Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty 

Director: Kathryn Bigelow 

Written by: Mark Boal 

Photography: Grieg Fraser 

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Joel Edgerton, Jason Clarke. 

Country: USA

Year: 2012

Back in 2009 one movie swept the Oscars beating the even the hotly tipped Goliath, Avatar. That movie was The Hurt Locker, directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. That dream team have now reunited to bring us Zero Dark Thirty, the story of the decade long manhunt for Osama Bin Laden.   

The movie was originally about the failed hunt Bin Laden, but part way through principal photography he was killed by U.S Marines, which meant that Bigelow and Boal had to fashion a new ending for their film. I would like to know how the original movie was going to end because I just can't imagine how it would have worked. Unless it just ended abruptly which would have sucked. 

We're introduced at the beginning to CIA operative, Maya, who at the beginning is kind of a rookie mocked for her age and gender. We're pitched that this is one woman's fight to capture Public Enemy No.1. As the film takes place over a decade, we see Maya and the approval of those around her develop quite rapidly as the film progresses. The films been criticized for not giving any back stories to any of the characters. That's true off most, but then characters in Zero Dark Thirty are pretty expendable and they go as soon as they come. But Bigelow did something very clever with Maya, in the foreground you have this massive story about the hunt for Bin Laden but if you look carefully at the background; the wallpaper on Maya's laptop, the photos on her desk you'll begin to paint a picture of her past which I thought was a pretty interesting way of going about it. 

Kathryn Bigelow's direction is phenomenal, I've been critical of her in the past, I've said that there are at least half a dozen female directors that deserve the accolades she gets more than her. But I take some of that back now, Zero Dark Thirty is stunningly shot and all the performances are fantastic. Although I'll still stand by The Hurt Locker being very overrated.

Jessica Chastain has been having a fantastic couple of years and it's becoming repetitive to say how good she is, but I can't not talk about her astonishing job in this film, she really does carry it. Other actors, especially Jason Clarke, do great jobs too, but as I said before most of them aren't given a great deal of screen-time. Torchwood fans may be disappointed to learn  that John Barrowman only gets two lines and not good ones at that. 

Zero Dark Thirty, as you probably know, has been the target of much controversy surrounding it's depiction of torture as a means of getting information, some people say that it shows torture in a positive light. It's the kind of insistence when you really have to just see the film for yourself and make your own mind up. But for my money, no it doesn't. It doesn't show torture working to any great effect, they gather more information from straight interrogation and you're not walking out of the cinema at the end with your fist in the air shouting 'YEAH, TORTURE'. Boal and Bigelow decided to tell the story as truthfully as they could and not to whitewash history, which honestly I think was the right decision. 

The film is two and three quarter hours and to say that every frame is gripping would be a lie, the best part of two hours is spent talking in boardrooms and shiftily through papers. Some people will be bored, I know this for a fact because I counted two people walking out and never coming back. Although these scenes help to build a connection between the audience and the story, you're going on this journey with Maya and when she hits a brick wall, you feel her frustration. And if you stick with it you'll find the last forty minutes of the film is the action film you may have been hoping for. 

The film does a great job of being accessible to everyone without dumbing down too much. For a film that focused on the intelligence side of the mission to find Bin Laden, at no point did I feel lost in translation or not understanding what was going on.  

Zero Dark Thirty is a step above and beyond for Bigelow and Boal after The Hurt Locker, fantastically shot and acted, definitely worth checking out.   

Django Unchained

Django Unchained 

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Written By: Quentin Tarantino
Photography: Robert Richardson 
Starring: Jamie Fox, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio.
Country: USA
Year: 2012  

Oooh Djangoooooo!

Quentin Tarantino isn't your run of the mill film school graduate, he's the video store clerk who set up a production company named after a Godard film (much to Godard's displeasure), making throwback films to all the exploitation and spaghetti westerns he loves so much. And Django Unchained  is nothing if not yet another homage to films that came before it, most notably films like Mandingo and obviously Sergio Corbucci's Django films. Tarantino's known for being a massive admirer of the great spaghetti western director, Sergio Leone, and I think everyone was expecting Django Unchained to be the grandest ever love letter to Leone's westerns. But there's a surprising lack of influence from Leone, it was there more in Inglorious Basterds. To me, Django Unchained is a Sam Peckinpah movie more than anything else, not thematically but in style; the slow motion gunfights and the strong violence. Given that he essentially invented movie violence, Tarantino owes quite a debt to Peckinpah.

Many people may be tried of Tarantino's fanboy filmmaking, it's 21 years now since Reservoir Dogs premiered at Cannes and I can see how for some people the joke may be wearing a bit thin. I still find a lot of fun in what Tarantino does. My problem with Tarantino is he's wasted talent, he's undeniably a very skilled director, if he wanted to, I'm positive he could be making films to the caliber of Paul Thomas Anderson's. But he doesn't want to. 

