21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street is the modern day feature-length revival of the 1980’s TV cop show starring Johnny Depp in the role that put him on the map. The movie is about two undercover agents that were enemies at school but to get through their training they needed each other and their friendship grew from then on.

Starring Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill as Jenko and Schmidt, two of the worst police officers to wear the badge, which must now go undercover as school kids to try and bust a drug ring that originates at the school.

The movie had an odd twist to it by changing the usual American High School Stereotype of the cool kids being the sportsmen and the nerds being the artists and academics, they added a modern touch to it and it created a much better story line and made it more believable.

Throughout the film you see the ongoing battle between Tatum and Hill to see whom the cool kid is now compared to when they were at school. And it seems this time that the table’s have turned and Tatum has to fight to be popular in school and all Hill has to do is be himself and he is the popular kid. The film has some real laughs in it and they come when you least expect it. The adventure that the directors (Chris Miller, Phil Lord) take you on with their arrests and when they take the drug HFS for the first time were some of the most humorous scenes from a film that I have seen in months.

The cast was perfect and you can see while watching the film that everyone had a good time during the film and that helps with the final result. The comedic duo of Tatum and Hill was an excellent choice for casting and they brought the movie to life with their overconfidence and humorous anecdotes.

I enjoyed this movie from beginning to end, it was not what I was expecting before I watched the film and I am glad for that. 

    

Joupi Toy Store

There are very few great insights left that haven’t been overused in the ad world, The insight that EuroRSCG, France used to create the print ad campaign fore Joupi Toy Shop was for me a very clever idea and a completely different way of approaching the same insight. They way they went about the ad by just completely flipping the original insight around was a risky idea and has paid off.

The usual direction that creative teams would follow when creating an ad for a Toy Shop is that the shop has the perfects gifts for you and that the store is a very exciting and fun place for you to shop for your presents. What the creative team decided to do was use the perfect gift insight but instead of just that they gave it a little twist. They went with the copy of  “Don’t Fear Finding The Perfect Present” and the visuals that they used along with the copy was a perfect fit.  

The Art Direction in this ad is a very unusual style but ads a very playful feel but also has enough to make an impact. It is for a toy store so they obviously could not make it to dark, so what they did was combine the light and dark side and created a very effective campaign. They kid in print either looks scared because the present is just that awesome or he is in absolute amazement with his gift.

All in all the creative team that worked on this campaign have obviously put in the hours to work out the perfect insight ad idea and in this case they have. They came up with a small idea but made it bigger with great copy and great art direction. Very effective ad and I can imagine Joupi Toy Store was pleased with the result.  

The Avengers

Since before I could remember I have been a huge fan of reading Marvel Comic books, dreaming of the day when I could become a super-hero. Since Marvel decided to reenact the comic books to the big screen I have felt like a little kid on Christmas just staring at all the presents under the tree. Since the releases of The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor the writers have been teasing us about the possibility that an Avengers movie could be created, and finally it has been.

Expectations for this movie were incredibly high but you can’t blame anyone. With the cast of Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Mark Ruffalo (the Hulk), Chris Hemsworth (THOR), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Tom Hiddleston (Loki), Samuel L Jackson (Nick Fury) people were expecting true excellence and in my opinion that is exactly what they got. With such huge ego’s and powers in the same room attempting to work together the writer and director had to push the boundaries to make this film work. The writer & Director Joss Whedon had a huge mountain to climb with this task but he created a perfect script and a completely mind blowing experience.

The Acting was superb, with the friendly banter throughout the film between Downey Jr. and the rest of the cast gave it a humorous feel that was executed well. There are more twists and turns than expected and I couldn’t be happier about that.

Now on to the topic of 3D, in my own opinion 3D can completely make or break a movie. Avenger’s in 3D is “mind Blowing” the entire film I was sitting with my mouth open in awe of what they created. During the final fight scene the cinematography that takes place is completely breath taking, with the building collapsing onto the streets and onto your laps with the 3D technology the experience is almost too much.

