The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, inspired by the writings of Tolkien. hasn't remained true to the original from the beginning, so as long as we are not expecting it to, then all will be well.

The third epic adventure “The five Armies” was visually stunning and well worth the wait. Small details from make up, costumes, set design, superbly cast heroes and amazing effects gave rise to this masterpiece.

Bard, played by the handsome Luke Evans leads the humans after defeating Smaug with an arrow. Unfortunately Smaug crash lands destroying everything leaving the people of Laketown homeless.

Orlando Bloom appears as Legolas the elf along side Tauriel played by beautiful actress Evangeline Lilly who had fallen in love with  handsome dwarf Kili (Aiden Turner).

 Now Dwarves are not usually known for their good looks and are usually rather quirky in appearance  Thorin Oakensheild played by Richard Armitage had smoldering blue eyes and a deep powerful voice in keeping with a legendary leader.

If you dislike violence, may-be this film isn't for you However there isn't too much blood and gore it's an edge of the seat battle. Heroes skilfully smash up Orks avoiding their own ill fate at the same time. There are moments of laughter and moments of welling up. Not everyone gets out alive but I won't say too much on that. Some may argue that Legolas running up falling rocks is a little absurd but we have to then remind ourselves that he isn't a mere mortal.

Thorin's cousin Dain (Billy Conolly) appears just on time with an Army of dwarves, a bad attitude and a very distinct Scottish accent.

Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) the actual main character and only Hobbit in all of this is extremely brave as he is watched over by the wise Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen),

It ends in such a way that it leads you into the next generation made previously some years ago. I recall Star Wars doing much the same thing but it worked well for the fans who just couldn't get enough of it.

There are films you like to see once, films you think you could sit through again and there are the ones you want to own. This is definitely one for my collection although with swift advancing technology I have no idea in what format but I will have the whole collection on my shelf in years to come from the Hobbit through to The Lord of The Rings.

Another Beautifully shot epic fantasy.

Watch the trailer below

Interstellar Movie -

Christopher Nolan's gripping apocalyptic scenario presented with a credible hero on dangerous paradoxical adventure.

Although this film is set a long way into the future, it gives the appearance of taking place in the 1960's or 70s. We see the decline of science and technology and human beings have gone back to the simplicity of farming life. It is apparent that disaster and famine struck at some point. Atmospheric changes occurred causing dust storms and there is nothing left to eat but corn which is also decreasing slowly. Youngsters are discouraged to learn about science, since history has revealed it to be the road to disaster. Text books have been altered, denying the Apollo moon landings ever really happened, putting them down to propaganda and conspiracy of the Cold War. Planet Earth will only sustain one more generation as it rapidly ceases to be habitable.

Cooper, (Matthew McConaughey) an ex science engineer and pilot now survives on his farm with Donald (John Lithgo) the father of his deceased wife and his son Tom and daughter Murph. Paranormal activity leads him to Professor Brand (Michael Caine) of NASA who operate in hiding as the people of America strongly disapprove of funds being wasted on space science. (nothing new there) He ends up agreeing to risk everything much to the dismay of Murph, to lead the crew of the spaceship Endurance including the professors daughter ( Anne Hathaway) on mankind's next big step. They intend to rescue a previous crew, Lazarus who have landed and survived on another galaxy and to go in search of a habitable planet.

In order to reach their destination, they have to go through a worm hole that appears to have been deliberately placed in space by beings who are guiding us. The possible inhabitable planets are close to Saturn but also dangerously close to a black hole.

Time becomes as precious a resource  as fuel.  It is passing much quicker for the people left on earth than it is for Cooper and Brand. It is paramount to complete the mission and return home before there is no one left to return home to.

The film is full twists and leaps keeping you on edge. It is a long one at over three hours with a lot of sciency space jargon. It's not what I'd describe as light entertainment so be prepared to concentrate .

Tom and Murph have grown up

Watch the trailer below

Thirty million minutes of Dawn French Live at the Kings Theatre Portsmouth.

Dawn stepped on stage in a black tasselled dress with leggings and boots looking young and vigorous. She is 30 million minutes which is something like 57 I think she mentioned. She looked amazing.

 Rather than a stand up comedy act, this was an interesting account of the comedienne’s life from the childhood to menopause, now approaching dementia.  Dawn takes you on a journey through time in which she is the main character. Behind her was a giant screen in which she shared images of herself as a child as well as friends and family. It was easy to relate aspects of her past especially women of a certain age who have similar memories.

