THE FAULT IN OUR STARS - Movie Review

 Title: The Fault in Our Stars
Running Time: 126 min
Director: Josh Boone
Starring: Shaile Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Natt Wolff, Lara Dern, Sam Trammell, Willem Dafoe

Review:
Based on the novel of author/YouTuber John Green, the movie "The Fault in Our Stars" is a love story about two young people that both have to battle cancer. And while films with such a premise often tend to try too hard in the tear-jerking department, with lots of overly dramatic events and plot points, this movie is not such a film!
In fact, "The Fault in Our Stars" does not have to fall back on cheap tricks to create the emotional journey it takes the viewer on. The way the characters are written makes them and especially the story feel very real. It is not afraid to look at cancer and the certainty of death from a humorous side, and it is these lighthearted funny moments that give the drama so much more weight when it hits. Further, the movie really tries to avoid clichés, as well as painting things black and white, which underlines its authenticity even more. There is no character and no moment that is only sad or only happy, but rather a blend of everything, as we find it in real-life.
To say that this is just another love story wouldn't do this film much justice, as it really goes deeper than that. It is a story about life and our purpose in this whole mess we call the universe. Because it raises those philosophical questions, sometimes the metaphors and thoughts the main characters come up with almost seem to be a bit too complex for a teenager, but at no point does it take you out of the movie. This is most likely due to the incredible acting that is done in this film.
Shaile Woodley is phenomenal as Hazel Grace and gives her best performance so far. Seeing her portraying such a range of strong emotions so stirringly, one can only hope she stays away from regular young-adult films and chooses projects that can tap her full potential. If she does so, she should have a great career in front of her. The other half of the couple is Ansel Elgort, who (as probably intended) comes across as a moron at the beginning, but manages to charm his way into the audience's hearts with his big dim-witted grin and a warm and loving attitude. But those two aren't the only pieces to the puzzle, as Laura Dern also adds a lot of weight to the film. Her portrayal of Hazel's mother is incredibly believable and not overacted as in other films of this genre. The only character who seems comic is Van Houten. However, he too is played brilliantly by Willem Dafoe, showing us once more how underrated the former Green Goblin actor is.
So take a break from this tsunami of blockbusters with which Hollywood is flooding the theatres these days and check out "The Fault in Our Stars". It is to cheesy romantic films what Jaws is to other shark movies. More clever and handled with a lot of cinematic care and skill. Charming, smart, funny, sad, heart-warming and heart-breaking. If this doesn't hit your soft spot, you are most probably kind of a douche.
Lastly, I gotta say that while I haven't read the book, people who have don't seem to be disappointed at all. So fans of the source material don't be afraid. This novel has been adapted more than well!

For Fans Of:
50/50 (2011)
My Sister's Keeper (2009)
Spectacular Now (2013)

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

OUTSIDE HOLLYWOOD EP.2 - Edge Of Tomorrow, Women in Hollywood and more...

 Hello there puny humans,
'Tis been another fortnight and so another podcast of Outside Hollywood is ready to be listened to! Technical difficulties have been fixed and so here we are talking about a few things:
What makes Edge Of Tomorrow so great? Why is it good that Tom Cruise is nuts? Has Sigourney Weaver found someone to challenge her as cinemas most bad ass chick? Who exactly are cinemas strong women? And what have B.A. and the Cinemartian been up to? So click play and find out!

Sincerely,
Your Cinemartian!
Listen Music - Audio File Hosting - Podcast #2 - Edge of Tomorrow

MALEFICENT - Movie Review

 Title: Maleficent 3D
Running Time: 97 min
Director: Robert Stromberg
Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley

