First thing first, kindly watch this if you have a thing for sci-fi. As per many news media outlets, Blade Runner has been declared a flop. Please, please and please, kindly ignore those tabloids and watch it at your own accord. The movie like many Denis Villeneuve movies is a visual treat. Breathtakingly stunning and every frame producing it's own distinct piece of beauty something which will make you sit up and marvel at the imaginations of few individuals and their ability to draw them out on the screen with such panache. Deakins probably has sent a clear message that anything less than an Oscar nomination will be a complete shame. Not to forget the special effects and the background score (Zimmer) which were equally brilliant. As far as the story is concerned, I honestly could never figure out what to say about it. Not the best storyline I came across but to say that it's bad will be purely insulting the sanctity involved behind the making of this film which in every word needs to be respected . In the end it was equally difficult to look for any reasons to think about any flaws because it did cross the level of magnificent it was expected to scale. It was equally difficult to sit down and look for flaws and even if there was any, take the liberty to brand it with any negative adjectives. Nevertheless, on a personal level, I would be lying if I wouldn't say that BR2049 is hands down one of the best movies of 2017 and probably a work which might have set a certain barometer for Villeneuve for eclipse in future. The movie is close to 3 hours long and extremely heavy in nature. As mentioned earlier that unless you are a fan of Sci first kindly stay away as there is a huge chance that you might leave the hall early, something I saw many others doing during my three hours spent in the theatre. Ryan Gosling is brilliant and undoubtedly is the major player who carries the film forward very well. Jared Leto is under utilized and felt should have been used more, but he probably is the trump card for the director as he may set out to make another sequel. Is it as good as its prequel? The 1982 movie was a landmark movie in its own right and hence it will be a sin to compare it. The current one is beautiful in its own manner and deserves to be put in a bracket of its own. PS- Kindly watch the prequel before you watch this one. On a scale of 5 my rating would be a 3.5/5.

Even though Dirty Dancing was produced in 1987, it is clear to say that it still gets us up onto our feets to dance 'like noone is watching!' It is a shock to find out that Dirty Dancing - a box office hit - was in fact a low-budget film! However, that didn't change anything! The storyline itself catches the eye of the audience - set in the summer of 1963 in a interactive resort in the Catskill Mountains, a young 17 year old girl named Frances "Baby" Houseman (Played by Jennifer Grey) is taking a vacation with her family. A plain, innocent get-away leads to Baby to ultimately 'come out of her shell' by falls in love with with the handsome and flirtatious dance instructor Johnny Castle (Played by Patrick Swayze). It is fair to say that this was every girls fantasy, falling in love with the guy of EVERYONEs dream vice versa! Who wouldn't want that! DIRECTING: The director Emile Ardolino has undoubtably provided a box office hit with the plot, storyline, characters and every element for the film. With only a budget of $6 million, the talented Emile Ardolino caused the film to have an outstanding box office of $214 million. I'm sure the figures themselves highlight the positive outcome of the film. ACTORS: Patrick Swazye and Jennifer Grey provided a brilliant representation of the character. Jonny's serious nature being shown to have an emotional side is portrayed through Swayze's body language and favial expressions. Grey's own acting skills plays an amazing role, showing her awkwardness in the setting, contrasting her from the other characters. EDITING: The film shows many different scenes, many different characters, and many different scenarioes all in which edited beautifully. The flow of each sceneis created positively, providing the manipulation of time to be unnoticable. FUN FACT: The director used actual footage of the bloopers between Swayze and Grey (scene where she is learning to dance and she keeps laughing, showing his seriousness) -yeah...He was not happy! Last but not least, the SOUND!: The moment people hear 'Time of my life', their thoughts instantly go to Dirty Dancing and the major dance scene at the end of the film. This effect it has, has left a positive remark as this highlights the memorable film which is still sa classic and amazing to this very day! I recommend watching it - if you haven't have guessed

