Doctor Strange [IMAX/3D]

First up, Marvel Studios has got some fancy new credits...

Doctor Strange was a thoroughly enjoyable film and a distinct departure from the usual MCU fare with a lot more (effective) humour and minimal bombastic action. And as per usual, Marvel scored in its casting, not only of Benedict Cumberbatch but also Tilda Swinton, regardless of her character's supposed skin colour.

The biggest problem, as with almost all MCU films, is the villain. Another wasted actor in Mads Mikkelsen, although by the end of the film, you do sense that Marvel is trying to correct that. Nonetheless, the MCU is still failing when it comes to character development as compared to the Marvel/Netflix franchise.

You know, I will pay good money to see Cumberbatch and Mikkelsen act on the small screen over 10 - heck! even 5 or 6 episodes - together! Sherlock Holmes vs Hannibal Lecter. One can only dream.

Director Scott Derrickson did a great job in visualising the multi-dimensions, but unfortunately it was not entirely original. Inception did it 6 years ago. Derrickson just multiplied it by 10. And with all that motion going on, the action choreography was a mess. 3D definitely did not help things on that end.

Although the 3D was absolutely great to give the depth and feel of dimension(less) in certain moments, and that really helped to sell the premise. However, other than those scenes, 3D was not really useful.

Screenplay was by Derrickson and C. Robert Cargill, and they definitely got the tone of the humour and paranormality right. Although I do suspect the key to selling the humour this time round was the undeniable Britishness deadpan comedic delivery by Cumberbatch, Swinton, Benedict Wong and Chiwitel Ejiofor.

Unfortunately, what they did not get right was giving Mikkelsen a more solid motive. Or Ejiofor a more genuine emotional/character arc.

And that climatic end. Go watch Doctor Who's Series 9, Episode 11: Heaven Sent. That is how it should be done. Smart, emotional and with a wallop!

Cumberbatch brings a hint of mischievousness to his Doctor Strange, but he does sell the origin story from arrogant, but inwardly cowardly, neurosurgeon to saviour of lives, Master Doctor Strange (lol!). He is a different sort of Doctor Strange from the comics but Cumberbatch makes it his own.

Swinton was a coup for MCU. Without her, I cannot imagine Marvel selling the role of The Ancient One. Swinton really is a class of her own and she imbued The Ancient One with so much wisdom but yet strength, mystery, tenderness and yes, humour. Swinton and Cumberbatch had great chemistry together and it was palpable. The film changes when they both share the screen together.

Rachel McAdams was the standout and with recent breakout performances in Spotlight and Southpaw, and being the only saving grace of season 2 of True Detective, McAdams is on a roll. This film definitely showcased her comedic timing. She should consider that next and dip her toes back into rom-com for a bit. A good rom-com can also be Oscar potential.

Mikkelsen. Wasted under all that make-up. At least it was less than Christopher Eccleston.

Michael Giacchino scored the film and there were moments, especially in the first act, that you think Marvel has finally gotten it right (see: The Marvel Symphonic Universe if you don't know what I mean), but eventually it just fell back into its usual MSU.

Similarly, nothing exciting from cinematographer Ben Davis except for some great landscaping shots of Kathmandu.

IMAX was not really necessary.

Mid-credits scene makes me really excited for Thor: Ragnorak. Post-credits scene tells me I can wait for Doctor Strange 2.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

A thoroughly predictable but yet sufficiently entertaining enough Tom Cruise-type film as long as one accepts the plot holes and film logic. Cruise is his usual charismatic self although Reacher is a decidedly more stoic character than Ethan Hunt, Lens Grossman or Jerry Maguire.

Director Edward Zwick does a decent job in going through the beats but the film would have benefited from at least a 10 to 15 minutes trimming off its 118 minutes run time. And credit to the writers for at least trying to pass the Bechdel Test, but their attempts could have been a tad more organic to the story.

At least Colbie Smulders wasn't just a pretty eye candy and she had one good kick-ass moment. Also, Heroes Reborn alum Danika Yarosh was appealing enough and managed to elevate her character from being just another annoying teen.

Ultimately, this was an entertaining entry into another Cruise franchise but whether it gets a sequel or not is really inconsequential. Tom Cruise's action movies are usually entertaining.

Westworld

Pilot: One of the best praises I can give Westworld is that I WANT MORE! The whole concept of it isn't original...not least because it was based on Michael Crichton's 1973 film. This was Dollhouse (Joss Whedon's most under-rated, yet truly fantastic, show) meets Humans meets Black Mirror. It was beautifully shot, superbly acted (kudos to Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Anthony Hopkins and Ed Harris...the others like Thandie Newton and James Marden haven't really had a chance to shine yet), and very smartly written! By the end of the pilot, you kind of know what is happening but yet you don't really know...and you so want to know more! That mysterious tease is so rare these days in scripted drama. The biggest problem though is HBO senseless obsession with gratuitous nudity and violence. Although the latter did, admittedly, played a narrative function and hopefully - if I am right - a thematic one too. Just like Whedon's Dollhouse, sexual violence and exploitation served as a jumping board for deeper storytelling, but at least in Whedon's world, men were exploited too (remember Victor?). Nonetheless, bring on the next episode and hopefully we move on from the cheap, attention grabbing, ratings whoring tactics and stick with strong, smart and sexy writing! Oh, and music by Games of Thrones Ramin Djawadi is spot on and am loving the opening credits!

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

This film fits Tim Burton vast, creative imagination so well, with its scary creatures, paranormal happenings and Victorian-esque settings, Burton had created an imaginative gorgeous world that was filled with both wonder and fear. This was more akin to Burton's under-rated Big Fish than his seminal classics, e.g. Edward Scissorhands. Burton failed in delivering on the YA-aspect of the story and Asa Butterfield's and Ella Purnell's lack of chemistry did not help things. Although Eva Green was an excellent muse to play off of Burton's eccentricity and could very well be his next Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter. Vanessa Ives would have been proud!

