Maleficent

Posted on January 4, 2015 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 03 January 2015 online rental

I hesitated about this because I’m not a particular fan of Angelina Jolie … unlike some guys, I don’t find her attractive and well, she is a bit of a diva, isn’t she? However this was a movie that kept getting name dropped by people I know, saying how good it was and well, suppose I should pass judgement, huh?

That evil queen who cursed sleeping beauty … what if the tale was retold from the point of view of such a wicked sorceress, and showed that hey, maybe she was misunderstood all this time? An interesting concept and one Jolie pulls off with relish – she was born to play this part and suits the freaky costume, horns, wings (and exaggerated cheek bones) intact. With a backdrop of enchanted woodland creatures, a wicked king, a beautiful princess and lots of spells and curses – this was easy to get swept up in. Disney have crafted a very unique spin on a very old tale and has some great moments, such as Maleficent’s battle against the king’s army, then the final epic showdown. Effects throughout are first class (although some of the creatures look a tad cartoony) and those three fairies were quite entertaining.

That’s not to say it works entirely, as some of the hokey plot dating back to the original Sleeping Beauty isn’t particularity built upon (why a spinning wheel?) and it get’s very predictable towards the end. Casting isn’t entirely perfect either. Ella Fanning’s Aurora is rather annoyingly sugar-sweet, and Sharlto Copley’s King Stefan despite a good character ark, seemed miscast. So yes, this was the Angelina Jolie show throughout, and do you know what? I still enjoyed it.

A fun, if throwaway fantasy, that does the job … but far from a Disney classic.

Verdict: 3 /5

Elysium

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 27 August 2013 Cinema

This was kind of a last minute decision. I was after something with a bit more depth and a different flavor than what this summer has presented for the most part, and on seeing the trailer, it seemed this Matt Damon vehicle was exactly the ticket. It’s 2154 and the wealthy live on a space station paradise while the rest of the population resides on a ruined, diseased Earth, until a man dreaming of escaping to the world above takes on a mission that could change everything.

Matt Damon;Sharlto Copley

Director Neil Blomkamp’s last movie the rightly acclaimed District 9 was one of the most refreshing and interesting science fiction movies I had seen in a long time, and that same approach and almost documentary style realism (give or take the odd futuristic idea) is carried over to this .., bigger in scale and concept but equal in emotion and intimacy. Like Hollywood had taken on board what he had achieved originally and said, OK son – here’s a few extra million – wow us. And wow us he does. The setting although not exactly new (the idea of the wealthy separated from the impoverished has been played out since back in Blade Runner days) … does justice to an old idea with an above average turn from Damon as well as good support from Alice Braga and also a boo-hiss Jodie Foster (a first?) – weird (even for her) accent aside. Stealing the show however is Blomkamp regular Sharlto Copley (well, he was the star of District 9) who makes for one of the most relentless and brutal villains in movie history – I kid you not. Influences from the world of video games can not go unnoticed either, with a clear borrow for Elysium from Mass Effect’s citadel. Add to this a plot that is spilling over with immediacy and pace, and this was a breathless, gripping and fascinating experience.

Nit-picking would be to complain at the over-use of very strong South African accents considering the setting is Los Angeles, possibly echoing the director’s routes – but it’s a puzzling inclusion. However Blomkamp still manages to prove himself a science fiction auteur, and with slick action and a dramatic, intense pace but with the intelligence to really make you care – I came away highly impressed,

Verdict: 5 /5

Elysium (plosivepictures.wordpress.com)
Elysium: District 9 With Extra Popcorn. (deemac2010.wordpress.com)
‘Elysium’ review: Matt Damon goes sci-fi (newsday.com)

The A-Team

Posted on December 7, 2010 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 06 December 2010 Blu-ray

I was a big fan of The A-Team when it was a popular Saturday afternoon TV series back in the eighties. It was fun with likable wise-cracking characters and plenty of personality. So this has been a long time in coming, even to the point that many who might stumble upon this may not even know the series that inspired it. Which is sad because this movie’s major strength is how closely it resembles the show, with each casting perfectly capturing what made each character work twenty odd years ago.

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District 9

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Craig Micklewright

Viewed – 27 July 2010 Blu-ray

I had heard some good things about this, but had taken a while to get around to seeing it. Telling the story of a race of aliens, derogatorily referred to as the prawns, who’s mothership one day appears hovering over Johannesburg – naturally curious, mankind investigate and discover a wealth of aliens onboard. Soon they settle into makeshift shacks, cut off from the rest of the country. They label this, crime-infested area District 9. Yet some of the locales are still not happy, and with the threat of violence and rioting the government choose to relocate the aliens – and that’s where our intrepid reporter / agent Wickus (Sharlto Copley) comes in, all good intentions and thirsty for his moment in the spotlight and whatever promotion that may bring – but relocating the aliens brings its own dangers, when Wickus becomes infected from an experimental fluid the aliens have been secretly working on.

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