Bradley Cooper – Film Fanatic

Awards Season Recap: Who actually won the Statues?

Hello Readers,

With Awards Season drawing to a close, I am looking back on this year’s most popular films in nominations to see what awards they actually walked away with from the big ceremonies. There were a few surprises this year including Emma Stone winning Best Actress for her role in Poor Things at the Academy Awards and I’m Just Ken from Barbie winning over Billie’s song at the Critics Choice Awards.

Unfortunately, many of the winners this season are from films featuring straight white characters in English. I have chosen the main American/British ceremonies as my markers but the films with POC/queer characters or not in English did not do as well in these categories. Napoleon is the exception, I believe it was widely panned due to its historical inaccuracies and confusing story line.

Oppenheimer (2023)

Oscars: 13 nominations and 7 wins

BAFTAs: 13 nominations and 7 wins

Critics Choice Awards: 13 nominations and 8 wins

Golden Globes: 8 nominations and 5 wins

SAG Awards: 4 nominations and 3 wins

Oppenheimer did about as well as expected winning over half its nominations at all the ceremonies. It is an America-centric film with the cast, crew and funding coming from the US featuring an important American event and invention. Christoper Nolan is a well-respected director in the film industry and along with his production team, has been responsible for some of the most visually interesting and complex films of recent years including Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014) and Tenet (2020). Robert Downey Jr won all of his nominations for the film along with the editing, score and director nominees sweeping their categories. Personally, I think there were other films that deserved some of these awards but I am pleased for the team particularly Emma Thomas winning the Oscar alongside Nolan for Best Picture.

Barbie (2023)

Oscars: 8 nominations and 1 win

BAFTAs: 5 nominations and 0 wins

Critics Choice Awards: 18 nominations and 6 wins

Golden Globes: 9 nominations and 2 wins

SAG Awards: 4 nominations and 0 wins

Unfortunately Barbie was largely panned at most of the awards. It managed to secure decent nominations and a whopping 18 at the Critics Choice Awards but did not deliver in terms of wins. I believe where Critics were concerned, it was a hit but with such a strong year, other films appealed to a wider range of voters. I believe this to be the case at the Oscars and Globes. Barbie was a well-produced film with so many details but with being marketed towards women and starring a toy doll that was mostly successful in the US, I don’t think this film quite had the reach. Ironically, Oppenheimer with an American plot, largely white cast and upsetting plot details did rather well. Take that as you will about the state of the country.

The Holdovers (2023)

Oscars: 5 nominations and 1 win

BAFTAs: 7 nominations and 2 wins

Critics Choice Awards: 8 nominations and 3 wins

Golden Globes: 3 nominations and 2 wins

SAG Awards: 2 nominations and 1 win

This film did well in chosen areas such as acting but was largely ignored in others. The core cast really brought the humour and raw emotion of the film to life. This film was also set in an elite part of American society on the East Coast with mainly white characters but perhaps the boarding school element was just not as much of a hit among the voters. The inclusion of Mary as a main character despite her lower status as the school cook was a well-meaning attempt to connect with other elements of society but I am not sure it 100% worked. I did enjoy the film and the story but I think it appealed more to my demographic. In another weaker year, I think this film could have taken home more. It certainly would have done well in a less diverse voting pool.

American Fiction (2023)

Oscars: 5 nominations and 1 win

BAFTAs: 1 nomination and 1 win

Critics Choice Awards: 5 nominations and 1 win

Golden Globes: 2 nominations and 0 wins

SAG Awards: 3 nominations and 0 wins

Many people have declared this film an important piece of cinema due to the themes of the plot. Perhaps white and non-black voters just could not relate to the concepts that this film was trying to portray. It was certainly punchier in its themes of blackness and racial divide than the Holdovers but brought humour to it. The film was very interesting and although the book/film featured was over the top it was trying to demonstrate how people want to hear black voices. It was maybe this metaphor that people did not pick up on and took the film at face value. To me, this film was one of the biggest snubs on the list due to its important ideas and complex characters. I am glad its wins were for the script as that is what made the film shine.

