Skyfall:
What's it about?
23rd entry in the long-running spy action series arriving during the 50th anniversary of Bond on the silver screen. A hard-drive detailing the information of undercover operatives is stolen by the blonde-haired baddie Silva, who has a personal grudge to settle that goes straight to the heart of MI6. Naturally, it's up to Bond, James Bond, to get things sorted.
Who would I recognise in it?
Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite:
Casino Royale (Craig's first Bond) was superb and brought about a tougher, more hard-edged Bond (building on work first established by Timothy Dalton during his two-Bond-run in the 1980s) - it combined arse kicking with traditional Bond glamour and a great script. The follow-up Quantum of Solace was a bit iffy in some respects - the camerawork during action scenes was shaky-to-the-point-of-frustration and (as a result of the writer's strike at the time) the script was unbalanced, lacking in tension, and failed to really grab the viewer - that said, it wasn't a write-off by any stretch of the imagination. We'd come to expect something greater though with Casino Royale and now, delivered by Sam Mendes, Bond's 50th Anniversary is an enjoyable knock-about triumph.
Click "READ MORE" below for the verdict, plus two other flicks...
Showing posts with label cine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cine. Show all posts
Monday, 5 November 2012
Monday, 12 September 2011
Quadruple Bill Mini & Cine Musings: Action, Frights & Jet Black Comedy...
Colombiana:
From the Luc Besson stable comes this quick bit of wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am action (directed by Olivier 'Transporter 3' Megaton), although that said, when compared to the likes of District 13, Taken (in particular), and From Paris With Love (all Directed by Pierre Morel), this flick isn't as punchy and blistering as I'd expected. District 13 was stylish, fast-paced, and had a great hook with the use of parkour ... Taken was brutal, smart about it's combat efficiency, and turned Liam Neeson into a formiddable middle-aged action hero ... and then From Paris With Love was just barmy but really quite good fun. Colombiana is much more generic and less brash than those three flicks ... it's a brief bit of fun, but Zoe Saldana needs a ballsier shoot 'em up if she's going to ascend to true action heroine status.
Slaughter High:
A cheap and generally silly slasher from the 1980s (featuring Caroline Munroe who - then in her mid-30s - begins the movie playing a bitchy teenager in high school). There's a few good kills, a couple of chucklesome lines, and one stand-out genuinely nifty scene featuring an electrified bed. Apart from that it's no classic and really only worth seeing if you're a hardcore horror nerd.
Fright Night:
Another beloved genre flick gets the remake treatment, but nevermind that, this is the original 1980s horror comedy that many of a certain age hold dear to their hearts. It has the same fun-loving cheesiness exhibited by the likes of Return of the Living Dead, and while scripts these days wouldn't be allowed to get away with thinly sketched protagonists and brushed-aside leaps in the plot, the decidedly 1980s style and sense of fun propels it foward. It's just a big shame that 5* (the TV channel cashing in on the Colin Farrel-starring remake being out in cinemas) failed to air it in the correct aspect ratio - it was as if they'd just chucked in some dusty old VHS tape they found on a shelf somewhere.
Four Lions:
Chris Morris' incredibly jet black comedy about a group of inept, Westernised terrorist wannabes sounds like an exercise in extreme bad taste - and yet it's really quite entertaining. Everybody in the film is a bit of an idiot (even the police have no idea what they're doing - at one point two snipers argue about the difference between The Honey Monster and a Wookie when trying to identify a target), but even when it reaches its climax it doesn't avoid the chilling side of terrorism ... albeit in the context of an utter bugger up. Simply, it's well worth seeing, and if you're a fan of the likes of Brass Eye, then it's an absolute must-see.
From the Luc Besson stable comes this quick bit of wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am action (directed by Olivier 'Transporter 3' Megaton), although that said, when compared to the likes of District 13, Taken (in particular), and From Paris With Love (all Directed by Pierre Morel), this flick isn't as punchy and blistering as I'd expected. District 13 was stylish, fast-paced, and had a great hook with the use of parkour ... Taken was brutal, smart about it's combat efficiency, and turned Liam Neeson into a formiddable middle-aged action hero ... and then From Paris With Love was just barmy but really quite good fun. Colombiana is much more generic and less brash than those three flicks ... it's a brief bit of fun, but Zoe Saldana needs a ballsier shoot 'em up if she's going to ascend to true action heroine status.
Slaughter High:
A cheap and generally silly slasher from the 1980s (featuring Caroline Munroe who - then in her mid-30s - begins the movie playing a bitchy teenager in high school). There's a few good kills, a couple of chucklesome lines, and one stand-out genuinely nifty scene featuring an electrified bed. Apart from that it's no classic and really only worth seeing if you're a hardcore horror nerd.
Fright Night:
Another beloved genre flick gets the remake treatment, but nevermind that, this is the original 1980s horror comedy that many of a certain age hold dear to their hearts. It has the same fun-loving cheesiness exhibited by the likes of Return of the Living Dead, and while scripts these days wouldn't be allowed to get away with thinly sketched protagonists and brushed-aside leaps in the plot, the decidedly 1980s style and sense of fun propels it foward. It's just a big shame that 5* (the TV channel cashing in on the Colin Farrel-starring remake being out in cinemas) failed to air it in the correct aspect ratio - it was as if they'd just chucked in some dusty old VHS tape they found on a shelf somewhere.
Four Lions:
Chris Morris' incredibly jet black comedy about a group of inept, Westernised terrorist wannabes sounds like an exercise in extreme bad taste - and yet it's really quite entertaining. Everybody in the film is a bit of an idiot (even the police have no idea what they're doing - at one point two snipers argue about the difference between The Honey Monster and a Wookie when trying to identify a target), but even when it reaches its climax it doesn't avoid the chilling side of terrorism ... albeit in the context of an utter bugger up. Simply, it's well worth seeing, and if you're a fan of the likes of Brass Eye, then it's an absolute must-see.
Friday, 2 September 2011
Triple Bill Mini/Cine Musings: September 2011...
Super 8:
A group of pre-teens are set to spend the summer of 1979 making a zombie movie (hence the title), but things don't go exactly according to plan after a passing train ("production value!") derails spectacularly and unleashes - something - upon a typically Spielbergian small town. J.J. Abrams, a name synonymous with good storytelling, thrilling action, and teasing intrigue, delves deep into his childhood and serves up an excellent dose of nostalgia. At times the thematic and stylistic nods to Spielberg's earlier work (such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T.) become somewhat overwhelming, the reveal of the big bad beastie isn't quite as thrilling as the tease, and some of the adults' back stories are skimmed over a bit. Nonetheless, these minor quibbles don't spoil a well crafted coming-of-age sci-fi bone-rattler that remembers that plot is key to hooking your audience.
The Inbetweeners Movie:
I was so looking forward to this movie version of the excellent E4 TV series that I probably spoiled my viewing a bit - that's not to say I didn't enjoy it (I thoroughly lapped it up), but it's best for fans to temper their expectations a tad. The four boys have completed their A-Levels and jet off on a sun-sea-sex holiday, and - this being The Inbetweeners - they get into a series of cringe-inducing scrapes and social faux-pas moments. From silly asides to up-front gross-out moments, the flick bounds along at a good lick and provides a satisfying closer to a mini TV phenomena that grew in popularity with every series. Hopefully there'll be an uncut (it was slightly trimmed to gain a 15 rating) and extended version when it hits home video.
Eden Lake:
A so-called 'hoody horror' starring Michael Fassbender and that guy who played Cooke in the second incarnation of Skins. A young couple head to the titular lake for a romantic time, only to have it spoiled by a gang of feral teenagers raised by vicious parents. As the battle between the out-of-town couple and the teens escalates, so does the intense bleakness. Siding with the theory of nurture, over nature, causeing violent offspring, the hands-off approach and downbeat sensibility will leave viewers rattled. The dark and depressing tone manages to cover over most of the plot holes to make an actually horrific horror movie - one that is all-the-more chilling and important in the wake of the English riots. One thing though, ITV4 showed this (like many other 2.35:1 movies) in a cropped 16x9 presentation - so the framing (specifically designed for 2.35:1) was butchered throughout ... so pay attention ITV4 - show films in their original aspect ratios!
A group of pre-teens are set to spend the summer of 1979 making a zombie movie (hence the title), but things don't go exactly according to plan after a passing train ("production value!") derails spectacularly and unleashes - something - upon a typically Spielbergian small town. J.J. Abrams, a name synonymous with good storytelling, thrilling action, and teasing intrigue, delves deep into his childhood and serves up an excellent dose of nostalgia. At times the thematic and stylistic nods to Spielberg's earlier work (such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and E.T.) become somewhat overwhelming, the reveal of the big bad beastie isn't quite as thrilling as the tease, and some of the adults' back stories are skimmed over a bit. Nonetheless, these minor quibbles don't spoil a well crafted coming-of-age sci-fi bone-rattler that remembers that plot is key to hooking your audience.
The Inbetweeners Movie:
I was so looking forward to this movie version of the excellent E4 TV series that I probably spoiled my viewing a bit - that's not to say I didn't enjoy it (I thoroughly lapped it up), but it's best for fans to temper their expectations a tad. The four boys have completed their A-Levels and jet off on a sun-sea-sex holiday, and - this being The Inbetweeners - they get into a series of cringe-inducing scrapes and social faux-pas moments. From silly asides to up-front gross-out moments, the flick bounds along at a good lick and provides a satisfying closer to a mini TV phenomena that grew in popularity with every series. Hopefully there'll be an uncut (it was slightly trimmed to gain a 15 rating) and extended version when it hits home video.
Eden Lake:
A so-called 'hoody horror' starring Michael Fassbender and that guy who played Cooke in the second incarnation of Skins. A young couple head to the titular lake for a romantic time, only to have it spoiled by a gang of feral teenagers raised by vicious parents. As the battle between the out-of-town couple and the teens escalates, so does the intense bleakness. Siding with the theory of nurture, over nature, causeing violent offspring, the hands-off approach and downbeat sensibility will leave viewers rattled. The dark and depressing tone manages to cover over most of the plot holes to make an actually horrific horror movie - one that is all-the-more chilling and important in the wake of the English riots. One thing though, ITV4 showed this (like many other 2.35:1 movies) in a cropped 16x9 presentation - so the framing (specifically designed for 2.35:1) was butchered throughout ... so pay attention ITV4 - show films in their original aspect ratios!
Monday, 15 August 2011
Hextuple Bill Mini/Cine Musings: August 2011...
Rise of the Planet of the Apes:
I've never seen any of the original movies (nor Tim Burton's roundly derided decade-old remake), but I am familiar with certain iconic images, names, and quotes from the original film starring Charlton Heston - and one day I'll get around to seeing that. Right now though, the franchise is undergoing a rebirth for the modern age, when issues surrounding Civil Rights and the place of the individual and the masses within society, continue to rumble underneath our feet on a daily basis.
In the same summer that has seen the brain dead and overlong Transformers 3 lummox about the place, the intelligence behind Rise's script provides a welcome human (and indeed primate) connection. It's not about apes going ... ape shit ... and smashing up the place, it's about a subjugated community discovering themselves, rallying against their oppressors, and seeking freedom and peace. In the wake of the England riots I wondered if this would prove a touch uncomfortable, but whereas the rioters had no reason for their vicious disregard for their own communities beyond the pursuit of a pair of trainers, the primates in this franchise refresher are gifted (via experimentation, as man seeks to cure it's own mental diseases and ailments) with superior brain functions, and events conspire to bring a collection of them together (chimps, gorillas, orangutans et al) in San Francisco (appropriately enough).
Much like the original films, this 2011 update has rich allegory seas from which to fish - be it the Suffragettes, the Civil Rights Movement, or whatever form of movement to erode barriers that have bred contempt, fear, violence and ignorance - it can be seen as a canvas on which to paint your own personal struggles. Fortunately, the rise of the apes themselves isn't one of unwarranted violence (only the occasional instance of, frankly justified, revenge) - which allows the audience to continue to sympathise with the apes (captured quite convincingly via CGI and performance capture techniques) - and indeed a number of the humans. Mind you, the two main villains of the piece are a bit one-dimensional.
It's an enjoyable sci-fi actioner with a good head on its shoulders with something to say, and what's more it's a touching film at times - anyone who has experienced Alzheimer's (for which the fictional ALZ-112 and ALZ-113 are deemed to be the cure) will understand what has driven James Franco's Will Rodman to create something for good, that ends up causing disaster.
Appaloosa:
This western (from Ed Harris) is no True Grit, Unforgiven, or The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - but it's still an entertaining watch, mostly due to the central duo of travelling law men Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, played by Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen respectively. Their chemistry keeps the pace moving, with a nicely played vein of good humour sewn in, even if the plot does feel a little scattered and doesn't always command your attention.
Rain Man:
Tom Cruise's specialist car importer (Charlie Babbitt) starts out as a complete and utter arsehole, and remains so (for the most part) for a considerable portion of the movie. I'm not sure if that would necessarily happen in a movie these days, but it's Dustin Hoffman's involving portrayal of a highly functioning autistic man (who, as Charlie's brother, inherits $3 million) that keeps the film interesting. Certain morals along the way are now somewhat dated, but for the most part it remains a good watch.
Grindhouse Trailer Classics Vol. 1:
A load of old scratchy, grimy, grotty, and sleazy trailers cut together back-to-back for a couple of hours. Simple really. Many of the trailed movies are well worth seeing in their entirety (Shivers, Zombi, The Last House on the Left, Coffy etc), but a number are fine enough as trailers and no more (all the best bits, none of the direlogue and inept production). Ideal for connoisseurs of grindhouse cinema.
Logorama:
A short film that's set in a world constructed from, and populated by, corporate logos. It's a nifty little piece - in which a gun-toting Ronald McDonald attempts to evade the police - with a sarcastic, but generally hands-off tone. The plot is secondary, the whole point is seeing the extent to which our lives are decorated by corporate logos and brands (it's amazing how many you know in an instant), and it does make me wonder how on earth they got the permission to use all these logos ... or perhaps it falls into some sort of grey area that allows it.
Exit Through The Gift Shop:
The so-called "Banksy Documentary" is really more about Thierry Guetta, a French filmmaker (who incessantly documented his entire life, and then his dealings with the emerging street art scene) who then became a street artist himself (Mister Brainwash). It's a fascinating portrait of the birth of a whole new approach to art, from it's back alley beginnings, to it's current status as incredibly valued alternative art adored by celebrities and mere mortals alike. Definitely worth checking out.
I've never seen any of the original movies (nor Tim Burton's roundly derided decade-old remake), but I am familiar with certain iconic images, names, and quotes from the original film starring Charlton Heston - and one day I'll get around to seeing that. Right now though, the franchise is undergoing a rebirth for the modern age, when issues surrounding Civil Rights and the place of the individual and the masses within society, continue to rumble underneath our feet on a daily basis.
In the same summer that has seen the brain dead and overlong Transformers 3 lummox about the place, the intelligence behind Rise's script provides a welcome human (and indeed primate) connection. It's not about apes going ... ape shit ... and smashing up the place, it's about a subjugated community discovering themselves, rallying against their oppressors, and seeking freedom and peace. In the wake of the England riots I wondered if this would prove a touch uncomfortable, but whereas the rioters had no reason for their vicious disregard for their own communities beyond the pursuit of a pair of trainers, the primates in this franchise refresher are gifted (via experimentation, as man seeks to cure it's own mental diseases and ailments) with superior brain functions, and events conspire to bring a collection of them together (chimps, gorillas, orangutans et al) in San Francisco (appropriately enough).
