Starring: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Director: Chad Stahelski
Retired hitman and titular character John Wick (Reeves) is drawn back into his previous lifestyle after the son (Allen) of his ex-boss Viggo Tarasov (Nyqvist) brutally attacks Wick in his home, steals his Mustang and kills his dog. Sounds like a tenuous excuse for an enormous body count? Well, Wick loves his car - I mean he really, really, REALLY loves his car - and the dog was a present from his wife which arrived at his door shortly after his wife tragically passed away. Everything he valued has been taken from him and now he means to take his revenge.
Meanwhile, Nyqvist has to stop Wick from taking out his son, regardless of how much an idiot his offspring has been. After a dozen of his guys head to Wick's place and fail to take out their target (all of them becoming extremely dead in the process), Wick checks into the Hotel Continental, owned by assassin-friendly Winston (Ian McShane). The Continental is like a UN building for hired killers and within its walls they are safe from others, which gives Wick time to plot his next moves.
Directed by stunt performer and co-ordinator Stahelski the flimsy story is nothing more than a glorious excuse for a series of inventive, beautifully choreographed, balletic action scenes. Reeves shoots, punches, kicks, stabs and throws the bad guys in breathless, brilliantly crafted sequences which fans of the genre will absolutely love. Yes, this is very, very violent stuff but it's also so implausible that you'll be allowing yourself quite a few giggles at the sheer audacity of it all.
For a film that's so much fun, it's good to see that the cast seems to be enjoying themselves to the full as well. Reeves is well suited to the main role, handling the stunts with aplomb and not walking into the scenery when he has to act, whilst Nyqvist makes a smart, menacing bad guy. The supporting cast is right on the money too. In addition to McShane, Adrianne Palicki hits the target as convincingly twisted fellow assassin Ms. Perkins, Willem Dafoe makes a brief but telling contribution as an old associate of Wick's and Lance Reddick steals every scene he's in as the unfailingly polite and efficient manager of the Hotel Continental. Also, it's great to see David Patrick Kelly (from, amongst other things, Commando, in which Schwarzenegger lies about killing him last) in an all-too-brief appearance as a clean-up expert who makes sure the pools of blood and the bodies vanish after guys like Wick ply their trade.
At just over an hour and forty minutes, John Wick the movie is very much the John Wick the character. It knows what it has to do, it gets in there, it does the job as quickly and efficiently as it can and then it gets out of there. For action movie addicts it's a bonafide treat and although the film doesn't especially lend itself to a sequel I'd be surprised if we've seen the last of John Wick.
Saturday, 11 April 2015
Monday, 6 April 2015
FAST AND FURIOUS 7
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jason Statham
Writer: Chris Morgan
Director: James Wan
Long-delayed due to the tragic death of Paul Walker, the seventh instalment of the rubber-burning franchise finally screeches on to the screen. This picks up where the last movie left off, with "legitimate English bad ass" Deckard Shaw (Statham) vowing to take care of the people who left his little brother Owen (Luke Evans) seriously injured. After visiting said brother in a hospital and instructing them in no uncertain terms to look after him, he then proceeds to destroy most of the place (???) and heads to Tokyo where he disposes of street racer Han in a repeat of the end of the previous movie to bring everything up to date. We're just after Tokyo Drift, which takes place after Fasts 4, 5 and 6, even though Tokyo Drift was number 3. Get it? No? Doesn't matter.
Anyway, one suspicious package delivery later which almost blows up Dom (Diesel), Brian (Walker), franchise spare part Mia (Jordana Brewster) and their kid, it's time to send Mia and son "somewhere safe" again where she can worry about hubby Brian from the sidelines and poor old Brewster can reflect upon what a duff role she's been saddled with whilst the guys vow to track down Shaw and make him pay for killing Han. Before long they've crossed paths with a shadowy Government agent (Kurt Russell) who involves them in a plot to retrieve a state-of-the-art tracking app called God's Eye (I'm not making this up - just you watch the movie) and to rescue a hacker called Ramsay whose knowledge of God's Eye will help the good guys track down Deckard. Get it? No? Doesn't matter.
Of course, to get the job done Dom needs a team and Russell's character has taken the liberty of reassembling the remainder of the old crew; computer whiz Tej (Ludacris), smooth operator/terminal irritant Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and, most problematic for Dom, still-suffering-from-amnesia Letty (Michelle Rodriguez bagging the closest thing this film is going to get to a proper character arc). Oh, did I mention that there's an international terrorist (played by Djimon Hounsou) who wants God's Eye for himself and will, as is usual in these things, stop at nothing to get it? Well, I have now and no, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that the plot is nothing more than a peg on which to hang a series of eye-popping, jaw-dropping action sequences which will leave you either exhilarated or shaking your head in complete disbelief. Or, certainly in my case, both.
Let's be frank here. This is a Fast and Furious movie and you're not going into this looking for Shakespearean dialogue and a deep, rigorous examination of the human condition. At least I hope that's not what you're expecting - if so, have you seen any of the previous six? No, what you're looking for is Statham and Diesel fighting each other with the most enormous wrenches you've ever seen. You're looking for vehicles chasing each other down the side of the mountain. You're looking for The Rock taking on the bad guys with a minigun. You're looking for a sports car jumping from one skyscraper to another - and then doing it again. This is an alternate universe in which the normal laws of physics don't apply and the characters which inhabit it are nigh-on indestructible. At one point, two cars collide head-on at high speed and their drivers just stagger out, slightly dazed. If you're not going to be able to buy into this kind of thing then this film is going to drive you insane.