Poor Things (2023)

Oscars: 11 nominations and 4 wins

BAFTAs: 11 nominations and 5 wins

Critics Choice Awards: 13 nominations and 1 win

Golden Globes: 7 nominations and 2 wins

SAG Awards: 2 nominations and 0 wins

I still have yet to watch Poor Things despite it being available on streaming and its award record can possibly show why. It made a big splash in nominations but has lacked in terms of wins. Most awards have been for Emma Stone’s portrayal of Bella Baxter and the design teams (costumes, production, hair and makeup and VFX). The plot or film overall has not had much success. Without having seen it myself, I cannot judge too much but the strong and graphic sex scenes may have something to do with it. I believe Americans to still be prudish when it comes to sex on screen, never rewarding films with an R rating highly at awards shows. Brits maybe equally as so with the BAFTAs all being for the design teams. It had good reviews when it came out but only winning one award at the Critics Choice Awards demonstrates its reception among the experts.

Past Lives (2023)

Oscars: 2 nominations and 0 wins

BAFTAs: 3 nominations and 0 wins

Critics Choice Awards: 3 nominations and 0 wins

Golden Globes: 5 nominations and 0 wins

SAG Awards: 0 nominations/wins

This film did not manage to pick up an award in the award shows I have chosen to highlight but was successful at others. This film was very much about relationships and characters rather than visually stunning VFX or exciting action sequences. It was also told in a mix of Korean and English which may have put some people off. I personally liked the film but I wouldn’t be voting it over others in its categories. Again, being such a strong year especially for foreign language cinema was a downfall of this film. It was great to see female stories be told with Celine Song directing and Greta Lee starring.

Anatomy of a Fall (2023)

Oscars: 5 nominations and 1 win

BAFTAs: 7 nominations and 1 win

Critics Choice Awards: 3 nominations and 1 win

Golden Globes: 4 nominations and 2 wins

SAG Awards: 0 nominations/wins

I have recently watched this film and I did enjoy it. The plot was pacy with the court room scenes framing the relationship between Sandra and her husband. Being mostly in French and again with no big action scenes/VFX, the film was largely panned. It was awarded for its screenplay though and being written by a husband and wife duo was probably the reason. Sandra Hüller in the lead was a very strong choice but she did not show emotions in the traditional ways which was one of the arguments she had with her husband before his death. The film was left open ended in terms of whether he died by suicide or other means but it was right to show that this was not important at the end of the day.

The Zone of Interest (2023)

Oscars: 5 nominations and 2 wins

BAFTAs: 9 nominations and 3 wins

Critics Choice Awards: 1 nomination and 0 wins

Golden Globes: 3 nominations and 0 wins

SAG Awards: 0 nominations/wins

This film was also largely ignored at this years awards picking up awards for its sound and best foreign language film. The fact that it was filmed in Poland in German with the Nazis at the centre probably had a lot to do with it. There are a lot of Jewish Americans in Hollywood but whether the film was a painful reminder or simply didn’t appeal to other voters, I am not sure. With the Israel/Palestine conflict going on at the moment, a film showing the oppression of Jewish people maybe didn’t hit the mark. It has to be said that the director and producers of the film are Jewish and gave a very strong speech about war at the Oscars. I have not yet seen the film and I would not say that I am particularly excited to, given its content.

Napoleon (2023)

Oscars: 3 nominations and 0 wins

BAFTAs: 4 nominations and 0 wins

Critics Choice Awards: 1 nomination and 0 wins

Golden Globes: 0 nominations/wins

SAG Awards: 0 nominations/wins

As mentioned above, this was the most surprising pan of the awards given its director and historical story. Ridley Scott is not usually an awards director but many of his films have been critically acclaimed and hailed by audiences as great cinema. Napoleon did not manage to do this. It angered the French with its British/American cast and great historical inaccuracies. I also found the plot confusing, jumping around different dates like it had somewhere to be. The relationship between Napoleon and Josephine was meant to be a strong point but they spent most of the film hating each other and all the sex scenes were rough and abusive. I think Vanessa Kirby did what she could with the script but I did not feel any warmth from Napoleon towards her even when he hadn’t left her for a younger, fertile woman. The scant nominations were for the costumes, production and VFX all of which looked great but unfortunately the plot/acting could not support it.

