Doctor Who: The Witch's Familiar Recap

The last time we saw the Doctor, he was at the mercy of his oldest enemies, the Daleks, with both Clara and Missy seemingly exterminated. In The Witch's Familiar we learn why exactly Davros summoned the Doctor to the Dalek's home planet, as well as discovering some never before revealed facts about the evil genius. After a solid opening episode, The Witch's Familiar keeps the ball rolling nicely, with strong character development and a surprisingly emotional moment between two great enemies.

Much of the episode focuses on the Doctor and Davros' interactions, as Davros believes this will be the last time they ever meet due to his rapidly decreasing state. He doesn't get much sympathy from the Doctor at first, and we get a visual answer to whether Davros is confined to his chair due to paralysis of his legs or by the rest of his body from the waist down being absent. As one might have guessed, it is revealed that it is the latter, as the Doctor steals Davros' chair to have leverage over the Daleks. Meanwhile, Missy and Clara both survived the Dalek's firepower via some complex techno-babble, and were teleported outside the Dalek city. They begin to make their way back to rescue the Doctor, which involves Clara having to commandeer a Dalek casing to infiltrate the city. After the Doctor is re-captured by Colony Sarff, Davros and The Doctor have a heart to heart discussion, as Davros shows more signs of deterioration. Davros believes his efforts to appear sincere have succeed when the Doctor willingly donates some of his regeneration energy into Davros' life support machine, which Davros has linked to every Dalek, thus making them more powerful. 

Like many classic episodes of Doctor Who, the Doctor's encounters with Davros involve many a conversation that displays both character's intelligence. However, in The Witch's Familiar, the conversation is more that of mutual respect and emotion. In order to make the Doctor believe he has changed, he asks for the Doctor's opinion on a question posed to The Doctor in the last season: "am I a good man?". When asking this question, more of Davros' physical appearance is revealed, as he opens his eyes for the first time on screen. Davros' eyes have always appeared to be permanently closed, with his vision coming from a blue mechanical eye in his forehead. He also sheds a single tear, and the Doctor falls for his scheme. Although Davros is play acting, seeing him cry and finally open his eyes his still a fairly touching moment, and the episode had me totally invested in the story because of it.

Some comic relief is to be had here alongside the drama, and that's thanks to Missy. This is by far the most hilarious we've seen her character. I got the feeling that she genuinely wanted to help rescue the Doctor, but not without having as much fun as possible beforehand. Had the scenes of her and Clara infiltrating the city been handled with the same seriousness as the Davros scenes, the episode could have become stale. There is some drama to be had, with Clara unable to tell the Doctor that it's her inside the Dalek he encounters, due to the Dalek casing only programmed to recognise emotions such as hate. Its a tough watch, especially with Missy trying to convince the Doctor to kill the Dalek. Of course, Clara is able to escape the Dalek, showing that the bond between her and the Doctor is just as strong as ever.

The Witch's Familiar is also not without some great one-liners. My favourite occurs when the Doctor steals Davros' chair, and delivers this quip to the Daleks: "Admit, you've all had this exact nightmare". Missy has all the best quips, though, with her coldly telling the Daleks that "the bitch is back", and proceeds to totally steal the rest of the episode. The character of Missy (The Master in previous episodes) hasn't been well written with a comedic edge for some time now, but it looks as if this two-parter has finally found the solution.

Thanks to the fantastic Davros scenes and balance of comedic moments, The Witch's Familiar is a worthy follow up to The Magician's Apprentice. The ending leaves you with a good feeling: the Doctor teaches the young Davros the importance of mercy in war, something that becomes pivotal in the scene with Clara and the Doctor in this episode. It is one of the strongest Dalek episodes since the David Tennant era, and is proof that Doctor Who can still pull off gripping stories and wonderful characters. Next week, we delve beneath the surface for Under the Lake!

