Blue Jasmine!!!!

Blue Jasmine.

Now I'll admit I'm not a massive Woody Allen film fan, in fact this would be my first Allen film I have seen and it's on a big screen. With this in mind I will review the film as I see it as a stand alone film with no bells and whistles reverting back to Allen's past films as I have no knowledge on that at all. 

Landing in San Fransisco we first see Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) get off her plane from New York to go and live with her less fortunate sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) in her cramped flat. Learning about how Jasmine has gone from riches to rags in a matter of months you see how her husband Hal (Alec Baldwin) had done some dodgy business deals and had taken alot of peoples money.

Now for Jasmine life is hard as she tries to work out what she can do in life, interior design is one idea and she decides to go back to school to learn how to use a computer. With flashbacks to her previous life with Hal you see Jasmine is a more materialistic person who has everything she could ever ask for, jewellery, clothes, expensive cars, grand dinners and lots of money. 

With the tension rising between the two sisters they argue about how different their lives were and how similar there lives are now. For Jasmine it is hard as she has to adjust to a different way of living from now on and has to learn to compromise and take what is necessary to survive even if be it working reception at a dentist office. Both sisters go through the motions with finding love and happiness and always seem to be the ones who lose everything.

The comedy comes through in little one liners, from Jasmine "can you not shout my prozac hasn't kicked in yet" just little quips that make you chuckle. Jasmine's sheer stupidity as well is interesting to see as she had everything but did nothing but now she has nothing and has to do everything for herself again. 

For me it is a great short funny comedy which showcases what can happen in life when you have it all it can all be taken away in a heartbeat. I have to say this has to be Blanchett's career defining performance as she plays Jasmine perfectly, she laughs, she worries and she cries and you feel every single emotion with her. Considering this was my first ever full Allen film and at the cinema it was really enjoyable and no doubt I will no go educate myself and watch Annie Hall and Manhattan to see what the hypes about. 

But do believe the hype of this film as it is a great situation comedy with some really strong performances especially from Blanchett. For any Woody Allen film fans you will absolutely love this film as I know I did.

8/10.

Prisoners!!!!

Prisoners.

A film that took me by surprise this year is Prisoners mainly for the fact it was certainly under the radar and not particularly hyped up by any film or online websites. It certainly is a film that has everything you want from the style of abduction and search film that this is and it has everything and more to keep you hooked. 

Set in the state of Pennsylvania the film sets the scene in a quiet suburbia where two family's are enjoying each others company with two little girls running around outside with their siblings. As the two girls decide to go back home to look for a whistle they set off on their own and soon enough you don't see them again. 

As the film moves along you see the two fathers Keller (Hugh Jackman) and Franklin (Terrence Howard) frantically search for their daughters. A young mentally challenged drifter Alex (Paul Dano) is arrested in his mobile home which was spotted on the street the girls were playing on, searched and forensically checked his mobile home comes out clean and he is released with no charge. Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) is soon put on the case, a detective that has solved every single case that he's been given. Soon enough Keller see's that Loki isn't doing enough and decides to take actions into his own hands. 

With a storyline that twists and turns it keeps you hooked all the way through the film which I was surprised at. Covering all the characters back story's we see the very American Keller who is a hard working joiner and hunter who stockpiles food for emergency's he's a true hearted American. Franklin is a more reserved straight down the line family man who rarely strays from the path of good. Alex is a loner, mentally challenged young man who is just in the wrong place at the wrong time, he is a victim of circumstance. 

Jackman is intense and at times really scary as he comes across as a desperate man who will do anything to get his little girl back. He is a strange character as you side with him at first then you turn on him and then you side with him again it's very back and forth with him. Dano plays the vulnerable Alex well even though he doesn't have many lines he physically shows the lost character.

For a film that I wasn't too sure of to start with I have to say I was hooked and drawn in, I sided with characters throughout the film, I wished things to happen to characters and I still didn't figure out the ending. It takes a good strong twisting and turning story for me to not work out the ending of the film but it got me I couldn't work it out. A really impressive film that is really dark at times and shows the lengths people will go to to find their kidnapped loved ones. 

9/10.

Rush!!!!

Rush.

It has to be said when you see the name Ron Howard attached to a film as it's director you know that your going to be onto a great film. A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, Apollo 13 and The Da vinci Code are just the main film successes that Howard has had over his career in movies. He always manages to bring a true life story to the screen in a respectful yet thrilling and informative way and get you truly hooked at the same time. 

