At Your Service: Review of Kingsman

Kingsman: The Golden Circle

Director: Matthew Vaughn

By Alex Watson

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a certainly a movie that provides fun, its just a shame similar focus wasn't given to its story. While Matthew Vaughn's swift style gives the movie a coat of gloss, underneath it feels like an incomplete portrait. Saddled with numerous plot holes and a pretty laughable villain, this second instalment tries too much into one movie. Although it recaptures some of the spirit of its predecessor, Vaughn pushes things a step too far.

Eggsy (Taron Egerton) is now a fully fledged member of the Kingsman. However, one day his entire organisation is literally blown to pieces by drug baroness Poppy Fields (Julianne Moore) leaving only Eggsy and mentor Merlin (Mark Strong) as survivors. Desperate to stay alive they make contact with US affiliate Statesman led by Champagne (Jeff Bridges).

The first Kingsman movie was a retread of a diamond in the rough coming good. Kingsman: The Golden Circle on paper seems like as fun of an experience, but no amount of finesse can disguise the flaws. The main problem seems to come down to the direction of the story. Having this picture as a straight up fight between Golden Circle and Kingsman would have made a more concise effort. Things start heroically with a thrilling duel inside a taxi speeding through London. Sadly Vaughn seems to lose his picture in numerous and unnecessary subplots. The first concerning Eggsy's unconvincing romance with his hookup from the last movie, Princess Tilde (Hanna Alstrom) which just gives the story deadweight. Then there's the return of Harry Hart (Colin Firth)- now an amnesiac who believes he's his former before Kingsmen self. The explanation for his magical reappearance while test even the biggest Kingsmen fan.  His road to recovery should have been one of the main devices, instead, he's left simmer on the back burner.

Including sister agency Statesman (known for their whiskey) adds little to the movie's story. Head honcho Champagne (or Champ to everyone else) is a good ole southern boy but is only wheeled out for group meet and greets. Likewise, Channing Tatum's Tequila who gets precisely zero to do other than a couple of brief scenes. Ginger Ale (Halle Berry) is the US equivalent of Merlin so spends most of her time looking at computer screens. There are some fine scenes with the underrated Pedro Pascal as Whiskey- a lasso carrying agent whose moral compass seems unclear. Vaughn's command of the action sequence is a hit and miss affair. While he does a manage a joyous finale shootout, there is also an overblown and frankly ludicrous scene set on a cable car. This instalment doesn't seem to know where to set the limits, though you can tell Vaughn is having a blast directing this.

The real weak link in Kingsman: The Golden Circle comes from its poor villain. Poppy is a forever peppy international drug dealer who spends the majority of her time behind a counter at her diner styled hideout. Given little presence onscreen other than looking like a drug-dealing version of Martha Stewart, Vaughn invests little in the villain stakes. Elton John in a hilarious extended has far more impact and is given an impressive array of fancy costumes. Plus the idea of Poppy having a pair of murderous robot dogs will make anyone squirm. It's a real mystery how this sequel could have all the ingredients for success but still end up burning the cakes?

Taron Egerton gives things his best shot and as usual, he has the charisma to pull off this character. Asking him to go deeper is where his performance unravels and Egerton struggles to find the romantic side of the character. Colin Firth is completely wasted on his return. So important first time out, in this instalment it feels like a misstep to resurrect this character. The real hero of Golden Circle is Mark Strong's Merlin. Coming off as the real brain of the organization, this time he is given sufficient screen time. In one particularly potent moment, Strong firmly stamps his important on this sequel. A-listers Bridges, Tatum and Moore are all cast in decidedly underwhelming and thankless roles that require little outside of showing up. With all this supporting talent on display, why were they not given meatier roles?

Kingsman: The Golden Circle will go down as one of the more disappointing sequels we will see in 2017. Although I guarantee you will tear up each time you hear 'Country Roads' by John Denver afterwards.

Flame Out: Review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2

Director: Francis Lawrence

By Alex Watson

Finally the adventures of Katniss Everdeen are given a skillful end by Francis Lawrence. After the misfiring Part 1 installment, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 delivers the thrills. Injection a sense of neat tension into the mix, Lawrence ensures that final assault on Panem is one to remember. These adventures have become one of the cornerstones of the young adult genre and with a hard-nosed heroine like Katniss they are impossible to dislike. 

