‘Phil’s Quick Capsule Review’ (a nod to legendary comedian Bill Hicks who coined the phrase when he reviewed ‘Piece Of Shit’ movie Basic Instinct)… where a perfect 10 is rarer than a rain free British summer!
Written by Phil Hobden – UK based podcaster, writer and former filmmaker. Part of the All Things Film network…
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: You know what? Sometimes a film comes along with performances so good that it elevates what could otherwise be an over sentimental slog. Saving Mr Banks is just that film. From Thompson (giving the performance of 2013) to Hanks, Farrell to Giamatti everyone is on the top of their game here. And it’s a pleasure to watch.
The story, that of Walt Disney’s attempts to woo Mary Popins writer PL Travers into giving him the rights to her much loved story, is told well enough and the film directed in such as way that the (mostly) true to life tale can take centre stage rather than flashy visuals (American Hustle take note) , but it’s heart and soul comes from what will be a trophy cabinet filling performance from Thompson. Divine, vine from start to finish, she injects just the right amount of heart to make you fall in love with a woman who, for the most part, is pretty unloveable.
That said, her performance centrally benefits from Hanks as Walt Disney. Charming, charismatic and dashing (in a very 60’s kinda way), Hanks delivers a Walt Disney minus the rough edges and whilst that may not sit well with purists of the Golden Age, it doesn’t detract from a stirling effort by the former Forrest Gump. And yes that problem is prevalent elsewhere, in that as often you find with films of this ilk the truth often makes way for narrative construct and the need to protect those that need protecting (Saving mr Banks is produced by Disney) . So don’t expect the big guy to be lighting up anytime soon.
This are small gripes however in what is a very enjoyable 2 hours. So come for the performances and stay for the film which is, in truth, a lovely story about simpler times. And animated penguins.
Best Bit: Emma Thompson
Buy, Stream, Avoid: Stream
If You Liked this Try: Mary Poppins, Mary Poppins Returns, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
Phil Hobden is the former Film Editor & Writer for renowned martial arts focused COMBAT MAGAZINE in the UK. He is also a filmmaker in his own right, having produced two cult Independent action films in LEFT FOR DEAD and TEN DEAD MEN. He was the host for the award nominated Filmsploitation podcast for 4 years, currently co-hosts Ross And Phil Talk Movies and is a writer/editor for his own blog Phil’s Quick Capsule Review…
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Sitting down to watch World War Z again after a few years what strikes me is just how intense the unrated cut of the film is. The opening salvos of the film – from the traffic jam to the apartment block escape and even through to Jerusalem – are edge of seat. And in fact those moments (and the several other extended and alternate takes) help the film work much better than it’s PG13 release which always felt less than the sum of its parts (I mean a bloodless Zombie film is pretty pointless). It’s still flawed, with the heavily reshot last act still falling short of the far more dour and downbeat ending that was planned, but for sure World War Z works far better than I originally gave it credit for.
Best Bit: Apartment block escape
Worth A Rewatch: Yes
If You Liked this Try: 28 Days Later, Dawn Of The Dead (2004), Train To Busan
Phil Hobden is the former Film Editor & Writer for renowned martial arts focused COMBAT MAGAZINE in the UK. He is also a filmmaker in his own right, having produced two cult Independent action films in LEFT FOR DEAD and TEN DEAD MEN. He was the host for the award nominated Filmsploitation podcast for 4 years, currently co-hosts Ross And Phil Talk Movies and is a writer/editor for his own blog Phil’s Quick Capsule Review…
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Well that was a surprise… a musical based on the works of The Proclaimers (whose music I detest as a general rule) not only managed to be charming and funny but also made me actually want to buy their music. More over Sunshine On Leith, full of great choreography, charing performances and a heart missing from modern day filming, ended up as probably one of the top ten films of 2013. Who saw that coming? Highly recommended.
Best Bit: 500 Miles.
Rent, Borrow, Buy, Stream: Buy
If you liked this try: Little Shop Of Horrors, Blues Brothers, Rocky Horror Picture Show
The Review: First let me say this. I wasn’t a massive fan of Kick Ass. I didn’t hate it but much like Scott Pilgrim, Sin City & Watchman I found it to be more style than substance. Too aware of it’s own geek cool and not afraid to point it out at every moment.
