John Wick: Chapter 2

Keanu Reeves is back with a bang and kicking ass in this action sequal, where he plays a super assassin. It has more fight scenes, more explosions and more hit men than its predecessor where we saw John Wick take vengence on some thugs that murdered his dog.

This chapter follows on directly from the previous film as we see John Wick’s plan to retire cut short (again) when an Italian gangster shows up on his doorstep demanding he repay a debt to him.

My husband and I both loved the first film, it was definitely one of our favourite action movies to date and this follow up didn’t dissapoint. I’m also pretty sure than John Wick managed to kill hundreds of people in this chapter, pretty unrealistic but awesome none the less.

I personally think that the latest James Bond films should take a few notes from John Wick. Mr Wick rocks a black suit, he knows a range of different fighting styles and is unstoppable with a gun. It’s also nice that although he’s an assassin, he follows the code of the secret assassin society The Continental, which is why he must repay the debt he owes.

Whilst this film is a great and some what gorey action movie it still pulled at our heart strings. I just wish these guys would give John a break and let him retire and live the quiet life with his new dog like he so desperately wants. He lost the love of his life and now he’s having his house blown up and his life threatend by the worlds best assassins.

I was worried that this sequel wouldn’t live up to the first film, but in many ways it was even better. The only thing I didn’t entirely get was Ruby Rose’s character, we already had a bad guy in the form of an Italian gangster and she was sort of his body guard in some ways, I don’t think she really added anything to do the film except I suppose for some good girl power but still it seemed a bit random.

This is the perfect movie for every action fan and the ending leaves it open to a third film, which I hope will show John Wick working with other people rather than just on his own, maybe chucking in a new relationship so he can move on from the loss of his wife.

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

P.s can I just add that Keanu Reeves is in his 50’s – how mad is that? He’s still got it!

8/10.

Fifty Shades Darker

Based on the massively popular Fifty Shades books, the second film in this saga follows a wounded Christian Grey as he fights to get back the new woman in his life, Anastasia Steele.

As the two try to build back a relationship they face some bizarre trials, but they still manage to have a ton of sex.

I’ve never been much of a prude but some of these sex scenes, specifically one including some ‘silver balls’ were a little bit cringey. But there were some goofy laugh out loud moments and it stuck to the books storyline really well.

My main concern with this film is how it scathes over some of the troubling people they face from Christian’s past. They’re sort of like the villians of a movie, but instead of us getting to know one villian well and watching them battle the problem, they have three ‘villians’. Because there’s so much going on in this movie and so many past relationships to face it kind of brushes over them a bit too quick – basically this movie has some structural issues.

One thing I can’t complain about is a bit of topless Jamie Dornan, who does a great job at putting on an American accent and looking brilliant in a suit as well as out of one.

It’s a bit cringey at times but it’s worth a watch, it exceeded its predecessor in some ways but in many ways could have been better.

Loved the film sets and fancy costumes/ face masks also, Dakota Johnson looked amazing in her long silver dress and face mask in the masquerade scene.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to seeing how they’ll round off this saga in the final movie.

6/10.

Coming soon….

Just wanted to give you all a heads up about what I have in the pipe line…..

Firstly, as I’m sure you’re all aware, 50 Shades Darker is currently out at the cinema so I will be watching that on Valentines Day (how stereotypical of me, I know) and reviewing it soon.

Also, there are new Reign episodes on Netflix, I’ve just watched the first episode of season 4 and it’s great – so get on that.

I wanted to get started on a new series so I’m trying out the superhero series that is Flash, once I’m all caught up I’ll let you know my thoughts on that too.

So stay tuned and hope you all have a lovely Valentines Day – sending my love.

Sing

An animated Koala who runs what was once a grand and bustling theater is faced with difficult times as it slowly comes to a crashing end. Ever the passionate business man (or Koala should I say?), Mr Moon creates a singing competition to gather the masses back to his theater.

Throughout this film it touches on many adult themes and problems that we face on a daily basis, including a mother who feels like she is unappreciated, a son who is forced into the family business and a young girl (or elephant in this case) who suffers with anxiety and stage freight.

