InMyHonestOpinion

Avengers Age of Ultron opens with the Avengers team; Captain America, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, Black Widow and Hawkeye all fighting their enemy Hydra in a country known as Sokovia. Hydra have been using a Loki's staff from Thor's home world Asgard to help aid in creating the ultimate weapon. The Avengers smash Hydra's plan and take back the staff. (This is all before the actual credits). Back in Stark's lab Tony and Bruce discover a curiosity within the staff. Tony has ideas of how it can be used and goes about reprogramming the mechanics. The plan backfires, suddenly The Avengers find themselves in a race to save not only themselves but the entire planet from being completely obliterated. ​ Written and Directed by Joss Whedon after the success of the first film I think I wasn't the only person expecting big things from the man, it seems as though he has attempted to please everyone possible with this film, there is so many "Easter Eggs" throughout it's very hard not to feel overwhelmed by it all. One thing he has done very well though this time around is the screen time given to each Avenger, I can recall in the first film Hawkeye especially wasn't given much time at all and almost seemed an extra, Joss has definitely made up, including back story and an even bigger surprise when it comes to Hawkeye and who he is when not firing arrows from an endless quiver, as with Thor who has suddenly become a bit of a comedian making him appear a lot less Godlike which I personally think is a great thing. And Hulk has been totally humanised by being given a romance as well as become very emotional and not just as Bruce Banner. I loved what Joss created with the characters this time around and feel it is all definitely beneficial to the franchise and everything that will come after and has come before. My absolute favourite thing though was the introduction of a very special character from the Marvel Universe, when that moment happened on screen my heart suddenly got a lot faster and my body tingled with total and utter joy. Unfortunately though what was done with that character was woeful and so pointless, I would have personally preferred they saved the unveiling for another film or franchise completely and made it all worthwhile and exciting rather than letting the unveiling be so unfulfilling and wasted. ​ Once again the CGI like in a lot of film recently let me down, especially the opening battle scenes, the entire thing was a CGI mess,it looked fake and unrealistic, the way the characters moved turned my entire expectation on its head very early as I was absolutely disgusted with how fake it all looked, however once the opening credits rolled through the CGI suddenly picked up again and things became a little less messy. My other little gripe would be how much was stuffed into the film, new character should be exciting and rewarding but within this film they felt flat and unengaging. Joss put so much energy into creating his heroes by humanising them but left his villains and other new characters quite lifeless, I just didn't care for them at all, sure there was the sad story of childhood but that was it, it needed more, perhaps a flash back or something, as for Ultron, again I found him completely worthless and so unnecessary his plot to destroy the world was childish it needed a lot more depth to it, we as viewers need to understand why, especially when it comes to "the villains" why are they the way they are and why do they want to do the evil they conceive,what makes them turn from being you and I to a super-villain? Just being told isn't enough I want more, more story, more depth, more plot to make it at least somewhat engaging and enthralling. ​ So does the Avengers Age of Ultron meet up to the same standard of its predecessor I honestly can't say yet, believe it or not it's been a week since I saw the film and it is still playing on my mind, I find myself in conversations about the film constantly just trying to find where it sits for me. There is a lot of clever lines and hidden gems it is definitely worth seeing; although I saw it in 2D I have been told that in 3D the CGI isn't as apparent so nowhere near as nasty. It should be noted; Being a PG film it's absolutely for the entire family I just think some scenes that are a little slower where Joss humanises everyone may get a little dull for those younger in age. I have left a lot out of this review to not give away spoilers but there is so much more to see I would absolutely recommend seeing this on the big screen rather than waiting for DVD release. Besides not seeing in the cinema means you'll miss out on the biggest Egg of all during the final credits, and that's not one you want to miss!!!

