Never been tagged. Just sayin' (Tag 2018)

 

 

 

196.

Tag

 

 

 

 

 

7/10

 

 

 

Time for a comedy and a well-cast one too. It's hard to believe that this storyline will be based on true events, with an actual gang of mates who live by this game at times. It's known that this is a movie and everything will be exaggerated but it's still a cool concept to bring lifelong friends back together. The cast chosen for this one range from Jeremy Renner and Ed Helms, through to Jon Hamm and Isla Fisher. Each one has the potential to bring their own spin to comedy acting. This movie wasn't advertised much in my area or local cinema so I have no idea what to expect. Does this have the ability to get us involved in the game or leave us claiming that it's 'Not It'?

This gang has been playing the game since 1983 and it takes place every May, no earlier and no later. Jerry, played by Renner is the only guy that has never ever been tagged and he prides himself on this. Hoagie, played by Helms, shows up at Bob's office in disguise, in order to tag him. The guy is in a meeting but still has time to play when surprised. Hoagie's main mission is to recruit all the guys in order to finally tag Jerry, due to a rumour that he is going to retire from the game due to marriage. The meeting the Bob, played by Hamm, was in, was with a Wall Street Journal reporter, who suddenly becomes interested in these guys and their story. They are also accompanied by Hoagie's wife, played by Fisher. She is a complete nutcase, taking this really seriously.

The gang make it back to their hometown and locate Jerry in an attempt for a kick tag. They ambush at night in his wedding venue but we quickly drop into Jerry's mindset, who, like a Sherlock Holmes wannabe, breaks down all scenarios in slow motion and still ends the night untagged.

 

 

 He introduces the gang to his future wife and the rest claim how unhappy they are that they're left without an invite to the wedding. They all agree, with a request from the future wife, that no-one is to play tag at any wedding-related events. Despite this, they all carry on and have a go at doing so. One of the attempts leaves them all in the forest, trapped by Jerry, who yet again is untouchable. During the rehearsal dinner, the future wife Susan, reveals that she is having a baby.

The group feel defeated but hatch a new plan which involves striking at Jerry in his AA meeting on the morning of the wedding. They are all cleverly disguised as the other members and after locking all the doors, Jerry has no option but to lock himself in the kitchen. This obviously puts the wedding at risk and in comes Susan. He's been in there for hours and the wedding is at risk. She demands they let him and she instantly starts feeling pain, a miscarriage is on the horizon. One of the lads, Chilli, thinks that it's all bullshit and just another way for Jerry to get away. This divides the gang as they think its real, Jerry is clearly upset and they leave. The all get a text stating that the wedding is delayed due to a potential miscarriage. Anna is ahead of the game though. Fisher's character has been on Instagram and noticed that the bridesmaids have all posted pictures that makes it seem that everything is going ahead as normal! Crazed by the trick, the gang get back together and crash the wedding.

 

 

 The hoax is confirmed by Susan, who was in on it all along. Hoagie is the angriest he has ever been and plans on tagging Jerry at the best moment, when they are going in for the kiss during the ceremony. In a slow-motion attempt, he misses the tag and instead takes out the pastor. Hoagie then loses consciousness but Jerry puts it down to another hoax. Anna comes forward and lets them all know that this isn't fake. Hoagie is really ill and they need an ambulance.

 

 

 

We are sent to a hospital as Hoagie wakes and he comes clean to his friends that he lied about Jerry wanting to quit. He actually wanted to get everyone together because it may be his last year. He has a tumor and liver cancer, which could mean that he isn't around for next year. This hits the gang hard and none more so that Jerry. He lets Hoagie be the first to tag him, this leads them to playing the game around the hospital and even changing the rules so that Anna and the other girls can join in too. Before the film finally comes to a close, we are treated to the real players. There are pictures of them and even videos that they had filmed, sneaking up on each other and tagging their mates.

