Another weekend, another show!

This episode we take a look back at the space horror Life, the 90s throwback Power Rangers and the surprise hit of 2017, Get Out!

It’s also available on podcast, see below for the stream 🙂

After a little delay with moving around to a new location, we’re back with another episode of the Silver Screen Show, it’s episode 12, the first anniversary!

So whats on the agenda this show?

• Logan, Hugh Jackson roars back into action in the sombre conclusion to the Wolverine trilogy.
• The Great Wall, the most expensive movie ever made to come out of China, does the inclusion of Matt Damon help the film fly in the West?
• The Lego Batman Movie, Batman was underwhelming in his last big screen appearance, is he back to form here?
• John Wick : Chapter 2, The first movie was one of the surprise movies of the year, can the sequel hold up?

Enjoy! 😀

Jordon Peele, of Key & Peele fame is  known more for his comedic talents, and his last outing on the big screen, Keanu, felt like a feature length skit, which lacked the same punch as their show. Peele is the mind behind what has become one of the most critically acclaimed movies of the year so far. Get Out is an intriguing movie, blending horror, comedy & satire all into one!

Chris (Daniel Kuluuya), our main protagonist, is a young black man living in the city, with his white girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams). It’s important to mention the race of these characters, as it does play a huge significance in the theme on the movie. After a couple of months of dating, Rose suggests that they both go down to visit her parents for the weekend away.  Much to the scepticism of his best friends Rod (Lil Rel Howery)! Once they arrive at the family home out in the country, it all seems a bit too nice and polite.  It’s not before long, that Chris uncovers a far sinister truth….

At the surface of it all, Rose’s parents seem like a perfectly liberal couple. Neurosurgeon Dean Armitage (Bradley Whitford) and therapist Missy (Catherine Keener) are well educated and modern. It’s only Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones), the delinquent son, who seems to be on edge around the home.  The movie is unusual in the fact it splits humour with horror, a delicate balancing job even for the most experienced of directors!

The scares come from the family’s estate, and the people in it. Especially the family’s 2 assistants (Gabriel & Henderson), both of whom just happen to be black. Both of the helpers on site just don’t seem right to Chris. The father does explain they were around when his parents were alive, and felt bad to get rid of them. In that case, shouldn’t they look a whole lot older? There is a definite inspiration from the 70s thriller, The Stepford Wives.

We see the story from Chris POV, how he feels in a situation he is clearly uncomfortable in. Being a young black man, raised in the city, suddenly being alone out in the country surrounded by older wealthy white people who seem to gush over him, its awkward yet unnerving. The behaviour of our house assistants provide most of the creeps, when one isn’t posing In the mirror in the middle of the night, the other one is running full pelt in pitch black darkness! With a 15 rating, the film is never truly scary, it does have its moments, but it’s never disturbing in the way Cure For Wellness was. Get Out attempts to scare by making the audience uneasy, rather than being direct. Also jump scares are pretty low, apart from one near the start of the film.

Race is obviously a big issue in this movie, and it’s rare to see an interracial couple in a big Hollywood movie, even now, in this day and age. Without revealing too much of the plot, the movie manages to show us that racism exists in other forms too, not just the extreme ones most films usually depict. It also looks into the ways people will try to mask any discrimination that they may have, “I would have voted for Obama for a 3rd term!” is one of the lines that appear in the movie!

If you are familiar with the style of comedy Key & Peele partake in, the film has several moments of comic relief, and most of it is delivered by Rod, who does an outstanding job in the transition scenes between the events in the estate.  Lil Rel Howery steals the show whenever he appears on screen, and we look forward to any future roles he may appear in!

Get Out deserves the praise it is receiving,  when it’s not delving into racial stereotyping, it manages to churn out a well paced horror film, that will also make you laugh! Get Out and watch it! 😀

It’s been over a decade since its release, but Casino Royale still looks as slick today, as it did then, and it’s still by far one of my favorite movies. Skyfall may have performed better at the Box Office, but as a story, Casino Royale is far superior. It was also the first movie red carpet premier that I went to, so it also has some sentimental value for myself too! and yes, there are spoilers here!

