This site has moved!!!!

Like I said before guys this blog is coming to a close but have no fear it is simply being moved over to a different web address where on this new site you will be able to see new release music features and news as well as film articles, news and reviews. You can also interact and have your say on this years films.

The new website is called Audio Rushes and can be found here:

http://audiorushes.com/

So please guys take a look and enjoy your 2013 film experience, with the help from us at Audio Rushes.

TOP FILMS OF 2012

So with the year finally out then (oh Happy New Year to you all) I thought I would bring you a small feature giving you my top films of 2012 followed with my least favourite films of 2012. If you are a regular to my blog you will see I've been reviewing a new film every week and rating them out of ten and judging which ones have been my favourite for the year. As 2012 has been and gone the top list of films of 2012 for me, has been locked in and my top 10 has been confirmed so below is my list with a little blurb of each film. If you disagree, agree please do leave a comment and let me know. Here's the list.


1. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES     10 / 10


Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

The Batman returns for his final outing in Christopher Nolan's finale to the Dark Knight trilogy. Eight years since Batman took the fall for the White Knight Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne has isolated himself from the City that now hates the Batman. When a mysterious cat burglar breaks into his Manor however Bruce links her to bulky terrorist Bane who is hellbent on destroying Gotham meaning Batman will have to return.

A fantastic end to a brilliant trilogy that has a bit of everything to wrap up the entire narrative. This may be the weakest of the trilogy but for an ending it is perfect and for that reason is our number 1 of the year.

For the full review: The Dark Knight Rises review


2. ARGO     9 / 10


Starring: Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman

Directed By: Ben Affleck

The true story of Tony Menez, a CIA extraction expert who is sent into a hostile revolutionary Iran to rescue six US Diplomats. His idea; to pose as a film crew and bring them out via the airport which is guarded by Iranian rebels in search of the hiding Diplomats.

This is a tense film filled with elements of comedy but is also a film that had us on the edge of our seats for the final half hour at least. Some great performances and great direction from Affleck makes this our 2nd favourite of the year but only narrowly missing out on the number 1 spot due to the scale of The Dark Knight Rises. This is a film not to miss.

For the full review: Argo review


3. SKYFALL     8.5 / 10


Starring: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris

Directed By: Sam Mendes

The latest installment of James Bond sees him survive death right at the start and begin to realise he isn't as invincible as he first thought. With Bond out the way a new threat looms over MI6 but not with the organisation itself but with one member of the team; M. A former agent with a baring grudge plans revenge on his former boss but when Bond returns he does all he can to protect his Mother figure which leads him to relive a troubled backstory that until now the aundience never knew Bond had.

This is Bond back where he belongs. it doesn't feel like a Bond film as it is much more grounded than the usual smart quips he spouts out. This is the Bond between Bonds and is certainly the one that will be putting the franchise back onto a steady track.

For the full review: Skyfall review


4. SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK     8 / 10

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro

Directed By: David O. Russell

A former teacher is released from a mental institution and begins to train up to get his wife back. When he finds out she has a restraining order against him he befriends a local widow who has mental issues of her own as he believes she can communicate to his wife for him, however she will only do it if he agrees to be her dance partner at an up and coming competition.

For the full review: Silver Linings Playbook review


5. THE HUNGER GAMES     8 / 10

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth

Directed By: Gary Ross

In a futuristic world two candidates from different Districts must take part in a televised game devised by an evil President of the Capitol. The Hunger Games pits twelve children to the battle of the death with only one becomming the victor. When Katniss Everdeen's little sister is chosen at random to compete, Katniss volunteers to take her place and finds herself battling for her life in the arena.

For the full review: The Hunger Games review


6. SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN     8 / 10

Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron

Directed By: Rupert Sanders

A dark fantastical version of the well known fairy tale. A new Queen takes charge of the land and removes beauty and youth from younger women in order to keep herself perfect but when her magic mirror tells her Snow White will surpass her she orders a Huntsman to bring her Snow White's heart. Whilst fighting the dark forest the Huntsman comes across Snow White and instead of killing her takes her side and the two build an army to take down the Queen's evil reign.

For the full review: Snow White And The Huntsman review

7. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE     7.5 / 10



Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson

Directed By: Joss Whedon

When the World comes under threat from the evil God Loki, Super Spy Nick Fury constructs a team including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Incredible Hulk to go to battle against the alien creatures Loki plans on unleashing against the World. The biggest problem for the team however is getting along with each other.