There isn't actually too much you can say about this movie. When it comes to the story, obviously it's very loosely based on the true events but all in all, it's a really fun picture. This is something so simple yet so original that it is and feels completely fresh, chucking any audience member back into the school ground. The cast was brilliant as each one was unique to the story, whether it ranged from seriousness or downright crazy pants. Seeing footage of the real lads who have played it for so long was a really nice touch and reminded the audience that indeed it was a story about this group of friends. The plot may have been really thin but it was added to by some good writing and when it came to Renner's character, I was left in stitches. There were some great, laugh out loud moments so do not let the idea of this movie deter you from enjoying a comedy that you wouldn't have seen before.

 



Skeletor's purge is on (The First Purge 2018)

196.

The First Purge 

 

 

 5.5/10

 

 

 

 

Going into this movie, I hadn't seen the other movies in this weird franchise. I know a rough outline of what it involved, seen a few people dressed up at Halloween in link with some characters but honestly, never got around to seeing anything more. This movie is consisting of 95% of a cast that I have never seen before, the main guy looking like a cheap version of 50 Cent. The main task that this movie was going to have was to get me to watch the other movies. This was a prequel to all of them, meaning that it wouldn't be essential for me to have a knowledge of the storyline. Hopefully anyway. Will this movie leave me with rage that I'd need to get rid of or leave me thirsty for the next purge.

The film opens with the tone set straight away. A freaky looking bastard, telling a random guy his deepest, darkest desires that he wants to unleash on the world. His name is Skeletor and I very much doubt that it's the last we are going to see of him.

 He even uses the word 'Purge', which is loved by the other man. Set in the not too distant future, the world is of economic failure and social turmoil, with everyone about to break, unless they are filthy rich. Neither the Republicans or Democrats are in charge of the US now. Instead, a group called The New Founding Fathers of America is on top and they plan on experimenting on Staten Island. They plan on letting everyone release their inhibitions for 12 hours, offering the residents $5,000 to stay on the island, while anyone to actively participates, shall get an additional payment. People are fitting with tracking devices and given contact lenses fitted with cameras. These lenses give everyone their scary looking eyes.

The story moves on to introduce us to Dimitri, played by Y'lan Noel, our cheap 50 Cent. He tells his dealers that they are to make their way off the Island for protection. One guy, Capital A, steps up and says that he wants to purge. This doesn't go down well and Dimitri gets his trusted friend Blaise to take down Capital A and reaffirm his orders. Elsewhere, we meet a brother and sister, Nya and Isaiah. She is already seen as a caring sister, looking after her younger brother, with her age not being too much more than his own. She makes sure he is off to an education but instead, he is seen on a street corner selling drugs. He has a run in with Skeletor, that gives him a little slit with a knife for good-times. He even mentions going after his sister on the night of purge. Isaiah heads back home to tend to his wound, where he is caught by Nya, just before she heads out to protest against the purge.

 Whilst doing so, we can see the queues of desperate people signing up. Later, Nya is off to confront Dimitri, knowing that Isaiah is selling for him. We can clearly see there is a past relationship between these two, romantic probably. Dimitri claims that he never knew and wouldn't have allowed it, moving the conversation onto the purge and offering to protect the brother and sister on the night.

That night, the TV starts to broadcast, claiming that many people have left the Island, with Nya joining some of her friends in a nearby church. A massive siren sets off and the TV channels put up a warning, signalling the start of the purge. She thinks that Isaiah has gone to stay with his uncle off the Island but no no. We've seen him sign up for the purge and is on the search for Skeletor after their confrontation. Dmitri has decided to stay in his office and Capital A has sent two hookers his way for a decent night in. Isaiah is off out with his gun and we cut to a man robbing an ATM machine, seconds later he is killed by Skeletor, which is witnessed live on TV as the first killing. The NFFA party also observe that there are more parties being thrown in the streets than major crimes. Skeletor has walked into one of these parties and begins a killing frenzy with some dancers. Isaiah is in the same location and holds a gun to him but fails to do the deed and instead runs, with Skeletor on his tail. They end up running through some pretty bad neighbourhoods where other killings have started taking place. He gets injured on a jagged piece of metal before finding a safe place and calling Nya.

