FILM
FILM
Blu-Ray Review:
actor in focus:
LISA VEIBER
SOPHIE TRENEAR
captain america: civil war Captain America: Civil War is the best superhero movie of 2016 so far. Indeed, Marvel Studios delivered the beyond-expectation film audiences were waiting for since the disappointment of Avengers: Age of Ultron and the failure of DC studios to keep up with Marvel’s standards. It is not only the elaborate plot, the amazing new superheroes or the real complexity behind those wehave already met, nor is it the great jokes, the famous bromance between Rogers and Bucky, or the glimpse of the latest Spider-Man that make it an outstanding and flawless addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is the combination of all of the above coming together in the right way to offer endless excitement. The new Captain America did deserve all the recognition and great press it got at its upon release. Brilliantly directed, it presents not only some good action and stunts but some real intensity and likelihood in the evolution of our wellknown superheroes, strengthened by those talented actors that bring them to life on the screen. The Blu-ray also brings some pretty amazing extras. These include: a making-of and behind the scenes; some deleted and extended scenes that promise one tiny appearance of everybody's favourite Marvel villain, Loki; the audio commentary of the Russo Brothers and screenwriters, Markus and and McFeely; ‘The Road to Civil’ feature, which explores in depth the evolution of Iron Man and Captain America from their first cinematic appearance; the usual gag reel, and an exclusive sneak peek of the upcoming Doctor Strange movie.
Blu-Ray Review:
THE NICE GUYS EDDY TESFAY
Let’s face it. The Nice Guys is a bit of a conundrum. Released in the summer season, it came as quite a surprise. It wasn’t a sequel…it wasn’t a prequel…it wasn’t part of any franchise or extended universe and it wasn’t based on a young adult novel. Warner Brothers had released an original property in the summer with a 50 million budget…what? Of course, what many people didn’t put into the equation was that it was being helmed by Shane Black, and had casted Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe in a comedy. Set in 1977, the plot follows a mismatched paring of ‘scattershot’ P.I Holland March (Ryan Gosling) and ‘enforcer’ Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) and their investigation into the death of an adult film star. The setting for this is classic, gloriously pulpy, 70’s buddy cop dreamland. Having basically been the king of the genre when it was at its peak (Lethal Weapon, The Last Boy Scout), Black is back in his old stomping ground. Penned alongside Anthony Bagarozzi, the film zips along with purpose and ingenious humour. Of course, this script’s punch wouldn’t be nearly as fully realised without the fantastic casting of Gosling and Crowe, whose chemistry bursts from the seams. Up until now, both have steered away from flexing their comedic muscles, but here, Black gets the best out of them, especially Gosling who is a serious contender for comedic performance of the year. A word should also go out to Angourie Rice’s breakout role as March’s daughter, who shows just as much comic timing and spunk as anyone else.
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Benedict Cumberbatch, a.k.a. Bendersnatch Cumberbund, known to many as Sherlock Holmes, is one of the best British actors of our time. He’s dabbled in television, theatre and radio, but in recent years he has become one of the biggest A List stars in demand for the razzle dazzle world of film and cinema, starring in over 20 films in the past six years alone. This November will see Cumberbatch's return to the big screen in the highly anticipated 14th instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Strange, as the film’s eponymous character. Whilst Cumberbatch made his cinematic debut in the 2003 film To Kill A King, his first major movie role came in 2006 with Amazing Grace’s William Pitt the Younger which garnered him a nomination for the London Film Critics Circle ‘British Breakthrough Acting Award’. After using this newfound momentum to aid supporting roles in Atonement (2007), The Other Boleyn Girl (2008), Creation (2009) and The Whistleblower (2010), he appeared opposite acting legends Gary Oldman and John Hurt in Tomas Alfredson’s critically acclaimed adaptation of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, where he played the role of Peter Guillam, the right hand man of George Smiley (Oldman).
films such as The Fifth Estate and 12 Years a Slave, both of which garnered critical and audience acclaim. After subsequently fulfilling roles in Penguins of Madagascar and August: Osage County, the latter for which he sang ‘Can’t Keep It Inside’ for, Cumberbatch played Alan Turing in The Imitation Game. Cumberbatch was met with universal, widespread praise for his performance, with TIME ranking it at number one in its Top 10 Film Performances of 2014, calling it “the actor’s oddest, fullest, most Cumberbatchian character yet,” earning him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor among others, and solidifying him as one of the best working actors today. In 2014, Cumberbatch was announced to be a part of Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming film adaptation of The Jungle Book as Shere Khan, and also as Doctor Strange, the latter of which is set for release in October this year. Looks like good ol’ Bendersnatch Cumberbund isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Marvel’s got us hooked now.
After landing the role of Sherlock Holmes in the acclaimed BBC programme, Cumberbatch furthered his mainstream attraction with his role as Smaug the Dragon and the Necromancer in The Hobbit film trilogy from 2012 to 2014 where he provided the voice and motion-capture for both characters. 2013 saw Cumberbatch catapulted into the sci-fi realm with J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek: Into Darkness where he played Khan, the film’s dark and sociopathic antagonist. Seemingly an unstoppable force at this point, 2013 also saw him star in major Did you know: • He was listed in TIME’s annual ‘TIME 100’ as one of ‘The Most Influential People In The World’ in 2014 • His favourite director is Stanley Kubrick, but the reason why would apparently “take 30,000” words to explain • He thinks his name sounds like ‘a fart in a bath’
THE EDGE
THE EDGE TOP IMAGE BY MARVEL STUDIOS , BOTTOM IMAGE BY WARNER BROS. STUDIOS
IMAGE BY CHRIS McANDREW
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