Film Review: Grimsby

"It's An Elephant Bukakkee!"

Halfway though Grimsby, the new comedy from the warped mind of one Sacha Baron Cohen, I remembered quite vividly how the satirical undercurrent of Borat, the more-than controversial piece of cinema which attempted to upset everyone from the Jewish community to American feminists, saved the film from swaying into simple bad taste, with Cohen's standpoint on the strange society of the USA being the fundamental notion at the heart of the comedic elements throughout the film. One of the most startling scenes in Borat is when our titular character ventures into the rodeo-ridden area of the south and speaks to a range of people voicing their rather right-wing opinions regarding everything from the strangeness of homosexuality to the war on terror. It's a surreal scene, one that portrays a old-fashioned society with a fundamental set of norms and values that are inherently wrong. Enter Grimsby, a film that shows what Borat may have indeed become, a film, which although believes it is some sort of standpoint regarding the culture of the working class, is indeed a film rife with bad taste. That doesn't mean it isn't funny though. 

Although Grimsby is undeniably and fundamentally a shoddy movie, one that consists of ear-scraping dialogue and cringe-worthy plot developments, the set pieces which attempt to out-gross one another as they come along during the films' more then generous 90 minute runtime have a stark repulsiveness of which I have to admit I couldn't help but laugh at. The infamous elephant scene for example is a five minute vision of vulgarity, one that although inherently reeks in bad taste, is so over-the-top and ridiculous that in a strange subverted kind of way, you have to admire its' wrongfulness. It's not offensive in a Borat style comedic element, its' just plain wrong, much like the existence of the film itself. Albeit's sheer ludicrous script, celebrity cameos and archaic treatment of the female characters within the film, Grimsby still manages to come off as strangely mediocre, neither awful, neither good, just here to make up the box office top ten within the week of Oscar supremacy. Grimsby is like a fart in the wind; repulsive to begin with yet slowly evaporating into non-existence. Sacha Baron Cohen's latest isn't the worst way to spend 90 minutes, it just isn't the best either. 

Overall Score: 5/10 

88th Academy Awards: Best Picture

Best Picture

So this time tomorrow, we here at Black Ribbon will be fully stocked up on coffee, energy drinks. those small cocktail sausages from Asda and perhaps the contraption that keeps Malcolm McDowell's eyes open within A Clockwork Orange in a brave attempt to keep awake during the early hours to which the latest incarnation of the Oscar ceremony will no doubt take place unto. For now however, it is time to examine the last and perhaps most important category of the 88th Academy Awards; the Best Picture category, a category which features a wide range of brilliant cinematic achievements, all of which have shocked, thrilled and stunned audiences across the world over the course of the past cinematic year, ranging from the all-out action craziness of Mad Max: Fury Road to the understated drama of Spotlight, two completely different movies, but both exceeding in critical acclaim nonetheless with the former being the favourite film of last year for two of Black Ribbon's leading contributors. 

As for the bookies, The Revenant is all set to continue its' success at the BAFTA's and walk away with the prestigious award yet it may face stiff competition from The Big Short and Spotlight, the film I believe deserves to win. There is no doubt that The Revenant is an excellent piece of cinematic achievement but Spotlight is a film that arks back to the fundamentals of film, one that believes telling a story in a straightforward fashion with a superb ensemble cast on top form is the most organic way to achieve true drama. Much like Whiplash last year, Spotlight is a film nominated for best picture and one that I hope wins against all the odds. We shall see. As for those who may have been overlooked, Inside Out, although odds on to win Best Animated Feature, should have been part of the Best Picture nominations, whilst films such as Sicario, Macbeth, The Gift and Straight Outta Compton all would have been on my own personal Oscar list for their achievements but in the eyes of the "prestigious" Oscar voters (See Link Below) such films were not worthy of Oscar stardom. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy the ceremony as much as we will, and for the last time until this time next year, here are the nominations; 

Mad Max: Fury Road - George Miller

The Revenant -  Alejandro González Iñárritu  

Spotlight - Tom McCarthy

The Big Short - Adam McKay

Room - Lenny Abrahamson

Bridge of Spies - Steven Spielberg

The Martian - Ridley Scott

Brooklyn - John Crowley

http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/news/oscars-2016-voter-admits-not-watching-some-films-praises-the-room-and-shuns-whats-her-name-from-a6897016.html