Nya ends up setting straight off to find her brother whilst the scene cuts to Dimitri welcoming his two women. I instantly smell blood and don't trust these girls. With good reason too as they start an attack, which Dimitri eventually wins and learns who they were sent by. Capital A wanted control of the block whilst the girls wanted to be paid for purging. Nya has made it to her brother and they try to make their way back to the church, finding it has been broken into and nearly everyone has been slaughtered. She finds two of her friends and make their way back to their apartment block and are met by their third mate, who made it through the streets somehow. On the streets, gangs have appeared from nowhere and started causing carnage, in all sorts of vehicles. At the NFFA headquarters, we learn that these gangs have been sent in by the government to start shaking things up. May Updale, played by Marisa Tomei, the only person I recognise, finds out this information and confronts the party leaders.

 She is taken to a neighbourhood and chucked out of a car. There she is instantly shot dead. The leader of the purge orders the footage to be deleted. Meanwhile, Capital A is out for answers on what happened to Dimitri. He catches up with the beaten girls and is ambushed by Dimitri and his men. They draw guns and Capital A is dead. The gang get in their car and head to meet the rest of their crew before they are crashed into by a flaming vehicle. Purgers step out to finish the job but Dimitri overpowers one, steals his gun and ends the rest. This drug dealer has suddenly turned into a complete killer. Meeting some others from his crew, who are cornered by people dressed in KKK outfits, he wipes them out before heading to the apartment blocks. The NFFA have other ideas though. They have sent drones to kill the gang, with only Dimitri surviving by hiding under his car.

Dimitri's first thoughts are to contact Nya. He sees a lot of mercenaries heading to the apartment blocks because it has been too quiet in the purge. He wants her to stay hidden until he can get there. The mercs start gunning down everyone in site and Dmitri grabs any guns that he can and makes his way up the floors after them, taking down anyone that he doesn't trust.

 He finally makes it closer to Nya and Co before some mercs break into the apartment and Nya opens fire on them before Isaiah stabs them multiple times. The other mercs prepare an RPG until an unlikely person stops them. In steps Skeletor, slaying three and is shot dead by Dimitri. He runs into the bedroom, grabbing a C4 and chucking it before taking cover and ending the rest of the merc's lives. What's left of the inhabitants, make their way battered and bruised onto the streets, as the sirens sound to signal the end of the purge. People immediately see Dimitri as a hero in the circumstances, as Isaiah asks about what happens next. Dimitri believes it is time to fight back. The movie ends with the leader of the NFFA stating that the purge was a huge success and next year, IT'S NATIONWIDE.

Did this movie leave me interested in more? Yes, with a but. I want to go back and see what the others had to offer, just to see how the movies told a story without there being an explanation about where it all started. As for the movie itself, there was nothing special about the storyline. It was something generic that we have come to know in many many other movies, the bad guy turning good and being the saviour and that was always going to happen from the beginning. The acting was ok, with not many well-known faces but this could be a start for some. I really enjoyed the creepiness that the movie did bring though. A very dark idea of a franchise, which is another reason I want to see the other and find out what kind of characters we are going to come across. One major thing about this movie is that there is a lot of focus on the black community within this movie with it focusing on them being slaughtered by the white community which could surely do nothing but create a wider divide within society outside of the cinema. It may not seem much but a lot of people like to run with these kinds of things on viewing a movie. Overall, I wouldn't mind purging this one from my mind.

Zip it Thanos! (Deadpool 2018)

195.

Deadpool 2

 

 

8/10

 

 