For the full review: Avengers Assemble review


8. LOOPER     7.5 / 10

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Emily Blunt

Directed By: Rian Johnson

In the future time travel has been invented and Levitt plays Joe, a Looper who is an assassin who kills people sent back in time to be erased from the future. The job is well paid and Looper's live the life of luxury however that soon changes when Joe's next target turns out to be the future version of himself. When the older Joe escapes the younger version must track him down and kill himself before the next thirty years of his life is taken away from him.

For the full review: Looper review


9. TED     7.5 / 10

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane

Directed By: Seth MacFarlane

When a lonely young boy makes a wish on Christmas Eve that his teddy bear would come to life he wakes up on Christmas Day with that dream having come true. Twenty odd years later and that young boy John, has grown up and the teddy bear is still around only now he is a pot smoking, foul mouthed, prostitute buying scumbag who John must stop hanging around with in order to grow up, however best friends are for life.

For the full review: Ted review


10. 21 JUMP STREET     7.5 / 10



Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube

Directed By: Phil Lord & Chris Miller

Two useless cops are sent to the forces worst undercover division after bodging their first arrest. The division they join is on Jump Street and their new mission is to go into a high school posing as students and find the suppliers and dealers of a new drug which has killed one of the students, however school has changed somewhat from when they were there and neither of them understand what the word 'cool' really means.

For the full review: 21 Jump Street review


And the ones to avoid, the worst five of the year:-

1. Magic Mike
2. The Cold Light Of Day
3. Abraham Lincoln; Vampire Hunter
4. Lockout
5. Dark Shadows

So that is my small review of the year. I highly recommend the films in my top ten as out of the 52 we have seen these are the ones that have stuck in the memory and we thoroughly enjoyed. The worst five I would avoid as best you can as they really are poor movies but with the top quality that floods the top ten it is safe to say that 2012 has been a good year for movies. Roll on 2013 that is already boasting some highly anticipated movies.

Sadly however this blog is coming to an end, my year long project has been completed but I am currently in the process of kick starting a website that will bring you all the movie news and reviews plus music news and previews that will excite movie and music fans alike. Check out this page in the next few days where I will give you the new address that we hope to get up and running as of next week. So fear not my fellow followers the reviews will continue but on a different site. Happy new year to you all.

JACK REACHER - Forget the internet outrage, Cruise IS Reacher

Jack Reacher is the final film to be seen of 2012. It stars Tom Cruise as the title character who has been taken from the Jack Reacher novels written by Lee Childs. There are seventeen in total but this first film adaptation of the series is the story of the ninth book called One Shot, which was supposed to be the title of this film but was changed so people who didn't know the book would begin to understand the character. Personally I prefer the title One Shot but that isn't the reason for this review so I will brisk past it. Ever since this film was cast fans of the books caused mass outrage across the internet as they felt Cruise was not the Reacher they had in their minds, mainly because Reacher, according to the book, is six foot five and two hundred and sixty pounds where as any human with eyes will know Cruise certainly doesn't fit this profile. I haven't read the books so I am unaware of the depths of this character but I think Cruise is the perfect fit for it especially charisma wise. I have read that Brad Pitt and Will Smith were rumoured for the role but I really can't imagine either of them as Reacher. The fans of the books may think Cruise isn't their man due to his physical presence but as an action lead the fans can relax because Cruise is perfect.

The film opens in style with a slick opening credit sequence before showing us the incident that triggers events of the film. Jai Courtney (to be seen later in the year as John McClaine Junior) pulls a van up in a parking lot, removes a sniper rifle from his van and shoots dead five people with six bullets. He litters the scene with evidence and disappears. The following day a different man is arrested and charged for the murders, a man with a history of murder with a sniper rifle whilst in the army. The only words this suspect uses are 'get me Jack Reacher.' While the police and District Attorney try to find out whom this Jack Reacher is, Tom Cruise arrives on the scene to announce his presence. Jack Reacher is a ghost, a man who drifts from place to place with no identification and brings justice to people who deserve it regardless of the laws. Reacher begins to discuss the case with the defence lawyer (Rosamund Pike) and tells the story of how the suspect, James Barr, was involved in a shooting which Reacher investigated, meaning Reacher knows Barr only too well. Reacher believes Barr to be guilty but as he begins to help investigate the case he realises he is becoming the target of 'random' attacks and that someone doesn't want him to dig any deeper. Due to this Reacher questions Barr's innocence and sets out to bring justice to the people who are doing all they can to cover their crime which is linked to a bigger conspiracy then simply five random shootings. Reacher's investigation leads him to a man known as the Zec (Werner Herzog) who will do anything he can to survive, including chewing off his own fingers.

