Rating: 4/5 Directed by Taika Waititi, Thor: Ragnarok starts with fire. In the first of his cinematic adventures, released in 2011, Thor went to Jotunheim to fight the Frost Giants, ancient enemies of Asgard. So it seems apt that his latest adventure, when his story comes full circle, begins with a battle against hordes of fire demons led by Surtur, king of Muspelheim. The fight is short-lived thanks to Thor's faithful hammer Mjolnir, which always comes back to his hand when thrown, although Thor admits he should learn to time the weapon's arrival a little better. Once Surtur is defeated, Thor takes his crown back to Asgard to have it locked up in Odin's vault. As Surtur explains, should the crown be placed over the Eternal Flame, he would regain the full extent of his immense powers and bring Ragnarok, the End of the Gods, upon Asgard. The Eternal Flame is also kept in Odin's vault, so Thor's decision doesn't sound like a great plan. After all, the thinker between the two of them has always been Loki. Speaking of the trickster god, upon his return Thor uncovers Loki's latest prank. Placing a spell on Odin and casting him out to Earth, Loki has been disguising himself as the King of Asgard. However, instead of harnessing this ploy to conquer the Nine Realms, all he has done while parading as Odin is having a statue built in his honour and watching a theatre play called The Tragedy of Loki of Asgard. Following from Thor: The Dark World, where he was much more inclined to have fun than to impose his rule over another planet or to commit genocide, Loki's character development reaches its peak in Ragnarok. He is now the mischievous god we know from Norse myths, not your average (misunderstood) revenge-thirsty villain of Thor and The Avengers. Thanks to Tom Hiddleston's masterful performance, he doesn't lose any dramatic tension. For example, the family reunion with Odin and Thor at the beginning is particularly heart-breaking, for it's the one and only scene where Loki – despite the nickname "Silvertongue" – doesn't utter a single word. Although the bittersweet brotherly bond between Thor and Loki is explored with delightful humour and authenticity, Loki is sorely missed in the role of Thor's nemesis, because the new menace – Hela, Goddess of Death, as she never gets tired of repeating – fails to impress. She could have been an interesting character if only her back story hadn't been explained through awkward exposition in a couple of minutes. What's even more disappointing is that she spends most of her screen time gloating or walking around Asgard, though, admittedly, no one could blame her. She can manifest weapons of any kind and size, masters magic, and sports a great punk-ish look. It's hard to worry when you are all-powerful. However, her strength becomes her biggest weakness; she's too invincible to be interesting. Despite the disappointing bad girl, Thor: Ragnarok proves a more than enjoyable ride. The most interesting aspect is the variety of settings. From Muspelheim to Asgard to Earth to Sakaar, we get to see a lot more of the Nine Realms and the cosmos than ever before. On Sakaar, Thor and Loki are joined by Valkyrie and the Hulk, and have to escape the clutches of Grandmaster, who, played by Jess Goldblum, can only be described as the live-action doppelgänger of Kuzco, the main character in The Emperor's New Groove. With perfect symmetry, the final battle is a mirror image of the first one, except this time Thor has come to the end of his journey of self-(re)discovery, prompted by the loss of Mjolnir. Even the soundtrack – The Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin – remains the same, highlighting the beginning and end of Thor's quest for identity. Thor: Ragnarok may be a little over two hours long, but it's never boring. We can almost excuse the ridiculous amount of exposition. If it hadn't been there, we would have needed a couple extra hours of screen time – or perhaps an entire movie dedicated to Hela's past. Though few would complain about two extra hours of Asgardian shenanigans, Ragnarok remains a worthy successor of Thor and The Dark World as it is, wrapping up all loose ends and paving the way to Infinity War Part I, due for release in 2018.
