Eyes, lungs, pancreas. So many snacks, so little time. (Venom 2018)

213.

Venom 

 

 

 

 

 

8/10

 

I remember where I was when they announced Tom Hardy would be playing Eddie Brock, the lead character in the Venom movie. I was on holiday in Florida, coming face to face with a rather large Tiger when I got the text. I also remember some of the backlash. I'm not one to judge the casting before I've seen the movie anymore after I was completely against Affleck as the Bat and I ended up pleasantly surprised. With this being a Sony Marvel movie, it brought a lot of negative media, with many of the 'fanboys' not wanting to give this the time of day with it not being MCU official. These people are too high and mighty for their own good.

We are seeing Eddie Brock in the best moments of his life, good job, good relationship and not long after, it all comes crashing down. This is because he snoops in on his missis's work and uses it for his own media story, taking the game to our main villain for the movie. Riz Ahmed plays Carlton Drake, who is in charge of a company experimenting with the Alien entities found in space. With the rest of the movie carrying on as Eddie is bonded with Venom, we see him getting used to this new invasion and trying to control everything going on.

 He quickly uses this symbiote to be the parasitic antihero that we have come to know. We still have the love interest angle as he comes clean to his ex-girlfriend Anne, played by Michelle Williams, who even mixes with Venom for a few minutes to save Eddie. The one surprise I get from this movie would definitely be the humour. There seems to be some sort of love-hate bond at first between Eddie and Brock but this soon turns into a brotherly love and the back and fore with banter is very, very refreshing. As the movie heads on, Riz Ahmed's fella bonds with his own symbiote called Riot and this leads to a massive fight scene at the end in which we see Venom save Eddie before having to sacrifice himself for the better good to save the world and stop other alien slime balls heading to take over. But has he truly gone? The last scene gives us a conversation that answers this with a no. Venom is still inside and here come's Stan Lee's cameo too. Cheek bit of after credits too. Now I knew Woody Harrelson was in this movie and rumoured to be Carnage. They left it until the last few minutes to reveal this but maybe this was because they were so sure that the fact there would be a sequel. I couldn't really deny this because it's a great way to set up the next. What a villain that would be and cast very well.

 

This was a much darker comic book moved focused around a Marvel creation. With all of the bad press that was focused on this movie before it even came out to the public, I'm so glad that I can go against the grain and really like it. It was humorous, dark and didn't cut out the gruesome scenes, showing just how violent this character can be. Hardy, once again, played his role really well. He pretty much stole the show with having to act as two characters at times and having a conversation with no-one but his thoughts. From firstly being a happy fella to looking like he is about to die, to finally accepting his new buddy and acting upon each moment to the best of his abilities. Riz Ahmed is another impressive actor at the moment. From the story of him begging to be in Rogue One, to moving into a villainous role with ease. If we had to talk about the graphics and the look of Venom, which again came under scrutiny before the movie even hit the big screen, then I wouldn't really have much in the form of criticism for it all. Yes Venom did look a little strange but what did we really have to compare too? 20 minutes of scenes in Spider-man 3 or just the drawings from the actual comics. This movie had a blank canvas and I'm really impressed with it's look, especially the final fight scene. I'm looking forward to what's on the horizon with this franchise and if it will incorporate Spider-man in any way in the future.

The house is a very old place (The House with a Clock in It's Walls 2018)

212.

The House with a Clock in it's Walls

6.5/10

Jack Black leads a cast and it's audience into a family film mixed with magic, horror and as always, a little bit of humour for good keeping. I can't really remember watching a movie based around magic since seeing Potter fling his wand about the screen in the well-known franchise. Cate Blanchett comes along for the ride, back to her usual fair hair rather than her jet black Hela look, which took the MCU for a little ride.

The story is of a young orphaned boy, recently losing his parents and moving in with his uncle, Jonathan, played by Jack Black. He's a little bit of a wizard and Lewis, the young lad, soon finds himself wrapped up in a world he didn't know existed. The old owner of his Uncle's house was a dark wizard and created a clock within. This clock counts down to the end of the world and Jonathan along with Blanchett's character, the neighbour named Florence, must find the clock and shut it down before it finishes it's count down to the end of the world.

 We follow the path of the young lad getting used to the world of magic and of course, making the mistakes that a youngster would make. This leads to the villain being resurrected before the boy can regain his Uncle's lost confidence in him and win the day and saving the world. In between, we have some back stories of Jonathan and Florence but the movie overall isn't too taxing, with it being aimed at a younger audience of course. There were times that you were left frustrated within the viewing. There were mainly as you seen this young boy constantly making the wrong decision with ease, just to be accepted by another. You could tell the way it was going to end but sometimes it's all about the journey you take from the beginning to end. With a little twist here and there and enough darkness to keep even an older viewer entertained, it turned out to be alright all in all.