Forgive me for this next liberty; but I have to start off with saying that I spent the duration of ‘The Last Jedi’ concerned for my cholesterol levels as this film is as cheesy as a comprehensive 10-cheese, cheese board. I was entertained but not convinced. So. My main issue with the latest war of the stars was that many moments where poorly founded and I felt I was being asked to extend my disbelief further then it was willing to go. I’m not even referring to the moment when Luke Skywalker took a drink from a lactating alien walrus (I like a bold touch). There where many dramatic twists and turns of the plots which didn’t convince me and these moments where worsened still by a melodramatic set of verbal cliches. I’d usually, at this point, try and interweave a breakdown of the premise but I can't say anything more sophisticated then - the characters had to go collect a thing to enable a thing whilst Daisy Ridley does an undergraduate force-course at the school of Skellig Island and ends up having a series of Jedi-Skype sessions with the dark side. ‘Return of the Jedi’ has many technological strengths and the choreography during fight sequences was extremely skilful but this was all negated by the fact I found myself laughing during moments that weren’t supposed to be funny. Although there are some quotable lines; the script felt on the whole rather unconvincing - apart from when the words were being salvaged by the hearty acting skills of Adam driver and Domhnall Gleeson. Whilst on the topic of acting skills; It has to be mentioned that there was an unmissable bite and vigour in Hamils' performance as Luke which did impress. Despite the character undergoing a sharp arc from his last proper appearance in ‘Return of The Jedi’ I did ultimately believe I was watching the real Luke back on my screen which does in this case owe credit to the writing. This may seem like a bizarre point to cite as an issue, but to me; many scenes in the ‘The Last Jedi’ felt all too shiny and glossy and It would appear that the entire film has been put through a laminator! With the space-based action there was something about the sharp shiny quality and the enormity of the scale which removed me emotionally from the story. I felt like I was watching a showcase of what modern CGI is able to achieve, and whilst it was an objectively impressive spectacle I just wasn't taken by it from a narrative point of view. This has to be because it failed to conjure up a sense of familiarity from the original three Starwars films. The thing I appreciated about the originals was that everything felt tangible. Obviously the special effects where more rudimentary and I’ll happily join in if you wanna chuckle at the 70s film technology but for me these films still tower over the sequels. The way that the characters interact with their surroundings made everything in the original Starwars universe feel naturalistic and almost touchable. The last Jedi on the other hand played to me as crisp quality fakery. A lot of people have divided opinions when it comes to the structure of the film. No sticker for anyone who can guess my stance! I felt dissatisfied by the shape of the plot which started early on. The problem with the film opening during huge battle is that I wasn't in fear of the outcomes for either fighting side. It is always a risk to start off with a battle when the audience hasn't had time to root for the new characters or become reconnected with the returning ones. I ask those who enjoyed the sequencing of the various plots; could it be you have a penchant for clutter? For me the way the stories intermingled felt inelegant and underdeveloped and when we arrived at key moments we were asked to connect with characters deaths whom we barely became acquainted with. Visually the films strongest moments where when the action took place on location. The scenes on ‘Skellig Island’, where Luke and Rey train have some cinematic majesty to them, even with the addition of what looks like island folk from Beatrix potter. Whilst I was generally underwhelmed, I did appreciate the effective use of the final setting as it was an artistic idea to create vast white planes that showered plumes of red dust into the air during the ending battle sequence. Although I thought the film was pants, I did for many of the same reasons find it wildly entertaining and I was never once bored. (If I could pass a message onto production it would be - where did you get the jazzy red latex articles worn by Supreme Leader Snokes' bodyguards and where might I purchase a set?) Reviewed by Esther Cross

(Release Info U.K. schedule; January 26th, 2018) "Last Flag Flying" Three 'Vietnam War' vets reunite after 30 years and embark on a bittersweet road trip to bury a young Marine killed in 'The Iraq War'. In 2003, 30 years after they served together in 'The Vietnam War', former Navy Corps medic Larry Shepherd (Steve Carell) re-unites with Former Marines Sal Nealon (Bryan Cranston) and Reverend Richard Mueller (Laurence Fishburne) on a different type of mission: to bury Larry’s son, a young Marine killed in 'The Iraq War'. Larry decides to forgo burial at 'Arlington Cemetery' and, with the help of his old buddies, takes the casket on a bittersweet trip up 'The East Coast' to his home in suburban New Hampshire. Along the way, Larry, Sal and Mueller reminisce