The stakes are no longer just for survival in District 13 and Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) realizes that she will have to kill President Snow (Donald Sutherland) to unite this world. Her feelings are conflicted between old friend Gale (Luke Hemsworth) and tortured former lover Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) whose had his mind warped by Snow previously. However there is a still the question about the motives of President Alma Coin (Jennifer Lawrence). 

"It's so frustrating when she goes rogue" smirks Plutark Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffmann) as she once again deserts to join in an attack. The audience however will disagree because Katniss' rebellious streak is what keeps Mockingjay Part 2 alive. This young woman is not the chosen one by any means but is no the less continually willing to put her body on the line. Unwilling to play along to the tune of her unofficial handlers Coin and Heavensbee, Katniss revels being on the front line as is unafraid to talk to her audience directly and icily convince them to lay down their arms. The fine line between politics and good storytelling has been a highlight of this franchise. In this installment it is no exception. 

Katniss in some ways has become disillusioned with her fight and seems aware that the cause she is fighting for is potentially a losing one. Alma Coin was a mysterious figure whom our heroine forged a tentative alliance with in the previous installment. Her motives have always been ambiguous but in Part 2 it becomes clear that she perhaps isn't so far removed from Tyrant Snow after all. This mission has the odds going for it, Capitol is currently struggling to keep up with the rebel advance. But although each player pulls their own weight such as propaganda director Cressida (Natalie Dormer) the end cost will be one that is brutal. 

The set pieces add the most excitement into Lawrence's last installment, there is an almost horror film feel as the encounters 'The Mutts' into sewers of Panem. Prepare to jump in your seat as the team runs, dodges and sets things on fire. One sequence sees them attempt to advance on a block of abandoned buildings only to encounter the pods the enemy has place to stop them. Moments later a surging black liquid causes them to literally run for their lives. In the end lives are altered and by the time they reach Snow's mansion one final act will firmly blur the lines of right and wrong leadership. However, it is all worth it to see the venomous glint in Snow's eye as Katniss stares him down for the final time. I won't give away too much here but expect to have a rug pulled from under your feet. 

Jennifer Lawrence has made the Hunger Games series her own and as Katniss Everdeen she has made for a ballsy but heartfelt heroine. Lawrence has given this woman a bold feel over the four installment and this has been one of the key steps towards her cement her A-List status. Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson also deserve credit for bring to life two conflicted souls in Peeta and Mitch. The pair have been irreparably shaken by their outings and are attempting to get back to what they are. Donald Sutherland has perhaps stolen the show during his time as President Snow and with great relish he has bought this Machiavellian villain to life. A true adversary who is both smarter and unafraid to play dirty, he has proven an obstacle to climb! 

So it is with great regret that we say goodbye to the fine franchise and Mockingjay Part 2 has been a send off that fans should be proud of.

2014: A Year in Review

Another big year for film has come and gone, this year we saw 12 Years A Slave secure Oscar triumph, The Lego Movie remind us how 'Everything is Awesome' and the underwhelming effect of Godzilla returning on the big screen. We also lost two of the most loved figures in film in Philip Seymour Hoffman and Robin Williams, a void which will never truly be filled. Closer to the Edge also moved blog sites, but that is another story. 

So live and direct from Toronto, Ontario I give you my review of 2014!

Top 10 Films of 2014

1. Nightcrawler (USA Dir: Dan Gilroy):
   
   
   Dark, dense and utterly pulsating, debut director Dan Gilroy has created 2014 most original and enticing work. With a mesmerising central turn from Jake Gyllenhaal as Lou, a man drawn deeper into the underworld of freelance crime journalism, this proved to be a shocking yet awe inspiring tale. As each step takes him further across the lines of morality, our viewing takes another shocking turn. One of the dark horse contenders for the awards and rightfully my film of 2014! Read Review

2. Whiplash (USA Dir: Damien Chazelle) 
   
   
   After wowing Sundance and taking the Audience Award, the boundaries of the teacher pushed to the limit in Damien Chazelle's riveting drama. Featuring a star making turn from Miles Teller and a frightening career best from J K Simmons, this film was both heart stopping and psychologically testing for all. As Teller's Andrew strives to be one of the great jazz musicians, the prize will come at the ultimate cost. Read Review

3. Birdman (ESP Dir: Alejandro G Iñárritu)
   
   
   The return of Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu provided one of 2014's most off beat dark comedies. Former caped crusader, Michael Keaton proved a surprise success as a former action star Riggan Thompson, who is floundering his way to attempted stage glory. The knives of the Boardway world are fully sharpened throughout and Iñárritu ignites this fine satire piece. Keaton's half naked spirit through Time Square is laugh guaranteed. Read Review.
   
