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'Avengers: Age of Ultron'

27/4/2015

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In cinemas now in the UK and on May 1st in the USA!
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This new instalment of the Marvel universe has predictably been met with huge excitement and anticipation. Kevin Feige and his crew have carved out a massive market for themselves within the comic book movie world using a mixture of well established and loved characters, flawless action sequences and sharply written scripts. 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' is no exception.

After the Avengers discover a hidden artefact during a raid of a Hydra bunker, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) tries to use the information they have found to kick-start a pioneering peacekeeping program. The plan goes awry when a new evil, in the form of villainously advanced Ultron (James Spader), is released and the Avengers must band together to fight this new threat to human kind.
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The action sequences, as always, are impeccable. With every new instalment of the Marvel universe, they seem to take a step up, reach new highs and push a little further. There are parts of this movie that quite literally raise the earth. For me, a key part of the success of these films has been the actors chosen to play such larger than life characters. There is a tendency amongst high action movies to focus purely on the action and side line the quality of the actors and character development. This is a mistake. To have a story that really works and really sucks the audience in, you absolutely need to have the whole package. 'Age Of Ultron' has done this brilliantly.
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The actors who have already been established in previous movies are universally good. We’ve seen it from them before and they have certainly not dropped the ball here. The new members have served to raise the bar yet again. Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as brother/sister duo Wanda and Pietro Maximoff have great chemistry. Communicating a hundred emotions in just one look, there is no trouble in believing that these two have spent their entire lives together. There are times when they even seem to think in unison, subconsciously mirroring or weaving around each other.
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James Spader is magnificent as Ultron. To play a character that is essentially completely synthetic but imbue it with enough humanity for the audience to accept it and even empathise with it at times is no easy feat. He brings a wonderful mixture of light and malice that is both funny and terrifying. He also plays beautifully on the idea of Ultron’s relative newness. There are parts where he is completely child-like. Put in the context of his actions, these moments are thoroughly horrifying.
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The one person that disappointed me a little was Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow. Normally a fabulous actress and having shown her prowess in this role in previous movies she seemed, to me, to lack energy for the role this time around. She was good, don’t get me wrong, but while the rest of the cast almost universally upped the ante, she remained on a plateau. I can only hope that she steps it up in her next outing.
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What makes this movie really stand out is the writing. Joss Whedon is well revered for his ability to write great female roles. I’ve always felt that if you read one of his scripts with the character names removed, they could literally be played by anyone. He does not write men or women, he writes people. This keeps him in good stead when writing the fantasy characters of 'Age Of Ultron'. Yes, they can do unfathomable things with their bodies, have superhuman intelligence and strength, but they are always rooted in reality with very human flaws and emotions. It gives the audience the opportunity to empathise with them, share in their highs and commiserate in their lows.
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On top of all of this drama and emotion is what I love most about the Marvel movies; the humour. This is possibly one of the funniest instalments so far. Tony Stark was often the lead player in the majority of the humour in 'Avengers Assemble' but here he shares the spotlight more and more as the other characters are allowed to develop and find the humour in their relationships and situations. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans), previously more sombre characters, were two that surprisingly lead a large amount of the humour. A long running joke involving Thor’s hammer provided much mirth and gave Chris Hemsworth the opportunity to show subtle comedy skills I never knew he had.
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I’d go as far as to say that this is possibly the best Marvel movie so far. Expertly introducing new characters, bringing in the mystical element to the established physical constituent and moving the story, characters and relationships on significantly yet naturally. Every aspect is more developed and improved upon. Ultron is exactly the villain needed for this further development, providing a bigger more terrorising threat to the world at large and to the Avengers themselves, forcing them not only to fight the physical danger outside of themselves, but also the inner demons that they each struggle with.
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I’d strongly advise finding a nice big screen to settle down and watch it ASAP!
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Review by Melanie Crossey.
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'Clinical'

10/4/2015

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Out now on YouTube!
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'Clinical' is a ten minute short film following a mysterious man known only as The Drifter, who arrives in a new town with initially unclear motives. Without a conventional plot, this is clearly depicted as just another day in The Drifter’s life. The different people he meets and the way he interacts with them forms the backbone of this movie’s exploration of morality and offers some unexpected moments that seem to tell us “Don’t judge a book by its cover”.