and come to terms with shared memories of the war that continues to shape their lives. The film follows the trio as they wrestle with the pangs of war both past and present. In 2003, three decades after a tour of duty in Vietnam, soft-spoken New Hampshire family man Larry Shepherd surprises alcoholic former Marine Sal Nealon when he shows up at his bar in Norfolk, Virginia. Together they visit their formerly wild comrade-in-arms Richard Mueller at the church where he now serves as pastor. Soon after, Larry reveals that his son, a Marine, has been killed in Iraq. He asks his two friends to accompany him on a road trip to attend the young man’s burial at 'Arlington Cemetery'. When the vets arrive at 'Dover Air Force Base' in Delaware, where the remains have been sent, they meet the young Marine’s best friend, Corporal Charlie Washington (Quinton Johnson), who casts doubt on the official story of how Larry Jr. died. Stunned by the news, Larry decides to bury his son near the family home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Accompanied by Washington, the three vets escort the casket on a north-bound train, debating the existence of God, reminiscing about their tour of duty in Vietnam and revealing a dark secret that still haunt each of them. After a stopover in New York City, the men visit the mother of a fallen comrade in Boston, then proceed to Larry’s hometown, where Sal and Mueller don their dress blues as Larry says goodbye to his son for the last time. "Last Flag Flying" brims with humor, melancholy and regret as it examines the lasting effect of choices made in the crucible of war. From that very first scene Larry’s literally being rained on and we've the camera move down on him like the world’s slowly crushing the poor guy. As revealed over the course of "Last Flag Flying", Larry took the fall for his friends and spent two years in a naval prison for a crime whose consequences still haunt all three of them. That was then. Now Lary’s pretty mild-mannered, quiet, contemplative. He enjoys a simple life, he values his family and that’s really become the core of his existence. “For Last Flag Flying, it’s a relatively simple palette. It’s not so much manipulating the audience into some emotion that’s not there. It’s more about supporting the emotion that’s already in the scene and heightening it just a little bit. There’s a road trip theme, because the film includes that element of a fun buddy movie. But there’s also this weight and heaviness, so we've music dealing with the dead son, whose coffin keeps appearing. And there’s also this intimate friendship theme. Here and there, the film layers these themes on top of each other. In another nod to rootsy Americana, "Last Flag Flying" features a performance by 'The Band’s Levon Helm' as Larry oversees the burial of his son. In the climactic sequence, Helm can be heard singing 'Wide River To Cross'. Haunted by the violence he witnessed during his extended tour of duty in Vietnam, Mueller sought refuge in alcohol after the war before turning his life around and becoming the pastor of a small, predominantly African-American church. The transition from civilian life to military life changes you. “And if you survive the war and try to transition back into civilian life, that also requires you to change. It’s a really complex journey. The film gradually unmasks surprising facets of Mueller’s personality as his measured pastor persona slips away after a few hours in the company of his former comrades. When these old buddies get back together, they fall back into the roles they had during the war. It takes a while, but Sal brings out the devil in the Reverend Mueller a little bit. When Sal almost gets them killed by taking on an 18-wheeler, Mueller cuts loose and unloads on him. At that point, it’s like the genie’s out of the bottle. And for the rest of the movie, it’s as though the Marine’s on one shoulder and the reverend is on the other. Sal Nealon is an ex-Marine who has become a womanizing tavern owner in the years following the war. Sal’s an interesting dude because he covers up a lot of his emotional baggage with all this energy, some of which is natural and some of which comes from various substances. He has an oral fixation. He needs to either be talking or smoking or eating or drinking or chewing, he’s constantly doing something. He’s an irritant to Mueller, who might call him the piece of sand in the oyster. But out of that, Sal would say, comes a pearl. Sal self-medicates because he’s covering a lot of pain and guilt from his 'Vietnam War' experience. He’s not comfortable revealing his feelings so he tamps it down primarily with alcohol. He considers himself the life of the party kind of guy, but on this journey he opens up and discovers that what’s really important is friendship. This movie is a sequel to the book 'The Last Detail'. At that point, the war in Iraq was already a disaster and the book said a lot about these echoes of Vietnam in relation to Iraq. But mostly it's these three characters, Larry, Sal and