The mind is a fragile thing (X-Men: Dark Pheonix 2019)

251.
X-Men: Dark Phoenix

4/10

All of the newer X-Men characters are back for a finale that not many if any were actually looking forward to. We've been here before, as the original movies gave us Jean Grey going crazy once before. This time, we are going through the story with some better graphics and that could be about it. I haven't seen First Class, Days of Future Past and Apocalypse too many times but they have never been masterpieces in the eyes of the audience. Fassbender and McAvoy being the main draw as the recastings of Magneto and Xavier. The trailer was showing this movie in a new light. It didn't look like a superhero movie that we have come to know and that's maybe down to Marvel but this seemed to be taking on a much more serious note. It'll be interesting to see the directing this movie goes in comparison to X-Men: The Last Stand.
Sophie Turner, from all of the success of Game of Thrones, shall be the prominent figure of Jean Grey that the storyline is going to revolve around. The movie begins with a mission going wrong and Jean is exposed to an ancient and dark power. The power then starts to increase within her, destroying more than it ever did before.

 Now that she is becoming unstable, the only way to release it is with destruction and anger. The X-Men face a tough task to decide whether the life of their friend is worth saving with the risk of destroying the world along the way. The film also introduces Jessica Chastain as Vuk, a shapeshifting Alien who has been possessed by the power that is now inside Jean, The power has destroyed everything that is had come into contact with before finding a home in Jean. Vuk is after the power and after several fight scenes, we come to finale within the story. The fight scenes involve the X-Men turning on each other due to conflicting interests, the U.S government gets involved and ever further aliens.

We end up with a train crash, fight and showdown in the flames as Jean takes Vuk into space to end her life and herself after finding her own mind once more between all of the chaos. She releases all of the energy in a huge explosion that from Earth, looks like a Pheonix. In the aftermath, the school is named after her, Xavier has left and is seen playing a game of chess with Erik. As they look to the sky, a Pheonix appears.

I can see why huge fans of X-Men didn't like the way that these movies headed. There was so much negativity before the movie and this could have played a factor on the audience going in and expecting the worst and then the ability to criticise everything. I'm not saying this movie was good but it definitely wasn't a disaster. If we start with the acting, which is supposed to draw you into a movie and make a character likable, it was hard to come by. I didn't enjoy Sansa in Game of Thrones because she was so dry and robotic and I couldn't work out whether that was because of the writing in the TV show or the actress. After seeing this, I know that it's Sophie Turner that I'm not a fan of. It's not just down to her though, there didn't feel like one likable character in this instalment compared to the others. Everyone just seemed like they wanted to get it over with and end the story and that rubbed off on me too.
The movie did have some redeeming features though and these come down to the action. With the use of each different mutant, it means that the action was always involving different techniques and fights which could keep the scenes fresh at times. The final fight on the train was really good.

 It was a moment that kept me on the edge of my seat wondering who was going to come next and where it was going to end. This was the one scene that will stay with me from the movie, although it did end with absolute cheese.
As I have already mentioned, the other movies in this series are way way down on my list of priorities to rewatch and this can go straight into the list with its compatriots. For the very few good parts, there was so much worse that the movie was just all over the place, just like the others. To begin with, the movie was set 30 years after First Class yet everyone seemed exactly the same age and although some mutants have anti-aging, the cream the others must be using should be sold for millions. The musical score hand no gripping factor throughout the movie and fast become repetitive, along with the acting. This is one of the greatest stories in the X-Men comics and it fell flat on the big screen attempt. There is more chance of me saving money than investing in this movie and I'm shit at any sort of money investment.

When you love something, you shoot it in the face (Zombieland: Double Tap 2019)

250.
Zombieland 2: Double Tap

 

6.5/10

10 years on from the first installment of Zombieland and the old gang of Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin are back for a long-awaited sequel. I wasn't mad about the first one, it had its moments but I really didn't realise that there was such an outcry for the second. Maybe some of the storylines were left unfulfilled. From the trailer, we know that they are now experienced zombie killers, slow-motion action and a hint of comedy is going to set the pace for this one. Let's get down to it and hopefully, it won't leave us feeling like a zombie.

The gang starts off in the White House and after a proposal from Eisenberg's character to Stones, the girls decide to leave in the middle of the night, knowing that commitment may not be their thing. It isn't long until Stone's character is ditched by her younger sister after she meets a hippie who wants to take her to a sanctuary called Babylon. She works her way back to the gents with some apologises and needing their help to track her down. With the introduction of Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson and some odds and ends along the way, we finally make our way to Babylon, a place that doesn't allow guns but does love fireworks. Fireworks mean temptation and here come the zombies.

