SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR - Movie Review

 Title: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For
Running Time: 102 min
Directors: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Eva Green, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Ray Liota

Review:
When Robert Rodriguez pitched Frank Miller the idea to put his graphic novel into film, Miller doubted that it would work. Rodriguez however, stayed persistend and asked the comic-book writer to let him shoot a sequence that, if he still denied, would become a cool short film at the very least. This experiment ended up to be the opening sequence for one of most accurate comic book adaptations of all time. "Sin City" became an instant cult hit and even won the Technichal Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival 2005 for its unique visual style. After a long wait of nine years (i.a. due to some production issues) we finally get to see a second batch of Miller's stories translated into a film.
"Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" brings back the great neo-noir elements and the over the top violence from the first movie, but doesn't manage to have the same impact its predecessor had. The actors are all doing a damn good job: Newbies Brolin and Gordon-Levitt show they can fit in this universe just as well as the members of the old cast, and Eva Green gives us all she's got, which is very little when it comes to clothing, but makes her the perfect woman to give this movie its title. Jessica Alba upgrades her performance from the last movie, but it is Mickey Rourke who remains the showstealer with his perfect portrayal of the brutal and yet somehow likeable colossus Marv. With 3D in the mix, Rodriguez even managed to take the visual one step further, cleverly using the third dimension as stylistic devise in certain shots throughout the movie.
Nonetheless, the film still feels much smaller in scale than the original. The main reason for this are probably the stories: Inspite of maintaining the same great atmosphere, they just don't seem as thrilling and emotionally captivating, most likely because they are simply missing a creepy villain. While "Sin City" had a mute teenage cannibal, a yellow-skinned rapist and a half-beheaded corrupt cop, this installment settles with much more common bad guys like a mobster/senator, a money-grubbing femme fatal and a nearly indestructible henchmen. That big parts of all stories are set in the same bar, and that the main story also mostly takes place at one particular mansion, does not help to make the movie feel larger either. Lastly, the film feels much more episodic than its forerunner as the way the stories are pieced together isn't as smooth.
All in all, "Sin City: A Dame To Kill For" is a very good time and a feast for your eyes, but doesn't quite hold up to the 2005 cult classic. For all that, I am extremly curious what Rodriguez and Miller can come up with next. Although, sadly, this might rather be a question of "if", considering this movie's box office numbers...

For Fans Of:
Sin City (2005)
300: Rise of an Empire (2014)
The Spirit (2008)
The Expendables 2 (2012)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!

GOTHAM - Series Premiere Review

 Title: Gotham
Premiere: 22nd September 2014
Episode Length: ca. 50 min
Creator: Bruno Heller
Starring: Ben McKenzie, Donal Logue, Jada Pinkett Smith, Robin Taylor, David Mazouz, Camren Bicondova, Cory Michael Smith, John Doman

Review:

Joel Schumacher killed the Batman franchise in 1997 with lame one-liners, goofy sets and the infamous bat-nipples. Eight years later, Christopher Nolan managed to revive the caped crusader, going back to the darker, more serious tone that made this superhero without superpowers so special. The Dark Knight might be more popular than ever before and we already know that Ben Affleck will be the next actor to put on the mask.
In the meantime, "The Mentalist" creator Bruno Heller brings us a brand new TV Series set in this masked manhunter's comic book universe, but.... without the Batman himself?!
Yes, "Gotham" might evolve around the world's greatest detective, but in this particular case that would be Jim Gordon. It is his origin story, and it starts with his biggest case yet: The murder of the Wayne Family! As we follow his path, we explore this sinister city with all its inhabitants, including but not limited to low life criminals, gang leaders, mobster, dirty cops and a few good ones as well.
The series started off very strong on Monday night. Its characters and their relationship with each other were cleverly constructed, and quite interesting and fun to watch. Among other things this is probably due to the show's perfect casting, and especially Robin Taylor shines in his role as Oswald Cobblepot. Also, when it comes to scale, this show really has the ambition to be able to compete with the movies.
This is where it has some minor problems though: the great strength of television is that it has the possibility to take its time with character development, and with a setting like Gotham I would have wished to see it go more of a neo-noir route, putting an even bigger focus on Gordon and exploring his personality even through the quiet moments when he is alone. Even more filming at night would have strengthend the atmosphere as well. This premiere felt just a little bit overcrowded and story wise they could have easily ended with a cliff-hanger about half way through. Also, the introduction of well-known Batman characters like the Riddler, or the Penguin was a little on the nose and i wish they would have trusted the audience enough to figure out who these people are by themselves.
But now I am nit-picking, because firstly, a perfect pilot is rare, and secondly, this one was already great. "Gotham" has a cool concept, seems extremely promising and shouldn't be missed by comic-book fans. If it calms down just a little bit with its story-telling, it might become a truely excellent TV experience!

