DRACULA UNTOLD (and it should have stayed that way)

When you are dealing with a story like Dracula that has permeated so deeply into the public s’ conscience you have to make some important decisions in adapting it. Do you (as does this version and the earlier Francis Ford Copolla one) ground the plot around the real historical Vlad Tepes or stick with the more traditional ‘cloaked and fanged’ apparition? As this film takes the first position you would think that we were in for an exciting fresh look at this classic gothic tale. Sadly this film has less life in it than Dracula’s undead remains; lack of imagination rather than vampire’s fangs is what saps this film of its life blood. This is especially annoying as the premise itself is not an uninteresting one. Luke Evans gives a good performance (given what he has to work with) and, had the script not crumbled to dust under the harsh light of quality and common sense, there could have been something here. Instead what we get is dull - not bad, not terrible, just dull. It may sound strange to say but it would be better if this was laughably bad. Not even the ‘cackling moustache twirling’ antics of the over- the -top villainous Turks could pull things back from the deep pit of dullness. Even the hammiest hammer horror outing of Drac had more bite than this dull drudgery FINAL VERDICT 4/10 A might-have-been revamp (sorry) is doomed to lie in its grave.

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Unknown 10:49  No comment

LET’S BE COPS (AND LET’S IMPROVE THE SCRIPT)

When you have an idea for a comedy film it’s important to make sure that what you have is enough for a film and not just a TV sketch. Two friends pretending to be cops is not a film, it’s a starting point for an idea. This is a shame because leads Jake Johnson and Damon Wayans JR actually have quite good chemistry and with a stronger script this could have been so much more. After our have-a-go-heroes don their cop uniforms and go out on the town for the first time, it quickly becomes apparent that the writers are about to run out of ideas. The rest of the film lurches from sketch to sketch while trying to keep a semblance of a plot. “But Paul”, I hear you say in my head, “it’s just a silly comedy, don’t take it so seriously”. It may be a “silly comedy” but the premise is strong enough that had some actual effort been expended then it could have been so much more (even the title shows a lack of effort). By the time we get to the last twenty minutes, and the film struggles to pull itself together, it’s just kind of sad. We get the usual “what have we learned today” stuff that seems required and a pretty flat ending. Let’s be clear, it’s not that there are no laughs in Lets be Cops, it’s just that they’re the exception rather than the rule FINAL VERDICT 4/10 Potential concept wasted.

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Unknown 07:50  No comment

AS ABOVE SO BELOW (or an above-average concept let down by a below-average script)

When it comes to creepy settings you can’t get much better than the Paris catacombs; long miles of twisting tunnels containing the bones of Parisian’s who have shuffled off this mortal coil (are you planning to support your own city in this way?) Add to this the claustrophobic and chaotic style of the ‘found footage’ movie and you would think you have a winning formula …..…you would think. Let’s be clear, there is quite a lot of creepy suspense in this film as our intrepid explorers (or lemmings) are hounded by visions from their own past and have to squeeze through cramped bone-filled openings. Many of the surreal images (a telephone ringing, a piano in the depths of the city) create a good Twilight Zone atmosphere. The problems come from the framing story which involves, and I’m being dead serious here, the search for the philosopher’s stone (copyright J.K. Rowling). The horror/found footage genre, which involves a lot of breathless running eg. Blair Witch Project, does not sit very comfortably with explanations about alchemical symbols or the history of the underground. If you want to make such a film, even a found footage one, then make it as an urban Indiana Jones-type movie; if you want a Paris ghost story make that your focus. What I found especially frustrating is that I enjoyed both stories simultaneously and, had these been their own distinct movie, could have seen myself enjoying it a lot more. It’s a shame to see an inventive concept fail to live up to its potential like this. One wonders if a good script doctor had been involved would things have turned out a little differently? FINAL VERDICT 5/10

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Unknown 03:08  No comment

SIN CITY A DAME TO KILL FOR (BUT NOT SADLY A FILM TO DO LIKEWISE WITH)

It’s easy to forget how revolutionary Sin City was when it was released now that motion capture techniques have come to the forefront. Aesthetically the sequel keeps the slick visual style of its predecessor - a particular favourite was villainous Senator Roark towering over a stack of poker chips which double for the skyscrapers of the city he lords it over. The core problem is that whilst the film is visually strong, its substance does not match its style. Like the first film different stories are told throughout, sometimes interconnecting. Unlike the first film none of these stories gel the way they did in the original. They feel far more like episodic stories stitched into a film rather than a larger narrative with different stories. This is a shame because the cast all give good performances, Mickey Rourke’s Marv, who was one of the most popular characters from the first film, feels wasted as a third wheel . Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s Johnny, a debonair card shark, is let down by his story’s lacklustre ending. Jessica Alba gives a good performances as Nancy Callahan, considering her character was rather boring first time around (looks aside). One of the biggest casting casualties is the absence of Clive Owen despite the fact that his character Dwight is featured. Finally, at a mere 1 hour 40 minutes, the film feels like it ends way too soon. One has to wonder what has been cut and whether it should have been. Or was it a case of stretching the original too much? All in all the film is entertaining but it lacks the punch of the original and feels like it’s lost something in translation from page to screen. FINAL VERDICT 5/10

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Unknown 08:59  No comment

EXPENDABLES 3

If I had been asked to identify problems that would befall Expendables 3, it is safe to say that “takes itself too seriously “was not one I anticipated. Its two predecessors, after all, were not exactly weighed down with a sense of their own seriousness and self-importance. Somewhere during the creative process the filmmakers seem to have decided that what we really need is a lot of moping and navel gazing. It doesn’t help that the main mouthpiece for much of this is Sly Stallone who struggles valiantly against the half of his face that has suffered an OD of Botox. This is a problem for me because it’s not as if he has an incredible range of facial expressions to begin with . The sad thing is that when it wants to the film can also be refreshingly silly and makes some sly (pun intended) in jokes about its cast and their more well-known action outings. The two cast members who clearly remember exactly what film they’re in do much to lift the mood, the first is Mel Gibson as villainous Conrad Stonebanks who saunters through the chaos only mildly surprised by anything. The other is Galgo, played by Antonio Banderas, who bounces from scene to scene infecting the audience with his enthusiasm. These two performances are exactly what the others should have been providing, where’s that energy from the rest of the cast? It’s not that they give bad performances it’s just that with films like this you need to go all in or nothing. It remains to be seen whether or not a fourth film could be a possibility but one can only hope that if this comes to pass they ramp the insanity up to eleven. FINAL VERDICT 5/10 I was by no means bored but feel we’re missing something from the first two films.