After some of the coolest opening credits ever, the film beings at night with two slavers making there way through a forest carrying a chain line of slaves behind them. Towards them comes a wagon ridden by Dr. King Schultz, a bounty hunter posing as a dentist. It becomes clear that this isn't a coincidental crossing of paths, Dr Schultz wishes to acquire a specific person in the two slavers' company, Django. To cut a long story short, this is a three hour Tarantino movie we're talking about, Django becomes an assistant of Dr. Schultz's in the bounty hunting trade. After a long winter of Bounty Hunting in the mountain, Dr. Schultz agrees to help Django free his estranged wife, Broomhilda from the infamous plantation, Candyland owned by the villainous Calvin Candie. 

Many people have made comment about the run-time of the film, that it's unnecessarily long. The film runs for 165 minutes, which is long and strange for something that's essentially an exploitation film, which tend to run for about 80 minutes. But honestly, I didn't have a problem with the run time it never dragged. Actually, I would have liked it to be longer, I wanted to see more with Dr. Schultz and Django bounty hunting in the mountains. 

There's always controversy surrounding the violence in Tarantino's movies, but this time more so given recent events. I have many opinions on movie violence and it's relation with real life violence, but I'll save that for another time as I don't want to digress. What I will say is that to call Tarantino's films mindlessly violent is an example of looking at a film rather than watching it. Think back to the scene in Reservoir Dogs (SPOILERS) when everybody dies, as the bodies lay cold on the floor,it's at least 5 seconds before it cuts, Tarantino is forcing us to see the consequences of violence. Django Unchained has a sense of humor within it's bloody cathartic violence. But it's depiction of the slave trade is uncomfortably brutal. Tarantino is a much more intelligent director than some people give him credit for. *cough* Mark Kermode *cough* Spike Lee.
     
Perhaps it's hyperbole for Tarantino to be boasting that he's getting people to talk about slavery  like they haven't before. The slave trade's been talked about. But I've seen many films in my time that touch on the slave trade, but I haven't seen any films that depict it's brutal reality as unapologetically as Django Unchained. 

Tarantino is a brilliant actors' director, he can pull performances out of actors that they can't release with any other directors. Jamie Foxx is brilliant, Samuel L. Jackson is great, Leonardo DiCaprio is really good if maybe a little miscast, and Christoph Waltz is basically playing Hans Landa again but who cares because Hans Landa is one of the best characters in recent cinema history. One of my biggest frustrations with Django Unchained is that all the female characters suck. Neither Laura Coyouette or Kerry Washington are never given anything to do. And I know Tarantino can write good female characters; Jackie Brown, Mia Wallace.        

The soundtrack as usual from Tarantino is fantastic. It's a mixture of contemporary R&B and classic Ennio Morricone scores with a Johnny Cash song thrown in there for good measure.   

The film is very long and it has no pace, but it's extremely fun and more intelligent than some people would have you believe. Quentin Tarantino's best film since Jackie Brown.     

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Director: Peter Jackson 
Written By: Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens
Photography: Andrew Lesnie
Starring: Martian Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage. 
Year: 2012
Country: USA, New Zealand.  


I was going to be a lot kinder to the Hobbit in this review, but last night I had the pleasure of revisiting Guillermo Del Toro's stunning film, Pan's Labyrinth, and was reminded just what The Hobbit could have been. If you're unfamiliar with the production history of The Hobbit, here' a brief summery: Originally, Mexican director Guillermo Del Toro was set to direct the (then two) Hobbit movies. But after countless delays on a set filming date, Del Toro has no choice but to drop out as director, although staying on as a screenwriter. Ultimately, Peter Jackson was re-crowned as director and scraped all of Del Toro's concept art. 

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, of course, is based on the J.R.R. Tolkien's children's novel and precursor to The Lord of the Rings. Or it's at least on the first third of it, as this 378 pages novel (with pictures) is being turned into three separate 160 minute films. 

As someone who has read and loves The Hobbit, it's enraging to see how desperately Jackson and his team have tried to flesh out the story, by porting over tales and characters from Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion like Radagast the Brown. Or from their imagination created new tedious scenes with Galadriel, although it's nice to have a female presence, if only brief, now in a male dominated story. We'll probably even see Tom Bombadil in the next film. Oh joy! 

It's hard to tell if Peter Jackson actually knows what he's doing, he's made some pretty impressive films like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy and by-all accounts Heavenly Creatures, but he's also been behind the uninspired King Kong remake and The Lovely Bones which is one of the worst directed films I've ever seen.  The direction in The Hobbit is... pretty poor, but not so much that it's unwatchable. 

Speaking of unwatchable, let's move onto the editing. Not only is the film ridiculously long, with many scenes that could and should have been cut out, the actual editing of the film is clunky and occasionally leads to problems with continuity.

The writing is also a pitfall, the book is written mostly in rhyme, is quite comical and is basically written for children. The film takes lines from the novel but doesn't draw inspiration from it for the rest of the dialogue. So what you're left with is a film jumping between two very different languages.     

