Kingsman: The Secret Service - 30th June 2015

Hello there! It's been a while. Yes, we had three weeks off to do all sorts of other things rather than watch films, but we're back now and tonight we are going to be taking a look at; 

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Well there we are then, first film back after our mini hiatus and it's a cracker. Kingsman: The Secret Service is a spoof spy, thriller with a bit of comedy thrown in, just in case. In fact one could go so far as to liken it to a brand mash-up of James Bond, Austin Powers, Kickass and My Fair Lady all rolled into one, with the lovely Colin Firth as the nations favourite Kingsman, lovely Colin.

Essentially the plot of Kingsman: The Secret Service is your bog standard spy thriller. Megalomaniac super villain discovers something to rule the planet, in this case the answer to global warming and sets off to put his plan into action. To save the planet, enter the Kingsmen, a top secret super efficient, anti-terrorist, anti-establishment, anti-everything team of crack spies and agents, ready to take on and win their every mission.

However, this time it is slightly different, as an existing agent; Galahad (aka Harry Hart) played by Colin Firth rescues from the street, for want of a better description, the son of another agent, an agent who just happened to save the life of Galahad, while losing his own and as a result, Galahad is indebted to him and who wouldn't be?

Still with us?

So Taron Egerton plays Gary 'Eggsy' Unwin, son of a long dead Kingsman. Eggsy has dropped out of school, dropped out of the Marines and fallen in with the wrong crowd, but when he takes it one step too far and gets embroiled in a contretemps with some local hard nuts, he ends up on the wrong side of the police cell door. However and here we roll back 17 years, when Galahad (remember him? Colin Firth, yes?), had to tell the family of the death of his Kingsman colleague, he left a special medal with Eggsy, on the back was a number, it takes just one phone call to this number and he is free. Galahad takes him under his wing, as he believes Eggsy has the making of a Kingsman and so we have a street kid rubbing shoulders with, to coin a phrase from the film; "aristocratic snobs, born with a silver spoon stuck up their arse!" on the Kingsman training programme.

Are you confised by our synopsis? Watch the film, it will make sense honestly. It's a decent story, but with the multi-faceted threads, you're better off watching it to get the lay of the land, rather than read us wobble on about it!

So anyway, to the highlights, without doubt the best performance comes from the lisping Samuel L. Jackson as the megalomaniacal Valentine, a billionaire intent on changing the whole world. Jackson is sublime and a joy to watch. As is Colin Firth, playing the quintessentially English gentleman spy, with a voracious penchant for eliminating the enemy, without having to loosen his tie.

Taron Egerton puts in a great performance as the young Eggsy, employing enough south London twang to make the character very believable. Look out also for the bladed legged Gazelle played by the very pretty Sofia Boutella, her flashing legs of steel could put Oscar Pistorious to shame, not that he isn't currently shamed enough.

Other highlights include a welcome appearance from Michael Caine as Arthur, who quite rightly sits at the head of the Kingsman table. Look out for Mark Hamill too, he of Star Wars fame, he makes an appearance as a professor working with Valentine on the global warming issue, an issue that quite literally blows his mind.

Which brings us to the subject of the very gratuitous and very bloody and violent nature of some of the scenes. Well, a lot of the scenes! There is a lot of flashing blades, firing guns and pointy things being stuck into all and sundry. There's more CGI violence in this film than you can click a mouse at. Luckily the way it is done and the way it is portrayed is erring on the side of comedic, a pseudo cartoon violence if you will, gruesome but inherently funny.

We enjoyed this film, if you refer back to the mash up of film genres and titles we referenced in the first paragraph then you will have an idea of what kind of film Kingsman: The Secret Service is. A bloody good one, pun intended.

As to the scores, a mixed bag of very high end ratings which aggregates to;

TNiFN Rating 96%

Blimey! That is a good score, so go and buy the film. Enjoy.

IMDB Link

Notting Hill - 2nd June 2015

It's back to 1999 for this week's film, a romantic comedy from the pen of Richard Curtis. Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant star in;

Notting Hill

Clearly Notting Hill is a famous and quite rightly a very popular film of the romantic and indeed comedic genre. We all know the story of Anna and William.

What? You don't?

Well let us give you a brief synopsis to cover the main points. William Thacker is the proprietor of a bookshop in Notting Hill. Anna Scott is an internationally famous actress who happens to be in London promoting her latest film. Anna visits William's shop looking for a book. This brief encounter ignites a spark of romance, which is subsequently doused when the couple literally bump into each other again later that day, as the drink that William has just purchased covers Anna, as they collide on a street corner. William invites Anna to his house to clean up and that spark is rekindled albeit briefly as the romantic tension rises and the couple kiss.

The film then continues to follow Anna as her career progresses and William as his friendship with Anna blossoms. Although it can only be a friendship, as their juxtaposed lifestyles prove difficult to merge. That really is the crux of the story, although love is in the air, are the practicalities of getting a lowly shopkeeper from Notting Hill, to be with a starlet from Beverley Hills a reality or is it just a dream for them both?

Hugh Grant is superb as William. Quintessentially British and 100% Hugh Grant, as he really doesn't play any other character, but then you wouldn't want him to,he is perfect for the role and takes the words of Richard Curtis and translates them to the screen with aplomb and his own almost self-deprecating humour. As for Julia Roberts, she glows from the screen. Her sultry good looks and and the occasional impish smile makes her so easy to watch and she's not bad at acting either, taking her role as Anna Scott and playing her with passion, panache and poignancy.

Whilst we wax lyrically about the main cast, let us not forget the supporting players who really add another layer of charm, wit and enjoyment. Rhys Ifans as Spike, William's housemate is magnificent, he portrays the wacky characteristics to perfection, providing much of the comicality. Tim McInnery and Gina McKee play Max and Bella, friends to William who are always there to lend support, along with the magnificent Emma Chambers who plays William's crazy sister; Honey. Also praise should go to Hugh Bonneville who plays Bernie another friend of William, who looks so much younger than the characters that Bonneville plays now, which comes as no real surprise as it is a 16 year old film, but still you know what we mean.

Notting Hill is classic Richard Curtis without a doubt, but there is something that puts this above his previous film of the same genre; Four Weddings and a Funeral and on a par with the also brilliant Love Actually. It is very difficult to say what that is, at a guess it is a combination of the very witty script, the warmth of the story, the desire for a happy ending that the story instills in it's audience. It is the choice of location, the choice of music, the cast. Well, it seems to be a bit of everything!

Sometimes, just sometimes a film will come along and capture a moment, it will dissipate through the screen an ethereal, fuzzy feeling of comfort, fabricating a tangible sense of pleasure, with the ability to make you smile effortlessly whilst watching. Yes, there is something very pink, fluffy and warm about Notting Hill, it is a very comfortable film, like slipping into an old pairs of shoes, or being cossetted in a celluloid bubble of happiness.

Let us rein in the verbosity somewhat and get down to some closing facts, Notting Hill is a modern classic. It is very funny, romantic and charming, with an exceptional feelgood factor that makes it so very watchable.

Some good scores here at TNiFN Towers, although some scored higher than others. (Editors note; I know! Unbelievable! I loved it.)

Anyway Notting Hill gets a very respectable;

TNiFN Rating 91%

IMD LINK