Review:
Four years after her last appearance on screen, Angelina Jolie returns in Disney's new telling of the 1959 classic "Sleeping Beauty". The twist on this one is, that it tells the story from the perspective of the iconic character Maleficent. But her look at things does not only include bits from during and before this well known fairy tale. Some of the characters get portrayed in a complete opposite light, and some events apparently happened very different than we were told as kids.
Seeing Jolie in this role, there is no doubt that she was the only and perfect choice for it. Her looks, her voice and her over-all acting are just spot on, and she gives this dark fairy a lot of debth by showing her range of emotion. She looks amazing in costume and she got the creepiness down so well, that only her daughter was able to play a certain scene with her, since all the other child actors started crying. 
Her co-star Sharlto Copley does what he does best and his take on Aurora's father King Stefan works briliantly for this version of the tale. Next to those two actors the rest of the cast almost feels exchangeable, but nobody does bad job at all. Sam Riley as Maleficents servant and Elle Fanning as the actual Sleeping Beauty play their roles solid and well.
The visuals are as great as Disney gets and on par with films like "Oz the Great and Powerful". The same goes for the 3D, which is used nicely throughout the film.
Story-wise, eventhough a lot is changed up, this stays a fairytale. It's all there: a narrator, fantastical creatures, some innocent humor and the heart-warming moments. With some cool battle sequences in the mix, this movie is very enjoyable and you'll have a good time watching. At some points the plot feels a little rushed, but then again, the movie just shortens a story we already know a lot about.
So to sum it up, "Maleficent" is feel good movie with some dark elements to it, a very cool fairy tale and great for Disney fans. If it's still playing in theatres near you, and you feel the need to watch a nice film, i recommend this one. Not your biggest loss if you miss it, but then really make sure to catch it when it comes out on DVD.

For Fans Of:
Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Mirror Mirror (2012)
Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Sleeping Beauty (1959)
Snow White And The Huntsman (2012) - excluding Kristen Stewarts Performance

A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST - Movie Review

 Title: A Million Ways to Die in the West
Running Time: 116 min
Director: Seth McFarlane
Starring: Seth McFarlane, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Liam Neeson, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman

Review:
After "Ted", Family Guy -Creator Seth McFarlane goes for the big screen a second time and (next to writing/directing of course) steps from the recording booth in front of the camera. He is joined by a great cast including Liam Neeson, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried and How I Met Your Mother Star Neil Patrick Harris. With a cast like this and a Wild West setting, the movie sounds very promising, but unfortunately does not live up to its potential at all.
The jokes are the typical MacFarlane Mix: There are great pop-culture references and hilarious cameos, random situations or lines that just make you laugh out lout, as well as cleverly written mocking of society today and back then... And then of course there is all the fart, penis, poop type of potty humor that feels out of place and really falls flat. You let a lot slide since McFarlane is such a damn likeable guy and when he manages to deliver it really is a stroke of brilliance, but very often he takes it a step to far. The love story holding it all together is, as in almost every comedy, predictable, but McFarlane and Theron have kind of a cute chemistry, and so the romantic scenes don't feel forced. They might however bore the movie goer, who is just there for the laughs.
In the end, "A Million Ways To Die in the West" is meant to be watched on a DVD night with some friends and a couple of beers: A good time, but not worth the movie ticket.

For Fans Of:
Ted (2012)
Southpark (TV-Show) 

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

New Podcast: OUTSIDE HOLLYWOOD

 Hello there puny humans,
my good friend B.A. came to me with the idea of making a podcast, and well, here it is: Outside Hollywood!
We picked "Godzilla" as our first topic to talk about, and later went on to discuss the latest Star Wars casting news and other stuff. This project is a little experiment and though we basically did it for fun, we'll be trying to improve it with every new episode. (Especially in the sound quality and taking notes department). We are planning to release an Episode every fortnight!

