PeterVincent's Reviews

There's nothing funnier to read than honeykid's commentaries of your reviews.

To question 1 -

It's possibly a modern mixutre of De Palma and Russell Mulcahy meets a lot of sheen and glaze.

To question 2 -

I'm a Ryan Reynolds loving Timelord.

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Oxfords not brogues.

I'm pleased I brighten your day.


Thank you. To me that says there's a hint of talent there, you just have to take your chances as to whether it's on display or not.

Well, pobody's nerfect.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

Kick-Ass 2



It has been my mission over the last month to see Kick-Ass 2, and each time it has alluded me. Whether it had been destinies decision to have me watch Matt Damon in a backbrace again or take the time to enjoy Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges run around yelling at each other, Kick-Ass 2 has reached out and the end of the tunnel and begged me to chase after it, and after making it I can say...I wasn't REALLY looking forward to this one.

Unnecessary is the word I would use to describe Kick-Ass 2. The first film is one of my favourite flicks in the whole world, it was a perfect combination of satire, action, and humour plus I always found the film incredibly inspiring (primarily due to the score and direction from the ingenious Matthew Vaughn).



Whilst the movie is nowhere near as bad as most critics are making it out to be, it surely is a bumpy ride. I would place the blame on the director, Jeff Wadlow, however, all he really does is a half-decent Matt Vaughn impression and leaves no noticable directorial mark, with maybe the exception of having all his fight scenes start exciting and then ending them with some dumb directorial choice that Vaughn would never have done (that scene with Hit Girl and the glass was giving me flashbacks to the fight at the end of Highlander: The Source, and I can guarantee you, that isn't a good thing).

So where to put the blame? The actors? Only a few of them stand out such as the always fantastic Chloë Grace Moretz and the hilarious Christopher Mintz-Plasse, along the a surprisingly standout performance from Donald Faison. The rest of the cast seem to take the background and even the protagonist, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, does incredibly little throughout the whole film...I was begging for Nicolas Cage to rise from the grave and bump the film up a few stars, but sadly...he ain't on the cast list.



Now the film does have positives, the score is still inspiring, the stakes are higher so there is plenty of tension...but having **** and puke jokes isn't helping that.

Okay, I've decided to put the blame on the screenwriter...wait! Screenplay by Jeff Wadlow?

*PeterVincent proceeds to vomit and **** violently*

Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters




"You know the Christians have a guy who can do this but in the opposite direction, now THAT'S a god."

In this world, two things are certain:

1) You will one day die.
2) PeterVincent is strangely easy yet also difficult to please.

I am stupid. I am a dumb guy. I love stupidity, but it has to be the right kind of stupidity, otherwise...it's just stupid. Get it?

I am also a MEGA fan of the Percy Jackson novels, as I have read every single one at least twice and even own every copy (so far) of the spin-off series Heroes Of Olympus. The thing I love about the novels is the tongue-in-cheek humour and cleverness that they deliver, and if the first film, Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief proved anything, it's that Chris Columbus has a knack for ignoring the spirit of source material.

And if director Thor Freudenthal knows anything other than CGI chipmunks, wimpy children and having a hard-on for blue backlighting (evident continuously in this film, but never truly distracting), it's how to stay true to the feel of the novel, whilst not completely enraging fans anymore than the first film did (although the ending of Sea Of Monsters did differ...rather significantly from the book, yet again).

The film is a barrage of stupid fun, with mediocre waves of CG at all angles, one can either feel overwhelmed, pissed, or like a kid again. Can you guess which one of those options I felt?
Logan Lerman gives a semi-embarassing performance, delivering little on character development until the climax, whilst Alexandra Daddario makes for some decent eye candy at points and Douglas Smith proves to have some talent with little dialogue. The best decision in the entire film though, is to remove Brandon T. Jackson for as long as possible (although he is less annoying in this than he was in The Lightning Thief), thank the Gods.

The cameos are slightly better here than in the first film, primarily because there is less of an onslaught of them here and they prove to be far more meaningful than one could ever imagine. Nathan Fillion's cameo is great, with lots of snappy dialogue and a sneaky Firefly reference and Stanley Tucci chews it up, making me wish that he'll become a regular in future films (if there are any) and although I was sad to lose Pierce Brosnan, Anthony Head does a great job filling in his hoofs.