 A massive plan to kill them all ensues, with plenty of comedic moments and before we know it, the gang is off on their next adventure, with Dawson's character now a love interest for Harrelson's tagging along.
Definitely not just another zombie movie, this one does rely on the humour that is brought about through situational comedy and one-liners. The good factor here is that everyone actually has their own type of humour. Whether that be from the sarcasm of Harrelson, the bumbling geek humour from Eisenberg, the seriousness of Stone and with Breslin, along with some newcomers, we have some absolute airheads and stupidity. With the different types of characters, sometimes it is hard to gel them together but every once in a while, they compliment each other in the movies and this was one of those occasions.

Yes, the storyline can be a tad predictable but this one takes a notch up as they evolve the zombies, bring in the new locations and even bring in another team which all have the same kind of relationship as our gang. It is carried through by hoping that the audience turns to laughter, crude or not. This could also be construed as a bad thing. It's almost like asking the audience to laugh at the same characters again for the same reasons. Maybe it was a struggle for the past 10 years on wondering where to take this franchise and at times, it was pretty decent but it's no show stopper and I very much doubt we would get a third.

He knew every move of mine before I made it (Gemini Man 2019)

249.
Gemini Man

 

6.5/10
This movie went massively under the radar until around a week or two before I actually made it to the cinema for a watch. From what I could tell from the trailers, Will Smith was going to be an old hitman character, trying not to get killed by a newer version of himself. When I say a newer version, I don't just mean another hitman, I mean a younger version of himself thanks to plenty of CGI. There was going to be plenty of action, that's for sure but I was a little worried about one thing. I think I could figure out the ending before it even happened. This movie from Ang Lee will join a short list, including the Hulk and Life of Pi, which I have seen him direct. This has been a long time in the works, originally being picked up by Disney in the '90s but with the technology being terrible back then, it was dropped.
The storyline itself didn't stray too far from what I actually mentioned in the last paragraph. It was cool to see Will Smith as this retired hitman and how attentive he still was to his surroundings and changes in his life. His last kill turns out to be on an actual innocent scientist and after meeting with some informants and being listened to by the head of the DIA, GEMINI is ordered to find a way of dealing with Henry, Smith's character. A DIA agent who has been watching Henry, played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Henry's helper after he confirms that she isn't in on the plot to kill him. The movie follows them trying to free themselves from this situation until A young familiar face gets in on the act.

 A clone of Henry is set about on them with no remorse and just the mission in his mind. The head of GEMINI, played by Clive Owen has brought this clone up as his son and taught him everything but we can see this youngster slowly question his mission and by the end, which is the ending that I had guessed, he turns on his 'father' and spares Henry's life.

 This is all after they had paired up to take down another assailant in a motorcycle looking helmet, which turned out to be another clone. Clay, Owen's character, gives his last speech that these clones were created to save actual lives withing warfare and using the blood and skills of Henry was the perfect plan. The Junior lifts his gun up to end Clay but Henry stops him, taking on the role himself and saving Junior from actually taking anyone's life.

The movie ends in a little bit of a weird way with the three characters becoming some sort of family. Henry and Dani are an item and Junior, now calling himself Jackson Brogan after Henry's mother's maiden name, is attending college and the three walk off into the sunset together.
A very predictable movie from beginning to end and although it had some saving factors, it definitely will not be classed as one of the best movies of the year. You could see the movie's main ending come a mile away. This means that there is hardly any shock value from the movie at all as we already know from the trailers, that the young hitman is a clone of Will Smith's character. This leads us nicely onto the cast as Will Smith pretty much played Will Smith in an action movie. His older character is someone we have seen him play before but the younger version was interesting at least. From the confident older generation to a nervously social kid, who when needed, turned into an absolute machine. Clive Owen played the same character from the last movie I had seen him in. In Valerian, he was a grumpy power-mad leader with no remorse and once again, we get the same game.
The movie's good points have to be the action scenes. From different kinds of fight scenes, chase scenes which include rooftop running and vehicle chases and also enough explosions to keep Michael Bay happy, it was definitely something to keep you on the edge of your seat. During the motorbike and fight scenes between the two Smith characters, the CGI was actually quite awful. Junior's CGI'd face was terrible and I actually winced at some points with how bad it had gotten. I understand it must have been a hard thing to achieve but surely during editing, they could have escaped those scenes.
If you go into this movie just wanting some action, popcorn storyline and Will Smith then look no further. Don't go expecting a masterpiece, instead, just take it for what it is and enjoy it as a one time watch.

