The Counsellor

You know what they say, the first step to recovery is acknowledgment.  And I'm now acknowledging my addiction to the movie "Gravity".. There, I've said it.  The next step is cold turkey.. or in this case "The Counsellor"

To use a Subway reference this film had all the ingredients for a perfect sandwich. Firstly there's the honey oat base (Ridley Scott). Throw in the meat (Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem and Brad Pitt). Toast then top with lettuce and onion (Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz). Perfect! Or so it should have been... The story is based on a novel by Cormac McCarthy (who'd previously penned "No Country For Old Men". This film also has an interesting method of dispatching its protagonists!).

Spicy Salami, sorry Michael Fassbender is a lawyer who drives a Bentley, lives in an Apple store and starts off by handing over a 3.5 carrot diamond engagement ring to the gorgeous Penelope Cruz.. Clearly he's doing alright for himself but for some reason (I think greed is mentioned later in the film) he decides to invest in a large drug deal along with Mr Pitt and Bardem. Well at least I think that's the basic premise..

One of the problems I have with it (besides a legitimate reason for a rich man to get involved with drug dealers) is that it was very 'talky'. Don't get me wrong I like a bit of good dialogue but here everyone was spouting wise advice and cod philosophy ! Even the barman had something profound to say.. And to be honest it got a bit boring.. The film needs to be seen again for me to fully understand what was going on .. Unfortunately it doesn't deserve to be..

Overall a disappointing **1/2.. (should have seen "Gravity" again..)

  

Gravity 3D (4th viewing)

Ok, so four viewings is not THAT odd but four in a row?!

What can I say, it's a Spicy Italian..

As I was watching it today it occurred to me that it's a thing of beauty. You could take a single frame, hang it on the wall and it wouldn't look out of place.. 

Rating: *****... Duh!

Gravity 3D (3rd viewing)

Ok, here's the thing. I'm a big fan of Subways. I go there most weeks and when I do I have a 6" spicy Italian on honey oat with lettuce, onion, sweetcorn and mayonnaise.. And I love it. Now I could quite easily try the turkey or meatball subs. They're the same price and who knows they may well taste as nice. The key is that they MAY taste as nice. It's a gamble. Why risk it when I know the spicy Italian never fails. Plus this week I read a review that said the meatball sub leaves a bad taste in your mouth..

 You see this is my problem.  I could have seen Ridley Scott's latest offering 'The Counsellor' or perhaps 'The Butler' or even 'Don Jon'. But why take the risk when I know I'm going to be blown away by 'Gravity'?  And true to form I was.. For the third time.. More importantly, this movie still has legs.. 

It's 5 stars.. Why do you think I keep seeing it..

Gravity 3D (2nd viewing)

What can I say.. It's awesome. After seeing it at 10.40 this morning I had to go and see it again to make sure it wasn't a fluke... It wasn't..
Still *****.

And I'll probably, no definitely see it again.

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Gravity 3D

I think the last time I got this excited about a film was The Dark Knight Rises... and we all know how that one turned out. There's been a lot of hype about this one. So much so that a) I almost contemplated paying £15 to watch in in IMAX and b) I turned up at the cinema 1/2 hour early! Had to turn round and leave..

Anyway, back to the film... It was AWESOME! The best film of the year by a long shot.. I don't wanna sound too gushy but it was both a thing of beauty and a tense, thrilling ride of a movie.. After the first 10 minutes I was hooked... and it just got better. There's one scene where you see Sandra Bullocks character drifting out in open space.. Then the camera slowly moves in until it's inside her helmet looking out. It truly is an amazing spectacle..

Maybe it's because this years films have been so lame.. I've been waiting for an 'Avengers' movie all year.

Overall a resounding *****.

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Philomena

This film is where the Cineworld card comes into it's own.. I would never have paid £8 to see this, it's just not my type of film. But having already seen Thor (twice) and as, technically I don't have to pay, I figured why not?
This is the second Steve Coogan film I've seen this year and it turned out to be as satisfying as Alpha Papa. Granted it wasn't as funny but it was genuinely moving and basing it on a true story always adds a certain gravitas..
The film can be summed up like a sequel to The Magdelene Sisters.. Although I haven't actually seen the Magdelene Sisters this film centres around the convent and in particular, one of the girls who lived there. Judy Dench plays Philomena, the girl in question and her struggle to find her child who was taken from her 50 years ago by the evil nuns.. Steve Coogan plays a journalist who helps her track down her son. The film was very touching and I found myself welling up in places. Luckily Steve Coogan added some humour to prevent it from descending in to a weep-fest. Judy Dench was excellent as the lead and I found myself genuinely upset by her predicament and the way she dealt with it. Religion was brought into question and I pretty well agreed with everything Steve Coogans character had to say. Overall and emotional and funny movie ****
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Thor 2 (2nd Viewing)

Thought I'd catch this one again as I missed the first five minutes yesterday.. And those five mins did shed a bit more light on the story. Also saw the new 'Captain America: Winter Soldier' trailer and the tail end of the 'Walter Mitty' feature.. (which I am genuinely looking forward to!). All that and it was better in 2D.. you know, light loss etc.. The mid credit ending has me intrigued.. There was talk of Benichio Del-Toro joining Marvel in the cast of 'Guardians Of The Galaxy'. So what he's doing here is beyond me..

I still enjoyed it.. ****

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