88th Academy Awards: Best Director

Best Director

Within this penultimate examination into this years' Oscar ceremony, with the annual event set to take place this Sunday evening and heading ever so early into the bright and early hours of Monday morning (Screw you time zones!) we finally come to the nominations for Best Director, a category currently filled with the winning shoes of one Alejandro González Iñárritu for his work on last years' big winner Birdman. Once again Iñárritu is one of the five nominees for his work on The Revenant, a film which may indeed walk away with the top trio of awards in which it is nominated for with it standing a solid chance of winning Best Picture, Best Director and of course, Best Actor for Leonardo DiCaprio. Although Iñárritu may indeed carry on his success at the BAFTA's and win at this years' Oscar ceremony, being only the third director to win consecutive directorial awards after John Ford and Joseph L. Mankiewicz, there are of course four other nominations in the directorial category with Adam McKay for The Big Short, George Miller for Mad Max: Fury Road, Lenny Abrahamson for Room and finally Tom McCarthy for Spotlight. 

Inevitably, the odds are stacked highly in the favour of Iñárritu for The Revenant who is on course to make Oscar winning history, yet both Abrahamson and McCarthy shouldn't be forgotten for their understated yet brilliant work on both of their respected films. As for those who may have been overlooked entirely, Denis Villeneuve should have had a look in for his brilliant work on the sublime Sicario whilst F. Gary Gray should have been rewarded for keeping control of the egoistic mayhem that must have ensued on the set of Straight Outta Compton. Looking further afield, maybe J.J. Abrams could have been praised for getting the Star Wars franchise back on track. I mean the decision to have no Jar Jar Binks in the latest entry deserves some recognition right? Right? Anyhow, here are the nominations:

Alejandro G. Iñárritu - The Revenant

Adam McKay - The Big Short

George Miller - Mad Max: Fury Road

Tom McCarthy - Spotlight

Lenny Abrahamson - Room

Next Time: BEST PICTURE!

Film Review: Bone Tomahawk

"Say Goodbye To My Wife. I'll Say Hello To Yours..."

Whereas in most cases a film that has casting credits that include Kurt Russell and David Arquette may be mistaken as being one that is heading straight-to-video, unless directed by Quentin Tarantino of course, Bone Tomahawk, written and directed by new guy on the block S. Craig Zahler is a feat of slow-burning exploitation greatness, a film that attempts to ramp up the tension and then swiftly cripple it with swift acts of merciless violence, violence which as well as being extremely graphic and tough to swallow, is among the most horrific examples of such in recent memory. Forget the comic book violence of Deadpool or the B-Movie splatter fest of The Hateful Eight, Bone Tomahawk is a film that wants you to feel the pain in every scalp-scraping moment in which it occurs. Although many could argue the unwanted exposure to recent depths to which the genre of "torture porn" has decided to delve into has desensitised film goers of the current generation into believing gore can no longer be an effective notion within film, director Zahler understands the shock value of less being more, with Bone Tomahawk being a horror film that doesn't dwell on its' resorts to violence and instead wants to use them when they are most effective, and boy, does it work. 

After an attack on the overtly civilised town of Bright Hope leaves one of its' township dead and three missing, Sheriff Franklin Hunt, played in a brilliantly moustache twisting fashion by Kurt Russell, leads the charge to locate the missing townsfolk, one of whom is the wife of Patrick Wilson's Arthur O'Dwyer, the town proclaimed cowboy recently injured yet determined nonetheless to reclaim his lost love, alongside Matthew Fox's narcissistic John Brooder and the elderly deputy, Chicory, played majestically by Richard Jenkins. Although made aware of the troglodyte clan to which such an attack can be blamed upon, the quartet soon realise the cannibalistic dwellings to which their townsfolk have been captured within and begin to wonder whether their return will indeed be a safe one. The recent explosion of the western genre in recent years with films such as Django Unchained, Slow West and this years' The Hateful Eight may indeed have met the prime contender for the best example of the genre in recent times, with Bone Tomahawk being a compelling, well written and gruesomely horrific thrill ride which bends the two genres of western and horror rather well. Although the desire to play the script out as long as possible leads to a film that could possibly lose 20, 30 minutes from its' runtime, not once could I say I was bored, owing much to the films' credit to find tension in the smallest of places as well as getting the quartet of leading actors cast to a sharply fined T, with Russell and Jenkins stealing the show.

