2012: The battle of the Super Heroes

Posted by admin on February 8th, 2012

2012 will be a very competitive year, what with the European Championships, the Olympics and the NFL invading London again. All of this though, will fade in comparison to the truly epic battle of this year. Super Hero Wars!

Picture the scene: The Avengers roll into town, Hulk SMASHING, Iron Man looking cool, Captain America being the epitome of heroism and Marvel Studios laughing all the way to the bank.

But wait, hold on, what’s this? A black suited masked man ziplines in to take his fair share of the spoils. And he’s dressed like a BAT?? Those Marvel suits look none to happy that their arch-rivals DC comics have stolen most of the limelight this year by dropping arguably the most anticipated Super Hero movie ever. The Dark Knight Rises. It will be tough to live up to the Dark Knight but by the looks of this trailer, it has some promise.

Just as it looks as though Marvel has been sucker-punched by the Batman, he has suddenly flown straight into a sticky web of revenge from Marvel’s secret weapon. The Amazing Spider-Man! In the previous versions I wasn’t a fan of Spidey, partly because I hate Tobey Maguire with a passion and partly because he just isn’t very cool!? No Wolverine-esque claws or Iron Man-like suit. He just shoots webs?? I appear to be in the minority however and the new version will tip the Super-Battle in favor of Marvel in terms of revenue and looks better than the last one, Batman will be the critics choice and we will all part with our cash and enjoy the ride.

But just wait until Christmas. All these heroes may end up getting whooped by a Hobbit!

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Harry Potter and the Terrible Child Actors

Posted by admin on August 21st, 2011

Right folks, let’s start with the facts. Harry Potter is the most succesful film franchise ever. Fact. The story is consistently good throughout the whole saga. Fact. The cast is outstanding……..sort of fact. You see the adult element of the cast is awesome with performances like Alan Rickman as Professor Snape, Gary Oldman as Sirius Black and Michael Gambon as Dumbledor.

Snape

The child actors on the other hand, in my opinion are not up to the task. Daniel Radcliffe is passable, if a little wooden as Harry. Rupert Grint is amusing in the later movies but Emma Watson is terrible as Hermione from the first film to the last. Every word she utters is so strained and forced it’s painful, she has almost been overtrained. They are all unable to convey any emotion convincingly and at times are unwatchable! I love the journey of these movies but I enjoy it more when the kids aren’t there. I’m sure from a childs point of view the performances are good but I can’t accept that there weren’t better actors out there for these roles.

Having seen, like the rest of the world, the final instalment of the Potter saga I was satisfied if not blown away by the way it finished. I won’t spoil it for anyone but I will say when characters die in Potter they don’t get the send off they deserve. I think the main flaw that stops these good movies being great is unlike Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter assumes EVERY audience member has read the books and doesn’t need to convey the emotion on screen because you already know what happens, which for me spoils it slightly.

What do you think?

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The Star Wars Dilema: Which one to Watch?

Posted by admin on June 23rd, 2011

I was setting up a movie afternoon for my daughter and I, something of a regular event in our house. The Popcorn was popped, Haribo shared out and Cherry Coke poured out in HUGE quantities and I was now left with the critical decision, which movie will we watch?

Return of the Jedi

Lord of the Rings is normally Erin’s default answer but not today. Oh no, today she was in a big Star Wars mood. I was pleased with her choice, who wouldn’t be? But which one do we watch? If it was up to me The Empire Strikes Back would be on in a heartbeat but Erin is still keen on Return of the Jedi and as she is now taking Karate lessons, she won the argument. I was a bit annoyed, I mean, the one with the bloody teddy bears!? So we dimmed the lights, drew the curtains and heard the always exciting 20th Century Fox fanfare.

Half way through I was struck with a massive revelation. Return of the Jedi is my favourite Star Wars movie. Yeah, I said it, you heard me. I’m not saying it’s the best Star Wars movie, it’s just my favourite and here’s why. I love the hair-brained rescue of Han-Solo at the start, with the battle on the sail barge looking as good as ever. The scenes with Yoda on Dagobah are as heartfelt as anything in the Star Wars Saga and always leave me claiming I have “something in my eye”. I love the epic space battle at the climax of the film which is the best in the whole series, the destruction of the Death Star,the Speeder Bike chase on Endor, the Light Saber duel between Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader and Vader’s redemption at the end. This is a movie full of pay-offs, it ties everything up really well and is a hell of a thrill ride along the way. Oh yeah, and there are some teddy bears to keep the kids entertained.

