The Huntsman: Winter's War (2016)

Genre

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

Director

Cedric Nicolas-Troyan

Country

USA

Cast

Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, Nick Frost, Sam Claflin, Rob Brydon, Alexandra Roach, Sheridan Smith, Sope Dirisu, Colin Morgan, Christopher Obi, Madeleine Worrall, Sam Hazeldine, Sophie Cookson, Liam Neeson, Conrad Khan, Niamh Walter

Storyline

Eric (Chris Hemsworth) and fellow warrior Sara (Jessica Chastain), raised as members of ice Queen Freya's army, try to conceal their forbidden love as they fight to survive the wicked intentions of both Freya (Emily Blunt) and her sister Ravenna (Charlize Theron).

Opinion

I wasn't crazy about "Snow White and the Huntsman" so I clearly didn't have high expectation for this one. And I'm glad I didn't because I would have only been disappointed.

Wonderfully packaged with beautiful visuals and a stellar cast, "The Huntsman: Winter's War" is a dull and entirely unnecessary prequel/sequel that is a mess from start to finish.

While its predecessor featured a spectacular performance from Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen, so great that it's worth watching the film for it, this film has nothing great at all. First of all, it has been pitched as a prequel when it only spends 15 minutes before the story of the original, and the rest of the film - a never ending hour and a half or so - takes place after that.

And the after is another huge problem. The story seems really forced, and it's made completely uninteresting and uncompelling by some awful storytelling. Not to mention all of the discrepancies between the past in this film, and how that past has been told in "Snow White and the Huntsman". Same facts, like the death of the huntsman's wife, different story behind it.

To top that mess, the film also features two royal sisters becoming estranged, with one of them causing the kingdom to fall into a never ending winter - doesn't that remember you of another film? Something called "Frozen" maybe?

But the film did not just steal from one movie. The "victims" are indeed many, including The Lord of the Rings and The Hunger Games series.

And then comes the cast. Sure, it's stellar, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's good. For some reason, Chris Hemsworth plays a complete different huntsman than before, and this version is not very likable. Jessica Chastain is completely wasted to play that shallow character. Emily Blunt gives a lifeless performance as Elsa. Oops, I meant Freya. And Charlize Theron, oh poor woman, she does her best, but one person alone can't save a mess of a film.

Batman Returns (1992)

Genre

Action | Fantasy

Director

Tim Burton

Country

USA

Cast

Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Michael Gough, Pat Hingle, Michael Murphy, Vincent Schiavelli, Andrew Bryniarski, Cristi Conaway, Rick Zumwalt, Anna Katarina, Paul Reubens, Diane Salinger

Storyline

After successfully defeating the Joker, Batman (Michael Keaton) must stop crooked businessman Max Schreck (Christopher Walken) and the grotesque Penguin (Danny DeVito) from taking control of Gotham City. Meanwhile, the Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) also emerges with her own agenda in mind. 

Opinion

24 years ago Tim Burton, the great man behind the original "Batman" and other amazing films, brought to us "Batman Returns", a thrilling ride from start to finish that is worthy of its excellent predecessor.

The first thing you will notice in the film is Tim Burton's dark style, from set design to makeup - especially the Penguin's -, to the atmospheres, and the story he presents us certainly does not differ.

The director focuses on the characters of the Penguin and Catwoman, turning what could have been just a banal superhero flick into a sort of dark fairy tale that studies the torments of human soul, and to do that uses people that are different. While the Penguin is outcasted by society because of the way he looks, Selina Kyle aka Catwoman is because of her bland personality.

Unfortunately, once again happened what happened with "Batman", the villains are so well made, wonderfully written and amazingly portrayed by Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer, they end up obscuring the true protagonist of the film, the dark knight, once again overshadowed by the above mentioned characters. But that certainly isn't a good reason to hate on a film, and I sure do not hate on "Batman Returns".

The choice to focus on the Penguin's story is quite brilliant to be honest. It gives the film that melodramatic touch that needed, and it certainly adds emotional depth to balance the great action sequences - they are occasionally absurd though.

Michael Keaton reprises his role of Batman, and he still does a good job. Danny DeVito is simply spectacular as the Penguin, delivering the sinister character to perfection. Michelle Pfeiffer was the perfect cast for Catwoman, she delivers the character amazingly and, as much as I love Halle Berry, she is much sexier and cat-like than her. Christopher Walken deserves a special mention, he is brilliant as the megalomaniac Max Schreck.