I probably shouldn't ramble on anymore, but I will state that Sea Of Monsters has a ton of problems, but as a guy that likes to sit back and have fun with a movie adaption of one of his favourite series of novels ever, I enjoyed Sea Of Monsters immensely and it was a great step up from the previous film.

I feel like a moron giving it this rating, but...

Evidence enough indeed, honeykid.

That's the point of the joke. It's like saying someone has a peech inspediment, which is one of my favourite things to say.

It's called methatesis, kids under five usually do it, like pekutch for ketchup.
Just showing off.

Really? Five? Sounds a little too grown up for me.

Nice to see some love for FRIGHT NIGHT...Roddy McDowell's oscar-worthy performance was worth the price of admission alone.

Thor: The Dark World



"You just decapitated your grandfather."

Although it struggles massively in the first act, Thor's second venture manages to proves itself worthy via it's second and third act.

The Avengers has happened and peace has returned. Thor is protecting the realms and all seems to be well in Asgard, although, in typical plot fashion, something is about to go horribly wrong.

As you may recall, I mentioned problems. The main problem of course being the fact that the film throws 1000 things at you in the first 20 minutes, and sadly we have to swallow them whole with no explanation and nothing but a raised eyebrow. Okay, I'll just state the other big problem, although I can't name it. Something happens about three-quaters in the film and not only is it a massive event, it's delivered so poorly and made me consider leaving the theatre, because the thing I hold most dear in the Thor franchise was almost raped...almost. They fixed it later in the film. I'm still pissed though.



ALRIGHT! Now let's have some positives. I like positivity. The cast does a fine job. Chris Hemsworth makes me question my manhood, especially when his massive body appears on the screen and makes me wanna swap my popcorn for a protein bar. Natalie Portman is...well. Stellan Skarsgård is incredibly hysterical, despite his best joke being reused to too much of an extent throughout the movie. Christopher Eccleston knocks it out of the park as the sinister villain, and I almost forgot I was looking at The Doctor at points, and it wasn't because of the 27 layers of make-up he had on. But the show is yet again stolen by the one, the only...Tom Hiddleston. Tom Hiddleston's Loki is just so damn cool. You loathe him. You love him. You love to loathe him. He chews the scenery apart so much they had to lock him in a forcefield prison, and even then it's almost impossible to contain him. This is a big film for Loki, riddled with great character moments and memorable exchanges of dialogue and emotion...ah. Loki indeed.



With all the positives said though, the movie does fall apart once you try to remember it's plot. So, I recommend a healthy reminder that Captain America was equally as riddled, and yet it was a movie even better than this...Oh man...I wish this was Captain America...My favourite of The Avengers.

That aside, it's a fun flick with 2 post credits scenes for your inner-nerd to take from it what they will.

An Adventure In Space and Time



"But I told him he was stupid, the TARDIS will go on and on forever cause it's special and magic, like my Sampa, my Sampa's Doctor Who...and he can do anything."


Phenomenally touching, Mark Gatiss' drama into the creation of Doctor Who and it's star is so much more than just a love letter to the show. An Adventure In Space and Time is driven by incredible performances, with one of the best being that of Brian Cox as Sydney Newman...but the gold does truly go to David Bradley as William Hartnell, the first Doctor.

Bradely's portrayal of a typecast old man who finds new life and purpose in a science-fiction series is not only intriguing from start to finish, but also reaches such an emotional point at the end it became impossible for me to hold back tears.



One scene in particular, was so perfectly crafted that it is possibly one of the best scenes in a film all year, and this is a TV-movie! The scene I speak of involves Hartnell

For any casual viewer, this is a great character piece and insight into a show that you may-or-may not have seen before. For a fan of Doctor Who, it's an emotional love letter and incredible exploration of a time where Doctor Who would never have been seen as a 50-year-old mega-show with a massive fanbase.





Good luck not exploding with emotion at the end cameo, too. I did.

It's been a while...

Winter's Tale



"Oh, Horse, what have you gotten me into?"

Common criticisms for Winter's Tale are indeed, true. It's a mess. It tries to be a romance, and succeeds on that level, it tries to be a fantasy, and, in it's own right, succeeds on that level too. But mixing the two together does make for a truly chaotic experience.

