Tag Archives: Matthew Vaughn

Action, Adventure, Comedy, No Spoiler Reviews

KINGSMAN – THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (2017): The Thing I Liked…

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Kingsman - The Golden Circle (2017), Taron Egerton, Mark Strong
Kingsman – The Golden Circle (2017), Taron Egerton, Mark Strong

This is  probably unsurprising since Kingsman – The Golden Circle is a sequel but I did not enjoy this movie as much as the original. In director Matthew Vaughn’s sequel, the Kingsman head offices are blown up and the kingsmen must team up with an allied spy organisation in the US.

Not that Kingsman – The Secret Service (2014) was super realistic, but something about this follow-up felt quite ridiculous. Starting with the opening scene; somehow it just didn’t feel as thrilling as I’d ordinarily expect.

Part of the problem is that I found myself immediately disappointed with the story’s choice of villain, the one we meet in the first few minutes. There’s also the fact that everything happened so suddenly, and so quickly, whereas I somehow wanted or perhaps expected to be eased into the action, as odd as that may sound.

This movie has one or two fight sequences that hearkened back to the first film. These scenes played a little too ‘the same’, for my liking. In this way they reminded me of part of the reason why Quantum Of Solace (2008) was such a terrible follow-up to the brilliant Casino Royale (2006). It tried too hard to almost repeat so much of what worked so very well in the first movie.

As for the matter of the main villain of vaughn’s movie, let’s just say that I have officially found a Julianne Moore performance I do not like. In the role of the villain, I did not fully buy into her evil, which begs the question, is her face simply far too angelic for the kind of moral turpitude required? Maybe. What I know for sure is that I didn’t see it in her eyes or feel it through her words and I needed to.

Luckily, there is some good news here; namely the beautifully executed ‘singing scene’ towards the end. I was moved. Overall though, my favourite scene in this film has to be the ‘infiltration’ of Poppy’s compound. That’s the moment I saw a fight scene that truly felt as though it belonged to Kingsman – The Golden Circle. Rather than something borrowed from Kingsman – The Secret Service and as a result, proved tedious.

Watch it if you’re very curious.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Action, Adventure, Comedy

KINGSMAN – THE GOLDEN CIRCLE (2017): New Trailer From Taron Egerton, Channing Tatum, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore…

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Kingsman - The Golden Circle (2017), Taron Egerton
Kingsman – The Golden Circle (2017), Taron Egerton

In Kingsman – The Golden Circle, the Kingsman headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage.

Upon discovering an allied spy organisation in the US. The two elite secret organisations must work together to defeat a common enemy.

Before the first Kingsman movie, Kingsman – The Secret Service, I mostly knew the film’s director, Matthew Vaughn, as an excellent producer to one of my favourite British directors, Guy Ritchie. But look at him now! I can’t wait to see what appears to be yet another very welcome and thrilling festival of style, action and adventure.

I don’t actually recall how things were left with Sofia Boutella’s very cool ‘Gazelle’ character in the first movie, but my hope is that this new instalment will be so good that I barely miss her, if at all.

Kingsman – The Golden Circle Release Dates: September 22nd, 2017 (US); September 29th, 2017 (UK)…

Happy Film Loving,

G

Action, Adventure, Comedy, No Spoiler Reviews

KINGSMAN – THE SECRET SERVICE (2014): Everything I Wanted To See

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Kingsman - The Secret Service (2014), Taron Egerton, Colin Firth
Kingsman – The Secret Service (2014), Taron Egerton, Colin Firth

‘What a very pleasant surprise!’

The above is my thoughts and feelings during and after watching action/adventure/comedy, Kingsman – The Secret Service.

Of course, I should have had way more faith – if only because the film is directed by Matthew Vaughn, part of the great team that brought us Snatch (2000) and Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1998).

Starring Colin Firth, Sofia Boutella, Samuel L Jackson, Mark Strong, Michael Caine and Taron Egerton; Kingsman – The Secret Service or Kingsman for short is a great movie.

Kingsman - The Secret Service (2014), Sofia Boutella
Kingsman – The Secret Service (2014), Sofia Boutella

A story of adventure, fun characters, action, well-choreographed fight sequences and some good old British gentlemanly charm.

Kingsman is also very stylish and I definitely don’t just mean the suits. There are one or two things that you’ll see coming, story-wise but even more so, the spectacle will surprise you and exceed your expectations.

All that remains for me is to patiently wait for the next instalment.

Hurry and see it, if you haven’t already. Hurry!

Happy Film Loving,

G

Action, Adventure, Comedy

KINGSMAN – THE SECRET SERVICE (2014): Now I’ll Definitely See It…

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Kingsman, The Secret Service (2014), Colin Firth, Taron Egerton
Kingsman, The Secret Service (2014), Colin Firth, Taron Egerton

Read my spoiler-free movie review of Kingsman – The Secret Service (2014).

I was only mildly intrigued before, but the great new Super Bowl trailer for director Matthew Vaughn’s Kingman – The Secret Service has convinced me to watch the film. 

It does help that Kingsman is written by Jane Goldman, whose other writing credits include Kick-Ass (2010) and X-Men First Class (2011).

As excited as I am, so far, there’s just  one thing that doesn’t sit well with me about this trailer – and that is the claim by Alex Zane of the UK’s Sun newspaper, that Kingman – The Secret Service  is ‘More Badass Than Bond.’

It’s incredibly hard for me to believe that there’s any other British spy movie more badass than Daniel Craig’s James Bond. Impossible, quite frankly. I shan’t entertain such an assertion. But I will watch this film, because it looks fantastic.

Happy Film Loving,

G

Comedy, Crime, No Spoiler Reviews

SNATCH (2000): More Of The Witty, Fast & Clever…

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Brad Pitt isn’t the only big-name star in Snatch (2000), Guy Ritchie’s follow-up to Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels (1998). Benicio Del Toro and Dennis Farina make two more very welcome stateside additions.

Snatch (2000), Brad Pitt, Jason Flemyng
Snatch (2000), Brad Pitt, Jason Flemyng

Snatch is a fun British gangster film with fast, witty dialogue delivered by engaging characters. To reference just three, a ‘dodgy Russian’, a loud Jewish American and a bunch of well organised Irish Gypsies. You can certainly expect plenty including clever antics, a few not so clever but very entertaining antics and some ‘healthy’ double crossing for good measure.

I’ve heard some criticise Snatch and Lock Stock for being ‘all surface and no substance‘. That may be true to a degree, but sometimes surface is exactly what you need for your movie fix. What I can pretty much promise you about Snatch is this, you won’t feel anywhere near as cheated as you probably did after watching the last two instalments of the Hangover (2009) trilogy. Believe me!

Snatch (2000), Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Stephen Graham
Snatch (2000), Jason Statham, Brad Pitt, Stephen Graham

Watch Snatch if only to see Brad Pitt’s interpretation of a version of the Irish accent, and Benicio Del Toro being brilliant and as effortlessly cool as always.

Did I already say that the last 20 minutes is super? No? Well, ‘The last 20 minutes are super‘.

Happy Film Loving, of the ‘surface and no substance’ variety,

G