There isn't too much you take into context when you look at a young actor or actress because they can grow into something more as the years go on. This time, Owen Vaccaro who played Lewis, seemed a little rough around the edges but wasn't afraid of getting into some action scenes. Jack Black enjoyed his role, giving it with his usual delivery of some eccentric scenes mixed in with some seriousness of becoming a guardian. The final cast member of importance would be Blanchett. She put in a stellar performance of a troubled widow, raked by guilt but still with an aspect of sensitivity that made you wonder what her story was from the beginning, up until the time all was revealed.

For the rest of the movie, I can imagine it wasn't a massive budget for the special effects but at times, especially the cosmic scene in the gardens, it did look really nice. Then again, some also looked quite cheap and dated. This isn't something that can bring too much damage to the movie though because this isn't a major aspect that the movie was made for. I'll be remembered for being a fun family flick with an interesting storyline and plenty of creativity around each corner. I don't think I would jump at the chance to re-watch this movie in the future but I do enjoy a bit of wizardry and how creators envision certain creatures and myths, bringing them across for the audience to see.

I'll have you for chunks! (King of Thieves 2018)

211.

King of Thieves

7/10

Welcome a British version of Ocean's Eleven with a gang of older gents that are well known to many audience members. This isn't going to be fully fictional though, this story is based on the true events revolving around the Hatton Garden Heist in London and we are about to see what went down. The gang are an old group of crooks that come out of retirement for one final score. Michael Caine, Michael Gambon, Ray Winstone and a younger character in Charlie Cox are going to bring this story together.
The storyline follows the conventional heist of lookout's, trials and the, of course, the main robbery.

 They pass gas repairmen, operating their old school tactics over an Easter weekend and stealing more than £14 million worth of jewellery and money itself. As they operate, things start to fall apart a little, Caine's character is kicked out and the rest operate on their own rules. Broadbent and Winstone's characters start showing their muscle, especially once the robbery s completed.

Cox's character is very timid and is easily manipulated by stronger characters. He is left with some cash in his pockets before being told to leave but little did the remaining members knows, Caine's character had told Cox's how to establish which envelope symbols contained the best jewels. As each of the old heads gets caught by the police, Cox is on the move and with a smirk on his face that we had yet to see in any other part of the movie, he's away and the real mastermind by the end.
I do enjoy a real-life storyline and I'm not too sure how closely it follows with what actually happened but I'm thinking that this astonishing robbery was followed along with the truth. The ending was a breathe of fresh air, to see the underdog come out on top and the expense of everyone who expected to use him for his talents and give him nothing back. Seeing such a good, British cast of well-known faces let this movie flow and you could believe that these men were true robbers. I doubt this is a movie that would make a success across the pond with their heists in Vegas but for British attention, it's still pretty fresh off the press.



I guess we know the purple carpet doesn't match the drapes (The Happytime Murders 2018)

210.

The Happytime Murders

 

 

 

 

 

5.5/10

 

We are stepping into a crazy alternate reality where puppets, who know they are puppets, live alongside humans. The puppets though are treated as a marginalised group for their troubles. The trailers for this movie make it look like something that is a step above.  A cross between Who Framed Roger Rabbit due to the investigators and The Muppets, which is mainly because the same producers are involved. With a cast of Melissa Macarthy, Elizabeth Banks and Maya Rudolph, each has had their own success in someone's eyes. It always leaves you wondering whether the best parts have been shown in the trailers to get the audiences through the doors, so let find out. Let's find out if we are being taken for muppets.

The story follows our usual detective narrative of 'who dun'it?'. We follow a disgraced cop named Phil Phillips who must team up with his old partner played by Mellisa Macarthy. They used to work together until Connie, Macarthy's character was held at gunpoint and Phil had to save her, failing and instead, killing an innocent puppet on the sidewalk in front of his own daughter. This lead to Connie signing a petition to stop Puppets ever becoming cops again. From there Phil turned into a private detective in a seedy office.
The main story follows a group of old tv hosts, all puppets who get murdered one by one, leading to an investigation and Phil needing to get involved due to a cross over with his own job, a side mission/storyline which is for a female puppet named Sandra White. She fears for her life after a serious of threatening letters. This character is over the top sexually teasing and Phil can't control himself. This leads to a crazy and at first, a funny sex scene between the two, which then becomes a little cringeworthy.