“That blast came from the Death Star! That thing’s operational!”

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Movies for Dads Hall of Fame: Jerry Bruckheimer

Posted by admin on June 15th, 2011

Welcome to the first intake into the Movies for Dads Hall of Fame. This month I am celebrating the man responsible for making some of my favourite movies and saving dads everywhere from chick flick hell, Mr Jerry Bruckheimer.

Jerry Bruckheimer

This Hollywood producer once formed a formidable partnership with Don Simpson bringing us huge hits such as Beverly Hills Cop, Crimson Tide and of course, the ultimate movie for dads, Top Gun. Simpson’s unfortunate and untimely death in 1996 meant that Bruckheimer had to go it alone but still churned out hit after hit including Black Hawk Down, National Treasure & the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise. He also turned his hit-making abilities to television and created the hugely successful CSI show.

He often uses directors such as Tony Scott (Top Gun, Crimson Tide) and Michael Bay (The Rock, Bad Boys) to bring these huge action movies to life and he also uses some of the best actors to bring that “cool” quality to his movies, often more than once. Let’s face it, Densely Washington, Tom Cruise, Nick Cage, Sean Connery, Johnny Deep & Will Smith are some pretty cool actors and it seems to me that Bruckheimer has the formula spot on. Big explosions, lots of cool sexy people and lots of action and people will flock to the cinema and movie stores in their droves.

I can’t argue with that, I think he’s a genius and a blockbuster producing machine. Watch the video below and tell me I’m wrong, I dare you. Take a bow Mr Bruckheimer, you’re a legend in my book.

“If I made films for the critics, or for someone else, I’d probably be living in some small Hollywood studio apartment.”

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Movies for Dads: Fathers Day Gift Ideas

Posted by admin on June 12th, 2011

If you are struggling for gift ideas for Fathers Day fear not, moviesfordads.com has a few top suggestions to make your old dad’s day a special one. First of all forget any thoughts you had of buying him new socks or a tie, we have enough of this tat already. We dream of shiny new Blu-Ray’s and Xbox games. Any of these gifts would put a big smile on his face this Sunday.

Band of Brothers (Blu-Ray/DVD)

Band of Brothers


Back in 2001 Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks came together to make this HBO miniseries based on the 101st Airborne’s “Easy” Company and their campaign in WWII from the D-Day invasion to the fall of the third Reich and in doing so they made in my opinion, the greatest T.V. series ever. It is so well made, with excellent action, poignant story telling and an amazing cast that it is perfect in every way. Every one should own this!

The Pacific (Blu-Ray/DVD)

The Pacific


From the same people that made Band of Brothers, this is a companion piece showing us the war from the perspective of The US Marine Corps. against the Japanese in the Pacific, hence the name. This is nowhere near as good as Band of Brothers but is still excellent. The action scenes are worth the money alone. A must for any dad.

Call of Duty: Black Ops (Xbox/PS3)

Call of Duty: Black Ops

If your dad is a bit of a gamer then there is no better gift than this game. Black Ops offers a truly original campaign mode that stretches from the end of WWII to Vietnam with immersive game play and stunning graphics. The online multiplayer is fantastic and very addictive. Stunning.

Apocalypse Now (Blu-Ray/DVD)

Apocalypse Now

The best war movie ever made? I think so and I’m sure anyone who sees it will agree. A true movie experience! “The horror…..the horror”

Generation Kill (Blu-Ray/DVD)

Generation Kill

Another HBO Classic, this is a Miniseries from the creators of “The Wire” that follows a reporter from Rolling Stone magazine who is imbeded with a Platoon of US marines through the war in Iraq. It’s not the usual sort of war series, it doesn’t rely on action to tell the story and is very much a much more honest portrait of combat and the soldiers that fight in it. A modern classic.

