'Beauty and The Beast' Review

Belle (Emma Watson) is an intelligent young woman who lives with her father Maurice (Kevin Kline). One day when Maurice goes out to sell goods, he is taken prisoner by a Beast (Dan Stevens) who mistakes Maurice as an intruder. Belle takes her father's place as the Beast's prisoner. It soon becomes known that the Beast is a prince who has been transformed due to his inability to love someone. As time goes on, Belle becomes closer to the Beast as he looks to finally break the curse.

Tale as old as time, the 'Beauty and The Beast' live action remake is finally here! After the great successes from live action remakes of 'Cinderella' and 'The Jungle Book', nothing seems to be safe from being brought to life. As someone who enjoyed both films, I was fairly excited as this news as there is plenty within 'Beauty and The Beast' which could be brought to life with that special Disney magic. Although it is fair to consider these remakes unnecessary, there is plenty to enjoy and marvel at in this live-action version of the first ever Best Picture nominated animated film.

With these live action remakes, there are many important aspects that the film has to succeed with in order for it to be a success. For one, you have to make sure that you do the characters justice, especially those who are beloved by fans. Emma Watson is great as Belle in what is a near perfect casting. Watson is known to be a clever young woman and this transcends into her performance, there's just more singing involved for her. The supporting characters like Kevin Kline as Maurice and Josh Gad as LeFou were both great with Kline bringing emotion to the film and Gad bringing humour with some quippy lines. The one character that could have been done better is Gaston, portrayed by Luke Evans. In no ways is this a bad performance, it's just that Gaston as a character is very cartoony. Gaston is over the top with his arrogance which may be hard to replicate within the film. Evans never really comes across as a truly despicable human who is as self-centred as the original portrayal was. In saying that, there are many moments where Evans shines, especially during his self-titled song and during the finale of the film. Just a little more of that Gaston arrogance would've really nailed this portrayal of a very memorable Disney character.

The non-human characters in the film have a similar fate as for the most part, they are handled and performed exceptionally well. This was perhaps the biggest challenge as it is easier to bring human characters to life as you simply use actors that resemble them. Much like in 'The Jungle Book', CGI characters are made up for the likes of Lumiere (Ewan McGregor), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen) and Mrs Potts (Emma Thompson). The fun, cartoon characters are replaced to look like realistic objects to tremendous results. The characters look great and the vocals are great throughout, both in dialogue and in song. The only one problem with the CGI characters, unfortunately, is with the Beast himself. The Beast is not up to the same standard as everything else in the film, looking clearly animated and out of place at times. This is fairly disappointing as Disney had done so well with the creatures in 'The Jungle Book' but they weren't able to replicate the same results yet again.

The original film's runtime is 84 minutes with this remake changing that to a longer run time of 130 minutes. With this, you would maybe feel inclined that there is a lot more that has been included in the film. In reality, there isn't much changed from the original film but with some more details added in. There's nothing game-changing in the new version but there are some good moments where the film ties up some loose ends, like what happened to Belle's mother. The story is handled very well as it doesn't mess around with the elements that made the original so great. The magic and message are still ever as apparent in this remake which is the main goal for these films. Although it is the same story and message redone, there is no denying that this is handled with the utmost care. The newest version of the tale is one that families and younger children will definitely love.


There are new songs introduced in this film but what will be stuck in your head are the classics you remember from the 1991 version. The new versions of 'Gaston', 'Be Our Guest' and the titular song are all great and even more magical as they are brought to life. The songs are still ever as catchy but the choreography, settings and costume all help to make these moments extremely enjoyable. The musical moments of the film are great to watch although the newer songs don't hit the mark nearly as much. In saying that, it is a complete joy to see these moments brought to life. The animated version is still great to watch but it is something else seeing these sequences be brought to life. There is a high appreciation for the effort gone into these moments. Claims that this film is lazy can be rubbished entirely due to moments like the Gaston song where you can see costume designers, set designers, actors and the director all coming together to make something that is not only special, but a pleasure to watch.


As far as these Disney remakes go, this is my favourite so far. Is this a perfect remake? No. But does it still carry that all important message that it is what inside that counts with a person? Absolutely. Is it still a highly entertaining musical that will leave you humming the songs for days? Yes. Is the magic still there? Yes. This film succeeds on many levels and is sure to bring great enjoyment to those who see it.