The sequel to the highly popular, foul-mouthed mutant himself, Wade Wilson, or Deadpool, has made it back to our screens. With a lot of mini trailers and trailers taking the piss out of the movies, mainly narrated by Deadpool himself, it was safe to say that there was a lot of anticipation for this movie. Ryan Reynolds was back to play the role that he seemed to create, it was just meant for him in every way. Other than Reynolds, we have the return of some of the cast from the first movie but the main villain in this is Cable, played by the unbelievably busy Josh Brolin. Does this guy ever have a day off? I really liked the first one because it was such a far cry from the seriousness and child-friendly humour from the Marvel franchise. There is a lot of talk that this movie was struggling to start and people aren't expecting much but when it comes to critics such as Rotten Tomatoes, they need to take a look at themselves these days. Will I be eating my words or is it truly that bad that we'd be pulling out the cables?
We know we are going to get humour and references from the outset with this movie and that's exactly where we start. The beginning credits are that of an old James Bond movie, with it only referencing the shot that came before, rather than anyone who worked on the movie. Even the title of the movie isn't present. The film begins with a massive explosion and Deadpool's head flying through the air, begging the question of 'how he got here?'. After working as a mercenary for two years, one night he fails to kill a target because it's his and his girlfriend, Vanessa's anniversary, to which they decide to start a family together. That very night, the target that Deadpool missed, tracks them down and Vanessa gets killed. He kills the man back in revenge but blames himself for the death and 6 months later, tries to kill himself by blowing himself up. This leads us to the explosion and body parts galore. He is pieced back together by Colossus, a returning character from the first. Wade, Deadpool's real name, has seen a vision on Vanessa in the afterlife but he was taking away from her as he started to be brought back to life. The one thing he has from her is a Skee-ball token from their first date during the first movie.
As some sort of change in life, Deadpool agrees to be part of the X-men. In this scene, we actually see a number of characters from the new X-men movies, before a door is quickly closed on them. This is a running joke within Deadpool regarding the fact that he never sees any of the meaningful characters. Deadpool, Colossus and Negosonic Teenage Warhead respond to a standoff between police and a mutant named Firefist, outside an orphanage designed to help mutants.

 

 Wade realises that Firefist is within reason to put up a fight because he has been abused in this place by the doctors. He ends up shooting one and before he can do further damage, Colossus takes him down and both Deadpool and Firefist are arrested. They are taken to the Ice Box, a name for the prison for mutants, before the scene switches to the future and we get our first glimpse of Cable. A man whose family had been killed by the future Firefist and all he has left is the cuddly bunny that his daughter had. He plans to travel back in time to kill Firefist so that he saves his own family.

 

Cable breaks into the Ice Box in a pretty good action scene, showing off his talents. The fight between Cable and Deadpool is taken through the wall as Firefist is defended. He tells Cable that he doesn't actually care of the kid, which is overheard by Russell Collins, the real name of Firefist. He storms and Deadpool, once again near death, sees another vision of Vanessa who tells him to look after Collins. Deadpool organises a team to protect the boy and names it X-force. The try to break Collins out of a prison transfer convoy, before Cable can get there first. The team is made up of random mutants, some of which we saw in the trailer, such a Domino and a guy played by Terry Crews, named Bedlam. There is also an invisible guy called the Vanisher and a random fella named Peter who has no powers but wanted to answer to the newspaper ad. He is brilliantly dry and made the trailer, let alone this scene.