Battlestar Galactica (Blu-Ray/DVD)

Battlestar Galactica

This is how Sci-Fi should be. Gritty, action packed and epic in every sense of the word. If your dad is a Sci-Fi fan then this is a must. A sure fire classic. Words can’t describe how much I love Battlestar Galactica, it rips up the rule book and sets new standards for TV shows that will be hard for anything to live up to. “So say we all”

Kick-Ass (Blu-Ray/DVD)

Kick-Ass

If you buy your dad Kick-Ass it will shortly become his new favourite movie and you will have scored some major brownie points. Matthew Vaughn’s unique take on the comic book movie has to be seen to be believed. It has amazing action scenes, great humour and an awesome soundtrack thanks to the Prodigy. Spectacular! “With no power comes no responsibility”

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Kung Fu Panda 2

Posted by admin on June 11th, 2011

Here at Movies for Dads I love animation. It’s the most family friendly form of movie to watch and two studios do it better than most, Disney/Pixar and Dreamworks. Kung Fu Panda 2 is the latest offering from Dreamworks and to be honest I am always sceptical of the movies they bring out as I find they are style over substance, used as a vehicle for star names and rely on these names to put bums on cinema seats.

Kung Fu Panda 2

I much prefer the Disney/Pixar approach, a solid original story with tons of heart and clever humour and the voice talent to fit the story perfectly. So could Kung Fu Panda 2 change my mind? Well, sort of.

I thought the movie looked great, (I saw it in 2D as part of my protest against the overrated fad that is 3D) the Chinese setting is quite simply stunning. The animation is top quality, it has great action sequences that the dads will love and the kids will think it’s “wicked”. It has a good story, having Po battle against the evil lord Shen (Gary Oldman), who threatens to conquer China with his mighty cannons. It has some good laughs, mostly down to Jack Black’s excellent performance as Po, our Panda hero. The star voices keep on coming, Angelina Jolie, Jean Claude Van Damme, Seth Rogen and so on. The problem is these you would never know that any of these people were in it without reading the credits at the start or end of the movie. So what is the point of them being there? As I said, bums on seats. You just get the impression that it’s an easy payday for the cast and a marketing mans dream. It adds no value to the viewing experience whatsoever.

All in all, this is a solid 3 star movie, perfectly watchable and good for kids. Just don’t expect to remember it 10 minutes after the end.

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Movies for Dads to watch with your kids

Posted by admin on June 8th, 2011

I love watching movies with my daughter. There is nothing we both love more than getting some popcorn & sweets, closing the curtains and sticking on a great movie. I thought I would give a rundown of some of the movies we enjoy watching and maybe you can give them a try or just remember how much you loved them and watch them again.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy: She may be only 5 but she has great taste. I thought the Two Towers & the Return of the King would be too scary for her but she is made of stern stuff and the whole story captures her imagination like no other. I think this trilogy is ideal family viewing and the greatest set of movies ever!

Toy Story: This has it all, fun, excitement, great humour and above all, massive heart. It is as fresh today as it was in 1995 and still leaves a big impression on anyone who watches it, young & old. Toy Story 2 is arguably a better movie but the original still has a special place in my heart.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone: Not the best Harry Potter but it’s the one which we enjoy the most. Has a nice tone to it which is thanks to Chris Columbus (Home Alone) where everything feels mysterious and creepy but with a kid-friendly look. Great movie at Christmas time.

Monsters Inc. : This is my favourite Disney/Pixar movie, it’s almost faultless and I could watch it over and over again. We LOVE this movie. Genius.

What movies do you watch with your kids? Let me know.

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X-Men: First Class Review

Posted by admin on June 6th, 2011

I went to see the new X-Men movie today wondering if I could fall back in love with the franchise after a disappointing third instalment and the woeful Wolverine origins. They have made a smart move by making a prequel/origin story rather than trying to build on the existing movies.

Marvel Studios made a shrewd move by hiring Matthew Vaughn to direct after cutting his Superhero teeth on the superb Kick-Ass and bringing back Bryan Singer to be a producer. This gives the movie a sense of cool that the last few have been lacking and the integrity to the characters that Singer brought to the first two X-Movies.

In order for Superhero movies to be taken seriously the casting needs to be spot on. In taking the story back to the start they couldn’t just slap a wig on Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen is busy back in Middle Earth so the baton has been passed to younger but very capable hands of James McAvoy as Charles Xavier and Michael Fassbender as Erik Lensherr, or Professor X and Magneto as they will come to be known. It’s the story of how these two characters first become friends and colleagues that is the most interesting aspect of the movie and the threat posed by another mutant, Kevin Bacon’s Sebastian Shaw who is on the brink of starting World War 3 by manipulating the Cuban Missile crisis in a bid to wipe out humanity is also compelling viewing. Magneto has met Shaw before in his time in a Nazi concentration camp and he is responsible for the death of Magneto’s mother.