This is, of course, all about the action. Vehicles flip, twirl through the air and bounce end over end. Buildings explode. Structures collapse. When characters aren't diving from speeding cars or being blown across warehouses they're involved in extensive, property-damaging, ludicrous fight sequences. There's so much action that you might feel exhausted just watching it. Central to this ongoing orgy of mayhem is an astonishing twenty-minute sequence in which Diesel and his buddies have to rescue Ramsay by ambushing the armoured bus which is transporting her. This portion of the movie opens with cars dropping, James Bond-style, from a transport plane and just builds from there. I won't spoil any of the remainder of it but all I'll say is that if you saw some of it from the trailer there's plenty more that you didn't see there which is in the film. It's worth the price of the entrance fee alone.
Equally, the fact that the aforementioned sequence is so amazing causes a few problems for the rest of the film. How can the film-makers possibly top that? The answer is that they don't. The final confrontation does try very hard, it's certainly destructive enough and there's a dizzying amount of stuff going on as Dom's team scamper across L.A. but, certainly for me at least, it doesn't hit the inventive heights of their earlier escapades.
So, on to the cast. Diesel is as reliable as ever, you either like Gibson's schtick or you don't (personally I'm fine with it), Ludacris brings some good humour to the proceedings and Michelle Rodriguez at least tries to get a handle on the emotionally-tortured Letty whilst also kicking some serious ass - well, you can't have too much character development in this, can you? Statham proves to be an enjoyable bad guy but he just isn't on screen enough, the same can be said for Tony Jaa who shows up for a couple of terrific fight scenes but that's your lot. In fact, there are just too many characters for this film to carry so there are some casualties in terms of screen time, predictably Brewster (who's been shunted out so many times she must feel like a train carriage) and, not so predictably, Dwayne Johnson, whose appearances as Agent Hobbs more or less bookend the movie. If you're expecting to see a lot of The Rock, you won't.
As for Paul Walker, the movie keeps him in the proceedings with a combination of the footage that was already in the can, some digital trickery and the use of doubles shot in ways that you don't quite get to see their face. There are times when the effect is a little odd but for the most part it works. Of course, it's fitting that the movie ends with a tribute to him and after the previous couple of hours of ear-splitting nonsense it's nice to see just how quietly and reflectively the movie closes, with Diesel and Walker together on a road. The dialogue is poignant and obviously heartfelt and, guys, in this case you don't have to pretend you have something in your eye.
So the story doesn't make a lick of sense, the dialogue is often ridiculous (purposely so, I hope, in some cases) and realism takes a back seat at the world's largest auditorium but you know what? Doesn't matter. It's a handsomely-mounted, big-budget, exciting action film. It's loud, it's brash and it wants you to know it. Switch your brain to neutral, strap yourself in and enjoy this for what it is. Preferably on the largest screen you can find with the biggest sound system.
Writer: Chris Morgan
Director: James Wan
Long-delayed due to the tragic death of Paul Walker, the seventh instalment of the rubber-burning franchise finally screeches on to the screen. This picks up where the last movie left off, with "legitimate English bad ass" Deckard Shaw (Statham) vowing to take care of the people who left his little brother Owen (Luke Evans) seriously injured. After visiting said brother in a hospital and instructing them in no uncertain terms to look after him, he then proceeds to destroy most of the place (???) and heads to Tokyo where he disposes of street racer Han in a repeat of the end of the previous movie to bring everything up to date. We're just after Tokyo Drift, which takes place after Fasts 4, 5 and 6, even though Tokyo Drift was number 3. Get it? No? Doesn't matter.
Anyway, one suspicious package delivery later which almost blows up Dom (Diesel), Brian (Walker), franchise spare part Mia (Jordana Brewster) and their kid, it's time to send Mia and son "somewhere safe" again where she can worry about hubby Brian from the sidelines and poor old Brewster can reflect upon what a duff role she's been saddled with whilst the guys vow to track down Shaw and make him pay for killing Han. Before long they've crossed paths with a shadowy Government agent (Kurt Russell) who involves them in a plot to retrieve a state-of-the-art tracking app called God's Eye (I'm not making this up - just you watch the movie) and to rescue a hacker called Ramsay whose knowledge of God's Eye will help the good guys track down Deckard. Get it? No? Doesn't matter.
Of course, to get the job done Dom needs a team and Russell's character has taken the liberty of reassembling the remainder of the old crew; computer whiz Tej (Ludacris), smooth operator/terminal irritant Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and, most problematic for Dom, still-suffering-from-amnesia Letty (Michelle Rodriguez bagging the closest thing this film is going to get to a proper character arc). Oh, did I mention that there's an international terrorist (played by Djimon Hounsou) who wants God's Eye for himself and will, as is usual in these things, stop at nothing to get it? Well, I have now and no, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that the plot is nothing more than a peg on which to hang a series of eye-popping, jaw-dropping action sequences which will leave you either exhilarated or shaking your head in complete disbelief. Or, certainly in my case, both.
Let's be frank here. This is a Fast and Furious movie and you're not going into this looking for Shakespearean dialogue and a deep, rigorous examination of the human condition. At least I hope that's not what you're expecting - if so, have you seen any of the previous six? No, what you're looking for is Statham and Diesel fighting each other with the most enormous wrenches you've ever seen. You're looking for vehicles chasing each other down the side of the mountain. You're looking for The Rock taking on the bad guys with a minigun. You're looking for a sports car jumping from one skyscraper to another - and then doing it again. This is an alternate universe in which the normal laws of physics don't apply and the characters which inhabit it are nigh-on indestructible. At one point, two cars collide head-on at high speed and their drivers just stagger out, slightly dazed. If you're not going to be able to buy into this kind of thing then this film is going to drive you insane.
