The Wolverine - Claws for Celebration

X-Men - my favourite of the Marvel franchise. Therefore I was a bit underwhelmed back in 2009 when we were served up X Men: Origins - Wolverine. Ok, the film was alright I suppose, yet even Hugh Jackman himself admits it wasn't great. I was thus very excited to hear that this new outing for Logan was head and shoulders above its predecessor.

Whereas Origins was a prequel, The Wolverine focuses its action after the events of The Last Stand. Still coming to terms with the death of Jean Grey, Logan is wandering from place to place drinking and living like an outcast. He is forced back into action though when he receives a summons to Japan to visit a dying man; somebody he had helped years before. Pressed into service to protect the man's granddaughter Logan must face a new threat when a dangerous mutant comes after his most sacred ability - his power to heal and evade death. Working without the aid of the X-Men, Logan must now act alone in a journey that takes him across Japan facing many threats along the way. What this gives us is a rip-roaring adventure that can stand proud in the X-Men cannon.

Hugh Jackman's preparation for the film is clearly evident. Gaining a pound a week over 24 weeks through a 6000 calorie per day diet of steak, chicken and rice, Jackman has stated that this is the best physical shape he has been in for any of his outings as Wolverine. He would even dehydrate himself thirty-six hours prior to filming a shirtless scene in order to emphasize his muscle definition. Wolverine has never been in stronger shape. The film is obviously all about Wolverine, with Jackman dominating the movie. Some good support comes, however, from Rila Fukushima as the clairvoyant Yukio and Famke Janssen reprises her role as Jean Grey, albeit it as a figure from Logan's subconscious.

The film also looks brilliant. The Japan setting makes for some breathtaking cinematography and provide the backdrop for some excellent set-pieces. The fight on top of the speeding bullet train is particularly impressive. One criticism? The film is just over two hours long, which is about twenty minutes too long. There were a couple of places where long stretches of dialogue could have been scratched. As it stands the movie occasionally sagged in places, making us more relieved when the action finally returned.

Without any spoilers, the most exciting part of the whole film however comes from a scene mid-way through the end credits. I won't spoil anything but it sets up events for next year's merging of all previous films in X-Men: Days of Future Past - and that will be truly spectacular.

The World's End - Ro-bottoms Up!

Shaun of the Dead, 2004 cult comedy from Messrs. Pegg, Frost, and Wright. A love letter to classic zombie flicks the film was an instant hit. Fast forward three years and 2007 saw the collaborative trio reunite for their homage to the cop flick, Hot Fuzz. Now, another six years on we are brought The World's End. Absolutely adoring Shaun of the Dead, and having a fair amount of affection for Hot Fuzz, I was therefore giddy as a cured diabetic in a sweet shop when I toddled along to The World's End last week.

The film tells of five friends returning to their home town after twenty years to complete the famous 'golden mile' - twelve pubs across a one mile stretch through the heart of the town, culminating in a pint at the legendary 'World's End'. Headed up by Gary (Pegg), it soon becomes apparent that all but him have moved on with their livest, Gary still wearing the same clothes and driving the same car he had when he was seventeen. Cue old tensions and grievances bubbling to the surface - not to mention the fact that the entire town has been taken over by homicidal robots 'replacing' their human hosts.

The structure of the film reminds me a bit of From Dusk Til Dawn. That begins as a movie about a family being taken hostage, then suddenly merges into a vampire flick. Similarly, The World's End begins very much as a straight comedy about five old friends on a pub crawl. It is quite a way into the film before the first robot appears, launching the film into more of a sci-fi territory. Whether this is detrimental to the film or not I'm not sure. Perhaps they should have stuck with either one or the other. Personally I felt the film was stronger before the robots appeared. When they did, it felt a bit too similar to Shaun of the Dead, battling 'possessed' humans while at the same time trying to reach a pub at the same time - zombies/robots, The Winchester/The World's End - it just felt all a bit unoriginal. Despite this, it still manages to pack a comedic punch with some genuinely laugh out loud moments.

Where the film shines though is in the cast. After the success of Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz managed to pull in some pretty big names (including cameos from Peter Jackson and Cate Blanchett). The World's End is no different, being a feast of British actors. Aside from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the main quintet is completed by Eddie Marsan (Sherlock Holmes, Tyrannosaur), Paddy Considine (Hot Fuzz, Dead Man's Shoes) and Bilbo Baggins himself, Martin Freeman. Rosamund Pike also rears her head as Freeman's sister and one-time conquest of Pegg. Bill Nighy provides his vocal talents while perhaps the biggest casting coup comes in the shape of 007 himself. Having nabbed Timothy Dalton for Hot Fuzz, Pierce Brosnan this time makes an appearance as the boys former teacher (interestingly reuniting him with his Die Another Day conquest Pike). The make or break of the film though comes down to Pegg and Frost. What is interesting here is that the roles have been inverted. In the first of the 'Cornetto' trilogy Pegg was the 'sensible' one and Frost the 'idiot'. This time however, Pegg is the reckless one and Frost the straight man. The chemistry between the two worked so well in the first films that I don't know why they changed it this time round. The characters don't have any banter, and Frost spends most of the time hating Pegg. There is a glimmer of hope towards the end however, in a very moving scene between the two that brings some pathos and depth to the film.

The film's poster (above) invites you to get annihilated. While on one hand you do submit to the foolery of the film, there being some genuine moments of hilarity, one cannot help exiting the cinema feeling somewhat nostalgic for Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. The film culminates the 'Cornetto' trilogy and can stand proud amongst its two predecessors, yet just falling short of matching their greatness.