I won't be back (Terminator: Dark Fate 2019)

248.
Terminator: Dark Fate

 

6/10

 

A new installment to the faltering Terminator franchise. We had Rise of the Machines, we got some Salvation along with Genisys. Each one of those wasn't far from awful. Dark Fate is meant to make you forget all about them. This one takes place after Terminator 2: Judgement Day, bringing back Linda Hamilton as Sarah Corner, Arnie as the T-800 and introduces MacKenzie Davis as Grace, Natalia Reyes as Dani and Gabriel Luna as REV-9, the new type of Terminator.
The story, if looked into too much, actually follows a lot of the aspects of Terminator 2. This time we have Grace sent back to protect Dani, who in the future is the start of the resistance against the machines.

Grace is still human but has been installment with metal mesh inside to protect her, along with other enhancements. We follow the story of the two girls until they come into trouble and are saved by Sarah, because you know, GIRL POWER!

There is a lot of collateral damage in this movie, mainly involving Dani's family and there is only one person to help out, Carl! Know if you haven't seen this movie, you may be wondering who Carl is and due to the trailers, most of us may already know. At the beginning of the movie, it turns out that Sarah and John didn't stop the carnage. Another version of the Terminator played by Arnie kills John, which is supposed is a way of keeping the actor out of the movie considering he is now a criminal. This Terminator now has nothing to do and tries his hand at being human and growing some emotion. He has been sending Sarah coordinates from a secret number which gives her the locations of every Terminator coming through a portal. It's safe to say that Sarah is far from pleased to see him but he offers his services and in the end, his life in order to keep Dani safe. In the end, as Carl holds down this new Terminator, he takes the power core that was inside Grace and sacrifices himself, yelling out 'FOR JOHN', ending the conflict and given Sarah her closure.

The movie draws to a close with the three females across the road of a schoolyard, looking in on a young Grace. They don't want this future for her and Sarah promises to train Dani to be the leader that the resistance needs.
James Cameron was finally back on board for this movie and this got people really excited. Even I felt we would finally get back to winning ways with this movie. Unfortunately, in my opinion, that wasn't the case. There were a few things that worked, like changing the saviours to females, having the protector as a human with modifications or even the new kind of killer, which was a much better model, graphically and with villainy. I only need to use the example of the female villain in Rise of the Machines and how ridiculous that got at times. The whole story itself though felt exactly like Terminator 2. If you look into the full direction of it, we have someone sent back to protect the future once more, someone who becomes a leader and then we have Arnie back to protect when he was once the villain, giving us that conflict with Sarah once more. I felt exactly the same after I had watched the Force Awakens, as it wasn't far from an upgraded movie following the same story. This doesn't essentially make it a bad movie, it is just something that doesn't seem 100% fresh.

The cast did give a fair extent of themselves and I really liked Davis's character Grace, who got stuck in with the action scenes and become a young Sarah Connor in some ways as the two jostled a lot of the time. Gabriel Luna as the new Termination unit was the winner though. Even with the lack of lines, I really enjoyed the menacing character, which took me back to the villain in Terminator 2 but there it is again, that resemblance to both movies.
If you want action and some nostalgia from what the Terminator franchise was like back in the '80s/'90s then this is the movie for you. It is worth seeing the first two before watching this one, just in case the story becomes muddled, especially at the beginning. If you're a fan of the originals and hated what came afterward, it could well be worth staying clear, this may just make you that little bit angrier. 

Out there is the perfect lap. You see it? (Le Mans '66)

247.

Le Mans '66 

 

9/10

 

It had been months since I'd seen a Screen Unseen with Odeon and it could well be because they had slowed down presenting them. I had looked from time to time to book. As per usual I didn't really take notice of the clues that Odeon had given out on Twitter and instead, binged on them the morning before the showing. A lot of followers were saying Le Mans '66, which I would have been surprised about with it being such a mainstream movie and being well advertised. It was definitely one that was on my list for the remaining movies of the year and to my surprise and joy, I was about to see it a couple of weeks before everyone else.

The movie follows the true story of Ford going up against Ferrari in the Le Mans 24 hours race. They must overcome a lot of interference from the 'big-wigs' up top in order to get the best result. With front runners in the movie like Matt Damon and Christian Bale, you knew that it had the potential to be impressive. Damon played Carroll Shelby, who some may recognise the last name, as Bale plays Ken Miles, the drive and hothead of the movie. There are a couple of recognizable faces but no-one who stands out in a way that this duo does. We get the chance to drop into the personal lives of these men as Shelby has to give up racing as his nerve goes and Miles is struggling for money as his garage gets repossessed by the bank. Each sees an opportunity in each other as Miles is racing on his days off and easily winning as Ford drafts in Shelby to create a car to run in the race, in order to raise the profile of Ford into something more than just a boring car.