This is, of course, all about the action. Vehicles flip, twirl through the air and bounce end over end. Buildings explode. Structures collapse. When characters aren't diving from speeding cars or being blown across warehouses they're involved in extensive, property-damaging, ludicrous fight sequences. There's so much action that you might feel exhausted just watching it. Central to this ongoing orgy of mayhem is an astonishing twenty-minute sequence in which Diesel and his buddies have to rescue Ramsay by ambushing the armoured bus which is transporting her. This portion of the movie opens with cars dropping, James Bond-style, from a transport plane and just builds from there. I won't spoil any of the remainder of it but all I'll say is that if you saw some of it from the trailer there's plenty more that you didn't see there which is in the film. It's worth the price of the entrance fee alone.
Equally, the fact that the aforementioned sequence is so amazing causes a few problems for the rest of the film. How can the film-makers possibly top that? The answer is that they don't. The final confrontation does try very hard, it's certainly destructive enough and there's a dizzying amount of stuff going on as Dom's team scamper across L.A. but, certainly for me at least, it doesn't hit the inventive heights of their earlier escapades.
So, on to the cast. Diesel is as reliable as ever, you either like Gibson's schtick or you don't (personally I'm fine with it), Ludacris brings some good humour to the proceedings and Michelle Rodriguez at least tries to get a handle on the emotionally-tortured Letty whilst also kicking some serious ass - well, you can't have too much character development in this, can you? Statham proves to be an enjoyable bad guy but he just isn't on screen enough, the same can be said for Tony Jaa who shows up for a couple of terrific fight scenes but that's your lot. In fact, there are just too many characters for this film to carry so there are some casualties in terms of screen time, predictably Brewster (who's been shunted out so many times she must feel like a train carriage) and, not so predictably, Dwayne Johnson, whose appearances as Agent Hobbs more or less bookend the movie. If you're expecting to see a lot of The Rock, you won't.
As for Paul Walker, the movie keeps him in the proceedings with a combination of the footage that was already in the can, some digital trickery and the use of doubles shot in ways that you don't quite get to see their face. There are times when the effect is a little odd but for the most part it works. Of course, it's fitting that the movie ends with a tribute to him and after the previous couple of hours of ear-splitting nonsense it's nice to see just how quietly and reflectively the movie closes, with Diesel and Walker together on a road. The dialogue is poignant and obviously heartfelt and, guys, in this case you don't have to pretend you have something in your eye.
So the story doesn't make a lick of sense, the dialogue is often ridiculous (purposely so, I hope, in some cases) and realism takes a back seat at the world's largest auditorium but you know what? Doesn't matter. It's a handsomely-mounted, big-budget, exciting action film. It's loud, it's brash and it wants you to know it. Switch your brain to neutral, strap yourself in and enjoy this for what it is. Preferably on the largest screen you can find with the biggest sound system.
Saturday, 4 April 2015
WHILE WE'RE YOUNG
Starring: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver
Writer: Noah Baumbach
Director: Noah Baumbach
Fortysomething documentary film maker Josh (Stiller) and his wife Cornelia (Watts) find their lives changed after meeting twentysomething couple Jamie and Darby (Driver and Amanda Seyfried, replacing original casting choice - and Baumbach's partner - Greta Gerwig). Jamie is also looking to make his mark in the world of documentaries and he's a big fan of Josh's work, or at least the one piece of his work that he managed to get hold of on videotape via Ebay. Darby, meanwhile, is a manufacturer of artisan ice-creams with odd flavours. After being initially reluctant to step across this generational gap, Josh and Cornelia suddenly find themselves at beach street parties, hip-hop dance classes and mystical cleansing ceremonies. Can Josh cope with all of this as his eyesight fails and his arthritis kicks in?
Noah Baumbach's film is an extremely enjoyable peek into the hopes and dreams of different generations. It's about growing up (even when you're convinced that you haven't), it's about trying to recapture lost youth, it's about thwarted ambition, it's about the need to feel valued, it's about people evaluating what they really want from life, it's about how a marriage evolves and much more besides. All these themes are dealt with in an assured, naturalistic way, the script is full of lovely touches and the performances are fabulous.
Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts are totally convincing as a married couple, you forget the actors instantly and you see the characters. As good as Ben Stiller is in more mainstream movies there's a tendency for me to overlook the fact that he's a really, really good actor and here he plays both comedy and drama adeptly. Naomi Watts could read the telephone directory and still be fascinating, Adam Driver manages to bring out both the disarming and infuriatingly hip sides of his character and it's only Amanda Seyfried who I feel is a bit short-changed in a role that doesn't really have the depth of the others. Don't get me wrong, she's very good but Darby isn't given much of an arc. And hold on, who's that playing Fletcher, long-time friend of Josh and Cornelia's, new dad and pillar of middle-class respectability? That wouldn't be ex-Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz, would it? Yes, it would. Terrific casting there.
The film is shot with confidence and there are many stand-out sequences. In particular, there's a lovely montage which compares and contrasts the lives of Josh and Cornelia with those of Jamie and Darby. Surprisingly, it's the fortysomething couple who are reliant on technology whilst the twentysomethings are the ones going "old school" - Stiller's character taps away at a laptop, Driver's uses a typewriter. Watts reads from a tablet, Seyfried reads from a book. The older couple search for things to watch on Netflix whilst the younger couple are watching an old VHS tape of The Howling (good choice, by the way).
The comedy here is much more straightforward than I'm used to with Baumbach's earlier work, it's even quite broad in places and the cleansing ceremony is, to my mind, almost an indie version of a Farrelly brothers gross-out set-piece. Baumbach hasn't ditched his trademark quirkiness but the themes and situations are ones with which a lot more people will identify than, say, those in something like Frances Ha (personally I loved Frances Ha but I can understand why it would leave other people cold). The scene in which Stiller discusses his arthritic knees with his doctor is a highlight, the doctor puncturing his patient's denial of the diagnosis with withering, hilarious, deadpan responses.