Much like the original films, this 2011 update has rich allegory seas from which to fish - be it the Suffragettes, the Civil Rights Movement, or whatever form of movement to erode barriers that have bred contempt, fear, violence and ignorance - it can be seen as a canvas on which to paint your own personal struggles. Fortunately, the rise of the apes themselves isn't one of unwarranted violence (only the occasional instance of, frankly justified, revenge) - which allows the audience to continue to sympathise with the apes (captured quite convincingly via CGI and performance capture techniques) - and indeed a number of the humans. Mind you, the two main villains of the piece are a bit one-dimensional.
It's an enjoyable sci-fi actioner with a good head on its shoulders with something to say, and what's more it's a touching film at times - anyone who has experienced Alzheimer's (for which the fictional ALZ-112 and ALZ-113 are deemed to be the cure) will understand what has driven James Franco's Will Rodman to create something for good, that ends up causing disaster.
Appaloosa:
This western (from Ed Harris) is no True Grit, Unforgiven, or The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - but it's still an entertaining watch, mostly due to the central duo of travelling law men Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, played by Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen respectively. Their chemistry keeps the pace moving, with a nicely played vein of good humour sewn in, even if the plot does feel a little scattered and doesn't always command your attention.
Rain Man:
Tom Cruise's specialist car importer (Charlie Babbitt) starts out as a complete and utter arsehole, and remains so (for the most part) for a considerable portion of the movie. I'm not sure if that would necessarily happen in a movie these days, but it's Dustin Hoffman's involving portrayal of a highly functioning autistic man (who, as Charlie's brother, inherits $3 million) that keeps the film interesting. Certain morals along the way are now somewhat dated, but for the most part it remains a good watch.
Grindhouse Trailer Classics Vol. 1:
A load of old scratchy, grimy, grotty, and sleazy trailers cut together back-to-back for a couple of hours. Simple really. Many of the trailed movies are well worth seeing in their entirety (Shivers, Zombi, The Last House on the Left, Coffy etc), but a number are fine enough as trailers and no more (all the best bits, none of the direlogue and inept production). Ideal for connoisseurs of grindhouse cinema.
Logorama:
A short film that's set in a world constructed from, and populated by, corporate logos. It's a nifty little piece - in which a gun-toting Ronald McDonald attempts to evade the police - with a sarcastic, but generally hands-off tone. The plot is secondary, the whole point is seeing the extent to which our lives are decorated by corporate logos and brands (it's amazing how many you know in an instant), and it does make me wonder how on earth they got the permission to use all these logos ... or perhaps it falls into some sort of grey area that allows it.
Exit Through The Gift Shop:
The so-called "Banksy Documentary" is really more about Thierry Guetta, a French filmmaker (who incessantly documented his entire life, and then his dealings with the emerging street art scene) who then became a street artist himself (Mister Brainwash). It's a fascinating portrait of the birth of a whole new approach to art, from it's back alley beginnings, to it's current status as incredibly valued alternative art adored by celebrities and mere mortals alike. Definitely worth checking out.
Wednesday, 3 August 2011
Double Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: August 2011...
Captain America:
Aside from the annoyingly ill-behaved and vocal child at the screening we attended (the kid must have been four years old, which is decidedly too young for a 12A in the cinema, in my view, especially if they won't shut up and, rather disturbingly, cheer when someone gets killed - in a film that was a touch more violent than I was expecting) ... I rather enjoyed this flick. It was a step below Iron Man for me, but I dug it much more than Thor. They spend a generous amount of time establishing Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as a believable and sympathetic character - the kid from Brooklyn - which carries the film throughout and stops it from being some flag-waving parody. If they hadn't have put in that effort, I'm sure the movie wouldn't have been as enjoyable, but fortunately they did.
Hugo Weaving plays The Red Skull, the main bad guy, and while he's not quite as all-out evil as you'd expect from a guy with a name and a look like that, he's nevertheless an enjoyable enough villain - indeed Weaving seemed to be channeling an evil version of Werner Herzog, which made his performance quite entertaining. The action is solid, the design of the stylised World War II is convincing, and supporting turns from the likes of Hailee Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, and Stanley Tucci provide more substance to keep things moving along at a good pace. The flick, at an efficient 125 minutes, manages to find the right position between providing enough depth to get you emotionally involved, and tackling the story without unnecessary baggage.
A ruddy good time indeed, with a convincing emotional core and brisk action, Captain America is well worth seeing, and it provides a great stepping stone towards next year's The Avengers (as trailed at the end of the credits).
The Two Jakes:
I'd heard the name a long time ago, but I had no idea that it was in fact a sequel to Roman Polanski's film noir classic Chinatown. Set a decade or two down the track from the original film, we again join Jake Gittes as he gets wrapped up in a curious murder that manages to link a soured business partnership, the L.A. oil industry, and a blast from the past. It's not as good as Chinatown (was it ever going to be?), but it's a good follow-up and worth a watch.
Aside from the annoyingly ill-behaved and vocal child at the screening we attended (the kid must have been four years old, which is decidedly too young for a 12A in the cinema, in my view, especially if they won't shut up and, rather disturbingly, cheer when someone gets killed - in a film that was a touch more violent than I was expecting) ... I rather enjoyed this flick. It was a step below Iron Man for me, but I dug it much more than Thor. They spend a generous amount of time establishing Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as a believable and sympathetic character - the kid from Brooklyn - which carries the film throughout and stops it from being some flag-waving parody. If they hadn't have put in that effort, I'm sure the movie wouldn't have been as enjoyable, but fortunately they did.
Hugo Weaving plays The Red Skull, the main bad guy, and while he's not quite as all-out evil as you'd expect from a guy with a name and a look like that, he's nevertheless an enjoyable enough villain - indeed Weaving seemed to be channeling an evil version of Werner Herzog, which made his performance quite entertaining. The action is solid, the design of the stylised World War II is convincing, and supporting turns from the likes of Hailee Atwell, Tommy Lee Jones, and Stanley Tucci provide more substance to keep things moving along at a good pace. The flick, at an efficient 125 minutes, manages to find the right position between providing enough depth to get you emotionally involved, and tackling the story without unnecessary baggage.
A ruddy good time indeed, with a convincing emotional core and brisk action, Captain America is well worth seeing, and it provides a great stepping stone towards next year's The Avengers (as trailed at the end of the credits).
The Two Jakes:
I'd heard the name a long time ago, but I had no idea that it was in fact a sequel to Roman Polanski's film noir classic Chinatown. Set a decade or two down the track from the original film, we again join Jake Gittes as he gets wrapped up in a curious murder that manages to link a soured business partnership, the L.A. oil industry, and a blast from the past. It's not as good as Chinatown (was it ever going to be?), but it's a good follow-up and worth a watch.
Monday, 25 July 2011
Triple Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: The Inexplicable, the Okay, and the Horrible...
Resident Evil Afterlife:
N.B. Sarcastic spoiling of the entire movie follows...
The fourth instalment in the inexplicable videogame-to-movie adaptation franchise (again written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson) kicks off with a very stylish, but mostly unintelligible attack - by a bunch of cloned Alices - on yet another impossibly labrynthine underground Umbrella Corporation complex. Then Mrs W.S. Anderson is flying around in a plane that is seemingly fuelled by magic in search of the paradise promised in the third movie (which was decidedly indebted to George A. Romero's far superior Day of the Dead). It's nowhere to be found, so her and Ali Larter sod off in their magic plane and end up landing on the roof of what looks like a hotel casino, but which is apparently a high-rise prison (eh?!).
We're introduced to 1) Asshole Producer, 2) Tough & Buff Black Guy with Incredibly Precise Facial Hair, 3) Random Asian, 4) Deluded Brunette Who Happens to be Good at Swimming, 5) Some Guy Called Angel or Whatever ... oh, and Wentworth Miller ... who's imprisoned, but he knows a way out (good thing he had all that Prison Break training, isn't it?) Then some zombies with weird mouths turn up, as well as some giant sack-headed creature with a massive axe/hammer (who's presumably from one of the games, but who is totally unexplained in this movie), and so a bunch of action happens - in slow motion - as Anderson makes full use of the 3D cameras (although I was watching it in 2D on my telly).
Fast forward, a bunch of cannon fodder has been gotten out of the way, and now we're on a boat. Then a bunch of nonsensical "muahahaha, we're an evil corporation" gibberish happens - and looks all shiny and slow-motioned and 3D in the process - and then the fifth inexplicable movie is set-up and we all fall down. It's a pretty face, with a handful of cool zombie apocalypse shots, but the plot makes little-to-no-sense - so you don't give a bollocks about anything that's going on. It's a movie for 13 year old boys who spend all their time testing the theory of "if you don't stop, you'll go blind" while intermittently rage-quitting from Call of Duty death match marathons.
Skateland:
Adventureland was a coming-of-age drama set in the 1980s starring one of the girls from Twilight (Kristen Stewart). Skateland is a coming-of-age drama, with a rather similar title, set in the 1980s starring one of the girls from Twilight (Ashley Greene) ... and it was also made in 2009, the same year as the pitch-perfect, involving and justifiably nostalgic Adventureland.
Skateland, on the other hand, expects our sympathies immediately - launching straight into nostalgia without having earned the right. We don't know who these characters are, nor what their relationships really are for the most part, and we don't know what the timescale of the entire movie is. We're not brought along for the ride from the get-go, so we spend the rest of the movie playing catch-up ... it's like being on the outside of a really good joke being told by another group over there somewhere, or being told a nostalgic story of an event you missed - perhaps you had to be there, eh? Suffice to say, it's a bit confusing, and Shiloh Fernandez's confused slacker teen comes off more as a lazy jerk, who's occasionally a bit-of-a-dick, than the identifiable, self-concious, kid-in-the-background played by Jesse Eisenberg in Adventureland. Indeed, Fernandez (also seen in DeadGirl) - half of the time - has this odd smirk on his face that just makes him seem like, to quote Scott Pilgrim, a "cocky cock".
There's some lovely visual moments and a great soundtrack, but the heart of the movie is lost for the most part thanks to confused plotting which lacks focus. If you want a coming-of-age drama (with a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure) that's set in the 1980s, then go directly to Adventureland, which is a wonderful film. Skateland on the otherhand, is sadly just okay.
Horrible Bosses:
While Mark Kermode (my film critic of choice) went off on a tangent by having a whinge about Jennifer Aniston being too fit for her role as a female dentist/sexual predator (summed up as "phwoar, Jennifer Aniston, phwoar, hey?") - I'd only half agree. While yes, you could have played it more dangerously as the dentist being a bit of an old boiler, on the other hand part of the joke is that the other two males from the central trio of protagonists (Nick and Kurt) cannot understand why their friend (Dale) doesn't like being felt up by a hot dentist. Indeed - Jennifer Aniston ... phwoar, hey?! Speaking of which - it's good to see Aniston in a more daring role that's actually a bit different, and in a movie that isn't utter naffness like The Bounty Hunter.
Anyway - three guys (including the ever-reliable Jason Bateman) find themselves in the employ of three horrible bosses, and (as you'll have surmised from the trailer) they decide to kill off each other's bosses. Suffice to say, things don't go exactly according to plan, as they bumble their way through attempts to 'gather intel'. It's not a comedy classic, but it's a good time nonetheless (the audience in the cinema where we saw it would have to agree), helped along by a dirty mind, solid central casting, and a strong core idea - even if the middle portion somewhat loses the spark before rallying itself for a satisfying sign-off.
N.B. Sarcastic spoiling of the entire movie follows...
The fourth instalment in the inexplicable videogame-to-movie adaptation franchise (again written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson) kicks off with a very stylish, but mostly unintelligible attack - by a bunch of cloned Alices - on yet another impossibly labrynthine underground Umbrella Corporation complex. Then Mrs W.S. Anderson is flying around in a plane that is seemingly fuelled by magic in search of the paradise promised in the third movie (which was decidedly indebted to George A. Romero's far superior Day of the Dead). It's nowhere to be found, so her and Ali Larter sod off in their magic plane and end up landing on the roof of what looks like a hotel casino, but which is apparently a high-rise prison (eh?!).
We're introduced to 1) Asshole Producer, 2) Tough & Buff Black Guy with Incredibly Precise Facial Hair, 3) Random Asian, 4) Deluded Brunette Who Happens to be Good at Swimming, 5) Some Guy Called Angel or Whatever ... oh, and Wentworth Miller ... who's imprisoned, but he knows a way out (good thing he had all that Prison Break training, isn't it?) Then some zombies with weird mouths turn up, as well as some giant sack-headed creature with a massive axe/hammer (who's presumably from one of the games, but who is totally unexplained in this movie), and so a bunch of action happens - in slow motion - as Anderson makes full use of the 3D cameras (although I was watching it in 2D on my telly).
Fast forward, a bunch of cannon fodder has been gotten out of the way, and now we're on a boat. Then a bunch of nonsensical "muahahaha, we're an evil corporation" gibberish happens - and looks all shiny and slow-motioned and 3D in the process - and then the fifth inexplicable movie is set-up and we all fall down. It's a pretty face, with a handful of cool zombie apocalypse shots, but the plot makes little-to-no-sense - so you don't give a bollocks about anything that's going on. It's a movie for 13 year old boys who spend all their time testing the theory of "if you don't stop, you'll go blind" while intermittently rage-quitting from Call of Duty death match marathons.
Skateland:
Adventureland was a coming-of-age drama set in the 1980s starring one of the girls from Twilight (Kristen Stewart). Skateland is a coming-of-age drama, with a rather similar title, set in the 1980s starring one of the girls from Twilight (Ashley Greene) ... and it was also made in 2009, the same year as the pitch-perfect, involving and justifiably nostalgic Adventureland.
Skateland, on the other hand, expects our sympathies immediately - launching straight into nostalgia without having earned the right. We don't know who these characters are, nor what their relationships really are for the most part, and we don't know what the timescale of the entire movie is. We're not brought along for the ride from the get-go, so we spend the rest of the movie playing catch-up ... it's like being on the outside of a really good joke being told by another group over there somewhere, or being told a nostalgic story of an event you missed - perhaps you had to be there, eh? Suffice to say, it's a bit confusing, and Shiloh Fernandez's confused slacker teen comes off more as a lazy jerk, who's occasionally a bit-of-a-dick, than the identifiable, self-concious, kid-in-the-background played by Jesse Eisenberg in Adventureland. Indeed, Fernandez (also seen in DeadGirl) - half of the time - has this odd smirk on his face that just makes him seem like, to quote Scott Pilgrim, a "cocky cock".
There's some lovely visual moments and a great soundtrack, but the heart of the movie is lost for the most part thanks to confused plotting which lacks focus. If you want a coming-of-age drama (with a bit of comedy thrown in for good measure) that's set in the 1980s, then go directly to Adventureland, which is a wonderful film. Skateland on the otherhand, is sadly just okay.