Although one scene of complete exploitation greatness may steal the limelight, with YouTube searches rather inevitable in the foreseeable future, Bone Tomahawk is much more than just a set piece and is a film that requires attention in the most sombre of moments in the fear of quick-fuelled blood lust being right around the corner. Never before have I jumped at the sight of an unexpected arrow or been set so aghast at the speed to which one of our leading heroes loses a certain appendage, a testament to the films' desire to create and display an enemy so intense and ruthless the audience will fear their every move. R-Rated greatness is what Bone Tomahawk strives for and blimey does it achieve it with a culty sensibility that will inevitably become a firm favourite within the formidable, if isolated, clan of violence loving exploitation in which I'm glad to say I'm part of. I look forward to your next body of work Mr. Zahler. 

Overall Score: 8/10

88th Academy Awards: Best Actress

Best Actress

After last years' predetermination at the BAFTA's, with Julianne Moore winning the prestigious Best Actress award for Still Alice, a film that hadn't hit UK cinemas at the time of the ceremony leaving the choice of winner solely in the hands of preview-screened critics, the Oscar's soon followed suit and awarded Moore with her first award after many nominations for films such as Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights and Far From Heaven. Completing this years' nominations is a variety of talent ranging from rising stars to cinematic gems with each film definitely getting the vote of confidence from here at Black Ribbon, even Joy, the newest release from David O. Russell, which although features a riveting leading performance from Jennifer Lawrence has been regarded by many as a limp entry into the impressive canon Russell has already established, with The Fighter and Silver Linings Playbook doing particularly well at the prestigious ceremony in previous years. Could his and Lawrence's success at the Oscar's continue this year? Let's ask the people in the know.

In the wise eyes of the bookies, Brie Larson is set to carry on her success at the BAFTA's with her being odds on to pick up the Oscar for Best Actress in Lenny Abrahamson's simply brilliant Room, a film which manages to carry the balance of the dark and the twisted yet ultimately proclaims itself as a life-affirming drama, featuring a world-class performance from young Jacob Tremblay who along with Larson brings the brilliance of the film to light, resulting in the rare occasion whereby I completely agree with the Academy. Sure, Cate Blanchett is rather flawless in Todd Haynes' Carol and Saoirse Ronan continues her streak of being perfect in every way possible (CRUSH INCOMING) within the beautiful Brooklyn, but Larson is the stand-out, pulling in a performance that those at the Oscar voting table love; no make-up and a lot of crying. It might just be the start of something magical. Cringe. 

Next Time: Best Director

Film Review: The Finest Hours

"In The Coast Guard They Say You Go Out, They Don't Say You Gotta Come Back..."

Based upon "The Finest Hours: The True Story of the U.S. Coast Guard's Most Daring Sea Rescue" by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman, Craig Gillespie's The Finest Hours is a film that intends to be as gripping and wet-soaked as the shores of Cape Cod but ultimately comes off as more of a damp squib, with a cast including Captain Kirk himself, Chris Pine, Casey Affleck and Eric Bana not enough to save it from the pit of mediocrity it safely floats upon before inevitably sinking into the realms of history. Much like the true-life tale, an anecdote I'm sure incredibly popular and well versed between the secular, sea-wise clans of the U.S. Coast Guard, The Finest Hours is a movie that has somewhat been hidden under the radar and away from the cinematic masses, with not even a trailer being in sight within my many ventures to the world of cine over the course of the past few months or so, and with this in mind, the sheer lack of advertisement and press-hounding may indeed result in the film not exactly finding a key audience. Were it a more intriguing tale of survival in line with other sea-faring adventures such as Ang Lee's The Life of Pi, The Perfect Storm and even, see it to believe it, Titanic, perhaps The Finest Hours could have been the riveting adventure it perhaps wanted to be seen as.