Final Verdict = 

So have you seen 'Beauty and The Beast'? If so, what did you think of the film? I hope that this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the film or not! Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

'T2: Trainspotting' Review

Twenty years have passed since Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) took off with the drug money, leaving his friends behind. Renton is now back after living in Holland and Spud (Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) and worst of all, Begbie (Robert Carlyle) are all still in Edinburgh as Renton looks to start his life again in the Scottish capital.

Danny Boyle and the original cast are back after 20 years to build upon the legacy of 1996's 'Trainspotting'. The original 'Trainspotting' is a huge deal in Scotland with it being a staple in British film over the last 20 years. The film is adored by both adults who seen it when it first came out and youths who seen it after they were born - like me. Whenever a sequel comes along many years after the first, there is huge fear that it will be worthless and a complete cash grab - see last year's 'Zoolander 2' and 'Independence Day: Resurgence'. Thankfully for viewers, Danny Boyle shows filmmakers how to carry on a story decades after the original.

The feeling from the original 'Trainspotting' is kept the same as Boyle brings a very similar shooting style as editor Jon Harris cuts the film much like the first film. The cast plays a huge role in the overall feeling as yet again they are portrayed wonderfully. With it being such a long time between the films, you can easily lose that feeling and it can become sad to see these characters once again. T2 has no problem with that as the characters you love from the original return and only build upon the greatness from the first. We don't see the characters rehash what they did in the first one, it's entirely new stories that are being created and new personal traits that are being developed. Of course, there are the classic traits from Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie to make it seem familiar but it isn;t completely rehashed and is kept fresh. Bremner's character Spud perhaps has the perfect blends as he still has the personality that you fell in love with at first but has enough new about him that allows the character to progress.

Spud actually propels himself into becoming a very key and main character in the film, unlike he did in the first film. The character is made more interesting due to the time gap with him having high and lows as he tries to find himself whilst Renton has gone. Sick Boy realigns himself with old best friend Renton yet again and similar to the first, you are not sure whether you can trust him or not. This becomes a key part of the story as 20 years has past but the relationship has not really. There is that close bond but you can't help but feel that there is something brewing within. The stand out performance yet again comes from Robert Carlyle as Begbie. Begbie is one of the most unlikeable film characters but you can't help but keep watching him as he is so entertaining and captivating. Carlyle captures the characteristics perfectly as the psychotic hardman who you enjoy watching but know is an awful human being. Ewan McGregor also shines as Renton who seemingly has everything returning back home but is still looking to fill that void and fit in once returning. Renton is arguably the least interesting character in the film but excels as the main character as he is the glue within the group, holding everything together.

In essence, the main theme throughout the film is regret. The regret of not sorting your life out, not having that family or job that you hoped for. Each character goes through this and it is something that the audience can really relate to. As the first film is 20 years old now, there will be people all over the world who had hoped to have done things differently. This provides a very strong point for those who have lived their life but not so much for those with life in front of them. However, there is still plenty for those younger to enjoy without getting the full experience as perhaps the likes of their parents would.

As a Scotsman, the film's comedy and humour work perfectly well for me and from the audience's reaction, them too. There are so many things that happen throughout the film that is genuinely realistic which make the film incredibly funny as you know people exactly like those portrayed in the film. The social issues within the film are executed incredibly well but again, this may not have the same effect on those not from the U.K or even Scotland alone. The likes of the loyalist pub scene may seem very odd to those not familiar with Scottish history and how it is considered in the present day. As someone from here, the jokes and scenes that are Scottish-specific could not have been executed any better.

'T2' does what a returning franchise should do. It brings back the characters but makes them fell fresh. It doesn't reuse the same story and shows a clear change in the characters lives. The fact that the film is highly entertaining is a huge factor that many sequels miss out on too. 'T2' is not quite the hit that the first was but is still very enjoyable with tamer themes and incidents throughout the film.

Final Verdict = 

So have you seen 'T2: Trainspotting'? If so, what did you think of the film? I hope that this review was useful for if you were planning on seeing the movie or not. Once again, thank you for taking the time to read my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor

'Our Kind of Traitor' Review

We've all met and bonded with people who we have met on holiday. They are your kind of pals for the duration of your visit and then go off into separate ways to never see each other again. That's usually what happens but not in the case for Perry (Ewan McGregor), a poetics professor who looks to have bit off more than he can chew. 