This cute comedy follows the story of several animals who are working to conquer their fears whilst dreaming big and covering some hit songs. Although it often feels like a bit of pop music over load, it still made me want to get up and dance, and clearly I wasn’t the only one as a young boy was continuously trying to stand on his chair and dance along – much to his families displeasure.

Sing has a great star filled cast, with the voices of Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, Matthew McConaughey and others making their presence known.

This talking animal film is a great one for the family, even one that parents can enjoy without being driven too mad trying to keep their kids entertained. Although if you don’t like singing competitions and pop music perhaps this isn’t for you.

It’s energetic, it has a great message for kids and adults alike, and it had me laughing out loud at some moments.

So if you need something to do to keep your kids entertained one Saturday afternoon I would highly recommend this. Admittedly I went to see this with another adult and no children, it was pleasant and made me feel good but not one I’d be making an effort to see again unless my small nephew demanded we watch it.

7/10.

Teen Wolf

Teen Wolf is based on the story of a rather awkward high school teenager who is attacked by a werewolf whilst walking in the woods one night. The werewolf curse makes him stronger, more confident and brilliant at sport – gaining him popularity and girls, but Scott McCall soon learns that it’s not all fun and games as he has to fight other supernatural creatures to keep the people in his town safe.

I chose to start watching this series on Netflix one evening when I had nothing else to watch, thinking it wouldn’t be my cup of tea and that I’d watch one and get bored – that was not the case. I became hooked and watched the first three seasons in an incredibly short amount of time and became glued to the sofa.

The werewolf faces/ makeup seems a little cheesy at times but the overall special effects weren’t too bad and the acting is brilliant in my opinion.

Stiles, who is Scott McCall’s best friend (played by Dylan O’Brien), is hilarious and witty and the goofy but loyal best friend that anyone could hope for, especially when faced with confronting supernatural creatures you never even thought could exist.

What’s is great about this series is that it doesn’t follow your typical supernatural storyline, there are no vampires and fairies, but there are unusual creatures like the Ghost Riders and the Dread Doctors, which are fantasticly well inserted into the show.

The only bad thing I really have to say is that I was disapointed by how the last season ends, I wanted more details about how Scott and Stiles’ life turns out as they head off to college and I hoped to see the return of Scott’s fox/ ninja girlfriend (you’ll get that reference if you’ve watched it) – but I guess that is just me wanting more of a great thing.

I could easily rewatch this entire show, it’s brilliant and captivating and so easy to get stuck into – there’s plenty of attractive actors to enjoy in this series too so if anything it’s worth a try for that at least.

8.5/10.

 

Z: The Beginning of Everything

This new Amazon Prime TV series has all the gin, jazz and debauchery that you would expect from the 1920’s. We finally get to hear more of the story about the famous Fitzgerald couple, more so from the prospective of Zelda Fitzgerald rather than her husband.

Zelda was known in history as being a fiery, unique woman who refused to be portrayed as inferior to men. This series managed to dipict that perfectly, as Zelda continuously broke societies rules. However, she was disapointingly still at the mercy of her husband as he handled their money and stole some of her written ideas to become a successful author, he cheated and she forgave him, he drank and offended her family but Zelda continued to stand by him – not exactly how I wanted her to be in my mind, butit probably wasn’t a surprise from that era.

Zelda and F.Scott Fitzgerald were such a famous and iconic couple during the time of the flapper culture, the actors managed to portray this fantastically and were dedicated to their roles.

The costumes and backdrops were stunning and dipicted a romantic and inspiring image of the 1920’s.

Z has a lot to offer as a series, it’s so easy to watch and I have always loved a good period drama.  The story of the famous duo isn’t a happy one though, as you may know Scott died at age 44 and Zelda died in a fire at a mental hospital she was a patient at. They had quite the dramatic life, which is why the producers wouldn’t have had a problem creating content for this series. Like the lives of this couple, this series is both magical and brave yet devastating.

Worth a watch.

7/10.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage

In this third explosive film of the xXx franchise we experience the return of ‘bad boy’ government operative Xander Cage (Vin Diesel). Cage, along with his crew of misfits, race to find a weapon called Pandora’s Box.

Like the previous two films, this sequel is full of stunts, explosions and half naked women. The stunts, as predicted, were ridiculous, impossible and over the top. But it can be hard not to always enjoy a series like this, sort of like a guilty pleasure where you can laugh at the exaggerated stunts and awkward puns but still wish it was really possible to jump from a great height and land amongsts the trees on your ski’s.