Adding to the mediocrity is the fundamental saccharin sweet nature of the movie, with the influence of Disney being particularly noticeable within scenes that not only encourage the burning sensation of a face-palm, but also result in either a painful palpitation of a cringe-induced stasis or a desire to swiftly stick fingers down your throat in order to release the sickly build-up of Disney-induced diseases. Aside from the land of over-sentimentality, award for most unintentional psycho, co-dependant girlfriend of the year has to go to Holliday Grainger for her role as Chris Pine love interest, Miriam Webber, a role which could easily be seen as a mid-20th century portrayal of Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction. Seriously, if you aren't put off by the possibility of a creepy girlfriend by The Finest Hours, then nothing will. In a nutshell therefore, The Finest Hours sure ain't the film it would love to be, with a sheer lack of threat or suspense killing the film stone dead, a film which requires such in order to be seen as truly worthwhile. See it in a Blockbuster near you. Oh wait, this isn't 2003. Just catch it when you can, but don't rush to see it.

Overall Score: 5/10

Film Review: Triple 9

"To Survive Out Here You Gotta Out-Monster The Monster..."

Of all the epic crime dramas to have graced our screens over the course of the past few decades or so, Michael Mann's Heat is the top drawer example, a film in which many, including Mann himself, have taken note from and subsequently strived to duplicate in usually unspectacular fashion with only a few breaking the mould and stepping out from the shadow of the perfect combination of style and substance Mann's masterpiece undoubtedly revels in. In the case of Triple 9 therefore, although not the perfect companion piece to Heat, John Hillcoat, director of the desolate survival thriller The Road, and the violent crime drama Lawless, has at least attempted to create something that adheres to the stylistic nature of Mann's classic albeit with a dark, twisted and overly gritty core, calling in a A-List cast as it goes. Although Triple 9 carries much more substance than that of the many generic action films released recently, it is a film that plays inevitably and undeniably second fiddle to the mastery of Mann's tour de force, whilst having a much darker and depressing feel, one which may leave viewers with a sense of unwitting desperation.

The storyline, focusing on deception and blackmail between a group of experienced thieves and the Russian Mafia, headed up in sheer scene-chewing fashion by Kate Winslet, is one that is primarily left slightly to the sidelines, with the undercurrent of the groups plan to engage a "Triple 9", a scenario of a downed officer, in order to successfully complete a heist and in turn. release them from their dealings with the Mafia, a secondary outfit, providing a support and a reason for the main aim of the movie; to create the most intense action sequences possible. Although the supposed lack of substance leads to an array of questioning after sitting down and actually thinking about it. Triple 9 can be excused for effectively managing to do what it really desires, with the action set-piece in the film being directed and shot in a grit-filled sense of realism that harks back to the bank heist in Heat, a scene that has been regarded by many as the most realistic action set-piece ever captured on film. Indeed not for everyone, with on-screen violence being ramped up rather unnecessarily, Triple 9 benefits from a fantastic ensemble cast, featuring Casey Affleck, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Aaron Paul and straight from The Walking Dead, Norman Reedus, all of whom impress, yet the film falls short of the sense of mastery others before it have managed to create resulting in a film that is solely for the set pieces, not for the bigger picture. 

Overall Score: 8/10

88th Academy Awards: Best Actor

Best Actor

Could this finally be the year. Howard Hughes in The Aviator. Sorry, Jamie Foxx deserves that this year. How about Billy Costigan in The Departed? I'm afraid not. But how about my roles in either Django Unchained or The Wolf of Wall Street? Once again, I'm afraid not Leonardo, you just aren't good enough to deserve an Oscar. Fine. I'll find a director who will put me through sheer hell and force me to cut open a horse and sleep inside it, proper Luke Skywalker style from The Empire Strikes Back. Of course, I'm sure this isn't how the life of Leonard DiCaprio actually played out after countless times of Oscar betrayal but it does seem that his dedication to his role in The Revenant was that of a man giving all he possibly can in order to claim what has bypassed his clutches in the past. Everyone and their mum's believes it is time for Leo to win his Oscar and if somehow such did fail to occur this year, I fully believe the Leo supporting masses would violently and swiftly burn the Dolby Theatre down to the ground with Leo being the sole survivor of such a terrible tragedy. 