   
4. Foxcatcher (USA Dir: Bennett Miller)
   
   
   The true story of real life brother wrestlers Mark & Dave Schultz was brought to fruition by Bennett Miller in a slow burning but explosive fashion. Steve Carrell was the stand out in a career high role as their unpredictable and schizophrenic coach John Du Pont. With great support from Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo, the tension rises to unbearable levels. What starts as a beautiful opportunity gradually becomes a nightmare! Read Review.
   
   
5. Boyhood (USA Dir: Richard Linklater)
   
   
   Richard Linklater's 12 year project was well worth the long wait and served as the most naturalistic and most moving experience of this year. A revelatory turn from star Eller Coltrane gave the films its beating heart and we was ably supported by Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette. Linklater undertook a huge gamble, but the time invested has produced the most refined and seasoned movie of his career. Read Review.
6. Nymphomaniac Volume 1 & 2 (DEN/FRA/DEU/BEL Dir Lars Von Trier) 
    
   When Lars Von Trier is in town, expect things to get shocking, Nymphomaniac Vol 1 & 2 was yet another fine example of his polarizing style. With more flesh on display than you would see in a life time of European cinema, the story of sex addict Joe (Charlotte Gainsbourg) was stunning yet nauseating experience. With a bold turn from British actress Stacy Martin, Von Trier has again shown himself to be the master of awkward cinema. Read Review.
   
   
7. Miss Julie (NOR Dir: Liv Ullmann) 
   
   
   Liv Ullmann's first effort behind the camera in 15 years was a sexually charged battle of social classes as Midsummer Eve in 1890 Ireland begins to heat up. Boasting a fascinating central performance from Jessica Chastain as the aforementioned Miss Julie, Ullmann ensured that our hearts were put through the wringer. Big questions of love, desire, status and happiness were firmly asked, but this is one place where reassuring answers are a forgotten dream! Read Review.
   
   
8. Wild (USA/CAN Dir: Jean-Marc Vallée') 
   
   
   The story of Cheryl Strayed's 1100 mile trek of the Pacific Coast Trail was an enthralling tale of redemption by French/Canadian Jean-Marc Vallée'. Reese Witherspoon in a career best role superbly conveys Strayed sense of anguish through the premature loss of her mother (Laura Dern) and her fierce desire to get life back on the rails after falling off due drug addiction and divorce. This was one long walk that had a stiff yet uplifting feel that cannot be beaten. Read Review.
   
   
9. Snowpiercer (KR Dir: Bong Joon-ho) 
   
   
   Boon Jong-ho may have experienced a Harvey Weinstein style nightmare getting his arctic apocalypse drama to the screen, but it was worth the waiting. One of the more unique movies of the year, Joon-ho combines stunning visuals mixed with brutal yet ravishing violence. The gradually building animosity between classes on the big train soon reaches boiling point. When the battle begins, our eyes go wild with shock. Read Review.
   
   
10. Dallas Buyers Club (USA/CAN Dir Jean-Marc Vallée') 
    
    
    The second part of our Vallée' double bill gave us only the resurrection of Matthew McConaughey but one of 2014 most memorable characters. The exploits of AIDS patient Ron Woodroof gave us a real anti-hero who refuses to quit after his life changing diagnosis. His efforts to help people prolong life are ones that bring tears to our eyes. Ron may not be the most pleasant of men, but his heart is in the right place. Read Review.

Best of the Rest

11. The Grand Budapest Hotel 
    
    
    Through some excellent set design and memorable turn from Ralph Fiennes as concierge Gustave M, Wes Anderson brought us one of the most well designed and easy humored pieces of the year. His trademark quirk present as usual, there were also signs of a more mature and refined Anderson breaking through in future. Read Review.
    