Yes Mortez was great, no I didn’t care she said ‘Cunt’ at the tender age of 11 and yes the action was brutal, but nothing I hadn’t seen a million times before. I liked the central idea of an everybody becoming a superhero but overall I walked out think “that was okay” and haven’t revisited the film since.\
With this in mind I pretty much stayed away from the hype and promotion for KickAss 2, fully aware that I’d probably see the film but didn’t need that geek cool to be rammed down my throat once again.
With graduation looming and uncertain what to do, Dave decides to start the world’s first superhero team with Mindy but when Mindy is busted for sneaking out as Hit Girl, she’s forced to retire. With no one left to turn to, Dave joins forces with Justice Forever, run by a born-again ex-mobster named Colonel Stars and Stripes. Just as they start to make a real difference on the streets, the world’s first super villain assembles his own evil league and puts a plan in motion to make Kick-Ass and Hit Girl pay for what they did to his dad.
Looking at the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes this morning I was shock to see this film sitting at a paltry 28%. That’s less than the critically mauled Lone Ranger. Especially surprising as I thought, overall, this was a much more enjoyable film that the original Kick Ass, less concerned about looking cool, shocking for shock’s sake and shouting ‘I Was Based on a Really Cool Comic Book Don’t You Know’ and more about just interesting characters in even more interesting situations.
In fact, as much as I loved Iron Man 3, for me Kick Ass 2 is the best superhero film of 2013. Cool in it’s own way, with people I actually cared about. Okay so apparently it’s toned down from the comic (I’m not sure we really needed the gang rape of a main character) but as I’m not a fan of the source material that doesn’t really bother me. In fact more over the fact that it doesn’t just set out to shock is for me what stands out about it’s predecessor.
Kick Ass 2 also has some strong action sequences, not least a Good Guys Vs Bad Guys battle that looses the now standard CGI monsters vs Monsters stick of the studio Marvel films and goes with something a little… different. And is FAR more entertaining because of it. Hit Girl vs Mother Russia is for sure the fight of the year to date.
On the subject of Hit Girl, Props go to Chloe Grace Mortez who once again shines and shows that, as long as she doesn’t go all Lohan, she has an amazing and probably award winning career in front of her. Also a massive shout out for Jim Carey who delivers the best performance of his twilight career, even if he was too much of an arse to promote the film (even though his winging actually created even more publicity of the movie… ). Mintz-Plasse is also great as the self titled Mother Fucker, even if he does just deliver the TradeMarked Mintz-Plasse performance.
With assured but not overly showy direction, some social commentary about what it is to fit in, a host of solid action sequences and characters you actually care for, Kick Ass 2 is that rare beast of both a sequel that ends up being more enjoyable that the original and a superhero film that didn’t feel the need to collapse into a CGI want fest.
In short: Fuck the critics, fuck the source material. Just go make up your own mind. You may be pleasantly surprised.
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: The Wolf Of Wall Street is a perfect partner of Goodfellas and Casino – a trilogy about greed, crime and excess. And whilst it doesn’t quite hit the heights of those classic Scorsese films, Wolf is probably one of the best movies the director has made in over a decade. But for as good as the direction and craft is, its the cast that sell this film. Margot Robbie debuts and makes an immediate impression, DiCaprio delivers a career best performance and Johnna Hill steels almost every scene he’s in. The film is uncomfortable watching, as horrible people do horrible things not always getting the comeuppance they deserve but rather than glamorising this, Scorsese manages to reflects the true life story of the thousand of Wolf’s on the hundred’s of Wall Streets around the world. One of the best movies of this decade and gets better with each repeated watch.
Best Bit: Ludes.
Buy, Stream, Avoid: Buy
If You Liked this Try: Goodfellas, The Big Short, Casino
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Not often do you get a film that so brilliant ‘does what it says on the tin’ but welcome then to Big Ass Spider a film about… well I think you can guess. So cheesy dialogue, poor FX, Lloyd Kaufman cameo, mostly TV cast… it’s all here. But you know what? It’s bloody good fun despite all that. Or maybe because of? Regardless this is a fun way to spend 90 mins. It’s won’t linger much past the end credits but that’s not always a bad thing.
Best Bit: The opening. Actually quite brilliant.
Rent, Borrow, Buy, Stream: Stream
If you liked this try: Snakes On A Plane (7/10); Sharknado (6/10); Megladon (4/10)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Sharknado. Yes. Shark-bloody-nado. Hell I have ZERO idea what I can say about this film other than if you think the title sounds silly then this is a film you will hate with an extreme passion. If like me the title sounds all manor of awesome, then there’s a lot to love in this knowingly cheesy, cheap as chips, barking mad Sharks in a tornado movie. For everyone else, I’d probably recommend avoiding this. Genius. Mad genius.