Martian Freeman is the saving grace of the film, he's brilliant and Bilbo is a much more engaging character than Frodo ever was. Andy Serkis is great reprising his role as Gollum and Ian McKellen is probably the only person who could play Gandalf. The band of Dwarfs are nearly all annoying and other than Thorin, all underdeveloped.

The Hobbit doesn't have the sense of awe that The Lord of the Rings trilogy did mostly thanks to an over use of CGI. The Lord of the Rings films took full advantage of the gorgeous New Zealand landscapes which The Hobbit doesn't. Also the fact that all the Orcs and Goblins are done with CGI is a huge disappointment.  

The problem with Peter Jackson is the same of that of James Cameron, he seems to be primarily concerned with getting himself into the history books. Both men seem to think if they are the one to push 3D or to push higher frame rates, they'll be remembered along Sergei Eisenstein and Edwin S. Porter.   

This review has probably made the The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey sound much worse than it is, it's not terrible, it's okay, if you enjoy the Middle Earth universe you might even enjoy it.  If this review seems rather lack luster I apologize and my only excuse is that this isn't a review of a film, it's a review of a third of a film. 

Top 10 Films of 2012

 We've moved into a new calender year, which means as a film blogger I'm legally required to countdown my favorite movies of the previous year in a hierarchical order.   

 It shouldn't need saying, but obviously, I haven't had chance to see every movie released this year and living thirty miles away from the nearest city and having to put up with a crummy mainstream multiplex I don't get to see as many art-house or foreign language films as I would like. So before you comment calling me a philistine,  that's why Amour is absent from the list. 

 P.S. This is based on UK release dates and all movies did come out in 2012. If you live in the US or Canada some of these may have come out in 2011, or if you live on Guernsey you might be getting them in four years time.

In ascending order: 

10. Jeff, Who Lives at Home 

 Jeff, Who Lives at Home is something you seldom see, and that's an intelligent stoner comedy that takes a realistic and non-partisan look at recreational drug use, but is ultimately a film about family, relationships and destiny.   
  

   

9. The Innkeepers

Ti West's supernatural horror is a slow burner, but what's at the end of the fuse is a huge stick of dynamite. Great characters, great atmosphere, great direction and a great film of 2012.

    
8. Tiny Furniture 


 Take the wit of Woody Allen and mix it with everything that's great about Diablo Cody and what you'll get is Lena Dunham and her courageously honest comedy, Tiny Furniture. Although the film narrowly avoids becoming annoyingly quirky at times, it still avoids it and turns out to be one of the indie gems of the year.   

7. Moonrise Kingdom

Wes Anderson rolls another strike with this bittersweet tale of young love in '60s New England. Beautifully shot, charmingly witty and wonderfully acted from a cast including Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Edward Norton. 

6. The Angels' Share 

Four Glaswegians serving community service for various crimes and misdemeanors start to turn their lives around when they discover the world of fine whiskey. Unknown Paul Brannigan gives one of the best performances of the year in Ken Loach's latest social realist comedy.      

5. The Cabin in the Woods 

The Cabin in the Woods is a satire of the horror genre with so many twists and turns you'll never be bored.  Written by Buffy creator and Avengers Assemble director Joss Whedon and directed by Cloverfield's writer Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods is one of the year's most fun filled films.       

4. Cosmopolis 

Many of David Corenenberg's famed themes are present in his 2012 film Cosmopolis, about a young billionaire and his journey though a crumbling city as he makes his way to get a haircut. Robert Pattinson superb in this neon cyberpunk drama. 

    

3. Martha Marcy May Marlene 

 The first of two very different movies on this top ten about cults, this nerve-racking flashback thriller sees up-and-comer Elizabeth Olsen struggle to adjust with normal life after having spent a damaging amount of time living with an abusive cult.     

2. The Master 

It was a five year wait for Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master, but boy was it worth the wait, intense drama and stunning cinematography make up for lack of a solid conclusion. Three incredible performances in Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Joaquin Phoenix. Also, the best direction of the year.

1. Silver Linings Playbook 

The film that I went to see with the lowest expectations turned out to be my movie of the year, fancy that. Hilariously funny, charming and sincere. A film that could have been so cynical or offensive given the subject matter is toned perfectly by director David O. Russell given much help by his superb acting cast who deserve Oscar nominations all-round.  

     

By The Light of the Sun

By The Light of the Sun 

Director: Andy Harrison

Written By: Andy Harrison and Lewis Simpson 

Starring: Nigel Moran, Lewis Simpson, Ryan Murphy 

Country: UK

Year: 2012

 By The Light of the Sun is the début feature from young film-maker Andy Harrison, aged just seventeen. Harrison co-wrote the screenplay with friend and actor, Lewis Simpson.     

A band of idiosyncratic characters lead this surprisingly funny film that seems to span every genre. 