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Rating: 4/5 To the Bone (2017) is a Netflix feature written and directed by Marti Noxon, with Lily Collins in the role of Ellen, a 20-year-old suffering from anorexia nervosa. It has been met with mixed feelings and reviews since Netflix released the official trailer in June this year. There is concern that the film may trigger people with a history of disordered eating or still fighting an eating disorder. However, the purpose of the story is to initiate a conversation about EDs, as the director claims in one of her interviews, not to provide a one-for-all guide to recovery, so it seems unfair to attack the film for doing exactly what it was planned for. If we want to tackle sensitive issues, then it's time we accepted we won't like doing so. To the Bone aims to illustrate various manifestations of eating disorders, so it's inevitable it might be triggering or even misinterpreted as "thinspirational". It's not glamourising anorexia; it's pointing its finger at those who do, sharing pictures of underweight Ellen with the tag #LifeGoals. But it's also more than an accusation: it's a good-willed attempt to give hope that recovery is possible. Though fortunately a long way away from representing an inaccurate archetype, Ellen's multi-faceted character rings a whole bell tower for a vast number of "rexies". For example, she has become (in)famous on Tumblr, a treasure trove of blogs on anorexia and other EDs; she uses wit and sarcasm to push others away and pretends she can do well on her own, even when her sunken eyes and jutting hipbones tell a different story; and, of course, she knows all the most effective tricks and trips to lose weight, like chewing and spitting food back on the plate, or running up and down the stairs. However, she is past the "Tumblr Golden Age", when your average anorexic blogger gets all excited and starry-eyed about the increasing support she receives, which only precipitates her deeper into the eating disorder. After a girl killed herself, taking inspiration from Ellen's artwork, Ellen hates being associated with her blog. She "can't stop," as she candidly admits to Dr. William Beckham (Keanu Reeves), but she doesn't like having an eating disorder anymore. Ellen lives with an absentee father, his new partner Susan (Carrie Preston), and her daughter Kelly (Liana Liberato), though she longs to be reunited with her mother Judy (Lili Taylor), who moved to Phoenix, Arizona with new girlfriend Olive (Brooke Smith). This extraordinary scenario constitutes a misguiding narrative element, as it seems to suggest that only profound issues, like a messed up family, generate eating disorders. In fact, anyone can have an ED, even if they don't have a complicated family history. One of To the Bone's commendable achievements is the representation of different characters struggling with disordered eating. When Ellen joins Dr. Beckham's allegedly unorthodox inpatient program, she doesn't meet only skinny white girls who are obsessed with exercise. Other patients include a big black girl caught in a cycle of binges and purges, a pregnant woman, and an anorexic young man with an optimistic attitude towards recovery, Luke (Alex Sharp). We don't see girls who don't eat; we see people with different weights and body types who eat, only sometimes not enough or forcing themselves to throw up afterwards. Norton's work is an important milestone in the history of eating disorders in the media, as it brings to the surface the idea that EDs affect one's mind, and the result isn't always reflected in worsened physical conditions. Ellen's journey reaches its climax with an oneiric sequence of great visual impact. Ellen and Luke sit together on a tree branch; she looks strong and healthy, although we have just seen her pass out from starvation and exhaustion. This is Ellen's dream; this is how Ellen sees herself – beautiful, toned, perfect. It's a powerful, goosebumps-inducing message: a lot of anorexics are oblivious to how ugly the illness makes them. The dream also shows Ellen another, more realistic version of herself: an unconscious pile of bones. It's a literal wake-up call, inducing her to acknowledge she needs to heal. To the Bone isn't an easy film to watch, whether you have an ED or not. If you do, I recommend watching it with someone who knows about it and cares for you. If you don't think it's safe for you, then choose something else. With its blood-curdling images of a body on the way to self-destruction, it's difficult to digest, but it's the kind of difficult we need if we want those who suffer to receive more recognition and support. Rating: 4/5 I don't know about you, but I have been anticipating this title since it was first announced. Yesterday marked a year, a month, and a couple of weeks since the last time I saw Iron Man on screen – I'm talking about Civil War, of course – so I was pretty excited, though my interests might not have lain in the titular protagonist at first. However, Jon Watts's work on our friendly