Horrible Bosses:
While Mark Kermode (my film critic of choice) went off on a tangent by having a whinge about Jennifer Aniston being too fit for her role as a female dentist/sexual predator (summed up as "phwoar, Jennifer Aniston, phwoar, hey?") - I'd only half agree. While yes, you could have played it more dangerously as the dentist being a bit of an old boiler, on the other hand part of the joke is that the other two males from the central trio of protagonists (Nick and Kurt) cannot understand why their friend (Dale) doesn't like being felt up by a hot dentist. Indeed - Jennifer Aniston ... phwoar, hey?! Speaking of which - it's good to see Aniston in a more daring role that's actually a bit different, and in a movie that isn't utter naffness like The Bounty Hunter.
Anyway - three guys (including the ever-reliable Jason Bateman) find themselves in the employ of three horrible bosses, and (as you'll have surmised from the trailer) they decide to kill off each other's bosses. Suffice to say, things don't go exactly according to plan, as they bumble their way through attempts to 'gather intel'. It's not a comedy classic, but it's a good time nonetheless (the audience in the cinema where we saw it would have to agree), helped along by a dirty mind, solid central casting, and a strong core idea - even if the middle portion somewhat loses the spark before rallying itself for a satisfying sign-off.
Monday, 11 July 2011
Nonuple Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: July 2011...
Transformers: Dark of the Moon:
The first one was solid, the second one was a confused and poorly judged mess that inspired guilt more than enjoyment, and now this third one (which would be wise to be the closing chapter) comes clunking along with it's gigantic running time filled with gigantic Autobots and Decepticons that all look the same (bar Optimus, Bumble Bee, and Sentinel) punching each other. Fortunately it's a big improvement over the second movie, and it even kicks off with an intriguing opening half hour that re-purposes major historical events.
However, the plot becomes less-and-less important and the EXPLOSIONS and FIGHTING ROBOTS become more important to the filmmakers, as the movie progresses. This all culminates in a ridiculously overlong final battle (with a ridiculously short wrap-up, that caught me off-guard with its brevity). If you want lots of shit exploding and looking pretty whilst doing so, you'll get what you want, but beyond that it's an exhausting experience. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley isn't as pointless as the trailer makes out, but she's far from interesting, and Patrick Dempsey's Dylan is a casualty of an overlong running time that can't manage to cover all of the human characters in enough detail (let alone the Autobots and Decepticons). It's a cursory sort of movie in that way, all (impressively martialed) mouth and no trousers.
The Killing Machine:
For what it is - straight-to-DVD action fodder designed for fans of a particular name, in this case Dolph Lundgren - it's decent. The production value is decidedly better that The Mechanik (another Lundgren DVD vehicle), the plot is straight forward (but nothing to set the world on fire), and there's some nice moments of action. If you're going to watch one of Lundgren's DVD actioners, you'd probably do best to make it this one.
Mercury Rising:
Weirdly I've had a dubbed copy of this on videotape ever since its video rental release (circa 1998), but I never got around to watching it. Then it was on Sky Anytime t'other day, so I figured it was about time. Bruce Willis is an FBI agent who has to protect an autistic boy (the "Autism?" "Yes, Autism is..." exchanges are slightly funny in their near-PSA directness) who has cracked a supposedly unbreakable government code, and is now being hunted by those who want to either silence him, or use him. Decent thriller fare.
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd:
A surprisingly enjoyable prequel to the Farrely brother's beloved chuckle-fest, featuring Derek Richardson (Harry) and Eric Christian Olsen (Lloyd), who do a remarkably good job of inhabiting the performances established in 1994 by Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Harry and Lloyd are in high school, and end up in a phoney special needs class due to a scam being run by the Principal and the Lunch Lady. It's gleefully silly, and while it was never going to top the original, it's actually quite good fun.
Grown Ups:
I was expecting something worse than this, but the real-life friendship between the central male leads shines through the so-so workman-like comedy. Adam Sandler and pals are re-united 30 years later by the death of their school basketball coach, and spend the July 4th weekend together in a lakeside cabin with their respective family. Cue silliness, prat falls, and some paint-by-numbers lessons-to-be-learned, and you've got a decent (if not especially memorable) way to spent 90 minutes - even if several characters (of a rather large cast) are ditched with cursory roles to play.
Fanboys:
This one came late to Sky Movies (it's originally from 2008), but it's about a bunch of Star Wars geeks who go on a mission to steal the work print of The Phantom Menace from Skywalker Ranch. Like Grown Ups, it's a servicable comedy with some good giggles along the way, but it's a light meal (enjoyable at the time) that'll fade into the background for most.
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest:
A satisfying closer to the Millennium Trilogy. Sure enough, the second film was setting up lots of the third film - although numerous new characters and plot details are surfaced as well, which can prove slightly confusing until it's all wrapped up in the final act. It's more stylish than the second one, but the first remains the best - it featured a complex stand-alone narrative that was translated with style and precision to the screen by Niels Arden Oplev - while the second two (directed by Daniel Alfredson) never matched that level, they weren't let downs either. Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is indeed a new cinematic icon.
Trailer Park Of Terror:
You want some horror fodder? Then step right up. A bunch of fodder-ready Christian development kids from the wrong sides of their respective tracks, find themselves at the mercy of a bunch of hellish ghouls at a trailer park. The plot is fairly threadbare, and early on the movie can't decide which tale it wants to tell (neither have enough meat to them when collided together in this brief presentation). However the production value and style of the whole thing is impressive ... but unless it's particularly tickled your fancy, it'll remain forgettable genre fodder.
Sunset Boulevard:
The other week I finally got around to seeing Billy Wilder's superb film noir Double Indemnity, and now I've gotten to see his oft-quoted, landmark, and grippingly acerbic take on 1950s Hollywood. Featuring real Hollywood names of the silent and early talkies period (Cecil B. DeMille, Erich von Stroheim, and even Buster Keaton), the involving narrative charts a struggling (practically failed) writer (Joe, played by William Holden) who accidentally gets involved with a fading star of the silent movie era (Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson) - a deluded and aging actress who resides exclusively in her decaying mansion. Soon he becomes her kept man, working on a script for her, while moonlighting on another script with another woman (Betty) by night. It's a wonderfully intriguing and skilfully concise tale - no wonder it's an icon of cinematic history (indeed it provided heavy inspiration for Chuck Palahniuk's 2010 novel Tell-All). Highly recommended.
The first one was solid, the second one was a confused and poorly judged mess that inspired guilt more than enjoyment, and now this third one (which would be wise to be the closing chapter) comes clunking along with it's gigantic running time filled with gigantic Autobots and Decepticons that all look the same (bar Optimus, Bumble Bee, and Sentinel) punching each other. Fortunately it's a big improvement over the second movie, and it even kicks off with an intriguing opening half hour that re-purposes major historical events.
However, the plot becomes less-and-less important and the EXPLOSIONS and FIGHTING ROBOTS become more important to the filmmakers, as the movie progresses. This all culminates in a ridiculously overlong final battle (with a ridiculously short wrap-up, that caught me off-guard with its brevity). If you want lots of shit exploding and looking pretty whilst doing so, you'll get what you want, but beyond that it's an exhausting experience. Rosie Huntington-Whiteley isn't as pointless as the trailer makes out, but she's far from interesting, and Patrick Dempsey's Dylan is a casualty of an overlong running time that can't manage to cover all of the human characters in enough detail (let alone the Autobots and Decepticons). It's a cursory sort of movie in that way, all (impressively martialed) mouth and no trousers.
The Killing Machine:
For what it is - straight-to-DVD action fodder designed for fans of a particular name, in this case Dolph Lundgren - it's decent. The production value is decidedly better that The Mechanik (another Lundgren DVD vehicle), the plot is straight forward (but nothing to set the world on fire), and there's some nice moments of action. If you're going to watch one of Lundgren's DVD actioners, you'd probably do best to make it this one.
Mercury Rising:
Weirdly I've had a dubbed copy of this on videotape ever since its video rental release (circa 1998), but I never got around to watching it. Then it was on Sky Anytime t'other day, so I figured it was about time. Bruce Willis is an FBI agent who has to protect an autistic boy (the "Autism?" "Yes, Autism is..." exchanges are slightly funny in their near-PSA directness) who has cracked a supposedly unbreakable government code, and is now being hunted by those who want to either silence him, or use him. Decent thriller fare.
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd:
A surprisingly enjoyable prequel to the Farrely brother's beloved chuckle-fest, featuring Derek Richardson (Harry) and Eric Christian Olsen (Lloyd), who do a remarkably good job of inhabiting the performances established in 1994 by Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels. Harry and Lloyd are in high school, and end up in a phoney special needs class due to a scam being run by the Principal and the Lunch Lady. It's gleefully silly, and while it was never going to top the original, it's actually quite good fun.
Grown Ups:
I was expecting something worse than this, but the real-life friendship between the central male leads shines through the so-so workman-like comedy. Adam Sandler and pals are re-united 30 years later by the death of their school basketball coach, and spend the July 4th weekend together in a lakeside cabin with their respective family. Cue silliness, prat falls, and some paint-by-numbers lessons-to-be-learned, and you've got a decent (if not especially memorable) way to spent 90 minutes - even if several characters (of a rather large cast) are ditched with cursory roles to play.
Fanboys:
This one came late to Sky Movies (it's originally from 2008), but it's about a bunch of Star Wars geeks who go on a mission to steal the work print of The Phantom Menace from Skywalker Ranch. Like Grown Ups, it's a servicable comedy with some good giggles along the way, but it's a light meal (enjoyable at the time) that'll fade into the background for most.
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest:
A satisfying closer to the Millennium Trilogy. Sure enough, the second film was setting up lots of the third film - although numerous new characters and plot details are surfaced as well, which can prove slightly confusing until it's all wrapped up in the final act. It's more stylish than the second one, but the first remains the best - it featured a complex stand-alone narrative that was translated with style and precision to the screen by Niels Arden Oplev - while the second two (directed by Daniel Alfredson) never matched that level, they weren't let downs either. Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is indeed a new cinematic icon.
Trailer Park Of Terror:
You want some horror fodder? Then step right up. A bunch of fodder-ready Christian development kids from the wrong sides of their respective tracks, find themselves at the mercy of a bunch of hellish ghouls at a trailer park. The plot is fairly threadbare, and early on the movie can't decide which tale it wants to tell (neither have enough meat to them when collided together in this brief presentation). However the production value and style of the whole thing is impressive ... but unless it's particularly tickled your fancy, it'll remain forgettable genre fodder.
Sunset Boulevard:
The other week I finally got around to seeing Billy Wilder's superb film noir Double Indemnity, and now I've gotten to see his oft-quoted, landmark, and grippingly acerbic take on 1950s Hollywood. Featuring real Hollywood names of the silent and early talkies period (Cecil B. DeMille, Erich von Stroheim, and even Buster Keaton), the involving narrative charts a struggling (practically failed) writer (Joe, played by William Holden) who accidentally gets involved with a fading star of the silent movie era (Norma Desmond, played by Gloria Swanson) - a deluded and aging actress who resides exclusively in her decaying mansion. Soon he becomes her kept man, working on a script for her, while moonlighting on another script with another woman (Betty) by night. It's a wonderfully intriguing and skilfully concise tale - no wonder it's an icon of cinematic history (indeed it provided heavy inspiration for Chuck Palahniuk's 2010 novel Tell-All). Highly recommended.
Wednesday, 1 June 2011
Pentuple Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: Antics, Heroes, Trains, Nutters and Robots...
The Hangover: Part II:
The trailer for the first movie was pretty crap, and I wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing it. However, the movie itself was damn good fun, and seeing as it made a shedload of cash a sequel was inevitable. Moving from the 'safe seediness' of Vegas to the 'serious seediness' of Bangkok, the tone is decidedly darker. Vegas is a bit of fun, but if you're lost in Thailand's capital too long it's a case of "Bangkok has you now", never to return. It's grubbier, sweatier and crazier - everything is dialed up to 11 and beyond. The gross stuff gets grosser, the panic gets more palpable, and the sleaze keeps on slithering around you.
Despite the darker tone once the movie gets going, there's plenty of fun to be had - although the movie sticks so closely to the formula, and indeed structure, of the original movie, that it can feel a bit too familiar. No doubt a third will be coming after this sequel blitzed the box office, and hopefully they'll explore new territory (e.g. at least showing us part of the chaotic evening, before segwaying into the chaotic morning after, and bring Justin Bartha's character along for the ride rather than leaving him curiously absent for the most part like in this sequel). So it's very familiar, it's more dangerous, not as good as the original (naturally), but if you dug the original you'll dig this ... and likewise, as has clearly been the case from some critics, if you hated the original, you'll hate this sequel with gusto. Meanwhile the rest of us will be enjoying ourselves.
Defendor:
I was quite looking forward to seeing this after Harrelson's turn in Zombieland, but in the end it's only an okay movie. Harrelson plays a simple man with some problems who masquerades by night as the eponymous hero seeking to bring down Captain Industry, whom he believes killed his mother when he was a child. The pace is a bit too slow, and it never really comes close to hitting a homerun. It's neither funny enough, nor dark enough, considering the subject matter ... although, it's still an interesting little flick, but not quite what I was expecting either unfortunately.
Unstoppable:
A movie about a runaway train full of explosive chemicals directed by Tony Scott - not much to it then, right? Well, sure it's straight forward stuff, but the pace is perfect and most importantly the drama and action is handled with total skill, making this runaway train movie genuinely gripping at all the right moments.
Hatchet:
I'd heard so many good things about this 1980s throwback horror from Adam Green, but clearly those who dug it were seeing something I wasn't. Whipping out a couple of horror icons and relying on cliches as much as you deride them isn't enough to make a decent horror flick. The moments of gore are enjoyable genre fare, but that's only a fraction of the movie. While the main character's buddy Marcus is enjoyably witty throughout, there's little else to keep your attention (even with the brief running time). Bar a handful of decent moments, it was dull and predictable. It neither truly paid homage to the 1980s, or unleashed the self-aware schtick, and the use of Marilyn Manson on the soundtrack is trendy, but totally out-of-place. I really don't get why some apparently enjoyed this so much, but I have heard that the sequel was met with a derisory "meh" during it's brief theatrical stint.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence:
It's been a few years since I watched the first one, so this belated sequel was a little hard to get into when coming to it cold, however the impressive visual style afforded to a very Blade Runner-inspired world where the line between human, cyborg and robot is blurred beyond recognition involves you nonetheless. The cyberpunk stylings are taken to lush and impressive lengths, utilising a mixture of CGI and traditional animation, and while the plot becomes a touch convoluted later on, the noir-like murder investigation that provides the backbone to the plot keeps things together nicely. An efficient 90 minute running time also keeps the flick from descending into ponciness (unlike the latter two Matrix movies, a franchise that was inspired in-part by the original Ghost in the Shell). As an aside, I watched it with the English Dub, which tried to cram too much exposition-filled dialogue into spaces that were too short, and what's more the delivery was robotic and too fast. Quality cyberpunk sci-fi anime.