EDGE OF TOMORROW - Movie Review

 Title: Edge Of Tomorrow 3D
Running Time: 113 min
Director: Doug Liman
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson

Review: 
Tom Cruise might be the most controversial actor of our time. Thus, everytime a new project of his is released, there are a lot of people who wish to see him fail. But he has yet to do so. With lots and lots of audience favorites and box office hits in his filmography, he is one of the most successful people in Hollywood right now. So is Edge Of Tomorrow the epic fail Cruise Haters have been waiting for? Or is it another great piece of movie entertainment?
Well, it most certainly is the latter! Edge Of Tomorrow is a terrific action sci-fi piece that, in spite of a familiar concept, stays incredibly fresh and exciting. Following the Groundhog Day routine, this movie is about a guy who unvoluntarily finds himself at the battlefront against an alien invasion. When he dies, he suddenly wakes up a day earlier and the whole thing happens again... and again and again. But what makes this movie special, is the way it plays with that idea. You don't really get a counter on how many times our main character has done this before, which keeps you guessing, and in contrary to other movies of that type, he knows what to do to get out of the loop very early in the movie. As he learns new things with every repitition, he gets closer to his goal everytime, taking new routes, reaching new places and surviving a little bit longer each try.
Doug Liman really knows how to shoot action and the visuals are gandios. This is one of the more "dirty" science fiction films, where the new technology isn't all shiny and bright. The armour of the soldiers really looks like it has been used before, and setting the film in europe and the main battle at a beach really gives you some World War II vibes. The aliens are very unique, and after they were described as "working like one organism", I immediatly saw that they were exactly how I'd imagine giant neurons to look like! The 3D was not ground-breaking, but really didn't feel like a waste of money.
The actors are all doing great jobs as well. Tom Cruise is once more 100% committed to the action and you can really see and appreciate that he does his own stunts. Then there is Emily Blunt's Rita Vrataski aka. "The Angel of Verdun" who is probably one of the most bad ass chicks in cinema. She really owns that role and I'd love to see a spin-off for this beautiful ass-kicking lady.
The humor is very well placed, and the action and dialogue sequences take turns so nicely that you do not get bored with either. The last two minutes startled me a bit and I personally wished they had ended the movie just before, but this didn't have an impact on my over-all enjoyment of the film.
Edge Of Tomorrow is a big surprise, one of my favourite action films this year and will most definitely find its way into my DVD Collection. So go out and watch it! 

For Fans of:
Source Code (2011)
District 9 (2009)
Mission: Impossible 4 (2011)

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

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST - Movie Review

 Title: X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D
Running Time: 131 min
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Hoult, Halle Berry, Ellen Page, Omar Sy 

Review: 
The mutant bunch is back. This time with a cast cross-over (the original trilogy vs. the "First Class" Reboot) and their old friend Bryan Singer from the first two films back in the director's chair. Also, with a subtitle like "Days of Future Past", we all knew we were in for some time travel.
The movie throws you right into the action, and you get to see a lot of new and old mutans showing off their powers in an awesome battle sequence. In general, this movie does a phenomenal job at portraying the individual "gifts" of the characters in a really awesome and at one point even artistic way (you'll know which scene, because it's the best one of the movie). Yes, this film is really good looking, be it the costumes, the powers or the almost creepy sentinels.
The cast has always been the strong point of the X-Men films and this installment is no exception. All of these excellent actors really dive into the characters and after six films you have almost no doubt that those people on screen really ARE Wolverine, Professor X and Magneto. Also, the size of the ensemble is handled very well, and the movie does not seem too crowded, due to the different states in time. Of course, the humor is placed in the exact right spot as usual and further, Singer references the other films of the franchise a lot, which makes it a bit less of a stand-alone film, but really rewards long time watchers.
Yet, the movie does have some problems: The explanation for the existence of time travel for example is somewhere in between "the easy way out" and "non-existant", and some parts of the otherwise solid story (like the main characters leaving a very powerful ally behind) leave you with some question marks. And eventhough the moral component has always been an important part within the X-Men stories, this movie felt like it had one monologue/speech too many.
The very end of the film leaves X-Fans with new hopes that could as well be concerns, but i don't want to give too much away, so see for yourself! All in all, "X-Men: Days Of Future Past" is a very good time and (if you save yourself the non-necessary 3D) worth watching in theatres. It's not THE strongest, but A strong new entry for the franchise and really changes things up! I'm curious for what's coming up!

For Fans of:
X-Men: First Class (2011)
X2 (2003)
X-Men (2000)
Matrix Reloaded (2003)

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