 It reminded me of the scene from Team America all those years ago. This is a running theme as things start to get a little cringy. We are introduced to Phil's actual love interest, played by Banks and the pair of Connie and Phil begin to try to solve the case, but begin failing miserably. Phil even gets set up for killing his old love interest. She is now the wife of Sandra, in a full circle move and Sandra blames Phil for the death. Connie must prove that her old partner is innocent as their relationship is now growing strong once more. She heads to Sandra's apartment where she finds a hidden room full of plans to from Phil. It turns out she truly has a motive. She was the daughter of the man shot dead by Phil. Although it was an accident, just like every woman in history, she never let him forget about it. Connie grabs Phil and they head to the airport to stop Sandra together. He tries to apologise for his mistake but it falls on deaf ears. It turns out that Jenny, Banks' character is still alive too. A staged death to set up Phil but Sandra knocks her out to steal some money for herself. Connie is taken at gunpoint and Phil is put in the same position as he was years before. This time he doesn't miss and Sandra's fluffy brains are everywhere.

They are both reinstated as partners and Phil even asks her old assistant from the Private Detective agency, played by Maya Rudolph,  out on a date.
I couldn't wait to see what this movie had in store when I had seen the trailers but in fairness, it far from lived up to the potential. The storyline was a normal crime drama with all of the humour added in, which at times, became a little bit tedious. There were some clever twists nonetheless but nothing that would stick and get you saying, 'yeah, great movie'. Not too sure what you can say about the acting with 50% of it being voice acting. I enjoyed the dryness of Phil's character but there is something about Macarthy that I far from enjoy. It always seems forced humour and that for me is never a winner. If you are after some slap-stick comedy, over the top humour and needless crass, then this is for you. In my opinion, it had to tools to be up there with Rodger Rabbit and Team America but it did more than fall short.

Nothing...Nobody will separate us (The Secret of Marrowbone 2018)

209.

The Secret of Marrowbone

 

 

 

 

 

7/10

 

 

 

It's been a while since I got to see a Scream Unseen thanks to Odeon and the really need to do more of these. Obviously, there aren't too many horrors at times but I can't get enough of them when they do come around. The trailer for this one had been pretty decent and with only one face that I recognised, that being Anya Taylor-Joy fresh off the back of being in Split, sometimes it helps to have some freshness. We would be following around a family of four, all young siblings, as they struggle to live with an evil presence in their home. Let's find out if this film should have remained a secret.

The movie begins with a family moving into their old, run-down home in America. It's their childhood home and their new hideout from the serial killer father of the family.

 The mother makes them all assume their maiden name of Marrowbone and soon her health goes onto a downward spiral. The children take their minds off things and head down to the beach where we meet Allie, a local girl who takes up an interest in the oldest kid Jack. Soon, the mother passes and the kids need to keep this a secret due to Jack not being 21 and able to be a legal guardian. The mother has always said she never stole the box of money that the father stole but on her death bed, she admits to Jack that this happened. He takes this down to a cave to hide.

As time goes on, the father has escaped is standing outside their house, firing a bullet through their window.6 months into the timeline, Jack bikes into town to grab some groceries and head to see Allie. On the same visit, a local businessman named Tom pops in to see Allie too. He's clearly interested in her but doesn't notice Jack there. Once he discovers his presence, he lets him know that he will come by his house in the morning to pick up the last payment for their estate. This also means he needs a signature from the mother. Jack returns home to his worried siblings and he knows he needs to retrieve the money from the hidden box. We are getting a little flashback as we see the father hitting Jack with the money box at the cave, only a glimpse though and then we are back to normal as the money is retrieved and Tom arrives for the payment. He isn't happy that's it's in cash and he'll be even less happy when he finds out that the daughter has forged the mother's signature.

Later that night, the family sit to play some games and a cloth drops from a mirror. Instantly the younger siblings start to panic, believing that the ghost as returned because they used the blood money. The movie starts to take that slight turn into more a horror as there are now bumps in the night and suspense due to lack of musical score. The next morning, Jack climbs to the roof and drops the box of money down the chimney.

As a part of the story, we flip back now and again to Allie and Tom's awkward relationship, He knows about Jack's father and reveals this to Allie as a kind of one-up on him. She ends up asking Jack about this and the camera pans out, showing the second eldest brother spying on them both.

 Back at the house, Billy goes a little mental with the fact that Jack is allowed out to socialise whilst the others must stay in for their safety. The is the first rift we are truly seeing open. Whilst all this is going on, the youngest brother named Sam, steals Jack's keys, which leads him to their mother's room. In there, he finds the file on his father, plays an old music box that his mum used to play for him and then finally, letting a sheet slip from the mirror, letting in the ghost. We catch glimpses of a figure underneath the fallen sheet, making it's way to Sam until he passes out. Jane, the sister, passes this information onto Jack who then tells the family that it was just a story they made up because they actually trapped their father in the attic that day when he came with the gun. They left him up there to die.