 

The two finally design a car and complete it in a less than conventional way that the company wanted to follow and one of the members of the board isn't too happy about this and we know that he is going to be a pain throughout. He's the guy who calls the shot on the driver and doesn't want Miles behind the wheel during the race. They bring in their own guys and the race does not go to plan. Miles listens to it from the garage and knows exactly where things are going wrong. Back to the drawing board, Shelby is given full authority from the top and puts Miles behind the wheel, without consulting the fella who had stopped him before.

We get to the race and Miles is doing great, lead switching between himself and Ferrari and holding his nerve until the Ferrari finally crashes out. He is easing to victory and pulls in for his rest and switch of the driver. During this time, Shelby is told by the arsehole that a call has come from the top, the want the 3 cars from Ford to cross the finish line at the same time. He tells Miles and leaves it up to him what he wants to do and Shelby will not stand in his way. Miles knows that this is a dream of his, with his family watching on at home, but he also knows that this is a big deal for Shelby. Without Shelby, he wouldn't have had this chance and wouldn't have had this money. Slow down he does and they all cross the line together, getting out, the press rush over to the team and the winner, only the winner isn't Miles, it's a teammate of his that started a few cars back in the beginning and because that means he traveled the furthest distance, he actually won the race. The guy from up top knew this and completely swindled Miles out of the podium spot. To be fair, Miles takes this reasonably well and is ready to get home, relax and then prepare for next year.

 Unfortunately, there isn't going to be the next year. In the team's first few practice sessions in the desert, Miles' car comes off the track and crashes, killing him instantly. The movie draws to a close with Shelby struggling to overcome the loss of his best friend and sitting outside Miles' house, too scared to speak to his wife. Some words after the screen turn black tells us that Ken was actually introduced into the Hall of Fame and damn right he should have been too.

If your're a fan of the movie Rush, I implore you to watch this one. In my opinion, it's on the same level. A true story within car racing that truly gets the heart pumping, whether you're a fan of the sport in your own life or not. Again, as with any true story, not much could really be changed, not that I know the ins and outs of everything but knowing that this is a true story, roped me in even more. The one major part of the story that got my blood boiling was the final lap of the race and Miles being swindled out of first place due to a technicality. The only closer I can get to my anger was the end of A Star is Born, as the agent led Cooper's character to suicide with his words. The rest of the story was enthralling none-the-less and with the unexpected turn at the end, without knowing the story, it was hard to see it coming.
Bale and Damon bounced off each other like something I haven't seen in a long time. One was the brains with the other the Braun, in a car racing sense of the phrase. I'm not sure that one would have been able to exist in this world without the other in their ear. This was shown as although there was a little bust-up and the two could carry and argument within a scene, when the time came for sympathy, once again both of the excelled. Every other character was nothing more than a side story, other than the main executive who was far from fond of Miles' role within the team. This gave us someone to hate, that's for sure.
I really enjoyed this movie and the fact that I got to see it earlier than I had planned was even sweeter. It felt far from the run time of 152 minutes and that is down to the action-packed race scenes that were littered throughout. They were really well filmed, between the near misses and the crashes, the CGI involved mixed with the live-action in a coherent style. Both main actors have been in multiple movies that I have liked, with one being my favourite Batman along the way. This has easily become a movie on the list that I will want to see again.

When you bring me out, can you introduce me as Joker? (Joker 2019)

246.

Joker

 

10/10

This has got to be one of the most anticipated DC films since the Nolan trilogy. There was so much attention to this movie and a lot of it was very mixed. Through the circles on social media, many people were simply disregarding this movie down to the fact that they had no confidence in the director and writer Todd Phillips. No, this guy produced such things as A Star is Born and The Hangover and has directed some decent comedies but for some reason, no-one wanted to give him the chance with this one. I'm a massive DC and Batman fan and to see an origin story of Batman's greatest nemesis is high on my radar. The trailers only emphasised this need and after America got this movie first, the impressions seemed to be great ones. Joaquin Pheonix plays Arthur Fleck, who later becomes the Joker and even during the trailers, you simply knew he was going to put on a performance.
The story is truly brilliant. We see this gent Arthur, completely down on his luck and struggling. He works as a clown, advertising where he is needed and even gets attacked in his workplace.

