(4 / 5)

Closing my review for Avengers: Age of Ultron I wrote: “Superhero movies have never been better, this movie now shows that they’ve also never been bigger.” That was back in 2015 which seems so long ago and I, nor do I think anyone (except perhaps Kevin Feige) could have predicted the mass scale that would make that movie seem humble by comparison. Through everything that it accomplishes and also fails to do one thing is irrefutable, Avengers: Endgame is one of the biggest endeavors as well as the hugest movie ever executed.

To properly set the stage I must now spoil the events of Infinity War. You have been warned (though why would you be seeing this movie if you aren’t up to date or have at least seen Infinity War?). The events of the last movie had the big bad villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) go on a quest throughout the galaxy to acquire six Infinity Stones, when he had gathered all of them within his gauntlet he could fulfill his ambitions of erasing half the population of the universe with a snap of his fingers. He gathered them all, and he did wipe out half the universe, reducing them to dust in the wind. Now here we are, our heroes utterly defeated and the villain completed his goal. This was essentially the Empire Strikes Back of the story, almost a cliche to say but it holds true. The last movie was were the bad guys were unrelenting and for the battle, they won. But the war is not over and so we are here, where the forces of good regather themselves, the bad guys have established themselves as a threat, our heroes have a tough fight to regain victory.

As I did last time I feel I have to go through the list of all the characters we have. Others will appear later in the movie so for now, let’s just deal with the ones we get within the first thirty minutes. Iron-Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), War Machine (Don Cheadle) and the latest member Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). There are other that come into the movie later and some that make a brief appearance but for the main plot of the movie, this is who we have.

For the rest of the plot going forward I will forego a detailed description, a lot of this movies appeal on the initial watch is the shock of what is revealed and how the characters go forth. But after the first act out heroes are in disarray and they eventually come up with a plan, the path this takes them down allows them to proceed with their goals while also reflect on what has come before as well as invites the audience to do so. This struck me more as pandering slightly, it came off more as overtly winking at the audience rather than letting the plot unfold in any kind of natural way.

Surprisingly, the weakest element of the movie is its comedy. MARVEL has done such a good job with their comedic elements in other movies before, from Guardians of the Galaxy, to Ant-Man and others where they are either comedically focused or insert comedy within the dialogue and narrative we’ve gotten some great laughs out of these movies. Even in ones as serious and dark as Civil War and Infinity War they were still able to skillfully insert a pun to pepper the mood with some banter and levity. But here, after these heroes have been dealt such a devastating blow, and for the start, it plays it very bleak comes as too much of a contrast.

What I was worried about going into this movie was the annulment of stakes. The whole universe was dealt a devastating blow previous and now they obviously seek to undo it, which makes sense because they are heroes, but narratively it means that there is no stakes and everythings hunky dory again. Such a thing would render all emotional we felt previously to mean nothing. Well, again not spoiling anything, this movie still comes with its stakes and gravity to its situation. There are still things on the line and the heroes know that and are willing to make that decision (that’s what makes them heroes).

As if Infinity War was impossible enough to appreciate without having seen the previous movies this one is especially so. There are so many characters and references being thrown at you that you will not be able to care without having seen their story leading up to this. You’ll be taken out of it and more be asking “Who’s that?” “What are they talking about?” “Ow I recognise them, never saw the movie though.”This is more like tuning into the series finale of a long-running television show rather than seeing a complete story begin and end on its own merits, but I guess that’s just where we are now, this is the state of things in this franchise inclined world we are currently living in. To be fair nearly all the characters on screen have had development in other movies so it’s not as if the work has been put in. It’s not like Ready Player One where they just show you a bunch of pop culture figures, smash them together and expect you to feel something for them.

These movies have grown at an unprecedented scale in terms of having a completely realized cinematic universe. The number of characters that they have realized from their comic book source material and their ability to overlap and make appearances in other movies creating a truly realized environment should not happen. It should have crumbled before it ever really got started. Yet here we are, nearing thirty movies and over ten years and the number of characters has continued to expand and the audience is not getting tired.