Extreme I know, but without even looking at the betting for this years' Best Actor category, it is obvious that Leo is the firm favourite. In fact, it is such a safe bet I would recommend putting your life savings on it. Trust me, I know these things. If however you are not privy to the odd bet or two and believe that the Oscars will continue to starve DiCaprio of his glory, the other contenders for the award include Bryan Cranston for Trumbo, Matt Damon for The Martian, Michael Fassbender for the brilliant Steve Jobs and Eddie Redmayne for the not-so-brilliant The Danish Girl.  As for those who may have been overlooked, Fassbender, if not for Steve Jobs, would have been nominated for his role as Macbeth in Justin Kurzel's cold-blooded adaptation of the Shakespearean classic, whilst it was a shame Samuel L. Jackson wasn't recognised for his eye-locking performance in The Hateful Eight, one which kept the film intriguing and captivating for its' ridiculously over-long runtime. Also, what about Jacob Tremblay's simply stunning performance in Room? Sure he's only nine but Tatum O'Neal won an Oscar at the age of ten. One to ponder upon anyhow. Here are the nominations: 

Leonardo DiCaprio - The Revenant

Michael Fassbender - Steve Jobs

Bryan Cranston - Trumbo

Matt Damon - The Martian

Eddie Redmayne - The Danish Girl

Next Time: Best Actress!

Film Review: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

"I Do Not Know Which I Admire More. Your Skill As A Warrior Or Your Resolve As A Woman..."

Based on the best-selling novel of the same name, Burr Steers' adaptation pretty much adheres to the ridiculous nature of the films' title. You guessed it folks, it's Pride and Prejudice, just with added zombies, added gore, and a comedic element that owes much to the performance of the Eleventh Doctor himself, Matt Smith, whose turn as the incredibly pompous and teeth-shatteringly annoying Mr. Collins is the stand-out performance in an otherwise flat and simplistic zombie-fest. Although the film manages to get the Pride and Prejudice side right, with the major plot threads and notions of wealth, class and a rafter of prejudices all being adhered to within the films' rather over-long runtime, annoyingly, the zombie side of things begin to feel rather repetitive and irksome after a while, with continuous bouts of zombie-killing goodness not strong enough to contain the attention it believes it deserves. With this in mind, the final act of the movie in which we witness the apparent end of days with a Land of the Dead level of zombies, ultimately becomes a rather tedious set of affairs resulting in the audience leaving the cinema with a bad taste of wondering whether a lot more could have been done.

Sam Riley and Lily James both impress as the films' two leads, with both having enough lavish set pieces and script to sink their teeth into as it were, yet cameos from Game of Thrones centrepieces Lena Headey and Charles Dance are rather shallow and ultimately, unremarkable. Although strapped with a BBFC applied 15 rating, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies easily could have been turned down a notch or two in order to gain the much desire 12A rating, a classification which not only would have suited more of its' key audience, but would have definitely benefited from getting the wider audience it may need to be regarded as a box office success. Away from speculation and guesswork however, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies ultimately passes the time rather harmlessly, but is ultimately less memorable than the best-selling text on which it is based upon. 

Overall Score: 5/10

88th Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actress

Best Supporting Actress

Following on from the nominations for Best Supporting Actor at this years' Oscar ceremony is the esteemed category of Best Supporting Actress, a category developed in order to not only distinguish the difference in gender, but to adhere to the notion that maybe the dated nature of the ceremony itself has failed to catch up with the times in a society where distinction is a much more delicate and diverse subject matter and can not only be distributed between one or the other. Maybe it's time to scrap the Actor/Actress thing overall and instead focus on just a leading/supporting role as well as perhaps an award for Best Cast? This would definitely suit a film like this years' Spotlight, a film which although has many nominations in the acting categories, depends mainly on the ensemble of a cast rather than certain individuals. An argument for another time maybe, but for now we have nominations for Alicia Vikander in The Danish Girl, Rachel McAdams for Spotlight, Rooney Mara for Carol, Kate Winslet for Steve Jobs and of course Jennifer Jason Leigh for her blood-spattered performance in Tarantino's western thriller The Hateful Eight. 