For Fans Of:
Arrow (2012 - TV series)
Batman Begins (2005)
Batman: Year One (2011)
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013 - TV series)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

OUTSIDE HOLLYWOOD EP.4 - M. Night Shyamalan

 Hello there puny humans,
the fourth episode of our podcast has us talking about M. Night Shyamalan. Mentioning his heyday, exploring his downfall and extensively ranting about him hitting rock bottom with "After Earth".
Upload Music Files - Audio Hosting - Podcast #4 - After Earth
I hope you enjoy this hilariousity review!

Your Cinemartian

A MOST WANTED MAN - Movie Review

 Title: A Most Wanted Man
Running Time: 122 min
Director: Anton Corbijn
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman (†), Rachel McAdams, Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright, Grigory Dobrygin, Homayoun Ershadi, Daniel Brühl, Herbert Grönemeyer

Review:
After his surprising death early this year, Philip Seymour Hoffman comes, at least for a little while, back to life on the big screen. Eventhough his final postum released film will be the great conclusion of the "Hunger Games" franchise, in this one he takes on the leading role for the last time: As Günther Bachmann, he heads a team of espionage agents seeking to develop intelligence from Hamburg's local Muslim community. A post 9/11 spy story written by none other than author and former MI-6 member John le Carré.
"A Most Wanted Man" is a very interesting movie, and this is said with absolutely no sarcasm implied. It depicts espionage in a truthful light, stripped off the flashiness and explosions of the likes of Mission Impossible and James Bond. You see agents talking to contacts, listening in on conversations and having to put up with other agencies and departments that interfere with their investigations. This realism comes of course at the cost of pace, but this is ultimately also the point and kind of the charm of the film. Gathering intelligence takes its time, and you need to start at the bottom to get to the top, or as Bachmann states it: 'It takes a minnow to catch a barracuda and a barracuda to catch a shark.'
This is not a popcorn flick, and requires a bit of patience and focus, but it pays off, as the movie rewards you with great atmosphere and excellent performances. Especially the late Hoffman shows us why he will be missed. There is a lot of brilliance within the subtlety with which he portrays his characters and the impact of the final scene would not have been the same without him.
Lastly, the movie seems very up-to-date covering topics like the fear of terrorism, suspiciousness towards Muslims, and the different approaches of intelligence agencies as well as the bureaucracy they have to work with. "A Most Wanted Man" might not be a film you will rewatch very often, but one whose themes and message you will definiteley remember. So if you are in for something sophisticated, this is a film for you.

For Fans Of:
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (2011)
The American (2010)
The Wire (2002-2008, TV Series)
Unknown (2011)

Click Here To Watch Trailer!

And check out my friend's review over at B.A.'s Screentest for a second opinion!

OUTSIDE HOLLYWOOD EP.3 - Summer Blockbusters

 Hello there puny humans,
it's been some time since our last podcast, but now we are back: This time Björn Hoppe and I are reviewing the Summer Blockbuster Season and its greatest movies!



