The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Review

It's a surprisingly good year for all the spy movies! After all the unexpected that came from Kingsman: The Secret Service early on, now we can look up to another amazing piece of cinema or just The Man from U.N.C,L.E. It's a movie based on mid-1960's TV series. I promise that even by missing half of a century older original show you won't feel robbed in any way. This film could be called a perfect combination of everything. Though, it might not surprise you with an incredible weaponry or ground breaking twists, it is for sure a classic and a must see for everyone who enjoys a good spy movie.
The whole story starts in the early 1960's with true unlike companions CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin having to participate in a mission against mysterious criminal organisation developing nuclear weapons.

All original costumes and decorations  were a  great fit for a 1960's spy scene atmosphere. The other thing I really enjoyed seeing was the chemistry between the leading actors as well as their own performances totally fulfilling their roles. And who could forget Armie Hammer's Russian accent, just a  job well done! Overall, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is a movie with a great taste and who could say no for that sort of thing?

Rate: 8 out of 10

Pretty Little Liars Mid Season Finale Review: Game Over, Charles

That's really all what we've been waiting for, is't it? A is finally fully revealed, all questions truly answered. For a show like Pretty Little Liars it really looked like an impossible task for the last 5 years. Various finales and reveals did sent as to completely different, even super drastic directions. And while questions were never fully answered, show kept on going with more new secrets and theories intact. At one point it became obvious that there was far too many twists going on to make a story too tangled up and avoid ridiculous explanation.
Although, we all seem expect for clear answers, it kind of feels that none of us truly wants them. This show was never about answers, it's about getting lost in enormous labyrinth and meeting another dead end when you're just about to see light by the of the tunnel.
This weeks episode was a good example of that. Again, it is one of the shows which does not flourish in any particular category, but is addicting enough to reach huge following anyway. With those points covered, A's reveal came as a big shock to me. Rumors said that Wren should of been mega mastermind behind all of this. And suddenly a mysterious guy appears to be girl after all !? Although, after hearing the full story it seems that writers made this move to stick, it just wasn't as convincing as it could of been. As well as this storytelling episode was not as good as the other thrilling finales, but I guess we tend to enjoy mystery more. Yet with another cliffhanger (only not so surprising for this time) we leave summer just to meet in a winter again. And the story is destined repeat itself time after time again.

True Detective Season 2

And here we are! Season 2 of True Detective is finally over and it looks like the right time to jump right into the conclusions after one and half an hour mega finale. I did not miss a single episode every week, but only now it seems right to rate it after the show gave it's all. Or did it?

To be fair, first four episodes were slow and didn't give the satisfaction of any sorts whatsoever. Although, the first episode caught enough of my attention to jump right into season one,  it was all over the place. I struggled to like actors I usually respect, because everything they had to say was exaggerated. I struggled to get familiar with their intriguing stories, because the whole big city-corruption background just wasn't right. The character I used to hate the most was Frank for his long irrelevant talks which helped me to catch myself in a sleep. And that just didn't seem right. I absolutely loved long monologues of Rust from season one, but it just didn't stick for the second time in a row with a different character.
Everything changed by the end of episode 4 and the shootout which came out of nowhere. You can not sit and choose to not react to scenes like that, they can almost blow your mind. Although, I believe that True Detective really got it's mojo back in episode 6, when things did really get interesting enough for me to impatiently wait for the outcome. Well, but did it bring what I asked?
First, I have to mention that the end was very different from what we've seen last season. Leaving only one standing might of been a cliche move, but this time very fitting, I have to say. "We get the world we deserve" easily translates to "we get what we deserve".  Sadly to say redemption doesn't always release you from your sins, but it helps to move on. I really liked how Ray's and Frank's (which grew a lot as a character since the beginning) stories were ended. On the other hand, Paul caught me as a huge surprise or indicator of change if you can call it that way. In the end I was surprised that Bezzerides did not do anything foolish. And it was easy to hate bad guys even more, which I would see as good sign. We saw characters' stories ending, but their legacy stands with us.