But...despite the criticisms being true...It's not awful.

I know, I know. I do this all the time. But, I can't help but enjoy a movie in which Colin Farrell and a magic horse team up, a believable romance is made, very emotional tragedy strikes, chances are given and...miracles happen. It's not big-budgeted, mean-spirited and poorly made schlock. It's a reasonably budgeted and kind-hearted little tale that is made with a fine skill, with little nice touches that help drag it along when it gets a little painful to watch.



Colin Farrell is in top form, giving one of his best performances, he stepped up for Saving Mr. Banks, and this seems to show here that he isn't stepping down. Jessica Brown Findlay is superb as Beverly, the woman Farrell cannot help but fall in love with, and neither can we. Russell Crowe is nastily brilliant as the villain, delivering a snarling performance with integrity and plenty of subtlety in areas (the twitching, was rather nice). Will Smith...was probably a bad decision, but I won't go into his character information, in order to not spoil too much.

The direction is solid for a newcomer, and although Goldsman seems to have a passion for the film, his screenplay is what betrays it in the end. With some corny lines and weird plot and pacing issues, it's a wonder it was green-light at all during some stages. But, hey, nobody's perfect.

The score is heartwarming and is co-scored by Hans Zimmer, of course, a man who never fails to deliver something memorable and on a technical level the film is quite interesting to behold, almost similar to Cloud Atlas in the way it made the best of a 'bad situation', and by that I refer to it's budget and limitations.



Overall, Winter's Tale is a mess, a sometimes boring mess, and a sometimes captivating mess. It's gorgeous to look at and all the characters are relatable in their own respects. It's soft and has a rather sweet little message, I will admit I got a little misty-eyed towards the end. I can't hate something that was mediocre but full of this much care and love, but I myself cannot love it either. I've had my doubts in the last couple of years but Colin Farrell is, quite literally, a shining star.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2



"You can call me Web Head, you can call me Amazing, just don't call me after dinner, you know what I'm sayin'?"

When the hell did abysmally average director Marc Webb, mastermind of the painfully overrated (500) Days of Summer and the sort-of-alright Amazing Spider-Man, get the talent to create one badass movie?

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 isn't just a step up, it's a leap up. The action is incredible, with swooping, spinning and special-effects that don't distract. Everything's choreographed to perfection and done just right, hitting every beat and fuelling your inner 8-year-old. Not just that, but the story is handled with surprising skill, especially one that takes a lot of risks in involving multiple villains and supporting characters, along with a bucketful of story elements and sub-plots. It's actually quite puzzling to think how the guy who could barely sustain interest with a dodgy CGI Lizard fighting a weird looking Spider-Man could make a movie so...(no pun intended, well...a kind of pun) 'Amazing'.



Andrew Garfield's Peter Parker has evolved, he's no longer that brat I ****ing hated. He's now a tortured soul who actually cares for the well-being of others, and just wants to be happy without people getting hurt. Whilst I still have some issues with Garfield's character (that dodgy fake accent, especially), there's no denying he brings a lot to the table here. Next up on the cast list is Emma Stone, one of the most memorable female love-interests in a superhero film for a while. Stone brings a lot of charm and class to the role, and this is probably her most memorable performance since Easy A.

On to the villains, now. Jaime Foxx sizzles ass as Electro. Seriously, ever since Django, Foxx has become something of a star, but a star with a sudden spurge of talent. He gives it his very all, and it's probably because he might be a fan of the material, but it's also obvious he's having a ball with Electro, despite him not actually having a lot of screentime. Paul Giamatti is pure cheese, and he is only a smidge above a cameo role. He does have a questionably bad Russian accent, but there is a charm to him once he gets talking (which is only in one or two scenes). Now I am left with one, Dane DeHaan. DeHaan did something that's almost impossible to achieve...he gave a better performance in a role than James Franco did. Yep. Whilst Franco's furious and vengeful turn as Harry Osborn was great, it's DeHaan's young and naively prestigious take on the role that makes it really work. He commands every scene he's in, he's loveable and hateable, and my complete respect to Webb for the phenomenal direction of DeHaan in the scene where he becomes the Goblin, it's truly almost something from a horror movie. Whether DeHaan's Osborn or the Goblin (I won't tell you too much about his performance as the latter for spoilers sake), he's clearly one of the best - if not THE BEST - thing about The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Finally, I'll touch on the score by Hans Zimmer and The Magnificent Six. If it weren't for this kick-ass techno and flute/trumpet score, the film may have only gotten a 4. However, the music pumps you up so much in every action sequence, every swooping shot of Spider-Man, every tracking shot of Electro's lightning, and every tense moment that you can't help but avoid blinking so you can suck up every moment in front of you. It's a great score, if not one of Zimmer's best. Possibly even better than his Dark Knight score, but it's certainly no Inception (Time, good lord) or The Thin Red Line (everyone love Journey To The Line).