 

Meanwhile, Tom has offered Allie to come with him on a trip away. Allie finally admits that she is with Jack, leaving Tom upset and in turn, he gives her the newspaper clippings about Jack's old man. At the house, the local raccoon has popped in for dinner and in between the walls, it gets through a hole, with Jane trying to coax it back out. As she reaches in, a ghoulish hand grabs back at her. Tom is offered a hob away but must buy some shares to get the job. He doesn't have the money for this and the rumours of the siblings keeping that money catch his eye. He heads to the home and tells them that he knows the signatures from before are forged. They must give him the money to move away otherwise blackmail shall be on its way. Back up to the roof, but this time it's Billy. He heads down without Jacks' knowledge. He finds that the box has moved, there's a ripped apart raccoon along with other animal carcases and soon, a tiny figure emerges from the shadows. Shocked, Billy tries to climb back up the chimney, only just making it with his life and a massive gash to show for it, dropping the box on his escape.

The movie then begins to flip in the timeline once more. Allie is asked to meet Jack at the tree where they first ever made contact. There, she finds a book that is handmade and tells the story of the siblings and their father Simon. It reveals that the siblings are actually dead. It is written all of the way up until the bullet comes through the window. Back on that day, Jack tells the youngsters to head into the attack to hide. He heads out to give his father the box of money at the cave. They still end up having a fight with Jack stabbing his father in the neck, before he recovers and knocks Jack off a small cliff. Simon heads to the house and breaks into the attic where the siblings are hiding. He kills the three of them before Jack can make it back. He locks his father upstairs with his crime and bricks up the door. Jack takes his fathers gun and just as he is ready to pull the trigger and kill himself, his mind breaks up into the multiple personalities of his siblings. He begins imaging them day after day and covers the mirrors so that he can never truly see that he is all alone. This is all going on not long after the first day that they met Allie. After the first scenes of them meeting, looking back, you never saw them all in a scene together again. From then on, it is always just Jack and Allie. She races to the house with her new findings.
At the house, Tom has arrived for his money and after hearing weird sounds, decides that heading to the attic is a great idea. He smashes down the bricks and enters, instantly being set upon by Simon after finding the bodies of the siblings. Throughout the movie, we see Jack painting a ceiling stain, time and again, which must be their blood seeping through. Allie arrives to hear voices coming from the sibling's man-made safe space. In there, he finds Jack talking to himself as all his own siblings. In Jane's voice, she/he tells Allie that she needs to take care of them and when Allie brings Jack back around, he shouts at her to leave them all alone. She heads into the attic to find Tom after noticing his briefcase on the counter. Getting to the attic, she finds Tom with his throat ripped out before Simon squares up to her.

She shouts for the siblings to come and protect her and that's exactly what happens. Jack enters and shoots Simon before embracing with Allie. The film cuts to 12 weeks later and Allie is at a doctors appointment. The Doc is pleased to hear that Jack has shown no further signs of his multiple personalities and he gives Allie some more medication to take back with her. Returning to the house, she puts the meds in an already full cupboard and heads to Jack to gift him with a framed picture that they took on their first day together with all the siblings. She is continuing to let Jack believe that his siblings are still with him and after her walking back into the house, we see Jack look across the field at his happy sister and brothers.
This was a movie that promised horror but turned into a thriller instead. It had all the making of a horror with talks of ghosts, bumps in the night and suspenseful moments but in truth it turned into a good old fashioned thriller. There were a few jump scares and usual characteristics that come along to get the audience on the edge of their seats but more importantly, you couldn't tell what the main secrets were. Because of this, the storyline was compelling at times because you were kept guessing enough to be interested in the main plot and it's side stories. Once you could understand the timeline, it was easy to enjoy. The acting was on par and with George MacKay as Jack, the acting went from a normal, slightly troubled and caring older brother to a completely broken male. He portrayed this really well with the reveal and turning point towards the end. Overall, it was a really enjoyable watch for a movie that didn't seem to hang about in the cinemas for too long. I would recommend this one if you do like a bit of a surprise at the end but never expect a masterpiece. It was nice to see a horror that didn't deal with possession of some sort.

Oh my God! I got learning herpes! (Night School 2018)

 

208.

Night School

 

 

 

 

5/10

 

The title of this movie is going to give us exactly what we expect. Kevin Hart and a bunch of seemingly familiar faces are heading to night school to further themselves after dropping out in their younger days. With Tiffany Haddish, who seems to be hot property within the terrible comedies floating around, will be playing Carrie the teacher and no-one else really mentioning right now, I don't have too much hope for the movie. It can bring some laughs, with is the point of a comedy but sometimes, they may need a little more. The director, Malcolm D. Lee has always spouted out some black comedies and if I'm honest, I haven't enjoyed one. Let's find out if we are going to get a lesson in laughter.