Following the departure of Pierce Brosnan, and the lukewarm feedback from Die Another Day, the executives faced a difficult challenge, in not just replacing Brosnan, but also making the Bond franchise relevant again. More modern and realistic films like the Bourne trilogy were making Bond look stale. The studio took a huge gamble deciding upon Daniel Craig. Blue eyes, blonde hair, had some fans in shock, but the choice to mix it all up, resulted in the start of a new dawn for the 007 series.

Casino Royale was a breath of fresh air following the frankly ridiculous Die Another Day. The film took Bond back to his roots, as we see the super spy fresh from obtaining the infamous licence to kill, before he became the suave, womanising, multi-talented agent.  Le Chiffre (Mads Mikkelsen), the villain of the piece, is hosting a high stake poker match at Casino Royale; in order to recoup the money (that he took from terrorists!) he lost on the stock market. The play here is, if Bond manages to defeat him at the table, then Le Chiffre will have no other choice but to turn himself in to MI6 for protection.

The new Bond, as played by Craig, was the shot in the arm the franchise needed. Gone were the cheesy one liners and over the top action, this was now replaced by a more visceral Bond, one who isn’t scared to get his hands dirty. The opening parkour chase scene encapsulates this new gritty Bond. The man on the run, elegantly jumps and slides through gaps, whereas Bond simply decides to run through walls. It’s a brief moment, but it tells us a lot! The chase in the Airport and the Hotel hallway confrontation are also very dramatic, and gives the film a far more mature tone, largely thanks to the success of the Jason Bourne character. The one liners are still there, but there not as silly as they were. “Shaken or Stirred?”,”Does it look like I give a damn” was a great moment that showed us themore emotional, rugged Bond! Though you still have the odd old school Bond lines such as “That last hand…….it almost killed me!”, which helps the film still maintain some of its unique charm.

The showdown on the casino floor is by far one of the best examples of tension and suspense being executed to perfection. On paper, the focal point of the film being a cards game could have floundered horribly, especially with an action film such as Bond. What director Martin Campbell did incredibly well,  was to blend the tension of the cards with the intensity of action between it. Sure the poker game is high stakes,, with hundreds of millions on the line, but sometimes, it needs a hallway sword fight or having a heart-attack in your Aston Martin to keep things exciting! You know Bond will eventually win at the end of it all, but the story is told in such a way, it makes it look far more arduous than it could have been.

Aside from the cards, it’s the romance between Bond and Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) that gives the movie its emotional core. This is the first time that we see the Bond character truly infatuated with another women, and the initial exchange between the two on the train to Montenegro is sublime, this isn’t the usual Bond girl, who is simply there as the eye candy before Bond simply moves on. The betrayal by Eva in the final act is what pushes him away, to become the womanizer he eventually becomes. So the film is key in the character development of our hero in subsequent films.

That aside, the music is sublime, with David Arnold producing another memorable score, and the Bond theme, “You Know My Name” in my opinion is one of the best, and fits the film perfectly. The opening credits are one of the most creative credits to a Bond film, and still look great today.

Sure the final act of the film is a bit too long, it could have easily been trimmed down by a good 10-15 minutes, as the film does find it difficult to pick up the same level of suspense after the Poker is all done and dusted. Though other films have also struggled following a strong middle act, to close out the film. But that doesn’t take away from all the great aspects to the film, and to be honest, the film is almost worth it just to see that final poker showdown!!

With the release of Doctor Strange this week, the latest chapter to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). This would be an opportune time to look back on our favorite films from the ever growing franchise, so here are our Top 5 MCU films! So in reverse order…….

