Avengers: Age of Ultron

"A new age begins"

The movie we've all been waiting for is here! Avengers: Age of Ultron! This review is a bit late, because of my IGCSE exams and stuff like that. But worry not! I'll do good in those. Right now, what matters is Avengers: Age of Ultron! (I really like saying that!)

When Tony Stark and Bruce Banner create a sentient being in the form of Ultron (basically artificial intelligence) as a world peacekeeping force, anyone could predict that things would go awry. Ultron must be stopped from enacting his terrible plans, which involve killing everyone on the planet. The team must reassemble to combat the newest threat to the safety of the planet. Along the way, they meet two mysterious but powerful heroes: Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch!

The first Avengers movie released way back in 2012. For three years I waited. And that wait was not in vain, for Age of Ultron was the finest superhero movie I have ever watched! It is the sequel we've all been waiting for. The film's plot was intriguing and gripping, leaving me at the edge of my seat, waiting for more. The acting was remarkable, with everyone giving solid performances. Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen were impressive too! There was a balanced mixture of humor and seriousness in the movie, especially with RDJ and James Spader, who played Ultron. The action scenes and CGI were top-notch. One thing I realized was that the final fight against Ultron was not in the USA, but in an Eastern European country; a major change! What I liked was that Hawkeye was more focused on, and his one-liners were hilarious! The villains just get better and better! First Loki and now Ultron! Second only to the one and only Darth Vader. I wonder what'll happen next in 'Civil War' and 'Infinity War'!

• Genres- Action, sci-fi, fantasy, superhero
• Director- Joss Whedon 
• Producer- Kevin Feige
• Starring- Robert Downey Junior, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, James Spader, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson, Stellan Skarsård, Claudia Kim and Andy Serkis (Phew!)

My rating

10/10

Picture from- http://i1.wp.com/www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/Avengers-Age-of-Ultron-Poster.jpg

Video from- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmeOjFno6Do

Stay tuned for Jurassic World!

Furious 7

"Vengeance hits home"

I know what y'all are thinking: He said that he was going offline until June. What's he doing online? Well, the answer is: Furious 7. I just couldn't miss it! This is the first movie I watched from the list of movies I was excited to watch. Unfortunately, this was the last time we see Paul Walker up on the big screen. The next movie won't be the same without him.

The crew thought it was all over after removing Owen Shaw from the picture. But when Deckard Shaw begins killing members of the crew to avenge his dead brother, Dominic and his team get embroiled in another kill-or-be-killed situation. Forced to obtain a shady computer program for the US government, and stopping Shaw at the same time, Toretto and his team have no choice but to jump back into the world they thought they had finally escaped from. 

I must say, this was the best movie so far in the series. Since Paul Walker died while filming was still on, they used CGI to incorporate him into a few scenes. It was flawless; I couldn't even make out which scenes were filmed with CGI and which ones with Walker himself. It was an emotional send-off for Paul, with a montage of him from the first six movies, finishing with to words, 'For Paul'. 

The stunts were crazy, especially when they drive out of a plane! I didn't know that they actually drove the cars out of plane during filming, instead of using animation and special effects. Paul Walker was unforgettable, and his amazing final performance was aided by brilliant acting from Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez. Introducing Jason Statham was one of the best ideas anyone could have had for the movie. He was, in one word, epic. Nobody else could have played Deckard Shaw as well as he did. The movie was also humorous due to the duo of Tyrese Gibson and Chris Bridges, with their badass one-liners and jokes! James Wan, the director, is better known for his horror movies. His use of different camera angles throughout the film was smart. If you are looking for high-octane action, crazy stunts and rapid car-chases, this movie is for you. So far, the best movie in the series so far. 

• Genre- Action, adventure, crime, comedy (a little bit)
• Director- James Wan
• Producers- Vin Diesel and Neal H Moritz
• Starring- Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges and Kurt Russell

My rating

9/10

Picture from- http://blogs-images.forbes.com/markhughes/files/2015/04/Furious-7.jpg

Video from- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yISKeT6sDOg

Stay tuned for Avengers: Age of Ultron!