Writing this screenplay is not a mammoth task, it is more like a freight shipping mammoths. Taking on the duty is, once again, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. This pair has written all the Captain America movies and Infinity War previously. They make tight screenplays that have characters convey much about them with only a few lines of dialog. They are also versatile enough to write for multiple tones, be they serious, comedic, suspenseful and even tender.

The idea that such a feat as this to even conceive, let alone pull off is a challenge, to say the least, and being that it was made in the first place is a triumph, that does not get done by lazy people. But the fact that it stands so tall and so proud and though not without it’s shaky parts does indeed serve as a testament to this writing and directing team.

Even then, a movie doesn’t just get made with just it’s directors and screenwriters, the crew and post-production team are essential in getting the movie filmed and then creating the special effects rendered. But I want to highlight the role of the Line Producer, a Line Producer is responsible for calculating the budget of a feature and overseeing the day to day progress of filming. According to IMDB, this movies was Nicholas Simon, high praise because the organization and determination required to get all these actors schedule to line up and makes sure everything goes on track is a true feat.

While with some of the other movies that I would name as my favorite, I would acknowledge their flaws but with so much going on and the level of confidence and skill in executing it bringing up the flaws would just be pedantic. This movie, not so much. It has definite, obvious flaws and I was aware of them while the movie was playing and they stare back at me when I reflect on it. In comparison of this movie as a whole Infinity War is the more focused and defined out of the two of them. This one is more self-indulgent and could use some trimming, mostly with some of their jokes. Infinity War opened with Thanos, followed him through it and ended with him, it opened with one character and we delve into their viewpoint and follow their struggles to attain their goals. This movie starts out with a group of people and it’s essentially a story to avenge (convenient being the name of their team), then there’s a padding of some surreal humor, now the movies turned into a heist, and entering the final act is a battle. This is much more mangled experience.

Though it must be said that when the final thirty to forty minutes play out it was some of the most pulse-pounding, audience-pleasing, and moving moments I have had for the ten years I’ve been a loyal audience. I am the one who has put in the time and effort and being paid off, I know that means a lot of other people will be unable to enjoy it on the same level but at this point it should be clear that you have to be a fan to go to a movie with dozens of characters on the poster.

Could any movie reach the scale of this movie again? True much of it is computer generated imagery but that certainly requires a lot of work too. Will there ever come a time when there is another cinematic universe that takes over ten years to reach this crescendo? To be popular enough to keep going for ten years? To amass a cast and audience big enough for a story that goes to this many locations, and has such variations of imagery? I don’t know, but I do know this movie works. It went for everything, stumbled a bit but certainly stuck the landing.

As was said, part of the story is the end. This movie is an end to many things, but not these movies, and one of the most important parts of life is taking the next step. The MARVEL world will certainly never be the same again and the movie world now has a new standard for budget and mass cast of characters.R

(3 / 5)

“Man from the big city that is a big shot ends up in a small town where he meets salt of the earth people and doesn’t really get them, he discovered potential to sign the local musical band, but they are not interested because they don’t do it for the money just for fun and love of the music, while he signs them he learns that there is more to life than being a big shot and comes round to their simple but purer ways. City people are shallow and terrible while the real people that are of true substance are in the countryside and have roots and history. This is the movie if you are interested in being surprised then turn around now and seek something else.”

Hmm, thats really it, but I guess I should elaborate more.

Fisherman’s Friends is one of those movies that does not get by on it’s
screenplay or technical feats, but through the acting and personality
of the characters. On these two things it does succeed but I feel there
are some major detracting factors that need to be talked about. 

Some London friends get together for one of their bachelor weekends, the main character Danny (Daniel Mays) is one of them. They go to Cornwall for a fun time, while there they spot a performance of the local band comprised of local fisherman and life guards. They sing a Sea Shanty, a type of work song that are very old and tell stories, not like todays music or what they play in the big city thats all electronic and not about anything.