They say one of the things you should never talk about if you want to keep friends is Politics or Religion, when it comes to Religion we all have our own theories, our own beliefs, make our own decisions but one thing they all have in common is death, perhaps it's afterlife is entirely different but all in all the practice of all religion when we die a small part of us leaves the body and moves to another realm. So what happens when one director decides to make a horror style film of the Christian Religion and its Apocalypse? The film begins at the wedding of Skylar and Dan, all is going well, when suddenly a loud trumpet sounds and more than half the room fall to the floor, Skylar's parents being part of the recently raptured. Outside trumpets blow and the world falls, Demon's fill the skies as fire rains down. The Rapture has begun as has the seven years of Tribulation that comes with it. Skylar her new husband and a few friends leave the wedding party and make their way to a church where they hope to find a friend who ran off earlier. Along the way the group is attacked and one seriously injured once they get to the church they find a large group who have also come seeking shelter including a Pastor who has his own theories on what is happening outside in the world. Now they just need to find a way to survive. I'll be honest when I saw the trailer for this film I thought it looked pretty fantastic, I've always been a fan of God v's Devil, Good V's Evil style films so I expected something pretty big from this one. The first thing that you will notice is that the entire film is shot on hand held camera and is usually POV (point of view) think the same style as "Cloverfield". Then you'll notice how preachy the film is, It's pretty obvious the film wants you to think about your own life and where you'll be should the Rapture take place, but luckily it also has a little more going for it as well, there is some great horror scenes and moments for a film shot with such a cheap budget but I don't think they make up for all the soul searching the film makers expect you to do. The other thing though is that the film is actually quite confusing in the end the only conclusion you can come to is "you're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't!" I have no idea what the final message of the film is, in fact I watched it twice to be sure I didn't miss anything, and still came to the same conclusion. The horror elements of the film are quite good, there are some great death scenes and if you can look beyond the hand held camera I'm sure if you're a horror fan you'll enjoy what they have done on such a budget. Written and Directed by Casey La Scala (Grind) if the film had a bigger budget a lot more could have been accomplished. Starring Alexa PenaVega (Spy Kids, Nashville) as Skylar, Bryan Dechart (Step Up 3D, Awakenings) as Dan, Johnny Pacar (Wild Child, Hot Mess) as Tommy, Shaun Sipos (Melrose Place, Vampire Diaries) as Jack, Italia Ricci (Chasing Life, Unnatural History) as Allison, John Pyper-Ferguson (Drive, X-Men) as Pastor Shaye. There is no one that stands out here, the acting is stock standard nothing exceptional from anyone really. The fear of death, the love of life and what lies after is what you'll get here throw in a lot of Christianity and their beliefs, this is definitely not a film for everyone, when you watch this you will have to have an open mind, if you fall into the trap of thinking you're being preached at then you'll hate what you're viewing but if you see the film for what it is you'll most likely come out on top. Then again your life won't stop if you don't see this either, I don't believe it's a film you'll be discussing with workmates or around the dinner table either and I don't believe you'll have an epiphany either, although if you do find yourself standing outside the closest train station wearing a sandwich board with bold letters stating the Angels are coming and screaming about the world ending…. Don't blame me!

You know how sometimes something can be so ridiculously stupid you can't help but laugh? You know, you go to your family event and you have your crazy uncle attempting to be funny by retelling stories of his youth with an attempted comical twist, usually he'll make himself some kind of ladies' man who has all the moves and tricks but in reality he's just a tool! Or even better example will be the best man's speech at the wedding of his buddy who he's known since primary school, retelling all the greatest adventures doing his best to make everyone in the room laugh but usually the only applause is guests and alike holding their heads in shame. Well when you see Hot Tub Time Machine 2 be ready for those exact moments. The film starts back in the present with the changes that the guys had made in the previous film quite evident, Nick is a famous pop star with great hits like "Stay (I missed you)" where Lisa Lobe is now a cat wrangler, Lou has invented and gotten rich and famous with "Lougle" the number one internet company in the world (think google) and Jacob is bitter and hates his old man for treating him like a butler whenever people are around. Lou holds a big party but during the party Lou is shot in the penis, the guys jump back into the hot tub with the intention of going back to before the party to stop the attempted murderer but instead end up 10 years in the future where things are very different. This film is so stupid you can't help but laugh at its ridiculousness, there is all the usual dick jokes associated with these types of film but then there are some actual very funny scenes too, especially with the banter that goes on between the three main characters. In all seriousness though this film has nothing new or exciting to add your viewing pleasure as soon as the credits begin to roll you've already forgotten it and moved on. Hot Tub Time Machine brings back everyone from the first film with John Cusack taking a cameo more than a main role directed by Steve Pink (Hot tub time machine, Accepted) he doesn't bring anything new, just the same tired jokes, homophobic rants, sexist attitudes that you usually get with these more than outdated attempted comedies. Starring; Rob Corddry (Sex tape, Warm Bodies) as Lou Dorchen, Craig Robinson (This Is The End, Pineapple Express) as Nick Webber, Clark Duke (Greek, The Office) as Jacob Yates Dorchen, Adam Scott (Parks and Recreation, Step Brothers) as Adam Yates Jr, and Chevy Chase (Community, National Lampoon's) as Hot Tub Repairman. It's not an A list acting cast that's for sure but the guys do well and you get the impression that for some of them they aren't even pretending to be their character that they are just being themselves, perhaps that's just really good acting on their part I'm not sure. Who I would like to see more of though is Clark Duke, I thought he was particularly good and I'm keen to see what else he has done and how far he will go. There is nothing special about the filming, the score, the soundtrack it's all very plain and ordinary and been done before especially the drug induced scene that Adam goes through half way through the film, Pink could have done something different but instead it appears he is a lazy film maker and has nothing original to add to the cinematic world. Hot Tub Time Machine 2 is a film to watch if you really have nothing else to watch or you are stoned off your tits and want to watch something slightly more amusing than kids falling over vids on YouTube. Not one for the kids really as there is a lot of adult humour and language. You don't really need to have seen the first film as nothing is really missing although for those that need to know, the same guys including John Cusack go back in time and change things for the better for them… the end.