The Avengers: a review by The All Action No Plot Movie Club

Ok, The Avengers has just finished, and The All Action No Plot Movie Club has gathered in the local pub to discuss and review, just for you…

Sarah Bricknall, “Who doesn’t love an action movie where the entire movie theatre is laughing! If you miss it, you’ll miss out on a fantastic movie!”

Chris Halton, “Very funny! Black Widow knows how to manipulate men!”

Johnny Wilkinson, “Edgar Wright was correct, I spent most of the movie with a big smile on my face.”

Peter Wreford, “As good as the X-Men which was awesome! Funnier than I expected.”

Chee-Yan Hiew, “I thought there were some nice comedic touches in there, especially when the guy was caught playing Galaga.”

Michelle Good-Times, “The Hulk is the best! Hulk Smaash!”

Hope that helps? Still wanna go and see it? Feel free to add your comments below.

Positive early signs from the world première of The Avengers

Yes, the world première of the Avengers has just screened in LA, and whilst currently there is a ban on all ‘proper’ reviews, already Twitter is abuzz with tweets from those who attended.

Thanks to /Film (who actually attended the premiere themselves), we’ve been able to get some clues as to what we might expect in a couple of weeks. Amongst those tweeting were Seth Green and Edgar Wright, and the unanimous view was a very positive one.

Edgar Wright tweeted, “The Avengers’ is a big tub of popcorn heaven. A huge grin on my face throughout and much applause from the crowd too. Well done Mr. Whedon.”

Seth Green said, “So that was AMAZING. Like, double plus awesome. Thank you Joss Whedon for giving us all the #Avengers movie we deserve. #OnlyYou”

I’m pretty stoked about the response. Got my tickets booked for the opening night on the 25th April here in Melbourne. Can’t wait now.

Read the original article on /Film here.

 

 

The Three Musketeers, Review

The Three Musketeers, review by Henry Kwan of the All Action No Plot Movie Club

Before getting properly into this review, this reviewer would just like to point out that although he will NEVER EVER forgive Paul WS Anderson for Mortal Kombat, Alien Vs Predator and the Resident Evil movies, he does endeavor to look at all subsequent Paul WS Anderson films on an objective basis and judge them based on their individual merits rather than with any form of bias.

With that of the way let us dive into the latest blockbuster from Mr. Anderson himself, The Three Musketeers. The film opens in 17th century Venice with Arthos, Aramus and Porthos (Matthew MacFadyen, Luke Evans and Ray Stevenson) the titular three musketeers, each being introduced ‘freeze frame style’ within their own action scenes.

You can read the full review here… The Three Musketeers, Review.

The Thing, Review

The Thing, review by Henry Kwan of the All Action No Plot Movie Club

In this age of Hollywood revisionism, the latest movie to be given the remake/reboot/prequel/sequel treatment is The Thing. Early trailers and press info indicated that this was most likely to be a remake of the 1982 John Carpenter movie despite the fact that it claimed it was in fact a prequel.

What we ultimately get is a mix of both remake and prequel. The plot follows very closely to Carpenter’s version with this movie sharing all the major plot points, themes, and even character types of that movie.

The film opens in Antarctica with a Norwegian science team locating the source of a distress beacon and stumbling on an immense alien spacecraft trapped under layers of ice in an underground cavern.

Enter our heroine, paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who is called upon by Dr. Sanders and his assistant Adam (Eric Christian Olsen), who are part of the research team, to investigate the find.

Based on Mr. Sander’s vague description of their findings, Kate agrees to fly the 10,000 miles to assist them in the project. It is here we are introduced to two American helicopter pilots, Braxton, complete with Kurt Russell facial hair (Aussie Joel Edgerton) and Jameson, who seem like this movie’s approximation of the characters McCready and Childs from the 1982 version.

We learn that the scientists have discovered an alien being frozen in ice. After excavating and transporting the being to their nearby research base, the science team celebrate their find as the first human discovery of evidence of extra terrestrial life.