Of course, being a Noah Baumbach movie, there's also room for a helping of drama alongside the chuckles and this is worked into the proceedings in a pleasingly organic way. Why shouldn't there be amusing and sad moments in the same scene? Isn't that how real life is? When events come to a head and the characters clash things don't always go the way that they would in most other movies, there are much more realistic and honest conclusions. Okay, there's the odd familiar plot development but for all of his willingness to put a different spin on a conventional tale Baumbach doesn't fall into the trap of pulling the story in directions that it just wouldn't go and sacrificing believability.
So, in short, see While We're Young while you're young. Or while you're not so young. Me, I'm off to find myself a twentysomething film review blogger...
Writer: Noah Baumbach
Director: Noah Baumbach
Fortysomething documentary film maker Josh (Stiller) and his wife Cornelia (Watts) find their lives changed after meeting twentysomething couple Jamie and Darby (Driver and Amanda Seyfried, replacing original casting choice - and Baumbach's partner - Greta Gerwig). Jamie is also looking to make his mark in the world of documentaries and he's a big fan of Josh's work, or at least the one piece of his work that he managed to get hold of on videotape via Ebay. Darby, meanwhile, is a manufacturer of artisan ice-creams with odd flavours. After being initially reluctant to step across this generational gap, Josh and Cornelia suddenly find themselves at beach street parties, hip-hop dance classes and mystical cleansing ceremonies. Can Josh cope with all of this as his eyesight fails and his arthritis kicks in?
Noah Baumbach's film is an extremely enjoyable peek into the hopes and dreams of different generations. It's about growing up (even when you're convinced that you haven't), it's about trying to recapture lost youth, it's about thwarted ambition, it's about the need to feel valued, it's about people evaluating what they really want from life, it's about how a marriage evolves and much more besides. All these themes are dealt with in an assured, naturalistic way, the script is full of lovely touches and the performances are fabulous.
Ben Stiller and Naomi Watts are totally convincing as a married couple, you forget the actors instantly and you see the characters. As good as Ben Stiller is in more mainstream movies there's a tendency for me to overlook the fact that he's a really, really good actor and here he plays both comedy and drama adeptly. Naomi Watts could read the telephone directory and still be fascinating, Adam Driver manages to bring out both the disarming and infuriatingly hip sides of his character and it's only Amanda Seyfried who I feel is a bit short-changed in a role that doesn't really have the depth of the others. Don't get me wrong, she's very good but Darby isn't given much of an arc. And hold on, who's that playing Fletcher, long-time friend of Josh and Cornelia's, new dad and pillar of middle-class respectability? That wouldn't be ex-Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz, would it? Yes, it would. Terrific casting there.
The film is shot with confidence and there are many stand-out sequences. In particular, there's a lovely montage which compares and contrasts the lives of Josh and Cornelia with those of Jamie and Darby. Surprisingly, it's the fortysomething couple who are reliant on technology whilst the twentysomethings are the ones going "old school" - Stiller's character taps away at a laptop, Driver's uses a typewriter. Watts reads from a tablet, Seyfried reads from a book. The older couple search for things to watch on Netflix whilst the younger couple are watching an old VHS tape of The Howling (good choice, by the way).
The comedy here is much more straightforward than I'm used to with Baumbach's earlier work, it's even quite broad in places and the cleansing ceremony is, to my mind, almost an indie version of a Farrelly brothers gross-out set-piece. Baumbach hasn't ditched his trademark quirkiness but the themes and situations are ones with which a lot more people will identify than, say, those in something like Frances Ha (personally I loved Frances Ha but I can understand why it would leave other people cold). The scene in which Stiller discusses his arthritic knees with his doctor is a highlight, the doctor puncturing his patient's denial of the diagnosis with withering, hilarious, deadpan responses.
Of course, being a Noah Baumbach movie, there's also room for a helping of drama alongside the chuckles and this is worked into the proceedings in a pleasingly organic way. Why shouldn't there be amusing and sad moments in the same scene? Isn't that how real life is? When events come to a head and the characters clash things don't always go the way that they would in most other movies, there are much more realistic and honest conclusions. Okay, there's the odd familiar plot development but for all of his willingness to put a different spin on a conventional tale Baumbach doesn't fall into the trap of pulling the story in directions that it just wouldn't go and sacrificing believability.
So, in short, see While We're Young while you're young. Or while you're not so young. Me, I'm off to find myself a twentysomething film review blogger...
Wednesday, 25 March 2015
THE VOICES
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Gemma Arterton, Anna Kendrick
Writer: Michael R. Perry
Director: Marjane Satrapi
Jerry (Reynolds) works at a bathtub factory and lives above a bowling alley with his dog Bosco and his cat Mr. Whiskers. He also has a crush on Fiona (Arterton), the 'English hottie' working in the Accounts department. The two of them find themselves on a committee which has been set up to organise an employee picnic and Jerry sees this as an opportunity to meet Fiona properly and then look for the right moment to ask her on a date. Did I mention that Jerry talks to Bosco and Mr. Whiskers? Probably not such a strange thing, lots of people talk to their pets. Did I mention that Jerry hears them talking back to him? And how will Fiona affect Jerry's already fragile psychological state?
The Voices is a total delight, a surreal black comedy that manages to be both astonishingly grim and genuinely funny in equal measure. Michael R. Perry's script is consistently excellent, giving us well-rounded characters it's easy to identify with and then taking them to some extremely dark places. Even so Marjane Satrapi directs with a skilfully light touch, never making the proceedings feel too bleak whilst still making the audience fully aware of the horrors being played out in front of them.
