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 in the first few minutes, 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 harked 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. Is her face simply far too angelic for the kind of evil 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, felt quite 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 organization 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.Look at him now! I can’t wait to see what looks 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 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 is patiently waiting for the next instalment.

Happy Kingsman, The Secret Service 🙂

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

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

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

There is one thing that doesn’t sit quite so easily with me about this trailer – and that would be the claim by Alex Zane of the UK’s Sun newspaper, that Kingman – The Secret Service  is ‘More Badass Than Bond.’ Please! PLEASE, I say! It’s incredibly hard to believe that there’s any other British spy movie more badass than Daniel Craig’s Bond. Incredibly hard to believe!

But we’ll see…

Happy Kingsman, The Secret Service 🙂

G

Comedy, Crime, No Spoiler Reviews

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

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Brad Pitt isn’t the only big name star in Snatch (2000), Guy Ritchies 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 in super‘.

Happy ‘surface and no substance’ Film Loving

G

Comedy, Crime, No Spoiler Reviews

LOCK STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS (1998): Brilliant British Film

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Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Nick Moran
Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Nick Moran

‘Brother, mother, any other sucker!’

Super wordplay. Just one of the the things I love about this movie.

Set in London’s East End, Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels is very entertaining, thanks to the excellent dialogue and incessantly funny male banter.

Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Nick Moran, Jason Statham, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Flemyng
Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Nick Moran, Jason Statham, Dexter Fletcher, Jason Flemyng

From writer / director Guy Ritchie, the film fits comfortably into the comedy / crime genre. There’s no shortage of well crafted characters, some of whom you’d count yourself very lucky to never encounter.

If you’re a seasoned film fan, It may be hard to not have Quentin Tarantino pop into your mind; for reasons including but not limited to the highly quotable dialogue and brilliant soundtrack.

‘Watch it!‘ That’s my recommendation

Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Vas Blackwood
Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels (1998), Vas Blackwood

‘Because if you don’t I’ll kill ya.‘

Just playing, of course. I’m simply quoting the great character pictured above.

Happy Lock Stock & Two Smoking Barrels 🙂

G