Not long after, the creature breaks free killing certain team members. Later on we of course discover that the Thing can disguise itself as any other lifeform. From this point on, the familiar sense of paranoia and distrust of the fellow man sets in.

What should be commended is the film’s retention of that sense of paranoia and fear of a faceless invisible enemy. We truly do witness the ingenuity of this creature as it pits one person against the other, killing as many people as possible and then assuming their identity, with the ultimate goal of escape. The fact that anybody and more than just one person could be The Thing does succeed in heightening that feeling of helplessness and fear of the unknown.

Gore hounds will be satisfied as there are some satisfying kills involving moments of gruesome impaling and incineration by flamethrower. The Thing itself was, for the most part realized very convincingly, using CGI.

The design is identical to the 1982 version with it being a very amorphous being. Constantly shifting in shape and becoming more like a mass of limbs as it absorbs every new kill. Very creepily, arms attached to The Thing do break off and become new beings in themselves. There were a few shots that had an ‘obvious CGI’ look to them but overall this Thing looks good.

Character development is non existent but not expected from a movie of this kind. We instead get that aforementioned extremely taught psychological tension where everyone is a potential enemy. Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the main protagonist serves to accommodate the audience’s perspective, offering many points of exposition regarding the Thing’s biological processes.

She also steps into the shoes of the ‘McCready’ role, having many violent confrontations with The Thing and playing a very relatable heroine. Joel Edgerton, who surprisingly is only in one third of the movie, really doesn’t say much, instead relying of his ‘Kurt Russell’ look and brash actions to carry him through the movie. I also thought it was somewhat amusing that at certain times he was emasculated in his encounters with the Thing in that he had to rely on Mary Elizabeth Winstead to save the day. The final act of the movie, takes the story a bit further by moving into ‘Aliens’ territory and is somewhat anticlimactic even with the tacked on fan service to the original.

Overall, the Thing looks and feels almost like a tribute movie in that you have virtually the same scenes, characters and setting as the 1982 version but instead of practical effects we have CGI and instead of Kurt Russell we have Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton. So what we have here is a more of an ‘introduction to The Thing’ or ‘The Thing for beginners’ for a younger generation that may have missed out on John Carpenter’s movie. There is almost zero originality here, but for gore hounds and horror fans, it is a good guilty pleasure movie if you don’t expect too much.

My score: 2.5 stars

Guest review of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, by Gary Liew

Each year, the (Northern Hemisphere) summer blockbuster season becomes a feeding ground for audiences hungry for celluloid entertainment. But not all films fulfil that ever-increasing appetite. Amongst those, many are remakes, reboots, prequels/sequels and adaptations. Some of these are opportunities to extend the movie’s appeal to reach a larger audience, whilst others simply cash in on name-recognition. Then, there are those that rise (sorry, couldn’t resist that one) from the lesser, critically inferior and at times downright disappointing competition to not only redeem the summer season of its mediocrity, but define that entire summer based solely on its own strength (Dark Knight – 2008, District 9 – 2009, Inception – 2010). This year, that title rightfully belongs to Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Will Rodman (James Franco) is a bio-medical scientist who experiments on apes as test-subjects for a potential serum that would enable a cure for Alzheimer’s. When the project is terminated after the most promising simian candidate exhibits violent side effects, Will scurries its newborn infant from the lab into his own home where he and his father (John Lithgow) raise him as a child named Caesar. Inheriting the effects of the serum from his mom, Caesar’s intelligence and cognitive thinking grows rapidly, and when a violent neighbourhood incident condemns Caesar to an abusive ape sanctuary, he begins to rally the other primates to lead an uprising against the humans.

Early buzz from the trailers did little to inspire hope. Questionable CGI, a weird title, a monkey in the lead role of a tentpole film (ridiculous), James Franco looking rather stoned – were enough to generate low expectations. Yet that may have worked in the film’s favour. In the vein of other successful reboots like Casino Royale, Star Trek and Batman Begins, director Rupert Wyatt and screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver have crafted a competent and engaging origin-story that not only pays homage to the original films, but have re-imagined the franchise for a new audience – delivering us what may be the surprise hit of 2011.

