Real Steel

http://www.steelgetsreal.co.uk/

I wasn't especially grabbed by the idea of Real Steel, nor did any of the trailers particularly impress me, but Hugh Jackman is more than watchable and it looked at least like it would be a slightly different take on the boxing genre.


You see Real Steel is set in the near future when boxing is strictly carried out by robots. A former 'real' boxer, Charlie (Hugh Jackman), has fallen on hard times as yet another of his boxers gets KO'd, meaning he has to fork out for a new robot. Luck comes his way in the form of his estranged 11 year old son Max (Dakota Goyo). Charlie figures he can get money from Max's rich aunt and uncle who want to formally adopt Max, if he takes care of the kid over the summer. What he didn't figure was that the kid would discover a robot unlike any other and that together, they could take on the heavyweights of the boxing world, and have a shot at winning.

I really wanted to like Real Steel, and partially I did. It's an innovative way of looking at the boxing world, robot boxers, but that's also kinda where it fails. The biggest problem I had (and I don't think I'm alone here) with films like Iron Man and Transformers were the metal on metal fights. It just gets boring after a while. And unfortunately, this is where Real Steal takes a turn for the Zzzzzzzzzz's.

But I can't be too harsh on it because despite the fights being a little on the boring side, and the human story having been told a million times before, I did find it overall to be endearing and the characters likable enough to root for.


The central story is not that original but it's well played. The two worlds, which you wouldn't think would gel all that well together - one of Charlie trying to take care of his kid for the first time, stepping up to the plate so to speak, and one of robot boxing - do actually work as one story. The fights just got a little dull for me by the end of the film.


If you're a fan of boxing movies or not-too-heavy family dramas you might enjoy Real Steel. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 23rd October 2011

UK Release Date - 14th October 2011

Cast Overview:

Hugh Jackman ~ Charlie Kenton

Dakota Goyo ~ Max Kenton

Evangeline Lilly ~ Bailey Tallet

Anthony Mackie ~ Finn

Kevin Durand ~ Ricky

Hope Davis ~ Aunt Debra

James Rebhorn ~ Marvin

Director ~ Shawn Levy

Writer(s) ~ John Gatins (Screenplay), Dan Gilroy (Story) and Jeremy Leven (Story)

Contagion

http://contagionmovie.warnerbros.com/index.html

As with last weeks The Three Musketeers I wasn't all that bothered about seeing Contagion but as it had a semi impressive cast and potential to not suck I figured I'd end up seeing it anyway. And see it I did. 

As the title suggests, Contagion is a movie about a virus and how quickly it, as well as fear of it, spreads through towns and cities all over the world. We follow several groups of people as they deal with the virus, a family in Minnisota who lose two members to the unknown and deadly disease, several doctors trying to find a cure, the Center for Disease Control who are having to deal with press as well as trying to learn about the virus and where it came from and a reporter who is trying to stop drug manufacturers from cashing in on the crisis, among others.

Contagion was actually a much better film than the trailer implies. It won't win any awards but the ensemble cast do a fine job of their respective roles and ultimately make the jumble of characters on offer into a bunch people that you care about. Not easy when you have so many big names all vying for a piece of the action.

And speaking of action, I also don't think the film was as horrific as I was expecting from the trailer. The film is only a 12A, which I don't think I realised when I saw the trailer initially, imagining a bit of a gorefest as suggested by some of the scenes shown. Instead it was a film that moved at a steady pace and kept me engaged in watching it and interested to know what was going to happen. 

It had me intrigued from the opening minute as to why the film started on 'day 2' of the outbreak. I won't spoil it but I thought the way they wrapped things up at the end was a clever way to do it and finished things off in a very neat way.

Probably not the best film out this week, but certainly not the worst by a long stretch. 7 out of 10.