Toy Story 2 (1999)

Genre

Adventure | Animation | Comedy

Directors

John Lasseter | Ash Brannon | Lee Unkrich

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, Jim Varney, Wallace Shawn, John Ratzenberger, Annie Potts, Estelle Harris, Wayne Knight, John Morris, Laurie Metcalf, R. Lee Ermey, Jodi Benson, Jonathan Harris, Joe Ranft, Jeff Pidgeon, Andrew Stanton

Storyline

While Andy (John Morris) is away at summer camp, Woody (Tom Hanks) is accidentally placed in a yard sale and eventually toynapped by Al McWhiggin (Wayne Knight), a greedy collector. It's up to Buzz (Tim Allen) and his friends to save Woody.

Opinion

Four years after "Toy Story" and one year after "A Bug's Life", the only other Disney-Pixar production in between, John Lasseter brought to us "Toy Story 2", this funny, exciting, spectacular sequel that has nothing to envy to its predecessor.

Keeping similar themes to "Toy Story", the film delivers a strong plot, and even though it is similar to the original and has been done in other films before it, it still flows incredibly well. It doesn't have a lot of laughing out loud moments, but it definitely has many good lines and so many references that I absolutely loved - including the original film and "The Empire Strikes Back".

Once again what makes the film so interesting are the characters. There are all the charming, likable characters from the first film - including those cute, little green martians - and some wonderful new characters that includes Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl, Woody's faithful steed, Bullseye, the Barbies, and Mrs. Potato. And once again the voice cast does a wonderful job. 

The film is also interesting because of the fascinating conflict it creates for the main character, Woody. He is forced to make a difficult decision: either he goes back to Andy with Buzz and the other toys, even though he knows that one day Andy will be a grown up and won't play with toys anymore, or he goes with the new toys in a museum where they'll be admired by children all over the world.

This is not the only theme that is going to satisfy grown-ups though. The film also addresses the theme of loneliness and abandonment and how they affect people - well, toys in this case. 

At last the animation. You will immediately notice the step forward digital animation has made since the first film only four years earlier. And there is a greater attention to detail, if that's even possible - the reflection of Buzz's eyes on his visor, Andy's new dog, and especially things like dust and shadows.

Celebrity (1998)

Genre

Comedy | Drama

Director

Woody Allen

Country

USA

Cast

Kenneth Branagh, Judy Davis, Winona Ryder, Leonardo DiCaprio, Melanie Griffith, Famke Janssen, Joe Mantegna, Charlize Theron, Gretchen Mol, Michael Lerner, Isaac Mizrahi, Bebe Neuwirth, Hank Azaria, Douglas McGrath, J. K. Simmons, Dylan Baker, Debra Missing, Allison Janney

Storyline

When a reporter (Kenneth Branagh) is assigned to the celebrity beat he anticipates a little excitement. But he never expected this... Quickly, he finds himself on a collision course with four of the most outrageous people he has ever met: a sensuous starlet (Melanie Griffith), an out-of-control movie star (Leonardo DiCaprio), an aspiring actress (Winona Ryder), and a sexy supermodel (Charlize Theron).

Opinion

Everyone is allowed to some downfalls in life, and Woody Allen certainly has taken his fair share, both in his private and professional life, and "Celebrity" is another proof of that. It isn't completely rubbish, but it certainly isn't a film some would expect from Allen after movies like "Everyone Says I Love You" and "Deconstructing Harry".

Clearly another attempt at doing another Fellini - it's "La Dolce Vita" this time - the plot isn't really that bad, but the poor execution makes the watching of the film a real painful, dull experience. The story doesn't seem to find its focus, shifting from one place to another, and more than a real story is looks like a collage of vignettes. Not very funny vignettes.

Indeed, most of the jokes and gags aren't effective, and most of them are predictable too - especially the jokes about blowjobs. 

Another problem with "Celebrity" is that it doesn't seem like it has something to say. Allen appears to want to say something about the nature of celebrity, but the message never arrives.

Kenneth Branagh's story is another weak part of the film. It is not the story itself, but mostly his character, too immature and self-centered to be likeable. Also I don't know who was the idea to have Branagh doing a Woody Allen imitation, but it clearly wasn't a good call. I want to see nobody but Allen doing Allen.

There are some good elements as well. The black and white cinematography is quite good, and there are some great performances, like Leonardo DiCaprio's in the role of a cokhead movie star, and Judy David's as Branagh's ex-wife.