There is plenty of charisma in this film, especially in the first hour. The opening sizzles and the introduction of Reacher is well done. As the crime is investigated we begin to see Reacher's investigating abilities and plenty of background exposition is delivered by showing how the lawyer's and Reacher's opinions differ depending on the information they have received. In this half we are also given some decent action sequences involving Reacher taking on five men in a bar fight and teaching them all a lesson. A fight with three heavies in a suspect's house where he receives a blow to the head from a bat, and an exhilarating car chase though the streets with Reacher being chased whilst being in hot pursuit of a potential lead. The action sequences are very well done by director Christopher McQuarrie and are acted out brilliantly by Cruise who brings his usual action panache to proceedings. The mystery cranks up to ten with plenty of intrigue floating around and the introduction of the Zec is horrifying as we see how far he will go to survive. Surely this could only make for an intense second half.

The answer to that would be no as the second hour falls apart. Once the centre point car chase finishes the story line becomes slightly generic and we begin to learn about a typical mole who is playing for the opposite team, and we meet an otherwise unmentioned war veteran who just turns up to help for no reason. This is nothing against Robert Duvall, who is great in the role, but he seems to be a character who was explored in the books but not so much here. This is how the second half felt, like much of the book was skimmed to get to a climatic fight. The Zec is never really mentioned and for a creepy villain he is reduced to two scenes, with is motives for the conspiracy never really being wrapped up. There are also many moments that don't make sense with Reacher giving the Zec's main henchman an opportunity to survive by challenging him to a fist fight instead of shooting him dead, what if Reacher lost the fight, everything would have been for nothing.

It is a shame how the second half turned as I was really enjoying it but by the end I felt completely unsatisfied with the plot never really wrapping up the loose ends. It felt like a film I had seen many times before and nothing could save it from falling drastically. The action scenes are well done, even in the finale, but it was all too generic and I never once felt afraid that Reacher was going to lose. The plot fails to realise which genre it should be settling in as at times it is a deep thriller and suddenly comedic fight scenes are thrown in which feel slightly out of place. Cruise is great in the title role; Pike unfortunately fails to back him up. The opening is great with the ending running out of steam. And the opening mystery disappears for the sake of mindless action by the climatic finale. This was a theme of the movie where something so good was equalled out by something particularly poor which means this has turned out to be a rather average action thriller, which is kind of what you expect from Tom Cruise now days. An underwhelming end to the year then.

Pros: Begins strongly and Cruise oozes charisma.

Cons: Fails to have any closure and loses its way in the second half.

6 / 10

Top 10 of 2012 so far:

1. The Dark Knight Rises     10 / 10 
2. Argo     9 / 10 
3. Skyfall    8.5 / 10
4. Silver Linings Playbook     8 / 10
5. The Hunger Games     8 / 10
6. Snow White And The Huntsman     8 / 10
7. Avengers Assemble     7.5 / 10
8. Looper     7.5 / 10
9. Ted     7.5 / 10
10. 21 Jump Street     7.5 / 10

In Cinemas This Weekend: Tom Cruise is Jack Reacher

I'm a bit behind this week on delivering you the new releases of the week. All the booze and turkey is making me lose track of the days. The films I am bringing to you then were actually released on Boxing Day and have been showing for a few days already. Well you do have a good week to see these films and if you have plenty of time in-between Christmas and the New Year then there are some decent ones for you to go and see.  None of them are particularly Christmassy but there is the usual Tom Cruise action flick that seems to be released at this time of year, and another is a family comedy that may remind you of some of the antics taking place within your family during this Holiday time. Anyway take a look at the few films out now that may keep you preoccupied whilst you take a well earned break. Merry Christmas.


1. Tom Cruise is JACK REACHER in the film adaptation of Lee Child's book One Shot. Reacher is former military turned homicide detective who is called on to a case involving five shootings carried out by a trained sniper. When the police make an arrest Reacher argues that he has been framed and sets out to track down the real killer which brings him to uncover an even bigger conspiracy. Also starring: Rosamund Pike, Richard Jenkins, & David Oyelowo. Have you done something wrong?

Jack Reacher trailer

2. Billy Crystal and Bette Midler play the parents of Marisa Tomei who needs a babysitter when she and her husband are called away in PARENTAL GUIDANCE. Call in the Grandparents who struggle to deal with the children's 21st Century antics and refuse to be disciplined by old-school methods. Expect a visual comedic film pitting an ageing Crystal against some feisty children. Also starring: Tom Everett Scott. Who will win the war?

Parental Guidance trailer


3. Finally is SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED which follows three magazine employees whose latest assignment is to interview a guy who has placed an advertisement looking for a companion for a time travel expedition. With the trio refusing to accept this time traveller's expedition as real they begin to question their own issues in life and try to right some of their wrongs which means this time traveller may come in handy. Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass, Jake Johnson, & Lauren Carlos. Want to travel through time?