The storyline is a very, very simple one. There isn't too much need to get into it but as you can imagine, it mainly revolves around the night school. Before we get into class, we are giving a little bit of a background into Hart's character. Teddy is the name and not being great at school is the game. Back in 2001, we see Teddy settle down to his SAT's and failing miserably. He can't concentrate to revise and only his Grandmother has sympathy for him. His Grandfather and twin sister just think it's all excuses. The next day in the school hall, Teddy sits down to his test and with in minutes, declares he is done with school and walks out. We then change to the present day and Teddy is seen driving a sports car and you instantly think he's 'made it' somehow. He's dropping his girlfriend Lisa off to her office and Teddy works as a successful salesman. It's a barbeque shop and the owner claims that one day, he'll leave the company to Teddy. Later that night, he's out for meal with his girlfriend and her friends and Teddy offers to pay. That's until he realises the price. He rips out his pubes, plants them in his dessert and then tries to get it all for free. The head waiter, Luis, believes he planted them himself and argues the point until the Head Chef comes out and believes Teddy, firing the waiter and giving them the meal for free. Even the friends didn't believe Teddy. The same night Teddy takes Lisa to the shop and plans a proposal but when he pops the cork on the champers after getting a yes, it smashes against a BBQ handle, turns on the gas and gas, along with the candles doesn't work well and the building explodes with Teddy inside, sending him hurling through the air and into the windshield of his car.

Time to find a new job and he heads off to his mate Marvin's company to ask for a job. He BBQ boss took the insurance money and legged it to Florida. Teddy, not having a GED, means that a job is hard to come by and it's the same with Marvin's company. Teddy knows he needs to get one but goes back to Lisa and lies, telling her that he's got the job. He heads off to sign up for school and in the traffic, comes across a woman talking really loud on hands free and has a falling out with her. This woman is Carrie Carter, played by Tiffany Haddish and we already know that she plays the teacher. On arrival on the school, things go from bad to worse and the Principal is someone who Teddy used to make fun of in school. He relishes the chance to deny Teddy his GED but saying that they don't offer night school there. As he is showing him the door, they bump into Carrie and discuss why she is there when she is the night school teacher. Teddy obviously becomes aware that the Principal is full of shit and instantly enrolls. Carrie always pulls up the Principal for trying to act gangster with his use of language and body language. This is a running theme throughout the movie.

 

 

Once the lessons start, we are introduced to the other students, one being the waiter from the beginning, which is the obvious conflict other than Teddy and Carrie. He tries to get ahead by bringing in tacos for Carrie but she ends up handing them out to everyone instead. She doesn't like this approach at all. We have the waiter, a mother of three named Teresa, Jaylen who is worried about a robot apocalypse, Molly who is trying to avoid jail time, MacKenzie who is getting his GED to show his son not to make the same mistakes he did when young and finally Bobby, who is played by Fat Joe, who is in jail and learning through Skype. In the meantime, Teddy finds a job as an advertiser at a chicken shack, dressing as a chicken and spinning a sign.

 

 

 

 He also has to sneak around to hide it all from Lisa. This is a story that never ends well and it's only a matter of time until she finds out. During the first lesson, Bobby is attacked in jail and the Principal walks in to see that Teddy has enrolled. He sits in as Teddy is called up to work at the board, struggling, until Carrie gives him a hint, promising that it would be the only time.

Knowing that he is screwed, Teddy tries to convince the other students to steal the GED answers for the test and they all meet up to do so. Mac goes hard and chokes out a janitor for no reason. They all get to the Principal's office and all have to hide as he enters.

 

 Teddy notices that the Principal is heading onto Facebook and adds Lisa as a friend. The Janitor wakes back up and starts screaming, leading to a window for everyone to escape. Stewart, the Principal, puts the school on lockdown and there is no option but for everyone to escape to the roof and make a giant leap to safety. Mac tries the jump, fails and messes up his arm, with Jaylen seeing the evidence and spewing on him to good measure.  Carries finds out what happened and Teddy owns up so the others can stay in class. He is kicked out and this is the turning point in the movie that we are about to see all the badness. He meets with Carrie in private and asks for another chance. She finally agrees, running some tests on him first and finding out that he is multiple learning difficulties. We are actually on the up as Teddy is put through extra tests to prepare and starts to get on with his classmates.

As things take a turn for the best, the class attend the school dance, bringing out some old school moves and wowing the students. Carrie and Teddy share a dance but it's interrupted when Lisa turns up. Stewart has invited her to come and check out the school for renovations, which is her day job. Teddy is forced to explain himself and Lisa doesn't take it well, mostly because he felt he had to impress her and not just being himself. She gives him his ring back and advises that he doesn't come home. He must return to his Grandparent's home.

