Keith Leon's Film Reviews

⭐⭐⭐⭐ This is a rambunctious action film starring Charlize Theron, as Lorraine Broughton an MI6 spy trying to uncover a "list" in 1989 cold war Berlin, while working with her colleague, an undercover James McAvoy, who has gone rogue. This is a film where style over substance outshines, but that's fine because the action is top notch. The plot doesn't quite add up but you are not really there for it, it's the epic fight scenes! This film was directed by David Leitch, he's mainly known as a stunt coordinator and did the John Wick film's, which are lovely and violent. Due to Leitch's action pedigree, I knew this film wouldn't disappoint. Charlize Theron is awesome in this, you feel every punch and face smash. There is one particular standout scene where the camera continually tracks a fight in a building, where she single handedly takes out 5 guys. It's brutal but so impressive, how they filmed it in one take and how utterly compellin...

⭐⭐⭐⭐ I am writing this review while I’m watching the new series of Strictly Come Dancing, which is very appropriate.  I had never seen this film beforehand. I wanted to know why this film is held in such admiration so much, and to see the inspiration for La La Land. Singin’ in the Rain is a true classic and an absolute feel good movie. I was surprised it was so funny and it genuinely is.  To be honest I am a bit hesitant when watching classic films, as the pace is slow compared to contemporary ones today. How wrong was I! The dancing is phenomenal and you watch in awe at how talented they are. The scene that stands out is when the main three stars are dancing in synchronisation up and down the stairs. The only misdemeanour and it’s a minor one, would be the elongated dance dream sequence, which was obviously an excuse for Gene Kelly to show off his dancing prowess - but it doesn’t move the plot along at all and it does drag...

⭐⭐⭐ I know I am watching this film long after it was released back in January, but I am glad I didn't see it then. I remember seeing the posters that had many stars emblazoned all over it with reviews and critics hailing it from the Hollywood hills. I could have easily got sucked into that over-hyped vortex but I stayed back from the cinema and 7 months later rented it from LoveFilm (segue: LoveFilm was a great service which meant you got the latest film releases before they went on streaming outlets. Where will film buffs go to now? The cinema is far too expensive and it takes 12 months plus to appear on Netflix or Amazon if at all! LoveFilm was affordable and offered great choice, I'll feel lost without it and know others will too. Streaming will get far too expensive, especially if the big productions companies set up their own, just as Disney will be.) Now back to my review: I thought this film was miss sold and people/reviewers got carried away with the style...

⭐⭐⭐ I did have high expectations before seeing this film on the back of The Lego Movie, which was an unexpected blast of high energy and buffoonery. Everything was awesome in that film, even the over priced coffee! Batman featured and he was hilarious (voiced by the extremely monotone Will Arnett), he was over the top and arrogant, he could do no wrong...because he was Batman of course. However, when it came to the animated film focusing solely on the dark knight, albeit a self a deprecating, self referencing one, he still wasn't that funny over all. Don't get me wrong there are some great moments particularly when they make fun off all the past Batman incarnations over the years, from the flamboyant Adam West to the way too serious Christian Bale/Ben Affleck. But again all the best jokes were in the trailers and they don't land as well when you see the film properly, probably because the trailer was everywhere and repeated too the max. Don't get me wrong, the an...

⭐⭐⭐ This film annoyed me slightly and it is mainly down to the trailer. Like in all trailers, they tend to spoil the film for you. However, the trailers for Baby Driver had all the best driving sequences in it. On a larger note, do trailers even work these days? I think people have already made their mind up about what films they are going to see beforehand based on actors and directors, if a person's previous work was good, you can more or less guarantee you're in safe hands again. Isn't it a case of less is more?! Why do film studios not take this advice on board - instead they shove the film down your throat with trailers on youtube, posters on the tube, on buses in train stations - it's far too much. Apart from the poor marketing campaign for Baby Driver, the film was very good. The stunts and action sequences are superb, and to do them synchronised to music is even more impressive and original. Edgar Wright directed this film and he has such a unique style t...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Logan, aka Wolverine - played by Hugh Jackman for the 9th time in the X-Men Universe (if you count all the cameos). The year is 2029 and Logan is old, has a drinking problem, is a chauffeur and not healing very well, so already in the first few minutes of the film, this is a completely different depiction of the adamantium legend we are used to. He is doing all this in order to pay for medication for Charles Xavier, played by Patrick Stewart in such a vulnerable and tender role. The medication is for his dementia and to control his seizures, which for a mutant who can control people's minds, is detrimental to all when he has them. Another character is Caliban, an albino mutant that is sensitive to sunlight, he used to track/help hunt mutants but has now reformed and is nurse to Charles. Caliban is played by Stephen Merchant surprisingly well, I did not expect the lanky comedian to be in this type of film, but he does a good job. As it is 2029 b...