neighbourhood superhero turned out to be much more than an excuse to fangirl over Tony Stark. One can tell from the beginning that Marvel is going to deliver on the promise to portray Peter Parker (Tom Holland) as a teenager instead of the young adult of previous cinematic adaptations. Our first clue is a funny retelling of Peter's contribution to Civil War, titled "A film by Peter Parker," which he clumsily shoots with his own smartphone while fighting with and against the divided Avengers. It's Origin Story 2.0, courtesy of modern technology. This "millennial" flavour stays with us throughout the film, which is ultimately the story of a rebellious teenager who wants his talents acknowledged by his hero and mentor, Tony Stark. The relationship between the two is crucial to Peter's adventure. Peter treats Tony as a big brother; he looks up to the older superhero, but he's also frustrated because Tony subjects him to a seemingly endless period of trial before offering him his rightful place among the Avengers. On the other hand, in Peter Tony sees his latest project and greatest chance to fix all the mistakes made by his own father, Howard. The pressure of their diverging agendas pushes Peter to dive headfirst into danger in order to prove himself to Tony, but he ends up "messing with things he doesn't understand," as villain Adrian Toomes AKA Vulture (Michael Keaton) aptly observes. These "things" would be weapons that combine alien and human technology, designed by Vulture and his subordinates in his evil underground lair. Toomes is a common family man, hired eight years prior to Homecoming in order to clear the rubble left in the wake of the battle of New York. When the company Damage Control overtakes his work, Toomes needs to find another job in order to support his family. Dunkin' Donuts just isn't as lucrative as selling alien weapons. The main problem with this film is that it tries too hard to be in equal measure about Spider-Man and Peter Parker. As a result, the school environment lacks credibility, despite playing an important role in developing Peter's character. Insults like "loser" and "Penis Parker" are meant to fuel his determination to become a popular superhero, but they have little substance. Peter is a successful student, the best member of the Academic Decathlon team, and an intern at Stark Industries; his "school nemesis" is Flash, a bully who is in constant competition with him, but doesn't have the same acumen nor receives the same respect from their peers and teachers. One can't help but wonder why the rest of the school readily applauds Flash's clichéd malign jokes, or why Peter would be bothered by someone who is clearly inferior to him. Unfortunately, Flash isn't the only underdeveloped character. With the exception of nerdy Ned and weird-and-witty Michelle, Peter's school friends are little more than stereotypes, like Liz, the beautiful and intelligent love interest. Her lines fall as flat as Flash's, but at least neither of them has many. Nonetheless, the story compensates for the dissatisfying rendition of Peter's everyday life with Spider-Man's superhero stunts. The sheer variety of them is enough to keep anyone away from boredom, from an awkward attempt to prevent a car owner to steal his own vehicle to the more breathtaking race against time to salvage a sinking ferryboat. However, Watts's most powerful achievement in this film is the opposition between Spider-Man and Vulture. Peter can't let Toomes get away with his crimes, but can't help sympathising with the man's loyalty to his family. The authenticity of the hero-villain dynamic is what persuaded me to give this film four well-deserved stars despite its narrative flaws. OK, Tony Stark's flamboyant presence might have helped a little, but still. Rating: 2/5 When I watched Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014, I thought it was a poor spoof of The Avengers that took place in space. Nonetheless, I found it different from any other MCU film and I appreciated its jokes. Sadly, I can't say the same of James Gunn's second instalment. It's clear from the start that Volume II is trying to ride the wave of success of its predecessor. Accompanying the opening credits, Baby Groot dances to Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra, while the Guardians are busy fighting an alien octopus in the background. This sequence reveals the abysmal difference between the two films. The Guardians seem tired; their initial jokes, which should be a warming up session before the real fun kicks in, will turn out to be the only jokes, repeated over and over; and the debatable quality of the visual effects makes the battle painful to watch, if not to fight. However, it can't be said that the beginning doesn't do its job, as it effectively sets the tone for the entire film: '80s music, pointless action, and forced humour. The story progresses with the introduction of the Sovereign, a race of golden-skinned nerds whose greatest achievement is any gamer's wet dream: a spaceship full of gaming