Maestro (2023)

Oscars: 7 nominations and 0 wins

BAFTAs: 7 nominations and 0 wins

Critics Choice Awards: 8 nominations and 0 wins

Golden Globes: 4 nominations and 0 wins

SAG Awards: 2 nominations and 0 wins

In nominations, Maestro did respectably well but did not manage to pick up an award. It was a very strong year but I think that Leonard Bernstein being bisexual/into men and women was not well received with voters and particularly cheating on his wife in their later years. There was a controversy about the prosthetic used to give Bradley Cooper a more Jewish looking nose but it was approved by the family. Personally I think Bradley looked more like Leonard with his own nose. The film was a good watch, I saw it at the London Film Festival last year and while an enjoyable film, I have not reached to watch it again on streaming. Carey Mulligan was strong as always but she got drowned out by other stronger performances in her categories from Da’Vine Joy Randolph and America Ferrera. An enjoyable film but it couldn’t hold its own this year.

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Oscars: 10 nominations and 0 wins

BAFTAs: 9 nominations and 0 wins

Critics Choice Awards: 12 nominations and 0 wins

Golden Globes: 7 nominations and 1 win

SAG Awards: 3 nominations and 1 win

I am almost surprised at the panning that this film received given its powerhouse combo of Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro. In the past this trio would have swept prizes but with the topic of the murder of Native Americans, they couldn’t make the leap. The only awards came for Lily Gladstone as Best Actress. While she was good, I am not sure her performance in the film was actually enough to secure the win. There may have been white guilt at play for the treatment of Native Americans or just an inability to relate to the culture. The film itself could have been done better in my eyes with too many characters to keep track of and most of the focus being on the few white male characters. If this film had been directed by a female Native American with Scorsese producing, I think there could have been a different result. It would have also made more sense as a limited series.

Happy Watching,

Robyn

What I Have Enjoyed at the Cinema This Month

Hello readers,

In the last few weeks, I have seen a few interesting and entertaining films at the cinema including at the London Film Festival so here is my review. While summer blockbusters are over, the rest of the year promises interesting releases both at the cinema and on streaming. So when the autumn weather finally does appear, there will be lots to watch on the big screen or curled up on the sofa at home.

The Creator (2023)

If you’re looking for a film that covers current world issues, then The Creator hits right on the mark. Hollywood writers and actors are just coming to a close on a historic union strike over the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what it means for their industries. Studios have already been using AI to create title sequences and there were talks of using it to generate written content and scanning an actor’s likeness for unlimited use.

The Creator looks at a world where AI was invented and integrated into society much earlier than it was in reality. Mankind begin to rely on AI for many household tasks, driving them around, factory work and running the digital space. A devastating nuclear bomb hits Los Angeles killing over one million people and sparking a war between AI and humans.

There are two types of AI, those who fully look like robots and those with human likeness’ having been given the faces of real humans. They are more complex and can do many jobs that humans do not want to do.

In the film we see Josh (John David Washington) with his wife, Maya (Gemma Chan) in an unspecified East Asian country. America has outlawed AI and forced it into hiding on New Asia where AI is still used for the police, farming and the robots are accepted by the people as citizens.

American soldiers attack and while escaping, a pregnant Maya’s boat is blown apart. Josh was actually sent undercover to get close to Maya and her father, Nirmata (The Creator) who made the advanced version – simulants and is rumoured to have made a weapon designed to kill all enemies of AI. Torn with grief for his wife and unborn child, Josh goes back to America to live a quiet life.

Five years later, the American army come knocking. Their new weapon, NOMAD has been launched and flies over the world, scanning and destroying any AI robots it finds. They know Josh is the best connection to Nirmata’s location and filled with hope that Maya is alive after some convincing footage, Josh joins them.

What happens next is an all out war between the Americans, New Asia and its AI friends. Josh finds out that Nirmata’s weapon is a powerful simulant in the form of a child. Together they journey New Asia seeking Maya.

I loved the universe that was created for this film and it really showed what could happen if AI was integrated into society. It was interesting to see the Americans as the enemies, particularly as this is an American made film but after reactions to other attacks on national soil, I am not surprised by their retaliation. I thought the bond between Josh and the child was emotional and this connection only deepens as the film’s plot develops. There was such a mix of technology and old traditions, especially in the small villages that made the film feel realistic and also hopeful that if AI ever becomes sentient in that way, society could integrate.