    
12. Starred Up (UK Dir: David MacKenzie)
    
    
    Jack O'Connell's hypnotically savage Eric lit up this grim prison drama from director David MacKenzie. One of the best pieces of British cinema this year, MacKenzie succeeds in bringing forth the horrors of British prison life. Watching Eric's hysterically laughter at hurting his first victim is assured to make you squirm. Read Review.
    
    
13. Guardians of the Galaxy (USA Dir: James Gunn) 
    
    
    By far one of Marvel's most fun and original efforts of years gone by, James Gunn helped put the smiles back on fans faces with a fast paced yet hilarious ride. Armed with the best soundtrack of the year and a winning performance by Chris Pratt, the next installment already has us waiting in anticipation. Read Review.
    
    
14. The Wolf of Wall Street (USA Dir: Martin Scorsese) 
    
    
    Few would have predicted that Martin Scorsese could do funny, well his look at the drug fueled life of Wall Street Jordan Belfort proved doubters wrong. It have alienated Academy voters with its overly time and over use of drugs and sex, but with a magnificent performance from old faithful, Leonardo DiCaprio, this ranks as Marty's best 21 century effort!  Read Review.
    
    
15. Blue Ruin (USA: Dir Jeremy Saulnier)
    
    
    Jeremy Saulnier's indie effort may have flown under the radar, but his tale of revenge is an effort destined for cult status. With an impassioned turn from little known actor Macon Blair, Saulnier gave us the perfect everyman to convey his tale. A director to watch in future, this man ensured that anxiety was cranked up the max and the unexpected was forever there. Read Review.

Male Star of the Year: Matthew McConaughey 

Few people would have predicted that Matthew McConaughey would be the main man of 2014! Many have frowned his past romantic comedy efforts and considered him a lost cause. Well an Oscar win later, McConaughey was the one laughing and along with starring in this years best TV in True Detective, he would end the year anchoring Christopher Nolan's heavyweight effort, Interstellar. We are now in the presence of a man who is becoming one of the actors of his generation! Just keep him away from Kate Hudson please.

Female Star of the Year: Julianne Moore 

Through her devastatingly brilliant turns in Maps to the Stars (which won her Best Actress at Cannes) and Still Alice, Julianne Moore has shown how she is one of the most underrated talents today. One more a contender for prizes, Moore has had one of the finest years of her career and still provides an alluring presence on screen (look how she lit up Mockingjay in limited screen time). Fast becoming one of this blogs favourite girl, Julianne is the deserved winner of this category.

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée' Wild/ Dallas Buyers Club) 

Montreal native Vallée' has had his star being on the rise for years since 2005's CRAZY. This year would see his impact on the industry imprinted as he gave us the one/two punch of Wild and Dallas Buyers Club. Sporting a real eye for human emotion, his ability to highlight real people's strives makes for absorbing viewing and we should hopefully see this name on prize lists for years to come. 

Scene of the Year: Jordan Belfort Paralysed on Quaalude's 

Scorsese's ability to do comedy was never better demonstrated than when Jordan Belfort finds out the exact effect of the ancient Quaalude's he has ingested. What starts as a simple phone call quickly descends into something far more shocking and hysterical. Prepare the stitching kit, it will come in handy after seeing this. 

Finally I want to extend a massive thanks to all my readers in over 98 Countries who yearly listen to my rambling about film. Without you guys I am nothing, like Roger Ebert once said "I'll see you at the Movies!" 

Wordplay: Review of Still Alice

Still Alice

Director: Richard Glatzer & Wash Westmoreland

By Alex Watson


You can only imagine what it must be like to have your mind go into stages of decline. Suddenly the person you were begins to fade away and your life becomes a very different experience. After impressing at TIFF 2014 and earning a overwhelmingly positive response, directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland bring us a heartbreaking adaptation of Lisa Genova's novel Still Alice. With Julianne Moore anchoring this effort could be one of the strongest that 2014 has to offer.