Ryan Reynolds is outstanding as Jerry, somehow coming across as a likeable person and eliciting our sympathy even when he's contemplating doing the most horrible things. In this movie, you forget about the usual wisecracking Reynolds persona - for instance, just watch his mannerisms when he's seeing his psychiatrist - and this proves that the guy has real acting talent. Reynolds also supplies the voices for reliable, sensible old Bosco the dog and the psychotic, foul-mouthed cat Mr. Whiskers. Bosco is loyal, friendly and the voice of the reason. Mr. Whiskers, on the other hand, constantly berates Jerry for not feeding him on time and seems to think the solution to most things is to go on a murderous rampage. If you already think cats are evil this is not the movie to change your mind. Personally, I loved the hilarious awfulness of Mr. Whiskers and I'd like to see him in his own movie.
I'm glad to say that the rest of the cast have brought their A-game to this too. Gemma Arterton is, of course, absolutely stunning to look at but there's no doubt that she's a fine actress too and her performance as the frustrated Fiona - by turns sweet and sour - is excellent. Anna Kendrick, as Fiona's Accounting Department colleague Lisa, is terrific as someone who sees Jerry as something more than the strange guy at work and she brings a winning, adorable girl next door quality to her role. In fact, the whole cast is fabulous; even the most minor of characters are given their moment to shine, and shine they do.
This is definitely one of my favourite movies of 2015 so far. Granted, the swings between horror and comedy may prove too extreme for some but if you're on the lookout for a movie with a truly original take on a well-worn theme you'll thoroughly enjoy the strange and surprising journey this takes you on. And the end just has to be seen to be believed - it's weird, wonderful and very much in keeping with the rest of this tremendous movie.
One last thing: Mr. Whiskers for Oscar glory next year? Fingers crossed.
Writer: Michael R. Perry
Director: Marjane Satrapi
Jerry (Reynolds) works at a bathtub factory and lives above a bowling alley with his dog Bosco and his cat Mr. Whiskers. He also has a crush on Fiona (Arterton), the 'English hottie' working in the Accounts department. The two of them find themselves on a committee which has been set up to organise an employee picnic and Jerry sees this as an opportunity to meet Fiona properly and then look for the right moment to ask her on a date. Did I mention that Jerry talks to Bosco and Mr. Whiskers? Probably not such a strange thing, lots of people talk to their pets. Did I mention that Jerry hears them talking back to him? And how will Fiona affect Jerry's already fragile psychological state?
The Voices is a total delight, a surreal black comedy that manages to be both astonishingly grim and genuinely funny in equal measure. Michael R. Perry's script is consistently excellent, giving us well-rounded characters it's easy to identify with and then taking them to some extremely dark places. Even so Marjane Satrapi directs with a skilfully light touch, never making the proceedings feel too bleak whilst still making the audience fully aware of the horrors being played out in front of them.
Ryan Reynolds is outstanding as Jerry, somehow coming across as a likeable person and eliciting our sympathy even when he's contemplating doing the most horrible things. In this movie, you forget about the usual wisecracking Reynolds persona - for instance, just watch his mannerisms when he's seeing his psychiatrist - and this proves that the guy has real acting talent. Reynolds also supplies the voices for reliable, sensible old Bosco the dog and the psychotic, foul-mouthed cat Mr. Whiskers. Bosco is loyal, friendly and the voice of the reason. Mr. Whiskers, on the other hand, constantly berates Jerry for not feeding him on time and seems to think the solution to most things is to go on a murderous rampage. If you already think cats are evil this is not the movie to change your mind. Personally, I loved the hilarious awfulness of Mr. Whiskers and I'd like to see him in his own movie.
I'm glad to say that the rest of the cast have brought their A-game to this too. Gemma Arterton is, of course, absolutely stunning to look at but there's no doubt that she's a fine actress too and her performance as the frustrated Fiona - by turns sweet and sour - is excellent. Anna Kendrick, as Fiona's Accounting Department colleague Lisa, is terrific as someone who sees Jerry as something more than the strange guy at work and she brings a winning, adorable girl next door quality to her role. In fact, the whole cast is fabulous; even the most minor of characters are given their moment to shine, and shine they do.
This is definitely one of my favourite movies of 2015 so far. Granted, the swings between horror and comedy may prove too extreme for some but if you're on the lookout for a movie with a truly original take on a well-worn theme you'll thoroughly enjoy the strange and surprising journey this takes you on. And the end just has to be seen to be believed - it's weird, wonderful and very much in keeping with the rest of this tremendous movie.
One last thing: Mr. Whiskers for Oscar glory next year? Fingers crossed.
Saturday, 21 March 2015
THE GUNMAN
Starring: Sean Penn, Jasmine Trinca, Javier Bardem
Writers: Don MacPherson, Pete Travis, Sean Penn
Director: Pierre Morel
*** THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER ABOUT SOMEONE IN THE FILM GETTING BUMPED OFF BUT IF YOU DID SEE IT YOU'D PRETTY MUCH GUESS WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM THE MINUTE THEY DECIDE TO....OKAY, LET'S JUST GET ON WITH THE REVIEW ***
*** THIS REVIEW CONTAINS A SPOILER ABOUT SOMEONE IN THE FILM GETTING BUMPED OFF BUT IF YOU DID SEE IT YOU'D PRETTY MUCH GUESS WHAT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THEM THE MINUTE THEY DECIDE TO....OKAY, LET'S JUST GET ON WITH THE REVIEW ***
It's 2006 and security contractor Jim Terrier (Penn) creates political chaos in the Congo when he participates in a mercenary operation which ends in the assassination of the Minister of Mining. Forced into hiding, his past comes back to haunt him whilst working on a well-drilling project for a charitable organisation and he has to track down whoever wants both him and his ex-colleagues dead.
Firstly, let me say that Pierre Morel directed the first - and by far the best - of the Taken movies and with Penn on board I was hopeful that this would be an accomplished mix of socially conscious, twisty political thriller and blazing action movie. Unfortunately this doesn't really work as either. The plot isn't exactly labyrinthine, Penn working out what's going on via a few contacts and very little digging, whilst the action sequences are certainly competent but nothing special.