Monsters University - Scaring with Honours

In 2001 a twelve year old Jack Murray entered the cinema ready to be entranced by Monsters Inc., Pixar's latest animated work of splendour. Twelve years on and a twenty-four year old Jack Murray expects the same levels of entrancement from its highly anticipated sequel, Monsters University. Reuniting the same team behind the original, the film brings back on board Billy Crystal (Mike Wazowski), John Goodman (James P. 'Sulley' Sullivan) and Steve Buscemi (Randall Boggs). However, in a first for Pixar sequels this takes the story of Mike and Sulley back, making it a prequel. The story focuses on their first meeting at Monsters University, both on a quest to become the best scarer Monstropolis has ever seen.

Unlike the best of friends we witness in the first film, Mike and Sulley begin their student career as anything but. Mike has worked long and hard to gain his university place; he's read all the theory - he just isn't necessarily very scary. Sulley, on the other hand, has gained his university place through family reputation and his ability to roar like nobody else. What results is a battle of the scares between the two, determined to out-do each other inside and outside the classroom. However, when they come across the formidable Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren), the head of the university, Mike and Sulley find they must work together if their places at Monsters University are to remain secure. With the help of some very un-scary monsters, Mike and Sulley have to put aside their personal differences and work together to triumph in the University's scaring contest which provides us with many the comic moment!

Billy Crystal and John Goodman are just as perfect for their roles as they were in the first film, as is Steve Buscemi as the scheming Randall. Helen Mirren is equally terrifying and brilliant in her role as the winged and scaled Dean Hardscrabble, by far the scariest monster in the film. Excellent support also comes from Alfred Molina (The Da Vinci Code, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and as usual John Ratzenberger gets his usual Pixar cameo, reprising his role as the Yeti (also giving a nod to his famous role as Cliff Clavin from Cheers).

The film is a work of animating triumph and looks amazingly colourful and vibrant. The soundtrack is bouncy and true to the Pixar tradition. My one and only gripe with the film (and it is the same gripe I had with Pixar's last film, Brave) is it lacked that certain emotional pull that Pixar films are renowned for. Think of Sulley's relationship with Boo in the first film, Jessie's abandonment in Toy Story 2, or Wall-E's relationship with Eva - all of these, which are but three examples of many, pull at the heart strings of even the most cynical of us. While there was some pathos towards the end of the movie when Mike and Sulley think all their efforts have been fruitless, it still doesn't make our heart strings zing zing zing. This, I know, is a small point, yet is such an important ingredient we have come to expect from Pixar's films.

All in all though, a twelve year wait to be reunited with Mike and Sulley may have been a bit too long but it was certainly worth the wait. Having been truly scared with The Conjuring last week it was nice to be scared in a different way - after all the motto of Monsters Inc. is 'We scare because we care' - and so do we.

The Conjuring - Fancy a House Spirit?

When I reviewed the not-so-scary Dark Skies back in April, I mentioned that the two minute trailer for the upcoming The Conjuring was terror personified. Thus, with trepidation and waterproof underwear I entered the cinema this week to see the latest in James Wan's (Insidious) horror cannon. Not one to be jumpy at films of this ilk, simply from the trailer, I knew that this film may be something different. And yikes, was I proved right.

The film chronicles the work of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren and their involvement with the Perron family in the early 1970's. Helmed by Ron Livingston (Band of Brothers) and Lili Taylor (Ransom), the Perrons, along with their five daughters, move into an old farmhouse in a secluded part of Rhode Island. Soon, the family starts to realize that all is not right in the house and they are not alone. When the strange happenings in the house start to become more aggressive to the young girls, Carolyn (Taylor) calls upon the help of the Warrens in a hope to drive out whatever is terrorizing her family. Upon the arrival of the Warrens, it soon becomes apparent that there lurks a malevolence that reveals the truly horrifying past of the seemingly idyllic home that the Perrons have moved into. What follows is a truly disturbing effort to drive out the supernatural force that seems intent on causing the utmost damage.

To the cliche hunters amongst you, this must sound like all too familiar territory in the horror ouevre. And so it was to me. Yes, the cliches are still there - the creaking doors, the rocking chair rocking with nobody in it - even a doll with an unsettling smile. Yet what Wan does is include them as a homage to classics of the horror genre. The film is not littered with these cliches - they are only there to build the suspense for when the truly horrifying events unfold. The word homage feels very apt here as what Wan has done has consciously set out to produce a movie that is not a rip off but a tribute to classic horror films of the seventies. From the basic title page (seen above) reminiscent of The Shining, through to its 70's setting and attention to detail from costume, hairstyle and even down to furniture, the film feels unlike the formulaic 'horrors' that are spewed out today. Instead we come away having watched something highly original and truly frightening that can hold its head up high amongst its contemporaries.

The film also boasts an impressive cast. Wan once again teams up with Patrick Wilson (soon to be teamed with again in Insidious: Chapter 2) as one half of the Warrens. Vera Farmiga brings subtlety and poise as his clairvoyant wife Lorraine. Ron Livingston doesn't set the screen alight but does his job as the helpless dad watching the women in his life suffer. Lili Taylor gives the star performance however, as the mother who gradually deteriorates and suffers most at the hands of the evil force. Taylor studied The Exorcist closely which is a big influence on the film - and you can tell. She gives a truly terrifying and physical performance towards the end of the film that makes the movie powerfully visceral.

So, will you be hiding under the duvet with a torch after seeing the film? Simply, yes. I'm not one to be easily scared but I too felt uneasy emerging back into the daylight after the darkness of the auditorium - and even more uneasy when I switched the lights out that night.