The main downfall of the show was the lack of surprises. The big story behind the closed doors was not enough to satisfy the viewer. Maybe it was just those same old typical characters that we would be able to find in every gangster movie, which were responsible of the sinking ship situation. Mystique makes the show extra special, but an old script shouting "I've already seen it somewhere" can only take you up to a certain level and nothing more.

Rate 7 out of 10.

True Detective Season 1 Review

Usually I know that I have found that perfect thread of gold when I can't stop thinking about it. It's like a deja vu virus which catches you and makes to come back to the same spot over and over again.
Obsession is not exactly what you would call a healthy experience, but no one really pays attention.

For the first time I have caught a side of series during the commercial breaks of F1 coverage. The second season was on the way TV people had to spread the word about the comeback of hugely successful series. With my hands full of time I've decided to give it a go. With the first episode of second season making an impression of very tangled but kind of promising show I came back to the original series to see the full potential.

This time I was hooked starting from the very beginning of the first episode. Somehow it seemed that this ritual murder would be very different from the likes you would find on well known detective shows. Deeper and darker than ever.. However if you would take a close notice the show was never really about a single one murder it was more about the lives and relationship of two detectives who decided to solve it.

Both the acting and the scenario were great. And there's just some kind of misery about those swamps of Louisiana that pulls you right in doesn't let go until the end. All of those different people, religious communities seem to become objects of suspicion right away. I believe there was a perfect background of  those never ending Rust's speeches, and yet it didn't seemed like there's enough of them. Definitely, one of the deepest detective dramas out there, just one of the kind.

F1 British GP 2015

Having quite a few days passed after the last F1 race hosted in Silverstone it might look like a history already. However, from a fan's perspective that could be remembered as the most exiting race of the year with bits and pieces of everything.

If we would took notice only of the final result it might seem like a funny business as per usual:

"So, how was the race?"
"Great, very exiting"
"Who was the winner?"
"Lewis Hamilton"

Well yeah, not much excitement surrounding the final result, but the controversy of what could of happened always looks more juicy than real news.
And we could of been talking about a 1-2 victory of mighty fast Williams if it would of come all their way during the race. And why not? Their quick start and overtake of both dominating Mercedes cars should of raised a bunch of eyebrows. The race is on - that's what every single one of us should of recognized afterwards. Who knows, maybe if Massa released Bottas which seamed to had been faster at the time, maybe that could of helped to save the lead. And many fans seemed to be angry about this kind of lack of reaction from Williams side of garage up until Hamilton won the highest spot after pitting first.
Well, after the first part of the race the excitement came back when everyone started counting time for the rain to start. I believe it was the first rainy race of the year and oh boy oh boy how many of us have waited for this. With Silverstone being such a long track as it is, parts of the track became slippery quite quickly with rain starting to come as there was still quite a lot of dry patches for a while. This slow start made a lot of confusion in between the teams. While some drivers found it hard to stay on the track, others found the better end of the stick as besides the pits most of the track has stayed relatively dry. 4 drivers went straight on intermediates and immediately fell short as it was too dry for their tires. Others made a choice too late and lost a large chunks of time and let me say those Williams seemed terrible in the wet. While exactly two drivers got it right - Hamilton and Vettel. Well, the biggest improvement could be seen from Vettel - driving in 8th for most part of the race and jumping into third. Impressive! The unluckiest pair must definitely be Williams duo for loosing shot at the podium after leading the race. But the unexpected is really what we love. Don't we?

Score: 8,5 out of 10

F1 AUSTRIAN GP RACE Review

So, from now on I've decided to start Formula 1 review series filled with various remarks and personal views. First stop would be Austrian GP in Red Bull Ring, Spielberg.