Magneto’s pursuit of revenge is the dark undertone of this movie, wary of humanity and fearful that mutant kind will go the way of his people at the hands of the Nazis. Fassbender does a great job of being very cool and likeable but at the same time he could turn to his darker side at any moment and does so in a raid on a Soviet compound. Xavier on the other hand is the flip side of the coin, believing that mutants and humans can live side by side in harmony. These opposing views ultimately destroy their friendship and set us up for a few more interesting sequels no doubt.

I really enjoyed this movie as it’s well thought out and is well acted but it’s not without it’s flaws. The 60′s setting visually sometimes slides into Austin Powers parody territory and there are too many characters to keep up with at times. Some of the CGI is also disappointing and don’t get me started on the mess they have made of Beast and Magneto also turns Irish for the last third of the film for some unknown reason. However there is a great cameo from *SPOILER* everyone’s favourite X-Man that must be seen to be believed

All in all it’s a good movie and I would say it’s a great choice of movie for dads to take their kids to see, maybe from the age of 12 and upwards would be most suitable as it’s not without some slightly violent scenes.

Verdict: A Star Trek style reboot for a faltering franchise that is very successful in parts and is setting us up for more instalments. 4 Stars

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The War is Hell series: Week 1:Full Metal Jacket

Posted by admin on June 4th, 2011

Here at moviesfordads.com we love war movies. War itself is a horrible, ugly and brutal business and you tend to find the best war movies are the ones that remember and respect that fact and don’t try to glamorise it. Over the next few weeks I’ll be counting down my top five war movies and going into depth about why I think they’re so good. So to start us off at Number 5 it’s…..

Full Metal Jacket (Dir. Stanley Kubrick 1987)

There have been a lot of movies made about the war in Vietnam and while Full Metal Jacket may not be the best example of them, it is the one which gives us a look at the training these troops go through. Who can forget R.Lee Ermey’s Sgt. Hartman greeting the new recruits to the U.S. Marine Corps with a 15 minute tirade of abuse, threats and physical violence. It’s every bit as shocking an opening as Saving Private Ryan.
We are then shown the breaking down and rebuilding of these recruits into killers. For one recruit, the never better Vincent D’Onofrio as Pvt.Pyle, the punishment he receives from both his instructors and fellow recruits pushes him over the edge resulting in a frightening confrontation between Pyle, Pvt. Joker (Matthew Modine) and Hartman resulting in the murder of his instructor and his suicide. It is a truly disturbing scene but before you can recover you are shipped off to war as the strains of “these boots are made for walking” kick in and we are in Vietnam.

In Vietnam we follow Pvt Joker through as he endures combat, loss of comrades and has to make tough choices along the way. The movie does lose it’s way slightly during it’s tour of “the ‘Nam” but it still remains a visceral account of war as a gritty and ugly thing. The cast do a great job of convincing us that they are battle weary grunts fighting a losing war, the action scenes are realistic and well done but the second half of the movie suffers purely because the first half is much more interesting. I love this movie but I think there are better examples of the genre.

What do you think?

“The deadliest weapon in the world is a marine and his rifle. It is your killer instinct which must be harnessed if you expect to survive in combat. Your rifle is only a tool. It is a hard heart that kills.”

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Top 5 Movie Theme Tunes

Posted by admin on June 3rd, 2011

I think the music in movies is hugely important and is arguably the thing that connects to the audience the most. There have been many iconic theme songs over the years. This is my top 5:

5. The Lord of the Rings: Easy choice this one, an epic theme for an epic set of movies. As vast and sweeping as Middle Earth itself.

4. Star Wars: Nothing opens a movie with such gusto than the Star Wars theme. It’s a classic. Enough said, all together…. “dah dah dah, dah dah dah dah dah dah dah”

3. James Bond: No, not the crappy pop song during the often weird title sequence, the other one. It’s great when Bond is coolly laying waste to some bad guys with his Walther and the theme kicks in.

2. Back to the Future: A theme that goes at 88mph and really gives the movie a sense of pace and excitement. Underrated, but not by me.

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark: Are you humming it yet? Thought so. That’s why it’s number one. John Williams at his best, it fits the movie perfectly.

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