Doctor Who: The Magician's Apprentice Recap

With Doctor Who returning to our screens last Saturday, I think it's time it made an appearance on this blog. In fact, it'll be appearing every week, as I recap every episode of the new series. Some weeks, I'll post another film review, such as when Spectre and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 are released. As with the last series of Doctor Who, the Doctor (Peter Capaldi) and Clara Oswald (Jenna Coleman) lead the show as the time travelling duo, encountering enemies old and new, as well as alien civilisations and historical events. 

The series opener is titled The Magician's Apprentice, and within the first five minutes, the show drops a massive story bomb. We see a young boy on the battlefield of an unknown planet, where he becomes trapped by creatures hiding underground. the Doctor soon appears in an effort to save him, and asks the boy's name. The boy replies that his name is Davros, the creator of the Doctor's most feared enemy, the Daleks. Fast forward to the present day, where we learn that another rival of the Doctor, Missy (Michelle Gomez), survived the end of the last series. With both her and Clara unable to locate the Doctor, the two meet and discover the Doctor is partying in the middle-ages. He is doing so, according to Missy, because he is apparently living out his remaining days, with Missy being in possession of his "last will and testament". With the three of them captured, the Doctor meets with Davros (Julian Bleach), who is on death's door, and Davros attempts to gain one final victory over The Doctor by making him feel the guilt of abandoning him to die as a young boy, as shown at the beginning of the episode.

Much of the promotion featured what looked like a deliberately quirky scene: the Doctor playing the electric guitar. Thankfully, the scene isn't just there for the sake of having a light moment, it actually makes sense for the character to do this. Being that he believes he will die soon and has the freedom to travel anywhere, wouldn't you want to tear things up in the middle-ages and act like a rockstar? Other than this scene, there is an overall sense of an oncoming danger present throughout the episode. This is embodied by new villain Colony Sarff (Jami Reid-Quarrell), Davros' henchman, who moves from place to place in search of The Doctor. Snakelike in appearance, wearing a long, dark cloak and an speaking in an intimidating voice to match, he works very well as a counter the Doctor's comedic moments in the above mentioned scene.

Michelle Gomez is just as great as ever, with Missy getting all the best one-liners and dialogue exchanges. It was also great to see Julian Bleach return as Davros, as he gives one of the best portrayals of the character against the many other actors to have played this role. Because this is a two-parter, it is not clear yet as to what kind of impact both these villains will have on the story. What we learn from this series opener is that they seem to be on opposite sides, with The Doctor caught in the middle, which makes for great drama. The Daleks are pretty downplayed in this episode, but when they all appear at the end, it's a cool moment to see so many different designs of Dalek together in one scene. I hope this scenario is used to its fullest in the next part.

Overall, this is a very strong opener for the new series. After the all together disappointing previous series, the show can hopefully return to form with more episodes like this. A list of Pros and Cons will be featured after the series' finale, so until then, I'll be recapping the rest of the series every Wednesday (most likely!) as written here. Until the next post, I'm happy to say that Doctor Who has got me highly anticipating the next episode. Bring on The Witch's Familiar!

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) Review

"My world is fire and blood" - Max.

I'll admit, I didn't watch any of the previous Mad Max films before viewing Mad Max: Fury Road. I wanted a genuine impression from a new entry in a series that doesn't require watching the older films. Though director George Miller returns to the series, most of the cast has changed, almost as if Fury Road is more a reboot than a sequel. There were three deciding factors that swayed me to giving the film a watch: lead actors Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, positive reviews from critics, and the decision to champion practical effects over CGI. But how did those factors stack up after viewing the film?