The film begins with Mark Lester (Nigel Moran), an adviser at Alcoholics Anonymous, being fired by his boss, played brilliantly and energetically in a small role from Peter Ravenscroft. He struggles to put his frustration behind him as he makes his way to a stag party with his possibly psychopathic best friend, Jakey-O (Lewis Simpson). Along the way they meet an animalistic cult, a backpacker whose really good at making tea and the well groomed detective, Sean Connery. 

There also a very memorable performance from Ryan Murphy as a drug addicted investigator (who doesn't seem to do much investigating). A performance that channels both Christopher Walken and Al Pacino. 

The direction in By The Light of the Sun is outstanding, including a masterful use of stedicam. Surprise and jealously are two of the emotions one might feel when you see that someone of such a young age has such blatant talent.           

In some technical aspects the film stands above it's station, bordering on professional.  But at the same time it's still just an amateur movie about people being chased by a knife wielding chicken in the woods, something that's abundant on the YouTube. This makes for an interesting combination.  There's something refreshing and joyful about seeing a film that is both well made and made just for fun. 

I do have my reservations, I'm not sure some of the song choices worked in the scenes they were placed over. The film also requires complete audience attention, if you're not taking note of all the characters' names you might find yourself confused by the ending. And I'm also still not sure how all the stories place together.  

If you're lucky enough to get the opportunity to see By The Light of the Sun, I highly recommend you take it, for the sake of ninety minutes of pure entertainment if nothing else. 

To all involved, Bravo.   

Silver Linings Playbook

Silver Linings Playbook

Director: David O'Russel
Written By: David O'Russel 
Photography: Masanobu Takayanagi 
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro.
Year: 2012
Country: USA 


    
 Picture the scene: I've just half heartedly purchased a ticket for Silver Linings Playbook, I've being forced to listen to the Aladdin OST while the screen fills up, I'm getting funny looks and laughs of people for being on my own and I know already that for two hours I'm going to have to sit through the most cynical piece of Oscar bait since Extremely Load and Incredibly Close.

 But something happened to me during Silver Linings Playbook where my reservations were overturned and I was completely won over by the film.

 Pat, played by Bradley Cooper, is diagnosed a with bipolar disorder and has spent time in a mental facility. Upon release he delusionally believes that is ex-lover is waiting for him to get better before they'll restart their relationship, despite a restraining order. Partly in an attempt to gain a link with his Ex-Wife, Pat strikes a friendship with an old acquaintance, Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), now suffering from depression after the death of her husband.

 On paper the film seems very 'Hey let me tug at your heart strings.' And if it was directed by say... Cameron Crowe, it probably would be. But David O'Russel tones the film in an honest and sincere way that when you are effected by it's charm (and you will be) it's all natural.

 I personally see it as wrong to call Silver Linings Playbook a comedy about mental illness. What it is is a human drama, with comic moments where several of the characters are affected by mental illness. One of my concerns while sitting listing to A Whole New World was that the film wouldn't differentiate between being ill and just being quirky, but it was quite the contrary . What I really appreciate is that mental illness isn't the catalyst or the but of any joke. Take any of the jokes delivered by Bradley Cooper and give them to one of the many characters in the film not affected by illness and it would remain just as funny.

 The film is propelled by two central powerhouse performances from Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence plus two brilliant mediating roles from Jacki Weaver and  Robert De Niro. Even Chris Tucker manages to be oddly engaging.    

  This good hearted winter-warmer makes the perfect film for a Christmas trip to the cinema. And make sure to see it now, because it will be the film everybody's talking about come February.    

The Master

The Master

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson 

Written by: Paul Thomas Anderson 

Photography: Mihai Malaimare Jr. 

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams. 

County: USA 

Year: 2012   

 It's been five years since Paul Thomas Anderson released his irrefutable masterpiece, There Will Be Blood, which was a surprising commercial success, although it was duly robbed at the Academy Awards by the Coen's No County For Old Men (Also a good film, but not as good.)  

 Freddie Quell is lost. An aggressive drunk who hasn't been able to hold on to a job or a woman since his departure from the navy at the end of the war. His paths cross Lancaster Dodd, know by some as The Master.  

 Lancaster Dodd is the leader of a philosophical movement, or to be more frank, a cult, known as The Cause. There are many parallels between Lancaster Dodd and his Cause with L. Ron Hubbard and his church of Scientology. This is purely subjective, but for me, The Master extended a representation of Cults but also of all organized religion. Religion not being something Paul Thomas Anderson has shyed away from in the past, it's one of the prominent themes in There Will Be Blood.    

 It's hard to know what I think of The Master. I do know that I definitely liked it, but it's such a heavy film, with all the subtext and everything, I feel like I've only seen half the film. I imagine it'll be much like my experience with David Croenberg's Videodrome; I liked it from first viewing, but it wasn't until my second or third viewing that I realized what a masterpiece it is.  