Admitting that her desire to be in entertainment, was to do with her need for attention as a child. She dared to dream of becoming a primer ballerina and a bridesmaid. The recount of her being rejected from bridesmaidism was hilarious. As for the ballerina thing, I think it must've become apparent in adulthood that it wasn't meant to be.

(left)Dawn's wedding outfit designed to upstage the bridesmaid.

She tells the story about when the queen mother came to her house when she was very young. How everything had to be clean and tidy. Having to  wear new clothing and how she and her brother should bow or curtsy.  When the queen mother arrived Dawn couldn't understand why she didn't wear a crown and her teeth weren't perfect. That memory scarred her as she thought some imposter was entering her home and no one was stopping it from happening.

It’s hilarious in places but also deep and thought provoking as she shares parts of her life that are quite personal.

For instance, when she lost lots of weight and the tabloids were speculating about calories and gastric bands, I learned that she had cancer of the uterus and had to sleep in a bathtub one night in a hotel because she was bleeding so heavily. She shed seven or eight stone prior to the hysterectomy.

She also spoke of her beloved Father who died tragically when she was only nineteen,  her little girl Billie who was stalked by a  journalist and her marriage to Lenny Henry that had come to an end.

 

Dawn's dad

with Lenny Henry

She touched on her relationships within her family too and she had quite interesting grandparents with some funny stories.

 Her relationship with her body, as you can imagine was comedic yet at the same time very self accepting.  I got the impression Dawn is really ok with herself, comfortable in her own skin. She has arrived at a place in time where she can stick two fingers up at the press.

Funnily enough there was not much reference to her career in all of this. Dawn has given us the real person this time. The daughter, the wife, the mother and her brush with single life.  She is now happily married again with new in laws and children to boot.

This show will appeal to real fans who appreciate that she is a real person as well as a famous comedienne.

Wicked - The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz - Tour

I saw this award winning production a few years ago at the Apollo Theatre London though it originated from Broadway. Now it is touring and I had the pleasure of seeing it at the Mayflower Southampton and it is as spell binding as ever.

A fantastical story spun from “The wizard of Oz”. It tells of events prior to the cyclone that lifted the farm girl Dorothy, from Kansas and knits it seamlessly together. The main characters, Elphaba, played by Ashleigh Gray and Glinda, by Emily Teirney, represent the famous witches from the story.

 Glinda by Emily Teirney

Elphaba by Ashleigh Gray 

As the curtain opens, you are immediately transported to a magical land of colour. This continues throughout with spectacular set changes on par with computer graphics in film.

Detailed costumes are the design of a true artist’s eye namely Susan Hilferty. Lighting designer Kenneth Postner are the finishing touches of the artists brush.  Dynamic visual effects and dance arrangements by James Lynn Abbot are constantly moving like clockwork, creating the look of animation in this magical masterpiece.

Costumes bySusan Hilferty 

Although this is make believe, the credibility of the characters and their emotional situations, could be people you know which makes for a great piece of storytelling. There's the relationship between the two girls and the handsome guy that comes between them, Fiyero played by Samuel Edwards. 

All this and I haven’t even mentioned the music yet. The orchestra sets the mood and the songs are untouchable. The voice of Ashleigh Gray defies reality as it upwardly soars towards octaves beyond belief without strain. Chemistry is created when the powerful vocals of  Emily Teirney join forces with her. 

Fiyero by Samuel Edwards

The show was highly polished and it seems like the all the greatest genius’s in the world came together to create it's magnificence.One for all the family with humour and great acting too.

For more details of the show follow the link below and watch the trailer.

http://www.wickedtour.co.uk

Copacabana

Last week at the Kings Theatre Southsea, Jon Lee ( S club Seven, Jersey boys, Les Miserables)  played Tony Starr in this famous musical written by Barry Manilow and collaborators Bruce Sussman and Jack Feldman. It  hasn't played in the UK for a number of years until this tour. Introducing  the fabulous Jennifer Harding whose voice was almost too powerful for our little Theatre.She's definitely going places. 

The story was of course based on the title song “Copacabana” which we all know a few lines from. “Her name was Lola, She was a show girl, with yellow feathers in her hair” you get the picture. Set in 1948, Lola arrives in Manhattan following her dream of becoming a star. She strolls into the Copacabana night club in the hope of becoming a Copa girl where she meets Tony, the songwriter. That’s where it all begins.

My only criticism would be that the show was too short. The story was a little compressed. Lola and Tony's first kiss happened too soon and  the ending was rather abrupt.  It was a happy ending I'm pleased to say.

The scenery was simple but really effective. They used two staircases to change the locations. Costumes were dazzling and the choreography showed off talented dancers.