There's going to be a brief hiatus...

I'm afraid that I'm going to have to go offline until the end of June. My IGCSE exams will be going on and I need to revise. So, unfortunately, I won't be able to watch movies and review them. I've already missed Project Almanac... Anyways, I'll be back as soon as possible!

Some of you may have noticed a new FlagCounter widget on the right. For those of you who don't know what it is, it is simply a widget that counts the number of people from each country who visited my blog. It's not working for some reason...

See you guys in June!!

Trash

"You never know what you might find"

The first movie of 2015 for me! Trash was a gem. A bright, shining gem. For those of you who have no idea what I'm talking about, Trash is the name of a British-Brazilian film set in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. We follow three boys who find a wallet in the junkyards of Rio and uncover a secret that makes the streets a dangerous place be.

When Raphael and Gardo find a wallet containing a collection of items, they have no idea that their lives are going to change forever. Little do they know that the wallet belongs to an activist who the police are after. After enlisting their friend Rato for help, they find out that even the police will not help them. What follows is a fascinating journey full of action, humour and emotions through the slums of Rio.

Let me say that when I walked into the cinema, my expectations were't high. In fact, the only reason that I went to watch the movie was because I had two spare hours and nothing else to do at home. And I was impressed. The movie had everything- action, suspense, comedy and emotions. I loved it. The acting was great. Some of the best from child artists. Those three boys didn't let me down one bit. I also liked the way Brazil was portrayed. It seemed like the real Brazil, not like the Brazil you read about in books. This movie sends out a clear message. you never know what you'll find. It was a simple movie, but great all the same. A great start to 2015!

• Genre- Crime, drama and comedy
• Director- Stephen Daldry
• Producers- Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan and Kris Thykier
• Starring- Rickson Tevez, Eduardo Luis, Gabriel Weinstein, Rooney Mara, Martin Sheen, Wagner Moura and Selton Mello

My rating

4/5

My Top Movies of 2014

And so we bid adieu to another eventful year. Goodbye 2014! Now, I thought this would be the best time to list my top movies of this eventful year. And, while we're at it, why not list my worst movies of the year and the movies I'm eagerly awaiting next year? Let's get to it!

My Top Movies for 2014
1. Interstellar
2. Guardians of the Galaxy
3. The Hundred-Foot Journey
4. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

My Worst Movies for 2014
(You DO NOT want to be on this list)
1. Divergent
2. Transformers: Age of Extinction
3. Dumb and Dumber 2 (This film was so disgustingly bad that I didn't even have the heart to review it)
Seeing as I only have 3 movies here, I can easily say that it's been a great year for movies.

Now, where would cinema be without Bollywood? Here are my top Hindi movies for the year:

My Top Hindi Movies for 2014
1. PK
2. Happy New Year
3. Bang Bang
4. Singham 2
5. Kick

I hope next year will be as exciting as this, and it certainly looks so, at least in terms of movies! Here are the movies which I absolutely can't wait to see.

What I'm Most Excited to See in 2015
1. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens
2. Furious 7
3. The Avengers: Age of Ultron
4. Spectre
5. Ant-Man
6. Jurassic Park
7. The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
8. Mission Impossible 5
9. Goosebumps

See you next year!

Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb

"One final night to save the day"

I'd always wanted to watch a movie in which there's a museum and all of the exhibits come to life and create mischief when I was young. And needless to say, I was really loved this trilogy. In the final instalment to the Night at the Museum series, we are taken to the British Museum. First, it was the American Museum of Natural History in New York and then the Smithsonian in Washington DC and now- England!