Ted decides to give up on his GED because he was only doing it for Lisa. He's now a chicken full-time, until he is visited by Carrie and Stewart, where the later apologises for his actions and embarrassing him. Carrie demands that he takes the test and the next day, he shows up to take the exam. He does his hardest to compose himself and concentrate with the scene drawing to a close as the excited classmates show their results in the parking lot. Everyone passes except Teddy. Safe to say I didn't see that coming, little twist in there. We see him try the test several more times until finally he passes and everyone at the chicken joint celebrates. The night school then head to graduation, with Lisa in attendance. Teddy is picked to give a speech, he later apologises to Lisa and asks for them to have a fresh start, which she agrees too, kind of knowing that she may have put him under a bit of pressure. The class has some pictures and the movie ends with Stewart smashing some dance moves at the prom.

 

 

 

Scratch this down as a comedy that will be lost into others within a year. The storyline was ok, if not 95% predictable until part of the ending but then the main character ended up succeeding with his goal anyway. There was plenty of humour, some clever and some idiotic, which all would depend on the viewer whether they would find it funny or not. The movie was ok in that aspect from my opinion. It got me laughing a couple of times but I really cannot remember too much about which part these were a couple of weeks later, which isn't the best outcome. Each character did bring something different though, which I did enjoy. This meant that people could relate to more than one person in the movie and their struggles at times. Haddish played her usual, sarcastic role but when the time came for seriousness, it was delivered. I think we are now passed these types of movies and it felt like a 90's comedy at times and very much something we have already seen. Kevin Hart has done a lot better and will continue to do a lot better once this movie has been forgotten about.

 

I'm your father. You're mother forgot to tell you about me (The Equilizer 2 2018)

207.

The Equalizer 2 

 

 

 

 7.5/10

 

Big Denzel is back on our screens in another action filled movie that will hopefully do the first on justice. The first Equaliser movie was a non-stop rollercoaster of killing but will this live up to that or will I hate it for being just like John Wick which is just killing for the sake of killing with no decent storyline. I'm a massive fan or the action movies that Denzel Washington brings to the table and I'm in no doubt that this will end up being an enjoyable watch for me. Let's find out if it is equal.
We get action from the off as a disguised Denzel, playing Robert McCall, is on a Turkish train, kicking ass and taking names of a gent and his mates who have kidnapped his daughter from her mother.

 Once this kidnapper became aware of McCall's intentions, he orders his men to have a go but in style, McCall sets his watch and finishes the job. He then approaches the father and gives him a chance to take the easy way out. Back in Boston, the mother heads into her office to work and finds her daughter there, embracing her with tears.
McCall now works as a Lyft driver, picking up passengers like a private taxi. One of his regulars is a very old man, who is busy looking for his long-lost sister before it is too late. One night he is asked to take home a young woman who is clearly drugged and possibly raped, so after dropping her off at the hospital, McCall heads back to the guy's apartment to confront him and his mates, asking them to do the right thing. This doesn't go down well though and we end the scene with some more broken men.

In Belgium, a man named Mr. Calbert returns home to find his wife beaten and three men emerge before shooting the woman in the head. These three, named Resnik, Ari and Kovac, then force a gun into the mouth of Calbert and pull the trigger. We head back to McCall's and once again he is living in a small style apartment, making friends with the neighbours and when he finds out that one has had her garden vandalized and walls sprayed with graffiti, he takes it personally. He takes to take the paint down himself until he is met by a youngster named Miles. Miles and McCall interact quite often as McCall wants the best for him, not the life of drug selling. He offers to help sort out the graffiti for a price.
Later in the day, McCall heads to a bookstore to pick up a new one that he has ordered. Behind the desk, we see Grace, the mother from the earlier rescue and her daughter recognises him. The mother doesn't know the story or that McCall is the saviour. When he arrives back him, his old friend Susan is already there and they share a friendly meal on the anniversary of McCall's late wife's birthday. She tries to suggest that he gets out more. Once Susan returns home, she speaks to her colleague Dave, played by Pedro Pascal. This guy was class as the Viper in Game of Thrones until he got his head crushed. They are investigating the murder of that Calbert fella. They both fly out to the scene and quickly realize that something was up. Back at their hotel, Susan is set upon by two thugs and they shout something about money. She holds her own until she is cornered in her bedroom.
McCall is now watching as Miles paints the wall and then he gets a call from Susan's husband. He informs him that she had been murdered, leading to McCall to fly straight out to Washington DC and to the funeral. He later investigates the death by watching the security tapes and looking at the crime photos. At the thug's hideout, they are listening to music until a phone rings. They have no idea where it is coming from but after finding it, it explodes and the camera switches to outside where we once again see Resnik, who has tied up some loose ends. McCall then gets in touch with Dave, who didn't realise that McCall was still alive to this day. They discuss the death of Susan and then the thugs both realising that it was definitely a loose end killing. Overall, this has to be connected with the Colbert murder, but why?
McCall is back home, noticing that Miles is leaving with some local gangsters. He follows him, knocks out some guards, takes their guns and heads into their apartment, telling Miles to come home with him. The gangsters were going to help Miles get revenge for the killing of his brothers. This is the moment that Miles and McCall fall out after McCall tries to give him advice on it all.