Let's start with the lead actors. We have Tom Hardy as the titular Max Rockatansky and Charlize Theron as Imperator Furiosa. Both give strong performances, with Hardy's mysteriousness and Theron's strong will making for a dynamic pairing. Hardy has been at the top of his game for years now, and Fury Road looks like another giant step in establishing him as the go-to star for action cinema. But it's not just Hardy's physicality that places him in such esteem. His performance as a man simply looking to survive all the crazy situations thrown at him is at times captivating, and others chilling. Max's goal of survival is emphasised not just by his fighting, but by his dealing with death. Towards the end of one of the many chase scenes, a character in Max's company is ran over. With the other character's in a state of panic and disbelief, Furiosa asks Max if the situation is as bad as they fear. Max simply replies: "she went under the wheels". Furiosa, with her protective nature over the other members of the team, provides the emotional counterpart to Max. Furiosa, however, is also just as strong-willed as Max, with her not afraid to fight him when he first appears to pose a threat to her and her friends. I found both the actor's performances and character dynamics very enjoyable, with a satisfactory development of their personalities as the film progresses.

Critic's reviews of Fury Road were overwhelmingly positive, something that feels like a rarity for a modern, mainstream action film. Much of the focus was on the action itself, but not a great deal was written about the plot. For me, this is the film's weak point. Max and Furiosa encounter one another while Furiosa is escaping with a small group of women from the tyrannical rule of Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne) in a post-apocalyptic Australia. Don't get me wrong, having such a simple plot of Max and co. on the run from Joe and his cronies provides lots of scope for the action, but there is very little rest-bite in the film's 2 hour runtime. Furiosa's aim of transporting the women to "the green place" isn't explained clearly, and so when Furiosa feels as if she's failed in her goal, it isn't as moving as it should be. The romance between one of the company and Nux (Nicholas Hoult), a stowaway and originally Max's captor, feels forced and isn't given much attention for us to care about their collective fate by the end of the film. 

But yeah, let's talk about the action, seeing as its such a massive plus for the film. If you ever needed proof that practical effects out-do CGI, this film is it. I'm not someone who despises all use of CGI (Terminator 2 and Jurassic Park have incredible effects that add to the story and character), but I feel if something can be done practically, then it should be done that way. It always looks better, and knowing that the majority of Fury Road's chase sequences were done for real, makes them all the more enthralling. In an era when action films overuse CGI, I highly commend Fury Road for its approach. The final chase, where all the characters get their moment, makes for a satisfying climax after all the other action in the film.

The praise Mad Max: Fury Road has received is justified. It offers an old-school approach to the action, as well as well written characters and pacing. The thin plot is the only thing that drags the film down, but with that said, there is still never a boring moment. For fans of action cinema, this one is a must. Hopefully it sets a trend in how Hollywood approaches this genre from now one. "What a film. What a lovely film!"

Pros:
+ Practical effects and incredible action.
+ Intriguing character development of the two leads.
+ Tom Hardy's star will continue to rise thanks to his cool performance as Max.

Cons:
- "Green place" plot is barely explained. A pity, as it seems to have a large impact on Furiosa, but we know so little about it that her emotional moment feels flat.

The Song Remains the Same (1976) Review

"I think this is a song of hope..." - Robert Plant.

Here's something you won't see too often on this blog: a review of a concert film. But anyone who knows me knows how much I love Led Zeppelin, and their 1976 film is something so unique that I think it deserves a mention on here. Filmed during the band's 1973 tour in support of their "Houses of the Holy" album, the band play an incredible set for thousands of fans at Madison Square Garden. With its strange, art-style approach, The Song Remains the Same has become a must see for fans of the band, as well as something of a cult film.

Right from the start, the film's weird tone is established via a scene that has absolutely nothing to do with the band, aside from the appearance of their manager, Peter Grant. Grant and some other men engage in a shootout scene, complete with slo-motion shots of deliberately fake looking "blood". From there, we band members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham receive information regarding imminent tour dates. Cut to the band on their way to Madison Square Garden, with there being a  period of silence before the concert starts. All of a sudden, Bonham crashes out the famous drum intro to "Rock and Roll", and the band blister through some of their hardest hitting songs along with slower, more melodic pieces.