 Paul Thomas Anderson has already proved himself as a really special film-maker. I would go as far as to say he's best director working today. There are great directors like Godard and Scorsese who are stilling making films regularly, but their hayday is gone, as of right now, nobody's making better films than PTA is.  

 The film stars Joaquin Phoenix, who seemed to drop of the radar for a bit, but is back now with a career best performance with a character, reportedly, loosely based on the American author John Steinbeck. 

 You might be fooled early on into believing that Philip Seymour Hoffman is downplaying his performance is this film, but in a subtle and enigmatic way, it's possibly his most towering role. 

Question time. When did you realise how brilliant Amy Adams is? Because she's been around for a while now and it's only just clicked with me this year through The Master and The Fighter, which I caught up on this year and really enjoyed. 

 The film looks stunning, Anderson's direction is masterful as is Mihai Malaimare Jr.'s cinematography. The composition in every shot is inspired and lovingly crafted. 

 The major flaw in The Master is that it didn't so much end as stop. It seems like an recurring problem with Paul Thomas Anderson that he doesn't know how to end films; Boogie Nights had the same problem as did Magnolia and even There Will Be Blood, but that somehow got away with it. 

 The Master is a cinema at a raw level, which will make it unsavoury for many palates . But for cineasts and the likes, you'll probably find it just short of a masterpiece.           

Skyfall

 Skyfall

Director: Sam Mendes  
Written By: Neil Purvis, Robert Wade, John Logan
Photography: Roger Deakins 
Starring: Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Javier Bardem 
Year: 2012
Country: UK, USA 


Let me start by saying that this is a spoiler free review, however, if you want to go into Bond Number 23 completely fresh, stop reading now. But come back later, ok?

 The James Bond movie franchise reaches it's 50th anniversary this years, going from when Dr. No was realised back in 1962. Although, Skyfall wasn't intended to be an anniversary special, the original release date was 2010, but due to financial troubles at MGM, production was held back for a couple of years. 

 Since '62 we've had a Scottish Bond, an Australian Bond, a How the Hell Does He Do That Thing With His Eyebrow Bond, a Time Lord Bond and a Former Thief Turned Private Detective Bond. Now we have Daniel Craig playing the agent with the licence to kill. Skyfall is Craig's third outing as Bond, after Casino Royale  (which was really good) and Quantum of Solace (which sucked). Craig is the Bond who everyone wants to say is the best Bond, but feel it's too early to say. The emotional, sentimental Bond which was started by Lazenby and expanded by Dalton is perfected by Daniel Craig.

 It's hard to talk about the plot of Skyfall without divulging a plethora of spoilers, big and small. But what Skyfall is about, on a non-superficial level, is the co-existence of new and old. Bond and M are dinosaurs in an MI6 and a world that's changing at a speed they can't keep up with.             

 Skyfall is a Bond first, never before has bond had an Oscar winning director at the helm. Sam Mendes, who's directed American Beauty, Road to Perdition and Revolutionary Road among others gave Skyfall his  love, care and attention. Mendes creates something that is both pensive and stylish, but for all intents and purposes, a Bond film.    

 Not to worry if you're more a fan of corny jokes, sex and expensive set pieces, Skyfall has more than enough of all of those.   

 The real star of Skyfall is cinematographer, Roger Deakins, who has been the DP on nearly all the Coen Brothers' movies post Barton Fink. I long thought Deakins to one of the greatest living cinematographers, now Skyfall has confirmed it. Through stunning lighting and composition Deakins creates something where every frame is a money-shot. Deakins has been nominated for an Oscar nine times but never won, hopefully this time.

 Skyfall's other Oscar possibility lies in Judi Dench reprising her role as Head of MI6, M. Skyfall takes a longer look at the character of M than any Bond film has in the past, in a way the film is more about M than it is about Bond. The legendary thespian isn't someone you expect to surprise you, you go in with high expectations in the first place, but Dench goes above and beyond with this one. And hey, if she can win an Oscar for 5 minutes of screen time in Shakespeare in Love, I don't see why she can't win one for this.    

 The Villain, Silva is played by Spanish actor, Javier Bardem. Although it's not a bad performance, quite good in fact, I would rank it as his worst. Bardem is post famous for his murderous role in the Coens' No Country For Old Men. I find his best performances lie in films in his native language, Spanish and Mexican films like Biutiful and The Sea Inside. 

 It's also nice to see Q get a bigger role than usual, because we all know he's the best character. Ben Whishaw is the new Q, I'm not sure about the whole geek-chic thing, but he's a very good actor. 

 The film is not without fault, I could have done with learning about Bond's childhood, the third act feels more Home Alone than James Bond and the film is overflowing with overt product placement. There's also the confusing bearing of whether it's a sequel, prequel or reboot. At the beginning of Casino Royale it implies that we're seeing Bond from the very beginning of his double-o career, yet Skyfall keeps making light of Bond being old and referencing past films. 