Mueller. Their characters were like brothers 30 years ago, so the film explores what it feels like in middle age when you’re kind of thrust back in time. The culture back then wasn’t ready to deal with 'The Iraq War', which was happening right in front of us with no end in sight. When you think about the history of war movies, the best ones usually arrive years later, when people are finally ready to start examining what happened. The film is going to come back around. We can set it in December 2003 at the time they catch Saddam Hussein. People might remember that moment, so it grounds the story in some kind of shared reality, which is going back to the original intent of the book. When you hear the setup for "Last Flag Flying", it sounds pretty dark, but there’s a lot of funny stuff as well. The film takes great pains to not beat people over the head with the moral of the story. That juxtaposition of humor and tragedy is something Linklater has touched on in previous films. In a way, it's a college reunion movie, because it’s about these guys who haven’t seen each other in 30 years, and they get back together because of this tragic event. They've to re-examine their relationships, re-examine who they're now, how they connect or don’t connect as adults 30 years later. The war is really a backdrop for the interdependencies between three guys, which is fascinating. "Last Flag Flying" is also really interesting in the way that it deals with veterans from two different conflicts. You've these three Vietnam veterans but then you also have Washington, a veteran of 'The Iraq War'. They've so many things in common. This movie is a really interesting opportunity to show what people who return from these conflicts have to deal with. "Last Flag Flying’s" second act takes place largely on trains as the three Vietnam vets, along with Corporal Washington, escort Larry Jr.’s casket north from Delaware to New Hampshire. The film’s emotional atmosphere is also reflected in it's look, including the nearly constant bleakness of the weather. This movie has a certain texture, not just photographically, but the overall feel including the design has this wintry vibe, with the rain, and the December-ness of this story. You realize the huge debt we owe to all the men and women who serve in the armed forces, fight in all these different conflicts and then, if all goes well, come home. Maybe they’re intact or maybe they come home a bit broken. We really owe them a great deal of gratitude, respect and honor. That’s the big takeaway, and we've to honor their sacrifice in the way the film tell this story. Life is a dark comedy where it’s kind of sad, but with humor on top of it. An exploration of friendship forged in wartime and tempered by the passage of time, "Last Flag Flying" challenges audiences to draw their own conclusions.

JUSTICE LEAGUE REVIEW The first thing you should know (if uninitiated in comic book history) is that DCs Justice League is not a direct response to Marvel’s Avengers. The Justice League were formed in 1960, debuting in The Brave & The Bold #28. The original team comprised of: Martian Manhunter, Green Lantern, Flash, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Superman. The Avengers first appeared 3 years later. I mention this, because the Justice League movie also stands on its own film credentials, not taking any cues from Marvel's Avengers Assemble or Age Of Ultron. If anything, you’ll notice that there are more re-enactments and scenes that closer match Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings trilogy, than anything offered from comic book land. It's a slight shame, that the production team looked outward instead of within, as if they really needed some inspiration for a mega scale delivery, they need look no further than their own feature length animations. Rightly done, an adaptation of some of these titles, would have rocked the superhero movie genre for sure. But I delay. Is Justice League any good? The Good News; Justice League is worthy of a cinematic visit. It is better than Batman Vs Superman, but not as good as Wonder Woman. The main kick you’ll get out of this DC entry, is in seeing the roster of heroes (main ones and cameos) that make an appearance. This gives the film a type of fulfilment that a solo character outing can’t achieve. Some of the action scenes are awesome, in particular the Themyscira assault and a little internal squabble between the JL team members. Performance wise, newcomer Ray Fisher who plays Cyborg, ironically brings the most endearing humanity to the proceedings and Ezra Miller as The Flash, brings the humour. "Ultimately, the film’s main downfall, is that it is not a consistent ride." But now, for The Bad News. The CGI…oh lord. I don’t know what it is about DC films, but the graphics always look like they are only one step improved from a triple A computer game. This is one factor that I always have to take my hat off to, in regards to Marvel productions, they make me believe in the worlds that they create. As an overall