The movie also squanders the considerable talent it has at its disposal. I was ready to see Javier Bardem giving a kick-ass performance but he's given a terribly underwritten role here which disappoints on pretty much every level. It's always good to see Idris Elba but his Interpol agent shows up (very late in the film, I might add), speaks in annoying metaphors about tree houses and then vanishes, offering absolutely bugger all in the way of help. Considering the Interpol guys seem to think that Penn's character is vital to bringing the bad guys to book they're quite happy to let him plonk himself in lethal situation after lethal situation and it's this kind of slack plotting that kept disengaging me from the film.
Credit to Penn; he's a fine actor and he tries his damnedest here, plus he's been at the gym and got himself all buff for this one. His jaw-droppingly developed biceps almost have a character of their own (Mrs Deej commented that Popeye would be envious) and they're focused on at every single opportunity. Problem is, although he looks the part and convinces as the guilt-wracked central character, he's not served at all well by a script which delivers nowhere near the required amount of intrigue and features some genuinely clunky dialogue. The supposed spark between Terrier and former love Annie (Trinca) doesn't exactly set the screen alight either, mostly because their relationship is given just a few perfunctory nods as the plot trundles along and the audience is more or less supposed to take it on trust that these two were meant for each other. As for Ray Winstone, he's criminally wasted. And he's criminally wasted. Sorry about the spoiler there.
That said, it's not a total washout. There are good moments in the film, some of the location work is attractive and Mark Rylance (another really good actor - this movie's bursting with them) looks like he's enjoying playing a very shady associate of Terrier's but the whole shebang culminated in a ho-hum scrap and shootout that fell a long way short in terms of the thrills I would have expected. It's the climax of the movie, people! Come on, I want to be excited instead of checking my watch thinking "this must be it, there's less than ten minutes to go".
So, to conclude, there are things about this film to enjoy, most of them involving either Penn or Rylance. It's just that there's so much of it that doesn't hit the target (dreadful assassination-related play on words intended) I can't recommend you should rush out to see The Gunman.
Firstly, let me say that Pierre Morel directed the first - and by far the best - of the Taken movies and with Penn on board I was hopeful that this would be an accomplished mix of socially conscious, twisty political thriller and blazing action movie. Unfortunately this doesn't really work as either. The plot isn't exactly labyrinthine, Penn working out what's going on via a few contacts and very little digging, whilst the action sequences are certainly competent but nothing special.
The movie also squanders the considerable talent it has at its disposal. I was ready to see Javier Bardem giving a kick-ass performance but he's given a terribly underwritten role here which disappoints on pretty much every level. It's always good to see Idris Elba but his Interpol agent shows up (very late in the film, I might add), speaks in annoying metaphors about tree houses and then vanishes, offering absolutely bugger all in the way of help. Considering the Interpol guys seem to think that Penn's character is vital to bringing the bad guys to book they're quite happy to let him plonk himself in lethal situation after lethal situation and it's this kind of slack plotting that kept disengaging me from the film.
Credit to Penn; he's a fine actor and he tries his damnedest here, plus he's been at the gym and got himself all buff for this one. His jaw-droppingly developed biceps almost have a character of their own (Mrs Deej commented that Popeye would be envious) and they're focused on at every single opportunity. Problem is, although he looks the part and convinces as the guilt-wracked central character, he's not served at all well by a script which delivers nowhere near the required amount of intrigue and features some genuinely clunky dialogue. The supposed spark between Terrier and former love Annie (Trinca) doesn't exactly set the screen alight either, mostly because their relationship is given just a few perfunctory nods as the plot trundles along and the audience is more or less supposed to take it on trust that these two were meant for each other. As for Ray Winstone, he's criminally wasted. And he's criminally wasted. Sorry about the spoiler there.
That said, it's not a total washout. There are good moments in the film, some of the location work is attractive and Mark Rylance (another really good actor - this movie's bursting with them) looks like he's enjoying playing a very shady associate of Terrier's but the whole shebang culminated in a ho-hum scrap and shootout that fell a long way short in terms of the thrills I would have expected. It's the climax of the movie, people! Come on, I want to be excited instead of checking my watch thinking "this must be it, there's less than ten minutes to go".
So, to conclude, there are things about this film to enjoy, most of them involving either Penn or Rylance. It's just that there's so much of it that doesn't hit the target (dreadful assassination-related play on words intended) I can't recommend you should rush out to see The Gunman.
Thursday, 19 March 2015
SPRING
Starring: Lou Taylor Pucci, Nadia Hilker, Francesco Carnelutti
Writer: Justin Benson
Directors: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
In 2012, I saw Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's debut feature Resolution, a movie which defied - and, having seen it twice more since, still defies - categorisation. Is it a horror movie? Sci-fi? Mystery? It's all these things and more and I love it. I'm pleased to say that their follow-up, Spring, is another beguiling genre-hop which skilfully mixes elements of romance, horror, sci-fi, drama and gorgeously-filmed travelogue all topped off with a dollop of twisted humour.
Of course, with this being a Benson and Moorhead movie, it's not just a straightforward boy meets girl story. As befits a classic romantic tale, there's something about Louise that she really doesn't want Evan to know but this is given a spin the like of which you're highly unlikely to have seen many times before. Louise also has a past - and what a past it is. Beyond that, I'm telling you nothing else. It'll spoil your enjoyment of Spring, trust me.
Writer: Justin Benson
Directors: Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead
In 2012, I saw Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead's debut feature Resolution, a movie which defied - and, having seen it twice more since, still defies - categorisation. Is it a horror movie? Sci-fi? Mystery? It's all these things and more and I love it. I'm pleased to say that their follow-up, Spring, is another beguiling genre-hop which skilfully mixes elements of romance, horror, sci-fi, drama and gorgeously-filmed travelogue all topped off with a dollop of twisted humour.