Watching this film in IMAX made it much more intense and I felt that I couldn’t look away. There was plenty of action scenes but the quieter scenes were poignant and added a lot of heart to the characters. I would definitely recommend watching this one in the cinema and it was a great start to the autumn cinema season. I give it 5/5.

Maestro (2023) – Netflix in December

Bradley Cooper directs and stars as Leonard Bernstein, a New York City conductor and composer from the 1950s, 60s and so on who is known for West Side Story and conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.

We see his rise to fame from age 25 as a wannabe musician to a global success with many bows to his string in a lovely sprawling New York Estate. Leonard is eccentric with wild hair and an untameable energy that he pours into his compositions. He also has a variety of male and female lovers with no strong direction until he meets Felicia.

He falls madly in love as they both rise to success, her as a Broadway star. In the later years, with three adult children, Leonard’s discreetness about his relationships with men starts slipping and Felicia is diagnosed with an illness.

The use of black and white and musical elements in the first act of the film helped to demonstrate to the audience how playful Leonard was and never took life too seriously. He saw it as a musical where he could act in any way he wanted with no real consequences. As soon as he gets his taste of fame, conducting the Philharmonic, he realises that to reach a certain level of notoriety, he must keep up appearances.

His later years are in full colour with some very impressive prosthetics showing himself and Felicia (Carey Mulligan) age into New York arts royalty. Bradley Cooper played the character with a lot of depth that is uncovered as the film goes on. His whimsical and spontaneous nature is paired down in public and that is reflected as we only see his public persona as husband and father, rather than his gay affairs.

They come back on screen when he grows to be around 60, turning grey and having had such a successful career that he starts to not care as much as to who knows about his proclivities. Felicia is worried about the children finding out, particularly Jamie (Maya Hawke) who is particularly perceptive.

Carey Mulligan always plays a good role and rather than choosing to see her as the victim here – a wife whose husband would rather play for the other team – I think she has chosen her life and only starts to become intolerant of Leonard’s lifestyle when it endangers the family image and how their children would view their father. She focuses on her own career on stage and screen and keeps close bonds with Jamie and Shirley, Leonard’s sister (Sarah Silverman).

The tone of the film often felt frenetic with Leonard’s intense energy and dramatic conducting scenes, leaving him looking as though he had just taken a bath. One of the best scenes for me was when he is conducting a large orchestra and choir in a church. You can really see his passion for music and tell how his directions make the piece better.

There were many laugh out loud moments, for example when Leonard runs into David (Matt Bomer), ex-lover and now new father in the street with his wife and child and joyfully tells the baby, ‘I’ve slept with both your parents’ and then runs away in glee. The film does take on a sadder tone at the end but Leonard’s gift for music and lust for life pulls you through.

I thought this film was excellent and really captured the spirit of the New York Arts scene at the time and painted a full and varied picture of Leonard’s life. Though brilliant, he had flaws and those are not shied away from. There were some industry heavyweights producing the project including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg so there shouldn’t be any doubts in the quality of this film. It was amazing to see it on the big screen in the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank but if you haven’t managed to get tickets this year then the film will be coming to Netflix this Christmas along with a limited cinema release.

I give the film 5/5.

Priscilla (2023) – Mubi

While many people will have seen Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis that debuted last year to great reviews and Oscar nominations, we did not really see much of Priscilla Presley’s story in there. Sofia Coppola’s new film changes that.

Priscilla focuses on Priscilla’s relationship with Elvis and his treatment of her for the duration of their marriage. We don’t see anything of Elvis that Priscilla doesn’t see and most of the film is set at Graceland where Priscilla spends the majority of their relationship.

The story starts when Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) is 14 years old. Her father has just been shipped out to West Germany in the late 1950s and she is bored. She goes to the diner and does her homework but hasn’t made any friends. Another soldier, Terry and his wife invite Priscilla to a party at Elvis’ house as he likes to meet people from back home. Despite the 10 year age gap, the two hit it off.

Priscilla is thrilled that a star such as Elvis would pay attention to her and manages to convince her parents to let her go to another party at his house. They start a sweet courtship and share a kiss before Elvis goes back to America. Priscilla thinks of him for the next two years. When she is 17, Elvis rings her up and sends for her. She goes to Graceland but after taking a pill, passes out for two days.