I recommend this movie to everyone. In my opinion it is a must see and if you have the option, go for 3D, the movie was created for 3D so see it in the way the director intended or you may not get the same experience.     

Esch Cafe

I have decided to go back and Blog about a print ad that I found. I found the ad in ads of the world and I gathered that it’s an advertisement for a smoking café, but it doesn’t seem clear to me.

The ad was created by the ad agency Giovanni + Draftfcb in Rio de Janeiro by the creative director & copywriter Felipe Gomes. He decided to go along the line with famous people that smoked. The copy says, “there’s nothing like a good and long whiff of smoke” but it just seems bland. They leave nothing up to you except confusion. I enjoy ads that leave it up to your imagination, that only take you 50 percent of the way while leaving the rest up to you.

I personally feel that using famous people in smoking ads is over done and out of date. They could of used a more creative route with this ad and tried something different instead of the classic and original style. The copy is also bland and gives you nothing to work with. They might as well say, “Come to our café and smoke”. They should of tried and alternative route and if they did they could of created a decent campaign but in my opinion this is just not enough.  

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

When Guy Ritchie’s witty, enjoyable adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic detective stories busted into the blocks back in 2009, a follow-up movie was inevitable. Cynics would argue that every movie sequel in history bar some were a failure and should not of seen the big screen. After Richie’s first adaptation of crime stories, expectations would be great for him to create another great film.

Robert Downey Jr’s portrayal of Sherlock Holmes as a childish, slightly dangerous mischief maker, lets just say if he walked into any investigation, you would more expect him to be some random straggler of the street than one of the lead investigators. At the films opening, Holmes is distraught that his straight arrow sidekick Dr Watson (Jude Law) is marrying his sweetheart Mary (Kelly Reilly) and leaving the detection business for good.

However, on Watson’s stag party, the pair of them discover a plot of war upon Europe that may be the work of professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). Holmes and Watson embark on a screwball chase across the continent to prevent his true nemeses from completing the task. The movie follows a more action packed experience than Canon Doyle’s creation more than following the actual detective work that takes place.

Much of the appeal to the films comes with the cast and the exceptional combination of Downy Jr and Law. Cinema has seen its fair share of Romance and bromance over the years but this is the first that includes both. The duo’s knockabout playground chemistry has improved since the first film. Holmes and Watson are like a pair of 11 year olds, thick as thieves and bickering constantly. Stephen Fry adds more fun to the film as Holmes’s drily buffoonish brother, a British diplomat who enjoys to call his younger sibling “Shirley” throughout the film.   

Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams) who makes a guest appearance in the beginning of the feature, was sidelined by Simza (Noomi Repace’s) a gypsy fortuneteller, wo joins them on their escapade to stop Moriarty.

The ensuing fight, along with most of the others in the film, is muddled, but is carried by some witty ideas, many of which involve Holmes’s borderline Super-Human ability to mentally go back and forth in time. The use of which in the film create a twist not yet seen in the first film, the usual Holmes seeing the actions of his opponent before he makes them by besting a soldier by putting a booby trapped lipstick into the ammo belt of the soldier half an hour before is exceptional.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows was a very sharp film, consistently enjoyable from the opening to the closing credits. The film draws you in with its action packed scenes and more comedic moments than expected. This film is undoubtedly an improvement from the first film and is a great film. 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Director Franklin J. Schaffner originally created the film “Planet of the Apes” in1968. The prequel to this film directed by Rupert Wyatt is a modern take on the original film. The entire team involved deserves praise for their efforts in creating an astonishing film.

James Franco plays the role of scientist “Will Rodman” who is attempting to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease by testing a new age retrovirus on chimpanzees. The virus mutates the chimps, giving them higher levels of human intelligence. One of the female chimpanzee’s brakes out on a rampage at the test facility while attempting to protect her new secretly born baby from being found. The female monkey gets shot down after braking into a boardroom meeting. The boss eventually orders Will to put down the rest of the chimpanzees. After finding the baby, Will is caught in a moral dilemma, which results in him taking the chimp home. While the chimp is staying with him, he notices that the high intelligence levels that were given to his mother during the tests were passed on to her baby and begins to raise the chimp on his own while continuing to test the retrovirus on “Caesar”.