The trailer for the first movie was pretty crap, and I wasn't particularly looking forward to seeing it. However, the movie itself was damn good fun, and seeing as it made a shedload of cash a sequel was inevitable. Moving from the 'safe seediness' of Vegas to the 'serious seediness' of Bangkok, the tone is decidedly darker. Vegas is a bit of fun, but if you're lost in Thailand's capital too long it's a case of "Bangkok has you now", never to return. It's grubbier, sweatier and crazier - everything is dialed up to 11 and beyond. The gross stuff gets grosser, the panic gets more palpable, and the sleaze keeps on slithering around you.
Despite the darker tone once the movie gets going, there's plenty of fun to be had - although the movie sticks so closely to the formula, and indeed structure, of the original movie, that it can feel a bit too familiar. No doubt a third will be coming after this sequel blitzed the box office, and hopefully they'll explore new territory (e.g. at least showing us part of the chaotic evening, before segwaying into the chaotic morning after, and bring Justin Bartha's character along for the ride rather than leaving him curiously absent for the most part like in this sequel). So it's very familiar, it's more dangerous, not as good as the original (naturally), but if you dug the original you'll dig this ... and likewise, as has clearly been the case from some critics, if you hated the original, you'll hate this sequel with gusto. Meanwhile the rest of us will be enjoying ourselves.
Defendor:
I was quite looking forward to seeing this after Harrelson's turn in Zombieland, but in the end it's only an okay movie. Harrelson plays a simple man with some problems who masquerades by night as the eponymous hero seeking to bring down Captain Industry, whom he believes killed his mother when he was a child. The pace is a bit too slow, and it never really comes close to hitting a homerun. It's neither funny enough, nor dark enough, considering the subject matter ... although, it's still an interesting little flick, but not quite what I was expecting either unfortunately.
Unstoppable:
A movie about a runaway train full of explosive chemicals directed by Tony Scott - not much to it then, right? Well, sure it's straight forward stuff, but the pace is perfect and most importantly the drama and action is handled with total skill, making this runaway train movie genuinely gripping at all the right moments.
Hatchet:
I'd heard so many good things about this 1980s throwback horror from Adam Green, but clearly those who dug it were seeing something I wasn't. Whipping out a couple of horror icons and relying on cliches as much as you deride them isn't enough to make a decent horror flick. The moments of gore are enjoyable genre fare, but that's only a fraction of the movie. While the main character's buddy Marcus is enjoyably witty throughout, there's little else to keep your attention (even with the brief running time). Bar a handful of decent moments, it was dull and predictable. It neither truly paid homage to the 1980s, or unleashed the self-aware schtick, and the use of Marilyn Manson on the soundtrack is trendy, but totally out-of-place. I really don't get why some apparently enjoyed this so much, but I have heard that the sequel was met with a derisory "meh" during it's brief theatrical stint.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence:
It's been a few years since I watched the first one, so this belated sequel was a little hard to get into when coming to it cold, however the impressive visual style afforded to a very Blade Runner-inspired world where the line between human, cyborg and robot is blurred beyond recognition involves you nonetheless. The cyberpunk stylings are taken to lush and impressive lengths, utilising a mixture of CGI and traditional animation, and while the plot becomes a touch convoluted later on, the noir-like murder investigation that provides the backbone to the plot keeps things together nicely. An efficient 90 minute running time also keeps the flick from descending into ponciness (unlike the latter two Matrix movies, a franchise that was inspired in-part by the original Ghost in the Shell). As an aside, I watched it with the English Dub, which tried to cram too much exposition-filled dialogue into spaces that were too short, and what's more the delivery was robotic and too fast. Quality cyberpunk sci-fi anime.
Monday, 16 May 2011
Hextuple Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: May 2011...
Attack The Block:
It was never going to live up to the dizzying and unique heights of Shaun of the Dead, so Joe Cornish's debut - a mixture of sci-fi, horror, comedy and grim council estate realism - was always going to suffer a bit, like several flicks before, and no doubt several more to come. It's a shame that the best parts of the movie, and indeed the best laughs, are mostly crammed into the trailer, however this was no doubt beyond Cornish & Co's control ... but someone needed to do a better job of not giving away all the good stuff.
Visually it's a nicely put together film - particularly the eponymous intimidating and monolithic block (which I'm sure I saw in a Nissan advert on TV when I got back from the cinema) - home to a cross-section of London's populace. Included in this cross-section, indeed the protagonists of the entire movie, is a gang of hoody-wearing, knife-wielding petty criminals and soon-to-be-gang-members ... and herein lies the biggest problem with the movie. Our introduction to this gang is them intimidating and mugging a nurse as she walks home (another main character), and come the third act, there just isn't enough made in terms of reparations. This gang of teens show little remorse beyond 'if we'd known you lived here, we wouldn't have mugged you' - and as such, it's hard to cheer them on, let alone empathise with them throughout. They're not cheeky cockney gangsters like you'd find in a Guy Ritchie movie (a cartoonish version of reality), they feel very real, so when the aforementioned nurse berates them for their harmful actions, you're totally on her side.
It's sure to be a divide for audiences - you'll either not mind and go with it, or you'll have no sympathy for most of the characters throughout. I struggled to support the central gang, and only warmed to them slightly towards the end after some cursory backstory information and some light condemning of their actions by their female peers. It's better than nothing, sure, but it's a big ask to be a part of their fight against the big black furry aliens with glow-in-the-dark-teeth (a nifty low-fi creature design that uses CGI appropriately) considering their introductory actions.
However, some of the other characters are easier to get along with - particularly Nick Frost's cowardly pot dealer "Ron" - and there is a witty sense of nicely balanced comedy to go along with proceedings. The funny lines don't feel forced, or out of place in the context of this alien invasion, and the direction is strong throughout. It's just a shame that there aren't some bigger laughs and a better development (and introduction) of the central cast. Good, but not great. It is though, a solid debut from Joe Cornish, and I look forward to seeing what comes from him next. It's strange, in a way, to think that in the late 1990s I was watching him, and comedy partner Adam Buxton, get up to their hilariously inventive antics (and their "toy movies") on The Adam & Joe Show, and now Joe's out there making his own movies.
Basket Case:
So crap it's kind of good. It's a grotty old horror from the 1980s, filmed cheaply in and around the down-at-heel areas of New York. Basically, there's a guy going around with a wicker basket under his arm. Inside is his hideous, half-formed, and murderous brother - a monstrous anomaly that was once attached to him, but was removed by force by a group of surgeons. It's pretty damn silly, and fairly gross, but there's a despicable charm to it nonetheless.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans:
Werner Herzog's 'remake' of Able Ferrara's brutal original is a huge step in a different direction. The 1992 original was viscious, sleazy, extreme, and extended into the deepest depths from which redemption is almost impossible for the titular pro(anti)tagonist (played by Harvey Keitel). Herzog's 'remake' takes the basic idea - a Lieutenant gone bad - and goes in his own direction. Nicolas Cage plays a cop, smacked out on anything going to ease his back pain, as he attempts to find a killer and cope with his spiralling addictions. It's an odd flick, but in a good way, with a decidedly different tone to Ferrara's original. Herzog's film tackles the dark side with a bright eye and a blackly comic undertone. Ferrara's film, for me, will be the most memorable version however. On the other hand, Herzog's is much easier to watch.
The Bounty Hunter:
There's a certain type of "movie" that some in filmmaking sneer at, and no doubt it's just this sort of old twaddle. An action comedy that's lacking both, and indeed totally devoid of any real spark between the two leads - Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. The only reason I watched it, quite honestly, is because I think Aniston is fit ... so her ending up in a water hazard was the best bit ... if I'm totally honest. In general though, it's just a load of old rubbish, the sort of old crap that, as someone trying to break into filmmaking and be a writer/director, really winds me up - that such a dud script could be produced pisses me right off.
The King's Speech:
Great direction. Great script. Great acting. Great cinematography. It really is damned good and well worth viewing. That about sums it up, because surely you know plenty about it by now. If you've not already seen it, give it a look.
Trick 'r Treat:
It's the middle of May, so naturally it was the perfect time to watch an anthology horror about Halloween! Despite the completely inappropriate time to be viewing such a seasonally-specific movie, it was gleefully entertaining. Four main tales are interwoven on one Halloween night (such as a High School Principal who moonlights as a serial killer, and the tale of a school bus driven into a quarry), with the inventively creepy figure of "Sam" appearing throughout. It bounds along at a nice pace and doesn't outstay its welcome, it's got a deliciously black sense of humour, and it'd be well worth viewing on the spooktacular night in question.
It was never going to live up to the dizzying and unique heights of Shaun of the Dead, so Joe Cornish's debut - a mixture of sci-fi, horror, comedy and grim council estate realism - was always going to suffer a bit, like several flicks before, and no doubt several more to come. It's a shame that the best parts of the movie, and indeed the best laughs, are mostly crammed into the trailer, however this was no doubt beyond Cornish & Co's control ... but someone needed to do a better job of not giving away all the good stuff.
Visually it's a nicely put together film - particularly the eponymous intimidating and monolithic block (which I'm sure I saw in a Nissan advert on TV when I got back from the cinema) - home to a cross-section of London's populace. Included in this cross-section, indeed the protagonists of the entire movie, is a gang of hoody-wearing, knife-wielding petty criminals and soon-to-be-gang-members ... and herein lies the biggest problem with the movie. Our introduction to this gang is them intimidating and mugging a nurse as she walks home (another main character), and come the third act, there just isn't enough made in terms of reparations. This gang of teens show little remorse beyond 'if we'd known you lived here, we wouldn't have mugged you' - and as such, it's hard to cheer them on, let alone empathise with them throughout. They're not cheeky cockney gangsters like you'd find in a Guy Ritchie movie (a cartoonish version of reality), they feel very real, so when the aforementioned nurse berates them for their harmful actions, you're totally on her side.
It's sure to be a divide for audiences - you'll either not mind and go with it, or you'll have no sympathy for most of the characters throughout. I struggled to support the central gang, and only warmed to them slightly towards the end after some cursory backstory information and some light condemning of their actions by their female peers. It's better than nothing, sure, but it's a big ask to be a part of their fight against the big black furry aliens with glow-in-the-dark-teeth (a nifty low-fi creature design that uses CGI appropriately) considering their introductory actions.
However, some of the other characters are easier to get along with - particularly Nick Frost's cowardly pot dealer "Ron" - and there is a witty sense of nicely balanced comedy to go along with proceedings. The funny lines don't feel forced, or out of place in the context of this alien invasion, and the direction is strong throughout. It's just a shame that there aren't some bigger laughs and a better development (and introduction) of the central cast. Good, but not great. It is though, a solid debut from Joe Cornish, and I look forward to seeing what comes from him next. It's strange, in a way, to think that in the late 1990s I was watching him, and comedy partner Adam Buxton, get up to their hilariously inventive antics (and their "toy movies") on The Adam & Joe Show, and now Joe's out there making his own movies.
Basket Case:
So crap it's kind of good. It's a grotty old horror from the 1980s, filmed cheaply in and around the down-at-heel areas of New York. Basically, there's a guy going around with a wicker basket under his arm. Inside is his hideous, half-formed, and murderous brother - a monstrous anomaly that was once attached to him, but was removed by force by a group of surgeons. It's pretty damn silly, and fairly gross, but there's a despicable charm to it nonetheless.
Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans:
Werner Herzog's 'remake' of Able Ferrara's brutal original is a huge step in a different direction. The 1992 original was viscious, sleazy, extreme, and extended into the deepest depths from which redemption is almost impossible for the titular pro(anti)tagonist (played by Harvey Keitel). Herzog's 'remake' takes the basic idea - a Lieutenant gone bad - and goes in his own direction. Nicolas Cage plays a cop, smacked out on anything going to ease his back pain, as he attempts to find a killer and cope with his spiralling addictions. It's an odd flick, but in a good way, with a decidedly different tone to Ferrara's original. Herzog's film tackles the dark side with a bright eye and a blackly comic undertone. Ferrara's film, for me, will be the most memorable version however. On the other hand, Herzog's is much easier to watch.
The Bounty Hunter:
There's a certain type of "movie" that some in filmmaking sneer at, and no doubt it's just this sort of old twaddle. An action comedy that's lacking both, and indeed totally devoid of any real spark between the two leads - Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler. The only reason I watched it, quite honestly, is because I think Aniston is fit ... so her ending up in a water hazard was the best bit ... if I'm totally honest. In general though, it's just a load of old rubbish, the sort of old crap that, as someone trying to break into filmmaking and be a writer/director, really winds me up - that such a dud script could be produced pisses me right off.
The King's Speech:
Great direction. Great script. Great acting. Great cinematography. It really is damned good and well worth viewing. That about sums it up, because surely you know plenty about it by now. If you've not already seen it, give it a look.
Trick 'r Treat:
It's the middle of May, so naturally it was the perfect time to watch an anthology horror about Halloween! Despite the completely inappropriate time to be viewing such a seasonally-specific movie, it was gleefully entertaining. Four main tales are interwoven on one Halloween night (such as a High School Principal who moonlights as a serial killer, and the tale of a school bus driven into a quarry), with the inventively creepy figure of "Sam" appearing throughout. It bounds along at a nice pace and doesn't outstay its welcome, it's got a deliciously black sense of humour, and it'd be well worth viewing on the spooktacular night in question.
Thursday, 5 May 2011
Pentuple Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: Thor, Billy, Romans, Gangsters, and Randy Teens...
Thor 3D:
First off the bat - the 3D is pointless. Each time I see a movie in 3D now, I become even less bothered about the whole thing, and I wasn't particularly fussed beforehand. The last time 3D was any real fun was Jackass 3D, and that revolved around poking stuff into the lens. Even Drive Angry 3D wasn't all that in 3D. Indeed, despite knowing of it, and somewhat noticing it on other 3D flicks, the 'dimming factor' of 3D glasses was very evident with Thor. Particularly during night scenes and anytime we're in Thor's home realm, the image was ridiculously dulled.
The movie itself is basically thus - it's no Iron Man, that's for sure, but it's much better paced than Iron Man 2, however I'm much more looking forward to Captain America. There's a decent amount of humour splashed throughout, Natalie Portman is likeable as ever, Hemsworth does a solid job playing the hammer-flinger himself, and it's a generally impressive movie visually. However, I wasn't especially looking forward to this movie - hardly in fact - and while I did enjoy it, it wasn't particularly memorable for me. Good, but not great. One final thing though - it's possibly the loudest (and bassiest) movie of the year.
Billy Madison:
I've never understood why some people like these particular Adam Sandler movies so much. The scripting is rarely polished, never mind vaguely tight or organised, and Sandler seems to do the same schtick from one to the other. He was really good in Funny People, but I just don't get why some people dig these Adam Sandler comedies from the 1990s so much. Like with Happy Gilmore, which I saw for the first time a little while ago, there was only a few chuckles to be had. It's just a random load of old nonsense cobbled together.
Centurion:
I loved Dog Soldiers, The Descent was terrifyingly claustrophobic, and Doomsday was a gleeful mash-up of 1980s genre cinema. I dig them all and own them all on DVD. However, Centurion never struck me with much interest and so, long after its cinematic release, I come to it on Sky Movies. It's okay - a Roman army find themselves at the mercy of the Scottish Picts in 117AD Britain, and one-by-one the survivors of a bloody encounter are picked off as they make their way home to the nearest Roman outpost. The main battles are bloody, but there are few characters to really root for, as pretty much everyone is a bloodthirsty bastard or part of a vicious empire. The scenery is fantastic, but it doesn't elevate the movie to any lasting status for me.