Unable to be apart from her rekindled love, she manages to convince her parents to let her permanently move there as long as she enrols in a good Catholic school. Elvis treats her like a queen with gifts and trips to Vegas but begins to control how she dresses and her appearance.

Priscilla then hears rumours of Elvis being involved with his various co-stars in Hollywood. He denies it but also gets angry at Priscilla and sometimes violent with her when she questions his commitment.

To a modern and educated audience, the relationship looks basically like grooming. Priscilla falls deeply in love with a man that is a different generation to herself and also absent for two years but she does start to gain more control when Elvis falls down an alley of drugs and performing.

From what I have seen, Priscilla Presley though she left Elvis, still holds him in great contempt, recently celebrating the 45th anniversary of his death at Graceland, their former home. This film was based on her own book and she was a producer on the film so even if she does not hate him for what he did, she wanted to tell her side of the story and explain why she stayed so long.

The casting of the film was excellent, particularly as Cailee Spaeny looked so young and small next to Jacob Elordi as Elvis and his various friends/cousins that they hung around with at Graceland.

While Jacob Elordi may not receive the praise that Austin Butler did for his portrayal, I think he did a brilliant job with showing the side of Elvis that Priscilla experienced. Even with her, we see his charming persona that many women went crazy for. I think with the hair and the voice, he had more of a look of Elvis than Butler did but this film was not about him.

It was great to see Priscilla find her own life in LA towards the end of her marriage but with the time jump between the situations, it was hard to imagine how a young isolated woman would have found the courage to make new friends and flirt with her karate instructor, all with a young baby and married to the biggest icon on the planet.

Overall, I enjoyed the film but it did leave me feeling quite sad for the life that Priscilla wanted and could have had if Elvis had not been cheating on her and taking all the drugs. It was interesting to only hear mentions of the Colonel in this film whereas in Elvis (2022), he is the narrator and basically the main character of the story. Perhaps this was to show that Priscilla didn’t really know the influence that the Colonel had or the control he wielded over Elvis. There was one time when the Colonel suggested that Elvis take some time for himself and Priscilla stayed at Graceland waiting for him without questioning it.

Looking into the story, some parts were concertinaed for the film so events weren’t quite as shocking as depicted in the film but as Priscilla was involved, the film was very accurate and you could feel her feelings in every scene as they played across Spaeny’s face. It is clear why she won Best Actor at Venice Film Festival. I saw the Special Presentation at the London Film Festival and Cailee Spaeny was there and read a great message from Coppola. The film will be hitting cinemas on Boxing Day and streaming on Mubi sometime in the future. I give it 4/5.

Happy Watching,

Robyn

A Star is Born / A Simple Favour

Hello readers,

I know another post so soon is not characteristic for me but yesterday I saw ‘A Star is Born’ and it really moved me so I couldn’t not write about it. I will also give my thoughts on ‘A Simple Favour’ another great film that I saw last week.

A Star is Born

This film was one of the few films that has affected me in such a physical way. I have been known to cry at many films but this one elicited a different reaction. It’s beautiful story and combined with the original sounds and brilliant performances by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, A Star is Born moved me. I felt strongly for the characters and their pain which stayed with me for several hours. It was as if the events had happened to me and not just on the screen.

As this film is the fifth version of this tale, you may think there was nothing left to do with the story but this film proved that this simply isn’t the case. Lady Gaga plays Ally, a waitress who sings in drag club. She isn’t pursuing a career successfully due to music industry executives telling her she has the right voice but the wrong face. When famous rock country singer Jackson Maine (Cooper) stumbles across her performing, he immediately recognises her talent. She is invited to sing on stage with him and they perform her original song. She quickly becomes successful while Jackson is struggling with alcoholism, drug addiction and tinnitus.

All the songs were written especially for the film and always express the character’s feelings at that point within the film. My personal favourite is Shallow which is the first song Jackson and Ally sing together.

There has been a lot of buzz around this film and for good reason. Even though this is Lady Gaga’s first film, I will be disappointed if she doesn’t receive award nominations. I give A Star is Born 5/5.