Safety Not Guaranteed trailer

So there are your Holiday films to pick from. They all seem particularly mindless as no one wants to have to think too hard when they are full of Christmas goodies. You have action, comedy, and absurdity and I think whichever of these films you see you will quite enjoy it. Have a good New Year.



  

LIFE OF PI - A nice story on a big scale

With The Hobbit also being in cinemas at the minute, people have a choice of two fantastical stories to go and see. Both are adapted from books, both have top directors adapting them; with a cast full of future potential, and both display fantastic visuals. The one we chose to see out of the two then was Life Of Pi which we decided on having never been big fans of the Lord Of The Rings trilogy. Life Of Pi is the apparent 'unfilmable' book from Yann Martel about a young boy's adventure when he is cast adrift at sea with only a Bengal Tiger for company. If this is classed as unfilmable then I believe director Ang Lee deserves huge credit because he has given this film some breathtaking visuals that show that if you employ the correct people then anything is filmable.

The film begins in present day with an adult Pi, played by Irrfan Khan, sitting down to dinner with writer Rafe Spall. Rafe's writer, who remains unnamed in the film, is looking for his next big story and he has been put onto Pi who potentially has the greatest story ever told. One so amazing that it will make people believe in God. The pair begin to talk about the story which is an experience that happened to Pi when he was younger. He begins by explaining the origins of his name (after being unfortunately being named Piscine he abbreviated it to Pi and convinced those by memorising the numerical equivalent) and continues on to connections he made growing up with his family, a potential love interest, and a new addition to his Father's zoo. With life starting to shape to the way Pi intended to live it, his Father announces that they are to move to Canada and sell their animals whilst there. Pi is unhappy at this but must move with his family and it is on their voyage across the Pacific that his great journey begins. The boat is sunk during a terrible storm and only Pi is lucky enough to survive, despite his attempts to fight for his family. When the storm settles the ship is gone and Pi finds himself in the middle of the ocean in a lifeboat occupying a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and the Bengal Tiger he attempted to befriend at the zoo. As the days turn into months the animals become hungry and eventually just the tiger, named Richard Parker, and Pi remain. Pi begins to understand that Richard Parker's presence is keeping him alive so he does all he can to keep the tiger living on whilst learning to understand the unpredictability of the sea and remain uneaten by the hungry carnivore.

The story is certainly inspiring and told very well. The shot choices, cinematography, and effects are absolutely beautiful and they really add in putting a smile on your face as you watch. Shots when the lone boat floats on a still, placid sea that reflects the stars in the sky just look astounding, and really add to the tone of the film. The connection between man and animal is a slow burn but when it gets there it is full of heart and you really believe in their relationship. As Pi tames Richard Parker the emotion between the two alters and a hungry beast soon turns into an ally that is keeping each other alive. Richard Parker is played by a mixture of real life tiger and CGI effects. The tiger is used for the scenes of Richard swimming through the ocean but a CGI rendered alternative is used for the up-close scenes with Pi. Either way Richard Parker looks breathtaking. The graphics for him look highly realistic and you could, at times, mistake him for a real tiger. You can tell a lot of effort went into him alone. Alternatively there are a few scenes which switch to different animals or mammals that look highly computer generated and they don't look anywhere near as good. This is a shame when others look so realistic. As well as the animals, and effects, the actors also play there parts very well. Newcomer Suraj Sharma is impressive as Pi who must have spent a lot of time acting alone. Along with him Khan, as the older Pi, brings plenty of wisdom as he tells his story. The positives in this film evolve around the story, which by the end brought a huge smile to my face and I left the cinema feeling very pleased indeed.

Although the visuals and acting make for a fantastic story some of the slow paced build up can make your mind wander as opposed to keeping you entertained. The film is fairly long at just over two hours considering it spends the majority of it with a child and tiger alone at sea and at times I was willing the story to move forward quicker as there is only so much of a boy taming a tiger I can take. Also in the build up to the sinking ship I got a little bored with Pi's back story. It was all very nice but some of it failed to seem necessary and didn't help me strike a connection with him, meaning that when the ship sunk I didn't really feel for him. Other moments that let the film down involved odd scenes that had very little place such as Pi 'painting' the ocean and a whale leaping from the depths. The scene looked very nice but didn't really add to anything.