Once Upon A Time In America:
When I originally saw Once Upon A Time In The West, I didn't like it. However, that was several years ago, and a recent second viewing changed my opinion entirely. This time around, it's another Sergio Leone epic - this time about the rise and fall of a group of gangsters in New York, following them through the streets of early 20th century life, Prohibition, and the dying days of the 1960s. It's epic, to say the least, although I preferred the first half of the movie to the second. Perhaps a second viewing would improve my response to the movie - which was a bit cold and distanced - like what happened with Once Upon A Time In The West. Or then again, maybe it wouldn't. Perhaps I prefer Leone's westerns. America was certainly grand and sumptuous, but I wonder why the first half interested me much more than the second half.
National Lampoon's Barely Legal:
Two years before the superior (obviously) The Girl Next Door (which was essentially Risky Business for the 2000s), came this - an unfocused, only slightly amusing, American Pie wannabe about three randy virgins who decide to make a porno. There's some cheekiness throughout, but few chuckles, and the script in particular is a let down. I know for a fact I could have written something better (and I say this not from a position of arrogance) - indeed I have written better things than this - so it's grating to see such a half-assed job get made when I spend so much time focusing on character, motivation, and banter-style humour. Then again, if you've got the connections, and someone is willing to stump up cash for the project - in this case an American Pie-a-like - then you're set. So it's doubly grating as someone struggling to get into the business.
I look at a script like this and think "I could have done so much more with this idea, I could have really gone for the meat and served up some actual yucks" - I can do gross-out comedy, I can do comedy/drama, and right now I'm in the midst of doing a drama/mystery. If only I could get a paid gig, even on something like a cash-in comedy such as this, I would bloody well make it worthwhile seeing ... or at the very least give it some bloody good chuckles, like Miss March, another American Pie-a-like which wasn't great, but it sure had some bloody good laughs and a bit of style.
This, on the other hand, was cheap and mostly dull, and never delivered on the comedic promise of the central premise. National Lampoon has fallen a long way since the likes of Animal House, Christmas Vacation, and even Loaded Weapon.
First off the bat - the 3D is pointless. Each time I see a movie in 3D now, I become even less bothered about the whole thing, and I wasn't particularly fussed beforehand. The last time 3D was any real fun was Jackass 3D, and that revolved around poking stuff into the lens. Even Drive Angry 3D wasn't all that in 3D. Indeed, despite knowing of it, and somewhat noticing it on other 3D flicks, the 'dimming factor' of 3D glasses was very evident with Thor. Particularly during night scenes and anytime we're in Thor's home realm, the image was ridiculously dulled.
The movie itself is basically thus - it's no Iron Man, that's for sure, but it's much better paced than Iron Man 2, however I'm much more looking forward to Captain America. There's a decent amount of humour splashed throughout, Natalie Portman is likeable as ever, Hemsworth does a solid job playing the hammer-flinger himself, and it's a generally impressive movie visually. However, I wasn't especially looking forward to this movie - hardly in fact - and while I did enjoy it, it wasn't particularly memorable for me. Good, but not great. One final thing though - it's possibly the loudest (and bassiest) movie of the year.
Billy Madison:
I've never understood why some people like these particular Adam Sandler movies so much. The scripting is rarely polished, never mind vaguely tight or organised, and Sandler seems to do the same schtick from one to the other. He was really good in Funny People, but I just don't get why some people dig these Adam Sandler comedies from the 1990s so much. Like with Happy Gilmore, which I saw for the first time a little while ago, there was only a few chuckles to be had. It's just a random load of old nonsense cobbled together.
Centurion:
I loved Dog Soldiers, The Descent was terrifyingly claustrophobic, and Doomsday was a gleeful mash-up of 1980s genre cinema. I dig them all and own them all on DVD. However, Centurion never struck me with much interest and so, long after its cinematic release, I come to it on Sky Movies. It's okay - a Roman army find themselves at the mercy of the Scottish Picts in 117AD Britain, and one-by-one the survivors of a bloody encounter are picked off as they make their way home to the nearest Roman outpost. The main battles are bloody, but there are few characters to really root for, as pretty much everyone is a bloodthirsty bastard or part of a vicious empire. The scenery is fantastic, but it doesn't elevate the movie to any lasting status for me.
Once Upon A Time In America:
When I originally saw Once Upon A Time In The West, I didn't like it. However, that was several years ago, and a recent second viewing changed my opinion entirely. This time around, it's another Sergio Leone epic - this time about the rise and fall of a group of gangsters in New York, following them through the streets of early 20th century life, Prohibition, and the dying days of the 1960s. It's epic, to say the least, although I preferred the first half of the movie to the second. Perhaps a second viewing would improve my response to the movie - which was a bit cold and distanced - like what happened with Once Upon A Time In The West. Or then again, maybe it wouldn't. Perhaps I prefer Leone's westerns. America was certainly grand and sumptuous, but I wonder why the first half interested me much more than the second half.
National Lampoon's Barely Legal:
Two years before the superior (obviously) The Girl Next Door (which was essentially Risky Business for the 2000s), came this - an unfocused, only slightly amusing, American Pie wannabe about three randy virgins who decide to make a porno. There's some cheekiness throughout, but few chuckles, and the script in particular is a let down. I know for a fact I could have written something better (and I say this not from a position of arrogance) - indeed I have written better things than this - so it's grating to see such a half-assed job get made when I spend so much time focusing on character, motivation, and banter-style humour. Then again, if you've got the connections, and someone is willing to stump up cash for the project - in this case an American Pie-a-like - then you're set. So it's doubly grating as someone struggling to get into the business.
I look at a script like this and think "I could have done so much more with this idea, I could have really gone for the meat and served up some actual yucks" - I can do gross-out comedy, I can do comedy/drama, and right now I'm in the midst of doing a drama/mystery. If only I could get a paid gig, even on something like a cash-in comedy such as this, I would bloody well make it worthwhile seeing ... or at the very least give it some bloody good chuckles, like Miss March, another American Pie-a-like which wasn't great, but it sure had some bloody good laughs and a bit of style.
This, on the other hand, was cheap and mostly dull, and never delivered on the comedic promise of the central premise. National Lampoon has fallen a long way since the likes of Animal House, Christmas Vacation, and even Loaded Weapon.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
Hextuple Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: Speed, Money, Sand, Aliens, Action, and Gore...
Fast Five:
The original movie was a pretty decent flick. I never bothered with the second or third movies, the fourth movie left me cold when the action wasn't punching, and the fifth ... well, it's actually bloody good fun. Realism is out the window in favour of big cars, big guys, and bigger action. Set in Rio, this fifth instalment brings practically every familiar face from the franchise into one huge spectacular - so characterisation, which was never a big issue in the franchise, is naturally surface-deep pretty much all the way through.
What does keep the movie bashing along at a bloody good whack though, is the action. Justin Lin clearly knows how to deliver plenty of bang for your buck, and in a movie where everything is ridiculously massive (including franchise newbie Dwayne Johnson who resembles a gun-toting mountain driving around in a glacier-sized uber 4x4) things get crazy in a big bad way. Seemingly inspired in-part by the Rio-set levels in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (a ballsy action extravaganza of a videogame), it's insanity from beginning to end with genuinely spiffing action which makes up for any drawbacks. Big, dumb fun defined.
Arthur:
The remake is upon us, weirdly at a time of financial restraint in the era of Deficit Reduction, so naturally the original with Dudley Moore was going to be trotted out. If it wasn't for Moore, who is a charmingly useless multi-multi-multi-millionaire-to-be old soak, it wouldn't be particularly interesting.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time:
In need of another Pirates of the Carribean (even though a fourth is on its way, no doubt ready to inspire two more sequels in-turn), Bruckheimer & Co make a big budget videogame adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a Persian Prince from the streets who gets mixed up with Gemma Arterton and a special dagger from the Gods which can turn back time. Clash of the Titans (2010) was complete and utter bollocks, a dreary old mess, but fortunately Sands of Time has decent action and a fairly decent script - notably in some nice banter between the two leads in the first half. It's no Pirates in terms of rogue charm and romp-factor, but it's not a total slouch either.
Dreamcatcher:
I do enjoy a Stephen King adaptation, even if the quality varies wildly, however this tale of four telepathic buddies getting mixed up in some alien invasion - that involves butt-born worms that inspire plenty of gas in their hosts - quickly rolls downhill from intriguing, to poorly realised. It feels off-kilter with a decidedly uneven tone and some underwhelming performances. I recall hearing pretty mixed reviews of it back when it originally came out, and now I know why. The Mist was far, far, far better.
Tango & Cash:
I'd never seen this slab of late-80s action until just the other day, and I don't know what's taken me so long. Aside from a couple of moments that are either too-comical or too-cheesy (cross-dressing, and a hokey bullet-proof van), it's a bloody good laugh - the humour and acerbic banter between Stallone and Russell being the key to the flick's charm. The style, fun, and good helping of explosive action help the movie sidestep any flaws along the way.
Saw VI:
The increasingly convoluted, nonsensical, and grusomely violent 'torture porn' (how I dislike that term) franchise hasn't been any good since part 3, but part 6 - which I've only just gotten around to - is easily the best out of parts 4, 5 and 6. There's a solid premise at the heart of the plot - revolving around the company that provided (and redacted) Jigsaw's health insurance. The opening is, however, weak - and a handful of side characters are annoyingly underwritten/just plain stupid - but it moves with a swift old pace and is, mercifully, not as pointless and incomprehensible as the previous two entries ... but it's still far removed from the low budget shocker that established an increasingly cliched and repetitive franchise. The first movie was actually bloody good, so it's a shame that this factory-line approach to the sequels has sullied the quality and importance of the original.
The original movie was a pretty decent flick. I never bothered with the second or third movies, the fourth movie left me cold when the action wasn't punching, and the fifth ... well, it's actually bloody good fun. Realism is out the window in favour of big cars, big guys, and bigger action. Set in Rio, this fifth instalment brings practically every familiar face from the franchise into one huge spectacular - so characterisation, which was never a big issue in the franchise, is naturally surface-deep pretty much all the way through.
What does keep the movie bashing along at a bloody good whack though, is the action. Justin Lin clearly knows how to deliver plenty of bang for your buck, and in a movie where everything is ridiculously massive (including franchise newbie Dwayne Johnson who resembles a gun-toting mountain driving around in a glacier-sized uber 4x4) things get crazy in a big bad way. Seemingly inspired in-part by the Rio-set levels in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (a ballsy action extravaganza of a videogame), it's insanity from beginning to end with genuinely spiffing action which makes up for any drawbacks. Big, dumb fun defined.
Arthur:
The remake is upon us, weirdly at a time of financial restraint in the era of Deficit Reduction, so naturally the original with Dudley Moore was going to be trotted out. If it wasn't for Moore, who is a charmingly useless multi-multi-multi-millionaire-to-be old soak, it wouldn't be particularly interesting.
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time:
In need of another Pirates of the Carribean (even though a fourth is on its way, no doubt ready to inspire two more sequels in-turn), Bruckheimer & Co make a big budget videogame adaptation starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a Persian Prince from the streets who gets mixed up with Gemma Arterton and a special dagger from the Gods which can turn back time. Clash of the Titans (2010) was complete and utter bollocks, a dreary old mess, but fortunately Sands of Time has decent action and a fairly decent script - notably in some nice banter between the two leads in the first half. It's no Pirates in terms of rogue charm and romp-factor, but it's not a total slouch either.
Dreamcatcher:
I do enjoy a Stephen King adaptation, even if the quality varies wildly, however this tale of four telepathic buddies getting mixed up in some alien invasion - that involves butt-born worms that inspire plenty of gas in their hosts - quickly rolls downhill from intriguing, to poorly realised. It feels off-kilter with a decidedly uneven tone and some underwhelming performances. I recall hearing pretty mixed reviews of it back when it originally came out, and now I know why. The Mist was far, far, far better.
Tango & Cash:
I'd never seen this slab of late-80s action until just the other day, and I don't know what's taken me so long. Aside from a couple of moments that are either too-comical or too-cheesy (cross-dressing, and a hokey bullet-proof van), it's a bloody good laugh - the humour and acerbic banter between Stallone and Russell being the key to the flick's charm. The style, fun, and good helping of explosive action help the movie sidestep any flaws along the way.
Saw VI:
The increasingly convoluted, nonsensical, and grusomely violent 'torture porn' (how I dislike that term) franchise hasn't been any good since part 3, but part 6 - which I've only just gotten around to - is easily the best out of parts 4, 5 and 6. There's a solid premise at the heart of the plot - revolving around the company that provided (and redacted) Jigsaw's health insurance. The opening is, however, weak - and a handful of side characters are annoyingly underwritten/just plain stupid - but it moves with a swift old pace and is, mercifully, not as pointless and incomprehensible as the previous two entries ... but it's still far removed from the low budget shocker that established an increasingly cliched and repetitive franchise. The first movie was actually bloody good, so it's a shame that this factory-line approach to the sequels has sullied the quality and importance of the original.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Triple Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: Screamin', Journeyin' and Rollin'...
Scream 4:
The original Scream came out when I was around about 12 or 13, so I saw it on rental VHS, and at first I really enjoyed it - indeed, I was fairly new to the horror genre (although the Scream franchise has always been more thrillers than horrors) - but then I came to resent the franchise after the sequel (which I also enjoyed initially). However, I was actually resenting the fallout from Scream - the dreadful copycats and how there were no horror movies anymore, only gory thrillers. Then Scream 3 came out and it had descended into self-parody and it didn't have anything to say anymore and indeed it had quickly become old hat.
Now, more than a decade later, we have Scream 4 - and the good news is that the Scream franchise finally has something worthwhile saying again. Inspired by an endless succession of remakes, reboots, and the derisively-termed "torture porn" movement, Scream 4 still isn't all that scary - it's still more a murder mystery thriller than anything else - but it takes its trademark meta-smarts to entirely new levels, best summed-up by the opening pre-title sequence.
There's perhaps too many characters thrown into the mix - the original trilogy survivors, the new kids on the block, a succession of new cops, and a handful of side roles - but even still, the sense of re-invigoration permeates each successive act of the script. On the down side though, I had a little trouble with the final act reveal - for me, there needed to be not only more exploration of motive, but a certain key player couldn't quite sell their character's about-turn. Furthermore some of the red herrings are a little undercooked and/or overplayed, and some of the smaller roles lack enough screen time to really make an impact that's anything beyond fleeting.
However, there are plenty of knowing, self-aware gags along the way - yet amazingly, it doesn't become eye-rollingly dull or predictable - it's an entertaining ride and it really benefits from the nostalgia factor, and more than a decade of development in the horror genre, upon which it could structure its motivations.
Is a fifth, and even sixth, movie necessary however? I really don't know ... it might be best to leave the franchise on a high note, rather than end up closing a second trilogy with another Scream 3, you know?
The Darjeeling Limited:
Quite recently I'd never seen a Wes Anderson movie before - now I've seen four of his flicks - and they've all been wonderfully quirky and idiosyncratic works that have satisfied me from start-to-finish. This spiritual journey of three disconnected brothers through India retains all of Anderson's charm and unique outlook, focusing almost entirely on the three leads played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman. They're a believable band of brothers whose journey attempts to take them from a position of distance and distrust, to one of the close bond that seems to have escaped them over the years, especially with the death of their father and the desertion of their transient mother. A most satisfying viewing experience.