What makes the film so unique and memorable are the "fantasy sequences" that occur during certain songs. Each member of the band has their own sequence, which in some cases serve as an obvious visual interpretation of the songs. Zeppelin never really did music videos in the way most artists do, so these sequences are the closest we'll get to seeing such a thing. For purists like myself, I these moments are very enjoyable, but they'll be a distraction to any other viewer. Each sequence very much lives up to its title of "fantasy", with Jimmy Page's the most surreal of all. To put it simply, Page goes on a quest of self discovery, climbing a mountain side to encounter the mythical "hermit" (a character depicted in the artwork for Zeppelin's fourth album). Page discovers that he himself is the hermit, and we see a weird concoction of image that represent Page's rebirth as the character. Thankfully, we then cut back to the concert, meaning it doesn't get any weirder. thus meaning I don't have to rattle my brain in an effort to explain all this without sounding crazy.

But how well do Zeppelin perform? After all, that's surely the most important aspect of any concert film. The performance is mostly up to Zeppelin's usual standards, with Jones and Bonham faultless throughout. Page is the only one clearly not on his a-game here, with some obvious mistakes. His charisma and stage presence, however, is totally unaffected, and Page steals the show when riffing through the famous solos on "Stairway to Heaven" and "Dazed and Confused". Plant's vocals are powerful throughout, the highlight being towards the end of the blues masterpiece "Since I've Been Loving You".

The Song Remains the Same is still a fascinating film to this day. Hardcore fans will be able to get into the strangeness of the film without too much trouble. However, if you're new to Led Zeppelin, you should probably hold off seeing this one. I'd highly recommend Led Zeppelin DVD if you're wanting to see the band performing at their best. Being a huge fan of the band, I'll keep returning to The Song Remains the Same, enjoying all the weirdness and strong performances it has to offer.

Pros:
+ Solid performance from the band throughout.
+ A lot of the most famous Zeppelin tunes are performed.
+ Fantasy sequences give the film a unique look and tone.

Cons:
- Strictly for dedicated Led Zeppelin fans only. I'd be surprised if anyone got into the band solely from watching this.

Inglorious Basterds (2009) Review

"You probably heard we ain't in the prisoner-takin' business, we in the killin' Nazi business" - Lt. Aldo Raine.

What do you get when you take a director who's films are famously violent and have him direct a war film? The result is Inglorious Basterds. Quentin Tarantino's iconic use of violence works brilliantly alongside his warped take on the Second World War. For me, Tarantino is a director who's films always offer something to enjoy. Be it either twisted humour or quotable dialogue, he's guaranteed to leave an impression on the viewer. Inglorious Basterds is no exception.

Like his previous works, Inglorious Basterds is told in a series of chapters (in this case, five), whereby all the characters are in some way intertwined with one another, even if they appear to be on completely separate paths. In Inglorious Basterds, we have two main stories that are linked: a group of Jewish-American soldiers on a mission to assassinate the Nazi leaders, and a young woman named Shosanna (Melanie Laurent) seeking revenge on the Nazis after her family is murdered. Unlike Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994), Tarantino tells the story as linear, and I think that works particularly well for the film. With both stories, there is a great deal of tension leading to an incredible climax, and so not knowing where the characters are going to end up makes for more suspense. What I especially admire is Tarantino's controlled use of violence in the film. There is a great deal of focus on character interactions here, perhaps even more so than his past films. The bloody violence is never given priority over the development of the plot, and of course is used to its extent only when necessary.