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I was excited to see this film and it didn't disappoint. Like all Marvel films there was much hype. Apart from it being a superhero film it offered more, a new refreshing take on a superhero who isn't your typical white, male, arrogant protagonist. The Black Panther was first introduced in Capt ain America: Civil War. This time he gets a proper solo outing. T'Challa is the Black Panther but he has to prove himself as the new King of Wakanda after his father, T'Chaka was killed in Civil War . Wakanda is a camouflaged country based in Africa, posing as a Third World country, because it has the resource vibraniam, a valuable mineral that can make indestructible metal (Captain America's shield is made from this) and it powers the technologically advanced Wakanda and the Black Panther suit. This film is unique being based in Africa and having a predominantly black cast with 50% female leads. It is odd celebrating this fact especially in 2018, but n...

⭐⭐ This is the sequel to Kingsman : Secret Service , an over the top Bond with even more outlandish gadgets and inappropriate banter. The first film was very enjoyable, the action, how it was filmed felt very fresh and original. The cherry on the cake was seeing Colin Firth gun-fu his way out of a tight spot in a church - shooting everyone in graphic fashion. This was so shocking and unexpected, especially for Mr Darcy! The second film however is silly cartoon rubbish, with over used bad CGI, lewd jokes that are really don't land and are just too offensive. Plus it has such a ridiculous far-fetched plot with a very star-studded cast that don't really have much to do except chew the scenery. Yes, the action does impress and looks cool but when you rely on these set pieces throughout the film and not focus on plot, the film as a whole will inevitably get boring and repetitive. I think I have spotted why Matthew Vaughn's film do so well initially but then the sequels...

⭐⭐⭐ This is it the 8th film or 2nd in the new version? I don't know or care that much, let me start by saying that I was never really a huge fan of the whole saga, I think I watched them because my parents liked them. Don't get me wrong I did enjoy the original 3 and I think I even went to the cinema to see the prequels; I was young and naive then and know a lot more now. I was impressed with JJ Abrams aim of revitalising the franchise with The Force Awakens – although that is too similar to a New Hope. But JJ did a very good job of reinvigorating the franchise, with great spectacle and brilliant special effects; all the while keeping the essence of Star Wars, introducing new characters and believable villains. I was therefore actually looking forward to the next Star Wars installment: The Last Jedi, especially to find out how the characters had progressed and finally seeing an aged Luke Skywalker (that the previous film kept promising and hyping up, but we o...

★★★★ This is a political thriller staring Jessica Chastain (Interstellar, Zero Dark Thirty) as Elizabeth Sloane, a Washington DC lobbyist taking on a pro-gun group. I didn't know much about the film before watching and I suggest the same for all, try and not watch any trailers as this is a very good thriller, with great twists and turns. Although I did have to watch the film with the subtitles as the dialogue is fast and snappy (it reminded me of The West Wing) and I didn't want to miss any vital plot points. This film has a John Grisham quality to it, like The Firm or Pelican Brief keeping you guessing throughout and keeping you on your toes. Jessica Chastain is in nearly every scene and she really drives the film, she is such a brilliant actor in this, playing a strong determined, if sometimes unlikeable character, but she nails it!

★★★★ This films’ focus is on the American newspaper, The Washington Post and whether they will publish the Pentagon Papers, a report about the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, and how the government knew they couldn’t win, but kept sending troops anyway. This film is very subtly directed by Steven Spielberg and is an antidote to his big blockbuster films; he lets the acting do the talking and boy does this film have a lot to say. This isn’t the  most exciting film and is ultimately about if the paper can meet a deadline, but it is the potential ramifications that add a lot of the tension and drama, that keeps you engrossed. The first half of the film mainly focuses on Meryl Streep’s character Kay Graham, the Publisher of The Washington Post at the time and her trying to persuade a boardroom full of old men to put her newspaper on the stock market. I thought this was a really nuanced performance by Streep, she is a very vulnerable character not fully con...

★★★★  This is the second prequel to Ridley Scott's Alien and the sequel to Prometheus. These films are trying to tell the origin story of the infamously terrifying xenomorph. Prometheus got particularly panned, mainly because there was a distinct lack of any aliens that audiences had come accustomed to and oddly love - instead there was a random creation story line. Alien: Covenant is meant to be the answer to this criticism, trying to stay true to the fr anchise, all the while adding something original. However, I think it fails at being original but excels at being a creepy, terrifying horror film with chilling and gruesome scenes. Often ones I had to look away from because it was too bloody and graphic for me. You can't help but marvel at Scott's creativity and direction skill, as this film looks particularly good; the scenery, spaceship design and even the aliens look stunning. This is an excellent scary film that stays true to the tagline 'in space n...

⭐⭐⭐⭐ Now to the latest instalment of Spider-Man: Homecoming. In this version Peter Parker (played by Tom Holland) is only 15 and still in high-school. This film follows on immediately from Captain America: Civil War, where we were first introduced to the new incarnation of a more youthful Spider-Man (boy?). I really enjoyed this film, you got the sense that Peter Parker was so excited that he has these new powers and has just fought  with The Avengers...but is he an Avenger himself? That is the question the first half of the film grapples with. Peter is not the finished article and I liked that, he is still getting to grips with his powers but he wants to be more than the 'friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man', you could say he's leaping (off tall buildings) before he can even use his suit properly. The film is funny, quirky and pays homage to 80s high-school films, like Breakfast Club or Ferris Bueller's Day Off (the golf course scene is a particular nod to that fil...