The songs included “Dancin Fool” “Who needs to Dream” “welcome to Havana” and of course the signature tune itself. I actually thought that they weren’t going to sing it. We came to the finale and everyone was taking their bows. What a tease!. When they finally sang, most of the audience stood up. Talk about foot tapping we could hardly keep it in.

A really great show.

 copacabanathemusical.co.uk

  

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

The original story derived from a comic book.  This teenage foursome became a cartoon phenomenon in the late 80s. Now more than twenty years on they've returned to the screen and they've still got it.  Computer graphics the film industry can produce these days, mean the Turtles are more enhanced yet they haven’t aged one bit. They have more definition and detail in their whole look and their character fits effortlessly into  the modern world. A new generation of youngsters can enjoy them. 

Produced by Michael Bay and Directed by Jonathan Leibesman, this movie sets the scene for several sequels depending on the money it makes.  TMNT toys, t-shirts and lunch box sales will undoubtedly be through the roof as we approach Christmas. 

 The four turtles, Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo were named after Renaissance artists and were a part of a laboratory experiment along with a rat named Splinter. They were rescued and set free to live in the sewer by a little girl. The mutagen compound was already inside them and so they grew to more than six foot and were intelligent. Splinter became a father to them and taught them Japanese martial arts.

 They became vigil antis and their nemesis above ground,  Shredder and the Foot Clan, oddly enough, planned to dominate the world.

Meanwhile the little girl rescuer, April O’Neil played by Megan Fox, grew up. She became a journalist desperate to find a great story and so becomes the first person to discover the Turtles. Her late father had been involved with Eric Sacks, played by William Fichtner during the lab experiments. She seeks him out, ending  up unintentionally leading the enemy to the sewer,  the action begins.

There was plenty of action, humour and pizza in the movie. The characters developed right before our eyes learning about themselves, their own power and unity.
A great movie for adults and kids alike. I suspect  some of us were into the Turtles the first time round.

Michaelangelo

The Turtles were  Raphael (Alan Ritchson),  Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Leonardo (Peter Ploszek) and the voice of (Johny Knoxville) and Donetello (Jeremy Howard). Splinter was (Danny Woodburn) with the voice of (Tony Shalhoub.)  Also there were many other big names like Woopie Goldberg and Will Arnet.

Leonardo

Enjoy the trailer below

Dracula Untold

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I’m not into Vampires but I was lured by the trailer to see this film which I really did enjoy. Unlike  traditional Dracula films, it was more of an epic fantasy than a horror movie.

The story has been revamped somewhat and we see this dark prince in a new light.

There have been countless adaptations of Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel but none quite like Dracula Untold.

As usual, the film industry have taken real historical events and rewritten all the facts. That’s fine as long as the human race doesn’t get wiped out, leaving only a film collection behind. Imagine a new generation of intelligent beings deciphering that.

Set in the 1400s, during the Ottoman Empire, Dracula is Vlad Tepes the Impaler whose real name is Draculea in his own language. Known for his sadistic cruelty against the Ottomans in history, in the film  Vlad is the good guy. As a child, he had been handed to the Turkish army to be trained as a soldier using brutal methods. He escaped these services when he was made prince of Transylvania, a small country belonging to the Turkish Empire. Now the army were demanding once more, a thousand boys to be of service including Vlad’s only son.  So in order to save his people and his family Vlad turned to a ferocious sorcerer for help. He drank blood from a cup and was granted three days of immortal power. There was a catch to this not unlike a Genie’s three wishes or Cinderella’s pumpkin only much darker. Sometimes the world needs a hero but in this case it needed a monster. The plot thickens here because not only is he fighting the enemy but he also has to keep himself  secret from his own people. We all know the rules of vampires such as the aversion to daylight. This makes his job of defeating an army even harder.

The film was quite short and the story as a whole was a little too compressed not allowing all of the characters to unfold. Luke Evans was well cast for his looks and great acting. Dominic Cooper played the Turk leader Mehmed, also very well but there was more to his background as apparently he was like a brother to Vlad in childhood though it was hardly touched on. Sarah Gadon played Mirena Vlad’s young pretty wife. There was room for a little more romance in the film.

The effects were woolly. Dracula used floods of bats which engulfed the army leaving out much of the gory detail which suited me but if you like choreographed battles with severed limbs, blood and guts flying around you may be disappointed. However there was an excellent fight scene between Mehmed and Vlad at the end which was quite horrific.

The ending was left open to a sequel but that would be set in modern times. I’m thinking ‘Highlander’ remember that one?