Frank Review

Both in conception, production and even execution, the abbreviated synopsis may tag the movie as the tale of a young musician who joins an eccentric band, but the devil, as ever, is in the detail.
The band's musical taste could be politely described as avant-garde (or a tuneless racket depending on your tastes), while its members are a gaggle of what you could describe as 'eccentrics', all led by the  Frank, a singer and songwriter who hides behind a  papier-mâché head, and who's either a creative genius, severely mentally ill, or possibly even both.

And oh yeah, the actor under said papier-mâché mega-head is none other than Hollywood A-Lister Michael Fassbender.

Bolstered by a feisty and adventurous cast featuring Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Scoot McNairy, it's an undeniably trippy ride from start to finish.

If the thought of seeing a keyboardist pretend to lay an egg whilst wailing bird noises, or Maggie Gyllenhaal play a theremin in the middle of a field sounds a little too kooky, then brace yourselves, as that's only the tip of the insane iceberg.

Any worries that the real life story of Frank Sidebottom and the punk rocker-turned-teatime TV comedian who created him, Chris Sievey, would be too British to connect with wider audiences is all but  void thanks to the movie's weirder, wider ambitions.

While the inspiration was a troubled and arguably genius Mancunian artist, it's not beholden to his story. Lenny Abrahamson's movie is more concerned with exploring the glamourised mainstream misconception tying mental illness to creative genius, and all the shades in-between.

If that sounds heavy-going, rest easy in the knowledge that the majority of the movie is focused on delivering quirky, off the bat laughs as the audience follows Gleeson's struggle to find his place in the band, as well as his own creative spark.

Indeed, the movie's weightiest issue is the final  shift in tone into more directly messaged, darkly dramatic waters. Thankfully, even if the shift immediately jars. Frank's cast - both with and without giant head - rise to the challenge.

Guaranteed to polarise, Frank is destined to go down in curio history. Bonkers in every conceivable way

5 most underrated movies of 2013

Most people tend to go along with what established critics say, a review can change how well a film is received and the amount of people who go out of their way to watch it. This means a lot of films are overlooked and quite frankly are more harshly reviewed than they deserve. Here is 10 films that were given awful reception but deserved a lot more.

Dead man Down
Although the array of cast is admirable it's a strange concoction of different genres that has given this film such a bad reception. Although it's not the best film ever made it's received a lot of criticism because the theme, tone and story isn't a straightforward template compared to many other films. A lot of reviews complained it was too muddled and confusing but in all honestly, although it's a difficult film to describe it's not a difficult to watch. It deserve to be remembered as a fascinating example of what can happen when a film has too many ideas but it treats the audience to a flurry of concepts. It's funny and strange but thats what makes it refreshing in the mist of Hollywood.

The Family
Its baffling why this film was so badly received. The Family stars Robert De Niro as a former Mafioso in witness protection, trying to fit in for the sake of a family. It never said it was going to be the number 1 comedy of the year but it was a lot more funnier and sweeter than most reviewers gave it credit for. The action and story was pretty standard and crowd pleasing, it's not going to go down in history but it's a lot better than  most comedy's that were released in 2013.

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

The problem with this film is critics took it way too seriously. The film itself took a light hearted approach and they even picked fun at them selfs but this seemed lost of reviewers. The 2 leads, Gemma Arteton and Jeremy Renner were charming and brought a good sense lightness to a dark chapter in human history. The CGI was impressive enough and the action sequences were pleasing, the story lacked but it was very harshly received by critics who seemed to miss the point of the film.