Jane Goldman wrote the script and it was quite evident that she was more familiar with writing about, rather than of or for, the weird and paranormal.  Beyond that, her grip on charactersation and translation of the YA bits to the screen. was at best rudimentary. Most of her dialogue was clunky and the film succeeds more at times when Burton and Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (from Burton's Big Eyes) were left alone to tell the story through the pictures.

Creature designs were effectively scary for the monsters and wondrously exciting for the peculiar children. Nothing groundbreaking here like in in Guillermo del Toro's Pan Labyrinth, but yet there was an odd sense of creepiness in the familiarity. And the blend of CGI, stop-motion and live action was impressive,

Eva Green chewed her scenes with great aplomb. She looked like she was having so much fun and she really sold the idea that she could really have been Miss Peregrine! After Penny Dreadful, I do think that she is one of the most under-rated actresses at work now.

Samuel L Jackson played the same role he always played when cast as the diabolical villain, see: Kingsman and Django Unchained. He could do it in his sleep. Effective but unexciting.

Asa Butterfield has grown up, but this wasn't the boy from Hugo anymore. He had so much potential, so hopefully he finds it back soon.

Judi Dench and Terence Stamp lent some gravitas to the film in their extended cameo roles. There could be a whole fan-fic film about their two characters! That's a thought...

Music was by Mike Higham and Matthew Margeson, and not frequent Burton collaborator Danny Elfman. And it showed. The music was fine but nobody really got Burton as well as Elfman through music, and the scored lacked the playfulness and eccentricity that so often marked their collaboration.

Miss Peregine's was a delightful film filmed with the curiosity of a child's eyes and imagination of the unknown. Time to go read the book....

Deepwater Horizon

Paul Berg's disaster thriller was entertaining and surprisingly touching, with moments of  nail-biting tension. But as exciting as the main/climatic action sequence was - and the moments leading to the blowout was truly brilliant - the other sequences were less so, with the film unfolding passively and even confusingly sometimes.

Berg took his time to establish the scene and heavily, and clumsily, foreshadowed the events to come which was so unnecessary since we already know it is coming. That begs the question: what was the point?

In addition, Berg focused on Mark Wahlberg and neglected the rest of the cast, and that made relating to them as they navigate through the disaster very challenging. Especially since they were all dressed similar-ish on the rig,  It was good that Berg spent the first act laying the ground but most audience members would be unfamiliar with the layout of an oil rig. As such, without a clear idea of the design of the rig and how the space is arranged, there was less of an impact when the disaster struck because everything just got even more confusing.

Wahlberg was his usual all American, self-sacrificing, family-loving hero - the same type he had played before so many times. Kudos to Wahlberg and Kate Hudson for making their relationship believable. Their chemistry really helped to add a layer of emotional weight to an otherwise macho-adrenaline driven thriller.

Kurt Russell commanded the screen but of course he played second fiddle to Wahlberg.

And then we have Gina Rodriguez. Her character was written so badly. Initially she was introduced as a smart, resourceful and capable character but as the story progressed, she devolved into a pathetic whimpering, damsel in distress that needed to be rescue. Chauvinistic much?

The saving grace for the film was really the intense action sequence depicting the blow-out. After that, the film just could not keep up with the adrenaline and slowly petered out as we watched passively as the rig gets destroyed.

Cafe Society

Cafe Society was a typical, run of the mill, predictable Woody Allen romantic dramedy. With a star studded cast, Allen again muses sardonically on love and relationships, albeit only superficially. The main cast, in particular Jesse Eisenberg, were individually good but lacked chemistry together.

The film, and its set design, were beautiful with an authentic 30s NYC/LA feel to it. Costuming did a commendable job too. While Allen kept a keen eye on the aesthetics of the film, his exploration - or musings - on love was a lot more superficial this time. With just a perfunctory circling on the dilemma of loving more than one person at a time and a cursory meditation on Tennyson's wise adage of  "'This better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all",

Eisenberg gave a strong performance here as he evolved his character through the film in both a distinctive physical way and a more subtle emotional growth. But yet, there were some nuances to his character that did not change which formed the bedrock of his character.

Kirsten Stewart veers away from her Twilight days and we do see a versatile actress beneath that luminosity. However, she did not have any chemistry with either Eisenberg or Steve Carell which made selling the underlying romance that tied the story together difficult.

Blake Lively is just there to be pretty. Parker Posey and Carell should be in more of Allen's films.

The annual Woody Allen film is almost an event unto itself and this film does not disappoint his fans, but to the casual moviegoer - or Allen newbie - it can be a bit blend and blah.

Pitch

Pilot: Dan Fogelman's second pilot this season, after This Is Us, is another winner and one of the best pilots in a long time. The concept was clearly established, exposition quickly and neatly dealt with, main characters filled in and supporting cast sketched out, and ultimately a hook for audience to tune in next week. Fogelman and co-writer/creator Rick Singer wrote a smart pilot that was logical and plausible but yet has the potential to be so much more than just your regular sport-drama. Kylie Bunbury has the elusive star quality that makes her magnetic to watch, but whether she has the depth to carry out more emotionally heavy moments is still to be determined. Mark-Paul Gosselaar plays against type and yet somehow still remained the same, and that is truly fascinating, however his chemistry with Bunbury fleets in and out and please don't have them sleep together. Ali Larter - another Heroes alumni in a Fogelman show! - was great and her lines were golden. Also, Pitch definitely has a much more killer soundtrack than the current season of Empire. Miss Cookie Lyon, we need you here...STAT! Honestly, Taraji P Henson would fit right in here!