Without doubt the best aspect of Inglorious Basterds, like all of Tarantino's films, are the characters. What's highly commendable is his ability to portray both the Nazis and their enemies on the same level. The Nazis are not simply portrayed as the obvious villains, with their violent acts matched by the American's thrill of hunting them down. Lt. Aldo Raine (Brad Pitt) leads the Americans, referred to as the Basterds. He is shown to be a soldier on opposite ends of the violence spectrum, with him eager to collect the scalps of fallen Nazis, but also showing restraint in other circumstances. For example, after an undercover mission goes horribly wrong with some of his men slaughtered, Aldo attempts to negotiate with the last survivor, a Nazi soldier. He stays true to his word of approaching him unarmed, and in the end ensures that the Nazi trusts him. This adds a more human quality to him, rather than having him be just a straight-faced psychopath that loves to kill. Of course, I must mention Christoph Waltz, who plays SS Colonel Hans Landa. Winning multiple awards, including an Oscar, Waltz completely steals the film. Whenever he appears, you are always anxious as to what he's going to do, made all the more unsettling by his calm persona. One particular nerve shredding scene is when he has a conversation with actress Bridget von Hammersmark (Diane Kruger), who is working with the Americans. I won't reveal what happens, but all I'll say is taking off a leg caste has never been more intense. For me, his introduction is one of the best scenes from any film. Landa and his men arrive at a small farmyard home, where he believes a Jewish family are being sheltered. His comparisons to the Jewish people and rats is an incredibly chilling monologue, leading to him calmly gaining a confession as to where exactly the family are hiding. Perfect acting, writing and directing.

The only problem I have with the film is the ending. Again, I don't want to give too much away, and at least it doesn't stop the film from being an overall incredible piece of work. What I didn't like was how one of the characters, shown to be totally in control of every situation, settles an agreement with the enemy that he will receive credit for ending the war. I found his sudden willingness to trust his enemies rather unbelievable, and if something like this really did happen in the war, it should have been left out regardless. Of course, things don't go the character's way, which is something that was inevitable to everyone expect him. 

Despite that one moment, Inglorious Basterds is another shining example of why Quentin Tarantino is one the best filmmakers of his generation. Everything you want from one of his films is here, and that means that it never fails to entertain and have you eagerly anticipating what will happen next. Some may be put off by the violence depicted in the film, but chances are you know that graphic violence is a recurring trait of Tarantino's filmmaking. Go and see it if you haven't already, and if you have seen it, like me you're probably going to be watching it many times more.

Pros:
+ Phenomenal performances from all, particularly Christoph Waltz.
+ Brilliant suspense, leading to a fantastic climax involving pretty much all the characters.
+ The opening sequence, everything about it is absolutely perfect.
+ Portraying both factions as equally sadistic makes for a good dynamic of character personality.

Cons:
- The final scene, as described above.

Top 10 Fawlty Towers Moments

Perhaps the greatest comedy series ever made, Fawlty Towers is the benchmark for which all other British comedies would have to measure against. Thanks to its clever writing, memorable characters and fantastic performances, the series has been adored since its inception in the late 1970's. Fawlty Towers chronicles just how many ways running a hotel can go wrong for Basil Fawlty (John Cleese), his wife Sybil (Prunella Scales), staff Manuel (Andrew Sachs) and Polly (Connie Booth), and just about every guest that stays there. What better way to highlight this than to offer up my personal 10 favourite moments of the show:

10. Mr. Hutchinson (from "The Hotel Inspectors")

Basil is on red alert after being informed that hotel inspectors are in town. But old habits resurface quickly, as he is rude and uncooperative with a guest, Mr Hutchinson (portrayed superbly by Bernard Cribbins). Upon thinking Hutchinson is the hotel inspector, Basil must quickly recover and ensure his stay at the hotel is absolutely perfect. Upon realising Hutchinson isn't the real inspector, Basil once again clashes with him, leading to a hilarious physical altercation between the two. What makes the whole thing work is that Hutchinson at no point hints that he is an inspector, only saying that he has "a wide experience of hotels", and seeing Basil let his paranoia get the better of him is absolute gold.

9. C.K. What (from "Communication Problems")

Manuel's native Spanish dialect often winds Basil up, so when he is tasked to see to the needs of hard-of-hearing guest Mrs. Richards (Joan Sanderson), there is bound to be confusion. His use of the Spanish words si (yes) and que (what) leads Mrs. Richards to believe he is talking about someone called C.K. What. Believing this to be Basil, she constantly refers to him as What in two of the best dialogue exchanges of the series:

Basil: I'm the manager as well.