Whip It!:
If this was the 90s, the poster for this flick would be covered with slogans relating to "girl power!", because it is indeed a movie about the Hurl Scouts - a roller derby team of gals (Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore and Zoe Bell among them) who recruit fresh meat in the form of Ellen Page's 17 year-old high schooler who is seeking out her own identity. Alienated by her mother's old school fascination with beauty pageants, she is awed by the world of Texas roller derby in nearby Austin - a huge gear change from her small rural home town.
The material feels fresh, with a script and direction that is full of just the sort of vibrancy and excitement that the world of roller derby must elicit for those involved. It really hooked me in, and I could easily see myself watching it again sometime soon.
The original Scream came out when I was around about 12 or 13, so I saw it on rental VHS, and at first I really enjoyed it - indeed, I was fairly new to the horror genre (although the Scream franchise has always been more thrillers than horrors) - but then I came to resent the franchise after the sequel (which I also enjoyed initially). However, I was actually resenting the fallout from Scream - the dreadful copycats and how there were no horror movies anymore, only gory thrillers. Then Scream 3 came out and it had descended into self-parody and it didn't have anything to say anymore and indeed it had quickly become old hat.
Now, more than a decade later, we have Scream 4 - and the good news is that the Scream franchise finally has something worthwhile saying again. Inspired by an endless succession of remakes, reboots, and the derisively-termed "torture porn" movement, Scream 4 still isn't all that scary - it's still more a murder mystery thriller than anything else - but it takes its trademark meta-smarts to entirely new levels, best summed-up by the opening pre-title sequence.
There's perhaps too many characters thrown into the mix - the original trilogy survivors, the new kids on the block, a succession of new cops, and a handful of side roles - but even still, the sense of re-invigoration permeates each successive act of the script. On the down side though, I had a little trouble with the final act reveal - for me, there needed to be not only more exploration of motive, but a certain key player couldn't quite sell their character's about-turn. Furthermore some of the red herrings are a little undercooked and/or overplayed, and some of the smaller roles lack enough screen time to really make an impact that's anything beyond fleeting.
However, there are plenty of knowing, self-aware gags along the way - yet amazingly, it doesn't become eye-rollingly dull or predictable - it's an entertaining ride and it really benefits from the nostalgia factor, and more than a decade of development in the horror genre, upon which it could structure its motivations.
Is a fifth, and even sixth, movie necessary however? I really don't know ... it might be best to leave the franchise on a high note, rather than end up closing a second trilogy with another Scream 3, you know?
The Darjeeling Limited:
Quite recently I'd never seen a Wes Anderson movie before - now I've seen four of his flicks - and they've all been wonderfully quirky and idiosyncratic works that have satisfied me from start-to-finish. This spiritual journey of three disconnected brothers through India retains all of Anderson's charm and unique outlook, focusing almost entirely on the three leads played by Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman. They're a believable band of brothers whose journey attempts to take them from a position of distance and distrust, to one of the close bond that seems to have escaped them over the years, especially with the death of their father and the desertion of their transient mother. A most satisfying viewing experience.
Whip It!:
If this was the 90s, the poster for this flick would be covered with slogans relating to "girl power!", because it is indeed a movie about the Hurl Scouts - a roller derby team of gals (Kristen Wiig, Drew Barrymore and Zoe Bell among them) who recruit fresh meat in the form of Ellen Page's 17 year-old high schooler who is seeking out her own identity. Alienated by her mother's old school fascination with beauty pageants, she is awed by the world of Texas roller derby in nearby Austin - a huge gear change from her small rural home town.
The material feels fresh, with a script and direction that is full of just the sort of vibrancy and excitement that the world of roller derby must elicit for those involved. It really hooked me in, and I could easily see myself watching it again sometime soon.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Double Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: Groundhog Action and Hollywood Dreams...
Source Code:
Duncan Jones didn't half make an impressive splash when he touched down with his wonderfully intriguing and charmingly produced 70s-vibe, existential sci-fi debut Moon, so it's great to see he hasn't suffered difficult second album syndrome with sci-fi actioner Source Code.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays military pilot Colter Stevens who mysteriously finds himself within the titular code, committed to repeat the last 8 minutes of life afforded to a passenger on a train that was just blown up by a terrorist madman who plans to go all-out in the centre of Chicago, which is hurriedly being evacuated. The source code is all to do with residual memory ... or something like that ... the sci-fi element is a touch woolly, but being that the film moves with a swift pace and talented direction, the plot holes and "but what about?" questions don't particularly get in the way.
While some recent movies that repeat a period of time for dramatic effect got a bit grating (Vantage Point), Source Code fortunately keeps things fresh throughout with new ideas to explore. It's an interesting flick that could have easily, in the wrong hands, become a silly paranoid sci-fi direct-to-DVD venture ... but in the hands of Jones, with committed performances from the key players on screen, it's an enjoyable ride with some nifty ideas to keep things fresh and moving along - even if you're left with a few plot holes come the end.
Mulholland Drive:
A decade might be pushing the term "fashionably late", but I know for a fact in January 2002 (when Lynch's mournful Hollywood dream first came to the UK) I wouldn't have been prepared, let alone suited, for viewing it. So I'm glad that I've come to it with an entirely different outlook on life and cinema than what I possessed a decade ago.
Picking it up on the recently released StudioCanal Collection Blu-Ray, it's a regret-fuelled dream/nightmare for the most part, backed up by a scattered reality. Inspired by the golden age of Hollywood, the mysterious charm of the eponymous road, the difficulties of getting a film made, and even the Black Dahlia case, Lynch's film is a haunting neo-noir mystery.
You can't half-watch this film, you can't skip bits, and you shouldn't dismiss it. Fair enough, it's certainly not for everyone, but all you need to do is pay attention and decipher what information you're provided is key and what is extraneous - indeed Lynch released a list of 10 clues to help you understand more about the film. Furthermore, as illustrated on one of the disc's special features, some French fans of the film - using the 10 clues - pulled together a convincing deconstruction of the film's plot. I'd have to agree with their findings (but do see the movie before you watch that featurette) and was well on my way to a similar conclusion after my first viewing - however it's most certainly one of those films you need to see more than once in order to appreciate the myriad of information thrown your way, and how the seemingly disparate mysteries and symbols tie together.
Furthermore it's a beautiful film, both visually and aurally, and it's haunting atmosphere is one that sticks with you afterwards. It rewards, like most of Lynch's projects, active participation and attention from the viewer. You've got to be in the mood, and you've got to have the time set aside (thanks to the lack of a traditional scene selection), but if you're willing to invest in it, and dive into the beguiling atmosphere, you'll remember it for a long time - and quite possibly become obsessed with it.
Duncan Jones didn't half make an impressive splash when he touched down with his wonderfully intriguing and charmingly produced 70s-vibe, existential sci-fi debut Moon, so it's great to see he hasn't suffered difficult second album syndrome with sci-fi actioner Source Code.
Jake Gyllenhaal plays military pilot Colter Stevens who mysteriously finds himself within the titular code, committed to repeat the last 8 minutes of life afforded to a passenger on a train that was just blown up by a terrorist madman who plans to go all-out in the centre of Chicago, which is hurriedly being evacuated. The source code is all to do with residual memory ... or something like that ... the sci-fi element is a touch woolly, but being that the film moves with a swift pace and talented direction, the plot holes and "but what about?" questions don't particularly get in the way.
While some recent movies that repeat a period of time for dramatic effect got a bit grating (Vantage Point), Source Code fortunately keeps things fresh throughout with new ideas to explore. It's an interesting flick that could have easily, in the wrong hands, become a silly paranoid sci-fi direct-to-DVD venture ... but in the hands of Jones, with committed performances from the key players on screen, it's an enjoyable ride with some nifty ideas to keep things fresh and moving along - even if you're left with a few plot holes come the end.
Mulholland Drive:
A decade might be pushing the term "fashionably late", but I know for a fact in January 2002 (when Lynch's mournful Hollywood dream first came to the UK) I wouldn't have been prepared, let alone suited, for viewing it. So I'm glad that I've come to it with an entirely different outlook on life and cinema than what I possessed a decade ago.
Picking it up on the recently released StudioCanal Collection Blu-Ray, it's a regret-fuelled dream/nightmare for the most part, backed up by a scattered reality. Inspired by the golden age of Hollywood, the mysterious charm of the eponymous road, the difficulties of getting a film made, and even the Black Dahlia case, Lynch's film is a haunting neo-noir mystery.
You can't half-watch this film, you can't skip bits, and you shouldn't dismiss it. Fair enough, it's certainly not for everyone, but all you need to do is pay attention and decipher what information you're provided is key and what is extraneous - indeed Lynch released a list of 10 clues to help you understand more about the film. Furthermore, as illustrated on one of the disc's special features, some French fans of the film - using the 10 clues - pulled together a convincing deconstruction of the film's plot. I'd have to agree with their findings (but do see the movie before you watch that featurette) and was well on my way to a similar conclusion after my first viewing - however it's most certainly one of those films you need to see more than once in order to appreciate the myriad of information thrown your way, and how the seemingly disparate mysteries and symbols tie together.
Furthermore it's a beautiful film, both visually and aurally, and it's haunting atmosphere is one that sticks with you afterwards. It rewards, like most of Lynch's projects, active participation and attention from the viewer. You've got to be in the mood, and you've got to have the time set aside (thanks to the lack of a traditional scene selection), but if you're willing to invest in it, and dive into the beguiling atmosphere, you'll remember it for a long time - and quite possibly become obsessed with it.
Tuesday, 15 March 2011
Double Bill Mini-Cine Musings: Gross Gags and Military Might...
Hall Pass:
In recent years I've not been keen on the Farrelley Brothers' gross out brand of humour, not since Me, Myself & Irene anyway, so it was nice to see them get a bit of their mojo back and not just focus purely on a daft central premise (Shallow Hal, Stuck On You). Two randy married men are given a 'hall pass' by their wives (a 'week off' from marriage to get their rose-tinted pining for their so-called glory days out of their system), and it plays out pretty much as you'd expect ... so it's not the brother's best flick by far, but it's certainly not their worst. The chuckles come a little bit thin & slow at times, but then they'll suddenly they'll come thick & fast - and even, explosively, at times ... it's just a shame that Stephen Merchant is so underused, because indeed, a sequence during the closing credits in which he imagines what it'd be like if he got a 'hall pass' steals the entire movie. Worth a punt for a fun time, but it's certainly not a Dumb & Dumber, or There's Something About Mary.
Battle: Los Angeles
It's Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day in this militarised alien invasion flick where the eponymous city gets royally blown-the-hell-up by a bunch of half-robot-half-squishy-thing E.T. bastards. Who's going to save the day? Aaron Eckhart and his squad of marines, that's who.
After the first 15 minutes, which sets up - in appropriately broad strokes - the central characters, it's pretty much a relentlessly action packed extravaganza until the somewhat-forumulaic finishing line. Indeed, a collection of civilians don't do much more than keep the plot moving by providing an initial objective, and some character stuff later on, for the gun-toting guys.
However, a balls-out, shell-shocking, all-guns-blaring, action fest such as this was never going to be an appropriate realm for considered character study. That said, a moment of downtime near the end of the second act was surprisingly effective - and allowed Eckhart to really bring some much-needed emotional core to this adrenaline-fuelled festival of gunfire. Perhaps this is where some of Shane Black's influence (who did an uncredited pass of the final draft of the script) is felt.
I have to say I really rather enjoyed it, and - pleasingly - the combat sequences were expertly handled and kept the audience (myself most definitely included) on the edge of their seats. There is rarely a chance to catch your breath, so you'd better keep up once the trigger fingers get twitchy. Think of it as watching Black Hawk Down, but not feeling guilty about enjoying it afterwards - after all, in the immortal words of Duke Nukem, "damn those alien bastards!"
In recent years I've not been keen on the Farrelley Brothers' gross out brand of humour, not since Me, Myself & Irene anyway, so it was nice to see them get a bit of their mojo back and not just focus purely on a daft central premise (Shallow Hal, Stuck On You). Two randy married men are given a 'hall pass' by their wives (a 'week off' from marriage to get their rose-tinted pining for their so-called glory days out of their system), and it plays out pretty much as you'd expect ... so it's not the brother's best flick by far, but it's certainly not their worst. The chuckles come a little bit thin & slow at times, but then they'll suddenly they'll come thick & fast - and even, explosively, at times ... it's just a shame that Stephen Merchant is so underused, because indeed, a sequence during the closing credits in which he imagines what it'd be like if he got a 'hall pass' steals the entire movie. Worth a punt for a fun time, but it's certainly not a Dumb & Dumber, or There's Something About Mary.
Battle: Los Angeles
It's Black Hawk Down meets Independence Day in this militarised alien invasion flick where the eponymous city gets royally blown-the-hell-up by a bunch of half-robot-half-squishy-thing E.T. bastards. Who's going to save the day? Aaron Eckhart and his squad of marines, that's who.
After the first 15 minutes, which sets up - in appropriately broad strokes - the central characters, it's pretty much a relentlessly action packed extravaganza until the somewhat-forumulaic finishing line. Indeed, a collection of civilians don't do much more than keep the plot moving by providing an initial objective, and some character stuff later on, for the gun-toting guys.
However, a balls-out, shell-shocking, all-guns-blaring, action fest such as this was never going to be an appropriate realm for considered character study. That said, a moment of downtime near the end of the second act was surprisingly effective - and allowed Eckhart to really bring some much-needed emotional core to this adrenaline-fuelled festival of gunfire. Perhaps this is where some of Shane Black's influence (who did an uncredited pass of the final draft of the script) is felt.
I have to say I really rather enjoyed it, and - pleasingly - the combat sequences were expertly handled and kept the audience (myself most definitely included) on the edge of their seats. There is rarely a chance to catch your breath, so you'd better keep up once the trigger fingers get twitchy. Think of it as watching Black Hawk Down, but not feeling guilty about enjoying it afterwards - after all, in the immortal words of Duke Nukem, "damn those alien bastards!"
Tuesday, 8 March 2011
Triple Bill Mini (and Cine) Musings: Amnesia, Ghosts, and Conmen...
Unknown:
Cutting to the chase, 'is it like Taken?' ... well, not so much. For one thing, Taken was an 18-rated, hard-hitting Paris-set punch-up with Liam Neeson (as a highly trained weapon) kicking a million shades of the brown stuff out of scumbags behind a sex trafficking ring in a super cool, bone-crunching Euro-thriller.
Unknown, rated 12A, features Liam Neeson as a Bio-Technologist whose identity is stolen and for some reason his wife doesn't recognise who he is. It's not really about rough & tumble, it's more of a espionage-ish low-key, high concept thriller. For the first half the primary focus is on the increasingly loopy story of Neeson's protagonist (you can't help but enjoy his performances), before the second half shifts gear and goes for more in the way of car chases and punch ups ... albeit softer and less frequent affairs when compared to Taken.