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Unknown 02:35  No comment

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

It’s a rare film that can successfully mix action and comedy, oh many think they can do it but only a few can blend the two well. Guardians of the Galaxy is one of those films that can make fun of itself even as it keeps you hooked on the action scenes and characters. Even more impressive is the fact that all of this is preceded by an opening that looks like it’s been spliced in from another movie and it’s to the credit of director James Gunn and child actor Wyatt Olef that this works. Once the movie gets rolling we’re introduced to each of the titular guardians. The chemistry of the cast (despite two of them not being psychically present on set) combines with a witty and well written script to make us believe not only in the individual characters but the team as a whole (even before the characters themselves perhaps). Performance wise Chris Pratt makes a convincing anti-hero but in some respects he is outshone by Rocket (Bradley Cooper ) whose sharp and sarcastic tone often makes you forget you’re watching a talking racoon, and Drax, played by David Bautista (better known by wrestling fans as Batista). One of the funniest things about Guardians is how it can laugh at itself and its clichés without descending into parody. For example, the slow motion walk down the corridor, the inspiring speech etc are all there but with a unique twist that gets a laugh even as you still take the story seriously. The only downsides come from some aspects of the plot with some unneeded sentiment near the film’s ending seeming a bit out of place. The villain Ronan (Lee Pace) seems a bit same old-same old and dull compared to the lively cast of heroes. These, however, are both things that can be fixed with a future sequel which, given the success the film is enjoying, seems guaranteed FINAL VERDICT 9/10 A solid example of how to do an adventure film

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Unknown 14:43  1 comment

HERCULES (2014)

It is quite remarkable that we get two movies in recent months based on the epic Greek myths of Hercules; it’s also remarkable that both (for quite different reasons) fail to live up to the source material. Hercules has, at least on paper, some advantages over the previously reviewed ‘The Legend of Hercules’. Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson makes a far more convincing son of Zeus than Kellan Lutz and his ancient Greek crew cut. His wrestling background also makes him a more convincing on-screen hero making him believable as a larger than life, battle-hardened champion. What we don’t get, sadly, is a better written, more interesting plot - there are holes in this one that you could drive a one-eyed, three-headed, chariot-riding demon through. And it is this, the real failing of Hercules - the story is just not up to the job. The film limps from one action scene to the other hoping the audience won’t fall asleep along the way. When it gets to the action the filmmakers suddenly recover their confidence and are able to put together several competent battle scenes that give glimmers of what of the film might have been. The problem is that for supposedly action-packed adventures there are surprisingly large gaps between the scenes that forces the film to fall back on its characters (mostly one-dimensional) and its script (which is hardly Shakespeare). It is only fair to note that the film is clearly not meant to be taken too seriously and so any deep analysis is obviously not relevant. Even if it was aiming for a silly adventure film it still does not measure up to better efforts in the genre. FINAL VERDICT 5/10 It’s not dull but it could have been much more exciting.

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Unknown 03:29  No comment

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

Given the first attempt at revamping the Plant of the Apes franchise it’s really remarkable we’ve come to this point at all. A sequel to the successful 2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes that looks set to surpass its predecessor. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes take the world Rise created and expands and, if you will forgive the pun, evolves it. The writing draws us into this world so successfully that you quickly forget you are watching motion capture creations, letting you accept the simians as much a natural part of the world as their human counterparts. Of course it would be wrong to ignore the impressive special effects that help translate the actor’s performances into reality. This would not be enough however without the quality of said performances; Serkis (who has made a career out of motion capture roles) gives an excellent performance as Caesar. His fellow apes also give emotional performances especially Caesar’s son Blue Eyes (Nick Thurston ) and rival Koba (Toby Kebbell ) On the human side of things Jason Clark provides the audience with eyes into the human world and does not feel like a useless observer whilst doing so. Gary Oldman also delivers a nuanced performance as warmonger Dreyfus, a part that could easily have been stale and clichéd. There are some missteps in the look of the film, having the ape’s ride horses might be a nice nod to the original but it looks silly in the world the filmmakers have created. Some of the battle scenes use of slow motion dips into silly territory in an (unnecessary) attempt to create emotion. Overall however this is a successful continuation of the story and leaves the possibility open for a third addition to the franchise. FINAL VERDICT 8/10 a very well put together film that mixes spectacle and emotion well.

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Unknown 10:34  No comment

TRANSFORMERS AGE OF EXTINCTION

As I sat down to watch Transformers 4 Age of Extinction I was inexplicably reminded of the Simpson’s Sideshow Bob stepping on an endless procession of garden rakes. He knows he’s in for more pain yet he continues none the less. Thus have I been to see every instalment of the Transformers franchise despite the promise of more pain. Now, to be perfectly fair, there have been a few improvements since the last film. Shia La Bore has been replaced with the much more convincing Mark Wahlberg who can at least change facial expressions. The attempts at humour are a little better which is a very good thing considering the film’s run time. At around three hours the film is too long for a film with twice the plot and character development of this one. You either end up bored with the human interactions or bored with the dull plodding robotic action. Once you’ve seen this kind of the fight they tend to blur together, few action scenes stand out and let’s face it this is about the only thing a film of this type could potentially have going for it. How difficult is this concept really? Two teams of robots fight each other, I managed it with my toys when I was ten (and I’m fairly certain I had better storylines than Michael Bay). Final verdict 2/10 it has a future on DVD to watch with your friends when drunk, apart from that skip it.