Now You See Me
Although the film received an impressive $117 million at box-office the film suffered a lot of criticism for it's disbelief and mostly because of the casts performance. Personally, i found the cast to be quite likable and more than capable to handle the characters they were playing, giving a sense of unique humour particularly Eisenberg's character. The twists and turns made for a good thriller although the last big twist, although surprising, seemed really far fetched and that's possibly why it received bad criticism, although most reviews seemed judgmental and cranky

Last Vegas
Last Vegas is everything a contemporary studio movie is supposed not to be: a bunch of well-past-their-prime actors aimlessly and formulaically drifting around Sin City in a weekend free of call girls, sensational gross-out scenes, or buzzy stunt casting. And for all those reasons, it is a delight. It is impossible not to love just hanging out in the presence of four great stars like Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Morgan Freeman, and Kevin Kline. Predictable though the plot may be, its surprise comes in just how much emotional depth comes from these lions of the screen genuinely grappling with aging and facing the sunset of their lives. Not to mention, whatever age he is, Kline's comic timing remains a precision-guided missile

Actor Bob Hoskins dies at the age of 71

British vetran actor Bob Hoskins, 71,  passed away this afternoon after a short stay in hospital suffering from pneumonia.

He retired from acting in 2012 and he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, to the disappointed from many film fans in the UK and worldwide.

He was Born in 1942 in Suffolk, England and started with numerous TV roles in the mostly in an episode or two supporting the main cast. It wasn't until his breakthrough role in The Long Good Friday as Harold Shand, which is probably his most praised performance, that Hoskin's became well known. In 1986 his turn as a call girl's confidant in Neil Jordan's Mona Lisa earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and praise from many film critics.

After that, he took parts in films as diverse as Brazil, Nixon, Neverland and Spice World demonstrating versatility and openness as an actor.. His take on Smee was arguably the most refreshing thing in Spielbergs Hook. 

However, it was his role as Eddie Valiant in Who Framed Roger Rabbit in 1988 that is his most well known role in his 40 year career. the live action/ animated hybrid wasn't at the time the most groundbreaking film, but over the years it has gained a cult following. After the films release " Hoskins began to believe that his co-stars were real. “I had learnt how to hallucinate," he remembered. "If you do that for eight months it becomes hard to get rid of.”

With his English appeal and talented acting Hoskins was a much wanted actor across Hollywood and in demand with directors such as Oliver stone, Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis  (as well as Roger Rabbit, he appeared in Zemeckis’s A Christmas Carol in 2012)

Following the announcement, his family released the following statement: “Bob died peacefully at hospital last night surrounded by family, following a bout of pneumonia. We ask that you respect our privacy during this time and thank-you for your messages of love and support.”
He is survived by his wife Linda, and his children Alex, Sarah, Rosa and Jack.

Great Gatsby Soundtrack review

The remake of this classic tale by Scott Fitwilliam Gerald is a very stylised version, well accompanied by a strong supporting soundtrack that features throughout the film. Similar to remaking the film and bringing new to the old the soundtrack consists of remastering old songs with 1920's vibe.

Baz Luhrmann’s Fitzgerald adaptation neatly blends jazz with its modern equivalent, hip-hop. Jay Z’s 100$ Bill sets a striking tone and is complimented with tracks from the liked of Wil.i.am and Beyonce. the use of these tracks in the film capture the essence of the scenes such as being in a bootleg illegal club with the likes of Jay Z playing over the top. It's a clever use of communicating to the audience the context of some 1920's culture.

But its the beguiling dark tracks of Lana Del Rey, The xx, Gotye, Nero, Sia and Florence + The Machine that accompany the stories doomed love story and the slightly creepy edge to the film's tale satire. It's rare an album contains so many tones, for example after a very slow drawn out track from The xx up next is a remake of Beyonce's "crazy in love" by Emilie Sande with a flapper girl vibe.

Still however the quick transition in tracks isn't as off putting as it sounds and the although the well established artists and their tracks are what's going to sell this accompanying album, there are some beautiful and equally haunting orchestra pieces from Craig Armstrong. The strings and orchestra pieces with monologues over the top are delightful arty pieces that go well alongside all the modern tracks.

Overall, this is a very good soundtrack that compliments the film well and carries the themes right through 13 tracks. Potentially better than the film itself, this soundtrack will be successful on it's own and bought by people who haven't even seen the film.