Viewing Date - 23rd October 2011

UK Release Date - 21st October 2011

Cast Overview:

Marion Cotillard ~ Dr Leonora Orantes

Matt Damon ~ Mitch Emhoff

Laurence Fishburne ~ Dr Ellis Cheever

Jude Law ~ Alan Krumwiede

Gwyneth Paltrow ~ Beth Emhoff

Kate Winslet ~ Dr Erin Mears

Jennifer Ehle ~ Dr Ally Hextall

Elliott Gould ~ Dr Ian Sussman

Chin Han ~ Sun Feng

John Hawkes ~ Roger

Daria Strokous ~ Irina
Anna Jacoby-Heron ~ Jory Emhoff
Brian J O'Donnell ~ Andrew

Director ~ Steven Soderbergh

Writer ~ Scott Z Burns

The Three Musketeers

http://www.threemusketeers-movie.com/

I want to stress before I start that I really wasn't fussed about seeing The Three Musketeers but I did so for two reasons. 1) It was pretty much the only thing out I didn't mind going to see, everything else I'd either seen or didn't want to see at all. 2) Orlando Bloom.

With that said I think it's best we move swiftly on. The plot is... well rather convoluted if you ask me, but you haven't yet so I'll just tell you the synopsis. *Here is where I google the synopsis because the movie made so little sense and was so boring that I completely forgot in less than a week what the hell it was about* The Three Musketeers, Athos (Matthew Macfadyen), Aramis (Luke Evans) and Porthos (Ray Stevenson) are down on their luck after being sold out and betrayed by Athos' lover Milady (Milla Jovovich) to the dastardly Duke of Buckingham (Orlando Bloom). They get their mojo back when young upstart D'Artagnan (Logan Lerman) joins their worthy cause and they go on a mission to help the Queen of France get back some stolen jewels.

Sound boring? That's because it was. So much so that one of my friends fell asleep! Had I not been so bored myself I might have noticed this, and laughed at her. Maybe placed her hand in a drink or taken funny pictures of her asleep in 3D glasses. Any of that would have been infinitely more entertaining than this film.

My cinema buddy saw the film without me and told me that it felt like a badly made TV production. I should have listened to him as he wasn't far off the mark. Where do I start? Athos, supposedly the stud of the group is played by Matthew Macfadyen. No offense to Mr Macfadyen but I will never understand why he keeps getting these types of roles, Darcy, Athos, even The Sheriff of Nottingham, he's not attractive. And he doesn't even have that 'not attractive but still sexy' quality about him. His constant sulky expression could turn milk sour. Luke Evans was more likeable/watchable/sexy in his portrayal of Aramis and Ray Stevenson's Porthos was as jolly and fun as you'd expect. D'Artagnan on the other hand was just annoying and Logan Lerman seemed entirely mis-cast in this role.

Christoph Waltz was his usual self, making good of an average at best/crappy at worst film. Orlando Bloom hammed up proceedings brilliantly and showed why Pirates lacked without him. Final note on the cast, what was with Milla Jovovich's teeth? Were they fake? Coz she looked a bit like a horse and seemed like she was having trouble speaking with them in?

I mean seriously? Look at the photo of her having her make-up touched up on set. She can't even close her mouth! Ridiculous!

Talking of ridiculous, don't get me started on the plot, and the holes that lie within. The main thing about a musketeers movie is surely the sword fights right? Apparently it's all about the airships?? Wha-? The sword fights incidently are quite instantly forgettable. Just like the rest of the film. Oh, if you've not seen the trailer I should tell you that the film was 'shot exclusively in 3D'. It really didn't need to be.

Avoid. And if my review came too late and you already saw the film, I can only apologise. 5* out of 10. 

*It's really a 4 but it gets an extra point for Orlando and his amazing hair! :0)

Viewing Date - 16th October 2011

UK Release Date - 12th October 2011

Cast Overview:

Matthew Macfadyen ~ Athos

Luke Evans ~ Aramis

Ray Stevenson ~ Porthos

Logan Lerman ~ D'Artagnan

Orlando Bloom ~ Duke of Buckingham

Milla Jovovich ~ Milady de Winter

Christoph Waltz ~ Cardinel Richelieu

Mads Mikkelsen ~ Rochefort

Freddie Fox ~ King Louis XIII of France

Juno Temple ~ Queen of France

James Corden ~ Planchet

Gabriella Wilde ~ Constance

Director ~ Paul W S Anderson

Writer(s) ~ Alex Litvak (Screenplay), Andrew Davies (Screenplay) and Alexandre Dumas (Novel "Les Trois Mousquetaires")