The tablet of Akhmenrah, the magical Ancient Egyptian artefact that gives all the museum exhibits life, is corroding. When all of the museum exhibits start behaving strangely at a night event at the museum, Larry pinpoints the cause of their strange behaviour to the tablet dying. Along with Teddy Roosevelt, Sacagawea, Attila the Hun, Jedediah, Octavius and Dexter the capuchin, Larry must travel to London to find a cure for the tablet before it dies for all eternity. 

This movie was a great way to end the beloved series. While Night at the Museum isn't exactly a blockbuster movie, it's one of those movies where you can just sit down and tune out the rest of the world for a few hours. As I like to say, it was one of those 'time-pass' movies! I can't think of a better actor to play Larry Daley other than Ben Stiller. He's awesome! It was always fun to see how the gang would interact with historical figures in the museums, and the British Museum was no exception. Sir Lancelot was great for comic relief and humour in general. He had some great lines. I had great fun during the movie! One thing I didn't like was Ben Stiller's double role as Larry and Laa. Other than maybe once, I didn't actually find Laa's antics that funny, but hats off to Ben Stiller for pulling off a double role in the final film. So overall, not the best movie, but something great to watch just to kick back and relax. A nice finish to one of my favourite series!  

• Genre- Comedy, fantasy, family and action
• Director- Shawn Levy
• Producers- Shawn Levy, Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe
• Starring- Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Steve Coogan, Ricky Gervais, Dan Stevens, Rebel Wilson, Skyler Gisondo, Rami Malek, Patrick Gallagher and Mizuo Peck

My rating

3.5/5

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 1

"Fire burns brighter in the darkness"

Now, I know that it's a little late, seeing that the movie released over a week ago here in Singapore, but, you know, I'm a busy man! Anyways, back to work. The book Mockingjay is the final book in Suzanne Collins's incredible series. The movie was divided into two parts for financial gain, and let me tell you guys, I absolutely cannot wait for the second instalment.

All Districts are now in full-scale rebellion against the Capitol. Katniss, who was liberated from the devastating Quarter Quell, wakes up underneath the supposedly destroyed District 13. She is introduced to President Alma Coin, who requests her to be the 'Mockingjay' of the rebellion, the embodiment of hope and symbol of survival against all odds. But Katniss flatly refuses, bitterly pointing out that they left Peeta Mellark, Katniss's district partner, behind in the Quarter Quell arena. Katniss also learns that her home, District 12, has been levelled on the Capitol's orders and all that is left is rubble and corpses. Meanwhile, Peeta has been brainwashed and is now a prisoner of the snaky President Snow. When Katniss sees Peeta at the end, Peeta's 'abruptness' surprises and shocks Katniss.

I've read the Hunger Games series at least 3 times, and I'm happy to say that Mockingjay, like its predecessors, was accurate, and any changes that were actually made to the plot were good changes. For example, we learn more about Effie Trinket and about President Snow. Some of the scenes in the movie, like the blowing up of the dam in District 5 and the land mines in District 7, were't actually in the book; they were only mentioned, but they made wonderful additions in showing what was happening outside of District 13. You also might have noticed that the pacing of the characters was slow. Personally, I think that this was quite important, because the book is split into two movies. On top of that, it shows each and every change in the characters. Now, to the actors. Once again, (no surprises here) Jennifer Lawrence did a marvellous job in executing the role of Katniss. I never knew that she was such a great singer! She has gone so deep into her character, we only see her as Katniss Everdeen, not as Jennifer Lawrence, like her reaction at seeing the charred remains of District 12. Josh Hutcherson, I think, has done a fascinating job in capturing his character of Peeta. You could actually see him deteriorating as the movie went on. The special effects that were used to show the Capitol buildings and the destroyed District 12 was also of top quality. Mockingjay -- Part 1 has so far been the most electrifying movie so far in the Hunger Games Trilogy. The perfect teaser for the upcoming Part 2!

• Genre- Sci-fi, action and adventure
• Director- Francis Lawrence
• Producers- Nina Jacobson and Jon Kilik
• Starring- Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Donald Sutherland and Philip Seymour Hoffman 

My rating

4.5/5