The story follows Perry and his wife Gail (Naomie Harris) who look to be enjoying a holiday in Morocco. As Gail has to leave early, Perry is approached by Dima (Stellan Skarsgard) who then manages to convince Perry to join them on a night out and for activities the day after as well. After feeling he can trust Perry, Dima gives him information that ultimately could gain Dima and his family entry into the UK before they are executed by the Russian Mafia. Some heavy stuff to get from someone you've just met.

Perry and Gail are on this holiday to try and repair their relationship. We don't really get a sense of that apart from the one time is brought up. Gail is constantly having to cut things short due to work commitments which kind of defeats the point of going on a holiday like this. Perry acts quite recklessly by going and staying out late with Dima who he has just met and by making plans with them throughout the remainder of their trip rather than rebuilding their relationship. The issues don't seem to be too drastic for them and also just completely disappear from the rest of the story never to be looked back at.

The film throughout really isn't that eventful. Not much is able to happen in the story until Dima has to sign over his account so for quite a bit of time, we are just watching these peoples lives with nothing really there to grip you. There are some scenes that involve people having to sneak around and do things on the sly. However there isn't much tension in these scenes and they don't work nearly as well as they could have. 

This is to no lack of trying from the actors.McGregor and Harris are fine in their roles as they look to help out as much as possible. Stellan Skarsgard does a great job as Dima who's main aim is to protect his family. Skarsgard shows great emotion through this as he shows his sadness or anger from whatever stands in his way from protecting his family. Damian Lewis also does a great job as Hector, a MI6 agent who won't budge at all until he gets something useful for the governments use. Both Lewis and Skarsgard's characters look the part to be in a spy thriller, that is if you can really call this film a spy thriller.

Hector played by Damian Lewis

Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle must of relished the chance to work on this film. The scenery within the film especially those of the wonderful Alps would be a cinematographers dream to work with. Mantle deserves great credit for applying some fantastic work into the film and showing off his true talents. He deserves the plaudits for his contributions to the film.

I was not a fan of how this film ended. It seemed that things were finally getting exciting but it falls completely flat. The ending for all that happened seemed very weak and most definitely didn't help the movie. There isn't an explanation to clear things up as something big happens with no information coming to the audience regarding it. 

Final Verdict =  

A spy thriller that doesn't have as great effect as others in the genre. Some decent performances but overall not enough to make this film memorable or to allow it to stand out.

So have you seen 'Our Kind of Traitor'? If so what did you think of it? I hope that this review was helpful to you if you were planning on seeing the film. Once again thank you for reading my review, it is much appreciated. 

'Miles Ahead' Review

'Miles Ahead' brings us yet another biographical drama however one we have never seen before. Also how many people in their directorial debut will also be the lead and portraying an iconic figure in music? Well that's exactly what Don Cheadle did which is a very brave move. Fortunately for him, he was able to pull both off.

Cheadle brings great character and commands the film, stealing the limelight in every scene with his unpredictable and reckless ways. In his directing debut, Cheadle does a great job at combining responsibilities whilst creating an interesting lead who demands your attention in every scene. Well every scene in the storyline surrounding Miles Davis (Cheadle) and journalist Dave Brill (Ewan McGregor).

The film is split into two sections that take turns in telling their stories. One follows Davis and Brill coming together to talk about Davis' potential comeback, leading to a stolen tape which leads to the unlikely duo becoming partners trying to get the stolen record back whilst in the face of danger. The other follows Davis' love life with Frances Taylor (Emayatzy Corinealdi). Clearly one of these has much more excitement and with that comes the more interesting part of the story. The problem with having quite a difference in tone, with one being high octane and the other not so much, it makes you want to go back to the more entertaining aspect whenever it switches.

It is safe to say that the aspect of Davis' life after his fame and leading to a return is the more interesting part and will keep your eyes glued to the screen. There is a lot of fast paced action throughout the film which wasn't really what I expected from this. However it adds to the craziness of Davis and shows how reckless he was in order to get his tape back. He will do anything to get it back, even threatening death to those who stand in his way. This leads to some very entertaining scenes where Cheadle and McGregor play off each other very well.