The cast are great for what is clearly a very low budget production; Brett John & Lydia Kay playing two junkies who attack The Drifter early on, and Tanita Guldbransen as a pharmacist all work towards conveying these themes competently, with Jon De Ville portraying The Drifter as a hardened yet sympathetic character, despite having very few lines. Shot very nicely by Jesper Tobiassen, the urban landscapes are carefully desaturated reflecting the bleakness of the characters, without feeling completely desolate as many overzealous colour graders can often fall foul of. Joel Macklin, writer and director of 'Clinical' has created a fascinating main character, fitting a few interesting ideas into the ten minutes, and in avoiding a number of the “student film” traps that short film makers so often fall into, even manages to make the run time fly by and leave me wanting to find out more about The Drifter. A short film well worth taking a look at.
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Review by Cameron Richardson.
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'John Wick'

10/4/2015

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In cinemas October 24th in the USA and April 10th in the UK!
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When ex-hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) loses his wife, he finds she has sent him one last message, received after her funeral, to ease his pain and help him move on. But a chance encounter with a gangster in a petrol station leads to tragedy, prompting him to come out of retirement in order to seek revenge from the men who took everything from him.
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So far, so action movie, right? For those of us who are naturally inclined to a little scepticism, you may question why this movie in particular has received such rave reviews, particularly from our friends across the pond. What is it that makes this action movie so special? What about this story is so different that it has received such acclaim? The answer is nothing. The base elements of the story are not so very different from a million other movies of its kind. The magic has come from the execution of said tale.
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From the very beginning, although heaped in drama, you get the feeling that this is not a movie that takes itself so seriously. Following in the vein of one of my personal favourites, Die Hard, it mixes brutal violence and heart-breaking tragedy with a dark humour that will have you guffawing in your seats. Michael Nyqvist as Viggo Tarasov is a particular favourite of mine, quipping away throughout the film, even at seemingly the most inappropriate moments. His relationship with his right-hand man, Avi (Dean Winters) is also a source of great amusement with the latter seemingly perpetually exasperated by his boss’s constant disregard for his needs.
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The whole cast, in fact, are pretty noteworthy. Alfie Allen as the petulant mob boss’s son is brilliant. From the moment he walks on screen you hate him. He is, at once, violent and vindictive and child-like. Sneering, petty and arrogant from the beginning but when faced with the consequences of his actions, he becomes a snivelling little boy. You almost pity him. Almost. The supporting cast, right down to those who only grace our screens for a minute, all add a little something extra. Each has their own little joke, their own moment in the sun. Hats off to the writer, Derek Kolstad, as well. Although woefully short of female characters (as with so many action movies), when one is included, they are refreshingly free of many grating stereotypes. Adrianne Palicki as Ms Perkins is majorly kick-ass. Able to keep up with the boys and never descending into that old cliché of love as her weakness.
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Talking of kick-ass, the action sequences are amazing. Avoiding the common tendency to sell the hero as inexplicably so much stronger than everyone else, that just a few punches from him, even to someone twice his size, can render them incapacitated, John Wick actually appears to have taken multiple techniques from many different combat styles. As an ex-judoka myself, I was very excited to see our hero use many of the moves I learned as a youngster. He really has to work for his wins but that mixture of techniques, executed so beautifully and an apparent ability to shoot a moving target with pinpoint accuracy, makes you genuinely understand why John Wick is revered as such a legend amongst the other characters.
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And finally to our hero, Mr Reeves himself. I’m going to go ahead and say it; Keanu Reeves has not always had the best reputation when it comes to acting talent. When placed in a role that really suits him such as Neo in “The Matrix” or Ted Logan in “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”, he creates a legend. But when faced with a character a little different, often one requiring more emotional depth, he has visibly struggled with injecting the passion required to play such a role. Having said all that, as John Wick, I believe he has excelled. He has charisma in spades in this movie. Sullen and morose at times, cold and calculating at others, flat out funny at points, always with an underlying sadness hinting at the true tragedy of his character. As the film reaches its climax he shows a passion and anger that I personally, have never seen from him before. I was pleasantly taken aback.
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All in all, this is a truly fantastic action movie. One of the best of this genre that I have seen in years. Hugely entertaining, thrilling, poignant and funny with an excellent cast to boot. I shall be dragging all of my friends to the cinema. This is not to be missed.
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Review by Melanie Crossey.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
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'Hackney's Finest'