Best Bit: Chainsaw + Shark = Fun
Rent, Borrow, Buy, Stream: Buy
If you liked this try: Ghost Shark (UR); Sand Shark (UR); MegaShark vs Crockosaurus (UR)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: The Bay is a real surprise. Firstly it’s a big name director (Oscar winner Barry Levinson) doing something VERY different and secondly, probably even more relevant, it’s an original and engrossing found footage movie. Shocks, scares and thrills aplenty here but also a good story that replies on more than jump shocks (that said it ha s a few classics) and cheap tricks. Highly recommended.
Best Bit: The direction and concept
Rent, Borrow, Buy, Stream: Buy
If you liked this try: The Blair Witch Project (8/10); REC (8/10); Paranormal Activity (8/10)
To celebrate today being Friday The 13th In what may be either a heroic or heroically dumb move, off the back of the rather excellent Crystal Lake Memories documentary, I have decided back in 2014 to rewatch EVERY Friday The 13th movie. From the original 1980’s classic to the franchise killing remake, I re-watched ever kill, every slash and every Jason death. So here it is – a complete look at the Jason Vorhees back catalogue…
Phil Hobden
Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History Of Friday The 13th (2013)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: So the documentary that started it all: Crystal Lake Memories is an exhaustive (and exhausting clocking it at a nearly 400 min run time) look at the history of the Friday The 13th films – from it’s humble beginnings right through Freddy Vs Jason and the studio remake and is a must see for fans of the films. Brough to you by the same team that delivered the equally essential Nightmare Of Elm Street documentary Never Sleep Again no stone is left unturned. Best of all far from a fluff piece this digs into what worked, what didn’t work and what happened behind the scenes. Simply put this is both essential and fascinating.
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Any cast of note? Almost everyone who has ever been in or involved with the films!
[divider]
Friday The 13th (2009)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: So in hindsight the remake of Friday 13th is actually pretty good. Gone are the japery and silliness of the later Friday films, back comes the hardcore gore and nudity that was a hallmark of the series at it’s best. Plenty of gruesome kills, a story which nicely remakes three Friday’s for the price of one and a cast that can actually act, it’s directed with a sense of respect to the better instalments whilst delivering a few nice new moments. I liked it and, stood alongside the rest in the series, it comes across as very good indeed. Recommended.
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Sleeping bag then on fire. Ouch.
Any cast of note? Danielle Panabaker, Nana Visitor
[divider]
Freddy Vs Jason (2003)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Okay that’s better. Whilst most of the Friday films have aged badly, Freddy Vs Jason is still a prime cut in a butchers shop of (mostly)offal. Bride Of Chucky director Ronny Yu once again delivers on a quirky premise and gives fans something they have been waiting for since it was first muted back in The Final Friday. A knowing film with a strong idea its heart, the films full of crowd pleasing smackdowns, gross out blood and guts and nudity: everything you want from a Freddy or a Jason movie. Best of all it leaves you wanting more which, sadly, hasn’t yet arrived. So overall even though this isn’t strictly just a Friday The 13th movie it’s certainly one of the strongest in the series and for sure the one that delivers best all-round.
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Freddy’s hand kills… er… Freddy.
Any cast of note? Robert England, Kelly Rowland, Monica Keena
[divider]
Jason X (2001)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Yup Jason X is terrible. But it’s terrible in a knowing, fun and silly kind of way that the franchise has been seriously lacking up to this point. Just the idea of taking Jason and putting him on a space ship is insane BUT even with terrible 90’s CGI, a near total lack of nudity and gore and acting that is at best dubious the film is just such damn fun. From VR deaths, 80’s Friday The 13th homages to a Cyborg Jason this film just knows what it is and delivers on that, never trying to be anymore or less. And I kinda salute it for that… oh and did I mention CYBORG JASON??????
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Face, Liquid Nitrogen, Desk.
Any cast of note? Kane Hodder. LexaDoig. David Cronenberg. Peter Mensah
[divider]
Jason Goes To Hell: The Final Friday (1993)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Oh dear. Look I totally understand that the Friday 13th movies were never grounded in reality. But seriously Part 9 really does stretch credibility to levels even I couldn’t get on board with. Supernatural nonsense, Jason’s heart being the key to his powers, transferring from one body to another… it just jumped the shark. And for a franchise that had last ended with the pretty dire Jason takes Manhattan that’s saying something. What’s worse is that the gore has been dialled down to almost PG13 levels means the film doesn’t even have that possible redeeming feature.