 Back at his day job, he picks up a shady looking character who needs a lift to the airport. When he feels something is up, McCall intentionally goes the wrong way. The man doesn't bat an eyelid and when McCall admits this, the guy tries to stab him, leading to an in-car fight scene. The car is flung around like crazy to throw the guy around as much as possible. Then a gun is in play and McCall knows he needs to end this quickly. It ends with a bullet and McCall takes the guys phone and finds coded information on it before burning the car and the man's body. With everything escalating, he takes Susan's husband to a safe house before he can also become a loose end.
McCall heads back to Dave's with the phone. He meets his family and even sits down to breakfast. He then has a one-to-one with Dave and shows him the information he found, which leads back to another phone and not just any phone, DAVE'S. For some reason, McCall always knew and Dave instantly explains. When the gang thought that McCall was dead, they all got into some nasty business for more money. Susan nearly found out and they had to kill her. Dave takes McCall outside to meet the whole team that he trained and the lads that we saw kill Colbert. McCall promises them all that he'll kill them for what they did to Susan and then takes an offer of a lift from Dave's wife in some sort of taunt to him. Miles is back at McCall's place painting his kitchen and calls McCall just as some of the guys are trying to break into the apartment. He orders Miles to hide behind a bookcase but Miles starts to panic, giving away his position but the men don't seek him out because McCall calls Dave and tells him where to meet him. A little while later, Miles steps out and opens the apartment door but just as he thinks he's safe, he gets snatched.
McCall ends up taking the final fight to his old home town, which is being evacuated due to a hurricane. As the wind picks up, McCall takes out the men one by one, with Dave at the top of a tower with a sniper, only ever catching a glimpse of his enemy.

 He calls McCall and tells him that Miles is in the trunk of a car, as he starts shooting at it. Due to the crazy wind, he can't get a decent shot. This gives our hero time to climb the tower and fight Dave, killing him by slicing the back of his neck and chucking him from the tower to the rocks below to be swept away by the sea.
Miles is freed from his car styled cage and takes him to his old house to patch up his wounded leg. Miles finally sees pictures of McCall's past. Ones of him with his wife and ones of him in a soldier uniform. The two head home, finish the garden and wall and Miles is seen talking to a girl on the school bus who has taken an interest in the drawing that he's doing. Sam, the old man from the beginning is seen reuniting with his sister after McCall pulled a few strings to make it happen. This only leaves us with McCall's ending and he is seen back at his old house, standing outside and staring out onto the ocean like a widow.
To be fair, this movie was exactly as I expected. Watching Denzel kick ass once more and all in the name of good. It took me a long time to see the first movie and I loved it so when I noticed this was coming out, I got excited. Washington reprises his role with ease, making it look easy to flip between a soft-hearted helper to a complete assassin when need be. Every other character brought a little something to the table and seeing Pedro as a villain once more is showing his ability to play a loveable character and a hated one. And I truly hated his character in Kingsman, but that was just because I hated the movie. There was a decent spin on the storyline as McCall's old team became the villains but there wasn't too many twists and turns that would confuse us. It was just the right amount. With the ages getting on and with both movies coming out strong, part of me hopes that a third installment doesn't come. I don't want this turning into the Taken franchise which easily overstayed it's welcome by making a third. It felt like a peaceful end to a good duo of movies.



He's a killer dressed up as a hero (Mile 22 2018)

 

 

 

206.

Mile 22

 

 

 

 

7/10

 

Mark Wahlberg brings us some more quick wit, attitude and action as he turns away from some Transformers and instead becomes an elite intelligence officer who is trying to smuggle a mysterious witness out of Indonesia by any means necessary. With quite an array of a cast, John Malkovich and Ronda Rousey included, this movie doesn't scream masterpiece but a decent looking action/crime story that has the potential to be forgotten. Let's get into it and find out if this is going to be a mile too far.
The story begins with our team of agents staking out and trying to infiltrate a known safe house for the Russian FSB and their agents. Alice and William pretend to be a lost couple, looking for an address as John Malkovich's character, Mother, watches over them by satellite. Their job is to retain the cesium that the Russians may be holding and using to create weapons.