10/4/2015

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In cinemas April 3rd in the UK and available on demand April 13th!
Premieres June 14th at the East End Film Festival!
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‘Hackney's Finest’ is a darkly-comic thriller set predominantly in one night. Directed by Chris Bouchard, this is his first full feature film. His previous work being the highly acclaimed ‘Lord of the Rings’ spin off ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ which has received over 13 million views on YouTube. 
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This is a very gritty film and right at start we witness a horrific beating. It doesn’t hold back on the blood or violence. Several times you see people being shot, some in a comical way and others not so much. The main protagonist Sirus, played by Nathanael Wiseman, is a part time drug dealer. His friend Asif (Rajen Sharma) has an uncle who owns a grocery store but also ships in heroin from Afghanistan, and the main antagonists are corrupt detectives Priestly (Arin Alldridge) and Terrence (Malcolm Tomlinson). They beat Asif and force him to set up a meeting with Sirus in order to capture him and seize the heroin. We later discover there is history between Sirus and Priestly. Sirus calls on Tony (Enoch Frost) and B (Marlon G. Day) who are Welsh-Jamaican Yardies. These characters are very funny, dropping in and out and of Welsh and Jamaican accents and phases, however despite their humour they are very serious and threatening, especially towards the end of the film.
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Priestly enlist’s some Russian thugs, led by Delski (Sean Cronin) and the film heads for its showdown, set in Tilbury Docks. They are somewhat stereotypical Russian gangsters and are used for comic effect. An unconventional ending but fitting for this type of film. Bouchard knows his way around a camera, how use his locations and to let the audience know how much of this is tongue-in-cheek. Thorin Seex, the writer of this film, has created some great characters and an interesting story that deals with drug abuse and the illegal drug industry.
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A very colourful script and a good solid cast. Wiseman’s portrayal of man who is out of his depth and shell shocked by the violence around him is great to watch. One scene that really stands out is when Asif and his cousin Pari (Neerja Naik) discuss how back home in Afghanistan they would play in the poppy fields when they were young, oblivious to how people would pay or kill for what it could be turn into. It was a touching scene.
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Review by Jessen Aroonachellum.
Edited by Lydia Kay.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
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'While We're Young'

5/4/2015

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In cinemas March 27th in the USA and April 3rd in the UK!
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Have you ever felt like you’re in limbo? Too young to settle down and have children but too old to keep up with the young and beautiful? This is a frequent problem of modern 30/40-somethings and a big theme of Noah Baumbach’s comedy, ‘While We’re Young’.
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Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts play Josh and Cornelia, a middle-aged couple who meet and befriend young couple Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried). As many of their older friends are having babies and settling into a more responsible life, Josh and Cornelia begin to feel out of place and become increasingly close to Jamie and Darby who they see as innocent, fun-loving and free. However, the more they become involved in the life and work of the young couple, the more they start to realise that maybe they are not as innocent and free as they seem. This may all have been learned too late as their careers and relationship have been turned upside down.
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Yes, this is a Ben Stiller film but refreshingly, it is not all about Ben Stiller. Thanks to strong performances from all the lead actors, this is very much an ensemble piece. Adam Driver is especially good as a young aspiring filmmaker who seems at first like an innocent puppy dog, heart-warming in his excitement to meet one of his heroes, but as the film goes on, you begin to see his inner narcissist start to creep out. His portrayal is subtle yet sharp and you’re never quite sure whether you like the guy or not.
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The script is very cleverly written. A mixture of wry satire with lines that are truly hilarious despite their serious subject matter, and just flat out silliness (a particularly funny scene involving some questionable drugs and emotional bonding will have you rolling with laughter and cringing all at the same time), this really does have something for every sense of humour.
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My one gripe would be that I almost feel it goes on a little too long. The story could have been satisfyingly resolved before the final scene. Although this scene has a few funny and touching moments, it starts to slip dangerously close to cliché. By the end, I started to lose interest and it fell a little flat for me. Personally, I would have enjoyed it more if it had left us on the high of one of the previous scenes, not necessarily even resolving all of the characters’ issues.
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Ultimately, this is a fun film. Easy to watch, laugh out loud funny at points and a subject matter that rings true to so many of us nowadays. Do I belong? Am I where I’m supposed to be in my life? Unlike some of Baumbach’s earlier work, I believe that this will appeal to a mass audience. Dare I say it? He may be slipping into the mainstream!
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Review by Melanie Crossey.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
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A - Z Feature Films

4/4/2015

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A full list of all reviewed feature films.
Independent films are marked with a *. Documentaries are marked with a ~.
Animations are marked with a +. Musicals are marked with a #.
Click on a title to be taken to the review.