Mrs. Richards: Ah, you're What.

Basil: I'm the manager!

Mrs. Richards: What?

Basil: (louder) I'm the manager!

Mrs. Richards: Yes, I know, you've just told me. What's the matter with you?!

The next instance is her simply wanting to speak with Basil as he makes a phone call, with Basil still oblivious to the fact that she thinks his name is What:

Mrs. Richards: What!

Basil: I didn't say anything.

8. The Rat Poison Veil (from "Basil the Rat")

When a health check is initiated, everyone must pull together to ensure the hotel passes with flying colours. However, Manuel's pet rat is loose, and so Basil concocts a plan to catch him before the inspector knows anything about it. Basil intends to use a slice of veil laced with rat poison to draw him out, but alarm bells quickly ring when he realises he may have occidentally served that very slice to the inspector for his meal! What follows is a desperate attempt to discover the truth, leading to chaos in the kitchen, believing they may have poisoned their cat in the process, and all with the rat still not caught...  

7. "You bastard!" (from "A Touch of Class")

Yet another instance where Basil discovers a guest isn't who he thought they were. This time, however, he has been conned by the guest into thinking he holds the title of Lord. When "Lord Melbury" is exposed as a confidence trickster, the police show up to arrest him. Basil, with so much anger now pent up inside of him, completely disregards that two important guests are stood right in front of him and proceeds to scorn Melbury with a hilarious cry of "you bastard!". He loses his cool again within mere seconds as Melbury runs past, pounding his fist on the desk, complete with another shout of "bastard!". This is the angriest Basil has ever been at a guest, and its just as hilarious now as it ever was.

6. "A damn good thrashing!" (from "Gourmet Night")

One of the most iconic moments of the series, and deservedly so. The frustrations of the day pile up for Basil throughout this episode, with him trying to organise a gourmet night for important guests. When his car dies on him when desperately trying to make it back to the hotel with the food, Basil takes out all his anger on the car. Fuming at the car having "tried it on just once too often", he runs off camera to exact his revenge. Quickly returning armed with a twig, he proceeds to thrash his car repeatedly, and thus television magic was made.

5. A room with a view (from "Communication Problems")

Following on from being mistakenly called "What", the room offered to Mrs. Richards is given a harsh review as Basil tries his best to convince her otherwise. She claims the bath "isn't big enough to drown a mouse" and that she specifically asked for "a room with a view", amongst other things. When Basil tells her that the view is simply Torquay, she brilliantly responds with "well it's not good enough!". Add in a segment of Basil trying to fix the room's radio, featuring the brilliant line "the radio works, you don't", and you have the standout moment from a fantastic episode.

4. "Don't mention the war" (from "The Germans")

The most famous moment of the entire show had to be included on this list. After suffering a blow to the head, Basil returns to the hotel to greet a group of German guests. His advice to Polly is not to mention the Second World War, which of course he brings up several times. How ever many times he tries to spin it, he becomes more and more obvious with his references. It famously leads to him doing an impression of Adolf Hitler and doing "the funny walk" in an attempt to make up for upsetting them in the first place. It's a tough scene to do justice, but chances are you've seen this moment already.

3. "Right, the game's up!" (from "The Psychiatrist")

This was the first episode I ever saw, and couldn't stop laughing at this particular scene. Basil is convinced that a guest is hiding a young woman in his room, something which goes against his morals. He tries desperately to convince Sybil this is the case, but this leads her to think he is crazy. In a last ditch effort to catch the guest in the act, he hides away in the cupboard opposite his room. When someone emerges from the room, Basil quickly appears from the cupboard armed with a brush. Of course, there is yet another case of mistaken identity when he emerges, but what's hilarious is his cry of "right, the game's up" complete with him attempting to threaten with a brush. The best quick laugh in the show's history.