After Friday and Saturday free practices the whole weekend looked quite promising. Ferrari has stopped Mercedes domination in charts for both free practice 2 and 3 and their newly set times seemed like the ones that would be able to challenge their rivals on qualifying. However, this time that wasn't the case even with both of Mercedes drivers Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton going off the track in the dramatic closing stages of Q3 as after struggling to adapt for the whole weekend Lewis Hamilton still took pole. 

This meant the usual order this season during the start of the race: 1. Hamilton 2. Rosberg 3. Vettel.

With Hamilton having problems with his clutch Rosberg headed to a lot better start which ultimately helped him to take leader position and win the gran prix by overtaking Hamilton. Later on the media Rosberg called this one of the easier victories of his career as he was able to control the pace of the race afterwards.

 Yet again after Friday practice session promising race and commentators teasing us that Ferrari will make Mercedes run for their money for the most part of the weekend, none of the predictions came true after all as Vettel's gap to the leaders kept getting bigger in the opening stages of the race. Now we know that highly improved Ferrari pace on free practice sessions was visible due to the lower levels of fuel used compared to the competitors. Now Ferrari team principle being unhappy with the results has noted, "I said to the engineers that it's better to go on Friday with a full, full tank so we can see a correct comparison instead of seeing a fake one".

 But Ferrari woes did not end up here. One of the highlights of the race was  Kimi Räikkönen's collision with Fernando Alonso. It was really scary to see Alonso McLaren flying over Kimi's Ferrari. A few more centimetres and the impact could of been completely different, glad that nobody got hurt. It was hard to see which of the drivers fault was the accident, replay kept showing viewers Kimi's on board camera footage while apparently Alonso camera was not on  on the time. As Martin Brundle made a comment that "even on board camera doesn't work on that McLaren", which  pretty much sums up their season for me. Later we heard on the interview that wheel spin caused Räikkönen to loose control of the car which resulted in the accident. Although stewards ruled out the collision as the racing incident. All in all, this incident resulted in first 2 retirements of the afternoon. And with only 14 cars left by the end of the race this would become second race with the most retirements of the season after Australia. 

It was nice to see some overtaking action Valteri Bottas. Though what made race interesting again was unfortunate Vettel's pit stop which caused him 13 seconds and track position to Felipe Massa. And who told that undercuts could only go one way? This time a wheel nut was responsible for the failure which as we could see later caused Ferrari a secured spot at the podium. After gaining on Massa for the entire race Vettel was unable to overtake a Mercedes powered car at the end. That did not really surprise me as we have seen how previous Ferrari - Williams fights have ended. It looks like after being told about another Mercedes podium finish Vettel did not really seemed surprise after expressing his thoughts with laconic "Ah, surprise, surprise."

Afterall, it was nice to see Nico Hülkenberg's best season result as he finished 6, Red Bull receive at least 1 point after the event they thought would be a horrific home weekend. Maybe, nothing good enough to celebrate but points are points and 1 is better than nothing. Both of McLaren's did not finish again after Jenson Button having to retire too, only due to electrical problem. At least we could hear some more funny comments from Button about new parts on Alonso car that could now (after collision) go to the trash bin.

Although the race wasn't dull or anything for this time 7 seems like a bit too much.

6.5 out of 10

The Astronaut Wives Club Pilot Review

After the end of Gossip Girl back in 2012 I was anxiously waiting for a new show in the making by the creators that have brought us two amazing TV series which include GG and The O.C. Although, both series might not receive the award of the brightest piece of TV, these  charming and highly entertaining series meant a lot for the fans. So, in a way you could understand my excitement about this new show called The Astronaut Wives Club. 