As for the bookies and their infinite wisdom, favourite to win the award is Alicia Vikander for her role in Tom Hooper's The Danish Girl, contradicting Kate Winslet's win most recently at the BAFTA's whilst being fundamentally strange with Vikander's role in The Danish Girl no doubt being much more than one that is just supporting. You are a strange bunch you Oscar voters you. As for those who have been overlooked over the course of the past year or so, Vikander herself should have been recognised for her portrayal of Ava in the brilliant Ex Machina as either leading or supporting actress depending on your POV, whilst Marion Cotillard and Rebecca Hall both gave rip-roaring performances in Macbeth and The Gift respectively and could have easily been noted by this years' ceremony. But hey, they can't always be right can they? The nominations this year are: 

Rachel McAdams - Spotlight

Rooney Mara - Carol

Kate Winslet - Steve Jobs

Jennifer Jason Leigh - The Hateful Eight

Alicia Vikander - The Danish Girl

Next Time: Best Actor!

Duo Review: Deadpool

Dan's Review

I love comic book movies. I admit it wholeheartedly. The Dark Knight is the undisputed king whilst the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a fun and wholly impressive canon of success, with the much anticipated Captain America: Civil War embracing our screens in the near future. One thing that I am not a fan of however is the comic books themselves with none having the pulling power of gaining my attention away from the live-action adaptations that are constantly engrained on us from the small screen to the big and onto the page of their most original and truest form. Strange I know, but keeping up with Arrow, The Flash, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and many, many more is exhausting enough. With that in mind, the arrival of Deadpool is somewhat something of a enigma. Sure, I know that this particular superhero is not exactly adhering to the notion of being very super, more anti-hero, more foe than friend with a knack of swearing at you and laughing rather then actually lending a hand, but in all honesty. sounds a bit Kick-Ass meets The Punisher with a hint of V For Vendetta doesn't it? Without the political intrigue of course. In that regard, not being part of the hardcore comic book fan-club left me in a state of open-mindedness heading into Deadpool, with the film in the end being another case of superhero origin with added violence, swearing and fourth-wall breaking in an attempt to distinguish itself from other and ultimately, better examples of the genre. Please don't hate me, I'm vulnerable. 

Deciding to flesh out the story of Wade Wilson in a non-linear fashion in which we essentially witness the beginnings of the final showdown within the first few minutes, Deadpool can be seen as adhering more towards the B-Movie end of the cinematic spectrum, with ramped up violence taking precedent over true substance whilst adolescent jokes and endless resorts to swearing paint over the rather shallow origin story, something of which has become ever-increasingly tiresome in an age where comic book movies are indeed the top of Hollywood's wish list. A guy meets a girl. A guy gets screwed over. A guy loses girl. Guy takes revenge. With violence, lot's of violence. Not exactly the hallmark of a masterpiece but indeed something of a 90 minute Roger Corman-esque, culty B-Movie, except with a 58 million dollar budget at its disposal, all of which will no doubt please the comic-book loving masses, but for the lay viewer, leaves nothing but a gaping whole of mediocrity. Ryan Reynolds is good as the titular anti-hero whilst Morena Baccarin tries her best to break type of the two-dimensional superhero girlfriend, but the real winner here once again is Marvel, with them giving exactly what the fans wanted in creating a movie that specifically will be meant for them. As for me, it's just not that special but I can see why many will love it and see it as the best thing since sliced bread. Not amazing, but enjoyable nonetheless, Deadpool goes in one ear and carves its' way out the other in the most violent and adolescent way possible, laughing all the way.

Dan's Score: 6/10

Pete's Review

Unlike Dan, I love my comic books. My only issue is the moths fluttering out of my wallet when ever I open it up. As far as Marvel goes, I'm very much into The Amazing Spider-Man but Deadpool has been a character that I've known and loved for years, whose comics have been out of my reach for quite sometime. Excerpts and clippings surface everywhere and I enjoy every one of them. This passion only increased when the test footage leaked. It depicted the character I had envisioned and Ryan Reynolds sold it. To be brief, for me, the movie is a resounding success. An action "hero" movie with a lot of flair. On the other hand, I vehemently dislike the TV shows. If you're looking for corny action scenes, sup-par acting, low-budget visual and god awful cinematography, comic book TV shows really are right up your street. I cannot watch these without cringing. Arrow's voice changer is enough to make me spit out my drink in laughter.