The team launches themselves from a plane and each one dies, one by one. The Vanisher hits some electrical wires and reappears, showing for a second that it's actually Brad Pitt. The only two to survive are Deadpool, obviously and Domino, whose superpower is luck. Whilst the finally make it to the convoy. Collins realises he is in danger and releases another inmate and its Juggernaut. He agrees to help Collins get revenge on the orphanage but before that, he destroys the convoy on which Deadpool, Domino and Cable are fighting upon. Deadpool is ripped in half by Juggernaut so heads to his blind mate's house.
At the house, Deadpool is out of uniform and Cable has arrived. He agrees to work with Deadpool and Domino, mainly to stop Collins' first murder, which would lead him down the slippery slope. He is willing to give Wade the chance to take the kid down before he has to kill him. This is consummated with a handshake and a serious moment turns hysterical as Wade walks towards Cable with little baby legs, as they have fully-grown since being ripped in half. At the orphanage, they are taken down by Juggernaut, whilst Firefist is in pursuit for the Headmaster. Colossus has turned up, after first refusing, to tackle Juggernaut and when Deadpool fails to talk down the young lad, Cable is forced to send a bullet his way. Wade jumps directly in front of it, saving the lad and because he is wearing one of the collars from the Ice Box, which suppresses a mutant's powers, he dies. I know what's about to come and it involves Cable's watch. Wade is reunited with Vanessa in the afterlife and after seeing the sacrifice, Collins decides against killing, turning Cable's burnt rabbit toy, to complete restore. He knows they have survived. Turning to his time travelling watch, we expect him to go home. Well, most do, but I don't. He uses his final charge to go back in time and strap the token from the bowling date to Wade's heart and now when the bullet hits, Wade is spared. Collins still has the change of heart and straight afterwards, the Headmaster is run over by the taxi driver's return, and Dopinder looks as happy as ever.
The film was always going to have some after credits and they do not fail to deliver. Negasonic and her girlfriend fix the watch and Deadpool travels back to save Vanessa, kill the Deadpool from the Wolverine movie, save Peter and then kill Ryan Reynolds before he agrees to do Green Lantern. Brilliant. The end credits themselves are presented as blueprints to the whole movie, with a Deadpool drawing linking to each credit.
I really liked this movie. It was everything I came to expect and more. Through foul-mouthed jokes and adult humour, it actually shocked me in how much more of a serious storyline this movie had compared to the first Deadpool. t was very well written grabs you and grips you in all of the right places. The references to real-life events and other movies are what makes this a winner for me though, even down to the little ones. Deadpool telling Cable to 'Zip it Thanos' was brilliant. There was plenty of action and again, where there was action, there was humour. People were moaning that the character of Domino was the wrong race but everything is changing these days and it happens. I don't see this as a major thing, the problems people need to moan about are the reboots with a different sex rather than new ideas and new stories. It was nice to be able to see Brolin as not only a voice in a comic book movie right now an carry on with his beastly action. I love the fact that it doesn't have to appeal to the children for once, we need this after Infinity War.

 



Come sail with me? (Adrift 2018)

 

 

 

 194.

Adrift

 

 

 

7/10

 

 

I didn't know much going into this movie at all and after seeing it twice, new things came to light and a lot more was noticed once I had already known the ending. The movie introduced us to a relatively unknown cast that would loosely tell us the true story about two young sailors, tasked with taking a friend's sailboat across the Pacific Ocean. The film brings us Shailene Woodley playing Tami Oldham an American who is avid not to go home and keep travelling. The male lead is played by Sam Claflin, who's named Richard Sharpe. Will this leave us wanting to set sail or could it be a sinking ship from the start?

The movie begins underwater and we see ropes, equipment and even a person in a yellow coat with a red beacon, sink to the depths of the ocean. Going above the water, we get introduced to Tami, battered and bruised she is waking in the cabin section of a sailboat, struggling to get her bearings and get out onto the upper deck. Finally getting to sunlight, we see the extent of the damage as she yells for Richard before the screen turns dark. We are sent to a few months before and a well looking Tami has made landfall on Tahiti after working on a large sailboat.

 

 

 

She has entered to stay for an uncertain time, finding a job and meeting new people, one of who is Richard, who pulls up on his own sailboat and instantly there is a spark. The story carries on back and fore, being on the boat and watching Tami's struggles and then flipping back to weeks before and watching her and Richard's relationship flourish. We learn about their backstories and problems with their parents before facing the problems that are now ahead of them. Tami starts to rebuild the boat as best she can and gather us what food and water she has left, that's until she can see something in the distance. It's the little boat that was once on the sailboat itself and there, clinging to it for his dear life, is Richard. She ties herself to the main boat and heads out to swim for him, dragging him back on board and inspecting his injuries. His legs I pretty bad, at least one snap and huge gashes, along with him mentioning that his ribs are broken too.

