Reviews by MaxL

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

A deaf-mute man kidnaps the daughter of his former boss in order to pay for his sister's life-saving kidney transplant. But at a certain point, things start to go disastrously wrong.
When you get down to it, this is a very simple premise, especially compared to the other two instalments of the so-called "Vengeance Trilogy". It's just a domino effect of one thing leading to another in a never-ending spiral of revenge. But for me, its simplicity is what makes it so compelling.
What I especially like is that neither of the two leads are good or bad guys per se; it's just two men who are both seeking revenge for entirely personal reasons: one for the death of his sister, the other for the death of his daughter. Even the kidnappers aren't detestable: they actually get friendly with the girl and make sure she enjoys herself. While you could make the argument that this only makes the kidnapping worse, at least they're by no means sadists.
Now, I obviously won't spoil the details of either main character's ultimate fate, but let's just say neither makes it out okay. You could say they're either both justifiably punished for doing bad things, or that they both end up as victims of a most tragic set of circumstances.
I love this movie. I don't know how many of you will agree with me, but I'd say this is my personal favourite of the trilogy.

My rating: 85%

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Test pilot Hal Jordan gets a power ring handed down to him by Abin Sur, a dying Green Lantern who's crash-landed on Earth, and is recruited to the Green Lantern Corps. He is taken under the wing of senior officer Sinestro, and they set out to find the truth of Abin Sur's death.
This is more what the 2011 live-action Green Lantern should have been like. It doesn't try to cram three films' worth of material into one; it picks one plot and sticks to it. This allows for much more manageable pacing, meaning the film as a whole is a lot more fleshed out and so much more entertaining.
The story itself is nothing really special, but it's still a terrifically fun adventure; every scene fits perfectly into place. Plus, Sinestro is one of the best villains ever: his motivation does almost get you on his side.
There's really only one problem with the movie, and sadly it is kind of a big one: Hal Jordan himself is so depressingly bland. What especially bothered me was how, at the beginning, he just takes an alien encounter completely in stride; nothing about it fazes him! I think the movie really could have used some build-up where he gradually gets used to the ring.
To sum it up, this isn't a great movie, but I didn't really expect it to be. I just wanted something better than the live-action movie, and I most certainly got that! :)

My rating: 75%

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

When fighter pilot Steve Trevor crash-lands on the peaceful island of Themyscira, home of the Amazons, Princess Diana is tasked with bringing him home again. But a second purpose is soon added to her mission when Ares, god of war, escapes from his prison and sets out to regain his power.
I have to admit, I'm having trouble structuring my thoughts on this movie. But in short, I really liked it.
I don't read comic books, but I still understand the essence of the Wonder Woman character, and this movie seems to stay pretty true to it. Besides, it's right up my street anyway, since I'm a huge fan of Greek mythology. :)
It's a dark enough movie that I really wouldn't recommend it for young children – in fact, right off the bat, it starts with a surprisingly brutal battle scene – but it's not completely mean-spirited. There's a brilliant dry sense of humour to the whole thing. I especially love the scene where Steve is speaking his mind completely honestly, then realises it's because his foot's in the Lasso of Truth! :D
Speaking of comedy, as soon as Diana and Steve arrived in New York, I was expecting a lot of painfully awkward attempts on Diana's part to interact with the real world. But, to my huge relief, that didn't happen! :)
So on the whole, I'd definitely recommend this to non-comic readers as an introduction to the character. It's equal parts funny and intense; it takes itself seriously, but not too seriously.

My rating: 80%

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

To cut right to the point, I loved this game. I mean, how could I not? It's fucking Batman! :)
The plot is that, after Batman returns the Joker to Arkham Asylum, the Joker breaks free, takes control and makes a public threat that ensures Batman is left alone to stop him.
Simply setting the game in Arkham Asylum is the perfect excuse to throw in as many Batman villains as you want. And, while they do include quite a few, I'm glad they didn't let it get to the point of insanity; they're all well integrated into the story. One of my favourite boss fights is Bane – who, for my money, has never looked better.
The gameplay is also right up my street. :) It's more about stealth than full-on action, which really was the perfect approach. I am not a hardcore gamer and definitely don't consider combat my strong suit, so I'm glad they restricted it to a few basic commands during hand-to-hand combat; you just tell Batman basically what to do and watch him do his thing. :)
And do I even have to mention the casting of Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill – in my opinion, still by far the best versions of their respective characters?
To sum it up, you take perfect gameplay, a variety of enemies and gadgets, and throw it all into a concoction very true to the Batman mythos, and you have one of the best Batman games you could possibly ask for.

My rating: 95%

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I haven't yet read the book, so the only other incarnations I can compare this to are the Disney version and the 1996 live-action version. And, while the Disney version is also very clever indeed, this version is just so heavy on atmosphere that it's quite possibly even more engaging.
The stop-motion animation is of course delightful – and, I think, the best way to bring these characters to life.
I also like how, looking back, it's implied that the weasels planned to get Toad out of the way.
I can definitely see children having nightmares over the scene where the weasels terrify Mole in the Wild Wood. It's not like the film's very upbeat to begin with, so the idea of having a scene like that, that's meant to make you feel low, is just downright cruel! :)
One thing I can say: since this film shares a couple of songs in common with other versions, that got me curious to see if those songs came straight from the book. (Yes, they do.) It's interesting how my two favourite songs in the film – The Open Road and When the Toad Came Home – both happen to be associated with Toad! :D And, ironically, one is from the book and the other isn't. :)
Its only downfall, in my opinion, is that the final battle isn't all that spectacular.
But overall, it's endlessly charming, and one of the best Wind in the Willows adaptations you could ask for.

