Iron Man 3

Iron Man 3

Director: Shane Black

Written by: Shane Black and Drew Pearce 

Photography: John Toll 

Starring:  Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Kingsley

Country: USA 

Year: 2013  

I feel that I should start this review with an apology for the recent absence of activity on this site, I've been distracted with other non-film related activities and I haven't actually been to see a film at the cinema since Stoker two months ago, in fact, I haven't really watched that many films in the comfort of my own home either. But fear not, I'm steadily getting back on pace now and I should be posting regular reviews from now on. As a result of my hiatus, I've fallen far behind on my Blind Spot challenge, so you can be assured of at least three new posts this month (he says).        

Anyway, I digress, Iron Man 3... 

The first two Iron Man movies, the first one very good  the second one not so much, were both directed by actor/director Jon Favreau. In Iron Man 3 Fravreau remains on as a producer and as an actor in a quite a big supporting role but the directing role has fell to another man. The director that was chose as Favreau's replacement was an odd, but in hindsight, a brilliant decision. Shane Black, who made is name as a screenwriter known for making 18/NC-17 rated action-comedies with creative and colourful  language, most famously the Lethal Weapon franchise and the brilliant Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. And for playing the role of Hawkins in Predator. Shane's auteur style brings a refreshing burst to a sub-genre that's been dominating the box office for over a decade. 

Regardless of the number three that appears at the end of the title is not so much at sequel to the previous two Iron Man films, but more to last year's Avengers Assemble, with Tony Stark trying to psychologically adjust after the events at the end of that film. Suffering from insomnia and anxiety Stark spends his nights obsessing over the Iron Man suit. Parallel to this the United States is falling victim to a succession of terrorist attacks from an international terrorist known an the Mandarin.

Robert Downey Jr. gives a fantastic performance once again. He's even more enjoyable to watch in this film as he suits Shane Black's sharp witty dialogue so fell. Gwyneth Paltrow, as annoying and unlikable as she seems to becoming in real life, is still highly watchable on screen. Don Cheadle is far more interesting in this film then he was in Iron Man 2. Ben Kingsley and Guy Pearce were both very good. The real disappointment though was Rebecca Hall, her character was severely underdeveloped, waste of a great talent. 

The film looks great, the most beautiful of the Iron Man films. Containing lots of strong bright colours that make the film reminiscent of the old silver age comics. The cinematographer on the film was John Toll, a fantastic DP, whose filmography includes Braveheart, The Last Samurai and The Thin Red Line.              

It's for certain that some fans of the comic book source material will react negatively to the film and the artistic freedom Pearce and Black have taken especially concerning The Mandarin and Iron Patriot. Personally it didn't bother me because I felt it worked in the narrative of the film. Others might be disappointed that there is a lack of screen time containing Iron Man. Much like in The Dark Knight Rises, most of the film is Tony Stark weak and lost scrapping together materials to keep him self alive. I like this, it reminds us that Tony Stark's greatest asset is his intelligence, not the suit. 

Overall I found Iron Man 3 to be one of those films so enjoyable that I'm willing to look over few flaws, it's also evidence that the superhero sub-genre has a lot of life left in it yet.             

Stoker

Stoker

Director: Park Chan-Wook

Written by: Wentworth Miller

Photography: Chung-hoon Chung

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Matthew Goode, Nicole Kidman

Country: USA, UK. 

Year: 2013

Emotions rest in the balance for fans of new wave Korean cinema this year, first we have Park Chan-Wook's debut into English language film with Stoker and then later in the year director Spike Lee's remake of Park Chan Wook's cult masterpiece, Oldboy.  

When I first saw the trailer for Stoker I was initially disappointed that it didn't appear to be a biopic of Draclua author, Bram Stoker. But with multiple re-watches I became more and more intrigued by what appeared to be a dark, twisted psychological thriller combined with stunning visuals.  And that's what I got. 

After India Stoker's father dies in a car crash on her birthday, she learns how disconnected she is from everybody else around her including her mother. She soon has to learn to live with a new person in her life as her father's brother, an Uncle she never knew she had, comes to live with her and her mother. 

The plot is hugely inspired by the classic Hitchcock thriller, Shadow of a Doubt.  In fact the mysterious Uncle in both films are called Charlie. There's also continuous references to various Hitchcock films throughout especially to Psycho. 

Stoker is set in the present day yet the art direction suggests something set in the '40s or '50s, again I think this is drawn from the Hitchcock influence but it gives the film a timeless look. 

There are three fantastic central performances from Goode, Kidman and Wasikowska. And as all too often in film, Jacki Weaver is given far too little screen time, but everything she does in that short time is sublime. 

Stoker isn't so much driven by it's narrative, heavy in symbolism it's more a study of the innocence lost in the transition into adulthood.

I was kind of grateful for it at the time because I had an engagement directly after, but Stoker after being slow and atmospheric throughout suddenly nosedives into an ending and it leaves you feeling a little cheated. 

Stoker is thought provoking, beautifully shot and lingers in the mind long after viewing.Highly recommended.  

Mama

Mama

Director: Andrés Muschietti

Written by: Andrés Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, Neil Cross 

Photography: Antonio Riestra 

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Daniel Kash

Country: Spain, Canada

Year: 2013

Mama started life as a short film of the same title which found itself under the gaze of Pan's Labyrinth director, Guillermo Del Toro. The director of the original short, Andrés Muschietti, returns to make his first feature length film. 

Two young girls, one three and the other one, are abandoned by their father in a cabin in the woods of West Virginia after he has murdered their mother brutally. The girls are discovered five years later, still alive, but living like animals after a long search funded by the girls' Uncle, played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. The older girl pins their survival on the assistance of an imaginary maternal figure called Mama. After some psychological tests, the Uncle wins custody of the children and they are sent to live with him along with his pedophobic girlfriend, Jessica Chastain . It's not too long before we question whether Mama is really imaginary and whether she may have followed the girls. 

Mama is fundamentally a horror film, but in true Del Toro fashion it poses itself as a kind of modern day fairy tale. As a horror film Mama isn't the most original, it's really just another hunted house film. There's original stuff in there that deserves applauding but even as someone who isn't too well versed in contemporary horror I can tick off every cliche as they come.    

The film is surprisingly well shot with some great Hitchcockian direction. Perhaps this is too soon to say, but I think Muschietti is someone you should be getting really excited about. If the quality of work goes up from here he could be one of the next great directors.   

It should be hard adjusting to Jessica Chastain in this role as a distant punk with rock star dreams straight out of Zero Dark Thirty, but she is such a chameleon actor and slips right into the role. 

The film is really about mother and daughter relationships leaving any male characters expendable. Although that's clearly a fault with the film, It's refreshing to type as it's usually the other way around. 

The most important question to ask when looking at a horror film is 'is it scary?' And, yes, Mama is scary. Some attempts at jump scares are met only with laughter but for the most part I was kept on edge.    

Mama provides as many genuine scares as it does cliques, despite some dodgy CGI the film is really beautifully shot and it's decently enjoyable up to its ridiculous and unrewarding ending. In all Mama is your standard three star horror film.