Much of the first act is familiar territory (Jurassic Park, Deep Blue Sea, Splice) where experimentations-gone-wrong serve as catalyst to thrust the plot. While most of the second act in those films explore the horror elements of the experimented creatures from the humans perspective, what makes Rise’s premise work is how Wyatt audaciously shifts the arc of the narrative away from the humans and onto Caesar himself during his banishment in the monkey sanctuary. Here, Wyatt devotes valuable screen time and plot points to render Caesar and the other primates as real characters, complete with their own distinguishable traits, quirks and motivation, making them truly believable and memorable in a way that I have not seen done in a film before.

Of course, this would not have been possible without the incredible motion-capture performance of actor Andy Serkis as Caesar. Serkis, most well-known for his performance as Gollum in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings, is no stranger to monkey businesses (zing!), having demonstrated a talent for aping (aha!) simian characters in Jackson’s King Kong as well as last year’s Monkey King in the video-game Odyssey to the West. In Rise, Serkis outdoes even himself, imbuing strong gravitas in Caesar’s character in scenes that are largely void of dialogue – with the subtlety of nuance and expression. Aided by WETA’s incredible visual effects, the end result is an incredible, almost surreal, heartfelt journey that compels the audience’s emotional engagement with the character – caught between the regresses of his ape nature and his grasp at the advanced coordination of man – on a tangible level that puts most A-list acting performance this year to shame. It’s no small feat, considering it’s a character that is essentially an all CGI creation.

The choice to focus on the apes does inadvertently leave many of the human characters playing second-banana (get it?) to their simian counterparts. Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) plays a veterinarian who becomes Franco’s love interest – but the script never does anything to work her perspective as a vet into the plot proceedings. Brian Cox is largely wasted as the head of the ape sanctuary, while Tom Felton (Harry Potter) does well to incite audience hate as the abusive chimp handler but little to subvert their expectations on his ability to hone villainy-type roles beyond Draco Malfoy. Franco himself continues to display leading man chops, holding the first act firmly together with a relatable persona, but like everyone else, fades quietly into the background once the apes take center-stage.

Everyone has seen the third-act reveals in the trailer – the simian revolt/ takeover of San Francisco – but thanks to the strength of the scenes at the ape sanctuary, the action finale unexpectedly creeps up to the audience by surprise. And when the action starts – from the streets to an all-out war on the Golden Gate Bridge – it doesn’t let up. Wyatt relies more on astounding imagery (apes flooding into streets, running across buildings, jumping onto helicopter) as shock value to compensate for budgetary limitations. His greatest feat however is making you root for the apes, despite the catastrophe surrounding the humans. As such, the action sequences are damn-well satisfying because there is weight to the stakes and the threats involved – and the result is possibly the best action finale of a summer movie this year.

Praise should also be heaped upon Patrick Doyle’s amazing score. Doyle occasionally experiments with ethnic instruments and percussions to create solid compositions and memorable themes punctuating individual character moments. In the action scenes, Doyle’s score is suitably epic, creating an overarching scope to generate flow and pace between set-pieces.

Rise looks poised to enter into most top-ten lists by the end of the year, and rightfully so, thanks to the filmmaker’s care and respect towards the property. The ending also leaves things open-ended, suggesting a new trilogy of films that isn’t bogged down by the universe created by the old films (like X-Men: First Class), as Rise feels like a complete reboot that has the luxury of being from a prequel perspective. I am for one, extremely excited at the prospect of a sequel, because if that means more apes going apeshit (pun wholly intended) and humans going bananas (yeah!), I’m in.

- Gary Liew

Guest Review: Captain America, by Gary Liew

Review by Gary Liew, from the All Action, No Plot Movie Club

“When Marvel Studios announced its plan to make an Avengers movie, they sent every comic fanboy around the world into a state of delerium– hasn’t the idea of bringing together some of the most iconic Marvel comic-book characters for a team-up movie played on the mind of every comic reader at some point? The strategy was simple – introduce each of the main characters in their own stand-alone film that all share a single, parallel universe – then paying off that setup by uniting them all together in The Avengers. It would be the inevitable, evolutionary next step for comic-book adaptations. For those not in the know, the Avengers line-up for the movie will consist of Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow, led of course by Samuel Jackson as Nick Fury. It’s almost, but not quite the ‘classic’ line-up of the comics, but then again the Avengers line-up changed so often (I’ve seen Spiderman and even Wolverine in there from time to time) its hard to tell who should be in and who shouldn’t.

