Eclectic

I may be a simple soul, but my tastes are quite eclectic, as evidenced by the weekend's multiple trips to the cinema.

Avengers: Age of Ultron:
I certainly didn't dislike this as I was watching it, though I was a little disappointed by inevitable comparison to the first one.  Assemble was *so* much fun, and endlessly rewatchable because of it, and Ultron just didn't have that joy to it.  When I came out of the cinema, I decided it was a decent film, with plenty of good action and character development, but not something I'd watch again.  Two days later, I've found myself thinking about the film often, and coming to the conclusion that it was actually better than that assessment.  I was expecting one thing, and got another, which clouded my judgement at the time, but aspects of the film have stayed with me, and I'm still very much invested in the series as a whole.  I thought the development of the relationship between Natasha and Bruce (and by extension, the relationship between Natasha and The Hulk) was very well done, and I loved The Vision (yay - Paul Bettany!).  There were a couple of good running jokes, and a couple of good references to the first film, and I thought the balance of attention and screen time across the multiple characters was handled very well.  I think I actually would like to watch it again, with a bit more perspective and a fairer approach, and I think it'd get a lot more out of it a second time around.


Cinderella:
When this was first announced, I just thought - why?  Who is it being made for - people who are unaware of the story?  What's the point?  I certainly wasn't going to bother to go and see it, but then my parents went and highly recommended it so I figured - what else is a girl to do with a free Monday afternoon?  Overall, it was a bit anodyne, and it held no surprises whatsoever, being a very straight presentation of the classic tale.  But - it was beautifully made, still managed to be emotive in parts, had a fantastic cast (Derek Jacobi and Cate Blanchett, anyone?) and some really great moments.  The whole thing went up a notch when Helena Bonham Carter turned up as the fairy godmother, and the chase from the palace as the magic was running out was excellent.  Richard Madden did well with a not particularly interesting prince (I think the white trousers were a mistake, but at least he got a better wedding experience than his last on screen wedding attendance!).  So, while it's not going to set the world on fire, it was a solidly enjoyable film with some lovely moments that stopped it being dull.


John Wick (again):
Yes, I went to see it again, and yes, it was still a thing of beauty.  Simon H expressed surprise afterwards that I liked it at all, due to the immense violence - but it just skirted the edge of ick for me and stayed firmly on the right side.  And it was just so brilliantly put together.  The build-up of the first half hour, which lent enough weight and pathos to the rest of the film that it wasn't ridiculous.  The touches of humour and self-awareness that lifted it to another level of enjoyment and stopped it being too relentless.  The world-building of the Continental Hotel, Wick's enduring reputation, Charlie's clean-up crew, and honour among assassins (or some of them, at least) - the canvas upon which the balletic violence was painted was so rich and so involving, that even the most minor of characters (Charlie, Harry, the concierge) were instantly full of depth and complexity.  And the music - what a soundtrack!  I know I've waxed lyrical about this film before - and it probably comes across at first glance as a ludicrous gun-fest - but it really is incredibly well made and beautifully presented.  Certainly the best film I've seen in the cinema for quite some time.