly one of my favourite members of Marvel go kick some ass. Captain America is easily one of the most relateable characters within the Avengers with the strongest story so far.

Obviously, you would suspect by the title that the movie is about the Winter Soldier. If you've lived under a rock the past few months, it's Steve's (Chris Evans) best friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan), you know, the one who fell off the train in the last one. So it turns out he's not dead and that the movie actually does fuck all with his character. He appears for snippets but in reality he has little change to the outcome of the movie and probably should have called the movie something a little more relevant. Yet, as a story, The Winter Soldier is substantial. Moments, which for any Marvel fans will sit them there in shock. So in reality, Hydra were never defeated. Taking Bucky and wiping his memory and using him as their bitch assassin. Now one of my big pet peeves with the story is that SHIELD sent in Black Widow but told her boyfriend; Hawkeye to do one. Now when it comes to do, Hawkeye is an Avenger and should have been involved!

Compared to other Marvel Avengers, Captain was raised in a war and naturally, you have to accustom yourself to killing some bad people. This has been acknowledged and it truly is brutal. Not smashing them with a hammer or punching them with a massive suit of armour, he's got a fast pace that is (Scarlett Johansson) who pretty much climbs all over assailants and then the brand new Falcon (Anthony Mackie) who kinda just shoots people while flying around with these bomb ass wings. However, I don't think I could ever see Anthony Mackie in a different light after Pain & Gain's titty milk moment.

rarely matched and the shift between him and shield is incredibly fun to watch. Then we have Black Widow (

I'm not going to bore you with talk of the acting or screen play. We all know that Marvel as a production company nail all the special FX and the actors are not just pretty faces. The Winter Soldier probably stands as one of the best single hero Marvel movie in many years. Even with a few moments that are a little unnecessary, the movie flows quickly with extravagant actions scenes which seem more realistic compared to Iron Man. Although Tony Stark and Hawkeye should have made an appearance, Captain America deserves an 8/10.

PS - Quicky review is to get back into the swing of things, plenty more content on the youtube channel or follow me Instagram and Twitter on the right of the page!

Need For Speed - The Movie Quicky Review!

I'm only going to spend 5 minutes writing this so please forgive for any mistakes but I'm a little pressed with everything else going on and feel a challenge will get me writing!

Initially I was really hoping that this movie was going to be a pile of crap and I would have something to tear into mercilessly without compromise. However, I found myself shocked. The movie was actually half decent. A few moments left me thinking "Why the fuck?" but I wrote it off too early as a simple rip-off by EA of the Fast franchise.

Although its not a movie that you can expect quality acting, set pieces, script and story, I find myself impressed. As a self confessed car fanatic, I enjoyed it for its aspect of free-roam fun. A little betrayal to kick it into gear and give some pace and a flurry of super cars and a supercharged Ford Mustang that is functional at turning a corner in excess of 90MPH without careering off-road and killing the local wildlife. Although I feel that the car would never hit the specified 230MPH, they are adamant. The elements of realism were just booted from play and replaced with Need for Speed's physics and vehicle engine for the added fun.

All of the stunts and driving throughout were all done. No CGI was used, just good old fashioned camera placement and some bloody good coordinators. The attention to this stands it above the Fast franchise as it shows that you don't need to hit fast forward or have some of the worst CGI known to man thrown into your biggest movie yet (I still hold you to that shit).

With sub par acting, question acts and an English women who grinds me up the wall, everything is fairly lacklustre. Its not a show piece film for your local art house cinema to rub themselves over, its just a good old fashion fun which has managed to disassociate itself from what is a very hit and miss gaming series. Counting everything, I would highly recommend if you just fancy a night out with a bit of mindless entertainment and some expensive cars getting trashed (Please be replicas you destroyed)...Upon calming down from the initial excitement, I feel its worth a solid 6.

300: Rise of an Empire - Review - SPOILERS

300: Rise of an Empire has quite the challenge to stand upon the shoulders of it's predecessor. 8 years after the original, Zack Snyder is back at the helm with an ensemble of shredded men and a puny teen. This time around, we take a different angle on the war, initially set up 10 years prior drifting through the events of 300 and the death of Leonidas all the way to the final navel battle of the conflict. So, yeah, expect news of a third 300 movie as the way it ends sets up so much more. Let's hope its not another 8 years from now and that Zack Snyder pulls his finger out to get it done for next year!