 As an intelligent, well made blockbuster Skyfall gives The Dark Knight Rises an run for it's money. Go watch it, it'll probably be the best film to play in ever theatre this year. 

Looper

Looper

Director: Rian Johnson 

Written By: Rian Johnson 

Photography: Steve Yedlin 

Starring: Bruce Willis, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt

Year: 2012 

Country: USA, China. 

The third film from writer/director Rian Johnson (whether that's pronounced Rain or Ryan is one of cinema's great mysteries).

Looper, which was selected as the opening film for the Toronto International Film Festival, takes place in two futures: 2044 and 2074. In 2074 surveillance is so advanced that it's literally impossible to dispose of a body. The only way criminal organisations can kill someone with safely is to use recently invented and outlawed time travel to send the target, cuffed and bagged, back to the year 2044 where a Looper will be waiting to blow them away.

Joe Simmons (Jospeh Gordon-Levvit) is a Kansas based Looper, he's selfish, a junkie and a bit of a badass; he's like Han Solo before he was ruined by Lucas is '97 by making Gredo shoot first; anyway, I digress. Waiting in a cornfield for his next hit to show up, (this is all in the trailer, no spoilers!) a few seconds late they show up but with no headbag. Joe makes the mistake of looking into his eyes and recognises immediately that it's himself, thirty years in the future (Bruce Willis). In the shock of seeing himself, he lets the taget escape. So now he's both running away and after himself while the looper orginazation, lead by Jeff Daniels, is after him for letting his target go. Confused?

Loopers remnicent of a lot of past Sci-Fi classics. Clearly Rian Johnson is big fan of James Cameron's Terminator films (it's safe to assume not of the other two) and Terry Gilliam's, brilliant, 12 Monkeys. The only modern Sci-Fi classic it's nothing like is The Matrix which seems to be the film most people are comparing it to.

Looper has a great cast, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who I'm a big fan of does a brilliant job as always. The script was a bit more Bruce Willis lite than I was hoping for, but it's great to see him back at his best. Emily Blunt was good, if slightly miscast. The story goes she accepted the role before her character even showed up in the screenplay she liked the story so much. And Jeff Daniels (who was either Dumb or Dumber, I can never remember) who was the surprise delight of the film.

Rian Johnson directs with such vitality, he really is one of the more intresting film-makers working in the mainstream today.

The only major problem with Looper is that the film changes half way through and it stops being an Sci-Fi action film about time travel, and starts being a pedophobic horror film in the tone The Omen.

I don't think this is quite as brilliant as Johnson's first feature, Brick, but it's a solid, well directed, well acted and interesting film. It's no Twelve Monkeys but it's not far off. Time will tell if Looper becomes a classic.

Score: 4.5/5

ParaNorman

ParaNorman 

Director: Chris Butler and Sam Fell

Written By: Chris Butler 

Photography: Tristan Oliver

Staring: Kodi Smit McPhee, Tucker Albrizzi, Anna Kendrick

Year: 2012

Country: USA

 From Laika Entertainment, the people who brought you stop-animated features such as Corpse Bride and Caroline, comes ParaNorman; a big-hearted adventure-horror for the Family. 

 Norman Babcock, who lives in the town of Blithe Hollow, is an outcast; called 'Abnorman' in his school because of his unique gift to see and speak to the dead. When a Witch's curse is put over the town and zombies rise from the ground, only Norman can help to restore things to the equilibrium.

    

 It would have a made a brilliant movie for Halloween, it's strange then that it came out at the end of summer. I guess it didn't feel it could compete with the other two animated horror-themed children's movies coming out in October, Tim Burton's Frankenweenie and Hotel Transylvania. 

 It nice to see in a world full of CGI animation movies the likes of  Shrek, that stop-motion animation that still hold strong. The Gothic and exaggerated look of the film has been compared to the work of Tim Burton, which is fair, but I can assure you that ParaNorman is better than anything Tim Burton has made in nearly 10 years.   

 The character's are all rounded and interesting and the voice work fits each one perfectly. Casey Affleck plays dim jock, Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays the school bully. Leslie Mann  and Jeff Garlin play Norman's parents and  Anna Kendrick  plays the sister all to great effect.  

 The controversial inclusion of a gay character was a brave one and a progressive one, but there's a part of me that thinks it may have just been added for comic relief.   

 ParaNorman gives genuine laughs throughout and, possibly, for some of the younger viewers, genuine scars. 

Score: 3/5       

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Night Rises

Director: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Photography: Wally Pfister 
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy and Anne Hathaway.
Year: 2012
Country: USA, UK



 My expectations going in to The Dark Knight Rises were so high, it was almost destined to disappoint me. But like an unexplained phenomenon, it somehow managed to exceed my hopes.

I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible, so I won't go into too much detail of the story. All I'll say is that The Dark Knight Rises is set eight years after the events of The Dark Knight. Gotham doesn't need The Batman any more and Bruce Wayne has gone into exile.