Of course, when you have new series launched the most common question raised could be: was the show any good? And the weird thing is that right now I don't have any good answer. The story about the lives of women standing beside the first astronauts sounds amusing for sure, but so far it's quite hard to say if I can feel any of that amusement by watching the first episode of the series. Though, I really liked the whole atmosphere and the ice cold looks in first space ladies eyes and the acting as whole everything seemed rushed for a bit. After seeing so many characters at once and their lives going like a roller coaster before the proper introduction it certainly doesn't help to follow everything and relate to their personas. We could see parts of betrayal and solicitude coming through and that seems like kind of the the cards we will see being played for the whole season as well as friendship of the unlike individuals. And I'm very much willing to stick to see how it all plays out.

What's Up for the Month of January

If you ever ask me what's my favorite month amongst the short list of candidates would definitely appear January. Why? Well, there's always a lot of exiting stuff happening during this first period of the year, but there's only 4 reasons that mostly sticks out.

1. NEW BEGINNINGS 

You know with a New Year coming in you are always full of excitement new plans or rules you like to set off even way before January the 1st. Before this date we have a time for dreaming or so called New Years Resolution and after it there's the execution that really matters, but even though things doesn't always end up as planned, at least you'll give it a try for sure. So, that one goes to new experiences too.

2. IT'S FREEZING COLD OUTSIDE

Although, I really don't like cold, just because it makes my skin to swell, like literally, I can't help myself for admiring a spectacular view outside. Let me say snow looks wonderful against the baby blue sky. And unlike during many other occasions in winter I get to see a lot of sun. And that's like a whiff of fresh air, music for my eyes in the midst's of winter darkness. Such periods of extreme cold are very short, so not enough to get actually frozen or anything.

3. AUSTRALIAN OPEN

As I call tennis one of my sports passions, Australian Open is the tournament to watch out for. It's actually the one I look forward to the most. The whole wonderful atmosphere the possibility to daydream about Australian summer during our long winter looks amazing, especially when you have a hand full of time. Tournament only started on Monday, January 19th, so you will be still able to join in for  the view.

4. PARIS HAUTE COUTURE FASHION WEEK

Starts in the 26th of January this year. If ready to wear lines can often get boring or there's just to many of them to follow up closely there's just the right amount of collections involved in this fashion week. I do always the best of designers imagination to bloom, fascinate and inspire all the fashion lovers around the globe. Maybe, I'll finally be up to do a sketch of one of those outstandingly beautiful garments, who knows..

Photo source: Cosmopolitan Australia January 2015

Guardians of the Galaxy Review

       Guardians of the Galaxy is currently named as one of best superhero movies of this year together with X-Men First Class sequence X- Men Future Days of Future Past. After checking the trailer I went out to see what's with the hype of this weird alien looking universe myself. 

      At first you can't help yourself to notice all of these unusual looking characters to say for the least. The interesting thing is that before watching the movie the only one character I had a problem looking at was cybernetically enhanced, talking raccoon Rocket. Maybe, that was just the influence of countless talking animal movies or mostly comedies  that I couldn't take this hero seriously. I had no problem with a green girl or that blue incredibly muscular man or even the tree guy. Well, OK, maybe only a little bit. But all of this was just a pre movie prejudice. 

       This movie brings the audience to a completely new sculpted world which is a distant to earth as possible but still with a few similar features. In a way it reminded me Star Wars with all of this variety of new alien species and them specific characteristics. Starting from the beginning and throughout the whole film I was waiting for that extra special moment that could make this piece of cinema work something you could call epic for everyone to remember in the years to come. Actually it was not easy at first. Peter Quill first scene as a child left a hint of interest, but later on it was an old story of something heard, something already seen. However these characters starts two really grow to you and within minutes passing by I could start to even draw comparisons. For example: Rocket - Bender, Groot - Chewbacca, Gamora - the coolest girl of all guys and etc.. (Groot was my favorite if you dare to ask). And you have to have a well developed characters to start caring about them. By the time I did their stories started to get tangled up with a movie ending on quite high note. Well known tracks and frequent jokes helped to create a very light mood. If I could choose, this would be a perfect mid summer movie choice, the one you wouldn't be bored to rewatch  over and over again after a year or so.