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Freddy comes for Jason (okay technically not a kill but buy far the best bit of the film)
Any cast of note? Kane Hodder returns as Jason an in a cameo as himself. Steven Williams. Erin Gray.
[divider]
Friday the 13th Part 8: Jason Takes Manhatten (1989)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: This was one was a bit of a slog. Which is a shame as I quite enjoyed Jason Takes Manhattan when I was a kid. Reanimated via electrical cable(yes really!), this film borders on PG-13 at times with virtually zero nudity or gore (and when there are FX they are pretty poor). Add to that a host of bad performances, an idea so totally dumb that you end up laughing at it more than being scared and you are left with one of the weaker Jason films. That said it earns an extra star for having the infamous man boxing Jason sequence…
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Head knocked clean off.
Any cast of note? Kane Hodder returns as Jason. Also TV stalwart Peter Mark Richman.
[divider]
Friday the 13th Part 7: New Blood (1988)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Sadly Jason returns once more (via telekinesis no less) and despite marking the first time behind the mask for the legendary Kane Hodder, Part 7 is a bit of a slog. It doesn’t help that it take almost 20 minutes for the first kill to take place, and when they do most are pretty uninspired by this point. Gone are the higher budget effects of Jason Lives as the franchise marks it’s decline into even cheaper produced tat. It has a few moments – the sleeping bag kill is ace, but the ending is bad even for these movies. All in all it’s one to miss.
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Sleeping bag around tree!
Any cast of note? Kane Hodder makes his debut as Jason
[divider]
Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives (1986)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Jason Lives picks up on the momentum of A New Beginning and runs with it – more kills, more violence but oddly less nudity. The MPAA strike again. It also starts the journey of the franchise being (relatively) grounded that ends with Jason being in Space. Tommy Jarvis returns (with Thom Mathews taking over the role) and this time manages to bring back the unstoppable killer with a bolt of lightning. Accidental of course, and from there its back to the usual routine of creative deaths. Jason Lives feels a little more high budget than some of the other entries and a bit more polished. All in all another fun entry.
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Head into a toilet wall.
Any cast of note? Jennifer Cooke, Thom Mathews
[divider]
Friday the 13th Part 5: A New Beginning (1985)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Well this was a surprise. The legendarily bad Part 5 (the one where Jason isn’t actually Jason) is actually one of the stronger entries into the series so far. So yes the plot is total hokum, but this is the last Jason film before things start to go really mental (physic powers, resurrection, Space) and you know what it’s brutal, bloody and well paced with out the “God is anything going to happen” tedium of Parts 3 and 4. It also has a nice pay off at the end, a hint of where things could have gone, but sadly didn’t. So far from being rubbish, part 5 is actually a pleasant surprise. Who’d have thought…
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Belt around face, tightened.
Any cast of note? Corey Feldman. Shaver Ross
[divider]
Friday the 13th Part 4: The Final Chapter (1984)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review: Oh dear. Growing up this was always MY Friday The 13th film. The one that grabbed me, the one I thought I remembered. It had Tommy Jarvis, a young Feldman and a kick arse nail in the coffin for Jason. And years on those things remain. It’s just a shame that the rest of the film is so tepidly done. Yes much like the previous Friday The 13th sequels, it’s an hour and 10 mins of nothing happening (well some 15 rated nudity but little else) with a handful of kills interspersed. Sadly it ended up being quite a slog. So far from the 7/10 classic I remember, this has been the most disappointing Friday yet (at least in terms of expectation!). Oh and the legendarily bad Part 5 is looming.
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Jason’s death at the hands of Tommy. Brutal.
Any cast of note? Corey Feldman, naturally. Crispin Glover (Marty McFly’s dad)
[divider]
Friday the 13th Part 3 (1982)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
Part 3? In 3D? Don’t mind if I do. Problem is, when it’s all over, what you have is yet another retreat of the original movie, with little of new of note, zero nudity and some really toned down kills. I know the MPAA was pretty tough back in the early 80’s but even so it takes the film almost 50 minutes to get into gear and when it does the screaming cast and modernly good FX do little to hop dour attention. Okay so it’s fun looking at everything set up so that the 3D could be used to max effect and, back in it’s day, this was pretty innovative. But now? It’s just kinda funny. The weakest Friday yet…
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Eye pop into screen. Ah… 80’s 3d!