So, with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and just recently Thor, Captain America is the last leg of that ambitious next-step, and ultimately the make-it or break-it of that entire concept of a superhero team-up movie. Certainly, much of that pressure rests on the shoulders of helmer Joe Johnston. His directorial output  remains decidedly mixed – dismal efforts include Jurassic Park 3 and Wolfman – but also consists of such kiddy-fare classics like Jumanji and  Honey, I Shrunk the Kids – as well as my childhood favourite – nostalgia-packed 90′s action-adventure romp The Rocketeer, which I caught at the theatre with my dad as a kid. So, alongside the witty character-study of Iron Man, the B-movie bone-crunching action fest The Incredible Hulk and the Shakespearian-drama/CGI spectacle that was Thor, how exactly does Captain America stack up?

In a summer filled with one comic-book movie after another, Captain America is a refreshingly old-school, pulpy action-adventure movie rife with nostalgia that is reminiscent of such classics as Raiders of the Lost Ark and the aforementioned Rocketeer. Johnston takes a straightforward, old-fashioned approach to story-telling – the classic Good vs Evil anchored by the romanticism of clear-cut heroism – and the end result is a film evocative of 80′s adventure films that is incredibly refreshing.

How so? Well for one, this is a film largely formed on the backbone of its titular character. Upholding truth, honour and justice, Cap is a classic hero in the old mould – void of any dark internal conflicts, daddy issues or misguided morality. Where it’s so easy for Cap to fall into being a one-note, boring cypher of the all “blah blah” American way – it is Chris Evans’ performance as Steve Rogers/ Cap that totally sells it. Chris wisely plays up the strengths of the no-nonsense, straight-laced, everyman quality that makes Cap easy to root for, yet imbues the subtlety of vulnerability in the pre-transformation, skinny, scrawny Steve Rogers layered with a courageous, selfless and wholesome earnestness that is so believable and endearing that the wow factor of him attaining Captain America’s physique (Chris Evans’ body in real life) is elevated because you believed in scrawny Steve. It’s no small feat. A woman in my theatre remarked that Captain America was the kind of man she would bring home to meet her mom. And I wholeheartedly agree.

Performances are top-notch all round. Stanley Tucci appears early on as German professor Dr. Erskine who takes note of Rogers’ finer characteristic qualities and eventually spearheads the Super Soldier project in a subtle but effective performance though a tad too brief. Tommy Lee Jones dons the serious scowl and gruff demeanour as Cap’s officer who establishes authority but appears to elicit the most laughter from the audience with his deadpan funny but honest one-liners. Hugo Weaving channels Agent Smith to play the one-dimensional and sometimes cartoonish main villain Red Skull, mostly effective when playing up to Johnston’s nostalgic sensibilities.

However it is Hayley Atwell as Agent Peggy Carter and Cap’s love interest who is a class act. Elegant, gorgeous and curvaceous, Hayley looks the classic pin-up siren pulled straight from the 40′s. Acting-wise, Hayley deftly balances her professionalism and maturity as a captain and her growing admiration for Cap without launching into “full on school-girl crush”, (a problem with Thor) making this one of the more memorable comic-book movie romances I have seen in a while. It helps that their relationship is also the emotional centerpiece of the plot, and thankfully time was devoted to properly flesh it out.

Where Johnston is most commendable for is not shying away from the camp and cheesiness associated with 80′s filmmaking. Instead, he wholly embraces it. The framework of 80′s story-telling can be littered with clichés, but here they are given a slight twist, playing on the conventions of those tropes. Then the score, by Alan Silvestri, is prominently sweeping with epic orchestral pieces reflective of that era. With the visual style, Johnston opts for a stylised and slightly exaggerated look to evoke a 40′s American period, using Art Deco sets to create a lingering retro vibe. This is most reflective in a well-choreographed musical number mid-point that is fashionably retro, and the somewhat patriotic Norman Rockwell inspired end-credits sequence.