Unknown was always going to be compared and considered in the same breath as Taken, but it's a different film (despite certain similarities in appearance), with an entirely different pace and sensibility. Was it great? No, but it was enjoyable enough and generally intriguing, and the third act twist does indeed make up for the mysterious plot that does begin to flag at the tail end of the second act. If you simply must consider it in the same breath as Taken - consider it a Lite Beer version suitable for a wider audience (indeed when we went to see it there was a range of ages of both sexes).
Poltergeist:
Many years ago, reaching back to when I was 11 years old, if memory serves, BBC1 were about to show Poltergeist and I was fired up to see it. However, my Mum forbid me from watching it for it was deemed to be too scary and grown up. Fast forward a year-or-so, and when around at a friend's house (where we watched the first and third A Nightmare On Elm Street movies), I was shown one stand-out moment (a man, in a horrific vision, tearing his own face off).
Now, 15 years later, I finally got around seeing it - and on BBC1 to boot (although why on earth they insisted on cropping the image from the lovely Original Aspect Ratio of 2.35:1 to 16x9 is beyond me ... so that was bloody annoying as a ratio purist).
Being that Spielberg was behind the story, script and production, it feels every inch a Spielberg movie. What the true story was behind the day-to-day production of the movie (Tobe Hooper is the credited director) remains to be seen, but there's no denying that the tale of an everyday middle American suburban family is the prototypical Spielbergian family unit (aside from lacking an absent/distracted father figure, that is).
Before MGM's financial woes, this flick was scheduled for a remake, and I simply don't know what the point would be. The movie is as close to perfect as it can be, the only thing they could improve upon would be the special effects - but then the FX of today will look relatively quaint by comparison to those in 30 years, so who gives a crap about that? I rather dig the visual effects in this movie.
Indeed the establishment of the family unit's way of life, and the overall pacing of the flick, are pitch-perfect with spot-on timing. Key scenes are directed (by Hooper and/or Spielberg, according to rumours) with precision that render the creepy plot genuinely un-nerving at times (a simple stacking of kitchen chairs off-camera being one particular stand-out chill), and the performances are all decidedly convincing.
Round it all off with one hell of a one-two finale, a subtle sense of humour, and a surprisingly spooky vision (even 30 years on) all prove this to be a true classic. I just hope they don't get around to remaking it ... you can't improve on a Spielberg (and Hooper) classic.
I Love You Philip Morris:
A quirky comedy drama about Jim Carrey (as a gay conman) ending up in jail where he meets the love of his life (Ewan MacGregor), before embarking on a series of fraudulent activities to support a lavish lifestyle, and clever (but brief) escapes from the law. Carrey and MacGregor are both game and are able to dig into surprisingly deep emotional places when it's called for (for instance, one moment where MacGregor receives some bad news). It's not especially memorable, but it's far from naff ... it's a strange and humorous curiosity that's worth a watch.
Monday, 28 February 2011
Double Bill Mini-Cine Musings: Stoner aliens and Amber Heard in 3D...
Paul:
Compared to the comedic writing style of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (which is often intricate and fast paced in terms of call-backs, observations and references), that of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (who co-wrote this action/comedy/sci-fi/road movie) isn't so much about intricacies. Rather it's more about a central concept - two British nerds (Pegg & Frost) go on a road trip across America's alien-related sights after their visit to fanboy central (the San Diego Comic-Con), and end up having to escort an alien - named Paul - to a certain site (kudos to those who figure out the loving reference an hour before it occurs) so that he can get home.
Where Paul shines are the characters - from Pegg and Frost's loveable duo of alien-obsessed nerds, to Kristen Wiig's Darwin-denying Creationist (whose entire belief system is exploded in one moment), to a certain sci-fi legend cameo that's damn good fun in the third act. In between it all though, for added enjoyment, are a series of cameos and bit-parts ... and then there's Paul himself, as voiced by Seth Rogen - possibly the most fun-loving alien ever on-screen.
While it may not have the wall-to-wall, frenetically-paced chuckles, guffaws, and gaspers of Shaun of the Dead, or Hot Fuzz, it's a movie that can't just be slotted into the comedy genre and left. It's as much a road movie as a comedy, and there's a decent slice of action, and sci-fi, drizzled on top.
It's bloody good fun, and I'm hoping that there'll be an extended cut for the home video release - because by the end of the film I wanted a little bit more of the little character moments and interplay that no doubt had to be left on the cutting room floor for the theatrical release - so we'll have to see what's what, but this is a definite DVD/Blu-Ray purchase no matter what.
Drive Angry 3D:
Using 3D like it's supposed to (shoving guns, baseball bats, skull fragments, and bloody stumps deep into the lens), this romper stomper of a genre flick is good fun from-the-get-go. It's not meant to be deep, so if you were expecting anything remotely like that, then you're a fool - it's clearly about muscle cars, guns, Nic Cage doing his badass thing, and Amber Heard in Daisy Dukes ... in 3D.
Speaking of which, even though the 3D is a bit of fun, I'm really starting to lose interest in it. It's not just the bloody glasses you have to wear, nor is it just the damned cheek of charging a considerable slab more on your ticket for 3D, but it's just how damn-near-pointless 3D is. If a movie is shit, it's shit, be it in 3D or not, and vice versa. 3D isn't necessary to tell a story either, far from it, so it becomes either unimportant or a gimmick - and neither path is going to mean it properly taking off.
Moving on though, Drive Angry 3D was - at times - a little disappointing. William Fichtner's "The Accountant" is a thoroughly entertaining baddie, but there needed to be more of him throughout, meanwhile all the Satanic Cult stuff wasn't as developed (and therefore not as interesting) as it could have been, so that all became a case of generic bad guy cannon fodder for the third act. What does work are the exploitation elements - the cars, the sex, the violence, and the black humour.
Compared to Lussier & Farmer's previous 3D outing (the underwhelming remake of My Bloody Valentine, also in 3D and also featuring genre icon Tom Atkins), this is a decided step up in all respects ... it's just a shame that the pacing and plotting faltered throughout, and that some of the dialogue seemed lazy ("I'm going to kill you" - intentionally ironic in its simplicity or not, such lines came off as damp squibs when the audience was all expecting a much more creative kiss-off).
The flick would at times have a real sense of purpose propelling it forward, but then it would inexplicably lose it from time-to-time throughout (times when I'd be waiting for Fichtner's scene-stealing Accountant to turn up). Indeed, the aforementioned Satanic Cult was the most undercooked element of the script, lead by a one-note bad guy, who was entirely trumped by, yep, Fichtner's grin-inducing Accountant-from-Hell.
So it's a mixed bag, but ultimately it gets a thumbs up from me because - several scripting and pacing faults aside - it's just a bloody good time. It is called Drive Angry after all, and features sexy cars, sexy chicks, badass dudes and pounding jolts of violence ... in full-on gimmick-driven 3D.
Compared to the comedic writing style of Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (which is often intricate and fast paced in terms of call-backs, observations and references), that of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (who co-wrote this action/comedy/sci-fi/road movie) isn't so much about intricacies. Rather it's more about a central concept - two British nerds (Pegg & Frost) go on a road trip across America's alien-related sights after their visit to fanboy central (the San Diego Comic-Con), and end up having to escort an alien - named Paul - to a certain site (kudos to those who figure out the loving reference an hour before it occurs) so that he can get home.
Where Paul shines are the characters - from Pegg and Frost's loveable duo of alien-obsessed nerds, to Kristen Wiig's Darwin-denying Creationist (whose entire belief system is exploded in one moment), to a certain sci-fi legend cameo that's damn good fun in the third act. In between it all though, for added enjoyment, are a series of cameos and bit-parts ... and then there's Paul himself, as voiced by Seth Rogen - possibly the most fun-loving alien ever on-screen.
While it may not have the wall-to-wall, frenetically-paced chuckles, guffaws, and gaspers of Shaun of the Dead, or Hot Fuzz, it's a movie that can't just be slotted into the comedy genre and left. It's as much a road movie as a comedy, and there's a decent slice of action, and sci-fi, drizzled on top.
It's bloody good fun, and I'm hoping that there'll be an extended cut for the home video release - because by the end of the film I wanted a little bit more of the little character moments and interplay that no doubt had to be left on the cutting room floor for the theatrical release - so we'll have to see what's what, but this is a definite DVD/Blu-Ray purchase no matter what.
Drive Angry 3D:
Using 3D like it's supposed to (shoving guns, baseball bats, skull fragments, and bloody stumps deep into the lens), this romper stomper of a genre flick is good fun from-the-get-go. It's not meant to be deep, so if you were expecting anything remotely like that, then you're a fool - it's clearly about muscle cars, guns, Nic Cage doing his badass thing, and Amber Heard in Daisy Dukes ... in 3D.
Speaking of which, even though the 3D is a bit of fun, I'm really starting to lose interest in it. It's not just the bloody glasses you have to wear, nor is it just the damned cheek of charging a considerable slab more on your ticket for 3D, but it's just how damn-near-pointless 3D is. If a movie is shit, it's shit, be it in 3D or not, and vice versa. 3D isn't necessary to tell a story either, far from it, so it becomes either unimportant or a gimmick - and neither path is going to mean it properly taking off.
Moving on though, Drive Angry 3D was - at times - a little disappointing. William Fichtner's "The Accountant" is a thoroughly entertaining baddie, but there needed to be more of him throughout, meanwhile all the Satanic Cult stuff wasn't as developed (and therefore not as interesting) as it could have been, so that all became a case of generic bad guy cannon fodder for the third act. What does work are the exploitation elements - the cars, the sex, the violence, and the black humour.
Compared to Lussier & Farmer's previous 3D outing (the underwhelming remake of My Bloody Valentine, also in 3D and also featuring genre icon Tom Atkins), this is a decided step up in all respects ... it's just a shame that the pacing and plotting faltered throughout, and that some of the dialogue seemed lazy ("I'm going to kill you" - intentionally ironic in its simplicity or not, such lines came off as damp squibs when the audience was all expecting a much more creative kiss-off).
The flick would at times have a real sense of purpose propelling it forward, but then it would inexplicably lose it from time-to-time throughout (times when I'd be waiting for Fichtner's scene-stealing Accountant to turn up). Indeed, the aforementioned Satanic Cult was the most undercooked element of the script, lead by a one-note bad guy, who was entirely trumped by, yep, Fichtner's grin-inducing Accountant-from-Hell.
So it's a mixed bag, but ultimately it gets a thumbs up from me because - several scripting and pacing faults aside - it's just a bloody good time. It is called Drive Angry after all, and features sexy cars, sexy chicks, badass dudes and pounding jolts of violence ... in full-on gimmick-driven 3D.
Thursday, 17 February 2011
Double Bill Mini-Cine Musings: True Fighter...
The Fighter:
Like a new Rocky for the new millennium, The Fighter shares the same sense of an underdog from a tough, blue collar neighbourhood trying to overcome that which keeps him down, and punch above his weight in the process. Actors Wahlberg, Bale, Leo, and Adams all give inhabited performances, particularly Bale who once again transforms himself into his chosen role.
There's a subtle sense of humour dotted around the flick too, which helps keep the overall feel of the movie as tough, but not joyless, and similar to the final chapter in the Rocky saga, the fight scenes are handled with the same pay-per-view TV immediacy. By the final fight I was damn near ready to leap to my feet and start cheering with my fist thrusting into the air.
True Grit:
Of the Coen's recent batch of films, I really dug No Country For Old Men, enjoyed the 'standard Coens' Burn After Reading, and respected their unapologeticly exclusive A Serious Man - but out of the three, No Country was the one that really stood out to me as the Coens at full speed. Similarly, True Grit has that same sense of the Coen brothers in full swing.
At the time of writing this I haven't seen the John Wayne version - but I plan to at some point - so I can only go on this 2010 version (more a re-telling of the book, than a re-making of the movie, according to the Coens), but in short I loved it.
Jeff Bridges does a fantastic job at portraying the gruff, almost belligerent Cogburn - the mix of the eye patch, the grumbling near-unintelligible drawl, and a sense that this is Cogburn makes for a potent package ... it's not Jeff Bridges, it's not The Dude, it is Cogburn, and he's a tough man you would hate upon first meeting until you had been through some trials side-by-side that would earn you his respect.
Matt Damon plays it much more straight-laced, with a few flourishes here and there (his cocky flashing of his lawman's badge), but it's Hailee Steinfeld who steals the entire show. Her performance is phenomenal, and all the more so as this is her first movie. For a 13 year old girl (at the time of filming) to be so in command of her scenes - and indeed in command of Bridges and Damon throughout the movie - is just superb. Quite frankly the Academy have done themselves a disservice by not putting her into the Leading Actress category for the Oscars (she was instead nominated for Supporting Actress - when she's unquestionably the only prominent Actress in the entire movie), but then it's not the first time that the Academy have made a daft decision (and not the first for this year's show either - after all, where is Christopher Nolan's Best Director nomination?!).
Roger Deakins cinematography is, of course, beautiful - albeit less adventurous than what he provided in 2007's luxurious, poetic, and meandering The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
Rounding out the package even Jarlath Conroy turns up in the movie. "Who?" you might ask - well, if you're a fan of George A. Romero's Day of the Dead, then you'll know him as the hard-drinking Irish radio operator McDermott. So that was a nice little cherry on top of a decidedly well made Sundae.
Highly recommended.
Like a new Rocky for the new millennium, The Fighter shares the same sense of an underdog from a tough, blue collar neighbourhood trying to overcome that which keeps him down, and punch above his weight in the process. Actors Wahlberg, Bale, Leo, and Adams all give inhabited performances, particularly Bale who once again transforms himself into his chosen role.
There's a subtle sense of humour dotted around the flick too, which helps keep the overall feel of the movie as tough, but not joyless, and similar to the final chapter in the Rocky saga, the fight scenes are handled with the same pay-per-view TV immediacy. By the final fight I was damn near ready to leap to my feet and start cheering with my fist thrusting into the air.
True Grit:
Of the Coen's recent batch of films, I really dug No Country For Old Men, enjoyed the 'standard Coens' Burn After Reading, and respected their unapologeticly exclusive A Serious Man - but out of the three, No Country was the one that really stood out to me as the Coens at full speed. Similarly, True Grit has that same sense of the Coen brothers in full swing.
At the time of writing this I haven't seen the John Wayne version - but I plan to at some point - so I can only go on this 2010 version (more a re-telling of the book, than a re-making of the movie, according to the Coens), but in short I loved it.
Jeff Bridges does a fantastic job at portraying the gruff, almost belligerent Cogburn - the mix of the eye patch, the grumbling near-unintelligible drawl, and a sense that this is Cogburn makes for a potent package ... it's not Jeff Bridges, it's not The Dude, it is Cogburn, and he's a tough man you would hate upon first meeting until you had been through some trials side-by-side that would earn you his respect.
Matt Damon plays it much more straight-laced, with a few flourishes here and there (his cocky flashing of his lawman's badge), but it's Hailee Steinfeld who steals the entire show. Her performance is phenomenal, and all the more so as this is her first movie. For a 13 year old girl (at the time of filming) to be so in command of her scenes - and indeed in command of Bridges and Damon throughout the movie - is just superb. Quite frankly the Academy have done themselves a disservice by not putting her into the Leading Actress category for the Oscars (she was instead nominated for Supporting Actress - when she's unquestionably the only prominent Actress in the entire movie), but then it's not the first time that the Academy have made a daft decision (and not the first for this year's show either - after all, where is Christopher Nolan's Best Director nomination?!).
