Dredd 3D - A flawed masterpiece

I haven't read the original Dredd graphic novel and I haven't seen the Sylvester Stallone film, probably a wise move given it's 15% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.  But I was so excited by the build up to this film.  Sold as a futuristic Neo-noir action film, Dredd lives up to the hype, and then some.  

Ok, so there's not much of a story, and very little depth but I'm not sure there needed to be.  The story is sparse, as is the emotion. Judge Dredd is not the kind of person you imagine could break the rules or even crack a smile.  Karl Urban was brilliant as Dredd, though I do believe his chin should win an Oscar as it definitely had the most to do.  Slightly unfortunate though that the similarity between Urban's chin and another actor's, meant that my husband spent the entire film thinking it was Hugh Jackman under the helmet.     

The film looked good and the 3D was stunning in all the right places.  I am a big fan of shiny, stylish films.  I like the details, the slow motion effects, the blood spattering all over the place. I love special effects and sexy graphics, glittering backdrops and theatrical music.  I love the drama of it all.  I particularly liked the use of the 3D slow motion when highlighting the effects of the drug Slo-Mo and the inclusion of my girl crush La Roux 'In for the Kill' on the soundtrack was just the icing on the cake. You can listen to it here LA ROUX 

Deemed ultra-violent by some people, I completely disagree.  The violence wasn't particularly shocking because it suited the film and the Mega City One setting.  The film was bereft of emotion and because you didn't see how a death affected other characters, the scenes of murder and mayhem became almost beautiful.  I'm not a big fan of violent movies and never before have I thought that throwing someone from a height and watching their head break in slow motion was anything other than gratuitous violence.  But it was brilliantly done.  It was as if someone had actually just lifted the graphic novel out of it's pages and put it on the screen. The focus was on the stunning artwork, great design and the razor-sharp dark edges of the setting.  Despite my not knowing the original character, I could tell that the film has stayed true to it's historical format.

Despite it's flaws I loved this film. I thought the acting was strong, the effects were s-excellent and the 3D was relevant and actually added to the experience, where usually it detracts.  I also LOVE that the violence wasn't cut, edited, changed or amended to fit with the censors (Taken 2 anyone?).  

Karen

http://twitter.com/classygenes

Avengers Assemble

Today we went to see Avengers Assemble at the Waterfront Hall. Initially meant to be part of a Movie Superheroes weekend, all the other events were cancelled. Of course Dylan and I had already seen the film and loved it, but we were looking forward to seeing it again on an even bigger screen.

There were a lot of geeks in the room, including many who had dressed for the occasion. Dylan was delighted when both the Hulk and Captain America sat directly behind us. 

We were welcomed with a very polite Good Afternoon message.

Then the screen announced 'Now follows a short film about Scarlett Johansson's butt'. The teenage boys in the room were delighted and the Captain America sitting behind us agreed wholeheartedly.

And what a film!  
Avengers Assemble is something special. It's a film that provides numerous opportunities for laughing, not only at the heroes, but also at ourselves. When Agent Coulson produces his vintage trading cards, we laugh because we recognise ourselves. When Stark announces “That man over there is playing Galaga. Thought we wouldn’t notice, but we did”, we know that reference is to us, playing solitaire in work, or logging into facebook in school.

When Director Josh Whedon kills off Agent Coulson, every geek sees a mirror image of themselves die. We have the trading cards, we think we'd face up to the enemy, we would certainly blow Loki away with a big gun, and yes, we would probably die trying. However Coulson's (our) death gives our heroes something to avenge and so we don't mind at all.

The Waterfront is a great place to watch a big film. Every comic line was met with much laughter, the end credits produced applause and almost everyone stayed for Thanos' appearance after the credits. Everyone left with a smile on their face and Dylan practised his Avengers moves on the Waterfront's walls.

  

Jeremy Renner however has without doubt, the best butt in the film.

Scarlett Johansson, you don't get a look in.

Karen

www.twitter.com/classygenes