I had no idea on what to expect before watching the film, all I knew is that after reading through reviews and hearing words through the grapevine I knew I could possibly be watching an epic movie.

The movie grabbed my attention within the opening scene and held me there till the very end. James Franco is up there with my favorite actors and as to my expectations did not disappoint. He presents a character that the audience could humanize with and appreciably moved the movie along at a steady pace without faltering.

Caesar is an outstanding character with expressions and mannerisms that’s are neither human nor simian, but are curiously convincing as a combination of both, comical and dramatic, if not scientific in a way. Caesar should be absurd, but never at any point will you feel the urge to laugh at him, though you may laugh with him, as he grows up to realise his destiny.

John Lithgow plays the role of Will Rodman’s father Charles who suffers from dementia explaining Franco’s obsession with finding a cure for the disease. Charles gets introduced to Caesar in the second scene and immediately develops an infatuation with the Ape. Through unexpected twists and turns throughout the film Caesar finds himself in an enclosure for apes after breaking out and attacking someone during the film.

The third act of the film is when things start to get interesting and the “rise of the apes” begins to unfold. The way Caesar starts to interact with the other apes in the enclosure has an affect over your mind that actually makes you contemplate whether or not this could be possible.

This prequel completely blows the old one out of the water, with the new digital FX technology that has evolved to such an extent that super intelligent apes can be shown convincingly on screen for the first time.

I do not want to give too much away about this film because in my opinion everyone should see it. It is a gripping story that the editors have adapted to fit in modern times; they definitely succeeded. The storyline is more believable and when the film finally finishes, it leaves you sitting there still wanting more. If you are in the mood for 106 minutes of draw dropping astonishment, then I highly recommend this movie to you all. 

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is a bizarre film directed by Terry Gilliam. He has directed some of the strangest movies out there such as Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas, Monty Python & The Quest For The Holy Grail, 12 Monkeys and the Brothers Grim.

In his final film Heath Ledger played the role of Tony, a lost man with no recollection of who he is or what he does.  Heath died during his last performance in this film before it could be completed. The director decided that it would be a shame to not complete the movie because of all the work that Ledger had done for the movie. Gilliam wanted to finish the film as a tribute to the great Heath Ledger.

The Imaginarium is a film of two halves. The first half contains the scenes that Heath Ledger manages to complete before his passing and the second half was improvised by the talents of Johnny Depp, Colin Farrell and Jude Law to replace the late Heath Ledger. The beginning half of the film is grounded in reality and set amidst the depressing urban grey of London, while the second half is set in bright and colorful worlds where the Imaginarium finally comes to light.

They spend the beginning half of the film introducing us to the characters and the dynamic of their relationships. The story is a familiar one that has been used many times, boy has a crush on the girl who is attracted to the new bad boy who randomly just shows up, the father has made bets and deals with the Devil that promises him the fathers first born child at the age of 16. Luckily the director has a talent when it comes to turning old and used story into something completely different that stretches your imagination to great heights.

The drama comes fairly late into the film. You can see that the director wanted to use as many shots of heath ledger as he could to try and keep his dominance as the lead actor of the film and to leave us with his final performance. I feel he did a great job and tied in the roles of Depp, Farrell and Law perfectly into the film where the actors fitted into their roles perfectly. In my opinion that could of changed the order of the roles in the film. It must have been hard for them all to complete the film but they all pulled through in the end and created an amazing movie.

The film takes many twists and turns and leaves you drawn to the screen because it takes you a while to finally work out the ending, and even then you could still be left stumpt. It’s a pity Ledger didn’t finish the film but the entire crew did a good job to put the movie together in the end.