But I digress. That isn't why we're here. Sure, its an origin movie, but its an origin movie with a difference. It appealed to the comic book lovers. It depicts the world correctly and is incredibly meta. The story and process of what made him into Deadpool is a very dark tale and sure, some of the usual action movie tropes are thrown in but throwing such a diverse character into a lead role and not giving this vital information would mean that the movie wouldn't have traction with the audience and would be a confusing mess. Throwing him into some world ending, overly convoluted story would guarantee its' death, but also shit over the character. As for its opening scene, I felt it was necessary to use this footage sooner rather than later. Being that it was in the test footage that millions viewed, its only reasonable to show that footage first so you aren't left waiting for it throughout.

As for the violence, I cannot see an issue with it. It was creative, exciting, vivid and extremely funny. Giggling like a schoolgirl throughout, I couldn't recommend it more to fans of action flicks and even more so to comic book fans. I have to disagree with Dan. (If you'd like to know more, jump over to our Youtube channel where we shall be talking about this soon!). The only real glaring issues I had with the film was the CGI backgrounds. They lacked the fidelity and sharpness I would have liked and the soundtrack is a little lacking. Apart from that, its everything I could have hoped for and more.

Pete's Score: 9/10

Overall Score: 7.5/10

88th Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor

Best Supporting Actor

Here we are once again... The 88th Academy Awards is upon us, swiftly bringing with it a rafter of talent, talent that has simmered and shone throughout a cinematic year in which bears have been fought, evil deeds exposed and Mexican drug-lords being dispatched quicker than you can whisper Sicario. Beginning Black Ribbon's venture and exploration into the realms of Oscar Nomination goodness is the category of Best Supporting Actor, an award currently clutched onto by the majestic J.K Simmons for his electric portrayal of Terrence Fletcher in last years Whiplash, Black Ribbon's favourite film of 2016. Aiming to steal the limelight from under Mr. Simmons' shoes is a string of actors well accustomed to critical acclaim in the past with theatre legend Mark Rylance being nominated for his role in Steven Spielberg's Cold War thriller Bridge of Spies, Christian Bale for Wall Street comedy-drama The Big Short, Tom Hardy for his role in the sublime The Revenant, and of course, Mark Ruffalo for the equally brilliant Spotlight. Oh yeah, and there's Sylvester Stallone for Creed. 

Looking at the bookies and by word of mouth on the movie grapevine, favourite this year for winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor lies on the shoulders of both Mr. Stallone for Creed and Mr. Rylance for Bridge of Spies, with both being successful at previous movie ceremonies; Stallone at the Golden Globes and Rylance at the BAFTA's. As for those who may have been overlooked, both Benicio Del Toro for Sicario and Idris Elba for Beasts of No Nation would have been potential winners for their roles in two superb films, whilst the fear of Oscar white-washing isn't helped by the fact that the cast from Straight Outta Compton was completely ignored, particularly Jason Mitchell for his role as Eazy-E. It maybe just me, but the inclusion of any of these overlooked talents may have made this years' ceremony a bit more thrilling. Anyway, here are the nominations:

Mark Rylance - Bridge of Spies

Christian Bale - The Big Short

Tom Hardy - The Revenant

Sylvester Stallone - Creed

Mark Ruffalo - Spotlight

Next Time: Best Supporting Actress!

Film Review: Zoolander No. 2

"You Really Are An Idiot Aren't You?"

Although I can confess to only recently watching Zoolander, the 2001 satirical comedy directed, written and starring Ben Stiller, this long-awaited sequel was something that I can confess to not entirely looking forward to in a week where so many films share a release schedule and battle for supremacy at the box office. With returning characters such as Ben Stiller as the titular Derek Zoolander, the dim-witted, good-mannered fashion model, resigned to living life as a "hermit crab" due to the loss of wife and son, both of which he believes to be sole responsible for, as well as Owen Wilson and Will Ferrell as Hansel and Mugatu respectively, Zoolander No.2, was in danger of falling into the pit of despair many comedy franchises have been led into over the course of the past decade within cinematic history with awful examples of the genre taking centre stage such as Get Hard and Unfinished Business. Unfortunately for Stiller and co., Zoolander No.2 is a rather unremarkable and most importantly, unfunny continuation of the life of Mr. Zoolander. 