Listen and enjoy!
Your Cinemartian

BEGIN AGAIN - Movie Review

 Title: Begin Again
Running Time: 104 min
Director: John Carney
Starring: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, Catherine Keener, James Corden, Mos Def, Cee-Lo Green

Review:
After the independent film "Once", which he filmed with his former 'The Frames' band colleague Glenn Hansard, and which won an Acadamy Award as well as a Grammy for its songs, irish director John Carney makes his mainstream debut. Sticking with the topic of music, he is now joined by Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, as well as Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine with his first acting gig.
"Begin Again" starts off introducing our first protagonist Dan Mulligan and tries a bit too hard to show us that this obvious loser is obviously a loser, giving us every cliché including laziness, unpunctuality, alcoholism, being broke, being divorced, being unemployed and forgetting an important detail about his daughter so you see what a bad dad he is. However, Mark Rufallo is such a charismatic guy, that you kind of roll with it and have your fun. Then we get to know Keira Knightley's Gretta and her life with a boyfriend turned famous. This relationship eventually ends, but with less drama than you would expect.
In general, the movie is missing that big climacting break down, where everything goes wrong and which the characters have to recover from. But this is what is somehow charming about the movie. Except for the beginning mentioned above, the plot development feels very real, with some ups and downs, but no typical hollywood disaster. Among other things this might be due to the fact that a lot of scenes were improvised, which is pretty rare for movies outside of the comedy genre.
The songs, obviously playing a big part in this film, are mostly played in full length, but are embedded nicely into the film's story in different ways. They are very good listening and Keira Knightley's soft voice worked surprisingly well with them. So while not being the most thrilling thing in theaters right now, it is nice litte film to watch. A feel good movie about the love for and through music, with some cute ways to portray it.  

For Fans Of:
Once (2006)

Click Here To Watch Trailer! 

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY 3D - Movie Review

 Title: Guardians of the Galaxy
Running Time: 121 min 
Director: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Benicio Del Torro, John C. Reilly, Glenn Close, Michael Rooker

Review:
Even without the rights to their biggies Spider-Man and the X-Men, Marvel Studios has managed to build maybe the biggest and most successfull movie universe of all time. So good, that while DC is still struggling to deliver outside of Nolan's Batman Trilogy, Marvel tried their luck with D-List comic heroes including a talking racoon and a tree version of hodor. What sounded like a gamble on paper seemed to have everyone hooked on a feeling after the first trailer and people got really excited about "Guardians of the Galaxy". And they had every right to do so!
If science fiction was music, then this film would be rock'n'roll! Witty, bold, insubordinate and just extremely cool: "Guardians of the Galaxy" takes you on a ride. This is a movie, that can almost get away with anything, just because it is so self-aware and doesn't take itself too serious. Yes, the writers have done an exceptional job. Instead of giving us each character's origin (with the exception of Peter Quill, but even his back story feels more like a prologue), they rather let the viewer learn about their past very smoothly through certain dialogues or scenes. With all its great one-liners, this film could as well be called a comedy and even the mandatory cheesy emotional moments of such a superhero story are quickly followed by a brilliant joke to losen up the atmosphere again. All this mixed with some kick-ass sci-fi space action and cleverly choreographed fight-scenes makes for some damn good entertainment.
But every great script relies on the delivery by the cast. The leading man in this case is Chris Pratt, who plays the charismatic self-proclaimed "Star-Lord" and gives us the perfect mix of Han Solo and Indiana Jones, with a hint of Andy Dwyer*. Next to him is Zoe Saldana as Gamora, being bad-ass as usual, eventhough she could have gotten more time to shine. Dave Bautista does his best portraying Drax the Destroyer, which might not be that much, but the way the script is written helps him out and in the end he really is a sympathetic guy. But the real showstealers here are Rocket and Groot. Especially the former of the duo provides most of the laughs and paired with that twee tree, he has the most hilarious moments of the film.
Lastly, this movie's look and style are a treat as well. The visuals effects are awesome and the use of prostetics and make-up instead of CGI can truly be appreciated. Also, the soundtrack is simply a must-buy. Almost Tarantino-worthy!
Having all that going on for it, "Guardians of the Galaxy" will make you overlook the forgettable villain or other minor flaws, mostly because you will be too busy quoting lines from it on the ride home from the theater.

 For Fans Of:
The Avengers (2012)
Serenity (2005)
The Losers (2010) 
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
John Carter (2012)
Star Trek (2009)
Footloose (1984)

Click Here To Watch Trailer! 

*Andy Dwyer is Chris Pratt's character on the show "Parks and Recreation"