Thursday 20 March 2014

Captain America: The Winter Soldier: Cracking, in more ways than one.

You know all those weapons, all those bits of tech they've had lying around in the Marvel films? Well finally someone had the idea of making a film where they just start using all that stuff - and thank goodness for that, because Cap 2 is a cracking action thriller with more bullets than The A-Team and the best use of a minigun since Predator.

First point to make - the trailers haven't spoiled this for you. There's a lot more to the film than the stuff you've seen so far, which makes a nice change. A ton of twists, character reveals, and action moments that are all the better for not expecting them is really refreshing. Top marks to whoever has made the call to hold stuff back, and even twist the trailer stories, you'll be pleasantly surprised in quite a few ways.

Story-wise, it's best not to say too much, other than it's post-Avengers, Steve Rogers trying to find a place as a hero in a world that is far from noble. Before you know it, he's on the run, the most wanted man in America, trying to get to the heart of a pretty massive conspiracy. That's all I'll tell you, because it's a lot more fun finding out - trust me.

Chris Evans has moved Cap on nicely, from the boy-scout turned hero, to the real 'man out of time' who doesn't quite know his place in the world. Even better than that, is a terrific supporting cast. We finally get the Black Widow we've wanted, complex and fully-fleshed out, as well as rock hard. You get the best use of Nick Fury, as a character and an action hero. And Anthony Mackie's Falcon is a really smart and likeable addition. Plus there's a load of extra Marvel characters - some old, some new - nicely weaved into the story.

The Winter Soldier himself is a great villain, an actual proper menace, and something of an unstoppable force. He's so good you wish they gave him a bit more to do, but what you do get is bone cracking, grenade launching, knife twirling menace - it's the most brutal feeling Marvel film so far, and all the better for it.

In fact, it probably has the best action sequences of any of the films so far, trumping even The Avengers for sheer spectacle at times. Frantic car chases, billions of bullets, hard-as-nails fight scenes, this is Captain America grown-up, and seriously cheesed off with the world he finds himself in.

OK, there are a few downsides -  it stops early on for a good 20 minutes of set-up, and despite being around the 2hr20m mark, the final showdown feels a little too soon. But when the action is this good, those are minor points. No, it's not as funny as recent efforts like Thor 2 or Iron Man 3, but when it does funny it really hits the spot (I'll say no more than this - gravestone inscription) and doesn't feel crowbarred.

In short - a real cracker,  a thrilling film that takes the world of The Avengers into very different places than before, and absolutely leaves you wanting more. Good work chaps, roll on Guardians of the Galaxy...

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Who's the daddy?

Are you actually reading this?” I ask.
“I’m more surprised you’ve actually written something.” I hear you reply.
Blimey. I’m constructing my own arguments now.
My poor old blog has been sitting here unloved since the middle of last year. That’s been for a few good reasons.
Firstly, I’ll admit, the last piece I wrote about my sadly departed friend Andy felt like a good place to leave the blog for a while. He was a tremendous chap, and coming to the blog every time and seeing him there felt right. Recently, though, I know he would have told me to just get on with it and start writing some more nonsense, ‘Carpe Diem’ he’d have probably said – only with the accent of a Chuckle Brother/Sean Bean.
The other reason I haven’t been writing, is the fact I became a dad.
It’s not a question of not having enough time, we’re very lucky in the fact that Callie sleeps quite a lot (maybe she’s been reading my work), and it’s not about a lack of topics…it’s just that every time I come to write something I find myself almost overawed by how fortunate and blessed I feel to have a daughter - that I can’t begin to write properly. Honestly, I didn’t make that up.
I’m also acutely aware that banging on about babies can be horribly dull for people who (a) don’t have kids or (b) have had kids, and know this stuff already. So I’m not going to bang on about it, save for two things. Firstly, the question I keep getting asked which is “How does an idiot like you possibly know how to be a father?” Good question, thanks. Well, the best way of describing it is like playing an old text based computer game. You get a scenario and you try what you can, and it eventually works. Therefore, Sunday night would have been something like this:
Baby is crying. What do you want to do?
>FEED BABY
You feed baby. Baby is still crying
>CUDDLE BABY
You cuddle baby. Baby cries some more
>PUT BABY IN COT AND SING ‘GAY BAR’ BY ELECTRIC SIX

You sing. Baby giggles for 10 minutes and then falls asleep.
>GO DOWNSTAIRS AND HAVE A LAGER.

The second thing I wanted to bang on about is this: Callie has the most wonderful mother. 

I try not to blog too much about the missus (she normally gets suspicious, thinks I've been up to something, which I'm not, really) but she deserves this. You’ve probably seen lots of photos of Callie smiling on Facebook. That’s because of her mum. Those who’ve met Callie have told us what a lovely personality she has. That’s because of mum. And I know it doesn’t come easy. The preparation, the long days, the sheer amount of cuddly Disney toys that you have to find space for – she does it brilliantly and I'm so grateful for it. If my blog can do anything, it's celebrate the wonderful people in my life.

Happy 8 months birthday Callie and happy 8 months being a wonderful mum, Lisa.