Overall, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is a homerun for the Spider-Man series, it sets up everything for future films, be them Spider-Man-based or villain-based. The action is huge in scope, but the character still remains focused on his primary purpose, helping people (something Man Of Steel appallingly lacked). The characters are nothing short of memorable and great, along with the story and production elements such as the score, as discussed. It's a great film, and one I would certainly recommend checking out in IMax, because it is a blast to see on the huge screen.



P.S. For those who have seen the film, does he say "I'm techno, I'm Electro" to the scientist at Ravencroft? I was gonna use that as my quote, but I think I may have misheard.

Oh and stay until after the credits for something...odd, but cool nonetheless.

An Adventure in Space and Time was a lovely portrayal of William Hartnell and the beginnings of Dr Who. I don't really watch the new stuff, although back in those days all the kids watched it, so it's a bit of a nostalgia fest for oldies like me

Good to have you back among us, PV. I obviously missed your visit when you wrote the review for A Winter Tale.

I was going to ask if you saw TAS2 in 3D or 2D, but as you said IMAX at the end, I now know that. It must make a big difference, because I saw the trailer for this when I saw Gravity and the 3D looked appalling. I figured it was just me, as usual, but when some friends went and saw CA2:Winter's Soldier, they said the same. It was horrible and it looked like a videogame. Of course, you could completely agree, but think that's why it looks fantastic.

Very pleased to see how much you loved TASM2. Not had the chance to catch it myself yet but hopefully I feel the same about it.

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Thanks honeykid, I've seen it twice now as I took my nephew today, and both times were actually in 3D. I was questioning the special-effects in the trailer, but the film is so stylised you don't notice it on the big screen. Back onto the 3D note, though, it's only really effective in the action sequences, as Webb's huge swoops and pans really pop out in the third dimension.

X-Men: Days of Future Past



"You're on acid."

With so much hype and so much to juggle, X-Men: Days of Future Past was a risky film to make, that's for certain. But, without risk, we would never get anything new, and if there's anything X-Men: Days of Future Past feels like, it's a breath of fresh air.

Moulding the original trilogy cast and the First Class cast together flawlessly, Bryan Singer's valiant return to the X-Men franchise succeeds tremendously in making the series feel as exciting, fresh, and wonderful as the first two films and the First Class entry, reminding us that this indeed Singer's world and his show.



The story is pulled off incredibly well, and every single cast member sells it, with Evan Peters' Quicksilver, James McAvoy's younger Charles Xavier and Patrick Stewart's older Charles Xavier really stealing the show. The direction of both the drama and the action are top notch, as Singer clearly wants to make this 'The Avengers' of his franchise.

The movie has it's pacing issues though, it's slow moments are interesting, but occasionally drag a bit too long. The base knowledge of the series is essential for any viewer, although purists of some of the series' weaker and later entries are sure to be puzzled out of their mind. Supporting cast members are occasionally forgotten, and sadly the glorious Michael Fassbender can't outdo the magic that was present in First Class, though a chess scene is rather touching.



But, nobody can deny that this is a big step in the right direction for the franchise. Days of Future Past is a film about hope, and if there's anything I have for the rest of the series, it's hope.

The conclusion is also incredibly satisfying, to say the very least.

22 Jump Street



"Previously, on 21 Jump Street..."

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller are very smart men, their work constantly breaks the fourth wall, contains enough subtext to knock out F. Scott Fitzgerald and ultimately remains funny no matter how many times you watch it. So, their decision to make the main joke of 22 Jump Street how unnecessary it is might be a spark of brilliance, and the adding of some nice humour and character moments is just icing on the cake.