Cast:

Lady Gaga (American Horror Story) as Ally

Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) as Jackson Maine

Sam Elliott (Road House) as Bobby, Jackson’s manager/brother

Andrew Dice Clay (The Adventures of Ford Fairlane) as Lorenzo, Ally’s father

Rafi Gavron (Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist) as Rez, Ally’s manager

Anthony Ramos (Younger) as Ramon, Ally’s co-worker and friend

A Simple Favour

A Simple Favour really surprised me with it’s plot. The trailer gave me some ideas as to what the film would entail but I was truly surprised. The film follows mummy vlogger Stephanie played by Anna Kendrick becoming friends with Emily, a fellow mum at her son’s school. They drink martinis together and tell secrets. Emily is a very mysterious person and never reveals anything about her past. She also disappears for a while with no explanation. Even her husband Sean and son Nicky don’t know her secrets. She is always impeccably dressed in suits and works in the city as a PR manager.

After Emily goes missing, Stephanie tries to find her. I don’t want to say much more as it would spoil the film but what happened next was shocking and unexpected.

Anna Kendrick was amazing as always and excelled in a darker role. Her humorous tone and attitude really worked well with her character. Blake Lively was also very different and surprised me with her performance. Her whole body changed into her character, every movement or look was carefully executed. Her outfits and the decor of Emily and Sean’s house added to the rich glamour of their world.

I give A Simple Favour 5/5.

Cast

Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect) as Stephanie

Blake Lively (Gossip Girl) as Emily

Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) as Sean

Ian Ho (Willa) as Nicky

Joshua Satine (Godless) as Miles, Stephanie’s son

Other films I have seen recently that I would recommend are Faces Places (2018), Fight Club (1999) and Superbad (2007).

Happy Watching,

Robyn 🙂

10 Years of Marvel: Infinity War Review and My Favourite Marvel Films

Hello readers,

I know Infinity War came out a while ago but as I want to do a post full of spoilers I was waiting until hopefully most people have seen it.

In this post, I’m going to talk about the last 10 years of Marvel and how I became a fan.

Infinity War

This is the film that took 10 years and 18 films to make. The culmination of the Marvel story. I went to see the film on the opening night and really enjoyed it. Not only was it a great story full of twists and turns, it had shocking and funny parts as well. One minute, I was close to crying, the next laughing.

Some audiences and critics tend to dismiss comic book / superhero films but they are actually full of difficult themes: death, loss of loved ones, relationship struggles, betrayal, loss of identity, depression and of course, the villains.

Infinity War is essentially all the Marvel characters coming together to stop Thanos who is trying to collect all the Infinity Stones and destroy the universe. Sounds simple, but the interactions between The Avengers, Guardians and Doctor Strange add new dimensions to the story we haven’t seen before. Who knew Rocket and Thor would get along so well, or Shuri and Banner?

Tony Stark meeting Doctor Strange and Star Lord were some of my favourite moments along with Okoye, Black Widow and Scarlet Witch working together in the end battle.

The personal battle Banner had with the Hulk was a funny on going joke as was the conflict between Thor and Star-Lord.

The most shocking moments for me were Loki’s sudden death, Gamora being thrown off the cliff and Vision’s revival and second death by Thanos and of course when half of them disappeared.

My theory is that they are all in an alternate dimension and will all return safe and sound. I also hope that Gamora returns but I don’t have high hopes for Loki or Vision.

The cast is very long so I will just list the top 20 or so characters below:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/ Iron Man
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America / Nomad
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Josh Brolin as Thanos
Don Cheadle as James Rhodes / Rhodey / War Machine
Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange
Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther
Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord
Zoe Saldana as Gamora
Paul Bettany as Vision
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Karen Gillan as Nebula
Letitia Wright as Shuri
Danai Gurira as Okoye
Dave Bautista as Drax
Pom Klementieff as Mantis
Benedict Wong as Wong
Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket
Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot

I give Infinity War 5/5.

My Favourite Marvel Films

Here are my top Marvel films, a couple of them I have only seen a few times as they are quite new, such as Black Panther and Thor Ragnarok but the others I have seen about four or five times and I think they are all amazing films.