Featuring more or less everything that made the first film full of snigger-induced fits, Zoolander No.2 continues the trait of dim-witted Derek Zoolander being incredibly, you guessed it, dim-witted, all-the-while being surrounded by strange celebrity cameos in an attempt to carry on the trend started within the first film, a film in which cameos included David Bowie (RIP), Victoria Beckham as well as everyone's favourite republican Donald Trump. Now in Zoolander No.2, we have Justin Bieber being shot violently to death, one of the few saving graces of the film, as well as stand-out appearances from Sting, Kiefer Sutherland and Benedict Cumberbatch looking extremely startling as All, the sexually ambiguous male/female model. The problem with the wide range of celebrity cameos is that they attempt to divert from the rather shallow plot and lack of inventive humour and when the screen-time is left solely to the core actors of the movie, Zoolander No.2 fails to live up to the comedic value of its' predecessor with a rather bland story and jokes that don't exactly live up to scratch. Another example of a sequel not being as good as the first film, Zoolander No.2 is something that will swiftly be forgotten. The Godfather Part II it is not. 

Overall Score: 4/10

Film Review: Point Break

"The Only Law That Matters Is Gravity..."

The first real remake of 2016 is upon us and what a shame it is to witness one of my favourite action cult classics of the 1990's being the latest to be swiftly put through the Hollywood meat-churner for the sake of a quick buck. When remembering the original Point Break, the classic crime caper directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring the one-two of a younger and fresher Keanu Reeves as FBI Agent Johnny Utah alongside Patrick Swayze as Bodhi in arguably his most iconic role aside from Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing and Jim Cunningham in the truly masterful Donnie Darko, it is hard to deny its' fundamental likability with the two leads both weighing heavily in enough personality and swagger to distract from its' rather ludicrous plot, all of which is played out strangely perfectly in the grungy, surfer-dude era of the early 1990's where Hendrix and L.A. Guns made up the soundtrack and Gary Busey chews up the scenery in his role as Agent Pappas, Utah's partner. Now in 2016 however, we have a completely unnecessary remake, helmed by second time director Ericson Core and featuring Luke Bracey in the role of Utah and Edgar Ramirez as Bodhi, an actor who recently impressed in David O. Russell's Joy. In rather inevitable fashion however, the remake of Point Break is a film that includes none of the charm, the character or in fact the enjoyment factor of the original and instead takes a cherished cult classic and erodes its' once untouchable reputation as a certain guilty pleasure.

Where the original flourished under the charisma of both Reeves and Swayze as Utah and Bodhi respectively, the relationship between the two was not only one that was entirely believable, so much so it verged on the edge of bromance, it was also a friendship that was incredibly delicate with the deception of Utah's real purpose always in danger of seeping out and causing chaos between the two and the rest of the Ex-Presidents, the merciless gang of thieves hell bent on destroying the system that was "killing the human spirit" whilst chasing the rush of adrenaline fueled pastimes such as surfing and skydiving. Where these pastimes were demonstrably the second-hand plot strand of the original, the remake has taken upon itself to disregard any possible hope of characterisation, whether it be between the two leads, between Utah and Ray Winstone's laughable interpretation of Agent Pappas, or even the unbelievably paper thin relationship between Utah and love interest Samsara, a partnership embarrassingly shallow in comparison to the one between Reeves and Lori Petty in the original, and instead has decided to play out in favour of completely focusing on the sport end of the original, with most of the film portraying endless scenes of skydiving, snowboarding, surfing, all of which are as shallow and empty as the films' attempts at characterisation, resulting in scenes that are strangely low in tension and thrills when the sport itself is one of fundamental adrenaline-fueled power. 

With two-dimensional characters and a shallow core relationship as the main basis of the film, Point Break is not saved by the terrible, ear-scraping dialogue, resulting in Ray Winstone taking the plaudits for producing one of the worst supporting acting roles I have seen in a long time due in part to his seemingly called-in cameo as Agent Pappas, a portrayal far away from the charismatic and highly enjoyable one by Gary Busey in the 1991 original. Add into the equation a soundtrack combining stoner rock and Jimi Hendrix being replaced by boring house music and a strange cameo from renowned DJ Steve Aoki, Point Break is the sequel I feared it was going to be; undeniably pointless, pointless in a similar vein to last years' Poltergeist, and like Poltergeist, Point Break has a strong chance of being left behind in cinematic history and simply forgotten. Want my advice? Do so, forget it and watch the superior 1991 original instead. 

Overall Score: 3/10