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Unknown 14:20  No comment

X MEN DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

There is some irony in the fact that the film to get the X-Men franchise back on track after the mistakes of X-Men 3 involves time travel to change the mistakes of the past. On paper it seems like a tall order for director Bryan Singer to not only fix the flawed and patchy plot from Last Stand but also to weave in the plot from X-Men First Class. In such a case picking a story involving time travel was actually a fairy shrewd move. It allows the filmmakers to integrate the storylines of the younger and older cast in a smoother fashion. Of course all of this would be completely meaningless were the core plot of the movie not up to scratch. Happily the film does not disappoint in this department. What we get is the culmination of a strand that has been running through all the X-Men movies (even Last Stand) - the battle of ideas between Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart/James McAvoy ) who urges a toleration between humans and mutants, and Eric Lehnsherr aka Magneto (Michael Fassbender/Ian Mckellen ) who wants a war based on survival of the fittest. These two duelling philosophies are what the conflict on the film really boils down to, not fighting robots and explosions (though there are a satisfying amount of these as well). The nightmarish scenes in the future give a vivid picture of what is at stake should the violence of Magneto win out. Though the film is very well made there are a few weak points, the original cast in the future don’t really have much to do except wait for the inevitable ‘doom’ which makes it appear as if they have been wasted a bit. The initial set up feels a tad rushed with the introduction of time travel feeling more than a little random- not to mention the fact the one character is only alive thanks to a pre credit sequence in the much maligned third film. Once it gets going though days of future past skilfully mixes in the drama and action and leaves its audience very much wanting more. FINAL VERDICT 8/10

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Unknown 02:35  No comment

The Love Punch

Some of you may be familiar with the concept of diminished expectations; this is where you go into something, either by experience or word of mouth, with radically downsized expectations and so are able to tolerate the experience more. This is how I felt coming out of the Love Punch, having seen the critical savaging the film had received I was not exactly expecting a comedy classic (and let’s be quite clear it’s nowhere near that), but it is not a completely laugh- free film. It’s not like you get the sense that the filmmakers are taking it seriously themselves. As you watch ex- husband and wife Kate (Emma Thompson) and Richard (Pierce Brosnan) go from being cheated out of their pension fund to suddenly deciding to steal a jewel as revenge you find yourself going with it a lot more than you would think. Both Brosnan and Thompson seem to be well aware of the absurdities of the plot and so act accordingly with much overacting and mugging to the camera...which I would be lying if I said wasn’t enjoyable. As an aside one unintended laugh comes from the repeated line “we’ve nothing to lose except maybe our dignity” (I’ve heard you sing Pierce I don’t think dignity is a concern). Predictably the film falls apart towards the end with contrivances coming thick and fast, by this point the filmmakers seem to have fooled themselves into thinking that this ludicrous comedy, in which Brosnan dons a cowboy hat and fake moustache can somehow hold our attention, with a serious romance plot. This not only saps the finale of laughs but forces it run an extra very unneeded ten minutes. FINAL VERDICT 5/10 enjoyable rubbish that had potential to be more.

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Unknown 14:38  No comment

THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2

I have to admit that when The Amazing Spiderman came out in 2012 I was slightly sceptical, it just seemed like such a cynically quick turnaround after Toby McGuire trilogy. I was, however, pleasantly surprised to find that the reboot was well thought out and (crucially) well-acted and at the very least did much to banish the image of Peter Parker dancing round a club to soft jazz. Andrew Garfield’s Spider Man injects the movie with a good dose of humour and wisecracking which is a very good thing because a lot of this film deals with consequences of past choices and relationship troubles. These two tones could have clashed and made the film feel uneven but luckily director Marc Webb (no really) knows when the jokes and wisecracks need to stop and when they can be advantageous. In many ways this film belongs just as much to Emma Stone’s Gwen Stacy as it does to Garfield’s Spider Man. Her choices influence events as much as his and her character makes a nice change from the usual ‘damsel in distress’ types that the character might have fallen into. It helps that Garfield and Stone (sounds like a detective agency) have such great chemistry together and play off each other so well. This also helps with the script’s clunkier moments where corny dialogue can be made less painful when said with some conviction. Facing off against Spidey in this outing is disturbed loner Max (Jamie Foxx) who is given electrical powers in a work accident (and you thought you had a bad day at the office). Foxx’s performance makes sure that once swathed in CGI lightning he does not degenerate into a special effect. As a villain it has to be admitted that he somewhat lacks motivation (he doesn’t even have an evil laugh) but his character is still enjoyable and the fights between hero and villain are visually thrilling. Final VERDICT 8/10 On the whole this is an extremely well made sequel. It remains to be seen if a planned third film can avoid the pitfalls of previous Spider Man films.