My rating: 85%

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Based on the true story of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, The Conjuring focuses on the case of the Perron family.
I was really hoping this movie would live up to the hype, but I didn't realistically expect it to. I'm usually not the least bit scared by supernatural horror, and I didn't like James Wan's previous film, Insidious. And, as it turned out… it was the breath of fresh air I was hoping for, but nothing mind-blowing.
The main reason it trumps so many modern horror films is because it doesn't rely on jump scares. It doesn't just shout and scream and yell and try to make you jump every thirty seconds. Instead, it builds up a genuine sense of unease through a string of very believable false climaxes. There are many, many times when you think it's building up to a jump scare… and it doesn't. For example, there's a scene where one of the daughters goes to look under her bed, but then shrinks back again – as anyone would. Beautiful! :)
And whenever there is a jump scare, it's not conveyed through a stupid orchestral sting, but from a loud crash in the next room or something.
All this means the fear comes from the situation itself, not manipulation on the part of the filmmakers. It didn't give me a complete sense of authenticity, but close.
In short, this is one of the best horror movies in several years, but it's more impressive than it is scary.

My rating: 75%

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Simon, a fine art dealer, double-crosses a gang during the theft of a highly valuable painting, and ends up with amnesia so he can't remember where he hid the picture. They send him to hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb to try and get it out of him.
So you can probably guess from that premise that Trance is equal parts psychological and straightforward thrills – and director Danny Boyle has always been brilliant at that. The depictions of Simon's mind always ring very true, especially in how Elizabeth sometimes appears in the rooms he imagines as she talks to him. And later on, after Elizabeth finds out about the gang and has them sit in on the therapy sessions, they too start to appear in Simon's mind, making it clear that he feels crowded and can't concentrate with them around.
The movie does take a very predictable turn by suggesting that Elizabeth may have ulterior motives, but to be fair, I was still interested in how it would all be resolved.
Sadly, though, the last act is where the movie really falls apart. Obviously I don't want to spoil any details, but the climax throws first one plot twist at you, then another, and another – almost to the point of lunacy! Not to mention, one particular reveal is a ridiculous lapse in logic.
In conclusion, while it's not Danny Boyle's best work, this is still an interesting psychological thriller – and probably the best 2013 release I've rented so far.

My rating: 70%

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The Place Beyond the Pines starts out following Luke Glanton, a stuntman who turns to robbing banks to support his former lover and her baby. Then, for the second act, the focus abruptly shifts to Avery Cross, an ambitious detective in a corrupt precinct. And then the third act follows Avery's son fifteen years later.
When I first read the plot summary for this movie, I was expecting the stories of the detective and the criminal to be told in parallel. But instead, it tells three entirely separate stories one after the other. So imagine my confusion when Ryan Gosling's storyline ended abruptly early in the film, and Bradley Cooper's storyline was then resolved equally quickly!
It may be because of this story layout that the movie felt very long indeed. It's 134 minutes, but it feels more like three hours! It has a rather slow, methodical pace, so each section feels like a whole movie in itself.
Not to mention, each story is less interesting than the last. Despite Ryan Gosling's characteristically wooden performance, his character is such a good parent that I really did start to root for him and felt he should absolutely be a part of the baby's life. But, on the other hand, I couldn't care less about Avery's son's story, centred around drugs.
In short, while it's well written and does have its moments, on the whole, its jarring narrative structure makes it seem increasingly longwinded.

My rating: 60%

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

The premise of Oblivion would take far too long to explain, but here it is in a nutshell… In 2077, Earth has been devastated after an alien invasion destroyed the moon. Now mankind is being relocated to Titan, with only a crew of two left on Earth. They're in charge of maintaining the power stations that harvest energy from seawater for the future of humanity.
There's a tonne of other stuff going on besides; I could literally spend this entire review just talking about plot details! But obviously I won't. :) So let's get down to some of my own personal thoughts.
One thing that bothered me was how long it took to get to the actual story. In the first act, there are two fake-outs that lead you to believe it'll be about Jack stranded on the ground.
While the plot did keep my interest and I wanted to know where it was going, a lot of it is very predictable. For example, the true identity of the alien bandits, or "Scavs", can be seen coming from a mile away. Plus, spoilers here, but there's a scene where Jack meets a clone of himself, and all I could think about was Duncan Jones' Moon.
And the last thing I'll mention is the music. It's all wrong. A lot of it's just the same melancholy piece that sometimes sets completely the wrong tone.
So my overall impression is that it's interesting but sadly lacklustre.

My rating: 55%

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Former criminal Jacob Sternwood is forced to return to London when his son is involved in a heist gone wrong. This gives Detective Max Lewinsky a second chance to take him down.
Wow, I've finally rented a 2013 release that I actually kind of liked! :) And I think a lot of that comes from the character of Jacob Sternwood. Not only does Mark Strong give an expectedly top-notch performance, but the character is cunning and ruthless, but sympathetic; he is trying to help his son, after all. I just love the scene at the hospital, where he finds a way to test the police's defences.
The film itself does a terrific job at playing detective and criminal against each other: how the criminal always manages to slip through the detective's fingers. But I think the second half is where it starts to lose its footing. The conspiracy ends up becoming a little too complicated, perhaps one too many people involved.
One major disappointment was Andrea Riseborough. She's a great actress – one of my favourites – so I couldn't help feeling that her character being in so little of the movie was kind of a waste of her talents.
Still, of all the movies I've rented so far this year (not counting Silver Linings Playbook), this is the first one that I actually feel inclined to buy. It does have its problems, but it at least has the makings of a solid action thriller.

My rating: 65%