Dr Alice Howlett (Julianne Moore) is a world renowned and respected professor of linguistics at Columbia University. She has a happy marriage to John (Alec Baldwin) and three great children. Soon though she finds herself beginning to forget words and through this she suspects something is wrong. Crushingly Alice is diagnosed with early onset of Alzheimer Disease and soon she has contend with her life falling apart. The weight of her disease will test her relationship with her family as well her job!

Still Alice is a simple yet utterly poignant movie from Westmoreland and Glatzner that grabs at our hearts and rips them clean out. The most pulverizing element is how simply things come about and what starts as Alice forgetting to spell words such as Lexicon and gets lost running on her own campus, things soon develop into something far more serious! The moment the life changing news is given to her, it elicits a variety of reactions, John angrily dismisses the diagnosis where as her children Lydia (Kristen Stewart), Anna (Kate Bosworth) and Tom (Hunter Parrish) range from being acutely concerned to nervously staying clear of events.

The later scenes where's her mind begins to deteriorate are one the strike us the most, the most lucid things become an eternal struggle such as her forgetting where the bathroom is supposed to be, her children's names and going from a master at playing 'Words with Friends' to being unable to spell a single thing. Alice is being reduced to a shadow of her former self and gradually words lose all meaning to her, a key scene shows Lydia reading an extract from Angels in America, all Alice can muster is that is 'about love'. The things she loved so dear have become only sounds and feelings.

A variety of extreme close ups from Westmoreland and Glatzer show the pain and affliction that has become Alice's world. In some sense's she is now stuck in a trap that she cannot be released from. The burden on her family gives the film an increasingly strained feel, particularly as John is continually absent which upsets his wife as he is forever not completely listening. But her steadfastness is cause of celebration as Alice still tries to cling to old person she was. At a Alzheimer convention with the aid of a highlighter, she gives one of this years most tear shedding but triumphant speeches!

However there is also a sense of the clocking being run down on Alice's mind and we worry about what the outcome could potentially be. Early on in the movie, Alice makes a video while still her old self that is to give instructions to herself in the future when she 'can no longer answer the questions'. This is supposed to be the last thing she ever sees, but could also be the one thing that she was never supposed to see! Either way it remains as source of discomfort throughout for viewers and we hope in vain it will not be discovered.

The principle strength of Still Alice comes from a stunning central turn from Julianne Moore. 2014 has been one of Moore's strongest years and this role is very much the cherry on top. Playing with devastating effect, she neatly strips away the layers of Alice as her condition worsens and accurately conveys the hurt involved. This role will rank as one of Julianne's career highs and this could well be the part that carries her to award season glory this year. Alec Baldwin also a key anchor for the movie and his gradually increasing avidity to her declining health serves the well but also causes a minor source of stress.

One of the 2014's best independent efforts, Still Alice is a film that is worthy of its critical praise and with the strength of Julianne Moore, it will ensure that audiences will go away feeling a little numb. Best stock up on those Kleenex boxes, they will be compulsory!

The Girl On Fire: Review of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One

Director: Francis Lawrence

By Alex Watson

So now Suzanne Collins' beloved Hunger Games Trilogy novels begins to come full circle. Thus far Katniss Everdeen has proven to be a fearless yet real heroine that the big screen has been calling out for. After the success of the previous installment Catching Fire, director Francis Lawrence again returns for this two part finale. Fans are sure to be kept waiting on tenterhooks as we await the final outcome in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Part One.

After the devastating consequences of Catching Fire, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and her family are now living among rebels in District 13, run by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore). While Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) is being kept prisoner in Panem by villainous President Snow (Donald Sutherland). Eager to seek justice for the tyranny caused, Katniss agrees to be the rebels 'Mockingjay' and the face of the upcoming revolution!

While it is very well acted, stylish and entertaining as normal, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One cannot escape the fact that it just feels like a filler before the big event! Going for the same two part format as Harry Potter, this installment feels more like the business end of the spectrum and the characters we love are not given any potential room to breathe. Set mainly in the District 13 underground, this confined space makes Francis Lawrence's film suffers from a lack of thrills.

Early on there are some memorable moment such as an exciting air raid sequence on an unarmed hospital. More moments like this could have raised the movies game further. There are moments of unexpected comedy such as Plutarch Heavensbee's (Philip Seymour Hoffman) roaring frustration behind the special effect desk during his first attempts at filming Katniss' propaganda clips. But these brief flurries are only blips on the radar and before long the lengthy and talky sequences underground begin to stifle us!

