Film Review: World War Z (2013)

A couple of years back, a friend recommended me a book he had not long finished - "World War Z" by Max Brooks. It was about a man from the UN, who, after the zombie apocalypse, interviews survivors. This book is their stories. So, of course, when the movie was announced, i was curious. How could you turn this into a film? There isn't a focal character. Hmmmm......


My mind went elsewhere when i got linked to an application form to be an extra. I almost filled it in as well. A couple of weeks later and i spotted this sign......

I almost went crazy! I made it my goal to get onto the set and see some filming. This was a once in a lifetime chance and it happens to be a film based on a book that i've read. For people who don't know, George Square is in the center of Glasgow, Scotland. News spread fast, and before long most shops had sold out of the book and crowds gathered at the fences, hoping to see some filming, Brad Pitt or both. Me, I was there for the filming, i'm not a huge fan of Brad Pitt. 

Crowds gathered to see the action (And/Or Brad Pitt)

It wasn't actually as hard as i thought to get on set, and i was down there pretty much every day, snapping away. One day though, the whole set was pretty much open (this was near the end of the filming) and i forgot my camera!! What kind of photographer am i??? But i had my phone which was something, at least. I have photos of pretty much everything, from cars, to mail boxes/newspaper stands, to the extras, to even the guy with the little clipboard that says take x on it!! I was especially pleased with that one. This was one of the last days of filming and this was the scene where people are running across the square being chased by zombies (its in the trailer). I got to watch two takes of this being filmed, it was so fun!!

Send in the army

Spoiler Alert: If you haven't clicked on yet, it's not Philadelphia, it's Glasgow. Sorry to destroy the illusion. We laughed anyway when watching the movie because, though they changed everything to look like Philadelphia, they left the Glasgow logos on the bus stops. I don't think Philadelphia has history about The Bell That Never Rang, The Tree That Never Grew, The Fish That Never Swam and The Bird That Never Flew. Would be weird if they did. Anyway, i'm off topic now. Back to the film. So yeah, it was cool. I never saw Brad Pitt, but as i said, i wasn't fussed about that.

So the film as a whole, what did i think? Well, i wasn't impressed. But i didn't think i would be. As a fan of the book, i knew it would be nothing like it. In the end, all the book and the film had in common was the title and zombies. That's it. People who like this movie and go off and buy the book are in for a shock!

One of the RV's driven by Pitt 

It was your typical zombie movie with nothing new really added. I felt i had seen most of this before, pieced together in different movies over the years. The only main attractions to this movie i had was that i had read the book and seen the filming.

Well, actually, it wasn't totally bad. The effects were pretty good and i have Muse stuck in my head for the rest of the day (which is fine with me, being a fan of Muse).

I may not have really enjoyed it, but at the end of the day, i don't regret seeing it. When the movie ended, i said to my friend; read the book, watched the filming, met the author, seen the movie. Case closed.

CRASH!!

There isn't much left to say. Is it worth watching? I really don't know how to answer that. If you wanna see it, then go have a look. It's not a film i would hugely recommend though. But i'll let you make up your mind about it on your own.

Film Review: Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Despicable Me advertisements 2010

I love Despicable Me! There, i said it! I'm in my twenties and i don't care, i love it! I saw the first movie in the cinema more than once and i know for a fact that i'll see this one again and again.

You were looking for an unbiased opinion of this movie? Sorry, you aren't really getting one here sadly. But i'll try.

As i write this, Despicable Me 2 isn't actually out in the cinemas yet. I went to the preview screening. Of course i was going to, it shouldn't be that surprising.

Minions, Gru and Myself back in 2010

Anyway, there wasn't really a plot released for this movie, up until a couple of months ago. The first two trailers gave nothing away. It wasn't until trailer 3 when we see the Anti Villain League, Lucy and the plot. Strangely enough (minor spoiler), the second trailer with the minions being kidnapped is actually part of the movie! I wasn't too sure if it would be or not, but it worked it's way in perfectly. Out of context advertisements work sometimes.
So what is the plot? Gru is a family man now and has given up his evil ways. However, when a new villain plots world domination, the Anti Villain League turn to Gru for help. Being an ex-villain, he should prove a useful asset. He is teamed up with Lucy Wilde, a spy for the AVL, in order to take down this villain. And yes, before you ask, there is a couple of references to him stealing the moon throughout the movie (and he still has his handy FreezeRay too)

So how does it hold up against the first movie? It keeps to the idea of the importance of family, which i liked. Though the girls are older, there isn't much difference in their characters. In fact, we see more of their personalities come out, especially with Edith. Gru has to face reality with his girls, in the way that they will grow up and want to go on dates etc. He's very protective of them. Agnes is as cute as ever! And she still has that unicorn! :) But in my opinion, we didn't see enough of them, like we did in the first movie. The first movie was based around them. This time, it's based around Gru and Lucy. Its the only thing i could say that i didn't like about this, i would liked to have seen a bit more of the girls.

Stealing Stuart's Cupcake

The voice acting was a good as ever. Still think it's strange that though Al Pacino pulled out and was replaced, his name still appeared in the trailers. But oh well. It's as funny as the first. The minions are great. They get more screen time around this time too. I don't know if its because they are so popular or because a minion movie is in the works or both, but i'm not complaining since i love them!

Overall, it's a fun family movie that will entertain children and adults alike (The number of adults outweighed the number of children in the screen i was in). If you liked the first one, you will like this one.

Viewer Tip: See it in 3D and once the film is over, wait! Fans of the first movie will remember the end credit scenes with the minions trying to get out the screen. They do something along the same lines this time and it's brilliant in 3D!!

