Adam Brannon announces the winners
Just over a month ago, we asked readers of Movie Metropolis to take part in the first ever Alternative Oscars. Featuring films not recognised by the Academy Awards from the last twelve months, including Jurassic World and Star Wars: the Force Awakens, this was purely for the blockbuster fan in you.
Over 300 votes were cast, so, without further ado, let’s take a look at this year’s winners! Continue reading
LEGEND (UK CERT: 18)
Director: Brian Helgeland
Music: Carter Burwell
Starring: Tom Hardy, Emily Browning, Christopher Eccleston
REVIEW AUTHOR: Rob Stoakes
Copyright: Studio Canal
This supposedly “based-on-a-true-story” telling of the story of the Piranha Brothers is easily the worst film ever made, because of its obvious incorrect events. Spiny Norman the giant hedgehog never turns up, Harry “Snapper” Organs is disguised as Doctor Who rather than Gloucester from King Lear, and Doug never once uses his trademark sarcasm. Zero stars out of five.
Right, now that the obligatory Monty Python jokes are out of the way, we can actually discuss Legend. This is similar to a previous film of this year, Southpaw, in that the main draw is a single performance. Or rather two; Tom Hardy as both of the Kray Twins. This is far and away the best aspect of the film, with the seamless effects and cinematography and Tom Hardy’s towering performances convincing you that Ronnie and Reggie really are portrayed by two completely different people. Continue reading
THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. (UK CERT: 12A)
Director: Guy Ritchie
Music: Daniel Pemberton
Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander
REVIEW AUTHOR: Rob Stoakes
Copyright: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.
Themes and analogy have never been that far away from blockbuster films, even if you don’t think that they have, and this year has been a prime indicator for that. Kingsman was on the surface a Bond parody and homage, but had strong themes of class warfare. It Follows seems to follow the old horror tradition of monsters murdering sexually active teenagers, but the monster can also be seen to represent STIs, maturity and death. The film doesn’t even need to be particularly complex; Mad Max: Fury Road is essentially a feminist outline of the dangers of worshiping hyper-masculinity and one of the most unflinching looks at people as property in recent cinema history.
So what’s on Guy Ritchie’s mind? If The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is any indicator, it would be opposites. When you notice the theme, it suddenly becomes inescapable. There’s obvious stuff, like how the capitalist U.S.A and communist U.S.S.R are working together and how everyone in the film seems to not be at all bothered about the threat of a nuclear holocaust, but it goes deeper than that. Continue reading