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Unknown 06:31  No comment

NEED FOR SPEED

Synopsis: A street racer sets out to clear his name Video game adaptations have not had the best track record cinematically, from the infamous Super Mario brothers to the dull Doom, filmmakers seem to have continuing trouble in translating across the medium. There is an irony here as video games themselves have taken on characteristics of movies with orchestral soundtracks and cinematic cut scenes. If it seems that I am delaying reviewing Need for Speed then it is because there is very little to say about it. True, we do not have another Doom on our hands - but it’s close. The car chase action is passable, I suppose, but when you compare it to films like Fast and the Furious it all seems a bit blasé. Not enough certainly to disguise the cliché storm that erupts into the movie’s plot. Now clichés can be done well, after all the previously mentioned Fast and the Furious contains plenty; the key to this is having the characters interesting enough to keep the audience invested in what happens to them. Need for Speed fails utterly in this - the characters are bland and their motivations laid so bare that you might as well have a big shining thread from A to B with the words ‘CHARACTER ARC’ on it for each one. What this means is that when moments of contrived insanity occur rather than grin and cheer, caught up in the moment, the audience is more likely to roll their eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. As mentioned the race scenes are well done, so it’s not a total washout, it just feels that with more effort they could have done so much for with the adaptation from game to screen. FINAL VERDICT 5/10 Need for a more well-thought out plot.

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Unknown 04:29  2 comments

NOAH

What do you get if you take the Old Testament, Kabbalah texts, Eastern mysticism and Gnostic gospel accounts and throw them all in a blender? The answer is Darren Aronofsky’s Noah. Even if you think you’ve heard the story before it has to be said that Aronofsky will have something to surprise you. Whether it’s the six-armed stone giants, the biblical rocket launchers or ancient version of chloroform is up to you. Don’t except the Voice of God to come booming down from the heavens or even whisper to someone in a dream, God in this case is “sir-not-appearing-in-this –picture.” Why would Aronofsky go to the trouble of including all these strange and disparate elements? Simply as a vehicle to get his message -that man’s principal duty is to care for the environment –across. Now I’ve nothing against films with a moral or a message, it usually means that the filmmaker will have more passion invested in the project as it’s about their personal beliefs. In the case of Noah though it appears to be very much ‘message first, plot second’. This puts strains on the third act in particular which descends into a bit of a mess (several people at the screening I was at walked out). There are two things that are the film’s principal assets; the first is the flood scenes themselves which are brutally uncompromising in showing the devastating result of the deluge, the moans of the doomed echoing round the arc are haunting not just to Noah and his family but also to the audience. The second is Clint Mansell’s score which manages to rouse feeling of grandeur and scale to bolster the on-screen action (or lack of it). One of the main thing that drags the film down, for me, is that Noah is such an erratic and often unsympathetic character. Obviously we want real people and not cardboard cut-outs from the children’s illustrated bible, but as a central character I just found him to behave so randomly that it took away from seeing him as a real person . Naamah, Noah’s wife, on the other hands, is a far more interesting character and is played well by Jennifer Connelly who is badly underused. One has to wonder if the film would have worked better from her point of view. FINAL VERDICT 5/10 Good set pieces but overall it disappoints.

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Unknown 11:10  No comment

THE LEGEND OF HERCULES

Synopsis –A retelling of the story of Hercules as he fights to claim his rightful place Whenever I see a film based on Greek myths or other world legends I am always amazed at how the miracle and medium of cinema can be used to make these ancient stories so utterly boring. This film is a prime example of an exciting legend turned into mildly enjoyable mediocrity. Problems occur right from the start with the approach of reinventing or reimagining the story - just to be clear, reinventions can be exciting and breathe new life into a story - but not this time. Reinvention in this case consist of a plot that would have been a cliché back in the days these stories were first told - (“He fights for the love of a woman” - oh come now Hipricus that is so 500 BC). None of the interesting creatures from Greek myths turn up, except for a supernatural lion that is dispatched rather easily. Here’s a hint - when your main character is the son of Zeus and has Hulk- like strength, don’t put him up against men with swords – it’s not too difficult trying to work out who’s going to win. It’s not that the Legend of Hercules is a disastrously bad film, the action scenes are well put together (albeit heavily influenced by 300), and I can’t say I was particularly bored but could have been so much more, well, epic . Given that this was always going to be a spectacle-driven film, where’s the spectacle? Even the final battle consists of about fifty people on each side – that’s about the usual amount of people involved in a pub fight in Glasgow on Saturday night. In short, this film will entertain but just not half as much as it could have FINAL VERDICT 5/10

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Unknown 12:18  No comment

CAPTAIN AMERICA THE WINTER SOLDIER

Captain America’s first cinematic outing left our hero stranded out of his time in the modern world. Winter Soldier continues this theme with the Captain finding it difficult to adjust to the complicated power plays and politicking of the modern age. I confess that although I really enjoyed Captain America the First Avenger I wasn’t sure how the character would fit in in the modern world (the Avengers was more an ensemble piece). One thing you will quickly notice when watching this film is that it is not simply a parade of action scenes with some occasional dialogue thrown in, instead the story and characters are given room to breathe and both benefit as a result. Believe it or not this approach also helps the film’s action credentials, by spacing these sequences out it means the when the fists, feet (and shield) start to fly then the audience is all the more eager for it . The climactic battle scenes are a good deal more exciting when you haven’t been battered by more of the same for the last hour. An extremely well written script with intelligent dialogue is another weapon in the film’s arsenal. The character’s fears and motivations sit comfortably with technobabble about codes and computer chips. This, coupled with strong performances from the entire main cast, gives you a film that for all of its fantastical elements, ring true to a very large extent. It should of course be noted that as this film exists in the middle of the Marvel universe it does not lend itself to a one off viewing, in other words if you haven’t seen other films in the franchise you might be at a bit of a loss. Another issue is that on the film’s main plot twists, which is revealed with much fanfare, has been known to comic book fans for some time and therefore might lack some bite (my thanks to the enthusiastic comic book fan who ruined this for me a clear six months before the first trailer was even out). On the whole though these are minor nit-picks and this is a thoroughly entertaining and well-made film. Final verdict 9/10