The cast is really what helps pull the movie forward, Hill and Tatum are at the top of their respected games, with Channing actually managing to steal the show this time (specifically a reaction sequence to a plot twist that had me genuinely cackling throughout). Joining them is familiars Ice Cube, who's expanded role is really effective here, and Nick Offerman, who completely kills it with his deadpan delivery and disbelief that this is the same plot as the previous film. Newcomers are appreciated, but none of them really stand out other than the always loveable Peter Stormare as a sort-of-villain with a genuinely funny subplot about how he misses the 90's. The film could have used a lot more Rob Riggle (who was the standout of the original), but his cameo is very funny nonetheless.



The plot is borderline identical to the original, and all the in-jokes in the world can't occasionally have you rolling your eyes because you know what's coming, which is unfortunate as I was hoping for the flick to throw you a curveball. Other than that, the pace slows down and the laughs stop at certain points, which is odd given that the film has a ton of energy and effort but into it. It's still very good, but Neighbors managed to juggle the characters and laughs to supreme effect, without stopping one to explore the other.
But, 22 Jump Street is a smash and is easily one of the better comedies of recent years and is a very well made and well realised motion picture. The leads are great, the music is great, the jokes hit harder and more often. Let me also just say that 22 Jump Street wins the award for the best end credits sequence ever put to film (speaking of which, stay until the very end of the credits for one of the best jokes in the film).

Transformers: Age of Extinction

"Let's talk about dinosaurs over dinner."

When a film introduces a compound creatively named 'Transformium', you know you're gonna be in for one hell of a painful ride.

Michael Bay simply does not get it. Yes, the cast has changed, the tone is darker and the Transformers are swapped around, but that's never what the problems really were in the original films...the problem always lay with Bay.

The direction is terrible. To make matters worse, the story is also phenomenally awful and the dialogue is insanely bad, with a peppering of corn. Mark Wahlberg tries his best, but he's so disinteresting and has a useless subplot about him being an inventor that goes nowhere during the unforgivably long about of runtime this film has. Joining him is the addition of Kelsey Grammar as a one-note and underdeveloped side villain, a ton of no names who can barely act and enough quirky extras to make you wish John Malkovich would come back and embarrass himself again. As far as the live-action cast go, Peter Cullen's great as usual as Optimus Prime, but you can tell he's only in it for the paycheck, teaming up is the confusing addition of Ken Watanabe as a samurai robot and John Goodman as a fat robot with a comical and confusing cigar, though fans of the original cartoon series might enjoy a vocal cameo from an actor who voiced one of the series' most popular characters.



Redeeming aspects? Is there any? Fans and audience members who came to see the Dinobots will be thunderously disappointed, although I will admit it's slightly exciting when they finally show up, but they're instantly disappointing once you realise how rushed and added in they all are. As far as other positives go I can only really praise the always fabulous Stanley Tucci for holding his own and even pulling forth a few laughs against Bay's *********, but by the end he becomes nothing but a joke and is nothing but wasted talent.

Don't get me started about the plot. I've read short stories from second graders with more plot coherence than this, **** gets strung together, backstories are demolished to pave way for weird mysteries, the mysteries themselves are completely ignored and to make matters worse they cram in three villains, one unexplained, one completely forgettable and one who has an 'sort-of' origin so unbelievably farfetched and strung together it makes me want to barf up my brain just thinking about it.

And, of course, there's explosions galore. In all actual fact,one the climax finally happens, you don't even realise it's occurring because you're so ****ing desensitised from all the eruptions and chaos that actually looks a thousand times worse than the last films. At least in the first three the special-effects were something to admire, in this instalment they're either acceptable or dodgy, which is disappointing because everything else is so **** there isn't even a diamond in the rough, there's just more ****!



So yes, this will make a ton of money, and yes, there's gonna be really stupid people who will defend it to the grave. But by god, what this series really needs is a new director and a ton of actual writers, not more explosions to make up for less time. I can't care for characters that are thrown at us poorly and then kicked into a story I can't even fathom.

And for the sake of all ****s in the known universe, rocket boosters on his ****ing feet?!? Are you shitting me?