 Slowly but surely, we see pieces of this character break away until there is not much left. He lives with his slightly deluded mother, who believes that Bruce Wayne is Arthur's father, as Arthur himself is fantasising that he is on the Murray Franklin show, a well know talk show. Murray is one of the other two cast members that I recognise. Played by Robert De Niro, I had no idea he was in this movie.
As the movie progresses, Arthur gets his hands on a gun and once a few rich boys start to cause trouble on a train, he shoots them, killing them in cold blood and doesn't even bat an eyelid. He's becoming very unhinged whilst in his make-up but as strangely normal as he can be, without it. He is trying to find more work, meeting with his council worker and even trying some stand-up comedy. He's met a girl from across the hall, who at first he was stalking but finally plucked up the courage with his new demeanor, to have a chat with her. She is the third cast member that I recognise. Played by Zazie Beetz, she also plays Domino in Deadpool 2. Telling a lie, there are a few side characters that I recognise from small roles in movies and TV shows.

We see Arthur slip further and further into madness as he loses his mother, kills his one-time friend and finally getting exposed by the cops. He even starts to lead a revolt, which he had not intended. He is now a figurehead for the unprivileged against the rich. There are riots on the street but the Arthur Fleck side has finally made it onto the Murray show. His stand-up was filmed and bombed. They make fun of him on the show but because of the reaction, they actually want him to come on and find out a bit more about the man behind the video. Before this comes to fruition, we are about to see what has been going on recently. As Arthur confronts Thomas Wayne in a toilet, he finds out that his mother was crazy. He then heads to the asylum, famous in the Batman universe for harboring the major criminals, to find his mother's file. Walking home in the rain, he enters the girl's flat that we have seen him in a relationship with. This time it's very different. She recognises him but just as the guy from down the hall. We then flash through many a scene that we had seen these two together, just to see that Arthur was always alone. He leaves the flat and gets ready for his big appearance. As the show comes about, he asked to get introduced as the Joker, finally bringing about the character in front of the camera. He confronts Murray for making fun of him, confronts the rich for stepping over the little guy and ends up blowing Murray's brains over the wall in one of the most shocking moments of the movie. It really took me by surprise. From there, he is arrested but only for a brief time. The riots are now taking over after the live killing and clowns are everywhere. An ambulance crashing into the cop car holding the Joker and once the other clowns recognise who is in the back, they lift him above their heads, lay him down and wait for him to recover until he stands above them, raising his arms as the screen fades to black.

After finally getting to see this movie a second time, it can give me enough ammunition to keep typing for hours. I won't thankfully but I cannot express enough, how highly I expect everyone to attempt to see this movie. The storyline was quite genius. Watching Arthur fall apart piece by piece only meant that his alter-ego gained more confidence and flowed into his life effortlessly. I was so entertained with this taking place and wondering when he would be completely unhinged, that I have to admit I did not see the twist coming that he was never actually with the girl. Side characters were really only in place to add to the breakdown of Arthur, as his mother the liar, Thomas Wayne puts him in his place and even Murray bringing to the show. De Niro is worth a mention as a quick change from a happy show host to an assertive rich civilian and with his back and forth with Arthur, he seemed to put Joker on the backfoot, but not for long. This can lead us nicely onto Pheonix's job of playing Arthur Fleck. To know that he was left with some freedom to develop the character in his own way, go a little off-script and let loose on interpretation has really made this character something much more. The dancing scene with the gun was never meant to happen and it has turned something good truly into something great. He was going through so many emotions from a bumbling nervous wreck to turning into the Joker and becoming a confidence swelling killer.
The rest of the story was clever and got me thinking. We are introduced to Bruce Wayne, a very young Batman and as the movie ends with the clowns taking over and one clown killing the Waynes in front of Bruce in that famous alley, we are wondering whether this is Joe Cool or are we going another way? With the age difference between the Joker and Bruce Wayne, could this really be the Joker or will someone come later and take up the mantle from Arthur? We could well find out because this DC movie has really kick-started something.

The movie itself was very dark because of the storyline that it follows. We have always known Gotham as a crime-ridden city, trashed and being home to some dodgy characters and this was the case once again. The brightest scenes in the movie seem to be as Joker is taking over as a character. Arkham Asylum, which is usually the worst place in Gotham and the TV show moment were far from being shown in the dark, unlike the stand-up comedy moment and Arthur being himself at home. As for the music, this again intensifies as Arthur changes, starting with a slow instrumental but as he changes, so does the tempo. When it comes to the staircase scene and although there were plenty of complaints about the artist whose song they used, I bloody loved it.
There's part of me that really wants to see what comes next and how far they will take this character but there is also a call for it to be nothing more than a stand-alone movie. There is always a worry that a sequel could never live up to the success of the first but it's going to be the risk that the company will take now that the movie itself has made so much money. The critics of Todd Phillips will now have to crawl back under their rocks because this bad boy is one of, if not the best, movie of the year.