However the film suffers as it switches as the aspect of Davis' love life doesn't grab the audiences attention. We get a look at Davis' controlling ways and due to this, it is hard to think why they should be together which in the end makes the audience lack sympathy towards Davis. Along with this, it really isn't as interesting and the audience isn't as invested as before. This most definitely slows the film down and doesn't really improve the story. It adds to Davis' life for those who didn't know of him but that's it really.

The switches being the two stories is done very fluently and also very creatively. The film uses some very cool looking switches where something will happen in one aspect in the story and the result will end up being in the second part allowing thee film to move on instantly. Quite impressive and a bold risk for Cheadle to take in his directorial debut but fortunately for him, it worked.

In a movie based on one of the great musicians, you would expect the film to contain some great music. That is most definitely the case within 'Miles Ahead' and this is more than evident in the finale where Davis is back playing and you don't want it to ever end. A great end to the film where we see one of the greats being brought back to life one last time.

Final Verdict = 

A fairly good attempt from Don Cheadle as he combines directing and acting. However the split of the two stories does make the film suffer at times. Worth checking out though!

So have you seen 'Miles Ahead'? If so what did you think of it? Once again thank you for reading this review, it is much appreciated! 

'Jane Got A Gun' Review

'Jane Got A Gun' was one of the films that looked to be stuck in developmental hell when it was first reported to be made into a feature length film based on screenwriter Brian Duffield's screenplay. The film had many names reported to have been attached to the project with big names like Jude Law and Michael Fassbender apparently being set to star. Finally though, it was one of the films that was lucky enough to finally escape from the clutches of only being considered to actually be brought to life.

The title alone leads to a lot of interest as it teases the possibility of a strong female character who can cut it with the men within a western. It sets up a story that could be truly brilliant and create another strong female character that has had a resurgence in recent years. However within 'Jane Got A Gun', it is not what you would want from this character especially. Jane (Natalie Portman) has a gun but she doesn't really do much with it in all honesty. In a film where the creation of a strong female character and also into a western was huge possibility, they instead went on the route to make her over reliant on the help from men in her life.

Jane (Portman) together with her ex husband (Edgerton)

This is even more so the truth in the abundance of flashbacks that we see throughout the film. In these flashbacks we see events within Jane's life and in particular moments when she is in trouble. Now these opportunities could've been useful to make Jane a feared outlaw, however she is mainly the damsel in distress who requires saving rather than being able to do so herself. There's only a handful of moments where she has the opportunity herself to strike but that is only due to distraction or that her target was powerless and couldn't defend himself. It does show that she has some sort of ruthless streak but we don't get enough of it for our satisfaction.

Back to speaking about the flashbacks and the film really is carried by them. You don't have to wait long for one of these flashbacks that are filled with exposition. The majority of information we find out about our characters comes from these exposition filled flashbacks. At times, these feel drawn out and could take up much less time.

However that may be true, there are some interesting points in the stories as we learn about Jane and her now ex husband Dan Frost (Joel Edgerton). We see the complicated tale of their relationship and now they were taken apart as well as both of their journeys to find each other once again. Through this, Edgerton really shines and shows his acting capabilities more so than anyone else in the film. His toughness and calmness when in the face of danger but also showed emotion in one of the films biggest revelations. Ewan McGregor does alright as the main villain but the film doesn't really give his character that much to do. Due to this, we do not see his sinister ways or see a reason to really fear him. The story doesn't give his character the opportunity to show his ruthless ways, all we get really is some wanted posters.

This Western also does a great job with many of its standoffs which have great dialogue within them. Although the outcomes are pretty predictable, the scenes do have tension and do well to keep your attention. As a iconic feature within the Western genre, the scenes within JGAG do it justice and keeps it fresh. The finale of the film is pretty fun but also equally ridiculous as an inferno consumes many victims in the first stage of the final showdown. This in the setup looked to be pretty clever and looked forward to it coming into play. However when it comes into tuition, there's no doubting it is pretty ridiculous. The finale is also underwhelming as we expect the cavalry to really come in and have all guns blazing. However it is just every one hiding from each other and guessing where to shoot and hoping it hits a target.

Final Verdict = 

The film most definitely had a lot of promise but unfortunately misfires in a lot of ways. Some fine performances and visually appealing but doesn't hit the mark like it could of done.

So have you seen 'Jane Got A Gun' and if so, what did you think of the film? I hope this review was helpful to you. Once again thank you so much for reading my review, it is much appreciated!

By Angus McGregor