Film Review: Captain Marvel

"Superhero, Space Invasion, Big Car Chase... Truth Be Told, I Was Ready To Hang It Up. 'Till I Met You Today..."

Teased ever so delightfully during the post credits scene of the universally accepted brilliance of Avengers: Infinity War last year, Captain Marvel acts as the final chapter in its' respective franchise before the hotly anticipated, Avengers: Endgame, as it attempts to offer up a slice of background and characterisation to a figure before dropping her amidst our grieving survivors suffering from the murderous snap of Josh Brolin's Thanos. Acting as the twenty first film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and helmed by the American directing duo of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (Mississippi Grind), filmmakers who adequately fit the recent Marvel mould by being independent filmmakers given a chance to expand their horizons with a much larger budget, Captain Marvel finally brings forth the first female led chapter in the franchise, with the Academy Award winning Brie Larson (Room) taking the role as the titular heroine who attempts to both save Earth from the threat of Alien invasion after crash landing after a space battle gone awry, as well as digging deep into her own ambiguous and murky past which is haunted of visions of a yet undetermined previous life. Whilst not as groundbreaking or epic as the likes of Infinity War, a particular big screen feat which has now set a very high bar for every Marvel feature which follows, Captain Marvel is a thoroughly entertaining and fan-pleasing origins story which above all else, reaffirms the notion that Thanos is in deep, deep trouble indeed. 

As per the likes of Black Panther, Captain Marvel begins in surprisingly jarring fashion, introducing Laron's annoyingly named, Vers, on her Kree inhabited planet as we see her dream of the mysterious figure of Annette Benning (American Beauty) whilst being trained by the steely-eyed demeanour of her mentor, Yon-Rogg, as played in superb fashion by Jude Law (The Crimes of Grindelwald). With her powers and abilities already established in the opening act, the narrative plays with the audience from the offset as it gently lifts the lid of Ver's mysterious youth and young adulthood as we progress through the story, and whilst the opening act features a very familiar Guardians of the Galaxy-esque sensibility, due in part to the return of Lee Pace and Djimon Hounsou, the film doesn't really heat up until the story diverts to Earth, where Vers soon begins a blossoming relationship with Samuel L. Jackson's trim looking Nick Fury in an attempt to thwart the plans of the simply brilliant Ben Mendelsohn (Rogue One) as Talos, a shift shaping terrorist with a knack for taking deception cues from the likes of X-Men's Mystique. With more laugh out loud humour than one might expect amidst a lovely, 90's setting revolving gag which features Blockbuster and a continuous anxiety regarding the loading speed of the internet, Captain Marvel may indeed fit the mould of the a-typical superhero origin story, but with superb performances all around from both the movie's leads and supporting acts, a genuinely interesting and surprisingly twisting script, and of course, a cute ginger cat named Goose, the latest Marvel flick may be just another side-note in the buildup to Endgame next month but when the side-note is this damn enjoyable, you can't help but admire the sheer entertainment factor such a movie evokes. Team Captain Marvel all the way. 

Overall Score: 8/10

Film Review: Rules Don't Apply

"You're An Exception. The Rules Don't Apply To You..."

Whilst Warren Beatty might be best known in contemporary media circles as being lead conspirator in the Best Picture fiasco at this year's Academy Award's ceremony, a recent high-profile cock-up more commonly known as "La La-Gate", the attention comes in a somewhat suspiciously well timed manner considering the release of Rules Don't Apply this week, a picture directed, produced, written by and of course, starring the cinematic legend, who takes the leading mantle as infamous businessman Howard Hughes within the setting of 1950's Hollywood, supported by a simply enormous cast featuring the likes of Hail! Caesar star Alden Ehrenreich, Lily Collins, Matthew Broderick, Annette Bening, Alec Baldwin and the always superb, Ed Harris. With a cast as vast as this, Rules Don't Apply is the type of movie you would think on the surface is one which everyone in the current cinematic world seemed to aching to be involved in, particularly with the reputation of Beatty at the helm, yet the finished picture is one of entirely mixed fortunes, one which suffers from a non-existent narrative and some misjudged moments of self-indulgence amidst some basic film-making errors which makes you wonder whether the real Warren Beatty should most definitely stand up.

Of the good things within Rules Don't Apply, the leading trio of Beatty, Ehrenreich and Collins each give respectable performances amidst a screenplay which doesn't really offer much chance to break new ground, with Beatty really hitting the zany mark in his depiction of Howard Hughes, taking cues from DiCaprio in The Aviator when needed but strictly focusing on the wilder side of the infamous billionaire, whilst Ehrenreich continues to impress every time I see him perform on screen, gearing him up for inevitable higher levels of stardom come next year's Han Solo spin-off release. Star of the picture however is Lily Collins as the doe-eyed and wondrous Marla Mabrey, the keen and confident Virginian rookie who although is trying sometime in terms of awkward character quips and decision making, is a real find and completely holds her own against the likes of Beatty in a leading role. As for the not-so good elements of the film, Beatty treats the film as a personal blueprint for himself to engage in exceptional levels of excess, an understandable element when considering the character in which he is portraying, yet the sight of an aged Hollywood legend feeling up an intoxicated young star really didn't sit well on a personal level whilst some fundamental film-making traits are completely disregarded, with endless questionable edits and narrative trails which simply go nowhere. resulting in a movie which ultimately is a complete drag to sit through and when you consider the talent at hand behind it, Rules Don't Apply can only be regarded as a monumental disappointment. 

Overall Score: 4/10

Film Review: Danny Collins

Back In The Saddle

The Godfather. Heat. Dog Day Afternoon. Scarface. Al Pacino has had one heck of a career wouldn't you say? His portrayal as Micheal Corleone in The Godfather Trilogy is undeniably one of the greatest on-screen portrayals of a character I think I have ever seen where we witness the transformation of a reluctant war-hero in Part One to the all-out evil, if tragic, crime lord in Part Two. I could go on all day about Pacino's filmography so far but for now it is time to concentrate on his latest offering, Danny Collins, a comedy/drama featuring Annette Bening (American Beauty), Jennifer Garner (Dallas Buyers Club) and Bobby Cannavale (Boardwalk Empire). With the recent Pacino offerings which have been let's say, not exactly brilliant, I went into Danny Collins hoping it was a return to form and its' fair to say, Pacino is back once again. 

When aging rock-star Danny Collins (Pacino) receives a letter written to him by John Lennon in the early 1970's, he decides to change his repetitive, drug-infused, cash-ridden lifestyle for the better and repair past mistakes which have haunted him for years including his son, Tom (Cannavale) of whom he has disregarded for the past 30 years. There is a line in Danny Collins in which the titular character states that he hasn't written a song for forty years, and its' here where the probably unintentional similarities between Pacino and his character begin with Pacino himself not being in a film of much merit for at least a decade, whilst the redemption the character of Collins desperately seeks during the course of the film can easily be attributed to Pacino also, with Danny Collins seemingly acting as sold ground for Pacino to return to some sort of form. And this he does with aplomb, with Pacino being undoubtedly the best thing in Danny Collins, so much so that every-time he appeared I felt like I could watch him for years.

Supported by Annette Bening and Christopher Plummer, Pacino propels Danny Collins into a charming and sweet comedy drama of which may have suffered if it failed to have the screen presence of someone like Pacino as its' lead. Although the script may be pretty familiar territory with plot points being rather predictable, the sheer magnetism of Pacino makes Danny Collins into something better than I had originally expected. A return to form for Pacino? Most definitely. Seek it out. 

Overall Score: 7/10