stations to pilot remotely controlled spaceships. One would expect the Sovereign and their golden empress Ayesha to be a subplot, but in the end they play the same role as wallpaper in a rather messy room. No one really sees them. At last, the Guardians encounter Ego, an all-powerful being who announces he's Quill's father. Quill decides to follow him on a quest to discover his origins, causing the team to split and therefore establishing the underlying theme: the separation and reunion of a family. Then we have to sit through more than an hour of Quill, Gamora, Drax, and their new friend Mantis sitting around and chatting. Like a sitcom, but with less action. In the meantime, Baby Groot, Rocket, and Yondu have to escape Yondu's former pirate crew in order to save their fellow team members from Ego's megalomaniac tendencies. Of the two storylines, the latter is at least eventful, whereas the former just drags on, filled with expositional dialogue and the same one-liners about Rocket's rodent nature, Quill's inadequacy, and Mantis's alleged lack of visual appeal. When the much anticipated Heroes versus Villains final showdown takes place, it's difficult to enjoy it: too many characters compete for our attention, already exhausted by a cocktail of CGI evoking sad memories of Suicide Squad. Even the Sovereign make a comeback, which is just as absurd as their introduction and ends when their video game platforms break down. If anything, Gunn nailed the emotional impact of that particular scene on an audience of geeks. Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy - Vol. II has a simplistic plot that stretches out for two hours and a half for no better reason than "we really like to make these characters talk to each other." Except the Guardians seem to have left their humour and bite back in Vol. I. Rating: 5/5 Director James Mangold's and writer Scott Frank's new Wolverine story packs a clawed punch. Logan is the clever answer to a difficult question: how to make a Wolverine solo film without affecting the other X-Men titles? Well, you set the story in the future – or a future, courtesy of the Marvel multiverse. The year is 2029, and mutants are extinct. Or nearly so. Logan (Hugh Jackman) is still around, with some grey in his hair (and beard) and considerably diminished powers. He doesn't heal too well and has trouble with his claws. He works as a chauffeur to pay for the drugs 90-year-old Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) needs to ward off brain seizures that seem to alter time and endanger people's lives. World's most wanted, with Xavier's brain listed as a weapon of mass destruction, the two of them live in relative peace in an abandoned building in Mexico with mutant-tracking Caliban (Stephen Merchant). That is, until Gabriela (Elizabeth Rodriguez) comes begging for a ride to North Dakota for herself and her "daughter" Laura (Dafne Keen). When Gabriela is killed, Laura hides in Logan's car to escape Donald Pierce (Boyd Holbrook). Pierce and his men are on the hunt for all the mutant children escaped from a clinic where they are created using mutant DNA. Now Wolverine has to decide whether to leave his quiet haven for a potentially suicidal trip to save the life of a girl he doesn't even know. Once he finds out she has claws to rival his own and she is more to him than he imagines, it's hard to say no. His choice marks the beginning of a journey across Mexico and the States to reach Eden, a safe place for these young new mutants. Yet the journey isn't only physical; the emotional tension stays high for nearly three hours of run time as Logan and Laura slowly build a touching relationship, with a climax that will break even a heart of adamantium. Mangold and Frank blend feelings and butt-kicking together skilfully, alternating slow, character-driven sequences with fast-paced fights featuring plenty of guns, blood, and mutilations. Entertaining as the massacres are, it's in the slower scenes that we unravel the core of the story: for instance, when Logan, Xavier, and Laura accept to have dinner with a family they helped on the way to Eden, Xavier encourages Logan to savour this moment. The episode reveals Logan's longing for a family, a desire unbeknownst to him until it is personified by our heroes' hosts. Admittedly, the road trip and the emotional journey eclipse the Transigen threat. Pierce and Zander Rice (Richard E. Grant), head doctor of Transigen, have very little screen time and personality; moreover, the final battle is way too quick and anticlimatic. Regardless, this doesn't impact too negatively on the overall cinematic experience. There will come a time when an X-Men film will feature a truly fearsome enemy, but Logan isn't that time. Nonetheless, you won't regret the ticket, whether you're missing some good ol' violence à la Weapon X or you're waiting for the denouement to Logan's eternal struggle between beast and human. |
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October 2017
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