The way that the people in the city are framed is like modern dressing, up to the minute talking business people that are obsessed with whatever is fashionable and are shallow, etc. etc. People that live and are successful in a city have to work very hard, it may not be the same kind of manual work in the country but it is work, true some come from privileged backgrounds so they have it easier but they are the minority and success is still not guaranteed.

The overall message of this movie seems to be that having roots in one place and legacy builds character, to that I say why not travel? Traveling gives you a sense of how big the world is and expand your mentality to other peoples way of life. Not this movie though, it seems to think that you are born in one place and you set up there for life and you and your descendants must do the same, keep that up for six generations and you’ll become a solid person. Granted it does break out of some of these ideals but it holds pretty true to it for most of the run time.

Almost every line in this is
predictable. Literally, within the first thirty minutes, I was able to
predict what was basically going to be said and sometimes word for word
what came out of the characters mouths.

But even with
all this said as the third act rolled around I must say that I found
that the people had started to grow on me. They do have their charm and
personality and along the way, they do get in a few jokes that are
winners while even a few tender emotional moments that do indeed strike
deep.

There are just about no surprises in this movie but some handsome cinematography, a few winning moments of humour and of course very good music and you have something that is worth a watch. I just wish they would have tried doing something new with the plot or at least thrown in some unconventional dialogue instead of the most conventional.R

(2 / 5)

Two sisters, one is already the Queen of England, the other, younger to be the Queen of Scotland. They could have both ruled peacefully throughout but pride and the manipulation and other greedy men forced conflict and led to the death of one. Mary Queen of Scots tells the story of Queen Mary (Saoirse Ronan), her arrival in Scotland and most of the events that lead to her execution, that wasn’t a spoiler, by the way, its the scene that opens the movie.

Mary’s boat
pulls in on the isle of Scotland and her and her followers set up in a
castle. Greeting her is the Erl of Moray (James McArdle) her half
brother, also there is John Knox (David Tennant) the protestant cleric,
he is against Mary taking up the throne because she is Catholic and
after he makes this very clear and shows her little to no respect she
dismisses him from her court. 

As portraits and
historical accounts tell us Mary was a great beauty and Elizabeth had
harsher features. This is how they play it in the movie but we can
clearly see that Margot Robbie is a very attractive woman in her own
right. Even after she suffers an illness
and has to be caked in heavy gaudy makeup we can still see through that
and know she is beautiful. This is a case of the movie saying one thing
while we can clearly see that this isn’t the case. To Robbie’s credit,
this is a role where she challenges herself and does something
different.  Throughout her career, she has not been content with simply
relying on being one thing. She made her name as a sex bomb in The Wolf of Wall Street, became the bouncing mad Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, a manic colorful killer in Terminal and a very rough around the edges figure skater in I, Tonya.
She is usually the best thing in whatever movie she’s in even if the
movie is less than stellar. Her she plays the iconic queen that was by
all accounts fastidious and kept composure at all costs, along with her
flawless English accent this is another notch on her impressive and
diverse filmography.

All the actors are very good here.
These are accomplished actors that have to go through multiple moods
within the movie, except for Tennant who is a grumpy bearded man
throughout. They adjust themselves depending on who they are talking to.
Whether they are talking to an equal, someone below them, someone
they’re attracted to or someone who’s trust they are trying to gain and
after they’ve gained it speak to them differently.

For
the historical accuracy of the movie I cannot attest to, it is one of
the many periods I have a blank space on. I know a little but not in any
way to call foul on. However I do not believe that matters so much,
history is history and a movie needs to tell its story, for as much
historical accuracy as we can get seek out of book or documentary. I
have no issue with a movie taking the overall tale that really happened
and tweaking it for narrative purposes, only when they insult the spirit
of the real people or make something so different that they might as
well have just made something original, to begin with. There is a scene
near the end which I know is completely fictitious but it’s fine because
it serves as a correct narrative climax. 