The first Marvel film I saw was Iron Man around age 13. I was in awe of Robert Downey Jr. and his character, Tony Stark. I immediately loved the film. The second one was even better. I then branched out into the Avengers, Captain America and the Guardians of the Galaxy. I eventually watched every Marvel film and since Captain America: Civil War I have seen every new film in the cinema. Before Marvel Studios, I had seen the original X-Men trilogy and loved those too.

Iron Man 2 (2010)

This film has many great things about it: Formula 1, War Machine, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell and of course, Robert Downey Jr. I think the plot is good to follow, shows how people can become villains at the hand of heroes and why mankind deserves saving. It is also a film I watch if I need cheering up or a good laugh.

The main cast are

Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark / Iron Man
Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
Don Cheadle as James Rhodes / Rhodey / War Machine
Scarlett Johansson as Natalie Rushman / Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer
Mickey Rourke as Ivan Vanko
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson
Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan
Paul Bettany as the voice of JARVIS

Overall I give Iron Man 2 5/5.

Captain America: Civil War

Many people said that this film feels like an Avengers film as most of the Avengers are featured but the core focus is on Captain America trying to protect his friend Bucky Barnes so I feel that it is right to call this a Captain America film.

I think the best lines go to Hawkeye in this one such as ‘I’ve been retired five minutes’ ; ‘I was gonna take the kids water skiing’.

Paul Rudd is also a stand out as Ant-Man especially when he meets Team Cap.

This film is more about politics than the Avengers films as were the other two Captain America films. The Government gets involved with detaining Bucky and wants the Avengers to sign the Accords to only ‘avenge’ when the UN says so.

The villain of the film, Helmut Zemo whose family were killed in Sokovia (in the last Avengers film in 2015) is trying to reactivate the Winter Soldier as revenge, an emotion we can all relate to.

The scene where it is revealed that Bucky as the Winter Soldier killed Tony’s parents was heart-breaking and the subsequent fight where Steve then gives up his shield feels very much like the end of the Avengers.

Peggy Carter’s funeral, an essential plot point, also struck a chord with me as a fan of the Agent Carter series and the first Captain America film.

In this film, we first meet Black Panther and Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU for short)

I like the drama and action scenes in this film with many amazing stunts and fights and also comic timing by Robert Downey Jr., Jeremy Renner, Tom Holland, Anthony Mackie and the others.

The main cast for this film is similar to Infinity War but with a few missing:

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon
Don Cheadle as James Rhodes / Rhodey / War Machine
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye
Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther
Paul Bettany as Vision
Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
Paul Rudd as Scott Lang /Ant-Man
Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter / Agent 13
Daniel Brühl as Helmut Zemo

I give Captain America: Civil War 5/5.

Black Panther

I have already talked in depth about this film over on my Cannes blog post last week but here I will mention some of my favourite parts.

The scene and car chase sequence in South Korea was amazing and also had some great lines, especially by Okoye and Shuri.

The introduction of Erik at the art gallery was clever and shone a light on racism.

The reveal that T’Chaka killed his own brother and left Erik in Oakland was very shocking and added a new dimension to the story.

Some favourite lines are ‘What are those!’ by Shuri; ‘If you say one more word I’ll feed you to my children… I’m kidding, we’re vegetarians’ by M’Baku; ‘Is this Wakanda?, No it’s Kansas’ by Shuri; ‘Guns… So primitive!’ by Okoye; ‘Does she speak English?’ ‘When she wants to’ by Okoye; ‘Nakia… hi’ ‘You froze’ by T’Challa and Okoye.

The cast are listed below:

Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther
Michael B. Jordan as Erik Stevens / Killmonger
Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia
Danai Gurira as Okoye
Letita Wright as Shuri
Daniel Kaluuya as W’Kabi
Winston Duke as M’Baku
Martin Freeman as Everett Ross
Angela Bassett as Ramonda
Forest Whitaker as Zuri
Sterling K. Brown as N’Jobu
Andy Serkis as Ulysses Klaue

I give Black Panther 5/5.

Thor: Ragnarok

The third in the Thor series, Thor: Ragnarok directed by Taika Waititi is one of the funniest Marvel films so far. There are so many little jokes paired with physical comedy and facial expressions from the cast that had me laughing out loud in the cinema. It is a refreshing new take on Thor and the comic book genre.