production value, DC/Warner Bros need to seriously step up in this department and other failures arrive in the script having some clunky dialogue, some physical movement that scientifically doesn’t make sense superhero or not (including one scene where Flash’s running style is really bizarre) some narrative mishaps that will have you planting your face in the palm of your hand…and please, STOP with the superhero poses. For 21st century cinema, it looks corny and ridiculous! I’m all for films not being too aware of themselves, but be aware here! If you want to find the ultimate, unpretentious superhero pose in cinema, then look at the very last shot in Batman (1989). Ultimately, the film’s main downfall, is that it is not a consistent ride. There are noticeably good lines and bad ones, nice surprises and annoying parts, good action and bad action. Consequently the film is a seasaw of good and bad ideas - but you'll have to decide which end is staying up longer. Also, as foes go, they picked the wrong villain – Steppenwolf, Steppen who? Exactly. On a personal note, at this point within the superhero movie, I am officially bored of seeing superheroes fight 10,000 minions throughout an entire movie, that present no real challenge. If a studio needs a means of superheroes being able to unleash their power, without any blow back about screen violence and achieving a PG rating, then find another way. There is also one major reason you have to watch this movie – but that would be a major, major plot spoiler. DC are almost on the right track, they just need some of their production values re-examined and tightened. Watch JL with minimal expectations and just go with the flow. Release Date 17th Nov 2017

It’s been a pretty good week for the creators of ‘Paddington 2’. Firstly, the movie received sparkling reviews upon it’s release last Friday, and then news emerged yesterday that the movie has severed ties from the much maligned Weinstein Company after the North American distribution rights were nabbed by Warner Bros. Paddington, our furry little hero from Peru, is a timely ray of shining generosity and love in this the second edition of his tale. The sequel to 2014’s first instalment is just as charming, amusing and uplifting and includes an extremely talented and extremely British cast. We return to the life of Paddington (brilliantly voiced by Ben Whishaw), who has now settled with the Browns, and has made friends with many in the community. With his aunt Lucy’s birthday coming up, he plans to find the perfect present for her which turns out to be an old pop-up book of London that he finds in an antique shop. In order to pay for the book, he tries saving money by working in a barber shop and as a window cleaner which both carry their own comical bout. Just as he is on the brink of having enough saved, the book is stolen from the antique shop and worse yet, Paddington is framed for the robbery. With the help of the Browns as well as those he inevitably makes friends with in prison, Paddington attempts to devise a plan to clear his name and retrieve the book. Given how much of a pleasant surprise the first Paddington film was, it was certainly going to be a tough task for the second to live up to expectations. But it exceeds them thanks to some more brilliantly put-together comedy sequences, some fine casting and more general joyful, feel-good movie making. It bears (excuse the pun) reiterating again the brilliance of Ben Whishaw as the voice of Paddington, who has that soft, friendly tone that so seamlessly goes along with the CGI’d character. It’s difficult to believe that Whishaw was drafted in at the last minute to voise the bear but thank goodness he was. He heads another incredible cast in the second instalment as Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent and Peter Capaldi all return. This time joined by Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson with cameos from Richard Ayoade, Joanna Lumley, Ben Miller and Jessica Hynes. It’s a brilliant British cast where both Grant and Gleeson are absolutely on top of their acting game. Grant in particular, who plays the failing actor and main villain, Phoenix Buchanan, has certainly resurrected his career and this can be considered as one of his best comic performances. Grant is just one of the many brilliant comical elements of the movie which playfully rolls by with a number of visually funny gags as well as plenty of witty remarks and jokes. With that said, director and writer Paul King includes plenty of peril and tension in the movie beneath the comedy, none more so than the climactic underwater escape sequence. As a result of this layer being including in a movie primarily designed for children, Paddington 2 is an all round treasure of a film, rather than just worthy of a few laughs. But at the centre of this delightful watch is a character who offers a humble message of love and kindness, albeit sometimes in the most calamitous of ways, leaving Paddington 2 a hugely entertaining and charming watch throughout.