Any cast of note? Betsey Palmer briefly returns again with reused Part 2 footage. Dana Kimmell did a few bits after.
[divider]
Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
So Part 2 delivers slightly less gore (thank the MPAA for that), a slower pace (mostly the murders don’t start until after 45 minutes in) and a sack-headed Jason. But whilst it’s not as strong as the original, there’s still a lot to enjoy here. Jason get’s his machete for the first time, there’s a nice call back to the infamous part 1 jump scare ending and the film certainly starts to set the tone for what would follow in it’s relentless Jason as unstoppable killer trope. I also really liked the ending where Ginny pretends to be Mrs Voorhees, confusing Jason long enough for her to try and escape. Miner is a workman like director so the film overall is proficient rather than spectacular but still enjoyable none the less.
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Machette + Head + Wheelchair
Any cast of note?Amy Steel is something of a cult favourite. Betsey Palmer briefly returns.
[divider]
Friday the 13th (1980)
Phil’s Quick Capsule Review:
The original, and one of the lesser regarded films in the franchise (it didn’t, after all, even feature the iconic Jason as the killer), I was surprised at just how well the film held up some 34 years later. A nice quality HD transfer, some creative kills and some excellent early Tom Savini FX work, Friday The 13th plays more as a who done it that the slasher series it would later become. Yup the acting is variable and the fashion dated, but overall it’s a much stronger film that I remember.
IMDB Rating:★★★★★★★★★★
Best Kill: Kevin Bacon of course! Arrow through the throat. Excellent!
With Avengers: Infinity War opening this week, Phil’s Quick Capsule Review will be rerunning the reviews of some of our favourite Marvel Films!
The Review: For me the original Thor film was my second , least favourite Marvel adaptation after Captain America (sorry Capt.). It wasn’t bad but it always felt like it was missing something special. Now, two years later and bolstered by an appearance alongside his Avengers buddies, the Blonde, buff god returns in what is a far more well rounded and successful movie.
The Story: Faced with an enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand, Thor must embark on his most perilous and personal journey yet, one that will reunite him with Jane Foster and force him to sacrifice everything to save us all.
Firstly let’s get this out the way. Thor 2 is actually really good. Excellent in fact. Of all the Avengers films, it’s probably the most ‘together ‘ . It has a simple story, which moves at pace, with action and drama but keeping it tight enough to come in at under 2 hours. It even manages to get around (at least MOSTLY get around) the standard CGI monster fighting CGI good guy trope that has hobbled the end of every Avengers film since Iron Man.
A large reason why the film works so well is the sublime decision to once again sit an unlikely candidate in the director’s chair. Be it Jon Favreau for Iron Man or James Gunn for the upcoming Guardians Of The Galaxy, Marvel have a knack of picking the right man for the job. This time out respected TV and Game Of Thrones director Alan Taylor brings a more even vision to the film, much more suited to the material than Kenneth Branagh, and obviously revels in having a larger that his usual budget to play with. The action is clean and well shot, and best of all you can see every punch, every explosion and every insane flying spaceship moment.
Oh and talking of flying Spaceship moments… director Taylor is obviously a fan of 80’s cheese fest Flash Gordon, being that he borrows a considerable part of the films finale for the attack on Asgard. Not that I’m complaining as the mix of sci-fi, Norse legend, super hero and action make for a pleasant change form the usual Earth bound Marvel world.
Hemsworth once again proves he is a man of considerable talent, delivering action alongside comedy and the occasional pathos. Naturally Natalie Portman has little to do (as is the female role generally in a Marvel film) but she remains a welcome addition, as does the returning Idris Elba, Tom Hiddleston (once again a stand out as Loki) and Anthony Hopkins (as his most gravelly). Rene Russo even gets to kick arse, which is nice. As for former Dr Who and professional grump Christopher Eccleston he does good with his limited bad guy role, but in reality with the added make up and FX it could have been anyone as Dark Elf leader Malekif.
In truth the film has little against it, other than maybe an element of familiarity, and ends up being one of the best blockbusters of the year. Maybe not as good overall as Iron Man 3, but certainly more fun. For the most part.
So overall a good script, great characters and some snappy dialogue alongside standout action sequences and a fast pace mean that deservedly Thor The Dark World will be another hit for Marvel. Truly a studio that cant seem to get it wrong.