5.Avengers Assemble

This is what the entire MCU was geared towards. The initial idea of bringing several superheroes together from a range of films into one single movie was a mighty ambitious plan. Phase 1 of 3 was to end with all 5 prior films being capped off by the ensemble blockbuster, ‘’Avengers Assemble’’. It may have taken over 4 years to pull it off, but Director Joss Whedon managed combine everything into one of the biggest summer films of all time! The plot may have been a bit complicated for the casual viewer, but the chemistry between the heroes, the excellent cast and of course, Loki, who is still by far the most intriguing villain in the entire series, makes AA a joy. ‘The Incredible Hulk’ was the 2nd film of the MCU, but most certainly one of the least well known. The Hulk character has had a rough time on the silver screen, but it all changed here! Due to contract disputes, Edward Norton who played the rage monster in TIH was replace by Mark Ruffalo. This was an inspired move, not only was The Hulk one of the best characters in the film, but suddenly his stock has risen massively! The movie blended in action & humour perfectly, and who in the cinema didn’t love the moment when all the heroes finally got together in the final showdown?!

4.Guardians of the Galaxy

Let’s be honest, no one saw this film blowing up as it did! Marvel decided to bring one of their lesser known heroes to the big screen. Everyone is aware of Ironman, Captain America & Thor, but Peter Quill, Rocket Racoon and Drax? It would be a lot more difficult selling that to the audience! What we got though was a wonderfully enjoyable film, which you could dub as ‘Avengers in Space’! Chris Pratt was the perfect choice for our lead, and he is supported by the likes of Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana, to deliver probably the funniest film in the entire MCU. The film even makes a cheeky reference to the fact no one knows who Peter Quill AKA Starlord is! The movie hit a nostalgic point for many fans, with its throwback to the 80s, which gave the film a warming edge, and a great marketing angle! The spin on this film, is that none of them are ‘heroes’ at the start. Starlord is a hoarder, Gamora works for the villain, Rocket & Groot are bounty hunters, and Drax is in prison. So it’s great to see these group of misfits eventually get their act together and work as a cohesive team.The movie never takes itself to seriously, which is what makes it so charming. Sure the villain is shockingly generic, joining the likes of Malekith from The Dark World, but you can forgive that aspect due to the rest of the film. Also, who could have foreseen the duo of a talking racoon & a tree being such a big hit! ‘’I AM GROOT……’’

3.Ironman

When this was released way back in 2008, there was huge pressure on this film to succeed. Comic book adaptations were not as massive as they are now, when Ironman was released. If Ironman failed to captivate the audience, and show that there is a market for comic book movies, the entire MCU would never become what it is now. So Jon Favreau deserves monumental praise for creating such a delightful movie. Back in 2008, Ironman wasn’t as mainstream as other huge superheroes like Superman, Batman or Spiderman, so it was a gamble to kick things off with the adventures of Tony Stark. It was also a punt casting Robert Downey Jr. as the protagonist, an actor who was slowly recovering from a tough phase in his life, but his performance in Tropic Thunder earlier that year gave us an insight to what he could bring to the table. But it all paid off, RDJ is now so synonymous as Tony Stark, it’s hard to see another actor play the role. The film had an excellent blend of comic lore, humour and cool. The film has provided many iconic moments, such as the escape from prison and tank battle scenes. Not to forget, the soundtrack to the movie was on point, the rock music perfectly encapsulating what Ironman was.

2.Captain America : Civil War

The most recent film, and in the grand scheme of things, the biggest movie so far. If it was difficult enough to fit in 5 or 6 heroes in the Avengers, the numbers reached double figures here! So the biggest hurdle facing this film is how do you exactly fit in so many characters, and at the same time, give them all time to shine? Well the Russo Bros managed it. Delivering not only a huge action bonanza, but at the same time, exploring the deep emotional conflicts between our two protagonists. This may look like Avengers 2.5, but it’s most certainly a Captain America film. The film also does a wonderful job in introducing 2 more characters into our ever growing clan! Both Spiderman & Black Panther were a success with the fans, and now the hype for their solo films has built up even more! The film is trademark Marvel, the light hearted banter combined with stunning action set pieces. The film is simply fun! You can have your deep plot lines, the intense character development, but sometimes, you just want to simply enjoy a film, and this is one of those! The Airport scene is probably one of the greatest action scenes of all time, its that good!

