Kingsman: The Secret Service

Over spring break, I watched Kingsman: The Secret Service in theaters with a few friends. Overall, I thought it was an interesting take on the spy genre that delivered a lot of great action sequences along with a not-so-terrible plot. While Kingsman may have been overshadowed by Oscar nominees this year, it delivers enough fun to make it worth the price of admission.

The movie centers around Gary "Eggsy" Unwin (Taron Egerton), a rebellious teen who gets roped into the secret society known as the Kingsman. Throughout the film, Eggsy is mentored by Harry Hart (Colin Firth), a skilled assassin and saboteur who is in debt to Eggsy's deceased father. Eggsy needs to overcome challenges and outlast the other contestants as he tries to become a official member of the Kingsman. Meanwhile, Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), a tech savvy billionaire leaves a trail of bloodshed and bodies as he leads up to his greatest, and most cynical, invention to date and it's up to Eggsy and Harry to thwart his malicious plans.

Going into the film, I really didn't have high expectations. Once the characters and plot were established, I thought it would be pretty predictable for the most part. However, there were a lot of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Deaths of major characters and complete 180s in the plot were a few of the things that kept me excited.

Although at first glance the movie might seem family friendly, it has a R rating and it has rightfully earned it. The action scenes are brutal to say the least. With decapitations, loss of limbs, and more blood than a slaughter house, this movie is definitely not for those with weak stomachs. Overall, this film had a lot more than I was expecting. While I may not recommend it as the greatest spy film, it is a film you can have a lot of fun while watching.

Kingsman

Among the couple other wildly popular Valentine's Day releases was Kingsman: The Secret Service. The film is set in England, and focuses around the unrefined, but promising Gary "Eggsy" Unwin. He is recruited by a secret-spy organization, into their agency's ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat is emerging.

When I saw the trailer initially, I was intrigued, but my opinion quickly changed after I saw the film. From what I had gotten out of the trailer, I assumed that it was going to be a good old-fashioned spy movie, with a similar plot line to that of any of the Bond or Bourne films. I started out with the potential to be like those films, but quickly turned into something more similar to a Seth Rogan comedy. Not a bad thing, but not my first choice when it comes to film types.

Overall, I would probably give it a 3/10. It had a few good one liners, but the comedy was subpar and the action and fight scenes had a cartoonish aspect to them. Regardless of my opinion, check out the trailer and make your own decision. This may be something you enjoy.

Love Actually

Every year one of my family's Thanksgiving traditions, besides watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is to watch Christmas movies. We love to watch Home Alone, Home Alone 2, Jingle All the Way, Miracle on 34th Street, It's a Wonderful Life, several versions of A Christmas Carol, etc. However, one of my favorite holiday movies that I love to watch, but only when I am amongst friends, would be Love Actually.

Love Actually (2003) is a British romantic comedy that follows several characters' friends and family as they find love during the holiday season. Granted I am not one to like rom-coms, but this one I can sit through and watch multiple times in a row most likely because it has such a fantastic star-studded cast. Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Colin Firth, Keira Knightly, Alan Rickman, Rowan Atkinson, and Martin Freeman are only a few of the actors involved in this well-executed and delightful British love story. Some of the characters have office romances, one couple breaks through a language barrier, and another couple even met for the first time on the set of a movie as sex stunt doubles. Although the movie mostly focuses on couples, some characters just find the love of their family and friends that help them carry on. This movie goes to show that "love, actually, is all around us."
Besides the story and the cast, the music is another significant aspect of the film that I enjoy and cherish. The movie begins with a British has-been pop star that still has one hit left within him. Although using the same melody from one of his past hit songs, he only has to replace the word 'Love' with the word 'Christmas' and he's got a new hit. This song, although quite a bit of a joke, is used throughout the film and can be heard on the other character's radios or on their 'tele.' Another song that is particularly memorable in this movie is 'Bye Bye Baby' sung by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. The song begins to play when Liam Neeson's character says goodbye to his late wife, the love of his life, at her funeral, and then the song carries over into the next scene where Keira Knightly's character has just been happily married and the couple is sharing their first dance. The duality of this song is beautiful. There are other moments in the film that are accentuated through the use of music as well, but I don't wish to give anymore away.
I highly recommend this British comedy for the holiday season.

Lighting in The Kings Speech

Although I am a TV-R major and know I want to do TV in the future, I've always loved film...especially the watching movies part. As all film lovers know, award season is upon us and you know what that means? It's cram time! Time to watch all the best picture nominees before the big show, the Academy Awards, on February 27th! Last weekend I went to Cinemapolis and saw 'The Kings Speech.' This is the fourth of the nominated films I have viewed and definitely one of my favorites. The muted lighting of this film greatly enhances the mood that the director, Tom Hooper was trying to convey. During the tense moments when Colin Firth's character is faced with both internal and external conflict, the lighting had a greater contrast between light and dark. Overall the lighting had a great impact on the mood and further the audience's reaction to the story.