Lou Taylor Pucci stars as Evan who, due to a mounting series of personal issues, leaves the US and heads to Europe, pitching up in Italy where he initially runs into some very drunk Brits (possibly drawn from Benson and Moorhead's personal experience of the Celluloid Screams 2012 festival crowd - personally, as one of that crowd, I couldn't comment) before his path crosses with that of Louise (Nadia Hilker). Louise is a student who's carrying out genetic research at a local institution. She's smart, attractive and very, very mysterious and the development of the relationship between this intriguing girl and Evan forms the core of the movie.
Of course, with this being a Benson and Moorhead movie, it's not just a straightforward boy meets girl story. As befits a classic romantic tale, there's something about Louise that she really doesn't want Evan to know but this is given a spin the like of which you're highly unlikely to have seen many times before. Louise also has a past - and what a past it is. Beyond that, I'm telling you nothing else. It'll spoil your enjoyment of Spring, trust me.
As a great proportion of this movie is a two-hander between the characters of Evan and Louise the performances of the leads really have to work and they do so magnificently. Pucci makes Evan a flawed but principled, caring and likeable guy who you don't mind spending time with and Hilker is perfect as the strange, fiercely intelligent, alluring Louise. It's all too easy to see why Evan falls for her in a big way. In Evan's shoes, I'd have been following her around like a lovesick puppy. Kudos to everyone involved in the casting process; Nadia Hilker is a genuinely amazing find.
Some may carp that the pace of Spring is too leisurely, in which case those people should stop carping right now. This is a film where you have to take the time to get to know the characters, an approach which pays off handsomely when the mysteries of the plot begin to be revealed and both characters have to come to terms with the situation and how it effects both the present and their potential futures. They're faced with big decisions and they're given time to work through them in a very real and considered way.
As you've probably guessed by now, I think this movie is absolutely wonderful. The Italian backdrop is sumptuously shot, lingering views of sun-washed fields contrasting with dazzling moments where the camera races along, soars over and plunges down the coastline. The performances by the whole cast are excellent; in addition to Pucci and Hilker's winning turns, I'd like to give a special mention to Francesco Carnelutti who's just brilliant as a wily old olive farmer Evan is working for in order to keep himself in cash to continuing his wooing of Louise. As for the script, Justin Benson's dialogue is snappy and witty without being too knowingly smart for its own good. There are effective, pleasingly icky sequences for the horror crowd and the suspense is cranked up expertly but these things don't undercut that fact that this is a warm and oddly sweet film with an especially satisfying conclusion.
Yes, Spring is a difficult movie to pigeonhole but that's the whole point. Go with it, be willing to cross those genre boundaries and I think you'll love it as much as I do.
Some may carp that the pace of Spring is too leisurely, in which case those people should stop carping right now. This is a film where you have to take the time to get to know the characters, an approach which pays off handsomely when the mysteries of the plot begin to be revealed and both characters have to come to terms with the situation and how it effects both the present and their potential futures. They're faced with big decisions and they're given time to work through them in a very real and considered way.
As you've probably guessed by now, I think this movie is absolutely wonderful. The Italian backdrop is sumptuously shot, lingering views of sun-washed fields contrasting with dazzling moments where the camera races along, soars over and plunges down the coastline. The performances by the whole cast are excellent; in addition to Pucci and Hilker's winning turns, I'd like to give a special mention to Francesco Carnelutti who's just brilliant as a wily old olive farmer Evan is working for in order to keep himself in cash to continuing his wooing of Louise. As for the script, Justin Benson's dialogue is snappy and witty without being too knowingly smart for its own good. There are effective, pleasingly icky sequences for the horror crowd and the suspense is cranked up expertly but these things don't undercut that fact that this is a warm and oddly sweet film with an especially satisfying conclusion.
Yes, Spring is a difficult movie to pigeonhole but that's the whole point. Go with it, be willing to cross those genre boundaries and I think you'll love it as much as I do.
Saturday, 14 March 2015
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Starring: Vince Vaughn, Dave Franco, Tom Wilkinson
Writer: Steve Conrad
Director: Ken Scott
After closing a significant business deal for his company, Dan Trunkman (Vaughn) is told by his Sales Manager Chuck Portnoy (Sienna Miller) that he'll be taking a 5% pay cut. Understandably miffed, Dan walks and start his own rival company, taking older colleague Tim (Wilkinson) and man-child Mike (Franco) with him. Mike isn't even with the company but had showed up for an interview with a box full of office supplies "to show confidence". Anyway, the three of them set out to take on the big guys and twelve months later it looks as though they've clinched a massive contract, edging out Miller's mob. However, via some business chicanery that the script doesn't really let us in on, there are complications and the deal looks in jeopardy. Time to pull out all of the stops and woo the client, which involves a trip to Berlin. Culture clash jokes ahoy!
It's a shame but these days I tend to approach Vince Vaughn comedies with a certain amount of trepidation. I like the guy and he has an easy-going, amiable screen presence. I want his movies to be funny and yet so often I'm disappointed. Unfortunately, for me, Unfinished Business turned out to be a laugh-free zone. I smiled twice in 91 minutes. No giggles and certainly no guffaws. It must have looked hilarious on the page and to be honest there's potential in the situations into which it drops our trio of underdogs. The bottom line is that it just isn't funny.
Vince Vaughn is undoubtedly very good as playing the sort of everyman role he has here and there's no question he has comic timing but he has absolutely nothing to work with here. The script pulls out all of the stops to make you like him and it throws in a tedious subplot which deals with the fallout of him being away from his wife and kids for so long (wife's getting stressed that he's away all of the time, son's being bullied, daughter hates school) but we don't need all of this stuff to be on his side, we were with him when Chuck was being horrible to him in scene one so all the family angle really does is weigh down the plot. I guess it does pad out the running time though...