Roger Deakins cinematography is, of course, beautiful - albeit less adventurous than what he provided in 2007's luxurious, poetic, and meandering The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.
Rounding out the package even Jarlath Conroy turns up in the movie. "Who?" you might ask - well, if you're a fan of George A. Romero's Day of the Dead, then you'll know him as the hard-drinking Irish radio operator McDermott. So that was a nice little cherry on top of a decidedly well made Sundae.
Highly recommended.
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Machete...
As soon as I saw the trailer at the head of Grindhouse/Planet Terror, I knew I wanted to see a feature length version of Machete, and now three years later here we are. Disappointingly there was barely (if any) pushing of this flick here in the UK. If you weren't somehow in the know, you wouldn't know a damn thing about it being in the cinemas.
As such the screening we went to was a bit on the sparse side, but even still it was a ruddy good old time. The pre-title sequence is the movie at quite possibly it's best - to say it starts of strong is an understatement. Heads and limbs are lopped off, gags are thrown out to the audience, and generally speaking there's just a bunch of bad-assery going on for five minutes.
Continuing the vibe established by the under performing (Theatrical Box Office wise) cult extravaganza Grindhouse, Machete goes for the 'dirty old print' look (albeit in a far subtler way), and pretty much just wants to have fun with over-the-top characters in over-the-top situations. The guys are tough and the girls are smoking (and pretty tough themselves), and the violence is brutally humorous.
Sticking the various set pieces together (the best of which are found in the first half) is a plot relating to illegal immigration, which is fair enough as without that the plot would be drearily similar to countless other exploitation flicks. However, what is disappointing is that Rodriguez & Co never really bother to get into the meat of the issue - it's pretty much 'the proponents of a great big fence are murderous uber-rednecks, and those against are poster boy freedom fighters' ... weirdly, for an exploitation flick, the plot is a bit undercooked. If you're going to introduce an interesting start point for a plot, at least dive into it, rather than leave the stone half turned.
Indeed it's when the movie focuses on getting some of the plot out of the way that the movie dips, in that it begins to lack some of the memorable moments that we are treated to so regularly in the first half. It's as if the throttle keeps slipping in the second half, which is unfortunate, because when the movie is cooking it's on fire.
Danny Trejo is fun-as-hell as the titular short-talking tough-guy hero - getting great lines like "Machete don't text" to play with, and hot chicas to bed throughout - while the supporting cast dive into the fun of it all, most notably Jessica Alba, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, and Robert DeNiro, the latter of whom is a bit underused.
This was the sort of flick that had already shown us many of it's best bits in the faux trailer that preceded Planet Terror, although it was fun to pinpoint where the existing shots turn up, and where certain changes have been made along the way. Machete had a lot of hype going into it, so perhaps that explains the slight twinge of disappointment that I felt in the second half of the flick, but now that I've seen it, it'll be good to see it a second time - on its own terms for exactly what it is.
However, despite some slow points in the second half, and a slightly underwhelming finale, Machete is a rip-roaring good time that does what exploitation movies are supposed to do - give the audience bad ass dudes, sexy tough girls, and an over-the-top sense of action and violence.
As such the screening we went to was a bit on the sparse side, but even still it was a ruddy good old time. The pre-title sequence is the movie at quite possibly it's best - to say it starts of strong is an understatement. Heads and limbs are lopped off, gags are thrown out to the audience, and generally speaking there's just a bunch of bad-assery going on for five minutes.
Continuing the vibe established by the under performing (Theatrical Box Office wise) cult extravaganza Grindhouse, Machete goes for the 'dirty old print' look (albeit in a far subtler way), and pretty much just wants to have fun with over-the-top characters in over-the-top situations. The guys are tough and the girls are smoking (and pretty tough themselves), and the violence is brutally humorous.
Sticking the various set pieces together (the best of which are found in the first half) is a plot relating to illegal immigration, which is fair enough as without that the plot would be drearily similar to countless other exploitation flicks. However, what is disappointing is that Rodriguez & Co never really bother to get into the meat of the issue - it's pretty much 'the proponents of a great big fence are murderous uber-rednecks, and those against are poster boy freedom fighters' ... weirdly, for an exploitation flick, the plot is a bit undercooked. If you're going to introduce an interesting start point for a plot, at least dive into it, rather than leave the stone half turned.
Indeed it's when the movie focuses on getting some of the plot out of the way that the movie dips, in that it begins to lack some of the memorable moments that we are treated to so regularly in the first half. It's as if the throttle keeps slipping in the second half, which is unfortunate, because when the movie is cooking it's on fire.
Danny Trejo is fun-as-hell as the titular short-talking tough-guy hero - getting great lines like "Machete don't text" to play with, and hot chicas to bed throughout - while the supporting cast dive into the fun of it all, most notably Jessica Alba, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, and Robert DeNiro, the latter of whom is a bit underused.
This was the sort of flick that had already shown us many of it's best bits in the faux trailer that preceded Planet Terror, although it was fun to pinpoint where the existing shots turn up, and where certain changes have been made along the way. Machete had a lot of hype going into it, so perhaps that explains the slight twinge of disappointment that I felt in the second half of the flick, but now that I've seen it, it'll be good to see it a second time - on its own terms for exactly what it is.
However, despite some slow points in the second half, and a slightly underwhelming finale, Machete is a rip-roaring good time that does what exploitation movies are supposed to do - give the audience bad ass dudes, sexy tough girls, and an over-the-top sense of action and violence.
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
Double Bill Mini-Cine Musings...
Jackass 3D:
Looking back on the original three seasons of Jackass, it's pretty damn tame by today's standards. At the time it was hilarious and cringe-inducing, but the further you go, the further still you'll have to go to continue eliciting the same level of response from your audience.
Such is the case with Jackass 3D, and indeed the case with the previous entries. The first Jackass movie stepped things up a considerable notch and released the franchise from the constraints of MTV on American TV. The second took things into a considerably more vile, more painful, and more shocking arena - but an arena filled with more laughter than ever before.
Jackass 3D doesn't quite have the same impact of Jackass: Number Two, especially as many of the skits are re-heats of established themes and ideas, but then again there's only so many ways to hurt yourself and make yourself vomit. This might seem like an issue, but in the world of Jackass, it's cheeseburger charm goes down a treat anyway - it's almost like a victory lap. Some of the members are showing their age now, and the closing credits includes 'then and now' footage of all the key players. There's a sense of this being a family of sorts who have grown up together, and it's this vibe which keeps the Jackass experience fresh, and maintains it as the pinacle of the stunt show thing that dominated the 2000's.
More of the same, sure, but there are stand out skits - both of the slapstick and gross-out variety - that keep things moving along nicely. It was a pleasure to see with an audience too, with everyone roaring with laughter or gasping with grimaced disbelief in unison, however when it comes to the 3D it's a mixed bag.
The resurgence of 3D made for a no-brainer when it comes to this sort of material, but also because of the type of presentation often featured in Jackass, and how the technology itself works, you're really getting half of a 3D movie and half of a 2D movie converted (sometimes seemingly not converted at all) into 3D. Certain set pieces worked nicely in 3D however, and afterall, if you're into this kind of entertainment you're going to want to see it in 3D, even if you don't get everything flying into your face.
I look forward to seeing what the DVD/BR release has to offer in terms of cut footage. Apparently there was an awful lot of good stuff cut out, and I have to say that at times you felt like certain members were being short-changed during the flick, but even still it manages to hold together well enough to make for an entertaining old romp for those inclined and acclimated to this sort of fare.
Due Date:
Following on from last year's all-conquering comedy The Hangover, which had a rubbish trailer that didn't inspire much confidence prior to seeing it, comes Todd Philips and Zack Galifianakis - accompanied by RDJ and a funny-looking, self-abusing dog - in a Planes, Trains & Automobiles-a-like ... with a rubbish trailer.
Fortunately, The Hangover turned out to be really quite entertaining, even upon a second viewing, and while Due Date doesn't quite hit some of the sheer fun of the former, once it gets going after a somewhat slow first act, it really starts to cook with some properly hilarious moments. Perhaps the trailer was so rubbish because they - wisely - didn't overexpose the comedy and kept the big gags as surprises for the audience, which wasn't the case with Burke & Hare, which gave away its best gags in the entertaining promos.
The emotional side to the plot is more subtle, or perhaps less explored, than that of Planes, Trains & Automobiles, but instead the shock-comedy factor is turned way up. It's just a good slab of fun, littered throughout which are cameo vignettes that work to varying degrees of success, and while it's not got the infectious sense of chaos which The Hangover had, the two leads (and the dog) hold your funny bones in their hands throughout. Definitely worth a watch.
Looking back on the original three seasons of Jackass, it's pretty damn tame by today's standards. At the time it was hilarious and cringe-inducing, but the further you go, the further still you'll have to go to continue eliciting the same level of response from your audience.
Such is the case with Jackass 3D, and indeed the case with the previous entries. The first Jackass movie stepped things up a considerable notch and released the franchise from the constraints of MTV on American TV. The second took things into a considerably more vile, more painful, and more shocking arena - but an arena filled with more laughter than ever before.
Jackass 3D doesn't quite have the same impact of Jackass: Number Two, especially as many of the skits are re-heats of established themes and ideas, but then again there's only so many ways to hurt yourself and make yourself vomit. This might seem like an issue, but in the world of Jackass, it's cheeseburger charm goes down a treat anyway - it's almost like a victory lap. Some of the members are showing their age now, and the closing credits includes 'then and now' footage of all the key players. There's a sense of this being a family of sorts who have grown up together, and it's this vibe which keeps the Jackass experience fresh, and maintains it as the pinacle of the stunt show thing that dominated the 2000's.
More of the same, sure, but there are stand out skits - both of the slapstick and gross-out variety - that keep things moving along nicely. It was a pleasure to see with an audience too, with everyone roaring with laughter or gasping with grimaced disbelief in unison, however when it comes to the 3D it's a mixed bag.
The resurgence of 3D made for a no-brainer when it comes to this sort of material, but also because of the type of presentation often featured in Jackass, and how the technology itself works, you're really getting half of a 3D movie and half of a 2D movie converted (sometimes seemingly not converted at all) into 3D. Certain set pieces worked nicely in 3D however, and afterall, if you're into this kind of entertainment you're going to want to see it in 3D, even if you don't get everything flying into your face.
I look forward to seeing what the DVD/BR release has to offer in terms of cut footage. Apparently there was an awful lot of good stuff cut out, and I have to say that at times you felt like certain members were being short-changed during the flick, but even still it manages to hold together well enough to make for an entertaining old romp for those inclined and acclimated to this sort of fare.
Due Date:
Following on from last year's all-conquering comedy The Hangover, which had a rubbish trailer that didn't inspire much confidence prior to seeing it, comes Todd Philips and Zack Galifianakis - accompanied by RDJ and a funny-looking, self-abusing dog - in a Planes, Trains & Automobiles-a-like ... with a rubbish trailer.
Fortunately, The Hangover turned out to be really quite entertaining, even upon a second viewing, and while Due Date doesn't quite hit some of the sheer fun of the former, once it gets going after a somewhat slow first act, it really starts to cook with some properly hilarious moments. Perhaps the trailer was so rubbish because they - wisely - didn't overexpose the comedy and kept the big gags as surprises for the audience, which wasn't the case with Burke & Hare, which gave away its best gags in the entertaining promos.
The emotional side to the plot is more subtle, or perhaps less explored, than that of Planes, Trains & Automobiles, but instead the shock-comedy factor is turned way up. It's just a good slab of fun, littered throughout which are cameo vignettes that work to varying degrees of success, and while it's not got the infectious sense of chaos which The Hangover had, the two leads (and the dog) hold your funny bones in their hands throughout. Definitely worth a watch.
Thursday, 4 November 2010
Double Bill Mini-Cine Musings: Burke & Hare see RED...
RED...
Like a retirement age version of The Losers, which came out earlier this year (and also based upon a comic book), it's nothing special but it's a decent slab of fun at the same time. The action is solid, the plot gets the job done, but the real point in this flick is seeing the quality line-up of aging actors get their chompers into a bit of fun - the peak of this being Dame Helen Mirren, in a full evening gown, sternly pulling the trigger of a 50 calibre machine gun - and quite frankly, who doesn't want to see that?
Burke & Hare...
It's all true, except for the bits that aren't. Two of Edinburgh's nastiest historical figures are played for bumbling laughs in John Landis' return to filmmaking after a decade-long hiatus. It's obviously not going to have the cult following vibe of An American Werewolf in London, or the sheer farce-writ-large of The Blues Brothers, but Landis is clearly just out to have fun as he dips his toe back into the Director's profession.
It got an absolutely shocking review in Total Film (a mere 1/5!), but the vitriolic scorn poured over the two Williams is most undeserved. While it's not a real stomper of a laugh-fest, nor a real stormer of a horror flick (it was never supposed to be, aside from a couple of genuine jumps and gross-outs), it's - pardon me for using the term to describe a second movie in a row - a solid slab of entertainment.
Landis' 19th century Edinburgh is intriguing to behold (particularly for me as I was only in Edinburgh a couple of months ago on holiday), and I think the next time I go I'll be seeking out the locations used in the film. However, one of the real, and continuous, joys of the movie is seeing the procession of British comedic talent getting wheeled out for a scene or two each to fulfil all the side roles - again, it's clear as day that Landis is just out to have a bloody good time - to make a bumbling farce out of true horror, and that's exactly how Burke & Hare should be viewed.
Like a retirement age version of The Losers, which came out earlier this year (and also based upon a comic book), it's nothing special but it's a decent slab of fun at the same time. The action is solid, the plot gets the job done, but the real point in this flick is seeing the quality line-up of aging actors get their chompers into a bit of fun - the peak of this being Dame Helen Mirren, in a full evening gown, sternly pulling the trigger of a 50 calibre machine gun - and quite frankly, who doesn't want to see that?
Burke & Hare...
It's all true, except for the bits that aren't. Two of Edinburgh's nastiest historical figures are played for bumbling laughs in John Landis' return to filmmaking after a decade-long hiatus. It's obviously not going to have the cult following vibe of An American Werewolf in London, or the sheer farce-writ-large of The Blues Brothers, but Landis is clearly just out to have fun as he dips his toe back into the Director's profession.
It got an absolutely shocking review in Total Film (a mere 1/5!), but the vitriolic scorn poured over the two Williams is most undeserved. While it's not a real stomper of a laugh-fest, nor a real stormer of a horror flick (it was never supposed to be, aside from a couple of genuine jumps and gross-outs), it's - pardon me for using the term to describe a second movie in a row - a solid slab of entertainment.
Landis' 19th century Edinburgh is intriguing to behold (particularly for me as I was only in Edinburgh a couple of months ago on holiday), and I think the next time I go I'll be seeking out the locations used in the film. However, one of the real, and continuous, joys of the movie is seeing the procession of British comedic talent getting wheeled out for a scene or two each to fulfil all the side roles - again, it's clear as day that Landis is just out to have a bloody good time - to make a bumbling farce out of true horror, and that's exactly how Burke & Hare should be viewed.
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