In the end,
things are said and we end on the black card with white text that reads
to us what happened afterward. These characters and this world never
really seems to come alive, striking cinematography and intricate
costumes and hair, but it’s all show. The elements for a good movie are
here, it just needs a breath of life within it.

From the opening few minutes, we get a sense of what to expect from the rest of Vice. It opens with news footage of 9/11, the towers have been hit and are going down, then we have people in suits and in offices being guided around. In a safe space with no windows people are on phones and talking to each other trying to get a handle on the situation. One man, who is not the President, picks up the phone and tells the army that they are allowed to shoot down any planes they deem a threat. Then it cuts to black and the text appears, it reads out that this is a movie based on a real person, but also Dick Chaney is one of the most secretive modern politicians ever so there will be times when they embellish then it reads “But we did our fucking best!” So now we know that we are watching a movie based on a real-life man but because of the limited information they decided to absolutely go with their own thing and they apologise for nothing. 

When we first
meet Dick Chaney (after the opening scene previously mentioned) he is
driving home on a dirt country road with the sun beginning to rise, or maybe
set? A cop pulls him over and he is clearly very intoxicated and lights
up a cigarette. We then get helpful and playful narration in the form
of Jesse Plemons as Kurt the narrator.  Chaney started off as a no good
slacker that worked a blue-collar job, anything he could find, he got
into a good school but was kicked out because he was more interested in
drinking beer than attending class. But his girlfriend Lynne (Amy Adams)
that believes in him and want him to be a man of worth, he says that
he’ll never let her down again.

So years later he
goes back to school, get his diploma and is in Washington, when they
have their induction ceremony a man named Donald Rumsfeld (Steve Carell)
gives a speech about making sure you serve yourself, always align with
whoever the winner is and there’s no one taller than the last man
standing (well essentially this is what he says). Chaney asks what party
he is with and when he learns he’s with the Republican party he says
that his party. So under Rumsfeld’s tutilage Chaney rises through the
ranks and halts any decisions that most Liberals would vote for. Never
the less he gains power and works some of his family and friends into
his circle and every once in a while he gets a heart attack and reacts
to it like he has a bad knee that’s playing up again.

He
asks Trumble “What do we believe?” which is met with a hearty and long
laugh. What a concept, a politician who is there to serve the interest
of the people believing in something, ha! but over the course of the
movie it becomes a big recurring theme, there are many other figures
that they meet and in order to move forward with their career they will
have to put aside whatever their loved ones feel or what would hurt the
majority or even long times friends so they can get the next step. It
seems that, at least in this world of the movie or certainly these
characters we follow, none of these high profile, very powerful politicians believe in anything.  

Bale is known as an actor that truly dives deep into his characters to bring them to the screen, many times throughout his career he has drastically dropped or gained weight for a role. Sometimes to his doctor’s great worry. For this role, he almost definitely put on quite a bit of weight but also has great make-up team manipulating him to resemble the actual politician. He also adds the nice touches of having his characteristic left eye squint, raise of the right side of his mouth and shake of the head. He also has a great handle on the man’s voice, being able to manipulate it for whatever he needs for a scene, whether it be intimidating, slightly tender, menacing or relaxed. It is truly realised but also stylised performance.

Writer-director Adam McKay is not the person you would expect to handle this kind of material. He made his career on goof-ball comedies, probably most notably Anchorman. But he broke that chain with The Big Short and now seems to have a talent for penning dramatic material. Though to be sure there are laughs to be had to hear too. It is probably his experience with comedy that makes this movie so unique, A writer or director that specializes in this material would go for a flatter colour pallet, documentary feels and more reality-based dialog. McKay allows himself to be stylized and have a little more fun, taking the real people and styilizing them into charactures.

Vice tells a serious story in a funny way that is probably more memorable than any other more accurate obsessed bio that we could name about politicians. It seriously casts comedic actors for serious roles and serious actors to deliver absurd lines. It wants to do so much that you can eventually catch on that your being played with and we should probably double check all the “facts” presented in this movie. But it has such undeniable panache and enthusiasm you can’t help but be charmed.