Chris Hemsworth who plays the protagonist Thor, stated that he was doubtful of doing a third Thor film until he read Waititi’s script. Thor was given a funny side, jokes were made by him and not just at his expense. The film still had a villain, Hela: Thor and Loki’s secret sister and darker themes such as betrayal, grief, depression, death but the comic timing and humour that Waititi injected into the film kept it light and entertaining for audiences.

Favourite parts of mine are Hulk and Thor’s interaction “Hulk like fire. Thor like water”; the ‘Get Help’ plan “A classic”, “I still hate it. It’s humiliating”, “Not for me, it’s not” and “This team of yours got a name?” “Yeah, it’s called the … uh… Revengers!”

Two hilarious characters that are new to the Marvel franchise in this film are the Grandmaster played brilliantly by Jeff Goldblum and Korg, a creature made out of rocks voiced by the director himself.

The surprise appearance of Doctor Strange as Thor and Loki look for Odin on Earth made a great scene.

The cast for Thor Ragnarok are:

Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Cate Blanchett as Hela
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk
Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie
Idris Elba as Heimdall
Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster
Karl Urban as Skurge
Anthony Hopkins as Odin
Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange / Doctor Strange
Taika Waititi as Korg (voice)
Rachel House as Topaz

I give Thor: Ragnarok 5/5.

The Avengers

The first group film, the Avengers remains one of my favourites even though the Marvel storyline has moved on significantly with Infinity War. The first outing of the six original Avengers contains key bonding moments between the six and Nick Fury. We also see the first major disaster on Earth that the Avengers fight as a team.

The actors and characters seem so young and innocent to me, the only thing they have to worry about is Loki and the Chitauri. However, Thanos is briefly introduced a plot point that won’t be answered for another six years.

This is also the introduction of Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner and Hulk: I think he does a great job and his character develops from a timid scientist to a fighter in Infinity War.

The Avengers don’t gel together right away, Iron Man and Thor’s fight at the beginning is one example as is Tony and Steve’s constant arguing. They do however come together to fight the enemy: the aliens.

Some of the best lines are “Have a care how you speak! Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard and he is my brother!” “He killed 80 people in two days” “He’s adopted”

“What’s the stat, Rogers?” “It seems to be powered by some sort of electricity!” “…well, you’re not wrong”

“This is just like Budapest all over again” “You and I remember Budapest very differently”

Essentially this is first film we see the Avengers, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes working together as a team and trusting each other.

The main cast are:

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man
Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk
Chris Hemsworth as Thor
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye
Tom Hiddleston as Loki
Clark Gregg as Agent Phil Coulson
Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill
Stellan Skarsgård as Erik Selvig
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
Paul Bettany as Jarvis (voice)

I give the Avengers 4/5.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

To many people this is one of the best Marvel films to date. It has a different tone to the other films. Captain America becomes a fugitive and is on the run from SHIELD, the organisation that helped him find his feet in the 21st century. He works with fellow Avenger, Natasha Romanoff and new recruit, Sam Wilson to defeat the Winter Soldier and Hydra who have infiltrated SHIELD. The film has a strong undercover spy thriller vibe which is unique to other Marvel movies.

The introduction of Sam Wilson helps show Steve Rogers as a leader, Sam follows Steve on every command and it shows how experienced Steve and Natasha really are.

They also uncover an enemy Steve fought 70 years ago and foes who they thought were on their side. Overall a very entertaining film.

Some of the best lines include “41st floor! 41st!” “It’s not like they put the floor numbers on the outside of the building”

“It was not my first kiss since 1945. I’m 95; I’m not dead”

“Where did Captain America learn to steal a car?” “Nazi Germany. And we’re borrowing. Get your feet off the dash”

The excellent cast for this film are:

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
Scarlet Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury
Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon
Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce
Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / the Winter Soldier
Cobie Smulders as Agent Maria Hill
Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow
Maximilano Hernández as Jasper Sitwell
Emily VanCamp as Kate / Agent 13
Hayley Atwell as Peggy Carter

I give Captain America: The Winter Soldier 5/5.

Thanks for reading and here’s to another 10 years of Marvel!

Happy Watching

Robyn 🙂