This Kingsman sequel is an action spy thriller directed by Matthew Vaughn and written by Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman. Talk about an over the top fantasy — this is it! The special effects were of the likes which I’ve not seen since the last Kingsman. This is really thrilling in every sense of the word. If it’s excitement you want, you’ve come to the right film. Crazy is as crazy does and Kingsman: The Golden Circle does a whole lot of crazy.
A year has passed since Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) and the secret organization called Kingsman saved the world from Richmond Valentine’s neurological wave broadcast. Eggsy has finally taken his late mentor, Harry Hart’s (Colon Firth) title of Galahad and is now living with Crown Princess Tilde of Sweden (Hanna Alström). One evening, Charlie Hesketh (Edward Holcroft), a former Kingsman trainee who lost his arm and vocal cords during the Valentine incident, lays in wait and attacks Eggsy as he is returning home. A car chase ensues and Charlie loses his cybernetic arm, which hacks into the Kingsmen servers, destroying their headquarters and killing all their agents in Britain with a missile attack. Being the only surviving agents, Eggsy and Merlin (Mark Strong) follow the Doomsday protocol, which leads them to Statesman, a secret American organization posing as a bourbon whiskey distillery in Kentucky. There, they discover their US counterparts, Tequila (Channing Tatum), Champagne “Champ” (Jeff Bridges), who is also head of the US organization and Jack Daniels / Whiskey (Pedro Pascal). Merlin’s counter is Ginger Ale (Halle Berry), who wants to work more in the field. At this point, they are briefed about a secret terrorist organization called The Golden Circle headed up by Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore), head of the world’s largest drug cartel.
Poppy announces that she has developed and distributed a drug that inflicts it’s user with a blue rash that causes eventual mania before moving on to paralysis then death. She makes her demands to every world leader in exchange for the antidote but of course, they are working against time. The Kingman and Stateman begin their mission by following Charlie’s ex-girlfriend Clara Von Gluckfberg (Poppy Delevingne), who has developed the rash as well as Elton John, Eggsy’s girlfriend and hundreds of thousands more.
I must admit, the first Kingman movie had all the surprises in it for me. The special effects were out of this world and pretty new. I don’t feel this sequel equaled or topped the first one. The Golden Circle actually got a little sloppy, crazy and unbelievable. The film is 2 hours and 21 minutes long but still managed to keep me entertained. Some scenes were down right silly and not even Elton John could make a difference. There is still a whole lot of story to be explored along with some interesting concepts. I think if nothing else, it’s a complete joyride with a great fantasy plot. It’s definitely worth checking out!
It looks like the fillers have begun. Seventh Son is a pretty good story with lots of action but it’s equates to just more of the same. I will admit, I like the way this film’s story was told better than some of the other season fillers but the fact remains, it is what it is. I keep wondering what the near future will hold for the movie industry. What hasn’t Hollywood filmed about. What’s new on the horizon? There are always biographies, true life events, super heroes and fantasies/sci fiction but how will the story change? They’ve already run out of new looks for aliens and new horror situations. They brought back most of the action heroes so much that they’re bordering on silly. The period pieces are becoming stale, making my point about Seventh Son.
Alzheimer’s is one of the most horrible and deadly diseases known to man. Still Alice deals with a 50 year old linguistics professor who has been diagnosed with early on-set Alzheimer. Although it’s rare to have Alzheimer’s at 50, Alice Howland played by Julianne Moore is assumed to have inherited it from her father. Still Alice shows the heart ships caused by this debilitating disease. Alec Baldwin plays Alice’s husband, John who does everything in his power to support her but is unable to cope. We get an intimate look into the deterioration of a person with the early on-set of this disease. Alice and John also have 3 children Anna (Kate Bosworth), Tom (Hunter Parrish) and Lydia (Kristen Stewart) who are also in jeopardy of inheriting the disease. Still Alice is very real and very sad. The movie teaches us a philosophy on how to live with Alzheimer, which is good to know. Julianne Moore provides us with a brilliant performance that’s both believable and heart felt. Still Alice is a must see for everyone because it gives you information that can be very useful, especially if you know someone who is inflicted with this terrible disease.
Since 2012, I get a real birthday treat because a version of The Hunger Games is released. This year, The Mockingjay debuted and I, along with millions of other fans anticipated it’s arrival. I was not disappointed. The Hunger games, all versions, are so fantastic I’d hate to see them end. We started off with the world divided into districts and governed by the evil President Snow, played by Donald Sutherland. 2 kids from each district are forced to enter a competition called the Hunger Games. It’s a fight to the finish. Only one survivor is allowed so 25 children must die each year. After 2 years, District 12 winners have caused controversy, thus shutting down the games. Many VIP followers like Woody Harrelson, who plays Haymitch Abernathy and Phillip Seymore Hoffman, who plays Plutarch Heavensbee have fallen off the President Snow bandwagon and joined the rebellion against The Capital. Julianne Moore plays President Alma Coin, who leads the districts and the rebellion. Jennifer Lawrence who plays Katniss Everdeen, is the Mockingjay that heads the rebellion and gives hope and light at the end of the tunnel for the poor and the oppressed population that remain in the districts that haven’t been attacked or destroyed. Oops, that was sort of a spoiler. At any rate, this Hunger Games is one of the best and I for one, really liked it. I can’t wait for part 2. BTW: Lenny Kravitz who plays Cinna is not in this last one, boo ho. However, Josh Hutcherson, who plays Petta Mellark and the gorgeous Liam Hemsworth, who plays Gale Hawthorne continue to be Katniss’ love interest. May the best man win. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt 1 is worth all your attention and most certainly, the cost of a movie ticket.
I found this movie a bit on the raunchy side. Don Jon was about a young man who felt watching pron was better than the real thing. He had plenty of women and was handsome and charismatic but didn’t really want to commit to anyone. Along comes Scarlette Johansson and all goes to pot. This movie was so repetitive, I could hardly wait for it to be over. The same type scenes were played over and over. Don Jon was played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and I really became tired of him. I normally like all his movies but this one just didn’t sit right with me. Scarlette Johansson did little to save it. Julianne Moore was the only saving grace. Her character was somewhat calming and soothing to the film. If you have nothing else to do or if you have nothing else to watch, then give it a whirl otherwise, skip this one!
CAROL's WORLDS 