Johnston also nicely handles the elements of the character’s patriotism and  propagandised roots, understanding that Cap is a character lived vicariously by the American people affected by WWII, allowing us to relate to the cultural thinking of that period – without once losing focus on delivering an entertaining, fun popcorn action movie.

The film is not without flaws though. For a comic-book origin-story, the film does skimp on some of the more classic origin-story moments, like the discovery of superpowers, flaunting of said powers and adjusting to it. I  recalled barely remembering what Cap’s enhanced capabilities are. How high can he jump? How fast can he run? How heavy can he lift? Some specifics would be helpful. Then there’s Cap’s costume. There’s barely any full-body shots to highlight the grandiose of a hero in costume, something that was done really well in Nolan’s Batman films and Iron Man. Although I do realise that Iron Man’s suit is a central feature in his films, I would have liked to see some heroic renderings of the costume. Also, I had gripes with certain plot elements and character relationships that felt rushed and underdeveloped, lessening the dramatic impact intended in some scenes.

Finally, how’s the action? Despite sub-par reviews, Incredible Hulk stands as the most stellar of Marvel movies in the action department for me, and helped tease some early Super Soldier action. Comparisons are hard to make – mainly a clash of two different directorial styles – while mostly competent, the action in Captain America is simply serviceable to the plot, but barely memorable. Certain set pieces don’t exactly play out the way they might have been suggested in the trailers. That said, when the action is on-screen, things are always fun and exciting, and Captain America’s shield makes for an interesting weapon that is cinematically cool, especially when used in a wide variety of creative ways to take out Nazi’s.

Fun and engaging without diminishing its old-school roots, Captain America is a throwback to the Indiana Jones/Star Wars adventure films of yesteryear. Easily the best comic-book movie this year, the flaws are easy to overlook – simply because the essence of the film at its core is ripe with interesting character relationships, great visual FX and competent action. Thanks to his faithfulness to the spirit of the source material, Joe Johnston succeeds in delivering us a solid, entertaining, nostalgic romp with Captain America, capping off (no pun intended) the Marvel movies leading up to next year’s much-anticipated Avengers.”

GaryLiew

(P.S – Please stay after the credits for an incredibly awesome tease at the end. Let’s just say my theatre erupted – and I had to pick my jaw off the ground.)

RATINGS:

All Action: 3/5

No Plot: 1.5/5 (Remember, the higher the score, the less plot it has!)

My rating: 4/5

Guest Review: Transformers Dark of the Moon 3D, by Gary Liew

Review by Gary Liew, from the All Action, No Plot Movie Club

“And finally, it has come full circle.

The first Transformers was somewhat of a surprise hit amongst audiences, with its epic showcase of top-tier CGI action sequences held together by a Spielberg-ian coming-of-age story about a boy and his car. Then Revenge of the Fallen came and squandered much of the potential the franchise seemingly had, reaffirming the fact that sequels are for the most part, inferior to their original counterparts.

Now, thankfully, Dark of the Moon, the third and final instalment in the Transformers trilogy, for the most part restores some goodwill and respect to the franchise. The film is slightly better written (which isn’t saying much) and boasts an epic hour long climatic action sequence that is bound to satisfy those craving for a blockbuster action fix. Though Michael Bay manages to restraint his over-indulging stylistic sensibilities to address the overarching issues of its predecessor, those issues by and large still remain, even if they are somewhat toned down.

For one, the film is long. Clocking a mammoth 154 mins, the film is a drag to slog through, especially on a second viewing. As a large chunk of the action takes place in the last hour, audiences are subjected to almost 90 mins of clunky exposition and unnecessary plotting. The film paces back and forth constantly between the Autobots conflict with the Decepticons and Shia LaBoeuf’s Sam Witwicky dealing with the mundane aspects of normal life like looking for work and the dilemma of being sidelined despite saving the human race twice, which doesn’t gel mechanically (no pun intended) with each other to form an organic or interesting dichotomy. The moment Sam secures his first job, the Transformers enter the picture and that entire subplot is left to dust.