Katniss is still appealing as a character and it is through her that the movies mainly qualities come to light. Forced to play the role of reluctant idol, her trips above ground provide a real eye opener for her. As she witnesses the ruins of her old district, we are shown what is essentially a mass bone yard of bodies! Her pain and anguish are potent here and she continually witnesses the violent injustice of Snow's empire, we feel every ounce of her venom pouring into the speeches she is forced to film! 

Jennifer Lawrence has been the main credit for the appeal of Katniss and once again she delivers in Mockingjay Part One. Demonstrating her great human touch along with her tough rebellious streak, Lawrence is the driving force once more and you can see exactly why her character appeals to rebels she is sworn to protect. One of the finest actresses on the planet currently, it is unbelievable to think that she isn't yet at the peak of her powers!

Philip Seymour Hoffman reminds us what a great talent he was before his tragic death earlier this year (the film is dedicated to his memory). Julianne Moore makes a decent but not unmissable presence as Alma Coin and seems to spend the majority of her time making grand speech. Donald Sutherland in only a few scenes still makes for an icy and bold villain as President Snow and his casting has proven inspired.

While Part Two might be the cherry on top of the flaming cake, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One just isn't satisfying in the way that we would hope. It will leave die hard fans counting the days until the true finale appears, but to others it will just seem like a disappointing starter to a more meatier main course. 

Dark Side of Fame: Review of Maps to the Stars

Maps to the Stars

Director: David Cronenberg

By Alex Watson

The more recent career of David Cronenberg has been a real departure from his old 1980's insanity and of late, he has focused more towards the focusing on the problems of real people. But the results have not wavered in quality and films such as Eastern Promises and A History of Violence have shown a more honest yet brutally violence side of Toronto's finest. After a mixed reception at the Cannes Film Festival, he brings us his vision of a dark Hollywood in Maps to the Stars.

Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore) is a fading Hollywood starlet who is currently clinging to one final chance of fame by hoping to be cast in a remake of the famous 1960's movie that starred her mother. In the process of reclaiming herself, she hires the mysterious and burn scarred Agatha (Mia Wasikowska) a girl recently arrived in LA with a dark past as her PA. Agatha happens to be the daughter of noted psychotherapist Stafford Weiss (John Cusack) whose family is fighting the drug addiction problems of their 13 year old child star son Benjie (Evan Bird).

Maps to the Stars is an intriguing look by Cronenberg at the shallowness and greed of the Hollywood dream, but sadly it is a dense and rather incomplete one. The original script by Bruce Gadon seems slightly uncertain about where it really wishes to go and we are left with a rather messy criss-cross of story lines. Through the hauntingly shot cinematography of Peter Suschitzky, the movie is given a disturbing aura that makes this dream look like a nightmare vision, but luckily the movie has enough black humour and savage quips about the industry to be an enjoyable enough ride.

Central to the story is fame-obsessed Havana, who is plagued by belittling visions of her famous but sexually abusive actress mother. Here we have a woman who is still clinging her every aging beauty and is convinced that her ticket to fame is a vehicle that once carried her mother. Her age is a constant worry throughout Cronenberg's movie as she knows the roles will soon dry up as the clock ticks over. Havana is a creation that is a great example of tragic self obsession that is very real and painfully honest. Her furious reaction to one piece of casting news is truly frightening as we feel the bitterness flowing out of her like a hose on full blast!

It could be argued that the movie's true shake up is one that arrives in the first frame in Agatha. Arriving from Florida with her arms covered in long black gloves, this lady quickly attaches herself into the main characters lives, including wannabe actor/ limo driver Jerome (Robert Pattinson). She at first relishes the prospect of being Havana's PA but soon begins to learn that this one job that comes with a heavy weight. Throughout Maps to the Stars, Agatha is verbally bashed by the acid tongued actress to almost nasty extremes. Her relationship to her family though, is one that isn't fully explored and the movie loses some needed tension from this.