 This is the final chapter is the Batman trilogy. Director Christopher Nolan claims to have no interest in making any more and I believe him. Cinematographer Wally Pfister is retiring from his role as cinematographer for life as a director.  The film is also a clear conclusion to Bruce Wayne's story, albeit an ambiguous and subjective one.  

 It's a shame Wally Pfister is retiring from photography because he's one of the best  cinematographers of his generation. It was no exception in The Dark Knight Rises, it's mostly shot underexposed and it has a similar blackness to films like David Fincher's Se7en or The Godfather.   

 Christopher Nolan and Wally Pfister are both preservers of celluloid, so The Dark Knight Rises was shot on 35mm film and is not in 3D. Which leads me to one of the only grievousness,  not with the film, but how it was exhibited. In my local Vue cinema a digital projector was used which made what should have been pitch dark blacks come out as really deep greys. If you can see it projected in 35mm or in an IMAX cinema, do so.       

 Chris Nolan, who is yet to make a bad film, delivers again. His direction is spot on throughout and delivers a well written and intelligent screenplay in coalition his brother, Jonathan.  

 Christian Bale's Batman is still somewhat laughable with his 'Get off my lawn' voice, but is otherwise great and think he makes a brilliant Bruce Wayne. 

 Anne Hathaway as Catwoman I had a lot of trepidation about, she can be a hit or miss. She actually does pretty well In this... and she's sexy, too. She also has a sidekick, played by Juno Temple. Who I think must have had most of her scenes cut out because she's a pointless and rarely seen.

 I've been a big Tom Hardy fan for a while and he makes a badass Bane, he begets genuine fear every time he's a screen. A lot of people complain that they couldn't understand him most of the time. I didn't have this problem myself. Some of it could be to do with the sound systems varying cinema but I think most of it is to do with not being able to see his mouth, we don't realise how much we rely on lip movement. 

 I wont go into every actor because there are so many, but everyone in this film gives their best. New actors include Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard. All returning actors are given their due course, no characters are crammed in out of obligation. Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon could finally get the academy he's been due for a long time. 

 The action scenes are some of the best I've seen in a long time. The first confrontation between Batman and Bane is intensely visceral, I could personally feel every hit Batman took. 

 It refreshing to see an action film from a filmmaker that understands that great action scenes aren't made with shaky cam (that is the technical term) and fast editing, but from carefully crafted choreography. 

 The art direction was stunning, I especially liked the design of Bane. In the comics bane wears a full face mask but the decision to show his eyes adds to the horror. The colour scheme is mostly black and other cold colours. This looks great and fits the tone of the film but less so as I said before if you're watching it in digital. 


 Hans Zimmer's score is faultless, I would say better than his score for Inception in terms of how it fits the movie. But the film also knows when not to use music at all. In Batman's fight with Bane and in an emotional speech by Alfred from Michael Caine, no music is used which adds to the emotion. Although it does makes the crunching of crisps and popcorn clearer.


 The film is full of the wildly imaginative set pieces, which use a mixture of CGI and practical effects the two of which blend together nicely.   

 The film is on the long side at almost three hours. I honestly didn't feel this and I could have carried on watching for at least another half an hour.


 My only complaints are that some things aren't explained that I would have liked to have been. I can't go any further without spoiling the film, but they're not major plot holes, so nothing that will take you out of the experience.   

 I think it's important to state that I don't think this film is suitable for children. It might be a 12A here in the UK and a PG-13 in the US, but the long dialogue scene, bleak persona, dark cinematography and colossal run-time will bore your under twelves. And although the violence may not be bloody it's definitely brutal. Don't risk it, take them to see The Amazing Spider-Man instead. That has the bright coloured, wise cracking, pantomime villain fitting stuff they like. There were several children in the screening I was in and they all talked, cried, climbed and eventually left before the end. 

 I still need to watch Moonrise Kingdom and there are many movies ahead of us including The Master, but The Dark Knight Rises has the potential to be my movie of the year. It's everything you want in a Blockbuster and more. It's a must watch, go see it (unless you have kids) 

Score 5/5          

Woody Allen: A Documentary

Woody Allen: A Documentary

Director: Robert B. Weide
Written by: Robert B. Wide 
Photography: Neve Cunningham, Anthony Savini, Nancy Schreiber, Bill Sheehy and Buddy Squires
Starring: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton and Scarlet Johansson
Year: 2011/2012
Country: USA 




 Although this is a film blog and I have no intention of branching out into television as well, out of genuine interest and admiration for Woody Allen, this is a review of the full three hour long television version of  Woody Allen: A Documentary. Which was split into two episodes of PBS's long running documentary show, American masters. This is opposed to the one hundred and nineteen minute theatrical cut that got limited release this year.


 Woody Allen is famously know for being painfully shy, and much like Terrance Malick hates any kind of interviews or press events and he never allows his production on his set to be recorded. This is why you never get any special features other than theatrical trailers on DVDs of his films. Which makes this documentary a treat for a Allen fans.       