A

A Boy Called Sailboat
Accommodations
*
A Little Chaos
​
A Monster Calls
Arrival
Avengers: Age of Ultron

B

Baby Driver
​Bad Santa 2
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
Bel Canto
Big Game
Big Hero 6 +
​Bitter Harvest
Blair Witch
Bone Tomahawk
Born of War *
​Brooklyn

C

Cinderella
Cub *

D

Denial
​
Despicable Me 3
Detour *
Doctor Strange
Don't Breathe

E

Elle
Entourage
​
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

F

Fantastic Four
Far from the Madding Crowd
Feelings to Tell *
Finding Dory +
​Florence Foster Jenkins
Futuro Beach *

G

Girlhood *
​Gold
​Golden Years
​Green Room
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2

H

Hackney's Finest *
Hacksaw Ridge
Hot Pursuit

I

I Love My Mum *
In Pursuit of Silence
 *~
Inside Out +
Insurgent
Into The Woods #

J

Jane Got A Gun
Jawbone *
John Wick
John Wick: Chapter 2
Jurassic World

K

Kill Command
Kingsman: The Secret Service

Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck ~

L

Lady Macbeth
La La Land #
Last Breath ~
​Little
Look Away
Lords of Chaos
​Love Possibly *
Loving
Luna's Revenge *

M

M *
Madeline's Madeline
Mad Max: Fury Road
Magic Mike XXL
Manchester By The Sea
Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials
Midnight Special
Miss Sloane
Moana +
Moomins on the Riviera +
Mortdecai

N

Nanny Culture *~
Natural Resistance *~
Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
No Escape
Norm of the North

O

Oddball & the Penguins
​
Office Christmas Party

P

Paper Towns
​
Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge
​
Pitch Perfect 3
Pluck *~
​Pond Life
Prevenge

Q

R

Red Joan
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends

S

San Andreas
Sausage Party +
​Saviors *
Selma
Shooting for Socrates *
​Sing +
Slow West
Smurfs: The Lost Village +
Split
Swallows & Amazons
Sweet Dreams (Fai Bei Sogni)

T

Terminator 2: Judgemant Day 3D
The Blue Room *
​The Disaster Artist
​The DUFF
The Falling *
The Final Haunting *
The Founder
The Gambler
​
The Girl with All the Gifts
The Haunting of Sharon Tate
The Human Centipede 3 (Final Sequence)
The Last Five Years #
The Man Who Saved the World *~
​The Odds *
The Purge: Election Year
​
The Sisters Brothers
The Supreme Price ~
​The Sweeney: Paris
The Theory of Everything
Tomorrowland: A World Beyond
​
Train to Busan
Trainwreck
Trespass Against Us
​Triple 9