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Unknown 04:51  No comment

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

It takes a great deal of skill and effort to pull off surrealist comedy. It is not, as some suppose, a simple matter of making characters say and do strange things. In the case of the Grand Budapest Hotel director Wes Anderson makes the entire world as strange and visually distinct as the characters that inhabit it. The titular hotel is filled with bright distinctive colours that mark the hotel in sharp contrast to the comparatively colourless (if still visually interesting) world outside its doors. Anderson then populates this abode with larger than life eccentric figures Ralph Fines being the central one. Newcomer Tony Revelori makes a good first impression as Zero the lobby boy through whose eyes the audience experiences much of the madness. His character is by nature very deadpan for a lot of the film and it will be interesting to see him in roles that allow a little more emotional expression, but from what we’ve seen here he shows promise. Other roles in the film are filled by well-known faces like Edward Norton, William Daefoe and Owen Wilson; whilst these performances are fine by themselves it might turn some off the film- as some pretentious celebrity-filled mush. This would be a great mistake, Grand Budapest is very funny with a witty script and both laugh out loud and more subdued humour. More serious scenes with a slightly more sombre tone manage to meld in well due to skilful writing and direction. One of the many highlights is a successful wrong footing of the audience that, though short, catches you off guard. My one complaint is a rather clunky framing story that feels needlessly convoluted and could have been trimmed down Final verdict 8/10 Highly entertaining.

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Unknown 08:29  No comment

300 RISE OF AN EMPIRE

SYNOPSIS –The fight to free Greece from Persian tyranny continues I find myself in a bit of a tough spot with this one, reviewing 300 Rise as a normal film would be folly, and yet that is the entire purpose of this blog. When I say that 300 Rise is not a ‘normal film’, my precise meaning is that what we have here is highly entertaining music video that coincidently has some dialogue in it. Of course this should not be any real surprise to any fans of the original slaughter-fest. One of the reasons this sequel (sidequel really since the action takes place in the same time period as the first film) is that it takes the action and moves it to a new setting at sea. This might not sound like much, however, it’s not like we’re dealing with Shakespeare here and the filmmakers clearly know their audience is turning up for action not artistic camera shots. Another gem in the film’s entertainment value is its unintentional humour, it is almost impossible to dislike a film that features the line “Leonidas was betrayed by a hunchback” said with straight faced seriousness. Combine this with what I can only describe as the funniest sex scene I’ve seen in a mainstream movie and slow motion action shots of heroes gritting their teeth lusting for battle (or perhaps passing a stone) and you have a lot of entertainment value. Now I am not calling this a good film by any means ,the dialogue is ridiculous, the characters are wafer thin and the ending holds the possible dread of a third film. In cases like these though you have to ask the Maximus question “Are you not entertained” and well though the gods of cinema might damn me, I was Final verdict 6/10 don’t go if you want deep dialogue, do go if you want dumb fun.

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Unknown 08:26  No comment

NON STOP

SYNOPSIS –An Air Marshal finds himself being manipulated and threatened by one of the passengers on his plane. If you want to put your characters in a closed-off space which will breed tension and distrust then you can’t do much better than an airplane. This is where Air Marshal Bill Marks (Liam Nesson) finds himself after being informed by text that a passenger will die every 20 minutes unless demands are met. This is an effective set up and, for the most part, the film makes good use of it. It should bluntly be stated that one of the main points the film has in its corner is Neeson himself. His character might be the usual suspect when it comes to this kind of film (i.e. a drunk, washed up) but Neeson is able to play these roles with enough sincerity to make the audience still buy into it. Other actors in this position might have been tempted to sleepwalk through a role that’s not exactly the most original in the history of cinema. The other area the film works best at is in building tension - the use of text messages to communicate keeps the perpetrator as a malevolent, faceless entity. The ‘ding’ of the text alert actually becoming sinister as it heralds new malicious instructions. The identity of the perpetrator is also a good twist, not iron clad that you will never spot this, but still quite good. The real problem comes in the third act, it’s almost as though having built up all this tension they can’t quite seem to figure out what to do with it. So we fall back on the same action movie clichés (complete with requisite one liner) that lets the film down. When the time comes to reveal the big master plan and the reason behind, the reason is a bit flat and not particularly original. FINAL VERDICT 6/10 it’s a good setup but lets itself down in the last act.

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Unknown 06:16  2 comments

THE BOOK THIEF

SYNOPSIS –a young girl struggles to find freedom under the Nazi regime The film’s main assets are its performances - not that the story is weak - just that strong performances help it run more smoothly. Sophie Nelisse gives a very compelling performance as the titular heroine, Rosa, but a strong performance also comes from Nico Liersch as her childhood friend Rudy. Both Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson give strong individual performances as Sophie’s step parents, sharing a believable on-screen dynamic as a married couple. Some problems with the film might lie in what was kept and brought over from the source material. Book adaptations are tricky things, deciding what to keep and what to leave out. Some concepts after all are difficult to translate to the screen. The Book Thief, for example, is narrated by “Death” himself, a difficult concept to bring to the screen. To its credit, having decided to include this tricky narration, the film uses it as effectively as it can. The fact remains, however, that the mystical voice of Death (though played effectively by Roger Allam) sits uncomfortably with the otherwise brutally realistic tone the film strives for. The filmmakers do use their setting very effectively; the sight of school children in Nazi uniform is definitely a provocative one that does not fail to create an emotional reaction in the audience. Rather than go into cliché groups of anti-Nazis vs die-hard believers, we instead get well-rounded three dimensional characters who ring true in the environment they are put in. This works best with the young idealistic Rudi who is not only a loyal friend and confident but for most of the film a firm believer in the regime FINAL VERDICT 7/10 on the whole the film provides a moving emotional journey and gives us characters we can connect with

