Spider-Man (2002)

Director: Sam Raimi

Screenplay by: David Koepp (based on Spider-Man by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko)

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, Cliff Robertson, Rosemary Harris & J.K. Simmons.

Runtime: 114 minutes

La La Land

‘La La Land’ Poster

The traditional Hollywood musical holds a long and much lauded tradition in cinematic history, but despite that, with the changing tastes of moviegoers, it’s largely fallen out of fashion since the glorious heyday of the big studio produced musicals of the 1940s-60s. Damien Chazelle saw this sad gap in the market and noted that it was ripe for filling, and so he got to writing and directing La La Land, a loving trip down memory lane into a modern re-telling of a classic genre. This is not just a romatic trip back to a bygone era, however, but yet another tribute to Damien Chazelle’s remarkable ability to direct wonderfully crafted films full of life and character, and further evidence of Chazelle’s evident and noted love of music and his skill at presenting it with a loving integrity in his films. With the success of his last feature, Whiplash (2014), there has understandably been a lot of hype in the build up to this film’s release; coming into awards season, my anticipation was in whether or not it could live up to such great expectations.

Zootopia/Zootropolis

‘Zootopia’ Poster

Following on from the huge success of arguably one of Pixar’s best films, last year’s Inside Out, Disney has returned with their latest offering, Zootopia (otherwise known as Zootropolis over here in Britain). Disney and Pixar have continued, both independently and collaboratively, to develop and produce animated films that have gone on to be considered modern classics over the last twenty years, and the ensuing pressure that each subsequent film feels to match the achievements of the illustrious predecessors grows. Into that environment enters Zootopia, but does it succeed in living up to Disney and Pixar’s supreme and daunting canon of recent powerhouse animations.

Disney’s continued ability to create expansive and immersive universes for young and old minds alike to get lost within continues to bring audiences into cinemas worldwide in great numbers, and in many ways they’ve at least equalled any of their previous creations, with their visionary interpretation of a city of animals living their anthropomorphised existences amongst the intelligently and beautifully imagined expanses of Zootopia. As with so many successful modern animations, part of the fun of viewing these films, is in observing the minutiae of the world’s created, the little lovingly observed details that add humour, personality and a richness to the environment the characters inhabit – such as the astutely observed recreations of human culture that we recognise within our own urban landscapes – that is transferred upon the animals and characters of Zootopia.

Kung Fu Panda 3

‘Kung Fu Panda 3’ Poster

Jack Black is back voicing his cuddly, lovable, unlikely hero, Po the panda for a third outing in the popular Kung Fu Panda franchise. But is this a lazy sequel to further cash in on a successful title before it wears out its welcome, or a more genuine family fun film? DreamWorks have previous with the former, arguably guilty of milking the hugely popular Shrek series until it was a dry husk compared to its original. So it was with a, perhaps, understandable trepidation that I watched this, willing myself to leave any potential cynicism at the door. So how does Kung Fu Panda 3 rate in comparison to its predecessors? Is this another enjoyable DreamWorks adventure through the history of far-eastern martial arts, or a case of one adventure too many?

In this installment, Po and the assembled warriors are forced to face down a dangerous new foe, in the form of Kai (J.K. Simmons), a dangerous and powerful yak, and a one time former counterpart and friend of Po’s original master, Oogwey (Randall Duk Kim), turned bad by greed and ambition. The task of defeating him becomes harder when Po is faced with the added distraction of the return of his long lost father Li Shan (Bryan Cranston). Po ends up returning with his “new” dad to his original Panda village – and the heritage he originated from – where he inadvertantly comes to learn the vital lessons that will allow him to truly find his power and finally become the legendary Dragon Warrior that destiny has ordained him to be.

Whiplash

‘Whiplash’ Theatrical Release Poster

The next entry in the run-down of Best Picture contenders, is one of the more surprising contenders this year. Whiplash is a strange contender in some senses, it is a hard and uncomfortable watch at times, and it’s a difficult film to “like” for this reason. It is the rawness of feeling that this film leaves in its audience, that makes this the powerful film and contender that it is.

On the surface a film about a talented and ambitious student being broken down by a ruthless, maniacal bully, doesn’t make for the most appealing premise, and yet this is essentially the spine of this story. However, the team behind this project have created an intense, unsettling and at times uncomfortably claustrophobic film, but a film which commands attention. To create characters, situations or interactions which are difficult to watch and keep you watching and engaged with those characters is an admirable achievement and one which has understandably gained critical acclaim.