2. "They're going" (from "The Wedding Party")

One of my favourite rants from any character happens here, when Basil believes a group of guests (members of a family including a couple and parents) are having secret relationships with one another. To make matters worse, he is convinced Polly (who is in actual fact an old friend of the family) is participating too. When he feels he's seen enough, he simply tells Sybil "they're going" and proceeds to barge into the guest's room. There, he scolds them for having "a good time at our expense" and tells them all to leave, including Polly. When Sybil tells him the truth, he is forced to go back and apologise to them, but hilariously drops Sybil's name into the mess, blaming her for the mistake.

1. The Fire Drill (from "The Germans")

To describe this scene simply, everything that could go wrong, goes wrong. With many guests confused as to how the hotel's fire drill procedure works and Manuel causing a real fire, all hell breaks loose at Fawlty Towers. Basil is caught in the middle of his guest's incompetence and Manuel's attempts to warn him of the real fire, leading to the best outburst Basil has ever had. When the phone rings after seemingly getting the situation under control, Basil believes Sybil is calling to inform him of more work that needs to be done. In response, he quickly answers the phone, screams down the line, and slams it back down again. The scene ends perfectly with Basil attempting to put out the fire, and the madness comes to an end when the fire extinguisher only works when he has it facing him directly! This is my favourite moment of Fawlty Towers because it sums up everything wonderful about the show, and is one of the best moments in any series ever made. 

Dredd (2012) Review

"Ma-Ma is not the law... I am the law." - Dredd.

Judge Dredd. A popular comic-book character. An unpopular character in cinema as a result of the 1995 adaptation starring Sylvester Stallone as the fearless enforcer. 17 years later, Hollywood had another crack at bringing the infamous judge, jury and executioner to life. The result was Dredd (or Dredd 3D as it was titled in the trailers), and not only did it earn the respect of critics, fans of the comic instantly declared it a more faithful representation of the character. Having not read the comics, I'll have to take their word for it. However, having also seen the 1995 version, I share the opinion that Dredd is the superior film. This was going to be another entry in my Original vs. Remake series, but Dredd beats Judge Dredd in every aspect, and so a review is the more appropriate medium to sing its praises.

Set in the crime infested Mega City One, the film shows us just another average day for Dredd (Karl Urban): stopping criminals and handing out their sentence on the spot. As you can imagine, the sentence is commonly death. On what should be a routine mission to take out a drug dealer by the name of Ma-Ma (Lena Headey), Dredd and rookie Anderson (Olivia Thirlby) find themselves locked inside the mega complex Ma-Ma controls. With the inhabitants of the building caught in the middle, the two judges must make their way all the way to the top floor to get to Ma-Ma and hand out her death sentence. This simple plot works to the film's advantage, as it is set during one day, so we need to see just how dangerous the city is and how tough the life of a judge is. The plot opens up all sorts of possibilities for action and suspense, and the film satisfies on both fronts, thanks largely down to the pacing. The film could easily have become overblown with action, but instead delivers enough at the right time, allowing us to become invested in the characters and their plight.

Karl Urban is the perfect choice for Dredd. His harsh sounding voice and no-nonsense attitude make for an intimidating presence, enough to strike fear into the criminals of Mega City One. Despite being the title character, it is through the character of Anderson that the emotional investment comes from. Dredd is a veteran judge and fears absolutely nothing, but this is Anderson's first time out on duty. Despite her psychic abilities, we feel nervous for her, as she proves throughout the film that she is a kinder soul than Dredd. This is shown after they clear a room full of armed men out, and has her gun pointing to the last man. He has been disarmed, but despite this Dredd orders the man's execution. Anderson hesitates, but realises she has to comply with the law and shoots the man dead. Opposite our heroes, Lena Headey turns in a chilling performance as Ma-Ma. In what could have been approached in an over-the-top manner, Headey portrays Ma-Ma with an unsettling calmness, which makes her all the more intimidating when she has to scorn her men for their failings. For a film with so much action, its nice to see the character's emotions and personalities take centre stage.