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Unknown 06:03  No comment

A NEW YORK WINTER’S TALE

SYNOPSIS –Two star crossed lovers must fight across time to be with each other There are few things more frustrating than seeing a promising concept poorly executed, so it is with a New York Winter’s tale. The set up is interesting, two lives being wrestled over by other worldly fates, is an intriguing one. Unfortunately the execution not only fails to live up to its premise but manages to create good deal of unintentional humour. Most of these problems boil down to the dialogue which could charitably be described as a ‘little off’ but might more accurately be called ‘rejected Disney dialogue’. You’re tempted to praise the performers for delivering these lines, supposedly written by an adult, without bursting out laughing (maybe there should be an Oscar category for that). This is combined with a plot that simply throws things at us out of the blue one after another. Much like darts thrown at a dartboard, some of these ideas hit their target - but quite a few miss and hit the old guy standing by the bar in the ear. There’s simply no build up to events, we’re dropped right into the middle of the action (after a cringe worthy bad introductory monologue) and things just happen from there. It doesn’t help that, talented actor though he is, Colin Farrell reacts to events such as flying horses and talk of angels and destiny with what could best be described as mild surprise. He’s less ‘everyman hero’ than ‘random man running from one plot point to the next’. One person at least looks like he’s having fun and that’s Russell Crowe as the villainous Pearly, complete with an Oirish accent on loan from Craggy Island (you half expect the music from Riverdance to start when he gets going). I knew something wasn’t right when I started rooting for the bad guy half way through the film. FINAL VERDICT 3/10 And I fear that’s being generous.

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Unknown 01:11  No comment

STALINGRAD

When it comes to telling the story of the decisive history-altering Battle of Stalingrad then you would think that a Russian film would capture the true essence of the story. After all, surely native filmmakers could captures the raw emotion and human tragedy involved on screen? Sadly, the answer in this case is no. Right from the very start there are problems, we get a framing story - the purpose of which is seemingly to tie the film in to the modern age. Now I’m not an expert on Russian culture but I would guess that the impact of World War 2 and Stalingrad is still pretty well known. From this framing story we get a narration that runs through the film giving us the characters’ backstories in the most melodramatic manner possible. Another tactical misstep comes in the film’s battle scenes. In an effort to make these sequences stand out the director seems to have taken a page out of, of all people, Zach Snyder’s book. As the film 300 existed in a strange comic-book-come-to-life-like-reality, the bursts of slow motion during the action scenes worked within the film’s context. Why anyone thought the same would work here is beyond me, you can’t go from your comrades sitting brooding about their pre-war lives to scenes with them bayoneting enemy tropes in almost music video style slow motion. The scenes themselves are quite good they just don’t fit in with the rest of the movie. This is shame because the performances are generally good ,the actors are giving their all, however, much like the hard-pressed Russian army on the front lines, unsupported by good script or solid direction. FINAL VERDICT 4/10 fails to live up to either the scope or the human drama of the story it’s trying to tell.

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Unknown 04:02  No comment

THE MONUMENTS MEN

Synopsis: A group of experts are tasked with recovering lost works of art before it is destroyed by the Nazis. Monuments Men deals with the fight to preserve and recover plundered Nazi treasures before they are lost forever. That sounds like a fairly straightforward, if specialised, war movie, the problem is that the film makers don’t seem quite sure what kind of film they wanted to make. To illustrate this point I will post two links at the bottom of this page, one is the first trailer, which takes a comedic tone, and a second trailer which takes a very different tone, focusing on the drama and emotional impact of the story. I think this best illustrates the main problem with the film, it doesn’t know if it’s a high spirited adventure/comedy or a moving war drama. Worse still, the weightings on the comedy side are very sparse, indeed from a comedy standpoint the film is a severe failure. There are some laughs but they are mainly muted with the main comedy set piece being shown in the trailer. If one were to go in with the expectations of the first trailer then you would be severely disappointed. On the dramatic side things are more promising; the film does a worthy job in getting its audience invested in the fate of the stolen art work. Since most of the film’s audience (myself included) will not know a Rembrandt form a Rolf Harris this is vital. Strong chemistry between the principal performers helps this process along, the ‘buddy cop’ vibe is best felt between Bill Murray’s Sgt Richard Campbell and Bob Balaban’s Preston Savitz. Even in its strongest point the film is not without problems, the drama is not consistent - some scenes have you hooked and invested in the quest only for things to come to a screeching halt at other. A plot strand involving Matt Damon is particularly guilty of this dragging on for twice as long as it feels it needs to. This is a shame because when the film gets going it can produce very moving scenes. FINAL VERDICT 5/10 there is a solid foundation that might have been built on here but it feels like the film is lacking in what it might have been. Trailer 1 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npBafjCCILw Trailer 2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEj-UyqseU8

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Unknown 03:58  No comment

LONE SURVIVOR

SYNOPSIS A four man navy seal team is trapped behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. Lone survivor is the true story of a 4-man navy seal team sent into Afghanistan to take out a high ranking Taliban leader who then find themselves trapped by enemy forces. I have to confess that I was not sure how I was going to relate to the film’s characters, after all, you know from the title that only one man is getting out of this alive. Thankfully the filmmakers are aware of this and we find out within the first moments of the film who the titular survivor is. This actually stops the audience from playing roulette with the characters and adds a sense of tragedy to their interactions. Its characters are the main weapons in Lone Survivor’s arsenal, both the script and the actors do a great job of dropping us in amongst these men and making their camaraderie and close ties meaningful. This gives the film a major boost because it means that despite the audiences foreknowledge of the outcome, the tragedy of a character’s loss still holds emotional gravitas. It’s a shame that the filmmakers don’t seem to be aware of this fact because once the shooting starts the film loses itself a little. The most blatant example of this is the film’s climax which pointlessly abandons the true narrative for a scene more akin to a crass Hollywood action movie than what this is trying to be. All of the emotional weight and tension, which the film has very successfully built up, is pointlessly put in jeopardy just so we can get some loud noises and explosions. It’s as if the director and writer suddenly lost confidence in their own premise, which is a shame as it leaves the film feeling quite uneven. FINAL VERDICT 6/10 while it feels sincere and has strong performances its finale is sadly a bit of a mess