U

V

Vacation

W

We (Wij) *
What Men Want
While We're Young
​Wild Rose
Women at War

X

X+Y *

Y

Your Name +

Z

1 - 9

100 Streets
13 Minutes *
​99 Homes
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'Cinderella'

2/4/2015

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In cinemas March 13th in the USA and March 27th in th UK!
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I must start by saying that I am not a massive fan of remakes. Although there have been some fantastic examples, with the majority, I have questioned the need to remake at all. If the story is still relevant, why not simply watch the original? Are you saying anything new? If you are saying something new, why use the same story? Why not do something completely different? These are the questions I had before viewing Disney’s latest incarnation of Cinderella.
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For anyone who’s been living in an isolated hole in Papua New Guinea for their entire lives, Cinderella is the story of a young girl who loses both her parents and finds herself at the mercy of a wicked stepmother and her two bratty daughters. Her luck is changed when her Fairy Godmother grants her the means to attend a royal ball and meet the man of her dreams.
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Cinderella is tricky. It is such a well-known and well-loved story that it is unwise to stray too far from the original narrative. You risk alienating your entire audience. But Disney has managed to walk this delicate line with expertise. They have kept the fantastical world of Fairytales that children and adults alike, revere. From the epic landscapes of rolling fields to the imposing mansions peppered amongst them. From the ever sparkling, beautifully designed costumes to the adorable animals with characters as big as the humans. But they have also brought the tale of Cinderella into the 21st Century in a way that I believe was sorely needed. There was one thing that always irked me, even as a child (tiny feminist that I was) about the 1950s version. It seemed to be focused around the idea that when a young girl faced hardship, all she really needed was a good looking man to come and save her. In this version, however, it is less about the Prince saving Cinderella as it is about her finding someone who accepts her for who she is and loves her for being different. This is a message I can get on board with!
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Lily James (Cinderella) is absolutely made for this part. If you asked a small child to picture what they thought the real life version of Cinderella would look like, I’m pretty sure they’d imagine Miss James. Couple that with an inherent charm and kindness fit for a princess and the ability to ground all of these traits within very real emotions, and you question why they’d even contemplate casting someone else.
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In fact the entire cast is pretty spectacular. Cate Blanchett as the Stepmother is elegant, vindictive and viciously condescending. Richard Madden as the Prince is charming and humble. His relationship with his father is heart wrenching and beautifully expanded, making the character of the Prince much more rounded. Less like a caricature and more like an actual human being. Last but not least, Helena Bonham Carter as the Fairy Godmother. I am not kidding when I say my first words when leaving this film were, “I want Helena Bonham Carter to be my Fairy Godmother!” She is fantastic. Funny, charismatic, ditzy and kind, I can’t help thinking that she may, in fact, simply be playing herself. Even if that’s true, she is so perfect for this role that it doesn’t even matter.
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I believe that Cinderella is one of the few films that did need a remake. A beautiful story, capturing the hearts of young children that needed a little tweak to bring it up to date with the morals and ideals of the modern day.
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If you like to leave a cinema with a spring in your step and a feeling that magic (and Swarovski crystal) is all around you, this is an absolute must see!
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Review by Melanie Crossey.
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'Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck'

2/4/2015

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HBO will air the authorised documentary about Kurt Cobain, lead singer of Nirvana, on the 4th May.
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For fans of Kurt Cobain and Nirvana, there isn’t much that is new information but nether the less this film is definitely worth a watch. With 12 minutes of new material and a mixed media format, it is refreshing how it helps to keep some distance from the story without being alienated by it. There will always be a slant to films like this but I feel this time around that a relatively unbiased picture has been achieved, showing as many of Kurt’s flaws as it does his strokes of genius. Whether you are reminiscing or being introduced to the man behind the music for the first time, this is a ride I would recommend.
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Kurt Cobain is one of those people whose stardom burnt fast and bright. With only half a decade in the spotlight, it is no wonder that he’s one of the most talked about musicians of my generation. From the moment Brett Morgen’s documentary begins, it is clear that this is not some rose tinted homage, despite being crafted by those who were close to Cobain. This is a no bars hold look at his life for what it was and it’s up to you decide whether you agree with how he lived it.
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The aim seems to have been to include as much “evidence” as possible (such as home movies, backstage clips, interviews, newspaper clippings, tv recordings & audio tapes that Cobain recorded throughout his life). The structure of which is what I found most intriguing: all this information is bitty and so to fill the gaps, animations have been created to set scenes for the audio tapes and also to bring Cobain’s sketches to life. The effect is that rather than feeling overloaded, the film is segmented into manageable chapters; switching between interviews, gig footage, music videos and these animations. You’re never allowed to get too engrossed in one particular part of the story or one point of view because it will suddenly switch format. On the most part, I liked this; it was new, interesting and helped me feel like I could form an unbiased decision without being completely emotionally manipulated by a director’s agenda. The only flaw with this design is that there were three distinct moments where it felt like the film had ended. This may have been intended as respite from the flashes of colour, sound and emotional scenes but, for me at least, it left part of the film dragging.
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The content itself was solid – the majority of the information wasn’t new but it was well delivered and the revelations we did get felt all the more fascinating for it. The interviews were especially beneficial to the overall project, creating more questions than answers. I ended up leaving with the utmost admiration for the bravery of those creating this film: parents talking about their own flaws and the effect it had on their child’s life is not an easy thing to do, especially to a global audience.
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All in all this film is certainly worth seeing whether you know much about Cobain’s life or not and in my opinion it is a worthy commendable addition to Morgen’s catalogue of work.
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Review by Victoria Jane Appleton.
See this review on The Fan Carpet.
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