 Director Robert B. Weide, who known mostly for How To Lose Friends And Alienate People as well as being a executive producer of the brilliant HBO show Curb Your Enthusiasm ( A show with clear Woody Allen influence) was given the rare privilege to document the life of Woody Allen. 


 The first segment of the film is about the early life of Woody Allen. We follow him around New York City and learn about his childhood by seeing where he went to school, his favourite cinema and hear the story of his cross over from writing jokes for the newspapers to stand-up to filmmaking. the latter three quarters of the film is going through his filmography with various famous faces giving their stories and reviews of the films. Their were some interesting factoids in there, but I would have like more on the man, less on the pictures. You don't need a documentary to tell you that Annie Hall is a great film. 

 There is an diverse range of interviews. You have people who have worked with Woody like Larry David, Scarlett Johansson and Diane Keaton. Film critics and historians like Leonard Maltin and Richard Schickel. General admirers such as Martin Scorsese and Chris Rock. His sister and of course Woody Allen himself.


 The three hour run-time isn't as strenuous as I imagined it would be going in, It's entertaining and funny throughout which helps to keep your focus. And there is a two hour cut available. 


 What makes the film a must watch is that we get to see Allen work for the first time, whether it's watching him hit away at his typewriter, or watching him direct on the set of You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, we're finally getting to see this master at work. 


 You couldn't make a Woody Allen documentary without talking about the Soon-Yi scandal. But Robert B. Weide goes about this gingerly and it's put back in the closet almost as fast as it's brought out. 



 Woody Allen: A Documentary doesn't digg very deep, but we're in an area of hard soil and it's unlikely we'll ever find what we're digging for. I'm sure there is not much here that hasn't been reviled in previous biographies. But the bonus of finally getting some footage of Woody working on set, means cinephiles and Allen fans will hold it close to their hearts. 


 Score: 3.5/5

The Amazing Spider-Man

The Amazing Spider-Man

Director: Marc Webb
Written By: James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves.
Photography: John Schwartzman
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Rhys Ifans.
Year: 2012
Country: USA   

It's hard to believe that the Sam Rami Spider-Man movie was only 10 years ago, with the third instalment only 5. But nether the less we already have a franchise re-boot. But don't forget that Spider-Man has another 50 year old source material.


The Amazing Spider-Man goes back to the origins that we saw in the first film, it tries to retell it in an original way. Which I think it does honourably, but fails to pull off successfully.


I've been a reader of Marvel Comics since I was thirteen and Spider-Man was always a particular favourite of mine, so I had a lot of hopes and predictions for this movie, a lot of which came true.


I was pleased that spider-strenght was among Spider-Man powers. Although the way this was established was done poorly. A bathroom scene where he breaks taps and doorhandels, a scene I saw a few years ago in X-Men Origins: Wolverine and other films before that. And then a basketball scene lifted straight from Teen Wolf.


Web-blasters are back, although these seem to be unlimited web-blasters because he doesn't run out or change cartridges at any point.


There were lots of little things I liked about the movie, that Spider-Man wears a backpack when he's swinging through New York. That Peter has a Rear Window poster on his wall, Richard Feynman as his desktop picture and has equations written on the bottom of his skateboard decks.


Andrew Garfield is a great Spider-Man, a great Peter Parker and a great actor. A lot of people are talking about how great it is that Spider-Man is funny, like he's supposed to be. But this is only true in one scene. The scene where's stopping the carjacker, which we've all scene in the trailer.


Emma Stone is fantastic as Gwen Stacy. Given that her and Andrew Garfield are a couple in real life, too means chemistry between the two in the film is incredibly believable.


Rhys Ifans, who's an overrated actor as it is, is quite good as Dr. Connors but in my opinion is pretty poor as the Lizard. I wasn't a fan of the way the Lizard looked either.


Marc Webb's only directorial experience is (500) Days Of Summer. Coming in to a big action blockbuster
with only indie rom-com credentials is a pretty big jump which Webb doesn't quite make. The action scenes were badly directed and for the most part incoherent.


The film's pretty sloppy, too. Story threads are dropped at random, like Spider-Man's hunt for Uncle Ben's killer. Aunt May, who is such an important part of Peter's life, is as good as pointless, and the final battle with the Lizard was just copied from Iron Man.


Which brings me to The Amazing Spider-Man biggest fault: it's too reliant on a sequel to finish telling the story, so much that it doesn't work as a stand alone film.


This review is sounding mostly negative, which is because it is. But there were things I liked about it: the score from James Horner was incredible and the practical effects and stunt double work was a treat.


The Amazing Spider-Man is flawed, but so where it's predecessors. Despite these flaws, I believe there's enough there for me to have confidence that Marc Webb can come back with more directorial experience, and in the sequel give us the Spider-Man movie that we want.


Score: 2.5/5