Film Review: Man Of Steel (2013)

WARNING: CONTAINS MINOR SPOILERS

I'm a Marvel girl. I don't hate DC but i'm not a huge fan. Thinking about it (please don't hate me for my lack of DC knowledge if i'm wrong), they only have two main heroes - Batman and Superman. While Marvel have the X-Men, Fantastic Four and the many heroes that make up the Avengers. This could be because DC hasn't have that many successful movies over the past couple of years, apart from the Dark Knight trilogy. But i'm not sure. What i can say is this, with the success of Marvel's Phase One, DC are trying to go down the same road. Summer 2015 is gonna be a big one with the planned releases of not only the Avengers 2 but also the Justice League!!! FIGHT!!!! Only kidding.

So with this in mind and the fact that Batman has already been rebooted, the next step was clearly Superman. Which leads us to this review. We all know Superman and his story. Even the people who don't like comics/comic movies, still know the story. So the writers had to find a new and interesting way to tell it, while also keeping the same tone as the Dark Knight trilogy (since it's meant to all be connected). Keeping Nolan on was a great idea and Snyder is a great director. You can see his personal style coming though with a little mix of Nolan throughout the movie. The only thing i didn't like about the direction was that i felt the camera was too shaky at the start of the movie (i really hope the director from the Hunger Games hasn't started a trend! Please!)

Another thing i wasn't keen on was the order of the movie once Superman lands on Earth. I felt the next 20 mins were all over the place. Clark saves some people..flashback....he's walking along the street.....flashback.......he's in a bar ........ flashback. I liked seeing him as a child, but it was a bit all over the place. In a way, it could be a good thing, since they talk about him being a shadow and not staying in one place long enough for people to get to know him. He has a habit of disappearing. If that was the point of the order, then it kind of makes sense, but personally, i didn't like it.

The acting was okay. The writers tried to add more logic into the movie which i liked. I did have a moment when i felt sorry for General Zod, since everything that happened wasn't totally his fault, he was just doing what he thought was right, but so were the other characters. And just because you think it's right, doesn't always mean that it is.
The action scenes were good but army were a little stupid. Can't you see your bullets have no effect??? Stop shooting, you idiot! It serves no purpose! AAAHHH!
Finally, i loved the stuff on Krypton and Clark has two awesome fathers!

It's not my favorite movie of the year so far, but it will definitely be in the Top 10, if not the Top 5. It's well worth a look.

Summer Blockbusters To Watch 2013

It's hard to believe that it's now almost April. And you know what that means? Summer blockbuster season is almost here!!! So here's my wee summer hit list 2013!

APRIL

• Iron Man 3 - So Marvel opened the summer last year with The Avengers and this year they are giving us Iron Man 3 which looks epic! This movie is not only opening the summer movie season but it's also the opening of Phase Two!!! Bring it on!!

MAY

• Star Trek Into Darkness - first off, I'm not a sci-fi fan. But this looks really good. Action packed and full of suspense. And Benedict Cumberbatch plays the villain, and I like him!

• The Great Gatsby - I know this book is meant to be a classic but I've never read it or even looked into it. I probably would have glossed over this movie version too if I hadn't seen the trailer. It looks quite interesting and the casting is pretty good. I'm considering reading the book too. 

• The Hangover Part 3 - part 2 hadn't really lived up to the first movie. It was pretty much the same movie but set in a different location. This time there is no wedding. There is no stag do. I still have no idea what the plot is. But I've watched the first two and this is the final so why not give it a go.

JUNE

• Man Of Steel - I'd pick Marvel over DC any day but this is Zack Snyder movie and his movies are pretty cool. Though i don't really like the look for this, i'm willing to give it ago due to that. Also, i like superheroes.                                                                                                                                          



Snap from "World War Z" set. August 2011

• World War Z - I really enjoyed the book. I managed to get onto the set of this movie and take photos which was totally awesome.  I even got to meet the author of the book! I never met Brad Pitt though (not that i'm bothering much about that. I actually preferred meeting Max Brooks and getting my copy of the book signed). So i was looking forward to this movie. But it's nothing like the book. The only thing this has in common with the book is the title and both have zombies. Will be difficult to detach myself from the book but the film does look pretty good, i have to admit. 

• Despicable Me 2 - I don't care that i'm in my 20's, i'm 5 at heart. I loved Despicable Me. I loved the girls. I loved the minions. The film is sooooo cute!! I can't wait for the sequel!!

JULY

• Monster's University - Loved the first movie. It was groundbreaking for the time. The animation was brilliant. In terms of animation, this one doesn't look as good. Looks ... cheap. But i'm holding out for a good movie so here's hoping that what i've seen so far isn't a proper representation for the end movie. 

• Kick Ass 2 - The first movie was fantasic. Funny and action packed, i loved it. I'm not sure what to think for the second movie so far though. I think Jim Carrey will get a load of screen time, and i'm not sure if i'm happy about that or not. Chloe Moretz has grown up so much since the first movie too so that's gonna be weird. But i have hope for it. From what i've seen so far, it looks quite fun.

• The Wolverine - I'm an X-Men fan. Enough said. First trailer came out the other day and looks epic. Looking forward to it.

AUGUST

• Red 2 - I loved the first movie. It was funny, the cast was excellent and the plot was pretty good too. I'm hoping this lives up to that. But then again, old actors blowing things up, what could go wrong?

• The World's End - I love Edgar Wright. Do I have to say anything else about this movie. As I write this, there is still no trailer for this movie but the plot sounds like a good laugh in the hands of this wonderful man

• The Mortal Instruments - City Of Bones - After hearing how good this series is online, i decided to give it a go. The book was ok. Nothing amazing. But from the buzz i've heard online, this could be the next Twilight and i like to be ahead of the game. I'm curious about the movie since i've read the book now. It might be good, might not. It might be the next Twilight, might not. Have to wait and see.

Overall though, shall be an epic summer !!! :)