Rush sees the true life story of rivalry between Britain's James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austria's Nicki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) during the 1976 Forumula One season. Starting off with the backstory of both drivers we see Hunt rise up through the ranks of formula three, two and then gain sponsorship into formula one. Lauda on the other hand starts in formula three and then eventually uses his money to buy himself into the BRM formula one team driving alongside Clay Regazzoni (Pierfrancesco Favino). 

Showing the backwards and forwards rivalry between the two drivers is shown on screen, Hunt being the wild party going guy who had everything to prove. Then Lauda who kept everything serious, was very guarded and worked hard and had nothing to prove to no-one. Then on one fateful day everything was to change, for Lauda especially. At the famous German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring Lauda was to try and reason with the other drivers about the bad weather conditions but Hunt convinced the drivers to drive stating Lauda was doing it to win points and the championship.

What was to happen next was to shock everyone, with the changing of tires on the second lap Lauda's suspension arm was to break causing the car to crash into the barrier and burst into flames before being hit by other cars. Lauda was airlifted to hospital and was to be treated for third degree burns to his face and toxic fumes in his lungs. As Lauda lay in bed in agony and has his lungs pumped of the toxic chemicals he watches a TV and sees James Hunt win race after race and is determined to get back into the car and finish the season. 

The film is seriously impressive as you see the rivalry between the two rise and rise it keeps you hooked as to what happens next. Obviously what happened to Lauda was awful and truly shocking but to get back up and have that courage and strength shows that the human body and spirit can endure and be strong again. Touching upon not only professional but personal relationships of the drivers is a nice little touch as well and gives the film that human soft love element you wouldn't see on the track from the men. 

From the cinematography of Anthony Dod Mantle of wheels spinning in slow motion to Hans Zimmer's amazing soundtrack to keep that tension high everyone involved has produced a great film. A film that is intense and thrilling yet is so respectful of the subject matter at hand. Hemsworth and Bruhl play Hunt and Lauda perfectly and you can really feel the intensity on screen.

The last scene for me showing up to date footage of Lauda looking onto a racetrack speaking about how Hunt was one of a few men he truly respected and felt sad when he heard of Hunt's death at the young age of 45. To me this shows Howard had that respect and heart to finish the film perfectly and maybe for people inside and outside the Formula One world hear what Lauda truly thought of Hunt.

Yet another massive hit for Ron Howard and a film to stand the test of time that no doubt people will talk about for years after and in my eyes a film set to take all the awards come Oscar and BAFTA weekends.

10/10.

White House Down!!!!

White House Down.

Before you start thinking "wait I've already seen a white house siege film this year" and you would be right. Gerard Butler's film 'Olympus Has Fallen' was released this year and had a slightly same running theme as this film but they are different in certain ways. 

I could go through the whole storyline of the film but from what the trailers have shown you have already seen what the main storyline theme of the film is. As John Cale (Channing Tatum) is a U.S Capitol Police Officer he works constantly and never gets the chance to have some quality time with his teenage daughter Emily (Joey King). As John gets two tickets for a tour of the white house for his politics mad daughter he combines the visit for a Secret Service job interview with an old college acquittance Carol Finnerty (Maggie Gyllenhaal).

With father and daughter seperated and the White House under attack from the inside the safety of the President James Sawyer (Jamie Foxx). As John is caught up in all the drama he decides to take matters into his own hands, vows to save his daughter, save the president and stop the terrorists who have taken over the White House. 

The storyline doesn't particularly deviate too much from this plot line, the odd few generic twist and turns that you could easily work out take place. Seeing a scene at the start showing head of the Presidential detail Martin Walker (James Woods) taking off his US flag pin badge from his lapel on his jacket clearly gives away straight away who is going to be behind the attack. Some scenes do escalate and at times you think "really oh so it's getting that ridiculous".

Tatum as the hulking hero fits into the film perfectly as he jumps, fights and shoots his way through the White House and looking unscathed at times. Foxx plays a more stupid, naive yet verbally articulate and at times geeky president which can come off as a homage to Barack Obama. 

A film with plenty of action yet the storyline is to be desired at times, if your after non stop action with clichéd plot twists that you could easily work out and don't need to think much about it then you'll enjoy this. An entertaining yet predictable film that brings the action, explosions and interesting storyline. 

5/10.