Performances are mostly okay. Shia himself walks the fine line of being funny and tiresome at the same time, constantly berating and being an over-reacting asshole. Character actors John Malkovich and Frances McDormand are surprise inclusions but whose characters ultimately amounts to nothing. Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson do best with what little they have. John Turturro is serviceable as the comedic relief even if his role feels shoehorned in, and kudos to Patrick Dempsey for a refreshing turn from his usual “McDreamy” roles to offer something a little different than what we expect of him.
However, most eyes will be on Rosie Huntington-Whitley as the replacement eye candy of fan favourite Megan Fox. It is a shame that Fox’s role in the first two films are completely diminished here with simply a throwaway line or two. Rosie on the other hand proves she’s no slouch in the acting department (for a supermodel that is) and exudes ease with scenes that require her to, ahem, flaunt her gifted physical assets. Where Bay indulges again in his excessive rendering of beautiful women is introducing us first to her character with an upskirt shot of her rear end walking up the stairs in slow-motion. Cringe-worthy as it is, I believe the intended outcome was meant for the raging hormonal male teen demographic – many of which elicited wild cheers in my theatre.

There’s been a negative sentiment towards the use of racial stereotypes in Revenge of the Fallen, and these problems seem to have trickled itself into the third. Several Transformers are still defined by their multicultural accents to differentiate themselves from the others, relying completely on racial archetypes to form a caricature of a personality. Then there’s Ken Jeong, whose recent output has simply been a parody of his character in the first Hangover film, cranking racial slurs and maniacal behaviour to the eleventh.

Where Dark of the Moon mostly succeeds, is in delivering incredible visual-effects action. Amidst a sea of poorly post-converted 3D films, Michael Bay’s use of actual 3D cameras in his debut foray of that format brings us what may be the best live-action 3D film ever made. That may be a bold statement considering Avatar deservedly retains that honour, but here, the 3D compliments the plethora of crazy action set pieces and immerses the audience fully into the visceral experience of the action. Bay wisely discards the quick-cut, shaky-cam Bourne style camera that bogged down the viewing experience in the second film with well-framed wideshots of the action to establish a sense of depth, perception and geography, allowing longer shots to linger with cuts few and far in between. The sound design definitely heightens the tension, and Steve Jablonsky’s sweeping score occasionally elevates the action into realms of epic highs.

The pacing of the action however is hit or miss. Bay proves he masterfully commands well-choreographed individual action sequences but fails to weave them as strands to form an emotional collective whole. Much of this problem is prevalent in the final act – the connective tissue between each set piece are largely gaps of dull expository moments filled with weird humour, and as such much of the momentum from the previous set piece is lost upon arriving at the next. Great action is like a dance number, as quoted by Jon Chu of the Step Up films – there are three acts, each act serves to up the ante of the climax. It’s not all spectacle, flow and pacing play a large part in making those action beats count. As such, each set piece in Dark of the Moon serves only to be admired on a visual level with only a hint of stakes to form a tiny fabric of story progression. Still, a few memorable set pieces – highlights include a collapsing skyscraper, an amazing 3D sequence with military men gliding in sky-diving suits and a drawn-out robot battle taking place in a rundown, decimated Chicago – needs to be seen to be admired.

You’ll be hard-pressed to find any action films this year nearing the level of epic awesomeness that only giant robot battles can conjure. Fans can certainly be happy that Optimus Prime is finally the badass he was meant to be – featuring prominently in most of the film’s signature set pieces. As the final entry in the franchise, the Transformers future in the live-action format is ready for a refuel – whether it’s in the form of another trilogy or a complete reboot – but for now, this is the event movie of the year that needs to experienced, in 3D no less – which alone is worth the price of admission.

The sparks of the Transformers franchise may have fizzled, but what an incredible fizzle it was.”

Thanks, Gary

(Rating: 3/5)