Triple Bill Mini Musings: Lanterns, Strippers, and Helpers...

Green Lantern:
What's it about?
Comic book adaptation by Martin "Goldeneye/Casino Royale" Campbell about Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot who ends up becoming The Green Lantern, part of a league of superheroes who protect their respective sectors of the universe.
Who would I recognise in it?
Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Tim Robbins, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Considering Campbell expertly rejuvinated the Bond franchise not once, but twice, it comes as quite a surprise that Green Lantern feels so conflicted and flat. It is at once lumpen with awkward and unfocused pacing, and yet unsatisfyingly light on plot and character. The big bad - in the form of Paralax, a big fart-cloud of dust heading for earth that feeds on fear and consumes all in its path - never feels threatening, and is rarely glimpsed ... although there is only so much you can do with an evil space cloud. Sarsgaard's bulgy-headed back-up-baddie Hector Hammond is likewise under-developed, his character amounting to little more than a pissy 'failure' in life. Hal Jordan is about the only one who gets enough screen time to develop a solid back story and character arc of discovery (even if it is predictable and generally a bit "meh"). I've never read any of the Green Lantern comics, and have no interest in doing so, so purely in terms of it as a movie - only alright.

Click "READ MORE" below for Kristen Stewart's stripper-sass-mouth, and Emma Stone telling the tales of 1960s house maids...

Welcome To The Rileys:
What's it about?
A bereaved father heads to New Orleans and ends up living with an underage stripper in order to try and help her get her life in order.
Who would I recognise in it?
James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
It's not the most memorable drama out there, but with in-depth characters portrayed by very capable actors, it certainly maintains your interest. Not a lot to say about it really, but it was good.


The Help:
What's it about?
Writer-to-be Skeeter (Emma Stone) returns home to early 1960s Mississippi, where her old friends have all gone on to get married young and start families they are ill-prepared for, relying on their house maids - all of whom were, at the time, black females who were still considered second-class citizens before the Civil Rights Movement sought equality for people, who in this context, weren't even allowed to use the same toilet as their employers. Seeing the injustice, and seeking the other side of the story, Skeeter sets about writing a book of interviews with the very maids she has known all her life - in the homes of all those around her, or even raising her from childhood.
Who would I recognise in it?
Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Sissy Spacek.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
At times you catch yourself laughing at the ridiculous nature of social norms on-show in this examination of southern life in 1960s America - the sheer nonsensical views held by spiteful housewives and disinterested husbands would genuinely be laughable if they had sadly not been all-too-true. The 'subjugation with a smile' leaves you reeling, and in the case of Howard's Hilly (the spite-filled housewife bitch), actively wanting to throttle the racism out of some of these characters - but that just goes to show how far society has come since the birth of the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the treatment of the maids in the film is appalling, but this film serves as a considered reminder of how socio-political change has to start with a daring first step - in this case aided by Davis' troubled Aibileen and Spencer's feisty Minny. Excellent performances across the board cover up a few side characters/plots that are somewhat pushed aside (Skeeter's love life, for instance), albeit quite understandably, seeing as there are far more important issues at hand. It's a bit lengthy, but the content, heart and intelligence of the film keeps you invested to the end. Great.