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Unknown 01:30  No comment

ROBOCOP

To say that I was not enthusiastic going into this film is an understatement. My last encounter with a big budget remake, Clash of the Titans, did not exactly inspire confidence in the ability of Hollywood to deal with such an iconic character like Robocop. Imagine my surprise therefore when this film actually makes and effort to bring itself above simply being an action movie. They’re helped in this by the performances of the two main cast members, first and foremost Joel Kinnamen as Alex Murphy. Performing as he does - mostly through facial expressions and voice intonations - Kinnamen really gets empathy from a character that, if played a little differently, might have come across as emotionless or just dull. Abbie Cornish plays Alex’s wife and shows a great deal of pain and turmoil as she struggles to find the man within the machine. Cast wise the only stumbling block is Michael Keaton as the film’s villain. It’s hard to pin down whether it’s Keaton’s performance or the script but he just seems to come across as someone reacting to events and flying by the seat of his pants rather than the evil puppet master he’s supposed to be. A more credible villain might have been Samuel L Jackson, who though mainly a spin doctor used for exposition purposes, plays the part with more menace than Keaton. The main reason this remake works, however, is (villain motivations aside) the script. The original Robocop movies were a clever satire on the culture of the day; this obviously could not be used for a modern remake. Rather than leave a gaping hole we get a modern issue put in its place – the use of drones. Drone warfare has become a big issue in recent times and this sits rather effectively with the Robocop narrative with the political pundits wondering how they can “sell” the idea of drones to the American people. Of course all this is delivered with the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but it’s not like the original films were models of restraint. One thing that might have been left out was the usual ‘America as a world police’ idea that looks rather crowbarred into the film. Isn’t the drone warfare issue enough. FINAL VERDICT 7/10 it might not be the original but it stands solidly on its own two metallic feet.

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Unknown 09:20  No comment

JACK RYAN SHADOW RECRUIT

SYNOPSIS A young Jack Ryan starts his path into the shadowy world of espionage When rebooting a franchise you have to choose what to keep and what to update. Keep the wrong elements and you can end up with something of a mess; adding pressure in this case is the death last year of author Tom Clancy from which the movie draws its inspiration. Shadow Recruit is a not a mess but there have been some rather strange choices in the creative division. The main one is to keep one of the most dated elements associated with Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan character - Russia. Since we’re updating the character into a post 9/11 world why, one wonders, did we need to keep the evil Ruskies as villains? Not subtle villains either but Bond- like ones who are accompanied by evil ominous choir music. It is admittedly enjoyable watching Kenneth Branagh as Victor Cherevin - he still feels like he should battling MI6’s Bond than the CIA’S Jack. Which is sad because a lot of other things in Shadow Recruit are updated much more effectively, putting a young inexperienced Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) into the modern age of espionage - with tech files and stock markets replacing dossiers and cyanide pills. We get to see the start of Ryan’s path as a spy which hasn’t made it to the screen before (the closest we got was early career in the Sum Of All Fears). This gives us more motivation for the character rather than just general patriotism. There is one very well done sequence that, despite being rather clichéd in its set up, still manages to create real tension and excitement, proving that old tricks can still be pulled off effectively. In the action department the film is surprisingly restrained which is both a good and a bad thing ,on the one hand we get to the story and characters before the loud explosions ,on the other hand said story is (as mentioned) not the most original one and you start to feel quite relived when Jack Ryan goes Jack Bauer. FINAL VERDICT 5/10 it may re-tread old ground but is still enjoyable enough.

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Unknown 11:22  No comment

WOLF OF WALL STREET

There are unlikable protagonists in movies - and then there’s Jordan Belfort (Leonardo Dicaprio), a man who makes Gordon Gekko look like Mother Teresa. What we see over the course of the film is Belfort’s “true story” of his rise in Wall Street and his fiery crash. The first thing to get out of the way is that at three hours the film is too long, there isn’t even that much story to stretch out over the running time. Instead we get eight hundred different ways to snort cocaine (plus other assorted drugs) and the full range of Dicaprio’s arsenal of weird and funny facial expressions. It’s not like any of these scenes are terrible, there are just too many of them and thus they bloat the running time needlessly. As it gets towards the final reel things begin to come apart somewhat, the film actually ends twenty minutes before it stops running - unfortunately no one seems to have told Scorsese. All of this is a shame because there is actually a lot to enjoy in Wolf of Wall Street, Dicaprio’s turn as the unbalanced Belfort is very comically enjoyable and is the highlight of the film. There are also several very well directed, very funny, set pieces that are really entertaining, the best one involving an unusual car journey is downright hysterical. I think the main problem with Wolf is that it doesn’t really say anything; Belfort’s actions are neither condoned nor condemned. Rather than making the film impartial this really stops it being anything more meaningful than your average excess comedy, not that there is anything necessarily wrong with that, but given the subject matter it could have been much more. FINAL VERDICT 6/10 well directed and enjoyable but not Scorsese at his best.

