Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol

Mission is possible..Tom Cruise..Mission Impossible 4

The latest in the long line of Mission: Impossible films, is as thrilling as the first four. Tom Cruise returns to the role of Ethan Hunt, who is trying to stop a nuclear strategist from igniting a World War. It begins in Russia, with Cruise escaping from a Russian prison. Almost as soon as the film has begun, we're introduced to Benji, played by Simon Pegg, who instantly gives us the comic relief, from the action. After the Kremlin is destroyed, the Russians blame the US, and the US blame Ethan Hunt's team. So on the run from their own government after the President orders "Ghost Protocol." The other part of Hunt's team is, Jane (Paula Patton), and William Brandt (played by Jeremy Renner.) I was impressed at the whole sequence in Dubai, where at one point, Cruise scales the Burj Khalifa hotel (the current tallest building in the world.) Recently I read in the news that Cruise himself actually does this stunt himself although in the movie, he uses special gloves whereas in real life, he is in a harness. It was enjoyable, and kept me glued to my seat, harmless and fun action movie.


4/5

2011 In Film

One of 2011's most highly-anticipated movies...Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2

For Patrick's Reviews, 2011 has been big, it's our first full year for movies, starting with Tron: Legacy and ending with Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows unless, we review something else. We start this post, with the blockbusters, Rango. It was probably one of Johnny Depp's better movies, besides the Pirates of The Caribbean trilogy. Then onto Rio, a forgettable animation about a macaw called Blu (played by The Social Network's Jesse Eisenberg.) It was pretty dire. Now moving swiftly onwards, we come to Pirates of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, the fourth installment in the never-ending saga. Then The Green Lantern, another DC Comics movie adaption starring Ryan Reynolds. The summer blockbuster of the year, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows: Part 2, was highly anticipated and didn't disappoint. Bridesmaids comes along next, as being probably my favorite movie of 2011, because of it's wit, charm and it's similarities to The Hangover. Coming hot on the heels of Bridesmaids as my favorite movie of 2011, The Inbetweeners Movie provides much of what Bridesmaids does, but gives you one final look at Will, Neil, Jay and Simon. The first old-fashioned movie, Jane Eyre we've reviewed, was well made with great filming locations but a little bit boring. Woody Allen's comeback went down a storm, Midnight In Paris was great, with Owen Wilson being surprisingly un-annoying as he usually is in films like Cars 2. Johnny English Reborn sees Rowan Atkinson of Blackadder fame on top form again as the hapless spy. Steven Soderbergh, presents Contagion, a gripping medical thriller that was unnervingly scary. Steven Spielberg's next outing, with the boy detective and his canine compadre, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of The Unicorn. Wallace & Gromit's animation company, Aardman gives us the animated festive film, Arthur Christmas. The dire, penultimate Twilight film, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 fails to impress us. Martin Scorcese's first child-friendly film, Hugo is a great adventure film. While the Shrek spin-off Puss In Boots, is a good fun animation. Finally at the end of the year, we get another Sherlock film, Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows. that as a great escapism movie from the hustle and bustle of Christmas.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Super sleuth...Jude Law..Robert Downey Jr....Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Since we last picked off from our old pal, Sherlock, he's been busy. As Watson says, "his web of conspiracy has expanded," as he's been tracing a series of bombings across Europe, and he's seeming traced it back to Professor James Moriarty (Mad Men's Jared Harris). As he enlists his newly-married pal, Dr Watson (again, played by Jude Law), he saves another one of Moriarty's intended victims, a gypsy called Sim (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo's Noomi Rapace.) The film crosses different continents as, Holmes tries to fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Stephen Fry gets a small part as Sherlock's brother, Mycroft, a very different character from BBC One's Sherlock's Mark Gatiss. I think that Sim got much less speech than she should of and didn't really add much to the plot. Incredibly contrived, I think this second outing into the franchise manages to get away with it. 




3.5/5

Puss In Boots 3D

Fur will fly....Antonio Banderas....Puss In Boots.

This pleasant prequel to the Shrek saga is nice enough. It catches up with Puss, who is now a legendary bandit after being an orphan in a town to his surrogate mother, Imelda. He soon learns of some magic beans that Jack & Jill (Billy Bob Thornton & Amy Sedaris), have that can allow the user to plant a beanstalk just like the fairytale. Teaming up with his female counterpart, Kitty Softpaws (Salma Heyak) and his incredibly unreliable pal, Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis) they search out to recover the beans, to get the magic eggs of the golden goose. It's funny, with lots of little cat jokes and the main characters are simple enough. Harmless in it's way, that's if your more of a cat person. I myself am.


3.5/5

Hugo - 3D

Hugo-a-go-go....Asa Butterfield..Jude Law...Hugo

Mark Kermode who writes for The Guardian often describes 3D as, "pointy pointy." He thinks that it's just things poking at you for no reason but Martin Scorcese's child-friendly film, Hugo, 'pokes' (ironically) that theory. It's a whirlwind adventure set in a Paris train station, it shows lonely orphan Hugo (Asa Butterfield), who's father (a Jude Law cameo, almost) perishes in a fire at a museum. Hugo fixes the clocks, as his job, while his reprobate uncle (Ray Winstone), who runs the clocks, techinically, spends his days drinking himself until his death. Soon Hugo befriends, friendly girl, Isabelle (Chloe Moretz). They have adventures in the station while trying to discover the mystery, of his father's final ongoing project, a mechanical man. They manage to evade the watchful eye of the stationmaster, played by Sacha Baron Cohen. I enjoy the sub-plot featuring, Richard Griffiths and Frances de la Tour. Ben Kingsley, comes in as Papa George, Isabelle's caring godfather, who is more than he reveals. The same can be said for Helen McCrory, who plays Mama Jeanne. Enjoyable stuff.


4/5