This film reminded me of the Fast and Furious franchise but without the cars. I’m not sure Vin Diesel has ever been able to play a serious character, but I still can’t help but go and watch his movies at the cinema so he must be doing something right.

My first thought after watching Return of Xander Cage was that the producers had asked a 9 year old boy what he wanted in a movie and they made it come true.

This movie also manages to not so subtly objectify women, with the lead ladies in very tight fitting small outfits who need saving in the end by Vin Diesel and his bulging muscles…. he also randomly has a large orgy at one point (I think there was about 10 women throwing themselves at Xander at one time for no reason at all).

Anyway, despite this films many flaws, including it’s not so strong storyline and poor villain(s), it gave me some entertainment and a bit of a laugh, so if there’s nothing else on then perhaps go and give it a go.

3/10.

 

Split

Split is based on a character called Kevin (played by James McAvoy) who has 23 personalities within his body. These personalities range from hilarious to disturbing, as one of his personalities wills him to abduct three teenage girls.

His psychiatrist is submerged in his mental state and continues to battle to understand his personalities and to raise awareness of his condition.

This movie starts on quite a dark basis as Kevin abducts the three young girls, but it does develop into some laugh out loud moments as he goes into the personality of a nine year old boy and sometimes that of a fashion designer, amongst others.

There are plenty of twists in this movie, touching on trauma and fate. This is one of James McAvoy’s best ever performances as he managed to portray each personality perfectly and jump in and out of each character very smoothly. I wonder whether he got 23 times his normal wage for playing so many characters…..

There are some hints at the supernatural playing a role in this movie, which provides a big finale.

Although I’m not usually a big fan of thrillers I did really enjoy this movie, however, it’s not for the faint hearted as it can get a little gruesome at some points. I’d like to add that I do enjoy a film that leaves me with questions at the end and one that makes me want to discuss it in detail with others, which this did for me.

I’d give it an 8/10.

 

Keep an eye out

In the next few weeks I have plans to see several movies at the cinema, these include the highly anticipated Split, the animated movie Sing and xXx Return of Xander Cage.

So be sure to keep an eye out for my reviews of each of these movies, which will be coming soon.

I’m very excited to see Split especially as I’m a big fan of James McAvoy, however this does look like it’s going into the region of horror film territory and I’m a massive wimp, but never the less the trailer looks really interesting and I can’t wait to see if it lives up to the hype.

Stay tuned….

Much love,

Emma

Sherlock: The Final Problem

Caution: this blog post will contain spoilers so don’t say I didn’t warn you if you haven’t already watched it.

The things I have loved about Sherlock throughout all of its series is: Benedict Cumberbatch, Moriarty, the complex story lines, John and Sherlock’s relationship and the riddles. I also love how it’s often quite outrageous with its story lines, but I wonder whether it went a bit too far in this last season, I know some critics certainly think so.

I mean Sherlock had a secret sister, who’s crazy to say the least, but oh wait he also had a secret brother too and Sherlock reprogrammed his own brain to forget about them because of the loss he suffered – eh?

However this series still managed to be a roller coaster ride and I think the second episode was actually one of my favourites – second to the one where Sherlock faked his own death. Sherlock’s flat in Baker Street is blown up, his sister worked with criminal mastermind Moriarty to mess with Sherlock, he had to work quickly to solve puzzles to save many lives and break into a mental asylum.

I am glad we got to see bits of Moriarty from ‘beyond the grave’, however he was my favourite villain and even Sherlock’s evil mastermind sister couldn’t top him for me.

This emotional script provided plenty of laughs as usual and excitement, still leaving us with many questions, as each episode has always managed too. For example did Sherlock’s sister brainwash Moriarty or did Moriarty get Sherlock’s sister on his side first? blah blah blah.

They had a fantastic little montage ending of John and Sherlock at the end as they leave this episode wiser and stronger in their friendship, ready to solve crimes and continue writing blogs about it. If this was the last ever episode it had a lovely sign off, but I hope it’s not as I can’t get enough of Benedict Cumberbatch as Sherlock Holmes.

If you don’t understand what I’m on about and you’ve not watched this series yet, you must!