 

 

We are then back to the mainland and their decision to go sailing in the first place. Richard bumps into some old friends and they offer him to sail their boat back to San Diego for money and a free upper-class trip back to the island. He says he'll do it if Tami can have a seat too, as now they are official. This older couple agrees to the terms and invite them aboard to have a meal before they set sail. I recognise this old bloke from Spartacus the TV series, so there's at least one familiar face for me. He isn't in it long though and the young couple has set sail on their adventure. Tami was really apprehensive at first because she is from San Diego and was not ready to return home. Back on the destroyed boat, she has rounded up some cans of sardines, some beer and even got the water tank working again for fresh water. She is doing everything she can for Richard's wounds and keeping him awake, whilst also trying to keep herself sane. She has rebuilt the main sail and made her own device in order to find herself some land. She is aiming for Hawaii, which Richard is really worried about seeing that it is such a small island compared to sailing onwards to mainland America.

 

 

We are still unsure as to what happened to cause the destruction but surely it was a storm. She has made an attempt at fishing, but taken her frustration out on Richard and has even managed to free the rudder from the sails that were wrapped around it. The film swaps back to the past, with the two sailing away and Richard playing some music for Tami on his guitar before she asks him about his mother. She committed suicide but he still thinks of her giving him some advice before he proposes to Tami with a man-made ring. She says yes to this whirlwind relationship and they consummate the engagement. The next morning, they are on the deck and Tami is meditating but in the background, she can see some very dark clouds. Richard in downstairs listening to the radio and some warnings about the route that they are taking. Looking stern, he quickly decides to sail around the storm, hoping that by the time they get to it, he has settled somewhat.

Back to the present once more, Richard is getting a lot worse. Tami doesn't look great either, clear malnourished, sunburnt and dehydrated, she lies with Richard who gives her the talk to go on. He must know that his end is near. She sits on the steps, singing to him the song that he once sang to her but she refuses to give up and is determined to make it to Hawaii. You watch this woman slowly unravelling and losing herself and her hope and I'm thinking to myself whether everything is as it seems. I have seen enough movies now to realise some things before others in the audience might but I'll keep it to myself for now. We head back to the past and are nearly all caught up now as we see Richard battling the storm. donning a yellow waterproof outfit and sending Tami below deck as he was about to take on a wave that was ridiculous.

 

 

I honestly couldn't imagine what would be going through their minds at that moment. He gets thrown around onto the equipment, which clearly would have given him his injuries, before throwing him overboard. We are back with Tami laying down with him, explaining how sorry she is that she couldn't help him and that she has to let him go. Now for many, they may be thinking that she is ready for him to die. Not me. I don't think he was ever saved! We saw a guy sink in the beginning in the yellow outfit and maybe she was imagining him being there because she was struggling so much. As she lifts her head up, Richard has vanished and every scene that we have already witnessed after the wreck is quickly replayed, without Richard ever being there. All she has is his jumper and the smell that comes with it. She dusts herself off for one last push before finally seeing some land in the distance and being spotted herself after letting off a flare. This time, it isn't a hallucination as we have already seen her have. One being Richard and another quick one of her seeing a cargo ship sail by them. This time, she truly is saved and is towed back to land with a fresh apple in her hand. A little time passes before she looks healthier, stepping foot onto Richards boat and looking at the pictures they took together and the memories that they made. Breaking down in tears as a sad song plays. The movie ends with the real Tami on our screen and some snippets out of newspaper articles about her survival and pictures of her and Richard. It really hits home how harrowing and remarkable this story is as Tami is still sailing all around the world, enjoying her life once more and making the most of her time. Richard was never found.

This was a very harrowing story of how cruel the sea can be. To start with the portrayal of Tami by Woodley, you could go through every emotion with her. It went from the happiness of her freedom on land and on the waves, to her absolute most vulnerable. It was acted out very well and Woodley has won plaudits from all over from her presence on the screen. It's quite hard to act when you're on the screen alone for so long, without dialogue to keep the audience interested but this was never the case. With the storyline keeping you intrigued on how it was going to end and whether Richard was going to make it, made this shorter runtime movie into something that always kept you gripped. The way that it used flashbacks in order to set the scene for every part of the story that was coming was very clever. It was a little predictable at times but then again what are you meant to do with a story that is based on true events. I could see the main twist coming but for those who didn't, I can imagine that it was a very sad shock for the audience. The frantic camera angles and cinematography, along with the moments of silence only added to the suspense for this underrated movie that I really enjoyed.