Sadly, the film didn't do so well at the box-office. Perhaps the release of the film brought back memories of the other version, and so people weren't prepared to give this one a chance. It was also released in 3D, which while I think works for certain scenes, probably isn't the best move when your audience is restricted to adults only. Supposedly, ideas for sequels were already in place, but the box-office performance doesn't scream demand for more. Dredd has, however, been more successful in the home video market, with strong DVD and Blu-Ray sales. Despite the plethora of action films being released, I'd say Dredd is a standout for its characters, gritty look and pacing. So, if you're up for something that's a cut above most recent action films, check this one out.

Pros:
+ Developed characters, in particular Anderson.
+ Never a dull moment with plenty of action to satisfy.
+ Strong performances, Karl Urban being the standout.

Cons:
- Ending felt slightly rushed. Spending more time with the characters after the ordeal would have rounded the film off better.

Wes Craven (1939-2015): A Tribute to a Horror Film Legend.

Chances are if you were a kid growing up in the 1980's, then you probably heard all about Freddy Krueger, the antagonist of the Nightmare on Elm Street films. If you saw those films at young age, no doubt you suffered nightmares about him just as the characters in the film do, and that's largely thanks to the man that created the phenomenon: writer and director Wes Craven. Before scaring audiences senseless with the original Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, Craven had already made a name for him self in horror cinema with cult classics The Last House on the Left (1972) and The Hills Have Eyes (1977). Recently, he sadly passed away as a result of brain cancer, so I'm dedicating this post to the horror maestro, celebrating his talent and legacy.

I consider Craven's most popular film, A Nightmare on Elm Street, a horror masterpiece and one of my all time favourites. With this film, Craven gave the slasher sub-genre a new edge, bringing in more surreal visuals and upping the gore, eclipsing standard setters Halloween (1978) and Friday the 13th (1980). Not only did Craven help to establish this extra gear for the genre, but in the process introduce one of cinema's most iconic villains: Freddy Krueger. In the original film Freddy is at his scariest, as Craven allows Robert Englund's fantastic performance to shine without focusing on wisecrack dialogue, which would feature heavily in the sequels. The Nightmare on Elm Street series was undeniably better off with Craven attached, with him writing and directing the original, writing the fan-favourite third instalment, Dream Warriors (1987), or reinventing the franchise with New Nightmare (1994). In New Nightmare, Craven ingeniously brought Freddy back to his more serious routes whilst also paying tribute to the campiness of the sequels by setting the film in the real world, with Robert Englund playing both himself and the new Freddy. In the film, the cast of the franchise are terrorised by Freddy, and soon the exact events of the original film start to happen. Shortly after returning the series to form and yet again giving the slasher genre a new depth, Craven decided to further utilise this idea to honour and parody the genre with the Scream films.

Craven revitalised the slasher genre's popularity in the 1990's with Scream. Unlike other horror films, the characters in Scream are all aware of the horror clichés, and so there's a good amount of humour present as well as scares. Though I think Scream should have been a standalone film, its popularity ensured three sequels carried on the story. In the original 1996 film, a high schooler is murdered by a masked man whom had made threatening phone calls to her. With the whole town unnerved, a group of teens are all under suspicion of being the killer, and all hell breaks loose at a party. If you haven't seen the film, I won't spoil it, it's certainly worth checking out for fans of slasher films, and even a casual horror viewer should be entertained by it. The sequels delve even further into genre clichés, but they can't match the original's twists and turns. Craven knew exactly what to deliver at exactly the right time, cementing his reputation as a master of horror cinema.

Through his creative ideas and slick execution of them, Wes Craven is truly one of the finest contributors to the horror genre. His undeniable talent has ensured the survival of the horror genre's popularity more than once, and for that we should be eternally grateful. Wes, thank you for the nightmares!