1.Captain America : The Winter Soldier

The first Captain America film wasn’t exactly a massive success, the film wasn’t remotely memorable, nor did it make Steve Rodgers look interesting. It’s no surprise that it sits 12th in the list of Marvel films in terms of box office takings. It’s been outperformed by more low profile releases such as Antman. That all changed with the sequel. The Winter Soldier was everything the first film wasn’t. The action was simply outstanding, the story line was less cheesy and more intense, and Cap’ was simply brutal! Every fight scene was vicious. You could really see how powerful he is. The film also introduced The Winter Soldier, the best villain since Loki. Not only did he match Cap’ in terms of power, but he had him beat on the emotional side of the conflict. The movie has a more spy/espionage feel to it, not the usual Marvel plot, the story-line of TWS has a huge impact of the rest of the MCU. There are several moments that stand out for me here, the elevator scene, the escape from Shield, the boat infiltration, the highway chase with Nick Fury, I could go on!! I would say that the film was so great, the character of Captain America, suddenly rose from one of the least popular member of the Avengers, to probably every ones new favorite!

Dan Brown’s red hot novel ‘The Da Vinci Code’ took over the world back in the early 2000s. So it wasn’t surprising that it was turned into a feature length movie in 2006, which was swiftly followed by the prequel ‘Angels & Demons’ in 2009. Fast forward to today, and there is a 3rd chapter in the series, ‘Inferno’, based on Brown’s 2013 novel of the same name. What we get is a film with neither suspense or logic!

Tom Hanks returns once again as Prof Robert Langdon, the world famous Symbologist. This time, he is joined by Dr Sienna Brooks (Felicity Jones) as they gallivant around photogenic Europe on an another cryptic mission against the clock.

So the plot, it revolves around a deluded billionaire who has decided that the world has been overpopulated, he has created a virus, which he plans to unleash in order to bring down the global population. It’s once again down to Langdon to use his wits and beat the clock before the virus is released.

The spin in this film is that Langdon suffers a head injury, which leaves him with amnesia regarding his last few days. This in turn sets up a ‘who’s telling the truth’ angle, where it appears several people are after him, but who is he to trust? The amnesia plot is rather sporadic, he will randomly recall key moments at pivotal points in the film, and also recall personal details like passwords, but not the word for coffee. The film does try to poke fun at itself for it, but it doesn’t make it any better.

The film copies the usual pattern from previous films, visiting museums & ancient  monuments, finding a hidden clue, then moving on to the next place of interest. The theme of the puzzles here is on the 14th century poem, ‘Dante’s Inferno’, which you will hear a lot throughout the film! The problem here though, is that there is never really any tension, you never feel like that they are on the run from the WHO (who are like the CIA?!) and as usual, in Dan Brown Assassin (Ana Ularu) working for the shady ‘Consortium’ organisation. They walk around in plain sight, take no effort into actually hiding themselves (not even a disguise!), and even when their surrounded by the authorities, they still take they cosy time to solve the puzzle! They never show any urgency!

Of course there are plot twists, which is expected, but the betrayals are very easy to spot, it’s pretty obvious which characters will turn on our hero. Some of the scenes just don’t  make sense. How does our betrayer manage to get across Europe on their own, quicker than our hero in his private jet? How are they not even caught at the airport? Considering they don’t even have the required skills to evade customs etc. The Killer Virus their trying to stop? What is it? How does it work? We’re told nothing. It’s also stored in a plastic bag! At one point, Langdon is saved by the leader of our shady organisation from out of nowhere! How did he find him? No one knew where he was!

The cast is solid, but not spectacular. Hank’s does great as usual, a hero who uses his intelligent and knowledge is a refreshing change from all the Jason Bourne-lite protagonists we’re used to. Irrfan Khan, who also appeared in Jurassic World is stellar as the steely head of the Consortium. Felicity Jones really does not do much to make us care for her character. She hardly seems bothered for the duration of the film, I haven’t read the novel, but I’m sure the character had more personalty then what was in the film!

Overall, the film isn’t really all that compelling, and at over 2 hours,it can really drag on. The journey itself is more of an advert for where you may want to go on a weekend break! Florence, Venice & Istanbul all look sublime! The audience for these films is dwindling, and from the looks of it, so is the future prospects of this film franchise.

PS. The killer virus was stored in a plastic bag, a plastic bag………