My Most Anticipated Movies of 2015

     As new year is finally up here I'm very happy to broke the list of my most anticipated movies for 2015. I still have a very little information about many of the promising upcoming movies, so stay tuned for the further updates.

I'd like to start my list with two movies that were actually up in the theaters by the end of 2014. However, in my home country they will be shown only within the following months of 2015, so I decided to stick them in here.

1. The Theory of Everything 

"A look at the relationship between the famous physicist Stephen Hawking and his wife."

First, I would like to point out that I'm not such a huge fan when it comes to love story dramas. But since the first glimpse to the trailer I could not notice how exceptional this piece of cinema art looks. It looks like one of those stories who has everything its needed for a good film: a touch of undiscovered past, a touch of reality and a very deep emotion coming with it.

2. The Imitation Game

"During World War II, mathematician Alan Turing tries to crack the enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians."

This movie trailer gave my flashbacks from A Beautiful Mind. I believe the conception should be totally different and yet quite similar with the challenges a brilliant mind has to face and coming up. Promising actors and intriguing story to watch out for.

3. Silence

"In the seventeenth century, two Jesuit priests face violence and persecution when they travel to Japan to locate their mentor and to spread the gospel of Christianity."

Now coming up to the movie coming from the book I read. It's a very deep and sensitive story, easy to make mistakes with it. But crew and cast names makes makes me hopeful for a surprising outcome.

Sorry about lack of movie poster presence, there's still a very little information shown about the movie. Fingers crossed it will be up for 2015 for real with no delays.

4. Macbeth

"Spurred on by an eerie prophecy of the power he could gain if he were King, Macbeth, an army general, murders Duncan, the King of Scotland, and takes the throne. However, his guilt, and that of his wife, may prove to be their undoing."

Another movie based on the classical book of  William Shakespeare, which I haven't read this time. I do expect to see a great interpretation of such a widely known story and a good historical movie at the same time.

5. Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens

"A continuation of the saga created by George Lucas set thirty years after Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi(1983)."

I believe that this movie needs no introductions with such a long and rich history and a huge fan base worldwide. This time we have all of the actors returning from the original trilogy. Just hope it's going to be really good, no it has to be epic.

6. The Hateful Eight

"In post-Civil War Wyoming, bounty hunters try to find shelter during a blizzard but get involved in a plot of betrayal and deception."

We have already seen with Django Unchained what Tarantino can do with western genre. So, this time expecting no less from his newest work.

Tracks Movie Review

       As a New Year  kicks in I also wanted to start with something fresh and with a great scenery and adventurous story Tracks seemed like the one to watch for. 

      The plot is set in 1977 about a young woman Robyn Davidson who decides to walk 2,700 kilometres across Australian dessert only with a company of four camels and her dog. And while this mission might seem impossible for the most of us one woman was determined to do it. We could call it an end right after this sentence with a heroic note, but look closer for a second. I tend to think that every journey has to have a serious reason behind it. Would it be for any individual to search for themselves, to find an inspiration or just join the world you belong to. And this movie hasn't actually portrayed this reason at all. It's hard to care about the character and follow her path with usually little events going on and long pauses of silence even in the back of your mind than this important part is missing. The fact that the main character is a lonely, bitter young woman who doesn't like to smile aggravates the situation even more. I can really understand her sharp focus feelings then the frustration sets in, but would a little signature of enjoyment at least at the beginning of her mission really hurt her character. Because by the moment she tells that she cannot take it anymore you feel that the whole journey was a pain in the ass right from the beginning when she planed everything. The real sip of emotion explodes in the dog scene, but when you start even to hate the character for her foolishness. 

         However even with the whole paragraph of critique written above I would call this movie an inspiration for everyone who sets an impossible goals and especially for the ones who have a little curious traveler inside of them. I hope to face the magnificence of Australia's nature one day too..

New Years Resolutions