 

 

 Wahlberg's character, James Silva and another team moving are closing on the house from the back begin the breach and after some bullet, a finding of a hidden room and plenty of killing, we draw to a close as the team burns the house down. The news of the job travels fast amongst some circles and even more so regarding the fact that someone called Anatole was involved. We then get our opening credits, as we see James Silva's life growing up. Recruited by Black Ops not long after the death of his family and the movie is broken up into pieces of Silva giving a testimony about an operation that had taken place.
16 months later and the team is now in Indonesia, where the main part of the movie will be taking place. Still hunting for the cesium, Alice, played by Lauren Cohen, says that she has a source that can help them. Silva though is very hotheaded. He wants action now, rather than sitting around waiting for information. Silva turns his attention to a woman who walks in, needing help because the government wants to seize her assets. Alice, on the other hand, has to speak to her ex-husband who won't let her see her daughter. They all catch a break though, as a local police officer comes to the Embassy's gates to surrender himself and a disc he is carrying that he claims holds information about where the cesium is being held. In return, he wants safe passage out of the country. Li Noor is his name and with no kind of emotion on his face, he passes over the disc but tells the team that it will be wiped in a matter of hours if he isn't granted asylum in the States.

 

 

 Elsewhere, we finally catch a glimpse of some villains. A group of Russain agents led by a female named Vera. They are monitoring Li's location as they are definitely planning on having the bugger killed.
Li is taken to a medical room for tests as some Indonesian intelligence officers arrive and demand that Li is handed over to them but the Ambassador doesn't allow it. Back in the medical room, Li is set upon by some agents disguised as doctors and even whilst handcuffed, he smashed the shit out of them and stands down once he's done. Alice and Sam find out that he was once Special Forces. The plan is to move Li to an airstrip to get him out of the country and this airstrip is 22 miles away, hence the movie title. They are going to take a convoy or armoured cars, Bishop or 'mother' is going to watch from every camera going and we even learn out why Li is doing this. He is going against the government because they are the reason that his family are dead. Finally, we hit the road and are instantly in trouble. Axel, the man in charge of the Indonesian Special Ops from early, sets a team on motorbikes to plant explosives on the cars. Some of the team are killed as the bullets then begin to fly on the streets. Sam, played by Rousey is badly injured and even with the help of Li, the team is ready to escape as more of Axel's men set in. Silva leaves Sam with some grenades, knowing she isn't going to live and so that she can take some enemies with her. Rouse wasn't around for long.
The team head into a restaurant and take residence for a while with the owner that they know will protect them. Outside, Axel is waiting for a chat with Silva and once again he asked for Li to be handed over. When Silva heads back inside following a simple 'no' to Axel, he brushes past to girls and notices they have grenades. Another attack brings injuries and the team is once again on the run. One of the gang, Douglas, picks up some bad injuries but Bishop doesn't want failure and orders the team to get to the strip now.

 

 

 Instead, they head to a safe house that Alice knows inside a massive block of flats. As some enter, Silva and Doulas stay outside to fend of Axel and his lot. Silva is then next to enter as Douglas is taken down and shot in the head. Inside, Alice has a run in with a henchman and almost gets killed before Li finds a gun and saves her. This guy really wants to escape.
We have finally made it to the airstrip, after a short car chase and Bishop or 'mother' sending a drone to take out Axel in his car. Getting onto the plane, Li gives up the code to unlock that disc he first handed over. As Li walks up the steps, he tells Silva to 'Say hi to Mother for me'. Mind melt! Before Silva can ask what that meant, the door is closed and the plane is on its way. Bishop or Mother can see that Li's heart is racing. The disc turns out to contain nothing other than a picture of Anatole. This Anatole guy was the one running the Russian house at the beginning. His mother has hired Vera and the gang to kill the people responsible for killing her son. Li has been working as a triple agent, working the Americans so that everyone can be taken down and killed. A team is sent in to kill Overwatch and Mother, as Li turns to Alice, who is on the plane with him and utters the words, 'Gotcha'.

 

 

The movie ends with Silva finishing his debriefing that we have seen shorts glimpses of. The last scene is of Silva putting up a picture of Li, maybe symbolising him planning revenge.
I hate to say that I'm right but in my opinion, I am. It was a movie that contained a decent, if forgettable storyline, for most of the movie but the ending actually gave me something different and this is the reason why the score isn't too bad. I've been saying for a long time how we always get a predictable ending, where the good guys always get the win. This time it was really, really refreshing to get some villains on top by the end. This was the only thing that truly stood out. There were plenty of actions scenes, whether they be with weapons of hand to hand combat, which kept the audience entertained but a lot has been seen before. Wahlberg gave a very Mark Wahlberg account of himself. This meaning that there was plenty of bad attitude to anyone that didn't agree with his character and once again, by the end, it was good to see his comeuppance. That's not saying I'm not a fan of his, just that the kind of character he played usually always comes out on top.