To begin, we enter the fray in battle that leads to Themistokles' (Sullivan Stapleton) killing of Xerxes father 10 years prior to the events of 300. With the narrative moving from this and Xerxes' move from human to God-king we drop into a political debate on the action needed by Greece to fend off the Persian forces. Upon trying to recruit the Spartans into the battle, we are notified that a squad of 300 has already left and Leonidas is among them. While this conflict rages, Xerxes' (Rodrigo Santoro) naval commander and right hand lady Artemisia (Eva Green) is launching an attack on Themistokles' limited ships and it is brutal. Themistokles' tactics are ingenious and his forces exact brutal skill upon the enemy. In terms of acting, the movie was actually very strong (Another crazy thing to see from an action film), Stapleton's voice sent ripples with every word. His huge build, powerful voice and commanding presence on screen makes him perfect for the role, never slipping up and managed the pressure of the main role without letting it get to him. Eva Green on the other hand is an actor I've never been drawn too but she's always been able to play the bitch without a hitch. She played the role convincingly enough but she still lacks presence when she's supposed to be this power house.

The flow of the story is great, although it is obvious how the outcome will be, everything feels like a surprise. For an action movie, it does create genuine bonds between characters and seeing them shattered really eggs you on for some revenge. Speaking of revenge, let's look at the violence and gore. Although I have never read the comic or seen it's art style, the blood looks incredibly glossy, almost paint-like and that really destroys the illusion when pitted with the actual ferocity of the combat. Albeit, the choreography of the fight scenes is perfect, it's fluid movement blended with slow motion shots exacerbate the extent of each hit and I couldn't stop giggling every time I saw someone get a Gladius blade to the face.

Probably one of the biggest and most violent blockbuster this year, Rise of an Empire stands as quite a triumph in my book. A bloody gorefest with a story that answers so many questions. I'm a little peeved with some of the visuals, the blood being one but a giant dog that looked like it had come from Ghostbusters and didn't even fit into place, nor was it even addressed. A sex scene that looks more like rape and a script that throws back to 300 in the cheesiest of fashion. Finally, I would have loved it to have been a bit longer but this desperate need to make a trilogy for something can stretch it very thin and it's removed all of the battles on land and replaced them with only naval scenes. Because of all this, I feel I should rate it more on my entertainment factor and 8/10 stands well with me. It's blood-pumping fun for almost all of the family.

Watch Dogs Release Date Revealed

Wondrous news everyone!

Within the last few hours a brand new trailer was released by Ubisoft depicting a release date of May 27th and the plot for the game! Check the trailer down below and leave your opinion in the comment section below!

After it's hugely disappointing delay, a lot of fans were very miffed about the sudden change of heart and only turning up to Eurogamer with a playthrough of the demo that we couldn't get a hand on made it all the more worrying. Here's me hoping for the best from a notoriously good studio with a back catalogue of Assassins Creed games and Far Cry 3!

The Oscars - Results *LIVE*

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Jared Leto - Dallas Buyers Club

Costume Design
The Great Gatsby

Make-up and Hairstying
Dallas Buyers Club

Best Animated Short Film
Mr Hublot

Best Animated Feature Film
Frozen

Achievement in Visual Effects
Gravity

Best Live Action Short Film
Helium

Best Documentary Short Subject
The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life

Best Documentary Feature
20 Feet From Stardom


Best Foreign Language Film
The Great Beauty


Achievement in Sound Mixing
Gravity


Achievement in Sound Editing
Gravity

Best Actress in a Supporting Role 
Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years a Slave
 
Best Cinematography
Gravity


Best Film Editing
Gravity

Best Production Design
The Great Gatsby

Best Original Score
Gravity


Best Original Song
Let it Go - Frozen

Best Adapted Screenplay 
12 Years a Slave


Best Original Screenplay
Her


Best Director
Alfonso Cuaron - Gravity


Best Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett - Blue Jasmine

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Matthew McConaughey - Dallas Buyers Club

Best Picture
12 Years a Slave

Well, that's it guys! A wonderful show with heartfelt tributes, gorgeous music, good laughs and brilliant films. With 7 awards falling into the hands of Gravity, it is the top movie of the night by the night ultimately belongs to 12 Years a Slave. Congratulations to all and if you want to see the most retweeted image in history, be sure to go to Ellen Degeneres' Twitter to find out what all the fuss is about. Speaking of Ellen, her light hearted approach stands well away from Seth Macfarlane's raw and energetic attitude but personally seemed a little safe after all of the press over Seth's actions.

Oscars 2014 - Nominations and Predictions!

It's been a full year since my first Oscars post. Another phenomenal year for movies and an incredible selection to choose from once again. In the next few hours, the Oscars will be upon us and we will find out the answer to the Internet's biggest question; "Will Leo win best actor?". Personally, I'm doubtful. This years heavyweights - 12 Years a Slave and Gravity created huge buzz and have a lot in their corner. Down below are the awards I will be paying close attention too and below each topic is my prediction. 