By the end I understood I had been on a nice journey. It was a story that you would always want to tell but the issue is that this was all it was. At no point did I feel much suspense or worry that Pi was going to suffer at the paws of the tiger, meaning it is easy to become underwhelmed by the entire experience. When we left I had a nice smile and felt I had been to see a gentle movie with lovely visuals with an ending that had me nodding in inspired appreciation however my partner left unflustered by it all and failing to believe there was any point to it all, and she loves stories involving animals. To her it never really gripped and at times became repetitive. Despite me thinking it was a very good film I still understood where she was coming from and there are many scenes that could have been cut. It is a nice film to see but only if you make the effort to see it on the big screen as it is the visuals that make all the difference. Ang Lee has definitely brought to life the visuals the book painted in his imagination as they are very dreamlike and surreal. Definitely see this film once as it is a good watch but don't expect anything tense or overly dramatic, simply expect to be taken on an incredible journey with some astounding visuals that you can only gawp at in appreciation.

Pros: The visuals and acting are strong and aid the telling of a gentle story

Cons: Can be repetitive resulting in some underwhelming scenes.

6.5 / 10


Top 10 of 2012 so far:

1. The Dark Knight Rises     10 / 10 
2. Argo     9 / 10 
3. Skyfall    8.5 / 10
4. Silver Linings Playbook     8 / 10
5. The Hunger Games     8 / 10
6. Snow White And The Huntsman     8 / 10
7. Avengers Assemble     7.5 / 10
8. Looper     7.5 / 10
9. Ted     7.5 / 10
10. 21 Jump Street     7.5 / 10






       

In Cinemas This Weekend: An unbelievable life story of man and animal

So we are at the last weekend before Christmas and two new films are being released for you to cram in before the day arrives. Neither of the films are Christmassy but you have one filmed on a large colourful scale and one a comedy based in the world of singing, and no they're not Christmas Carollers. Both of these films in a way could be inspiring which is exactly what you need on the build up to the festive season, if a boy's lonely journey in the wilderness or a freshman at college unveiling herself as a top singer doesn't make you feel good then your family may be in for a miserable Christmas. Anyway with that stress of Christmas nearly ready to leave you get yourself down to the movie theatre and start your festive break. Your new releases are below:

1. Revel in the remarkable story of a young boy who survives an incredible journey in LIFE OF PI. Whilst transporting their zoo across continents, a family strike disaster when their boat sinks with only their son, Pi , and a Bengal tiger being the only two survivors. Cast away the man and animal strike an unexpected connection that could ultimately keep Pi alive instead of being prey to the carnivorous animal. Beautiful cinematography means this is one to be seen on the big screen. Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, & Ayush Tandon. Is inspiration what you need this Christmas?

Life Of Pi trailer

2. The other release is PITCH PERFECT, the story of a freshman at Barden University whose singing abilities cause her to be recruited by an all-girls singing group called The Bellas. With their new recruit bringing them much needed energy, The Bellas go head to head with their all-male rivals in a University Competition. Think Bridesmaids crossed with Step Up. Starring: Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Rebel Wilson, & Skylar Astin. Can the girls beat the boys?

Pitch Perfect trailer


Doesn't seem like much for a Christmas release but they are two films that will attract a vast range of audience members, meaning a cinema isn't going to need to show much else. With The Hobbit in cinemas and Twilight and Skyfall still going strong the cinema is going to be filled with many films that many want to see. With Christmas round the corner then I will say Happy Holidays. I will be trying to continue my updates over the next week but I can't guarantee the extra stone I'm about to put on won't weigh me down. Have a good one.



 

NEWS - Ricky Gervais in talks to star in 'Muppets' sequel

With Christmas right around the corner I thought it would be good to bring to you some potentially light-hearted movie news. The news is basically that a top British comedian has been in talks to star in a World known comedy franchise movie, and today it has been confirmed that it is not simply talks and instead the comic will be starring in it. The news is of Ricky Gervais playing the lead in the sequel to 2012's The Muppets. Now the Muppets are a World known established unit and over the past decade Gervais has become the same, meaning this can only be a match made in heaven.

Most would have thought it would be merely for a cameo but reports suggest that it is in fact for the lead role. That unfortunately means Jason Segel will not be returning to the action. Nothing else has been reported on what Gervais' role entails but I presume it will be to do with him teaming with the Muppets as they travel across Europe, considering the movie has been described as a 'European-set caper. Gervais had filmed a cameo for the first movie which ended up being cut, perhaps it was such a good performance they didn't want it to be seen until they could base a whole movie on it. Who knows?

Despite setbacks in the shooting schedule due to Christoph Waltz dropping out from playing an Interpol Agent, the movie is set to shoot in the UK in January 2013. Now with a lead actor in place the wheels will begin to turn on this project.