anthony-zappia Reviews

The Imitation Game (2014)

Great story...shame about the historical inaccuracies

[8/10 · 3 January 2015]

A fascinating story of the man who is seen as the father of Computer Science and through his efforts, is widely regarded as having helped the Allies shorten the war. The role of Alan Turing is brilliantly played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Not to be outdone I thought was Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke, and Mark Strong as Menzies, head of MI6. I note that there are a number of historical inaccuracies regarding a number of the characters (including Turing). When you consider that the films is based on a book(Alan Turing: the Enigma)why is it that screenplay writers and directors can't stick to the facts? Having said that, I thought the film gave a very good sense of what was at stake in the British project to crack Enigma.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Enjoyable but this should have been two films not a trilogy

[8/10 · 1 January 2015]

I believe as many others have commented that the Hobbit could have been made into 2 films rather than three. Not really sure why Jackson and the other writers wanted to use a whole film to depict one battle. It would be like making the Battle of the Pelennor fields (Lord of the Rings) into an entire film in its own right. Having said that I really enjoyed the film. The battle scenes are quite intense and well done. The sets and creatures are brilliant. In particular the Smaug scenes at the start were particularly good and Richard Armitage's depiction of Thorin Oakenshield is brilliant. Top marks to Luke Evans also for his portrayal of Bard.

V for Vendetta (2005)

A film (very much) for our times

[10/10 · 30 December 2014]

This is probably one of the more important films of our time. It's both a warning to us of things to come, but also a subtle indicator of forces already at play in our society: the surveillance state and the use of 'false flag' operations, PR and media manipulation by governments and ruthless political leaders to achieve their ends; in short the total corruption of our democratic processes. It's also a story of retribution (hence the title) and without this personal element, the story would have been like any other dystopian action story. The action scenes are great, but for me it's the story and the ending is just brilliant. I can watch this film again and again. Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman get the thumbs up from me for their roles, but John Hurt is also brilliant in his role as the high chancellor Adam Sutler.

Hercules (I) (2014)

A real surprise

[8/10 · 30 December 2014]

This film was a real surprise to me. I was expecting something that was a cross between Kevin Sorbo's TV show and Wrath of the Titans. But the producers chose a completely different direction for this re-telling. Aside from the shorts at the beginning we see no monsters. Nor do we see beautiful gods and goddesses. Hercules' greatest enemy in this story is the very real (and human) threat of betrayal and treachery. And rather than a one man- show, we see Hercules aided by a band of loyal friends who are every bit as skilled as the demigod. The film raises the question what is more important: what others believe of you or what you believe about yourself? The film has a bevy of great actors including John Hurt, Ian McShane and Rufus Sewell and I think Dwayne Johnson is perfect for the main role.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)

A wonderful interpretation of the classic.

[9/10 · 29 December 2012]

I never thought anyone could turn a book like The Hobbit into 3 movies, but Peter Jackson has in his interpretation of Tolkien's classic. People expecting a replica of the book will be disappointed. There is much embellishment in the story, but I think it's appropriate and well done. For example, in the film, you get a short history of the Thorin's people - how they lost Erebor, their kingdom and their struggle with the Orcs and Goblins. You get a strong sense of this theme running in this film; of these people, these dwarfs being like refugees - people without a home, driven from their homes by war, who will go to great costs to regain what they've lost (is this Peter Jackson's commentary on the world refugee crisis?). The sets, costumes and make-up are great. And Howard Shore's movie score is as usual fantastic. Looking forward to the next instalments, but gosh we must wait so long to see the entire thing.