 

Best Visual Effects

• Gravity (Tim Webber, Chris Lawrence, Dave Shirk, Neil Corbould)
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (Joe Letteri, Eric Saindon, David Clayton, Eric Reynolds)
• Iron Man 3 (Christopher Townsend, Guy Williams, Erik Nash, Dan Sudick)
• The Lone Ranger (Tim Alexander, Gary Brozenich, Edson Williams, John Frazier)
• Star Trek Into Darkness (Roger Guyett, Patrick Tubach, Ben Grossmann, Burt Dalton)

Prediction - Gravity

Best Film Editing

• American Hustle (Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers, Alan Baumgarten)
• Captain Phillips (Christopher Rouse)
• Dallas Buyers Club (John Mac McMurphy, Martin Pensa)
• Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón, Mark Sanger)
• 12 Years a Slave (Joe Walker)

Prediction - Gravity

 

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Sally Hawkins (Blue Jasmine)
• Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle)
• Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave)
• Julia Roberts (August: Osage County)
• June Squibb (Nebraska)

Prediction -  Lupita Nyong'o

 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips)
• Bradley Cooper (American Hustle)
• Michael Fassbender (12 Years a Slave)
• Jonah Hill (The Wolf of Wall Street)
• Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club)

Prediction - Barkhad Abdi

 

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Amy Adams (American Hustle)
• Cate Blanchett (Blue Jasmine)
• Sandra Bullock (Gravity)
• Judi Dench (Philomena)
• Meryl Streep (August: Osage County)

Prediction - Sandra Bullock

 

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Christian Bale (American Hustle)
• Bruce Dern (Nebraska)
• Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street)
• Chiwetel Ejiofor (12 Years a Slave)
• Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club)

Prediction - Chiwetel Ejiofor (We are all rooting for you Leo!)

 

Best Directing

• American Hustle (David O. Russell)
• Gravity (Alfonso Cuarón)
• Nebraska (Alexander Payne)
• 12 Years a Slave (Steve McQueen)
• The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

 Prediction - The Wolf of Wall Street (Martin Scorsese)

 

Best Picture

• American Hustle
• Captain Phillips
• Dallas Buyers Club
• Gravity
• Her
• Nebraska
• Philomena
• 12 Years a Slave
• The Wolf of Wall Street

Prediction - 12 Years a Slave

 

What do you think about my predictions? Leave your ideas below in the comment section!

Ride Along - Quicky Review!

If you've ever seen the Rush Hour series, you have a very good grounding in Ride Along. The buddy cop movie that features Kevin Hart (Ben Barber) as campus security for a college/high school budding for a job in the police to live his dream and marry his girlfriend (played by Tika Sumpter). Barber's girlfriend happens to be Ice Cube's (James Payton) sister who is in the midst of an investigation that he's poured all of his man hours into and is seeing little results from. To deserve Payton's respect as both a police rookie and his blessing of marriage, Barber must go on a ride along to prove his worth.

Comedy movies are genuinely hard for me to review. The obvious lack of attention to the story is normally bad in any other genre apart from certain action movies but Ride Along has a balance of a story (all be it predictable) laced with comedy. It was enough to engage for the majority but moments tried to initiate emotions that weren't compatible with the flow (real good time to run to the toilet if you drank to much). However, to actually progress the story did well at giving an ending, no matter how cheesy it was.

As one of Kevin Hart's stand out roles in which he is the main focus, he does fairly well. His comedy style can be widely accepted by many and when you act stupid and do nothing but talk on stage, it isn't very hard to get into character for Ben Barber. Ice Cube also didn't have far to go, going from gang banger to FBI agent in 21 Jump Street and now wild police officer doesn't stray to far from the line. With flashes of meme based comedy that heavily involves memes of himself blended with some of his tunes are a great homage to his work and how much he's changed. As much as he was type-cast, the past "cop-killer" attitude makes his presence that much funnier.

Before I conclude, I would just like to pick on the filming and editing. At points, the editing done to the scenes (primarily the title sequence) look horrible. The screen is far to filled with action to be screwed over by some cheap ass graphics thrown across them that look like they've come out of Microsoft Word 1998.

To conclude, the film was great fun. Although a bit risqué for a 12 rating in the UK, its comedy thrives off of the success of Rush Hour by mimicking the duo style (PS - Ride Along 2 has been announced.). A good cast, a decent plot that can be ruined within minutes of the movie and a movie that is built for pure enjoyment. I look forward to another instalment and give this a 7/10.