We are made aware of a tragic incident involving a fire when Agatha was younger that resulted in Stafford ensuring that she was put away. A brooding sense of hate and conflict is conspicuously absent from the story and gives this tale a rather dimensionless feel to it. The side story of mega star son Benjie who is a recovering drug addict has legs, especially as the spoiled punk's multi million grossing film allows him to throw insults at his suffering agent such as 'Jew Faggot' but feels more like a filler than a meaty chunk for the story to devour. The finale doesn't deliver a conclusion that satisfies all tastes and to many, this will most likely leave you feeling slightly baffled at its meaning.

Winner of the Best Actress at Cannes, Julianne Moore gives a tour de force performance as Havana and this could well prove to be the best of her career. Far from being more graceful with age, Moore magnificently portrays and wild and unpredictable monster whose engrossed yet self aware persona is gradually chipping away her chances for success. Mia Wasikowska is also equally impressive as the chatty yet enigmatic Agatha and effortlessly she holds our attention and at times sympathies as she becomes increasingly put upon by her new employer.

The males of the film are treated less fairly as John Cusack and Robert Pattinson are wasted in one note roles that are given little to draw us to them. Evan Bird scores highly though and his excellent portrayal the archetypical hollywood brat marks him out as a real talent to watch in future.

Maps to the Stars may not have been the accomplished picture that many had hoped for, but it does continue Cronenberg's fine run of modern day form.  This further demonstrates what a proficient film maker the Canadian has become in his 45 year career. Hollywood has never looked so horrifying!

Five TIFF Movies to Get Excited About

From September 4th -14th, the Toronto Film Festival will be upon us in the province of Ontario and I am looking forward to my time volunteering at this prestigious festival no matter capacity that may be! With stars such as Denzel Washington, Julianne Moore, Tom Hardy, Mark Ruffalo and Benedict Cumberbatch paying us a visit it is hard not to get excited. Here are five movies that I will definitely seeking tickets to,

Foxcatcher (Dir: Bennett Miller)

Winner of the Best Director award at this year's Cannes Film Festival, Moneyball director Bennett returns with what could prove to be one of this years most absorbing movies. Based on the real story of Olympic wrestlers John Schultz (Channing Tatum) and his Gold Medalist brother Dave (Mark Ruffalo) and their troubled relationship with schizophrenic coach John Du Pont (Steve Carrell). With an excellent cast (including a break out turn from Carrell) and a superb director this promises big things come awards time!

Maps to the Stars (Dir: David Cronenberg)

One of Toronto's most loved names returns with a movie that is currently making waves and has been selected to be one of the festivals closing night films. With a star turn from Julianne Moore as an egocentric actress living on the edge of insanity,  along with Mia Wasikowska and John Cusack protraying a father and daughter with a troubling past- from the rave reviews it received at Cannes, this could well be another feather in Cronenberg's already established modern day cap!

Men, Women and Children (Dir: Jason Reitman)

One of the more low key arrivals the festival, but after its trailer has finally arrived it has firmly grasped our attention. The story is surrounded in mystery, but from its impressive ensemble cast including Emma Thompson, Jennifer Garner, Dennis Haysbert, Ansel Elgort and errm... Adam Sandler! Jason Reitman's movie could be an engaging look at the dark secrets that people we know hold inside and the potential dangers of using the internet! Reitman's track record has been spotless so far and this movie seems certain to continue that tradition!

Wild (Dir: Jean-Marc Vallee)

Dallas Buyers Club director, Jean-Marc Vallee, makes a welcome return to the festival circuit with another hard hitting drama that focuses on addiction and the 1100 Pacific Crest Trail hike of Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon). Montreal native, Vallee has proven able to find heroes the most unlikely of places and with its redemptive theme and what appears to be a career best turn from Witherspoon, this could be one of the underdog bets come awards time!

Mr Turner (Dir: Mike Leigh)

Mike Leigh always to come up trumps when it comes to awards season and he has now succeeded in grabbing the publics attention once more with Mr Turner. Based on the life of celebrated British painter JMW Turner (Timothy Spall), whose eccentric methods helped change the way we view art forever, Leigh seems to have found a story in which construct a compelling and emotionally charged story. With a Best Actor winning turn at Cannes from Timothy Spall, this piece has rightfully earned it's Special Presentation Gala slot at TIFF!