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Unknown 04:15  No comment

THE RAILWAY MAN

SYNOPSIS –a haunted veteran sets out to confront his tormentor. Most films that deal with prisoners of war focus primarily on the tortures, both psychical and mental, as they take place; few films look at the long term effects of the treatment and the toll it takes on everyday lives. The railway man tells the true story of Eric Lomax and his long struggle to come to terms with his days as a POW. Much of the Railway Man’s strength lies in its performances; Colin firth gives a powerful portrayal of the older Eric Lomax, whilst Jeremy Irvine shows us the younger Eric, still possessing the youthful innocence that is about to be so brutally broken. Tanroh Ishida plays the young version of Takashi Nagase, the young officer who serves as Eric’s chief tormentor, giving the part a sinister edge as he continues to haunt Eric into the present. Hiroyuki Sanada plays the older Takashi giving a great performance as a man trying desperately to atone for the mistake of his past. The best thing about these performances is that they work so well in sync with each other; you can still see flickers of the young man in the older, haunted Eric. There are flashes of the uncertainty in the younger Takashi that will one day come close to consuming his older self. Also of note is Nicole Kidman’s performance as Eric’s wife, and Stellan Skarsgard as fellow POW Finlay. All of these performances lend the film a great emotional weight which is good because the film has something of a pacing problem. Once we really get into the story things are fine but first we get Eric and Patti’s courtship which (not to sound insensitive) goes on a little too long. Both Kidman and Firth have good on-screen chemistry and these scenes probably could have been shortened without losing any of the film’s emotional impact. The main POW story is delivered in one large segment near the middle of the film which, I personally, think might have been better suited as smaller paced out segments. FINAL VERDICT 6/10 a very powerful story that once it gets started keeps the audience gripped.

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Unknown 03:57  No comment

TWELVE YEARS A SLAVE

When Solomon Northup is captured and sold into southern slavery he is a well-spoken educated musician. Over the course of the film the audience then gets to see how the horrific experience of plantation slavery slowly breaks this man. Nothing is spared in this account which is based on Solomon’s own memoirs. Director Steve McQueen manages to capture not just the barbarous brutality (of which there is plenty) but the tedium and slow, creeping despair of a slave’s life. In accomplishing this McQueen is gifted with a strong cast but three actors in particular stand out. The first, of course, is Chiwetel Ejiofor as Solomon who is on screen for practically all of the film’s running time. Ejifor is able to convey the pain and suffering of his character either by heart rendering screams of anguish or a simple blank-eyed look full of despair. Also of great note is Lupita Nyong’o as Patsy a female slave in the horrifying position of being the object of her master’s lust. The third most noteworthy performance in the film is Michael Fassbinder as Edwin Epp, the epitome of cruelty itself. Fassbender somehow manages to be terrifyingly malevolent and yet pathetic at the same time. All of the characters in the film, even Epp, feel like real three-dimensional people rather than caricatures of the time period. Along with the strong characters and great performances McQueen deliver a beautifully directed film that uses wide open spaces and yet, somehow, feels so very intimate with Solomon and his story. One of the film’s best scenes involves one of Solomon’s punishments, with a long shot that feels agonising to watch. This is easily a contender for the best film of 2014 and we’re only in the first few weeks of January FINAL VERDICT 10/10 this not an easy film to watch, but given the subject matter, that’s the way it should be.

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Unknown 04:50  No comment

MANDELA LONG WALK TO FREEDOM

SYNOPSIS -The story of Nelson Mandel's long struggle against the South African government One can imagine that actor Idris Elba might have felt a little nervous when taking on the role of one of the world’s most inspirational leaders. Any doubts are not evident in his performance which captures the zeal and determination that made Mandela such an effective leader. Equalling Elba in his performance is Naomie Harris as his second wife Winnie. Both performers play off each other well their idealistic youth giving way to a strained marriage. Visually the film jumps between stunning beauty and visceral savagery; on the one hand the spectacular South African countryside and on the other the city filled with tanks riots and soldiers. No one can deny that the film does its best to show the horrors of apartheid (and the riots that marked its death throes) but it’s surprising to me that the film is rated 12 as there are several scenes with civilians being shot down - including children. Fitting in with this is one of the best uses of news photos in a film, the director letting the stark images speak for themselves. Another credit for the film is its bare-all approach rather than gloss over any of the problems in Mandela’s personal life (e.g. his first marriage) - these are shown and nor are his own failings in these areas glossed over. I like this approach as I think it helps present Mandela as a real flesh and blood human being rather than a caricature or saintly icon. The main problem with the long walk to freedom is trying to condense a man’s entire life and career, inevitably some things feel rushed and skipped over. As the film winds down this become more pronounced with scenes feeling a little loosely strung together. It might have been more advisable to end at a certain period in his life rather than try and cram the whole thing in. FINAL VERDICT 7/10 an excellent humanising depiction of a larger than life figure.

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Unknown 23:25  No comment

AMERICAN HUSTLE

SYNOPSIS – backed into a corner two hustlers must pull off an ever- expanding con Classifying American Hustle is a bit difficult, on the one hand you might say that it’s clearly a crime movie - our main characters are, after all, con artists. On the other hand you might well argue it’s a drama film as the relationships between the characters drive the plot as much as any crime caper. Then again others would say it’s obviously a sharply written comedy, with great deadpan delivery by its cast. Ultimately American Hustle is all three of these and its crowning achievement is to succeed on all three levels. The key to its success as a crime film is using the central hustle effectively spacing it out throughout with each new complication ratcheting up the stakes and the tension. Seeing the initial small hustle balloon into a vast scam makes the pace move at a brisk pace. The drama element has two main strengths that make it a success; the first is the characters themselves with all their brilliant hang ups and neuroses. There is not one bland character in the entire main cast. The second is the cast’s performances, which range from the brilliantly insane and erratic (Bradley Cooper and Rosalyn Rosenfeld) or deadpan brooding( Christian Bale and Amy Adams). Watching these various personalities crash and clash with each other helps bring the story to life. As for the comedy, though the performances again should be credited, most should go to an extremely and sharp witty script. There is no “funny scenes” whether in the middle of a family argument or a tense part of the scam - comedy loaded lines fire out of the casts’ mouths with machine gun rapidity. This is definitely a good way to start 2014 and I can only hope there are more films of this calibre on the way. Final verdict 9/10 slick and stylish - this is a great synergy of cast and script.

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Unknown 04:31  No comment