Tom Wilkinson looks like he's enjoying his role as Tim but as far as character development goes all you get is a 67-year-old guy doing things that 67-year-old guys are not supposed to do (take drugs, swear like a trooper, hire "sex maids" - I'm not going to explain that last one because your imagination will come up with something funnier than the film does). It's not an unamusing idea but somehow his antics generate a sum total of zero chuckles.
Let's take a look at the character of Mike Pancake. Yes, he has a funny surname and if you like that gag you'll be able to experience it several times during this movie. From the get-go we're told that Mike doesn't function in anything approaching a normal way, he has no understanding of the meaning of various words, he doesn't know the difference between a square and a rectangle and he never graduated college. A short while later, that same Mike has contributed to a number of updated mathematical forecasts in a presentation that Dan will deliver to the client. Huh?
Outside of the main three protagonists, the remainder of the cast is given virtually sod all to do. Sienna Miller is wasted in a one-dimensional business bitch from Hell role. James Marsden shows up, behaves like a dick, disappears for a while, shows up again, behaves like a dick, disappears for a while....you get the idea. Nick Frost is at least given something resembling a character arc and he does at least make the most of the scraps he's given but he's not on screen enough to raise the level of the proceedings. His character is also gay so at one point he has to wear an outrageous outfit. If you like that gag, well, you're beyond help.
I'm not even going to get into the ins and outs of the business deal Trunkman is attempting to close, only that it involves "sworf" - off cuts of metal - and that the contractual elements of the agreement are like nothing I've ever heard of. That's my diplomatic way of saying that part of the plot is unbelievable crap. Oops, there goes the diplomacy. Never sit me down at a table to sort things out between two warring factions. Unlikely, I know, but...
One thing I will say is that Berlin looks a cool place to visit which makes me look forward to my trip there soon but that's all I really took from the movie. Like its protagonists, I just wanted the deal to be signed as quickly as possible so we could all go home. At one point about an hour in, Vince Vaughn looked worn down by the whole thing. I knew exactly how he felt.
Writer: Steve Conrad
Director: Ken Scott
After closing a significant business deal for his company, Dan Trunkman (Vaughn) is told by his Sales Manager Chuck Portnoy (Sienna Miller) that he'll be taking a 5% pay cut. Understandably miffed, Dan walks and start his own rival company, taking older colleague Tim (Wilkinson) and man-child Mike (Franco) with him. Mike isn't even with the company but had showed up for an interview with a box full of office supplies "to show confidence". Anyway, the three of them set out to take on the big guys and twelve months later it looks as though they've clinched a massive contract, edging out Miller's mob. However, via some business chicanery that the script doesn't really let us in on, there are complications and the deal looks in jeopardy. Time to pull out all of the stops and woo the client, which involves a trip to Berlin. Culture clash jokes ahoy!
It's a shame but these days I tend to approach Vince Vaughn comedies with a certain amount of trepidation. I like the guy and he has an easy-going, amiable screen presence. I want his movies to be funny and yet so often I'm disappointed. Unfortunately, for me, Unfinished Business turned out to be a laugh-free zone. I smiled twice in 91 minutes. No giggles and certainly no guffaws. It must have looked hilarious on the page and to be honest there's potential in the situations into which it drops our trio of underdogs. The bottom line is that it just isn't funny.
Vince Vaughn is undoubtedly very good as playing the sort of everyman role he has here and there's no question he has comic timing but he has absolutely nothing to work with here. The script pulls out all of the stops to make you like him and it throws in a tedious subplot which deals with the fallout of him being away from his wife and kids for so long (wife's getting stressed that he's away all of the time, son's being bullied, daughter hates school) but we don't need all of this stuff to be on his side, we were with him when Chuck was being horrible to him in scene one so all the family angle really does is weigh down the plot. I guess it does pad out the running time though...
Tom Wilkinson looks like he's enjoying his role as Tim but as far as character development goes all you get is a 67-year-old guy doing things that 67-year-old guys are not supposed to do (take drugs, swear like a trooper, hire "sex maids" - I'm not going to explain that last one because your imagination will come up with something funnier than the film does). It's not an unamusing idea but somehow his antics generate a sum total of zero chuckles.
Let's take a look at the character of Mike Pancake. Yes, he has a funny surname and if you like that gag you'll be able to experience it several times during this movie. From the get-go we're told that Mike doesn't function in anything approaching a normal way, he has no understanding of the meaning of various words, he doesn't know the difference between a square and a rectangle and he never graduated college. A short while later, that same Mike has contributed to a number of updated mathematical forecasts in a presentation that Dan will deliver to the client. Huh?
Outside of the main three protagonists, the remainder of the cast is given virtually sod all to do. Sienna Miller is wasted in a one-dimensional business bitch from Hell role. James Marsden shows up, behaves like a dick, disappears for a while, shows up again, behaves like a dick, disappears for a while....you get the idea. Nick Frost is at least given something resembling a character arc and he does at least make the most of the scraps he's given but he's not on screen enough to raise the level of the proceedings. His character is also gay so at one point he has to wear an outrageous outfit. If you like that gag, well, you're beyond help.
I'm not even going to get into the ins and outs of the business deal Trunkman is attempting to close, only that it involves "sworf" - off cuts of metal - and that the contractual elements of the agreement are like nothing I've ever heard of. That's my diplomatic way of saying that part of the plot is unbelievable crap. Oops, there goes the diplomacy. Never sit me down at a table to sort things out between two warring factions. Unlikely, I know, but...
One thing I will say is that Berlin looks a cool place to visit which makes me look forward to my trip there soon but that's all I really took from the movie. Like its protagonists, I just wanted the deal to be signed as quickly as possible so we could all go home. At one point about an hour in, Vince Vaughn looked worn down by the whole thing. I knew exactly how he felt.
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